Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 503 The Fourth Year of the Earthly Emperor
The rebels swept across the Central Plains like a whirlwind.

The Red Eyebrow Army, which originated in the Qi-Lu region, split into three after Lü Jiao's death, but this did not alleviate the pressure on the new dynasty.

Excluding the branch that reached the Qi Kingdom in Japan.
One group landed and headed north, joining forces with Fan Chong, who was entrenched near Mount Tai and roamed the Qi, Yan, and Zhao regions. They continued to use the name "Red Eyebrows".

The remaining force consisted of the Yellow Turban Army, which had joined the Taiping Dao (Way of Peace) and firmly established itself in the counties of Henan and Huaibei, showing signs of threatening Guanzhong and Wuguan to the west.

The Green Forest Army, which originated in the south, joined forces with Liu Xuan, Liu Yan, and others who were supported by powerful local magnates, forming a remarkable alliance between "rebel peasants and former dynasty nobles."

all in all,
From the very beginning of the fourth year of the Earth Emperor's reign, the land presented a vibrant scene of life and flourishing of all things.

Many people cheered for the impending collapse of the new dynasty, but Liu Yan was very unhappy.

Because he failed to become emperor—

As their power gradually grew, the bandits began to have the idea of ​​"establishing names, setting ranks, and dividing people into superiors and inferiors."

After all, on their side,

Unlike the Red Eyebrows, who were entirely peasants and laborers banding together in resistance, with few who were literate and knowledgeable about principles, they were unable to quickly establish suitable rules and regulations after gaining power.

Unlike the Yellow Turban Army, which, despite having territory, popular support, and power, was led by a leader with a "benevolent heart" that was out of step with the chaotic world, and who was indeed a "stubborn Taoist" who followed the "Taiping Jing" and was unwilling to become a king or emperor.

After the Green Forest Army merged with many forces in the south, there were quite a few members of the Liu clan and local powerful families among them!

These people have always been meat-eaters. They spent a lot of money to start a rebellion, naturally hoping to gain even greater benefits and the opportunity to be granted the title of "ten thousand households".

Heroes and warriors conquer the world.
Isn't this the kind of wealth and status we're after?

Moreover, with a large and diverse population, unlike the Yellow Turban Rebellion which had an internal framework called the "Way of Peace," they certainly needed a set of rules and regulations to unify their forces.

then,

The various Green Forest armies then discussed electing an "emperor".

After much deliberation, this supreme and incredibly tempting title fell to Liu Xuan.

first,
Thanks to the efforts of Wang Mang, a "loyal minister of the Han Dynasty," the people began to yearn for the Han Dynasty. The righteousness of the Green Forest Uprising was also closely related to the Han imperial relatives who joined it later, as people of other surnames were unwilling to compete with the sons of the Liu family.

both,
The conflict stemmed from the power struggles among the various outlaw factions.

Compared to Liu Yan, Liu Xuan was weaker by nature and far inferior to Liu Yan in leading troops into battle.

According to conventional logic, he was not worthy of wearing that crown.

But precisely because of this,
That's why the bandits chose him.

"What we want is a facade, not a real monarch!"

"Liu Yan is an arrogant fellow who is good at making friends and has a high reputation in the army. If I let him become emperor, wouldn't I really have to kneel before him and be at his beck and call?"

"A sage emperor rules by doing nothing, and I think Liu Xuan has the talent to be a 'sage emperor'!"

With this in mind,
The elders of the Green Forest gang stuffed this huge pie into Liu Xuan's mouth.

Liu Yan pondered this for ten days and ten nights, unable to understand why he was inferior to Liu Xuan.

His anger was uncontrollable, and he almost wanted to leave the team and start his own business.

But his brother Liu Xiu dissuaded him, saying, "The most urgent task is to eliminate Wang Mang. It is useless to compete for temporary superiority."

"Liu Xuan was able to become emperor because of the support of the Green Forest generals. Their power is strong, and we brothers still need to be patient."

"If our forces are dispersed, we risk being defeated one by one by Wang Mang."

Liu Yan then endured it.

However, Liu Xuan knew in his heart why he was able to become emperor, and he was very wary of the brothers Liu Yan and Liu Xiu.

He would rather be a puppet ruler than relinquish the throne to someone else.

So he approached Wang Kuang, Wang Feng, and other veteran outlaws to discuss dividing his forces to attack some important towns and cities in the north.

"Now that I have become emperor, I should follow the glory of Emperor Taizu and take Wancheng."

Wancheng is the city where Emperor Taizu of Han ascended the throne, which is of great significance to the "prosperity of the Han Dynasty". Moreover, it is located in a strategic place and is a passage for the bandits to move north and west.

