Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 404 Chaos in the Xia Kingdom (Part 2)

"How could the Xia Kingdom have become like this..."

After leaving Guazhou, the envoy from Qi traveled along the road to the capital of Xia.

He originally thought,
The prosperity of Guazhou is merely a microcosm of the Xia Kingdom as a whole.

The further you go towards the capital, the more prosperous it should become.

But the scenery along the way told him that things were not as he had imagined.

The Xia Kingdom certainly had more abundant resources and more fertile soil than the Qi Kingdom. Moreover, the Xia Kingdom's population and the size of its cities made the Qi Kingdom, which was huddled on the island of Dongying, extremely envious...

But after careful comparison,
The Qi envoy felt that, disregarding the natural disasters in Japan, and focusing solely on human governance, Qi's society and people's livelihood might be even more peaceful than Xia's.

At least after Lü Peng ascended to the throne, he devoted himself to serving the Han in the west and expanding southward. With the sea routes open, the assets of the Qi state were able to achieve considerable growth through the Central Plains and Southeast Asia.

Thanks to divine intervention, the storms from the sea have lessened in recent years, and the crops in the fields have yielded many bumper harvests, so the people are living in peace and happiness.

But on the Xia Kingdom's side...
In the east, there were rebellions by feudal lords, while in other places, powerful families were acquiring land and building manors.

Furthermore, the emperor frequently imposed additional taxes on the common people to exploit them for the sake of conquest and personal gain.

Therefore, the people's appearance became increasingly impoverished and emaciated.

An old man once told the Qi envoy who came forward to inquire about the situation that he was reminiscing about the peaceful times of his youth:
"Back then, we could eat three meals a day."

"There were not as many bandits in the area as there are now, so people could ride oxcarts to visit relatives in the surrounding areas."

"The busiest and most arduous time is during the spring and autumn seasons, because at that time we not only have to be busy with spring plowing and autumn harvest, but also with dredging canals and waterways."

The summers here are too hot; if people were forced to do corvée labor there, they would die from the heat.

Therefore, whenever the Xia state undertook major construction projects, it was generally scheduled during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Fortunately, in the Xia Kingdom, as long as the heavens are kind to them, with its abundant water, heat, and land, even with a shortage of labor, there will be no shortage of food.

"But that won't work now."

Thick wrinkles appeared on the old man's dark skin, and only the exposed part of his belly proved that he was a descendant of the Chinese people, not a Sindhu person.

"His Majesty wants to wage war, build palaces and imperial mausoleums, and local dignitaries are even demanding people help build their grand mansions..."

"They don't even have the time to farm, let alone maintain the irrigation canals."

"And the project has never stopped throughout the year."

"My two sons died of heatstroke when they were dragged to repair the government office in the summer."

At this point, the old man's wrinkles deepened, but his expression did not show much grief.

His clear black and white eyes glanced at a spot in the distance, then he bent down and adjusted the water jug ​​he was carrying on his back.

"okay!"

"I'm busy going to sweep the graves and water the trees next to my son's grave, so I can't talk to you any longer!"

The old man said these words as he bid farewell to the Qi envoy.

The old man had already grieved after receiving news of his sons' deaths one after another.

But looking at his elderly wife and young grandson beside him, he could no longer grieve.

then,

The old man could only straighten his back and move his feet to collect his son's body and bury him.

His son died in another city, and when he returned to his hometown in the summer, he was in a very undignified state.

The old man, not wanting others to look down on his son, mustered his spirits and used his meager savings to run around preparing a decent funeral for his son in the countryside.

Perhaps it's because they're too busy.
Perhaps my feelings have calmed down with time.

The old man did not cry when his son was buried.

He simply planted two broad-leaved trees next to the grave to shield the area from the overly intense sunlight.

He asked both the Taoist priest and the Buddhist monk carefully, and they both said that after a person becomes a ghost, they will show the appearance of the moment before their death.

If one's obsession is too deep, the pain from before death will remain, making it difficult to find release.

Upon hearing this, the old man felt that he could not allow his son to suffer the same torment before and after his death.

Therefore, he paid extra attention to the plants and trees around the grave, fearing that one day they would wither and die, causing his son to feel that agonizing heat again.

