Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 438 Dragon Boat Festival (Happy 520!)
Dragon Boat Festival

It is a custom that quietly emerged among the people many years ago.

Perhaps the wise ancients noticed the changes at the turn of spring and summer and decided to use some ingenious rituals to remind themselves of the changing seasons;
Perhaps it is a continuation of some ancient sacrificial rituals;
Perhaps it is to commemorate famous sages such as Wu Zixu or Qu Yuan...

but no matter,
As time went by, and with the arrival of unification,

There is a festival called "Dragon Boat Festival," which is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Driven by He Bo, a ghost who always loved watching the excitement, it was finally successfully formed!
Although the vastness of the Central Kingdom and the diversity of local traditions mean that many places celebrate festivals in different ways,
But you still have to eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
Mugwort and calamus are typically hung at the door to ward off disease, mosquitoes, and, most importantly, the most hated god of poverty.

Sprinkling orchids into hot water to release their fragrance, and then soaking in it until you feel soft and supple, is a must-do for many beauty enthusiasts.

If it were during the lifetime,

On this day, and at other times when conditions permit, the Grand Master of Chu would choose to act in this way, upholding his own sense of justice, which is full of love and beauty.

But at this very moment,

Qu Yuan could only express that he was in a bad mood and couldn't even muster the energy to bathe in the orchid-scented water.

"Look, I didn't go to gather herbs today. I specially climbed the mountain to pick orchids with you so you can bathe in orchid water!"

Near Panyu

On Guifeng Mountain, where the Liuxi River originates, He Bo was holding a bunch of beautiful, vibrant flowers and plants, and said to Qu Yuan, who looked unhappy, beside him.

"Come and smell it, doesn't it smell good?"

He Bo handed the orchid to the physician, but was met with a cold rejection.

"I'm already a dead ghost, soaked in water. How can I smell the scent of living beings?"

He Bo then carefully put the orchid into the small bamboo basket at his waist and lamented for it, "How pitiful! The Grand Master Sanlu, who always compared himself to fragrant herbs and beautiful women, will now not even touch an orchid."

"How heartbroken these flowers must be!"

It was as if to confirm the words of ghosts and gods.

Whether it was a remnant of a soul reincarnated or not, the flower or plant immediately lowered its head in the bamboo basket, revealing an appearance of "withered and about to die".

Seeing this, King Huai stepped forward and said, "It's alright, let me comfort it!"

then,

The orchids withered even more severely.

He Bo bluntly told him, "Even when you were alive, you hardly listened to Qu Yuan's words, yet now you can still smell the fragrance of orchids?"

then,

King Huai retreated awkwardly, rubbing his equally plump and round hands.

He could only turn to comfort Qu Yuan, saying, "The people here have only been influenced by the Central Plains for a hundred years."

"It's normal to make up stories to satisfy one's curiosity without knowing the specifics."

"Moreover, it is understandable that local officials would allow this kind of reason in order to make it easier to promote the Dragon Boat Festival and allow people from both the north and south to celebrate a unified festival, so as to unite the people's hearts."

But the more Qu Yuan listened, the more he withered and became, just like the orchid.

Although the reason for coming to Lingnan,
It was because the playful and capricious spirits, having heard that the local officials, to celebrate the favorable weather since the beginning of spring, prayed to Heaven for a "good beginning and a good end," ensuring a bountiful harvest and peace for the people, specially announced that a dragon boat race would be held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month to share the joy with the people.

He then immediately ran to the underworld and rallied the dead to go south to Panyu, to show the locals their skills in swimming.

Under this call,

Qu Yuan, the central figure, was pulled from the Miluo River by He Bo, along with King Huai, the Grand Master of the Three Clans, and traveled through Yunmengze, crossed the Xiang River, passed the Ling Canal, and swam on the Li River... until they arrived in Panyu, which had already been developed into a major city in Lingnan.

Upon arrival,

Qu Yuan was also very curious about the local customs and traditions, as well as the way the virtuous men of the Xia dynasty educated the local barbarians.
Qu Yuan was overjoyed to hear that many people here were responding to the prefect's announcement of "dragon boat racing" and actively preparing for the event.

