Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 494 The Transition Between Qin and Han Dynasties
The white incense slowly wafted in the air.
This absolutely exotic place also carries a touch of Eastern influence.

As Augustus lay dying, listening to the *Sutra of Peace and Salvation* recited in the elegant language of the Common People, with a light yet profound melody, he couldn't help but utter his final sigh:
"Alas!"

"I think I'm becoming a god!"

After all,

It's all over.

Augustus's family surrounded him, releasing their long-suppressed cries.

But soon,
This thriving nation is about to end this brief respite and mourning, and move towards a brighter future.

Tiberius donned the laurel wreath and became the new monarch of Rome, and in accordance with Augustus's wishes, designated the latter's two grandsons as his successors.

After his death,

The eldest of these, Gaius Julius Caesar, the young man who inherited the name of the de facto founder of Rome, would become the third ruler of this dynasty.

……

"An era has come to an end."

"But the future is still long, and we don't know what will happen next, or what surprises we will bring to our ancestors in the underworld."

Standing on the dock, waiting for the ships bound for Qin, the Great Teacher of Wisdom reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of millet, and threw it on the ground.

Then he called to the plump pigeons standing not far away, "Hey, come and eat!"

The fat pigeon hopped over, its belly bulging, and started pecking at the rice, showing no backbone whatsoever.

"It's worthless!"

The Great Teacher looked down at the chubby little creature, his old eyes narrowing, and expressed extreme contempt for God, the Western Emperor.

"What else do you do all day besides coming to the dock to collect breadcrumbs?"

Fat Gugu touched its beak with its wings, thought for a moment, and then told its agent:
"We can also go out to sea and catch some small fish!"

You have no idea how delicious seafood is!

"And what gives you the right to accuse me?"

After the pigeons finished pecking at the millet on the ground and made sure Zhao Shen had no more food, they puffed out their chests and became quite self-righteous.
"You've been preaching in Rome for so many years, how many dead souls have you helped to find peace?"

"I see you're too busy chopping people up, aren't you!"

Rome in the West
It was not a place ruled by the Chinese.

Aside from the personal preferences of the rulers Caesar and Augustus, and the slight introduction of Eastern influences for the purpose of governance,
It remains a purely foreign and absolute alien nation.

of course,

Due to the friendly relations with the Qin state in the past,

Furthermore, these two countries rose to prominence around the same time on the edge of the sea. During their many years of development and expansion, they had few conflicts of interest and even jointly divided up several city-states established by the Greeks.
The generous and magnanimous people of Qin once praised Rome as "like us," and in recent conflicts, they agreed to be "brothers"...

Therefore,
The God of the Chinese would not treat Rome, this bloodless brother, with the same barbaric attitude as ordinary barbarians.

But he still didn't take in any of the Roman-born dead men over the years—

One,
It was God's undisguised favoritism that prevented Him from showing the same tenderness to the Romans as He had to the people of the Chinese.

If the Romans did not believe in themselves, did not offer sacrifices and offerings, or did not have their souls "guided" by Taoist priests of the Way of Peace, God would refuse to accept their souls into the underworld He had created.

Even if the underworld is completely empty, so desolate and cold that even the fat pigeons only wish to soar under the Mediterranean summer sun and drift in the winter rain,
He will not relax the entry requirements either.

Better to have nothing than something bad!
If the treatment is the same
How could those dead ghosts in the underworld, queuing up to be reincarnated, have such a wish as "to be born in the land of China in the next life"?

Secondly,

Although God made a covenant with the Way of Peace, granting Zhao Shen and other agents the right to recite scriptures and guide those who were not of Chinese descent,

However, the latter did not show much enthusiasm when exercising such authority.

After all, for the Taoist priests of the Way of Peace, the blessing of dying and going to the underworld is not something that ordinary people can enjoy.

The Qin state was in constant turmoil.

They were already quite busy with the task of guiding the dead Qin people to the afterlife, let alone having the time to guide a few Roman foreigners.

Those guys have their own beliefs, but they don't believe in God, who is both one and ten thousand, the supreme and unique deity!

Why would they offer their warm welcome only to be met with indifference?

Oh.
Considering Roman customs,
Doing this will definitely make them feel even better!
The three,
This is because there weren't many "Romans" in Rome.

Rome, the country

It was a country where slavery was extremely prevalent.

Their views on offspring, bloodlines, and reproduction were also very different from those of the various Xia states.

As long as the paternal lineage can be determined, or if the culture and ideology can be "transformed into Xia", then they can be identified as one of their own.

However, Rome was very particular about issuing "standard eagles" to others, and was also very stingy about it.