The Qi envoy watched his departing figure in silence, and his goodwill towards the Xia Kingdom diminished further.

He privately told his companions, "I originally thought that as a great nation, it should be like the Han Dynasty, with a wise ruler and a peaceful and prosperous people, and the whole world living in harmony."

"Who could have imagined that the Great Xia, with its vast land and large population, would leave its people in such dire straits?"

Looking at his youthful face, the older companion said, "That's a young person's perspective!"

"If you had been born during the time of the former King of Qi, where would you have had the chance to feel compassion for others?"

"I'm afraid I'll end up as a slave, and even survival will be difficult!"

The "former King of Qi" mentioned by his companions was not referring to the abdicated Marquis Yan Chen, who had forgotten his ancestors, but rather to the arrogant and conceited monarch who employed Japanese people.

Under this ruler, the lives of the Qi people were even more miserable than those of the Xia people!
The old man used to be able to repair graves and plant trees for his descendants, and mourn them every year.

How could the people of Qi, born in the remote East Japan, have such conditions?

My companion is nearly fifty years old. He experienced the hardship of lacking food and clothing in his youth, unlike the Qi envoy who grew up under the rule of Jiang Qi, witnessed the country's growing prosperity, and even had the experience of sending envoys to the Han Dynasty.

The other person understood the truth of his words, but still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He studied Confucianism from a young age, followed the teachings of the sages that "the benevolent love others," and dreamed of helping the world, assisting the monarch, and even becoming like Yao and Shun.

Before arriving in the Xia Kingdom,

When the Qi envoy heard that in addition to Confucianism, the Xia state also had the Mohist school of thought, which valued virtue and universal love, he was quite intrigued and wanted to learn more about the Xia state.

Now that I've arrived in the Xia Kingdom, my beautiful dream has been shattered.

No wonder the Romans in the far west said, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder!"

……

"Emperor of Qi, what do you think of the appearance of my Great Xia?"

When the Qi envoy arrived in the Xia capital, the emperor arrogantly granted him permission to have an audience.

After all these years,
Because he was busy suppressing rebellions and indulging in pleasure, he rarely even received envoys sent by the Han Dynasty.

Not to mention a small state like Qi.

With that time to spare, the emperor would rather embrace his newly favored beauty and enjoy a peaceful time in his summer palace.

But several ministers tried to stop him, saying with tears streaming down their faces:
"The envoy from Qi has come from afar; how arduous his journey must have been!"

"How can we disregard the kinship rites of our Chinese people for the sake of beauty?"

Within the various Xia states,
There is indeed a competitive relationship.

But more often than not, they still abide by the rule set by the sages that "the Chinese are close relatives and should not be allowed to leave."

A hundred years ago,
The founding emperor of Western Qin arrived in a sorry state, possessing nothing but the identity of a last prince, yet he still received a warm welcome from King Wen.

Now that the State of Qi has sent a proper envoy, how can we just leave him aside?

If this matter gets out, the other Xia states will abandon the Xia state and severely isolate it!
The emperor was so overwhelmed by their weeping that he finally gave in impatiently.

He then embraced the beauty and remarked, "I have worked tirelessly day and night for the stability of the country."

"The results of it?"

"Those old fogies said that my building of the palace was an abuse of the people's labor, and that even refusing to receive foreign envoys was the act of a foolish ruler..."

"Humph!"

"They must be loyal to the late Crown Prince and don't want me to be the emperor!"

The beauty, having entered the palace, had heard quite a bit about the entanglements between the current lineage and the former crown prince's lineage.

But since she was in the emperor's arms, enduring his thunder and rain, she naturally had to speak up for him.

So she gently changed the subject and said, "Those senile old people are always like that."

"He's already so old he doesn't have many teeth left, yet he keeps reminiscing about his youth, completely unaware that right now, His Majesty is the ruler of the country!"

"It would be better to wait until later, find a few reasons to dismiss all those old ministers, so that they don't always occupy positions in the court, which would both annoy Your Majesty and hinder new talents from serving Your Majesty."

