Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 485 East Gate Journey

When the mighty Yangtze River flows eastward...
A huge water network, woven by He Bo himself, is being spread out on the land.

The river water rushes into the sea, stirring up wave after wave on the originally calm surface.

Apart from the magpie that was released into Yinzhou by its original owner, which is separated from the rest of the world by the entire ocean...
In those places surrounding the Central Plains, this "Central Kingdom," there are deities who have received God's will and have sensed something.

The bright sunlight shone down.

Rippling waves spread out.
Endless steam rises from rivers, lakes, and seas, turning into gentle breezes and clouds and rain.

Subsequently,

The wind and clouds collided.
White turns black.

Gentleness turned into rage.

Heavy rain quickly descended upon both banks of the Yangtze River.

The rain brought out the smell of muddy water.

Their minds were thus drawn in.

Even the "Grand Commander of Lingnan," who was always rude to the main body, had the most seniority, and whose fief was closest to the Central Plains, couldn't help but sit on his mount and look up at the dark clouds overhead.

He said softly:
"As you advance further, the whole world whispers your title..."

"Squeak!"

The slick, white-furred rat, a species native to the South, that sat beneath him also raised its head, echoing its master's words.

Subsequently,

The mouse ran to the bushes nearby and quickly pulled out a thin snake, which it then sucked on like a spicy snack.

"I'll save the snake gall for making medicinal wine!"

Xiao Hebo did not stop the mount, but calmly asked it to "share".

As the ghosts and spirits peeked out, Zhao Tuo, sensing the indescribable and unfathomable changes in the world, did not distort his own expression.

after all,

He had grown accustomed to this "vibrant atmosphere".

Meanwhile, several clones in the far west also raised their bird heads.

The black bird of Western Qin raised the long feathers on its head.
A golden eagle, having crossed the Xingshan Mountains, carrying a groundhog that could only "ah ah ah," soared into the sky and landed in the territory of the Black Bird.

A plump pigeon, peering out of Rome and thinking about grabbing a few crumbs at the dock, perched on the roof of the Pantheon and made two puzzled "coo-coo" sounds.

As if sensing something, He spread His wings, flew out of Rome, and headed towards the Mediterranean Sea—

Before this,

As a weak and helpless but indeed gluttonous deity assigned by God to the Roman branch, He could not venture deep into the ocean for too long.

After all, their authority has not yet expanded to that extent.

If we were to forcibly venture into the ocean, let us use the mighty hand of God to test just how deep and moist the waters of the Mediterranean truly are.
The Mediterranean, hailed as the "Mother of Men," wouldn't mind showing Him what a raging storm is like, what it means to "fight against the tempest."

all in all,
Before He Bo, as the main body, could conquer the Yangtze River and bring a vast landmass stretching from the Pearl River in the south to the Gobi Desert in the north, and from the Longxi Mountains in the west into his own domain...
The fat pigeon could only flutter at sea for a while before being swept back to shore by the wind and waves with a desperate cooing sound.

but now?
Although it is still impossible to reach the deepest part of the ocean,

But it's perfectly fine to rub against, lick, or touch it in other places!
Especially the Black Sea!
That sea area, which was explored and traversed by the virtuous men of the various Xia states long ago,

Now, it has opened its arms wide, allowing the God from the East to thoroughly explore its depths, heights, and sizes.

The strait that once hindered God's progress has become unobstructed, allowing the flying pigeons to reunite with their comrades, such as the black birds that came from behind.

"What a load of grass!"

When the two birds, one black and one white, but both plump and similar in size, came together and curiously pecked at each other's feathers with their beaks,

Even the marmot from the river valleys tugged at the fur on its belly and sighed sincerely:
"The food in the West Sea is really good!"

"Unlike our backyard, which is a poor and remote area, everyone there looks thin and bony!"

Golden Eagle from Xingshan glanced suspiciously at the groundhog's belly, which seemed to ripple with oil with a single pat, and thought that the "we" the groundhog was referring to probably didn't include himself.

"but!"

The groundhog, cracking sunflower seeds, said, "The Black Bird held extraordinary significance for the Qin people, so it was rarely coveted by humans and captured to be stewed in soup."

"Won't this fat pigeon get caught and plucked by the Romans in Rome?"

"You're the one who'll encounter something like this!"

Hearing his mutterings, the pigeon immediately glared at the groundhog with its angry beady eyes and pecked at it.

Subsequently,

He proudly shook his glossy white feathers and told them, "Yege'er has been born. When he grows up, won't my status in Rome be higher than that of the Black Bird in Qin?"

"correct!"

