Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 403 The Sea Journey of Qi (Part 2)
In the sixth year of the Shiyuan era of the Han Dynasty,

On a day with a gentle breeze and pleasant weather

After drifting at sea for a long time, the Qi ship finally docked at Guazhou in the Xia Kingdom.

This is a port built at the mouth of the Indus River.

It was once a somewhat desolate area, but as the Qin state opened up maritime trade routes to the east, the frequent trade between Qin and Xia led to its gradual development.

Furthermore, because this place is located at the western end of the Xia Kingdom, it is quite far from the present-day capital of the Xia Kingdom and the war-torn east.

So when the Qi envoy disembarked, he saw only peace and tranquility, without the fear and war he had previously imagined.

This put his mind at ease.

of course,

The more important thing right now is to find a place to rest so that the crew members, who have been adrift on the ship for a long time, can relax and unwind.

A young man stepped forward to introduce them to the area and lead them to nearby buildings.

The other person was very handsome, and spoke fluent and authentic Chinese, without a trace of local accent.

The Qi envoy took a liking to him upon seeing him.

"How could good-looking people lie?"

then,

He readily agreed and followed the other party as they walked through Guazhou City.

When the young gentleman indeed led the Qi envoy to a well-equipped guesthouse, the latter felt even more strongly that good looks and character were positively correlated.

He intends to reciprocate.

Although the Qi envoy was new to the country and did not have Xia currency, exchanging money among the various Xia states was very simple.

Firstly, the coins at this time were minted according to the regulations of the Qin state during the Warring States period.

They vary slightly in shape and size, but all are round with square holes.

Secondly, the coins from the Qin, Han, and Xia dynasties all liked to indicate the weight of the copper coin itself.

The Qin and Han dynasties used the zhu (铢), while the Xia dynasty used the zhu (铢).

Furthermore, because the various Xia states had passed a resolution to "unify weights and measures" when compiling the "Great Codex" decades ago,

There were also frequent exchanges between the Han and Xia dynasties via the Western Regions.
Therefore, the large amount of Wuzhu coins carried by the Qi envoy could be easily exchanged in the Xia Kingdom.

But the other party did not accept it.

He said, "I'm not doing this for the money."

"I only offered my help because I saw that you had come from afar."

The Qi envoy was astonished by his nobility and felt that the gentleman before him was even more pure and unpretentious.

Moreover, after refusing the payment, the other party did not leave his name with Qi, but calmly turned and left, leaving Qi behind, watching his back.

King Wen of Xia felt a little regretful, saying, "The money we received could have been used to support the Taiping Dao (Way of Peace)."

After abandoning their worthless descendants,

The founding emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, who still enjoys a temple dedicated to him and is worshipped by his descendants every year, devoted his entire being to helping the Way of Peace.

He can't do much.
Aside from using his identity as a dead ghost to quickly travel between various places, disguising himself as a Taoist priest to spread the concept of "bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new," he also took time to do some business and help the Taiping Dao prepare supplies.

The radical faction within the Way of Peace, who advocated overthrowing the corrupt old dynasty, couldn't help but feel grateful for the kindness and generosity of this virtuous man who wished to remain anonymous.

What can you buy with the little money you get for guiding people?

"And I'm already very happy that they were able to reach the shore safely."

He Bo waved his hand at King Xia Wen and said.

The ships that Qi State sent on this long voyage were carried by He Bo, who had been hiding in the underworld, capturing many dead ghosts, and carrying a designed...

In supporting the various branches of the Chinese civilization, the spirits and deities showed no favoritism towards either side, treating them all equally.

However, the states of Qi and Wu are separated by a vast ocean, with treacherous waves. He Bo worried that if he packed some geniuses into jars and sent them over, they would only be able to communicate through messages in bottles.

Therefore,
China's ghost country has no way to reach them, a stable export destination for ghost geniuses.

But this did not prevent He Bo from using his powers to simulate the ocean on the magical Weak Water in the underworld, and then handcraft various ship models that were likely to be advantageous for long voyages, handing the blueprints over to Qi and Wu, two countries based in the sea.

of course,

Simulations are ultimately unreal.

A thousand theoretical discussions are no substitute for one practical experience. Even when sailing from Qi to Xia, the journey often involved skimming the coastline, and the risks were not particularly severe.
In its interactions with the Central Plains, the State of Qi accumulated a wealth of navigational experience, enough to even send ships to attack the State of Wu...

