Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 498 Jiaonan of the New Dynasty

"How come even in the Western Regions, we can still see officials of the new dynasty engaging in such antics?"

Next to the water,

He Bo carried a load of salted fish and gazed curiously at the new army not far away.

The little cat ghosts, gathered by God, each carried a salted fish in their mouths, hanging on the carrying pole along with the fish. Their entire bodies were filled with the stubbornness and magical demeanor unique to felines.

Fortunately, God does not mind that they add to their burden.

He just kept stuffing raisins into his mouth while muttering to himself:
"If things are done this way, Jiaonan won't follow the Central Plains anymore!"

Jiaonan

It refers to the various Xia city-states established by the Qin state during the Warring States period after opening up trade routes to the Western Regions and migrating people there.

From today,

It has been around for nearly four hundred years.

It lasted even longer than the Han Dynasty itself.

It is far more resilient and durable than its parent company, which provided the initial capital.

When the Qin state became the Qin Dynasty, Jiaonan was seizing the oases and population of its neighbors;

When the Qin Dynasty collapsed and Ying Qin fled to the Western Sea, Jiaonan was being robbed of its oases and population by its neighbors.

When Western Qin was established and flourished, Jiaonan also lived a second life and went to seize the oasis again.

The Western Qin Dynasty has now declined.
That ill-fated destiny once again wielded its power, plunging Jiaonan into desolation once more.

But this time,

The source of Jiaonan's inevitable decline was not the Xiongnu, nor other small states in the Western Regions, but the Central State, which it had always submitted to and which had once enjoyed its peak as a state thanks to the close ties between the two.

"Why is this so?"

The elderly king of Jiaonan sat in his palace, questioning his ministers.

The reason he longed for the arrival of the Central Plains Heavenly Army was...
It was to help Jiaonan resist the increasingly arrogant Xiongnu, as well as those small city-states that were inherently wavering and weak, and who turned to the Xiongnu to oppose Jiaonan and the Protectorate of the Western Regions.

But why...

When the royal army arrived, even knowing that Jiaonan was weak and its treasury was exhausted, they still forcibly conscripted manpower, food, and money.

"The imperial court doesn't have any supplies either!"

The arriving general said, "Since Jiaonan has been a loyal and filial subject of the Central Plains for generations, how can a subject not do his utmost when his sovereign is short of money?"

"Moreover, our army has marched here to relieve the siege of Jiaonan and alleviate the worries of the Western Regions. How can you not show some sincerity?"

The king was very alarmed.

He was trying to say that during Emperor Xuan's reign, the Han Dynasty even provided financial support to the Xin Dynasty.

Why is it that Jiaonan is the one being exploited and oppressed?
Is Jiaonan farther away than Xinxia?
Did Jiaonan submit to the Central Kingdom later than Xinxia?

Is Jiaonan not under the rule of the Central Plains? Is it not part of the Protectorate of the Western Regions?

I was clearly here first!

I've always been very loyal!
But the old king had no choice.

He grew up under the rule of the Han Dynasty.
They had long been impressed by the wealth and power of the Central Plains and had become accustomed to the Central Plains' dominance over the Western Regions.

Faced with the new dynasty that had inherited the Han dynasty's legacy, he could not refuse, nor dared to refuse.

"As long as we defeat those rebellious nations and restore the prestige of the Western Regions Protectorate, everything will be alright..."

Jiaonan Association will restore its former prosperity.

It became the most important and prosperous place in the Western Regions, apart from Wulei City, the center of the Protectorate!
Looking at his palace, which had been ransacked by the royal army, and at his people being conscripted into the army as laborers,

The old king let out a sigh.

"Let the common people suffer; I am willing to bear the infamy!"

But the old king was willing to be that incompetent monarch.

His ministers, however, were unwilling.

"The Han Dynasty has been gone for ten years!" someone exclaimed urgently. "This world is no longer the one we know!"

Since Wang Mang took control of the imperial court,
They can no longer hold onto hope for the Central Plains!

"If the emperor doesn't even care about his own people in the Central Plains, why would he care about us in the Western Regions?"