The emperor agreed with his beloved concubine's words and immediately had an idea in mind.

but,

The emperor was still somewhat rational and knew he couldn't expose his family's dirty laundry in front of outsiders, so he planned to send the Qi envoy away before taking any action.

then,

He appeared before the Qi envoy, adopting the airs of an emperor.

Upon hearing the emperor's arrogant words, the Qi envoy simply bowed and replied, holding his staff:
"The customs and culture of the Xia state are far superior to those of the Qi state."

"But if we compare Your Majesty's rule with that of the State of Qi, the result will be the opposite."

Enraged by his reply, the emperor glared at him and said, "How dare an envoy from a small country be disrespectful to the monarch of a great nation?" "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?!"

The Qi envoy, with his neck stiff, said, "Qi only respects the Han as its suzerain state and acknowledges it as the Son of Heaven of the Xia. We have never bowed down to the Xia."

"Moreover, along my journey, I have seen more poor people than rich people; more lazy people than diligent people... and I have never heard of His Majesty being diligent in governing or accepting advice!"

“This is something I have never encountered when I was in the State of Qi.”

The emperor became even angrier and ordered his men to detain the Qi envoy and attempt to kill him.

When the veteran officials of the Xia state heard about this, they all submitted petitions to the emperor requesting his forgiveness.

The emperor stamped his foot and said, "How hateful!"

"The State of Qi bows and scrapes before the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains, yet its envoy dares to mock me!"

"This clearly shows that they believe the Han dynasty is strong and the Xia dynasty is weak!"

"For the sake of the nation's honor, I will absolutely not let him off!"

Although in the long course of exchanges,

Through comparisons across various aspects, the rulers and ministers of the Xia state gradually extinguished their ambition to compete with the Qin and Han dynasties for legitimacy.

Thanks to the topography of the continent where the Xia Kingdom is located, it is difficult for the flames of war to spread here from the Central Plains or the Western Sea.

However, the overly closed and privileged environment also made the people of Xia more peaceful and lazy compared to those of Qin and Han.

Such a mentality naturally could not sustain the Xia people's challenge to the throne of the "Son of Heaven".

However, the Xia rulers and their ministers did not openly discuss this matter.

After all, the situation has not yet reached a tense and exciting point. How could the Xia Kingdom take the initiative to kneel down and show weakness?

Moreover, the former rulers of the Xia state hoped to teach their descendants "not to reject hardship, but to be prepared for danger in times of peace," so that a peerless genius would emerge among the future rulers to reverse the trends of the Xia state and lead the country to rise again.

Therefore, we must not kneel down first.

just,

Such a dignified way of upholding national dignity and status, however, was interpreted by the current emperor as meaning "Qin and Han are nothing to fear, my Great Xia can also be the Son of Heaven."

Once he becomes the emperor of all the kingdoms and the legitimate ruler, how could those ridiculous rules possibly bother him anymore?
For the emperor,
The frequent remonstrances of those veteran officials were not out of loyalty, but because they were young and their power was not yet consolidated, making it convenient for them to take advantage of their seniority.

With this in mind,

In addition, several beauties in the harem, relying on the emperor's favor, were seeking high-ranking positions and generous salaries for their fathers and brothers.

The emperor then used the pretext of "colluding with spies from other countries and plotting a rebellion" to throw those old ministers who had once again knelt before the palace to remonstrate into the prison, and made them play with rats and cockroaches face to face with the Qi envoy.

Shortly thereafter,

The vassal king who had been opposing the court in the east suddenly died of illness, and his subordinates quickly submitted a petition to surrender, which temporarily pacified the eastern part of the Xia state.

This unexpected good news filled the emperor with confidence.
I am the chosen one by Heaven!
I was born to be the emperor!

Therefore,
With immense excitement and confidence, he announced to his court:
"I will personally lead the army to sweep away the southern kingdoms of India!"

He will use his unprecedented martial arts skills to prove his strength!
When I lead my royal army back in triumph, all the traitors shall die!

This was the main reason why he did not directly kill the Qi envoy and those old ministers.

Some officials could not understand the emperor's sudden change of heart.

But the emperor was also puzzled:
"Why is it that the people of India are notoriously easy to bully, yet none of their past rulers ever marched south to rule them?"

