Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 497 The Three Primary Colors Uprising

The torrent continued to surge.

After a heavy rain that affected both the north and south,

The Zhang River, which flows through Handan, also surged out, flooding many fields and people.

Many elderly people who have lived along the banks of the Zhang River for generations wept as a result.
“When our ancestors were alive, they often told us, ‘The Zhang River flows smoothly and is a river that is free from disasters and protects all living beings.’ When I was young, I often ran to the riverbank to play with my friends. I was never swept away by the undercurrents, nor did I ever encounter any other dangers.”

"But now, the Zhang River has become this turbid and wild!"

"Have the gods and spirits stopped protecting us? Are we destined to witness the fall of destiny?"

Others couldn't understand the feelings of these elderly people; they were too busy taking their families and belongings and fleeing to other places.

Someone suggested, "Let's go find the Way of Peace!"

“I have heard that they are not just bandits who kill and rebel, but righteous and virtuous men.”

"In the places they occupy, there are fields to cultivate and floods being controlled."

"But won't those who join the rebellion be wanted and executed by the imperial court?" Some people were also uneasy.

The man said angrily, "Aren't we being strangled by the imperial court in this state?"

"The emperor doesn't even bother to fix the dikes in his own hometown, so why would he bother to fix the ones in Handan?"

"If we let the floods rage like this, we still can't stop the local tyrants from persecuting us. Do we think we can survive by obeying their orders and being peaceful citizens?!"

Everyone agreed with him.

As a result, people from the vicinity of Handan gradually flocked to the area west of Mount Tai and east of the Taihang Mountains, which was occupied by the Taiping Road.

Further east along the coast, the Red Eyebrow Army continued to harass the region.

In response to the growing problem of bandits and thieves, local officials and powerful figures chose to further exploit the people, making up for their losses by depriving them of their meager resources.

"This is intolerable!"

Born into poverty but possessing considerable martial prowess and a penchant for fighting injustice, Fan Chong, upon witnessing the plight of the rural people, immediately stood up and raised his arms, shouting, "Why should we bear the blame for the mistakes caused by those in power?"

Are rebels born rebellious and fond of rebellion?

Isn't the flooding of the river caused by the failure to maintain the dikes in time, leading to their collapse?
Commoners had to pay taxes and perform corvée labor for the imperial court every year, but what did they get in return?

Since hard work doesn't guarantee results,

What right do they have to tolerate this?

Shortly thereafter,

Fan Chong then led dozens of people in an uprising in Ju County. He led a group of farmers and refugees to Mount Tai, occupied an area, and fought against the local officials.

When the news reached the south,

Wang Kuang, who had already made a name for himself, then found his brother Wang Feng and said to him:
"The world has descended into chaos to this point; we must take action!"

In the new city area

There are natural disasters and man-made disasters.

It is simply weaker than the traditional and prosperous North.

For this reason, the southern counties, which did not experience the same level of rebellion as Hebei, were subjected to increased taxes by Wang Mang.

Fighting wars and suppressing rebellions

It requires a huge amount of money.

The Way of Peace was never suppressed.

Even more traitors emerged.

This caused the money the imperial court spent on soldiers to double every so often.

Since the South is peaceful,

What does it matter if the people here suffer a little?

But Wang Mang never considered this.

He can endure it.
Others, however, cannot tolerate it.

After all, no matter how much Wang Mang suffered in silence,
It cannot deprive him of the bloodline of the Yuancheng Wang family within him, nor does it require him to worry about warm clothes or enough food. In fact, if he endures enough, he can gain the appreciation of his superiors and be promoted to a higher position.

But for the poor, the more they endured, the more miserable and painful the result became.

Their clothes would be stripped off, and their sun-tanned bodies would be subjected to the ravages of the cold wind.
Their food would be taken away, their rice and millet soaked with sweat would be deemed not fresh or tasty enough by meat-eaters.

The result of being able to endure hardship

It just means enduring more hardship!
So why should they endure it?
"Resisting the unjust court is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people."

"We don't need to hesitate!"

Hesitation prevents you from accomplishing great things!

Wang Kuangzhen said.

Wang Feng agreed with his words.

So the two brothers contacted their men, attacked the county government office, seized much of its reserves, and then fled to the nearby Green Forest Mountains to set up camp and wait for the opportunity to grow stronger.

Seeing this, He Bo, who had been secretly observing the human world, pinched his chin and said, "Yellow Turbans, Red Eyebrows, Green Forest..."