So someone replied, "So...we should seek help from the Sui Dynasty?"

According to the caravans that came and went

They knew that Western Qin was also in turmoil and had no power to interfere in the affairs of the Western Regions.

In that case,

Then we can only hope for the new Xia dynasty and the Sui dynasty.

The country there is currently at the height of its power and has a long history of good relations with the Western Regions, so it is likely that they would be willing to help.

His companion then stepped forward and hit him, angrily scolding, "All you ever think about is asking others for help. Can't you find a way to save yourself?"

"Even if the Sui Dynasty sends troops, the crisis is imminent; how can distant water extinguish a nearby fire?"

"In my opinion, since the Central Plains are in turmoil and have lost the virtue of governing the world and unifying the various Xia, it would be better to let Jiaonan become self-reliant!"

"It's not like we lack the power!"

Although Jiaonan was weaker than the Central Plains, it was not afraid of other countries in the Western Regions.

They even have the strength to fight against the Xiongnu.

After all, the Xiongnu had enjoyed the iron fist of the Han Dynasty for a century, and another group of people had fled westward, dispersing their strength. They were no longer as powerful as they were at the beginning of the Han Dynasty.

When Wang Mang first established the Xin Dynasty,

Without unifying the army, they failed to sharpen the rotten blades to a new edge.

Furthermore, there was no reform of the government, no replacement of capable ministers to take power and control the central government and manage the affairs of the country.
There was no accumulation of wealth or provision of logistical support...

But just like that,

The Xiongnu fought the Xin Dynasty army to a standstill!

The son of the Xiongnu Chanyu was killed.

In a fit of rage, he attacked the border, but failed to breach even the Great Wall, only managing to linger outside, unable to get his arrows in no matter what he tried.

This allowed the Xiongnu to show off their power against the weaker Western Regions.

Meanwhile, in Jiaonan...
Having previously served the Han emperor with great courtesy and deference, he had accumulated considerable wealth and won the hearts of many people.

It had the opportunity to defend against the Huns.

However, the old king prevented his subordinates from launching a counterattack at the very beginning of the attack.

He said, "The general of the Protectorate should be informed to obey the orders of the imperial court!"

Unfortunately, the Daxin court couldn't even manage its internal affairs smoothly at the time, so how could it possibly manage Jiaonan?

So he replied, telling Jiaonan to "do things on its own."

The people of Jiaonan then took up arms and prepared to fight against the Xiongnu.

But the old king still ordered it to be stopped.

"Jiaonan has not fought a war for a long time, and I am unwilling to let my people shed blood and sacrifice their lives... Let us wait for the imperial court to send angels to handle these matters!"

He is too old.

I really don't want to resort to arms and suffer the torment of war.

For the old king who inherited the legacy of his ancestors and lived a peaceful life, he never needed to worry about such terrifying things; he only needed to follow the arrangements of the Central Kingdom.

After all, it was precisely because of this that Jiaonan received support from the Central Plains and developed to its current state.

He cannot change the ancestral principle of "serving the great"!

What if the new dynasty believes that Jiaonan may be plotting a rebellion and tries to suppress it?

He can't bear this responsibility!
This has been delayed again and again.
The third drumbeat weakens the spirit.

Jiaonan appeared even more incompetent and powerless when facing the Xiongnu.

Even other states in the Western Regions saw through Jiaonan's true nature of being rich but cowardly, and came to plunder it several times.

This greatly displeased the young and vigorous men in Jiaonan Kingdom who still had some spirit.

"But we still can't act frivolously."

"Let's wait a while and see how the angels and the royal army perform before making a decision."

If we can fight

Jiao Nan had nothing to say.

Because the principles of the strong are the ultimate principles.

But if he truly can't go on, has become weak and useless, and no longer possesses the strength and endurance he had when he was a man...
That doesn't mean Jiaonan turned its back on the Central Plains.

You always have to find your own way in life.

"Moreover, the Protectorate of the Western Regions has been established for a long time, and its prestige has not been completely worn away. Jiaonan still needs this tiger skin."

