Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 461 Allies
In the third year of Jianzhao of Han Dynasty,
The burly man from the east was falling downwards while singing and dancing.

The Qin state in the west plummeted downwards in anxiety.

But on the land of Taixi,

Yet it gave birth to a different kind of color.

When Caesar was stabbed to death on the spot for the grave mistake of not wearing armor during a meeting,
The Republican senators within Rome faced off against the New Party, which advocated for reform and centralization of power, in a final showdown.

A leader with prestige, military achievements, and skill, who was also willing to seize power from the Senate peacefully, has fallen.

It does not mean that,

The elders could continue to enjoy their glory and wealth amidst the blood of the enemy.

This will only tell one thing to those who have been gathered by Caesar, who worship him as their Lord, and who follow his ways—

Seeking peace through peace will lead to the destruction of peace.
Peace will prevail if we seek it through struggle!
Moreover, some gentlemen who have been living in comfort and high position for too long, who think they can use the rules to suppress everything, really deserve to be tortured!
then,

Caesar's original power,
Instead of leaving with their leader, they quickly banded together, with his adopted son Octavian and his generals Antony and Lepidus forming the "Second Triumvirate," and issuing a "Declaration of Public Enemy."

The young leader, who had become Caesar's rightful heir because Caesar had no biological children, raised his sword, pointed it towards Rome, and shouted to his soldiers:
"The enemy is in Rome!"

"The enemy is in the Senate!"

Subsequently,

They then massacred the conservatives.

That gleaming, blood-stained blade proclaimed to all of Rome:
"The rules of the game have changed!"

"If the old era is unwilling to relinquish its power, then the brilliance of the new era will surely illuminate all rivers and lakes!"

just,

With the fall of the old forces, the new forces inevitably face division and conflict.

Octavian, the youngest and most despised by his allies, shone brightly in this competition.

He inherited his family's political talent and, as arranged by his adoptive father, went to study in Yu Bi City of Qin for several years.

If Octavian had not heard of his adoptive father's death, he would have gone to Andu, the capital of Qin, to receive a higher level of "education" after finishing his studies in Jade City.

Based on this relationship,

He received support from the Qin state in the new round of civil war in Rome.

After all, "interfering in Rome's internal affairs" and helping it to have a beautiful landscape is an old tradition for the people of Qin.

In the ensuing struggle,

Octavian has successively forced Lepidus to relinquish power, and this year he defeated the Pompey family on the high seas, already showing the posture of Caesar in his prime.

For this,

Some ministers had expressed their unease to the Qin emperor.

He held up his official tablet and offered his advice to the emperor:
“I met this Roman prince when I was serving in the Northland County.”

"Although he has the appearance of a barbarian, he has an extraordinary noble air, and his demeanor and speech are full of spirit and wisdom."

"His talent is outstanding, and his studies are excellent."

"This is precisely why his great-uncle Caesar refrained from having his own children, thus adopting one as his heir!"

"If we allow them to grow and thrive, such young talents will be detrimental to the future of the Qin Dynasty!"

But the emperor, already immersed in glory and believing he would be like the sun, forever hanging in the sky, shining upon all nations, paid no heed.

"What's there to worry about with a child under twenty!"

"Besides, Rome has always been weaker than our country. Even if it has the reformist ambitions of its ancestors and the military strategy of its adoptive father, what can it do?"

When these people were alive,
Neither of them caused any harm to the Qin state.

Let alone a mere boy!
The emperor simply forgot.
His ancestor who founded the Western Qin Dynasty,
In his youth, he led his people to flee to the Western Sea;

As for the situation of the Qin Dynasty at that time...

It is also vastly different from the situation he is currently governing.

"Past prosperity blinded him, and arrogance filled his heart."

"How could such a person not lead the Qin Dynasty into a dangerous situation?"

Some ghosts from the underworld watched the conversation and then whispered among themselves.

"No wonder the ancients often said, 'Everything has a beginning, but few things have an end!'"

"It is truly a difficult thing to remain vigilant and prevent one's virtuous conduct from being corrupted!"

"I hope that after the turmoil in the Western Sea, the people who will rule this region will still be descendants of the Chinese!"

When the princes in Lixuan heard about Octavian's situation, they clapped their hands with joy.

"Mr. Wu has the ability to accomplish great things."

"I want to form an alliance with him!"

The prince's self-awareness:
The two are about the same age.
They hold similar positions in their respective countries.

They are compatible and friendly!
But his wife tried to change his mind.

