Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 499 The First Year of Earth Yellow
In the year that Jaya, born in the Western Sea but destined for the West, was crowned at the age of twenty, he resolved his own troubles.

The priest who had been causing him trouble, who was probably related to his clan by blood, was hanged by Yege'er and his fellow Daoists from the Taiping Dao on a long pole not far from the city gate.

The reason for saying "maybe" is
It's because their group lives a very difficult life.

Their fickle and profit-driven nature makes them ungrateful and shameless, serving only their own desires.

This would naturally provoke dissatisfaction from those in power.

Long before the Qin people migrated from afar and took root, sprouted, and grew strong in the Western Sea,
The original ruler of the Western Sea often wielded his whip, whipping those audacious thieves who dared to take and steal money from anyone, making them spin like tops.

therefore,

Over a long period of time, in order to maintain cohesion and perpetuate their bloodline, ethnic groups have...
Aside from holding scriptures filled with nonsense, depicting a deity who merely conforms to their tribe's needs but actually loves to torment humans, using them to brainwash themselves and hypnotize themselves with a strange confidence surpassing that of the Sindhu people, believing they have "won again and again."
It also departs from the "patrilineal inheritance" method commonly accepted by other ethnic groups, focusing only on the mother's lineage.

no way,
After being drained like that, all I can do is confirm who my biological mother is.

As for the long poles outside the city gate

These are "streetlights" erected many years ago when local commerce was still thriving.

In order to better welcome and send off guests

The city gates would remain open until very late, and before nightfall, the city's officials would send people to light several lamps at the top of the poles.

Behind the bright lights, two thin, finely polished copper sheets would be placed.

It gathers the light and directs it onto the road leading to the city gate, letting travelers far away know that they can still make it into the city.

unfortunately,

When things decline, these "streetlights" also lose their light.

Only when Yggdrasil hanged the hateful tax collector did he realize that it was ultimately not good for passersby to walk beneath his body.

That's why it was moved to that lamppost that had been exposed to the wind and sun for so long, yet remained sturdy.

"So, do you know why the general would give up this very handy tool?"

The aged Zhao Shen lay in bed, asking his grand-disciple a question.

After thinking for a moment, Yege'er replied, "Because of the power of the Way of Peace."

"That's just one of the things."

If it were merely the Way of Peace, that wouldn't be enough for the general to concede.

Among the rulers of the various Xia states, few were afraid of religious sects.

of course,

A rebellious group like the Way of Peace cannot be compared to other religious sects.

But in general,

The local Taiping Dao forces were not strong, and the conflict was concentrated on him because of the bravery of that foreigner.

The general is wise and incorruptible.

The public's hatred towards him is not yet clear or profound enough.

Moreover, this warlord, who overthrew his predecessor by force, not only possessed muscle but also wisdom rarely seen among his peers.

After the alien races used it for a long time, the essence they extracted from it was already sufficient.
The general then decisively withdrew, indicating that the latter had caused certain problems and that he had nothing to do with them.

He was simply old and lacked energy, and was inadvertently deceived by bad people.

right now,

He heard the cries of the people and knew their suffering. He immediately stood up, reached out his hands, and cleared away the dark clouds in the sky to reveal the bright sunshine.

As for how the dark cloud of "foreign race" came to drift over the heads of the gentlemen of the Chinese nation.

I dare not ask any more questions, nor can I think about it too much.

"How cunning!"

The young Yege remarked, "No wonder the general was so kind to me when I went to cause trouble for that old man."

He almost thought the other person was a genuinely good person.

Zhao Shen said, "Therefore, to fight against such people, you not only need to have enough force, but also to be as cunning as them."

Otherwise, if someone leads you into a trap, you'll have to smile and thank them!

after that,

He then told Yege'er the story of the Taiping Road in Xinxia.
When Yege'er, who grew up next to Zhao Shen, heard about the various performance art pieces of the Taiping Army and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he was somewhat surprised.

"Is there such a thing?"

He then became worried, "Will I become like that someday?"

Thinking of the "miracles" he had witnessed since childhood, and then of the older generation with the character "Tian" in their names to the east, Yege'er couldn't help but let his thoughts wander.

Fortunately, Zhao Shen interrupted him in time, "Don't think nonsense!"

Do you think that pigeon, given its personality, would do such a thing?

That's definitely not true!
Yageer then calmed down and regained his confidence in his future.

He brought his master a bowl of herbal soup, and after Zhao Shen finished drinking it, he asked him:
"But what good are all these experiences for me?"