He said to He Bo:
"Being able to celebrate the same festival on the same day is a testament to the idea that we are all one family!"

"The emperor and his ministers of the Han Dynasty did not fail the mandate of heaven they had obtained!"

He Bo then laughed and said, "That's indeed the case."

"Now historians are used to recording counties and prefectures, instead of referring to them by their location!"

The influence of the feudal system over thousands of years

It didn't disappear all at once.

The Grand Historian, who grew up under the rule of Emperor Wu of Han and was once rewarded with many eggs by the gods, would also reveal a hint of the Warring States period in the history books he compiled.

But decades after Emperor Wu honored the Six Classics and allowed countless people to taste the sweetness of "victory after victory" in foreign wars,

Under Emperor Liu Xun of the Han Dynasty, who led the country to its zenith,
Regardless of whether they are in power or not,

Regardless of officials or civilians,

They all began to acknowledge their identity as "Han Chinese".

"Great unification" brought unprecedented strength and stability to this country.

What reason do they have to dwell on the past instead of embracing the present glory?
unfortunately,

The happiness of that time soon came to an end.

When the Grand Master of the Three Clans happily inquired of the educated people, who had been Nan Yue people two generations ago, why they so readily accepted these customs from the north of the mountains...

The other party said confidently, "A hundred years ago, the Grand Master of Chu, Qu Yuan, was buried in Lingnan!"

"So rowing boats and eating zongzi is a tradition here!"

"Huh?" Even after death, the physician Qu, who always paid attention to his demeanor, widened his eyes in surprise.

The other party assured him with absolute certainty:
"Back then, after Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River, he was swept away by the current to the Yunmeng Marsh!"

"Then he drifted from Yunmengze into the Xiang River... all the way to Panyu. Is that really so hard to understand?"

Qu Yuan was still staring wide-eyed, showing no reaction.

The other party was still sighing:
"Unfortunately, Dr. Qu was adrift for too long, and we were unable to find his remains. We can only erect a cenotaph for him in Panyu."

“I often tell my son that the reason we strive to race the boat is to be fast so that we can go with the current to rescue Qu Yuan and make up for this regret!”

"what?"

Qu Yuan covered his head, feeling that his usually well-functioning mind had been greatly impacted and was almost about to stop working.

Although the wicked ghosts and spirits often teased him about feeding the fish in the water,

However, he never fabricated the claim that he fed all the fish from the Yangtze River to the Pearl River.

Liu Bang, who was standing nearby, couldn't understand what the old man was saying, so he frowned and asked the spirits, "What is this old man saying?"

He Bo lowered his voice, suppressing a laugh, and told the other person, "He said Qu Yuan drifted away and went missing in Panyu!"

"It can float so well?"

Liu Laosan exclaimed in surprise, "No wonder the race is so intense! It turns out they're worried they won't be able to catch up with him if they're even a little slow!"

After all,

He started chuckling along with the ghosts and spirits, displaying a shameless attitude of "others' suffering makes me happy."

Only Qu Yuan harbored a bellyful of anger, which he still cannot quell to this day.

His magnanimity and upbringing led Qu Yuan to choose to forgive the people who slandered him, as well as the local officials who allowed such rumors to spread.

But Qu Yuan vowed that he would never let those who mocked him behind his back get away with it!

……

"I can't row!"

The next day,

It was during that dragon boat race that brought such excitement to the entire Panyu district.

Sitting on the small boat that belonged to He Bo,
The physician Sanlu raised his head slightly, placed his hands on his knees, and resolved to carry out his revenge through "non-violent non-cooperation."

He Bo then tried to exploit Prince Huai, saying, "Then you'd better work harder!"

"Otherwise, you won't get any rice dumplings this year!"

King Huai nodded obediently and began rowing with heavy effort.

He rowed very carefully.

Unfortunately, his figure is positioned here.

He lived a life of luxury during his lifetime and was even supported by Qu Yuan after his death, without experiencing much hardship.
So not long after,

King Huai of Chu began to pant heavily, looking completely drained.