This meant that Rome, as a nation, even after two hundred years of development and prosperity, did not expand like the Qin people and become the undisputed absolute dominant power within its territory.

in this way,

If the Roman lords didn't even treat some of the foreign tribes under their rule as human beings, why should the Way of Peace extend extra favors to them, fulfilling its covenant with God?

but,

Leaving aside these objective facts,
God will only condemn Zhao Shen for being useless.

"Do you think that by beating people to death, you won't have to chant sutras for them and will save the energy of performing rituals for their souls to be released from suffering?"

Zhao Shen remained noncommittal.

In any case, over the years he has been preaching, the time he has spent fighting has far exceeded the time he has spent chanting scriptures.

Fortunately, there are successors.

Coconut Bro is a talented person.

Upon returning to Qin, he planned to take the other party to the headquarters of the Way of Peace to make an appearance, meet them, and lay the groundwork for future events.

Will the Qin state become even more chaotic in the future?

"When Emperor Huai arrived in the underworld, it's unclear whether he received more comfort or beatings from his ancestors."

Stroking the smooth feathers of the baby in his arms, Zhao Shen watched the approaching ship and suddenly asked a question.

Emperor Huai,
It was the Qin ruler who sent envoys to the east in an attempt to seek support from the Central Plains.

He harbors lofty ambitions and is willing to pay a price, even in name only, to achieve them.

Just like his grandfather, who was adept at managing situations and stabilizing them during times of crisis.

After several years on the throne, he consolidated his power through various means, appointed officials, recovered some lost territories, and showed signs of reforming the government.

Unfortunately, his health was not good.

When emulating their ancestors' inspection tours of their territories...

He climbed a mountain range located in what was formerly the Balkan Peninsula and is now Ji County in the Northern Prefecture of the Qin Dynasty, wanting to enjoy the thrill of overlooking the world.

As a result, a cool breeze blew from the mountain.
He fell ill and soon died from a persistent fever.

His young and inexperienced sons ascended the throne, and power fell into the hands of powerful ministers and relatives of the empress.

When the news reached Rome, it reached Zhao Shen's ears, which made him feel regretful.

The wise ruler died young, and powerful ministers held power.

This is a sign of the nation's further decline.

Gugu hid itself so well that no one could see its neck from the surface, and let Zhao Shen pinch its quill, then it shuddered with pleasure.

"I thought you would care about Augustus, whom you just brought down!"

He Bo couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled the look of terror and panic on the face of that deep-seated monarch who had ruled for many years when he first arrived in the underworld.

In particular, the scene where He Bo dragged out his old friend Qin Ming, who had died a few years earlier, and stared at Augustus in disbelief made God extremely happy.

unfortunately,

Augustus had only been dead for a short time and was not yet able to adapt to the afterlife and the rules set by God.

It will take some more time before it can be trained into a fine beast of burden.

“He was sent down by Ye Ge’er.”

Zhao Shen first corrected the error in God's words, and then said:
"What do I have to do with a foreign monarch?"

Zhao Shen was already more than benevolent by agreeing to Augustus's whim and responding to this predestined relationship, allowing him to "live a second life."

"I am about to return to my roots, and my disciples will, like our fellow Daoists in the Central Plains, accomplish great things in the Qin Kingdom..." "How can we not show them more care?"

Although I have been away from home for many years

But Zhao Shen was, after all, a Qin person.

When he was young, he fled with his fellow villagers and met a Taoist priest from Xinxia in the east, who became a follower of the Way of Peace.

He spent the rest of his life as a member of the Taiping Dao, traveling throughout the Qin state.

Now, after a long absence, I'm returning.

Even after becoming a great and virtuous teacher, he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive about returning home.

Without the power of ghosts and gods,
Even in his old age, when he could be buried at any moment, Zhao Shen still held some hope for his hometown, believing that the rule of several Qin emperors had stabilized the situation and would bring about a better future for the country.

But the mercy and grace of the gods and spirits
And then there are the countless dead souls that can now drift aimlessly across the ocean.

This allowed Zhao Shen to gain some understanding of the current situation in Qin, even from a place as far away as Germania.

He therefore knew,
Even though the northern part of Qin gained some peace, the flames of war in the south never ceased.

His memories of his hometown had been completely eroded by the initial natural disaster and the subsequent man-made calamities.

Perhaps many years later, when the country prospers again, someone passing by will see the remains of that village and vaguely remember that people once lived there.

"Emperor Huai is doing alright, at least much better than his great-grandfather."

The pigeon shook its feathers, its fat jiggling. "As for the future of a nation?"

Who can say for sure?

then,

Zhao Shen threw away the useless God.

Ships that had come from afar slowly approached the shore.