"The colors are matched so neatly!"

He turned his head and instructed the several dead historians serving him, "In that case, let's call these three struggles the 'Three Primary Colors' Uprising!"

A historian, puzzled, asked curiously, "Why are red, yellow, and green called the three primary colors?"

He Bo glared at him. "If you're so curious, go find out for yourself. Why are you asking me?"

Could he possibly have the answer here?

There are too many idle fools among us who like to overthink things.

In the dimly colored, black sun overhead, and bleak, withered yellow earth beneath their feet,
Vibrant colors became what the dead ghost craved.

Although they can enjoy peace after death
However, the underworld is too bland, and most of the time one can only encounter the black, white, and gray world. For the most intelligent beings who have experienced the richness and diversity of life, it is still too monotonous.

Therefore,
There are always some dead souls who are willing to put in a lot of effort to find ways to add a touch of the brilliance they once had to their lives, within the limited conditions they have.

corresponding,
If it were possible to create additional, vibrant colors in the underworld,
The creator of such a work will become a famous figure among the dead and will acquire great wealth.

They're the kind of people who can steal other people's offerings without getting caught or beaten.

Today, the lucky historians chosen by God to serve are naturally also color-obsessed devils.

How could they not react at all when they heard such a special term as "primary colors"?

unfortunately,

God did not answer that question.

They could only suppress their budding thoughts and plan to try to salvage the situation after returning to the underworld.

"The wind is getting louder and louder!"

Looking down upon the human world, God glanced around and saw Wang Mang, who had received news of the Green Forest Rebellion, once again smashing the precious ornament beside him and venting his anger on others. God couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

"Why don't you go and explore other places?"

"I'm going to find a place to go fishing!"

He gave these instructions to the dead men around him.

The historians obediently agreed, then left with brushes tucked behind their ears and a pile of blank documents in their hands.

Troubled times,

It will always be a time when historians tirelessly write.

Because old things will quickly collapse in a few years, a dozen years, or a few decades, and then something new will be erected.

Destroy the old and establish the new.

The positions of up and down need to be reversed.

The old and new positions will be reversed.
The wisdom of our ancestors can be innovated or lost in times of turmoil.

The best and worst aspects of human nature will be fully revealed during this period.

endure?
With chaos and disorder upon us, how could we possibly endure it?

Therefore,
Historians, tasked by God to record all human affairs and emotions, and to collect the wisdom of their ancestors to help rebuild their homes and nations from ruins, always find themselves busy during the chaotic times of the Chinese civilization.

The Qin state in the west had been in chaos for a long time.
The North and South are still locked in a stalemate, and it is difficult to determine a winner in the short term.

This meant that the historians had to act like dutiful referees in a tug-of-war, keeping a close eye on the movements throughout Western Qin, even more tense than the participants, waiting for the winner to emerge. And after God extended his invisible hand to Rome in the West, the historians of the various Xia dynasties also had to "shoulder two responsibilities," going to help record the history belonging to Rome—

There's nothing we can do about it.
Why is it that the Romans' habit of writing history wasn't as ancient as that of the Chinese gentlemen?

Even after their families prospered and began to value record-keeping, they did not establish dedicated historians like the various Xia dynasties.

Moreover, their scholars always like to add superfluous words and descriptions to historical records, supplementing them with their own feelings and opinions.

This displeased the historians of the past.

"If this happened in the Central Plains, you'd get your eggs removed for doing this!"

The historians of the Xia dynasty said this to the historians of Rome.

When the Roman emperor Augustus and a historian whose ancestral home was in China heard this, their faces turned very ugly.

And now,
Besides traveling for the Qin state and Rome,

The Central Plains are also in chaos.

The territory of the Central Kingdom is the largest among all the Xia kingdoms; its population is also the most prosperous.

The increased burden on historians because of it is self-evident.

But how to say it?

They enjoyed it immensely.

"Whee!"

"To witness such chaos, I'd be willing to die again!"

"Not enough, I want to see rivers of blood and fangs!"

"Cuck!"

"No to that kind of thing!"

He Bo could still hear their conversation as the gossipy historians left.

He couldn't help but laugh again, thinking that these guys had the potential to go to Panyu for further studies.

"all in all!"

He Bo casually plucked a few slender vines and wove them into a small straw hat for himself, then pulled a long fishing rod from his pocket:
Let's go fishing first!

He came to the area south of the Yangtze River.

I found a secluded spot in the mountains and forests, sat down anywhere, and started fishing.