Those radicals who advocated "self-reliance and self-strengthening" had no choice but to agree.

They no longer mentioned the royal army.
They simply gathered together to drink, complaining about the old king, who, though over eighty, was still alive and whose courage had dwindled to nothingness, and the possibility of a future with Jiaonan. Outside in the desert...

He Bo rode a camel, holding two hardened salted fish in his hand, striking them together and making a "thump-thump" sound.

He said to the former ruler of Jiaonan who was following him, "Disloyalty and alienation—that's exactly what Wang Mang is like."

The other person, leading God's camel and wearing a black headscarf common in arid regions—a typical attire of a commoner from the Qin Dynasty—reproached God after a moment's hesitation:
“The interests of the nation are indeed related to the monarch personally, but they are not entirely tied to him.”

Investigate its fundamentals,

The primary focus should still be on national strength.

Did Emperor Wu not forcibly conscript laborers and impose taxes during his reign due to war?

Did Jiao Nan never suffer any grievances while serving the Han Dynasty?

These have all happened before.

The Han envoys never restrained their behavior in the Western Regions. At most, they would treat Jiaonan with some courtesy because it was a branch of the Chinese states, and then they would bully other small states along with Jiaonan.

“When a country declines and power is lost, the monarch’s decrees are at risk of being defied and opposed, and attention to the negative aspects will overshadow the other.”

If Wang Mang was indeed a "Duke of Zhou",
If Wang Mang could also achieve the feats of quelling the rebellion in one year, conquering the Yin dynasty in two years, and subjugating the Yan dynasty in three years...

Therefore, his subsequent actions of "establishing the Marquisate, building Chengzhou, and creating rites and music" would absolutely not be opposed by any of the feudal lords.

The rules are based on absolute force.

The Zhou rites were so complicated.

The Zhou Dynasty inherited the practice of killing people for sacrifice at the drop of a hat from the Shang Dynasty, so the people under its rule must have been quite fierce in the early days.

Who would calmly accept a system that restricts even their clothing, food, and daily life?

It was because the Duke of Zhou held a knife to the necks of the feudal lords that Confucius later exclaimed, "How magnificent is the culture of Zhou! I follow Zhou!"

unfortunately,

Wang Mang did not realize this principle.
Or,

Even if he realized it, there was no way to turn back.

He has been on that path for too long, and no longer has the ability, time, or courage to look back at his past self and risk sinking into oblivion.

He could only merge with the old carriage he had snatched from Liu Han, and then let it fall off the cliff.

"...In fact, these things should have been borne by the Han Dynasty itself."

The former ruler of Jiaonan was, after all, a person who had governed a region.

After his death, his soul returned to the Central Plains, where he met many famous and wise people and gained much wisdom from them.

Therefore he understood,
The vehicle derailment and loss of control cannot be solely blamed on Wang Mang's enthusiasm for retro styles.

"But that was his own choice!"

He Bo, recalling Emperor Ai of Han, who had been dead in the underworld for many years but still occasionally reminisced about his brief, passionate youth, began to speak:
"In the game of musical chairs, this is what happens when you're unlucky."

finished,

God gave the salted fish two more taps.

The former ruler of Jiaonan, who was leading the camel for him, asked in bewilderment, "Why come all the way to the Western Regions to make this kind of thing!"

Besides this kind of salted fish that's so hard it hurts your teeth and can be stored for a long time, there are also...

God even stretched out his visible hand and made many naan breads.

He mixed and compressed a large amount of wheat flour into the dough, and the resulting naan bread looked small, but it was extremely solid and heavy.

If you throw it into soup, it will absorb the water and expand, becoming several times its original size.

Considering the stories of God he had heard before, the king thought that the other side might be researching new marching rations.

And God did indeed acknowledge this.

“A junior is about to come of age and will be going on a long trip to do things for me.”

“Of course I have to think about him and make sure he has enough food to eat on the road.”

The king then said enviously, "To be regarded as a junior by God, one must be an outstanding person."