She said to her husband, “I have heard of Octavian.” “He is indeed of noble birth in Rome and has been carefully cultivated by Caesar, but before that, he had not yet made a name for himself. Moreover, he is young and impetuous. How could he be content to ally with me without coveting other things?”

The prince simply scolded her, saying, "What does a woman know!"

"A place like Lixuan is fine for garrisoning in times of peace, but how can we be reluctant to give it up if we want to do something big!"

"Don't try to persuade me to ally with the Roman An family anymore. That guy is ambitious but incompetent; he can't possibly compare to the Wu family!"

Anthony,
He was a former general under Caesar during his lifetime.
And received a portion of the former master's estate.

He is now engaged in the final "war of succession" with Octavian.

therefore,

Anthony had privately visited Li Xuan in person, hoping to obtain assistance.

The prince was initially tempted, but after much deliberation, he rejected the offer.

This was not because he was loyal to the Qin state or unwilling to secretly get involved with other states.

It wasn't because Anthony showed any sign of passion when he saw his wife,
Rather, it was because the prince felt that this person was utterly useless, given that he could still show such an expression towards the other party's wife when it came to such an important matter as making allies.

of course,

If Antony had become the ruler of Rome and was willing to provide hundreds of thousands of troops to help him,
The prince didn't mind letting his wife stand up for him a few times.

In any case, the latter has not had any children in recent years.
The former had already fathered several children with his other concubines and intended to make his illegitimate son the heir apparent.

This made his wife very unhappy, as she felt that the prince would abandon her as an "ally" after gaining Egypt's allegiance.

So she went outside, found her family, and told them about her worries.

Wang's men immediately retorted angrily, "Barbarian savages, their nature is indeed treacherous!"

"In his use of his wife's family, he is no different from his father!"

Wang Shi

They were a prominent family in the Qin state, and also the emperor's in-laws.

Before the emperor ascended the throne,
Wang had contributed a great deal of effort to him and endured a great deal of pressure.

Who would have thought that once they secured their position and held power,
The emperor then abandoned his supporters, deposing the woman surnamed Wang who had no other problems except for her inability to bear children, and leaving her to die in melancholy in a desolate corner of the palace.

They probably knew that what they were doing was unreasonable.
After this, the emperor launched frequent crackdowns on the Wang family.

It was as if as long as this family didn't exist before their eyes,
This would prove that he was still a bright and great monarch, and had never had any blemishes.

Wang was forced to retreat step by step.

In the end, they could only concentrate their strength on Li Xuan's side.

After all, this place...

It was ruled by the Wang family ancestors for a long time and has become the "ancestral home" of the Wang family.

And the deviation from and abandonment of the central axis
This also gave the Wang family the idea of ​​occupying this place and becoming a separatist ruler.

But since they are not royalty
How can one do this legitimately and openly?

Therefore, they chose to support the equally ambitious sixteenth prince.

result,

As it turns out, this seemingly dissimilar father and son do indeed share similar temperaments and cold-heartedness.

After gaining a foothold in Lixuan and receiving the Egyptians' thunderous shouts of "Horus,"
The prince then lost his initial tenderness and intentionally broke away from the Wang family to become the dictator of Lixuan.

We must not let him get his way!

"I'm going to contact other people to see who else can provide support!" said the head of the Wang family.

He thought about it for a while, and then discussed it with his clansmen:
"The An family of Beidi County can be relied upon as an ally!"

An's family in the North,

It refers to the family that grew up from the adopted son of the first governor of Beidi County.

Most of them are descendants of Thrace and have a tradition of martial arts and fighting.

But right now,
As Beidi County grew increasingly prosperous, it became a major granary center, facing the ancestral home of Qin, Afang, across the Western Sea. It also possessed military power that controlled both seas and deterred Rome.

The emperor's control over this area became increasingly strong.

The An family, this "local tyrant,"
Naturally, he was also suppressed by that harsh emperor.

After all, the emperor's political maneuvering was quite clear—

He supported regional military commanders to replace the original imperial princes;

They also promoted generals of Hu (non-Han) origin to replace the former Qin generals.

Like the An family, who have been naturalized for over a century,
The "new Qin people," who have already flourished and are no different from the old Qin people, are not within his scope of support.

The Wang clan members discussed this for a while and felt that what the patriarch said made some sense, so they began to take action in private.

Hopefully, after bringing in talent from the An family,
This will let that arrogant prince know the importance of the Wang family!

(End of this chapter)