A little cat ghost quietly peeked out from God's embrace, then stared intently at the feather floating on the water, which was being used as a harpoon, and remained motionless.

It meowed and pawed at He Bo's chest.

"We haven't caught anything yet!"

"Don't get excited yet!"

He Bo raised his hand and pressed it down.

"You can come out once you've taken the bait!"

The kitten could only swallow its anger and curl up back in God's embrace.

Ugh,
It's in such a mess now.

People can indeed stop enduring.

But it was just a pitiful, helpless little cat ghost that died young. How could it possibly resist the oppression of ghosts and gods?

Poor thing,
All I can do is try to eat more and turn my grief into appetite!
……

When God chooses to stop, and stays in the peaceful south of the Yangtze River, enjoying the scenery, chasing dogs and playing with cats,

Wang Mang, still in Chang'an, was worried about the increasingly serious rebellions in various places.

After much deliberation, he finally made a decision that followed the rites of Zhou.

"The salaries of government officials will be suspended."

"Let them weather the storm together with the nation!"

It seems that constantly demanding from ordinary people is not a sustainable strategy.

After the Green Forest Uprising,

Wang Mang did indeed need to learn some lessons and not "make the people suffer" again.

"Then let's make things difficult for the officials!"

Wang Mang naturally thought:
“These guys have been receiving preferential treatment from the state for many years.”

"In Chang'an, they may present an image of integrity and poverty, but in their hometowns, who doesn't own several manors and properties?"

"Suspending their salaries for six months won't harm them much; it's a good thing for the country!"

But the high-ranking officials didn't think that way.

They all complained, "Why should my interests be sacrificed for those despicable people?"

A small salary,
For the nobles, it was indeed of no importance.

But when it comes to one's reputation, it's no small matter.

"The emperor is becoming more and more irresponsible!"

"He wanted to rule the country, but he didn't realize that he was governing it together with the officials!"

"The character for 'official' has two mouths; if the top one isn't filled, how can the bottom one be filled?"

They've really gone mad from reading the classics!
Fortunately,

Forced by everything Wang Mang had done before,
No matter how much the nobles complained, they dared not let such words reach his ears.

After all, the money has already been lost.
We must not allow the lives of the nobles to be harmed again.

All the latter could say to Wang Mang was praise and flattery, watching him drive his out-of-control old chariot further and further down the wrong path, until he finally fell off a cliff.

Therefore,
Shortly afterward, an earthquake struck Guanzhong, causing the west bank of the Changping Pavilion to collapse, blocking the flow of the Jing River and causing the river to breach its banks and flow northward.

Instead of viewing the incident as a disaster, the ministers jointly submitted a memorial to Wang Mang, congratulating him on his behalf.

They said with absolute certainty:
"The Xiongnu people, who constantly harassed our borders, were like the Jing River. Now that the water has been blocked, it is just like the 'using earth to subdue the water' mentioned in the Hetu!"

"This is an auspicious sign!"

Wang Mang, already under immense psychological pressure from the out-of-control court and the public, who hadn't slept well for many days and whose rationality had been stripped away along with his physical body, became happy upon hearing this.

He showed a rare smile in the court, and his bloodshot eyes, wrinkles, and worried face relaxed.

"good omen?"

"I do indeed need an auspicious omen!"

then,

Wang Mang, who had just announced the suspension of salaries to save expenses, happily ordered his troops to attack the Xiongnu.

Simultaneously,

Wang Mang also remembered something else.

"I have heard that the Xiongnu have become quite arrogant in the Western Regions in recent years, and have a tendency to obstruct communication between the Western Regions and the Central Plains."

"Since the court is going to send a large army to suppress the Xiongnu, it should also send people to the Western Regions to demonstrate its military strength and prestige, so as to prevent those small countries from betraying the Central Plains and joining the Xiongnu."

The ministers, upon hearing his words, couldn't help but think:
We haven't even given you double the amount yet.

Have you doubled down on this yourself?
He truly is a "born saint," unlike ordinary people!
Therefore,
They praised Wang Mang's wise decision and recommended suitable generals to be sent as envoys to the Western Regions.

As for what those envoys will do when they arrive in the Western Regions, and where they will blow the already wavering small countries, they don't care.

For the nobles,

They were fed up with Wang Mang.

The ministers would be happy as long as something could displease him.

As for the losses of the "nation"?

joke!

If you cherish your country in your heart

What kind of high-ranking officials and ministers are they?!

(End of this chapter)