Speaking of this, Pigeon didn't forget to ask Xingshan's Golden Eagle, "The giant turtle from Ganges didn't come for team building this time."

"Could you please go over there and bring me some coconut buns, shredded coconut, and coconut crisps from Xinxia?"

“I’ll take it to Maria, who is in postpartum confinement, to give her some extra nutrition.”

"Who is that?"

The clone is different from the original body.

If they can't let go of their inhibitions, they won't be able to directly share a brain like the original body.

As the pigeon is a brother who was recently split off from the original body, it is naturally the least familiar to others.

Otherwise, why would the black bird still be pecking at his feathers and pinching off his quills?
The pigeon's eyes widened. "Yege, you don't know?"

"That's our own son, whom we have no relation to!"

Hearing his self-righteous words,
The others snapped out of their daze and exclaimed, "Oh!"

"It turns out it's him!"

Looking at it this way,
The new reign title "Yuanshi" acquired by the Han Dynasty is indeed excellent, as it coincides perfectly with the reign title of Yege'er.

"We definitely need to give a gift!"

Although in reality, the other party had no connection with them whatsoever.
They wouldn't actually do anything for this "favorite son" afterward.
But out of a desire to join in the fun, giving the child two eggs is still necessary.

"Ugh!"

"The thought that my second son will have to wait thousands of years to be born makes me a little sad."

The pigeon accepted the gifts from all sides, then suddenly thought of something and muttered something under its breath.

"What's the point of all this trouble?"

"You'd be lucky if you didn't steal the maternity gift money you gave me!"

The black bird interrupted his nonsensical speech and, looking at the pigeon's plump body, raised a question.

The pigeon cooed twice, sounding guilty.

"What do you mean by stealing food?"

"Eating your son's food doesn't count as stealing!"

"Don't slander the good God!"

"I will appeal to the central government and let the main body decide!"

"Does the baby who's still breastfeeding know he's your son?"

Golden Eagle couldn't hold back any longer. He felt that this pigeon was really shameless, able to say such things as brazenly as its true form.

The pigeon sighed and said, "It's enough that I accept him in my heart."

"So, will you raise it?"

The pigeon cooed again and puffed out its chest, "That's his own parents' business!"

"I don't care!"

His brothers were shocked by his shamelessness.

"Let's just enjoy the storm before us!"

The most composed Golden Eagle said this.

After the gods in various places concluded this emotional exchange,

The changes that accompanied God's progress eventually reached the Western Sea.

Water vapor continuously surged from the sea, eventually gathering in the northern prefecture of Qin, the place where these deities gathered, turning into the same color as the Central Plains, and stirring up winds and thunder as in the east.

at the same time,

Different regions,

A wind carrying moisture blew by.
This is the Central Plains waterway, now fully connected, demonstrating its authority and status to the world.

The Central Kingdom, from this day forward, will physically "benefit all directions".

And now,
It was a time when rain and mist were scarce throughout the Nine Provinces.

So many people were overjoyed by the sudden rain and clouds, rushing out with containers to collect water or prepare to irrigate the land, hoping to use this surprise to help the parched land produce more crops.

unfortunately,

There will always be those who disapprove of this turbulent situation.

At least it was lifted onto the car frame.

Awakened by the bumpy journey, Kong Guang smelled the thick, unusually moist air and exclaimed in surprise:
"Is this also a sign from heaven?"

"Is this storm raging through the building a sign of the future of the Han Dynasty?"

He struggled to his feet, clung to the car window, and looked with his old, cloudy eyes at the dark clouds that obscured the sky.

then,

He coughed painfully, his already gaunt face appearing even paler and more helpless.

The envoy responsible for taking him to Chang'an to curry favor with the Duke of Anhan had no choice but to order the carriage to stop and find a sheltered place for the Grand Tutor, who had not yet taken office, to rest.

"Lord Anhan is still waiting for you!"

"Please stop making things difficult for those of us who get things done!"

Kong Guang did not answer him.

After the other party forcibly dragged him onto the road despite his objections,

Kong Guang realized that some things can never go as planned.

What he was looking forward to

He recalled,

Eventually, it will vanish without a trace, like the drifting clouds in the sky.

Why is it that at this age, one can have such a clear understanding?

Why is it that people only come to their senses and reflect on their past oversights and mistakes when they are about to die?

"I deeply regret my stupidity."

"how about you?"

"Lord Giant, will you regret what you've done?"

As the wind and rain subsided, Kong Guang, too old and weak to climb into the carriage, was once again shoved into the carriage by the messenger.
This "veteran minister of five dynasties" leaned against the carriage, thinking to himself.