"And the naan bread you make by hand must be the most delicious thing in the world!"

He Bo was pleased with his praise and immediately took out a pancake and handed it to him, saying, "Well said, here you go!"

The king accepted it, and his smile gradually faded.

He felt the weight in his hands and realized he shouldn't have said that flattering remark.

The camel beside them curiously stretched its head over, and while the king was still immersed in regret, it opened its mouth and bit him...

Then the king received a naan bread with a huge tooth mark on it, and the camel lost two teeth.

The severely injured camel was very aggrieved and started howling at the sky.

He Bo didn't comfort it at all, but just laughed cacklingly.

He even said, "There are still teeth marks left? It seems this naan bread needs some improvement!"

The king interjected softly, "I think that's enough..."

If it gets any harder,

Are we going to take it and compare it with the sharpest spear in the world, as mentioned in Han Feizi's book?
Moreover, he was by God's side and witnessed the difficulty of making the bread, only to realize that it would be very difficult to improve it further.

But He Bo stated:
"That's not enough!"

When it comes to doing bad things, living beings can unleash boundless patience, ingenuity, and effort.

Besides, Yege'er was his own son, to whom he had no blood relation whatsoever.
anyway,

I must make that miracle of "five loaves and two fish" happen for him!

……

"Ah!"

Western Qin

Just as he finished discussing philosophy with someone, Yege suddenly shuddered and sneezed.

The fellow Daoist looked at him with concern, "Did you catch a cold?"

It is now autumn.

A cool breeze is picking up, and the temperature difference between day and night is significant; it's possible to catch a cold if you're not careful.

But Yegos was always in good health and had never had such a problem.

He simply said, "I suddenly had a bad feeling."

"Is it that priest who is plotting against you behind your back?"

The Way of Peace is capable of communicating with spirits and deities.

Therefore, they attach great importance to this kind of "spur-of-the-moment" decision.

Then, recalling the custom in the Chinese lands that sneezing suddenly is considered a sign of being "worried about," the fellow Daoist became concerned about the trouble Yege'er had recently encountered.

After returning to the south of Qin,
After being away from home for many years, Ye Rong returned to her hometown with her useless husband and genius son to reunite with her elderly parents.

The family was happily gathered together, expressing their longing for their loved ones, when soon an uninvited guest arrived—

Their tribal priests came and questioned why their family practiced heresy, threatening to burn them at the stake.

Coconut Flakes was somewhat surprised.

Why is a guy like that still alive?

Has he never heard of the reputation of the Way of Peace?

Her parents explained, "The traditions of our community mean that people like this are always coming out in droves."

Moreover, in recent years, the local warlords, struggling with military expenses and unwilling to bear the infamy of being "harsh and shameless," after hearing about the unique characteristics of this clan, specially sought out the remaining elders and descendants of the clan from the remote mountain valleys and appointed them as tax officials.

This means they're using the other party as a tool.

After tax revenue reaches 70 years,

The people cursed them until they bled.
The warlord who controls this area is about to draw his gleaming sword and prepare for a prosperous New Year.

This kind of routine,
For the gentlemen of the Chinese nation, this was simply crude and straightforward.

Anyone who has read more books and has a clearer understanding of themselves will try to escape to avoid becoming a tool for warlords to use and discard.

unfortunately,

Their clan's priests will never understand the practices of the Xia people.

of course,

It's also possible that it was before that,
The Qin people always used "fierce fire roasting" to cook them, and rarely used the method of "simmering over a low flame," so they did not have enough experience.

all in all,
This priest, who helped warlords increase taxes, cut spending, and dismiss their officials, rose rapidly in power within two years of gaining influence.

He heard about the Ye Rong family and was furious at their "betrayal" of the tribe, and kept looking for trouble for them.

The priest became even angrier when he heard that Yege'er was also expected to become the Great Teacher of the Way of Peace.

He himself is still being used as a tool by the Qin people.
But you've stopped pretending at all?
then,

The priest vented all his anger on Yegos, clearly intending to nip this future enemy in the bud before he was even a child.

(End of this chapter)