Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 422 Central and Southern Lands
"The turmoil in the Xia Kingdom is not over yet."

“Some people have already fled from the west, crossing many mountains and rivers, and arrived in Jiaozhi County.”

Jiaozhi,

It is, so far, the southernmost landmass of the Han Dynasty.

It borders the former Nanyue Kingdom, faces the South China Sea to the east and looks north towards the mountains. As early as the time of Zhao Tuo, it had already received the teachings of the virtuous men of the Xia Dynasty.

After Emperor Wu of Han vigorously expanded the area, this land became an integral part of the Chinese civilization since ancient times.

Compared to the Dian Kingdom, which retained control of part of its territory after surrendering to the Han Dynasty and became a vassal state, the Dian Kingdom accepted the garrison of the Han army much earlier.

For He Bo, however...

This region was also "granted" to his clones and was part of the "Southern Yue Kingdom".

After all, in terms of water systems,
By following the Zuojiang section of the Pearl River upstream, one can easily reach Jiaozhi.

Although so far,
Xiao Hebo, the "King of Nanyue," primarily ruled over the land along the east bank of the Pearl River, expanding outwards from Panyu as his center.
Reaching the distant Zuojiang River requires a long and arduous journey.
But everyone has dreams!
Just like Emperor Wu of Han, who was preparing to expand his territory.
In Xiao Hebo's water palace, a map of the entire Pearl River system had been displayed long ago.

"Humph!"

"With the Lingnan River at my disposal, and if it could extend to that huge peninsula in the south, I would sooner or later gather the power of the Pearl River, the Yuan River, and many other mountains and rivers to topple the main body!"

Many times, Xiao Hebo would let out a smug laugh as he looked at this "lush and verdant" water system map.

He Bo was always aware of his ambition.

Now, faced with his clone's ambitious blueprint, he simply said calmly:
"I hope you can still be this arrogant after I take over the Yangtze River!"

"Take it first, then we'll talk!"

"The Yangtze River isn't like the Yellow River, which can be ruthless!"

The Yellow River, our mother river, simply likes to meander, scooping up children who have already started living independently and bringing them back into its embrace, allowing them to once again feel the warmth of maternal love.
The Yangtze River, however, is like the arrow shot by Yi the Archer, ready to take lives with a single strike, leaving the complaints from both banks to gurgle and drown underwater.

Such a swift, accurate, and ruthless method,

They wouldn't want to end up like the Yellow River, leaving behind numerous stains and earning a reputation for cruelty.

This,

This is also a major reason why He Bo has not been able to embrace the Yangtze River and enjoy the blissful life of "one wife and one concubine" in both the south and the north all these years.

"Ugh!"

"Two shrewish women, they're really hard to manage!"

"The Huai River is still the gentlest!"

He Bo couldn't help but sigh as he thought about his "promising future".

Turn around,
He then spoke to his clone, "Since people from the Xia Kingdom have come to Jiaozhi, there must have been quite a few Xia people scattered along that stretch in between, right?"

"This is inevitable."

While still stroking his mount, Xiao Hebo casually replied, "After all, a gentleman is like bamboo; wherever he goes, he will occupy the entire land!"

bamboo,

It is actually a very domineering plant.

On the ground, it grows tall and lush, forming its own forest, which is pleasing to the eye.

Underground,

Bamboo's root system is widespread, deep, and expands rapidly, making it difficult to dig up and uproot.

Therefore, those who appreciate bamboo can be pleasantly surprised to find every year that the bamboo forest expands on its own.
The beautiful scenery he loves will become even more lively and prosperous the following year.

of course,

This is not a good thing for the barbarians from beyond the borders.

Therefore, in many cases,
Those barbarians who were unwilling to accept the king's rule preferred to use "cockroaches" to describe the gentlemen from the East, who had black hair and eyes, were tall, and skilled in combat.

They would earnestly say to their younger generations:
"The Chinese are like cockroaches!"

“When a person from the Xia people appears in your house, you don’t need to worry about anything.”

"But when a group of people from the Xia people appear in your house, you should be sure that your house is still your house."

Therefore,
When war broke out in the Xia Kingdom and a situation of warlordism emerged, some Xia forces that could not survive in the country and were tragically eliminated, on the advice of wise men in the countryside, followed the example of the Qin and Qi-Wu states of the past and set off for the huge peninsula located between the Han and Xia.

after all,

If you can't defeat the powerful figures in the country, are you sure you can't defeat the barbarians here?
Although the Xia people's fighting strength
Under the long-term pollution by the Sindhu people, and the complacency brought about by geographical protection,
It was the weakest of the three great states of the Xia Dynasty.