Yege'er, wearing Roman-style leather sandals, came running over, calling out to his grandmaster.

"Time to board!"

His face was flushed, clearly showing his anticipation of returning to his homeland of Qin.

Although Zhao Shen had told him before

The Taiping Dao of Qin was not someone to be trifled with.
But Yege pinched the flesh on his arm and asked his parents to help measure how fast he was growing taller and stronger, and felt that his future was still very promising.

He learned martial arts from elementary school.
In a few more years, when they have fully grown up, they will surely be able to stand proudly among all the doctrines when discussing them.

Then, with the approval of the followers and God, he became the great teacher of the Western branch, embarking on a preaching path completely different from that of the New China, the Central Plains, and the Western Sea.

anyway,

Nine-section staff,
He has it decided!

"When I have achieved fame and success, I will return to Rome to see you."

Before leaving, Yggdrasil held his God in his palm and spoke softly to him.

The pigeon cooed twice, wiped its eyes with its wing, and thought that it was indeed worth raising this child.

"You are much more filial than Zhao Shen!"

"Don't worry, this time Dad will definitely not let you be strung on a cross and dried into cured meat!"

Yageer did not understand what he meant.

Connecting people?

This was something he and his master had done when they were preaching in Rome using force.

Yege'er didn't think that with his strength, he would ever be impersonated by someone else.

Moreover, his own father was carrying big bags and small packages, arranging rooms on the ferry for his master and wife. How could there suddenly be a pigeon father?

"You must be delirious from hunger."

Possessing good intergenerational inheritance,
Having not inherited much respect for God from his mother, Yege couldn't help but think of the attitude his master's rival held towards this person.

So he simply took out a few crispy biscuits and stuffed them into the pigeon's beak to stop it from talking nonsense.

The pigeon, unaware of what was happening, remained moved by the child's filial piety.

He promised Yageer, "Come back soon!"

"I'll try my best to gather as many oxen and horses for you in the underworld, so you can take them with you to spread the gospel!"

Would Augustus do the same?

"Of course!"

The pigeon said, "If he's already dead, how can he escape from my grasp?"

Yegor recalled the elderly, yet still majestic monarch he had met, and looked forward to seeing how he would serve him in the future.

"Okay, I'll wait!"

Saying this,

The two separated.

The sails billowed in the wind, and the sailors rowed with all their might, heading towards the Jade Wall City of Qin with the clear seawater.

This eastern capital of the Qin state possessed a beauty and resilience befitting its name.

Even when the nation declined, it was able to maintain its prosperity and power by virtue of its geographical advantage, and the Romans, who harbored strange fantasies about it, were repeatedly defeated at the city gates, unable to tarnish its purity.

But can it truly stand the test of time like a city made of jade?

"If even Chang'an is not at peace, I don't think this jade disc can last long either."

The ship docked again.

Walking on the long-unseen streets filled with gentlemen from all over China, Zhao Shen, whose hearing and eyesight were still sharp, heard someone say this.

The other person's accent was somewhat different from that of the Qin people, and their clothing did not have the characteristics of the Western Sea region.

It is quite similar to that of the Central Plains.

Zhao Shen stopped and began to examine the other person.

The other party also realized something was wrong.

Speaking such ominous words in the capital of Qin would likely bring disaster upon himself.

So he smiled at Zhao Shen, who was staring at him, cupped his hands in greeting, and tried to let the matter drop.

But instead of showing the affability and tolerance of an elder, Zhao Shen stepped forward and directly asked him:
"Where are you from?"

Intimidated by the locals' threats, the other party obediently replied, "I am from the Central Plains."

"What identity?"

"A member of the former Han imperial family... is now just a merchant surnamed Liu."

Zhao Shen narrowed his eyes. "Why have members of the royal family come to Qin?"

The other party immediately fell silent, groaning and sighing.

He thought:
If Wang Mang hadn't become emperor, he would have been content to stay in his fiefdom, indulging in food, drink, and entertainment for the rest of his life!
Why would they be forced by pressure to flee to the territory of their old rival, Ying Qin?

"How about this!"

"If you treat me to a meal, I'll tell you all about the hardships I've endured along the way!"

The other person recalled their past and was immediately overcome with sorrow, wanting to confide in someone.

But as a member of the Liu family, he couldn't afford to waste his breath arguing with others.

Not even bothering to earn a living
That would be a pity!

Zhao Shen did not refuse him.

The two arrived at a tavern, ordered a private room and a table of food and drinks.

The man held a sesame seed cake, sipped the hot mutton soup, and reminisced about the taste of his hometown.

Then he sighed again.

"My name is Liu Ruyi."

"She is a descendant of a king from the Han Dynasty..."

(End of this chapter)