In the nearby countryside,
Several children, their faces covered in mud, hopped and skipped, singing nursery rhymes they had learned from the adults, clutching the withered grass or twigs:
"He went out the east gate, not caring about returning."

Upon entering, I felt a deep sadness and sorrow.

There is not a single grain of rice stored in the jar, nor a single piece of clothing on the shelf.

He drew his sword and went to the east gate; his mother and children at home tugged at his clothes, weeping.
'His family only desires wealth and status, and I, your humble concubine, will share meals with you.'

Above, they employ the mighty Canglang Heaven; below, they should employ this yellow-mouthed brat. Not so now!

"Ha! Fine! I'm leaving now! It's hard to stay long with white hair like this!"

Stop holding back!

How much longer must we endure these miserable days?
There was no rice in the jar, and no clothes in the house.
His head was covered with white hair.

Teeth wobbling in mouth

Why not give it a shot?
Why can others be rich and powerful?
But he himself couldn't even get a bowl of porridge?

Stop holding back!

……

How can a person endure it forever?

When we arrived in Chang'an
When Kong Guang saw Wang Mang, who had come to greet him and performed the disciple's rites, he couldn't help but laugh.

His days are numbered.
An unprecedented level of intelligence took hold of his mind.

This made Kong Guang, who should have been furious with Wang Mang and cursing him for deceiving him, become magnanimous and composed.

He finally began to resemble the "descendant of Confucius" and "sage and virtuous gentleman" that others spoke of.

When Wang Mang saw such a teacher, he was taken aback, and his previously planned measures suddenly became ineffective.

But he still had the ability to speak grandly and righteously to Kong Guang, tightly wrapping his own skin so that not a single gap was exposed.

But nowadays,
Why would he do that?
When he imprisoned and executed those members of the royal family of noble lineage,
When the young emperor cried and made a scene, he still couldn't stop Wang Mang's daughter from becoming his empress.
He no longer needed to exert all his strength to maintain a gentlemanly facade.

Therefore,
He suppressed his smile and looked back at his teacher with a calm expression.

The old man, who had taken on the task of teaching him since he was a child out of kindness, made Wang Mang somewhat reluctant to kill him.

But he needs the name of Confucius!
So Wang Mang thought to himself:
Teacher, oh teacher,

Anyway, you've been teaching me for many years.

They put in a lot of effort for me.

Now you are about to turn to dust.
Why can't you finish what you started and give me one last thing?

"We must take good care of the Grand Tutor's health!"

He gave these instructions to the servants who were taking care of Kong Guang.

The servants readily agreed.
Kong Guang stood silently to the side, leaning on his cane.

He spoke suddenly, just as Wang Mang was about to turn and leave:
"I heard you're asking other powerful figures to donate land to help disaster victims?"

"Yes!"

Having held power for a long time, there were certain things Wang Mang had to do.

Even before this, he had always opposed it.

But one's position determines one's perspective.
Once one's stance changes, one's behavior will naturally change accordingly.

"You can't do that."

Kong Guang sighed, "This world is rotten to the core; it can't be changed by just a few eloquent mouths."

"You were able to do it before because you sat with them."

"Now that you want to go further and consolidate your new position, they will deal with you the same way they dealt with Emperor Cheng and Emperor Ai."

"Great Lord, how much longer can you endure this?"

Leaving those words behind, Kong Guang retreated alone to his room.

He doesn't need to see any more people after that.

No need to say anything extra.

He just needs to do what the signboard is supposed to do.

Wang Mang watched quietly, his hands clenched tightly beneath his sleeves.

"I don't need to endure it anymore."

"I will get everything I want!"

In the imperial court

The young emperor also found Wang Mang increasingly intolerable.

He accused Wang Mang in the inner palace:
"What an arrogant person!"

And declared their goals:
"I am not yet strong; once I am strong, things will change!"

Subsequently,

The astute Liu Kan took advantage of the conflict caused by Wang Mang forcing other powerful figures to donate land, and won over some officials, hoping to use their support to counter Wang Mang, the "Duke of Anhan" who could not bring stability to the Han Dynasty.

If given enough time
Or perhaps Liu Kan could have shown more patience in confronting powerful ministers.
Perhaps he can indeed achieve his goal.

unfortunately,

Having learned of the emperor's words and actions, Wang Mang would not give him the opportunity to "strengthen" himself.

"It's getting cold."

"Let the emperor die of illness!"

In his own mansion,
With his hands behind his back, Wang Mang delivered a packet of medicine to his mole in the palace and conveyed an order.

Shortly thereafter,

News of the emperor's sudden death spread.
The Han Dynasty is about to welcome a new monarch.

(End of this chapter)