But He Bo was still worried that the boat might capsize halfway through the journey.

after all,

The distance between the two countries was far too great for the various states of China at that time.

When traveling on land, if misfortune strikes, one can scatter like birds and beasts, wandering in all directions.

What can be done at sea?
Ships are not as flexible as people.

therefore,

He Bo kept a close watch on the Qi ships after they set sail.

The ship docked at Jimo, and He Bo kept a close watch on it.

The boat docked at Hepu. He Bo kept a close watch on the boat and ate a lot of lychees, almost getting a sore throat from eating too many.
Once the ships had completely sailed out of the Han Dynasty's territory, He Bo eagerly arrived in the Xia Kingdom, lingering at the port every day, displaying an attitude of longing and anticipation.

Now that he saw that the boat and the people were safe, he was finally relieved.

Once you've reached the Xia state, going to the Qin state will be much easier.

If you want to go to Rome later, you can also travel there via the canal that the Qin state has recently built in Egypt.

This canal was not created by excavating a gap in the land using massive amounts of manpower and resources, but rather it was dug on the east bank of the Nile River, connecting it to the Red Sea.

Once ships enter the canal from the Red Sea, they can then proceed to the main channel of the Nile River and eventually flow into the Mediterranean Sea.

The plan for this canal, which utilizes the great river to connect the two seas, has a long history.

A long time ago,

The former rulers of Egypt intended to use human power to overcome the barriers of the land.

However, due to insufficient national strength, construction was halted after a few years.

It was successfully built during the Persian Empire and the Ptolemaic Dynasty, but later, due to the decline of the country's power, it was no longer able to maintain the operation of the canal and was abandoned.

It wasn't until the arrival of the Qin people, who were skilled at undertaking all sorts of large-scale projects, and after they had touched the Nile Delta from all sides with their tangible black hands, that they put the matter of "damming the riverbed to make it more fertile, so as to help the Qin state cultivate itself" on the agenda.

As for the difficulty?

What the Egyptians and Persians could do hundreds of years ago,
How could it possibly stump the Qin people who built so many water conservancy projects, such as the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, the Zheng Guo Canal, and the Ling Canal!
then,

After a period of ups and downs, the canal was finally opened to traffic last year.

Thanks to the speed of sea transport, the north and south of Qin were also able to communicate closely.

This is clearly beneficial to the future of the Qin state.

After all, the Qin state had a vast territory, but its land was not as fertile as that of the Central Plains, making it difficult to unite into a single entity.
Between key locations of the state, such as Xilong Commandery and Lianghe, there were always some deserts and Gobi that separated them, preventing the Qin people from building straight roads and imperial highways.

If this place were ruled by barbarians from outside the region, they would probably have to abandon centralized power and adopt a policy of dividing the land and governing it separately.

But the Qin people didn't work so hard to conquer so many places just to rush back to the Western Zhou Dynasty.

The drama of warring states vying for supremacy.
They were so familiar with it that the Qin people felt disgusted!
Therefore, the rulers and ministers of Qin always tried their best to consolidate their rule and concentrate the power of the court.

Building canals and developing waterways are the means;
Finding ways to weaken the original feudal lords and establish regional military governorships was also a viable strategy!

"...Alas, the Qin state was established only a few years later than my Great Xia."

"When Ying Pijiang migrated here, he even asked for my help..."

"Who could have imagined that a century later, the situations of the two countries would be so vastly different?!"

A steady rise,
A wild fall,
How could King Wen of Xia possibly bear this!
To know,
Such a large-scale project as building a canal,
But it is the best way to demonstrate national strength.

As for the Xia Kingdom, the last time the emperor issued an edict to repair the water conservancy system was more than ten years ago.

Even if the other party suddenly falls seriously ill and wants to be diligent in governing, given the current atmosphere in Xia Kingdom, it would be difficult to implement their wishes.

"Moreover, the State of Qi has also found its own path to development, valuing maritime routes and excelling in trade... After our Great Xia, I'm afraid we won't even be able to compare with the State of Qi!"

"It doesn't matter!"

He Bo comforted him, saying, "I also planted a crooked tree outside the Epang City of Qin, on the tomb of Ying Pijiang."

"Now it has long been covered with pavilions!"

"One day, it will come in handy!"

(End of this chapter)