Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 421 The First Year of Yuankang (Two Chapters Combined)

In the first year of the Yuankang era of the Han Dynasty,
On a spring day when everything was budding, He Bo strolled to a riverbank covered with green grass.

A gentle breeze blew across the Fen River, bending the newly sprouted, tender, and slender grasses low.

A faint whooshing sound arose in my ears, quite unlike the sound of the wind scraping across the ground, and it disappeared in an instant.

For most people, it would just be a trivial noise, like the wind brushing past their ears.

But He Bo knew that
This is the grass "speaking".

"The saying 'Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be without feelings' may need to be revised in the future."

He Bo stood on a rock and pointed to the fluffy green grass.

The little dog next to it tiptoed around a patch of ground that hadn't yet been covered by grass, trembling as if afraid of accidentally stepping on some "old friend".

He heard the words of the ghosts and gods, then raised his head and said, "Such words can only circulate in the underworld, right?"

"After all, no one in the mortal world could detect such a commotion."

He Bo simply smiled and said, "That's hard to say."

"Among those carnivores, there might be some who are extremely spiritual and have a deep love for plants and trees?"

After all, those who emphasized vegetarianism in later generations often said:
"I refuse to eat meat because I feel the sadness and suffering of animals!"

"Doesn't this demonstrate my noble character and high moral standards?"

Conversely,

It's not that difficult to arrive at the theory that He Bo just mentioned!
"Yes!"

Xi touched his head and suddenly realized.

"Right of what?"

He had no idea what the ghosts and gods had been doing lately. He just happened to pass by today with Liu Che, who was basking in the sun in the mortal world, and then asked the question out of curiosity.

"You wouldn't understand!" He Bo smiled slightly, putting on a pretentious air of profoundness.

But Liu Che was a very stubborn and self-centered person.

Although he reflected on this matter to some extent in his later years and made a evasive and hesitant admission of his mistake through the "Luntai Edict".

But after he died,

All the previous improvements have disappeared.
Their innate talents became increasingly prominent.

This guy spends his days wandering the streets with his ancestor Liu Bang, enjoying his father's doting love and the company of his friends, and he truly seems to grow younger with each passing year.

therefore,

After Liu Xiaozhu became a ghost, his appearance even showed a trend of "rejuvenation". His once aged skin became smooth and his gray hair and beard became black and shiny.

This made Liu Ju and Liu Jin, who had died a few years earlier, somewhat hesitant to acknowledge him.

After all, Liu Che's "young and vigorous" appearance was truly impressive and awe-inspiring.

And now,
Facing He Bo, Liu Che did not back down at all.

He said, "How do you know I don't understand if you don't explain?"

He Bo snorted with his hands behind his back, raised his neck, and said, "You wouldn't understand even if I explained it!"

"Tell me first!"

"I won't do it!" He Bo glared at him. "You think I'll just do whatever you want me to do?"

Do you even know what the concepts of hierarchy and rank mean?

Without Wei Qing by his side, Liu Che was quite bold. In front of He Bo, he stomped his foot hard and raised his head, beginning to reminisce about his years as emperor.

He emphasized his own achievements, while also mentioning how the Han heavenly soldiers, accompanied by their demonic avatars, pursued the northern desert, allowing him to bask in the glory of "sealing the wolf's lair"—

After becoming a dead ghost
He Bo's past actions were naturally known to the relevant people.

Although Emperor Liu Che had problems such as favoring nepotism and fostering cronyism in the court and harem,
But that doesn’t stop him from applying double standards to others.

In his opinion,

The spirits were able to "grant titles" to other deities and come to Langjuxu Mountain to enjoy the scenery because he fought fiercely against the Xiongnu.

in this way,

Even ghosts and spirits should show themselves at least some respect!
"But I can get there by crossing the Yanshan Mountains and following the Heishui River!"

"It will just take more effort and time."

He Bo said confidently, "Besides, it was Huo Qubing who went directly to Langjuxu Mountain, not you. I really don't know what you're so proud of."

Hearing this,

Liu Che became even angrier.

When he died, he was happy that he could be reunited with his relatives and friends in the underworld.

Looking around, they couldn't find any trace of Huo Qubing.

After inquiring with Wei Qing, they learned that the boy was still restless even after death, and had already made connections with ghosts and gods, and had gone to sail away to a foreign land.

This greatly displeased Emperor Liu Che, who was hoping to rebuild the trio.

He didn't think it was Huo Qubing's fault for being playful and mischievous; he only blamed He Bo, feeling that the other party had cruelly separated them!
but!

He truly had no way to resist He Bo's tyranny!

Therefore, Emperor Liu Che could only secretly collect the various absurd things that ghosts and gods had done and publicize them widely.