He glanced at the ghostly figure sitting upright on the boat with his hands clasped, just like Qu Yuan, and boldly questioned, "...Why don't you take action?"

"Don't you want to compete for first place in the race?"

He Bo raised his head and told him confidently, "Hmph!"

"Throughout my life, I've sailed the seas without oars, relying entirely on the waves!"

King Huai was shocked by his words, but then became delighted.

"Will you use your power to dominate this boat race?"

Do not move now.

Is it to overtake others by coming from behind and create a greater shock? "I would never do something so shameless!"

"I told you I only rely on being wild!"

He Bo remained defiant.

The boats that had overtaken them stirred up waves in the water, splashing against them and causing the small boat, which had only managed to move forward a little with King Huai's efforts, to spin around and return to its starting point.

King Huai craned his neck to watch the other's departing figure, feeling a pang of envy.
"Liu Bang rowed so fast with his men!"

He Bo pointed out, "That's driven by the waves; it's normal to run fast on water!"

"Hurry up and paddle, overtake Zhao Yong and the others!"

King Wuling of Zhao, who practiced nomadic dress and horsemanship in the north during his lifetime,

After death, it came to the south to row a boat, which was definitely a case of "not adapting to the local environment".

Moreover, when his sons Zhao Zhang and Zhao He were rowing in the same boat, they couldn't help but compete with each other, making the boat wobbly and gracefully.

So even though the three of them rowed with their faces flushed red, they could only lead He Bo's boat and gloriously occupy the second-to-last place in the Panyu boat race.

As for the top spot?

The natives born at the southernmost tip of the Central Kingdom would never allow a group of strange outsiders to surpass them!

When the gong that symbolized the start of the dragon boat race sounded, they rushed off to save Qu Yuan, the Grand Master of the Three Clans, leaving only the dead Qu Yuan at the end, watching the ripples they left on the water.

Even ghosts and gods praised it:
"If only I had asked someone from Lingnan to follow you back then!"

"They will absolutely not let you get a single drop of water on you!"

Qu Yuan remained silent, still sitting upright on the boat, determined not to contribute even the slightest bit of his strength to the gods and spirits.

Finally, and naturally...
He Bo, who had prepared for the race for a long time, achieved an excellent result of finishing last.

He Bo remained unperturbed by the ridicule from Emperor Taizu of Han, who, despite failing to outdo the southerners, had won first place in the boat race among a group of northerners.

He laughed and said, "Last place is still first!"

"I don't care about first place!"

"Then why aren't King Huai and Grand Master Sanlü on your ship?"

He Bo frankly told him, "If the former accidentally falls into the water, I'm too lazy to try and pull him out!"

"As for the latter..."

He said that although the literary culture in Lingnan is not very developed, the local people’s determination to save themselves is commendable.

"So he pondered over the words and planned to write a poem to commemorate today's dragon boat race and to praise the rowers' efforts!"

Liu Bang said nothing to the latter.

But he remained skeptical of the former, asking, "Was it really not because King Huai was rowing poorly that you pushed him into the water?"

He Bo immediately retorted loudly, "Nonsense!"

"It was clearly Xiang Yu who liked to push the King of Chu into the water!"

The King of Western Chu, who happened to be passing by, heard these words and immediately blushed.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his uncle quickly covered it and dragged him away.

"Be careful not to anger the gods and spirits, or they'll throw you over to the Xia Kingdom to copy books!"

"The world there is in chaos, and they need quite a few dead ghosts to help preserve and copy precious books!"

then,

Xiang Yu could only swallow his anger and leave with his fists clenched.

He Bo then added, "I had a very happy day today, and I want to paint a picture of what happened today."

Liu Laosan immediately raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to pollute the environment again?"

As the area inhabited by ghosts and spirits in the mountains and rivers grew, He Bo, when bored, liked to draw pictures or write words on the rugged, protruding rock walls of the mountains and forests, and bury some tools and sculptures.

He was very careful, often choosing to do his work in a corner sheltered from the wind and rain, clearly hoping that his work would be passed down to future generations.