He was going to Taixi.
The area was filled with barbarians, whose civilization, wisdom, and morality were even inferior to those of the Rong, Di, and Hu peoples who originally inhabited the Western Sea.

The Persians, who have become "rare animals," were still eligible to establish friendly relations and intermarry with the Xia Kingdom hundreds of years ago.
Other tribes in the Western Seas, under the vigorous education of the Qin people, also proved that they had the potential to evolve into humans and integrate into the Xia people.

But what about the barbarians of the West?
With messy hair, a messy beard, and a strange smell, he was the kind of guy who, if written into a story, would elicit a snickering laugh from the villain who would shout, "I can smell you!"

Of course, the Romans, who also originated from the Western Regions, and the local barbarians of the Western Sea also had their own flavor.

The Romans, however, have always loved bathing. They spent their time building bathhouses instead of roads, and spent eight out of ten days soaking in bathhouses with hot spring water.

Therefore, their flavor is not strong.

The latter had already been thoroughly infused by the virtuous men of the Central Plains, thus improving their bloodline and naturally eliminating similar troubles.

But the Western Germans...

When Yegor recalled that when he followed his master to preach in Germania, he had captured a few Germans. After scrubbing them several times, he still couldn't make them become clean and refined, and he felt very tired.

“I think that for missionaries in the West, force is enough.”

Yagok personally carried out the execution of the loan shark.

Having honed his martial arts skills, he naturally seized upon his kin, who had been abandoned by the mastermind and was now old and frail, and directly refined him.

Moreover, with the guidance of Zhao Shen and other fellow Daoists, Yege'er felt that being able to fight was enough.

Zhao Shen sighed, "That's what I'm worried about."

To do great things
How can we only rely on bravery and martial prowess?
God decreed that the two religious leaders should establish the Way of Peace.
Today,

How could the Way of Peace not understand the profound meaning behind this?

"The original intention of the Way of Peace is to harmonize the relationships between people."

What is unfair must be made fair;
What is uneven should be balanced.

This is a manifestation of the Way of Peace upholding the will of Heaven and practicing its principles throughout the world.

This is also why the Way of Peace is destined to fight against people.

The Tao Te Ching says: "The way of man is to take from those who have little to give to those who have more."

"Although the barbarians of the West are ignorant of civilization and do not understand the value of profit, even a wild beast will try to protect the meat in its mouth, let alone them?"

"When I took you to the Western Regions before, it was more about exploring the situation there, understanding the conflicts there, and laying the foundation for newcomers like you."

Therefore,
The methods can be a bit rough and forceful.

However, if the goal changes from "hit and run" to "residing in people's hearts", the effort required will double.

"Moreover, Rome itself has its own civil system, which is different from that of the Chinese."

"Once you get there, you're destined to face even more hardships..."

"I'm not afraid!" The young man, who had just come of age, grasped his master's hand, transferring his body heat to the old man to show his attitude. "If I were afraid, why would I have returned to the South?"

They stayed in Beidi County for a while and built up some connections. They were able to go to the stable land of Beiqin, buy a piece of land, and live a comfortable and wealthy life.

Zhao Shen nodded in satisfaction, "With you like this, I can rest assured."

“I’ve always been worried that, influenced by me, you’ve overlooked the power of human desires and are unprepared for the evil in others. That’s why I specifically made you handle this matter yourself…”

"Now!"

"I can now entrust some things to you with peace of mind!"

When Yegos heard this, he was startled, thinking that he would be able to receive the nine-section staff ahead of time.

He quickly tried to come up with a way to decline, but then he thought that refusing an elder like his master would be disrespectful.

Between the lightning and flint,

His mind raced, and finally he thought of:
Ugh!
It seems that this heavy burden will indeed fall on my strong shoulders!

He rubbed his hands together, preparing to receive the teachings of the Great Master.

But the result was not as he had hoped.

What Zhao Shen pulled out from under the bed was not the nine-section staff that had been with him for many years and had killed countless people, but a box of books.

"These are the historical records I compiled!"

"It records some representative people and events from various parts of China."

"Now that you're prepared and have experience, go and take a look, broaden your horizons!"

Even though he had traveled to many places with his elders, Yege was only twenty years old. How much could he possibly know?

"Ugh!"

"I'm getting old, after all. Dragging a box of books out like this, my back started to give out!"

Zhao Shen rubbed his aching back and turned around to instruct his grand-disciple to carry the crystallization of wisdom back, only to see Yege'er looking at him with an expression of having been deceived.

"You don't like it?"

Zhao Shen squinted and asked him.