This includes, but is not limited to:
He played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with Hui Shi and Sun Bin, who had broken their legs in life.
They competed in archery and horsemanship with Shang Yang, who had already fled beyond the borders and whose life and death were tied to Ying Qin.

He even competed with Qu Yuan, the Grand Master of the Three Clans, in diving and swimming contests!
Now that Wei Qing wasn't stopping him, Liu Che, in his excitement, revealed all these things in front of He Bo.

The spirits were naturally furious upon hearing this.

He jumped off the rock, roared, and pounced on Emperor Wu.

"You wicked brat, I'll throw you into the Fen River right now!"

However, Liu Che was very good at running when he was young. Moreover, after his death, he worked as a street hustler with Emperor Taizu for many years and learned a lot of advanced technology from the latter.

Therefore, He Bo was unable to catch him immediately.

The two then ran and chased each other around the large rock where the ghost had just stood.

The grass on the ground was trampled and bent over, and it took a while for it to tremble and straighten up again.

But that faint sound, so faint that even the dead could hardly hear it, continued to wail, without revealing a trace of pain.

some,

Only when you bask in the sun and feel the rain and breeze in the air can you experience pure and straightforward joy.

Although the response is still very simple.

It's not even as good as beasts that communicate with their body language and screams.

So insignificant that compared to a mayfly, which lives only a day and dies in a day, the latter could be considered a colossus.

It's so much better than those white, withered trees that were crowding the mountains in the underworld, pretending to be ignorant and unaware!

Maybe,

This is the "spirituality" that ghosts and spirits have privately mentioned to me, the extremely important thing when living beings are reincarnated?
Can sunbathing replenish "spirituality" and make lifeless "traces" come alive?

Old Ghost, who was watching from the sidelines, scratched his head, feeling that he couldn't fathom the mystery behind it.

As long as it works, that's fine.

Just believe in ghosts and gods!

He carefully found a clean spot where the grass looked sparse and sat down. He stroked the tender grass beside him and then quietly watched as the demon, who had successfully caught a wild boar running around and was now trying to tame it, displayed its power in the distance.

When Wei Qing arrived after hearing the news, he was shocked to see such a thrilling scene and wanted to step forward to stop them.

unfortunately,

The Grand General and Grand Marshal, who commanded all the armies in the land, failed to succeed and was innocently dragged into the conflict, making the chaos even more intense.

Wei Qing said with a hint of helplessness, "I came here to relax and have fun, what are you trying to do?"

Does walking around with your hands behind your back count as recreation?

He Bo chuckled and said, "Even your wife knows to go out and play with Wei Zifu and the others, trying out new things. How can you, the dignified Grand Marshal and General, be so lifeless!"

"If you want to have fun, then have fun!"

He rolled Liu Che and Wei Qing together, then pushed them both into the river.

The river water suddenly surged.

It splashed onto the grassy bank, then swept away the two kings and their ministers.

The ghosts and spirits on the shore let out triumphant, eerie laughter, and the grass on the shore joined in with their merriment.

Just as Ximen Bao was enjoying himself, he arrived at Xi's side, his steps heavy with the exhaustion of dealing with various official matters.

Seeing the joyful scene before him, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Dr. Ximen, come sit down and enjoy the sun!"

Old Gui patted the spot next to him and greeted him warmly.

So Ximen Bao sat down quietly, and casually took off his hat, allowing himself to bask in the warm sunlight from head to toe.

As a result, He Bo noticed this scene, and after laughing at Liu Wei and the other two burly men, he ran over and started laughing at him:
"Hehe, why is my hair getting thinner and thinner?"

"Can that deadbeat keep losing hair?"

Ximen Bao did not comment on his thinning hair, which even the central government's strong support could not save.

He simply said expressionlessly, "I also want to be reincarnated."

"Even if it means becoming grass or trees that can be trampled and broken by anyone, that's fine!"

To allow the dead, whose lifespan is nearing its end and whose emotions are about to dissipate, to enter the cycle of reincarnation and be transformed into green grass and trees.
He Bo naturally did not hide anything from Ximen Bao.

After all, there are many related matters that still need to be handled by this veteran official.

Therefore,
Ximen Bao could also "hear" the simple "aba aba" sounds made by the grass and trees.

"what?"

"Why do you have such thoughts?" He Bo asked in surprise.

To keep Ximen Bao and other corrupt officials constantly motivated, He Bo was always very generous to his subordinates.

The vast array of documents in the underworld indeed kept the ghost officials so busy that they had no time to "ponder the meaning of life".