Some of the dead who were attending to him were puzzled, "What's the point of doing all this in the wilderness?"

Would anyone be so bored as to come here to dig up these things and then marvel at them?
He Bo stood with his hands behind his back, only revealing a mysterious smile.

"I just wanted to give future gentlemen a little surprise!"

"Even I, who have been by your side, cannot understand these things. How can future generations possibly comprehend their contents?"

The dead ghost pointed to the picture on the stone wall and said very bluntly.

He Bo sensed his sarcastic tone and, in a fit of rage, embedded the man into the stone wall, adding another unsolved mystery to future generations.

at the moment,

Although Liu Bang was also someone who enjoyed watching amusement, he was also moved by a change of heart and began to think about future generations.

“Paintings may fade, and their medium is prone to decay. Why don’t you make some clay sculptures and bury them underground?”

In today's world,

Treat the dead as if they were alive.
Many commoners, before they die, though unable to build luxurious and enormous tombs like nobles, will still specifically instruct their descendants to mold some things from their surroundings out of mud, such as chickens, dogs, pigs, dogs, or small courtyards and pavilions.

They hoped that after they died, they could enjoy the peace of another world in this familiar environment.

Therefore,
Let's capture the scene of dragon boat racing.

It is not difficult to understand why clay was used to record this joyous event.

He Bo therefore agreed with Liu Bang's proposal.

"you're right!"

"I haven't played in the mud in a long time!"

After all,

He turned and walked to the side, found a few children squatting on the shore watching the dragon boat races, and lured them with some candy and dried meat to make clay figures with him.

……

As May gradually passed...

Just as the last trace of the aroma of the bamboo leaves dissipated into the air,

The mugwort and calamus hanging on the door, too, withered and yellowed by the dry wind and scorching sun, losing their vibrant green color.

The emperor, who sat in Chang'an and controlled the world, received the soldiers who had returned from aiding Xia.

He praised their great achievements:
“It is not easy to go to such a far place to wage a righteous war.”

"You have spread the glory of the Han Dynasty and upheld the honor of the Central Kingdom. If I do not reward you more, it would be too harsh of me!"

Subsequently,

The emperor bestowed many rewards, bringing smiles to the faces of the weary expeditionary force.

After the celebratory banquet ended,
Only then did the emperor privately meet with his trusted general and inquire about the specific matters concerning the Xia Kingdom.

He listened quietly to the other person for a long time, then sighed:
"How much longer can the Zhao family's ancestral temple continue to hold sacrifices?"

"The country is about to welcome a new monarch!"

The mighty Han army descended upon the Xia Kingdom.

Its main task was to help the Xia state deal with the invading barbarians and fulfill the mission of "the Son of Heaven protecting all nations and uniting all Xia states".

As for a change of dynasty?

That's an internal matter for the Xia Kingdom.

As long as the new ruler continues to recognize the Han Dynasty as the central state, and the Han emperor as the Son of Heaven, and continues the traditions of his ancestors,
Then the big man doesn't need to worry too much.

"No country in the world is immortal, and no state lasts forever."

"This is a truth that even I must acknowledge."

Perhaps it was because they heard news that a dynasty even longer than the Liu Han dynasty was about to face its demise.

For some reason, the emperor felt a pang of sadness.

In his hands,

The Han Dynasty reached its zenith.

But how long can such glory last?

Emperor Xuanzong of Xia was the first emperor of the Xia Dynasty, and his achievements in his youth are undeniable.

However, he also directly caused the country's turmoil and destruction.

"It's only been sixty years."

The emperor recalled the historical record of his triumphant arrival in the Central Plains, where he reported to Emperor Wu that Qin and Xia had agreed to become emperors together, and his sigh grew even louder.

General Huo comforted him, "His Majesty is in the prime of his life, and the Crown Prince is benevolent and virtuous. There will be no problem with the dynasty's survival."

The emperor, recalling his son who was so kind that he was somewhat naive and whose methods were too soft, simply shook his head and said nothing, only telling General Huo to go home and reunite with his long-lost family.

(End of this chapter)