Dealing with those local apes that don't look human from afar or up close isn't a difficult task.

"Wouldn't that mean the Xia people and the Han people would directly clash over there?"

After the Han Dynasty established prefectures and counties in the south, many people naturally migrated to Jiaozhi (present-day northern Vietnam) to consolidate the Han Dynasty's rule in the area and stabilize the foundation of the various Chinese states.

Obviously,
The Han Dynasty's strategy was to use Jiaozhi as a stepping stone, and then expand from Chang'an, across the Hengduan Mountains and the Lancang River, all the way to the southwestern Silk Road of the Xia Kingdom, gradually influencing the entire peninsula and eventually bringing it under its control.

But on the Xia Kingdom's side,

They had long harbored ambitions towards the nearby, massive peninsula.

Before the Southwest Silk Road was officially opened
When the Xia Dynasty was powerful and controlled the two great rivers, the court sent people eastward along the Ganges, crossing high mountains and dense forests to explore the situation there.

The Xia people's influence extended all the way to the central part of the peninsula, to a place called Ailao.

At that time, the king of Ailao was impressed by the prosperity and power of the Xia Kingdom. He sent people to accompany the envoy and a host of surrounding states and tribes to the Xia capital to pay tribute and learn about the advanced culture and technology there.

The Xia court did not disappoint his initiative and eagerness to learn, and sent many people there to spread the glory of the king's rule and strengthen the construction of the "tribute system" in the southern part of the Xia world.

unfortunately,

After the death of the somewhat humane ruler of Ailao, the newly enthroned ruler was very dissatisfied with the Xia people.

He naturally clashed with these guys who looked very different from him and whose eyes always held a contemptuous expression, thus launching the "Expulsion of Illegal Xia People" movement.

But the bamboo groves have already established their roots, which he cannot easily uproot.

In the area near the Xia Kingdom

The Xia people still established some cities there and multiplied into many descendants.

Just like the ancestors who first established the new Xia,
After crossing the narrow mountain pass between the Rakhine Mountains and the Naga Hills, they rightfully regarded the land there as a "gift from heaven" and refused to leave.

This is also the main reason why some Xia people chose to come to the Indochina Peninsula and become local tyrants.

"It's not that bad!"

With a flick of his small hand, Xiao Hebo used the painting techniques inherited from his own body to outline the general shape of the Central and Southern regions in the air with light.

He pointed to the east and said, "To the west of Jiaozhi, there is a long mountain range that is not easy to cross."

"If we take the Southwest Silk Road, we will have to pass through the Dian Kingdom and the Ailao Kingdom, two places where barbarians gather. Therefore, the Han people cannot penetrate deep into the central and southern regions for the time being."

"But the main place where the Xia people lived was just the plain carved out by the Dulong River."

"There is still a considerable distance and towering mountains between the two places."

"Therefore, it is very difficult for both sides to start a fight."

"Not to mention that the Han and Xia peoples share the same roots and origins. What if the immigrants from the Central and Southern regions feel that they can't survive on their own and choose to join forces to oppress the local barbarians?"

He Bo nodded in sudden realization, "You're right!"

"It seems you've indeed been working very hard to manage things in Lingnan all these years!"

"That's right. Do you think everyone is like you, or that salted fish from Japan, or that fat bird from Western Qin, who doesn't strive for anything and just lies around all day!"

Xiao Hebo proudly raised his head.

Meanwhile, Zhao Tuo, who was nearby, was gradually being buried in a sea of ​​books and devoted everything to the great cause of ghosts and gods, and had no time to make any statement about it.

He Bo was still not angry about the clone.

He simply examined the topographic map of Central and Southern China drawn by Xiao Hebo himself, then pursed his lips and said:
"It's just that the drawing is a bit ugly!"

"It's nowhere near as lifelike as my painting!"

Xiao Hebo retorted angrily, "Are you talking about those portraits you drew in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' that have universally different-sized eyes and limbs that are so agile as to exceed the realm of the mundane?"

"You are inherently evil!"

"She really has no self-awareness whatsoever!"

"I really wonder what the scene on Mount Langjuxu, which records Huo Qubing's Fengshan ceremony on behalf of the emperor, will look like!"

"Don't worry about that!" He Bo said proudly, "I'm definitely the best looking one!"

"Pooh!"

"shameless!"

(End of this chapter)