"No, this is exactly what I need!"

Yege'er immediately composed himself, stood up, stretched, then let out a low growl, hoisted a pile of books, and calmly walked away.

As Zhao Shen watched his retreating figure, he sensed that his grand-disciple's steps were still somewhat light and quick.

So he thought:
"Let's find him more books to read later."

……

at the same time,

On the eastern islands, there is a rare sense of leisure, just like on Zhao Shen's side.

Although this only applies to Lü Jiao personally.

At the beginning of the year,
She fell ill, and because there were no skilled doctors on the island she lived on, her condition worsened.

But she did not feel pain because of it.

"I'm going to reunite with my family, but I'm a little worried about you all."

Looking at the people who followed her, Lu Jiao, who was covered in illness, let out a sigh.

thinking about it,

She decided to distribute the wealth she had accumulated over the years to the people, allowing them to develop on their own after her death.

"I am a person without great ambitions."

Lu Jiao gathered everyone together and said to them, "If it weren't for the stupid pigs in Haiqu causing trouble, my dream would be to be a wealthy and powerful local tycoon."

"Now that he has been rebelling for several years and has captured some coastal cities, he has been called the 'Pirate King' by the court, but he has not developed any further ambitions because of this."

She was, after all, just a woman.

She was just a woman who had lost her child and had no heir.

How far can they go in this chaotic world?
Her subordinates initially followed her to repay her past kindness and to respond to the passion in their hearts.

How could she keep dragging people along and leading tens of thousands of them down a dead end with no future?
"Besides, with more people, there are more thoughts... How could I not understand this principle?"

Over the years,

The initial pure passion gradually faded.

As a family business grows large, intrigue and power struggles inevitably arise.

As a result, Lü Jiao became even more determined to "separate the family."

So as not to let the beauty of the past turn into a messy reality, leaving future generations to sigh with regret.

"Therefore, I divided my valuables into three parts."

"Those who wish to enjoy peace may take one of these shares to the Eastern Kingdom of Qi."

Lü Jiao coughed slightly. "I have established a family relationship with a nobleman in Qi, so I have connections... People there travel at sea every day, and they have a great need for people skilled in maritime affairs."

"If I go there, and take my letter with me to ask for help from a noble person, I will be able to get a good outcome."

"As for the second portion, it is given to those who wish to follow the Way of Peace."

"They have established a strong foundation in Huaibei and gained enough popular support, so they do indeed have the potential to contend for the throne."

"So it's perfectly fine to plan for your own future, and I wish you all the best."

Actually,
If it weren't for the fact that they were far from Huaibei and Henan, making it difficult to overcome the land barriers to reach those places, Lü Jiao would have also considered joining them.

"The last one is for those who want to make their own way in the world."

I often hear people say, "Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix."

"After years of navigating the seas, it's still a bit uncomfortable to go back to being subservient to someone else."

"If any of you truly harbor ambitions to establish your own independent territory, please do not despise this small gift of mine."

Everyone stepped forward and wept, but facing Lü Jiao, who had been ill for a long time and was about to face the end of her life, they didn't say any polite words.

After all, things have come to this point.
To say anything more would be utterly hypocritical.

Lü Jiao waved her hand, only instructing people to take away the divided valuables.

Subsequently,

She looked at her subordinates, who had split into three groups and were about to go their separate ways, smiled slightly, returned to her room and lay down, only asking someone to come in later to help her tidy up.

She felt the life force draining from her body, quietly awaiting death.

After a few breaths...
Perhaps it will be an even longer time.
Lü Jiao sensed someone approaching her.

Her good-for-nothing son's muttering voice rang out:
“I have already bought a house in Haoli. I couldn’t get a place next to Qu Yuan, but it’s not too far from his house.”

"On the same street, there is also the residence of Empress Dowager Qin Xuan. I often see her going out happily with several men... If you come here, Mother, you can ask her about this matter."

"By the way, I've also found out how many handsome men are around here and where they live. Some of them know about your exploits and are quite curious, wanting to pay you a visit once you arrive..."

Lü Jiao listened in a daze, but couldn't help but laugh to herself.

With her last bit of strength, she patted the bed, responding to her son's words:
"What are you waiting for!"

"I'll die right now!"

After all,

She decisively stopped breathing.

Hearing the commotion inside, the person waiting outside was startled. After hesitating for a couple of steps, they pushed open the door and entered. They saw Lü Jiao's hand resting on the edge of the bed, sunlight streaming through the window onto her face, revealing a slight smile.

(End of this chapter)