"Even the emperors of the Han Dynasty dared to expand north and south, so why can't my Great Xia do the same!"

"I want to be the ruler who unifies the country and enjoy the worship of a single ancestral temple!"

Saying this,

The emperor then led his army in a grand and spectacular march south.

Will he succeed?

Xia Chengzong, who was observing the chaos, said with great concern.

Unlike his father, he is not carefree and still holds onto the hope of continuing the nation's legacy.

When the lords in the east died suddenly,

He even thought:
As long as the emperor doesn't cause any more trouble afterward, and only builds a few palaces, there's no danger of the country collapsing.

After all, war is the most expensive thing to do.

Unfortunately, his expectations were of no use.

Ambitious emperors are like wild dogs that have broken free of their reins; they cannot be dissuaded and will only exert themselves to do what they love.

For this,

Feeling utterly powerless, Seongjong could only clutch his memorial tablet, desperately pleading for a response from the spirits.

But He Bo told him, “Give your ministers only ten days to prepare provisions and supplies, and then lead the army south to conquer... Such an act, even a thousand years later, will only be surpassed by one person.”

And that genius who studied in the Oirat region

In any case, it was only because of the rich legacy left by their ancestors and the prosperity of the country that they had such courage.

But what about the emperor of the Xia Dynasty?

He relied on his good physique to outlast his opponent, and as soon as he had a chance to catch his breath, he immediately started jumping around again, leaning against the wall.

He has an attitude of "life goes on and on, so does his recklessness".

"Instead of expecting him to return victorious, you should expect the tree on Zuling Mountain to be able to support his weight."

"This kid has been indulging in wine and women for a long time; his belly is bigger than the pregnant concubines in his harem!"

Seongjong sighed and said, "What if there's a chance?"

Sindhu is so weak.

"Moreover, the capital city over there at Zuling Mountain is a thing of the past, dating back two hundred years... When the country is in turmoil, the court may not necessarily return."

After King Wen of Xia established the Xin Dynasty, he moved the capital.

Later, when the Xia king became emperor, he moved the capital again to show his majesty and demonstrate the grandeur of a great nation.

Over at Zuling Mountain,
That was the original capital of the new Xia dynasty.

It had long been forgotten by the Xia people, who regarded it as just an ordinary small town.

“You have to believe in your descendants’ ability to run away!” He Bo comforted him.

"That was the last blessing your father left to his descendants!"

Xia Chengzong rolled his eyes at him.

What kind of blessing could that crooked tree possibly be?
He Bo wasn't angry; he just looked up at the sky.

There, the clouds are churning, and moisture from the ocean is accumulating.

Experienced farmers can easily make judgments in the face of such celestial phenomena:
This year's rainfall will be plentiful.

"This is not good news."

King Wen of Xia, who suddenly appeared, said with a serious expression, "After a long drought, the rain must be just the right amount."

"If torrential rains fall, the parched and cracked land will be severely eroded."

"Moreover, various water conservancy projects have been in disrepair for many years, and there is a lot of silt deposited in the riverbed."

"We don't know how much more of their ability to regulate rainfall remains..."

"If the torrential rain gets out of control, it will cause widespread flooding!"

by that time,
Floods struck the Xia Kingdom.

With the Xia emperor leading his army on the front lines, it was impossible to replenish supplies in a timely manner.

The situation is about to spiral out of control.

“But isn’t this what you expected?” He Bo looked at King Xia Wen.

"I simply don't want the people to suffer for too long."

War comes quickly, but it also goes quickly.

As long as the world is at peace, the descendants of the Xia dynasty, who have fallen into a state of rage, will naturally regain their composure instead of becoming immersed in the flames of war and unable to extricate themselves.

However, severe droughts and floods require much more effort to mitigate the damage they cause.

"By the way, where is Zou Yan?"

King Wen of Xia suddenly asked, "I haven't seen him recently."

The time for the Way of Great Peace to accomplish great things is about to arrive, so how can Zou Yan, this great and wise teacher, disappear!
"Oh!"

He Bo frankly told him, "He has been drowned by me for a long time because he mocked me to my face."

"If you hadn't mentioned him today, I would have almost forgotten that he's still locked up in the pig cage I wove!"

(End of this chapter)