The hardworking and conscientious Doctor Ximen did not answer the ghost's question. He simply put on his hat silently and said to the ghost:
"The Underworld has been delayed for a long time because of the custom of reincarnation."

"Oh."

He Bo adopted an indifferent attitude and gazed at the golden sun in the sky.

"Considering that everyone hasn't had a day off in many years, I plan to give everyone a holiday."

"Oh?"

He Bo's eyes became wary.

"so!"

Ximen Bao told him sternly, "You'd better handle the paperwork yourself during this period!"

"Oh!"

He Bo revealed an expression of extreme pain.

He looked at Old Ghost Xi, hoping the old man would lend a helping hand.

As a result, the latter stammered and lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

"Well... I haven't had a break in many years either."

He Bo angrily flung his sleeves, feeling that no one could be relied on.

then,

He turned and walked into the Fen River, heading downstream, searching for the Emperor Wu and his ministers whom he had just swept away.

"Wei Qing will definitely help me!"

He said with certainty, "And since Little Pig has such a good relationship with Wei Qing, he'll definitely be happy to do things for me!"

"Humph!"

"If you guys won't do it, plenty of deadbeats will do it for me!"

……

"So you came to me because you were unwilling to work, even the most honest and sensible Wei Qing abandoned you, and you couldn't survive in the Central Plains?"

Lingnan region,

The former Nanyue Kingdom, now Jiaozhou, part of the Han Dynasty.
The Water Lord, who had been "appointed" here by He Bo, was squinting as he rode a flying cockroach, casting a disdainful glance at the main body from top to bottom.

He Bo was very dissatisfied with what he said.

"What do you mean I'm unwilling to work?"

"I clearly tried my best!"

The effort was short-lived, and the results were not very fruitful.

He Bo, who was busy dealing with the Pearl River, narrowed his eyes even more and looked even more disdainful after hearing what the original body said.

"Aren't you afraid of causing problems by just walking away like this?"

But He Bo has always been thick-skinned.

He said with righteous indignation:
"That old fox Ximen Bao talks a big game, but he's always thinking about things and can't completely put his hands off his work."

"As the chosen one, he will not let the problem remain unresolved."

"Humph!"

Xiao Hebo watched as the original body casually occupied his throne, enjoying the fruit wine he had painstakingly brewed, shaking its head with a smug look, and felt extremely angry.

"It's because Ximen Bao has always worked hard and without complaint that you've become so arrogant!"

"As if you're not the same person!"

He Bo stretched out his large hand, grabbed the flying cockroach, and threw it along with its clones to feed the toad lying nearby, who had been eyeing it for a long time.

Seeing this, Zhao Tuo, who was sitting below, did not change his expression. He simply finished processing the document in his hand and then took a new one.

And beside him,

The documents were piling up like a mountain.

Those at the bottom, it's unknown when they'll see the light of day again.

Little Hebo struggled to crawl out of the toad's mouth, not forgetting to rescue his favorite cockroach mount.

Why do you like this kind of thing?

Looking at the clone that was plucking the cockroach's whiskers, He Bo couldn't help but cross his arms, losing even his appetite for drinking.

"This is a specialty of Lingnan!"

Xiao Hebo said confidently, "It can fly, climb, swim, and live—how could I not be happy?!"

"When you return to the Central Plains later, take two back with you. Don't be shy!"

Finally,

He also generously waved his hand, offering to prepare a male and a female baby as a gift for He Bo.

He Bo quickly waved his hand, "Let's forget about this!"

"I'd rather go to the Yangtze River and get beaten up than accept this!"

Over the years,

Because of his obsession with "delivering" reincarnation, He Bo's own pace of expansion has slowed down considerably.

More often than not,
He remotely urges his clones to work on the project by distributing jade to each of them, making them strive for a bright future for the main body.

Although the clones often pretended to have a bad signal and not hear it, they didn't completely go against the grain and end up drawing salaries without working.

after all,

He Bo is a very kind spirit.

He's also a very easy-going boss.
He has never recalled the clones he has released; he has always allowed them to develop as they please.

Even though He Bo had already disregarded Lingqu's resistance and cruelly penetrated it, repeatedly moistening it countless times,
He also did not take advantage of the connection between the Pearl River and the Yangtze River systems to annex Xiao Hebo, the Water Lord whose fief was in Lingnan.

Therefore, for the clone...

The territory you earn through your own hard work is yours to own!

in this way,

They don't even need He Bo to urge them; they will work hard on their own.

of course,

Except for that salted fish from Japan!
That guy is currently patrolling his territory, drifting along the river!

He Bo, the original body, clearly knows this:
If you want to speed up the other party's work progress, the only way is to wait for Lü Peng to die sooner.

(End of this chapter)