“But the Yellow Turban Army also intends to attack this place,” Wang Kuang said, frowning.

Liu Xuan laughed heartily, "Isn't Liu Yan very brave and resourceful? We can send him to attack Wancheng!"

Wang Feng hesitated for a moment, "Liu Yan's mood hasn't recovered yet. We should appease him before discussing important matters like conquering cities and seizing territories."

Wang Kuang slammed his fist on the table and said, "What can he do even if he's angry?"

"Now that the roles of ruler and subject are established, how can he oppose the court's opinion!"

"Give the order to send him to attack Wancheng!"

Wang Feng sighed silently.

He glanced at his brother and realized that once he gained power and ascended to a high position, his brother had gradually lost his former magnanimous and generous demeanor.

In order to secure his power and position, Wang Kuang did many things to exclude his colleagues.

Even the suggestion to support Liu Xuan came from Wang Kuang.

Wang Feng thought to herself:
How long has it been?

Once they gain power, do they forget their past words, deeds, and aspirations?

He recalled the various interpersonal relationships and power struggles he had experienced recently, and suddenly found the situation in front of him rather uninteresting, longing for his carefree life in the mountains and forests.

Wang Kuang was completely unaware of this.

He was only excitedly plotting how to weaken Liu Yan and his group and consolidate his own power.

"If Liu Yan goes to attack Wancheng, then Liu Xiu can go to attack Kunyang!"

"It forms a pincer movement with Wancheng, allowing them to support each other, which will be very beneficial for their future northward advance and resistance against Wang Mang's army."

Liu Xuan agreed with his reasoning and sent word to Liu Yan and Liu Xiu, demanding that they sign a pledge of military loyalty.
"If we fail to capture Wancheng and Kunyang, we should be severely punished!"

Liu Yan angrily drew his sword and stabbed the so-called imperial edict repeatedly.

He said to Liu Xiu, "This is an attempt to harm me!"

Liu Xiu still advised him, "The great cause has just been established; it's not time to tear off all pretenses yet."

Liu Yan looked up to the sky and sighed, "Endure, endure, endure... how much longer do I have to endure before I can finally flip the table with those idiots?"

After all,

He turned and left without saying goodbye to his relatives and friends, and led his troops directly towards Wancheng.

Shortly thereafter,

Liu Xiu also arrived in Kunyang.

He quickly captured the small town and built some defensive measures.

West,

Wang Mang's massive army is advancing in droves.

……

"What's the celestial situation like?"

Eastern end of the Qinling Mountains

Standing on Mount Funiu, the watershed between the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Yangtze River, He Bo asked Gan Shi and his companion, who were stargazing.

“Standing pretty stable!”

Holding a telescope, Gander replied, "But according to the current celestial signs, there should be strong winds and heavy rains this summer."

"What summer doesn't have a fierce storm?"

"If you can't figure out anything more, then give me the treasure!"

"You useless old man, how could you possibly compare your astronomical knowledge with mine!"

Before God could even comment on Gander's observations, Shi Shen jumped out, eager to grab the telescope from Gander's hands—

This is a new instrument created by bored geezers after the armillary sphere.

After the Qin people conquered Persia, they naturally incorporated the glassmaking technology originally from the Western Sea into the crafts of the Xia people.

When the Silk Road was opened, glass became an important commodity exported from Qin to various regions.

Unfortunately,

Because the Chinese gentry loved jade, they did not pay much attention to the study of glass transparency.

After all, beauty lies in diversity!

Fortunately, the living don't care, but the many bored dead don't mind wasting some energy on this "useless work".

They tried many different methods of heating glass and successfully produced colorless glass.

However, even with its transparency, it is not easy to successfully craft it into a precision instrument like a telescope.

You also need to grind it to the right size and thickness, and make sure that the transparency doesn't change after grinding!

in this way,

It was dragged on until recently.
While Wang Mang was still performing shamanistic rituals and imitating the Yellow Emperor's practice of ascending to immortality through sexual intercourse with women...
The world's first astronomical telescope was successfully invented by the Mohist disciples in the underworld and presented to the Black Sun of the underworld, the great God who protects all living beings in the Yin and Yang realms.

After receiving it, He Bo happily took it to the tops of many mountains to play, looking at the stars and the moon.

Upon hearing that such a treasure had appeared in the world, Shi Shen followed He Bo's scent and came over, reaching out his hand directly to him and saying, "Hi, God!"

"Your days of hoarding treasures and taking them around everywhere are over."

"Give me the telescope!"

He Bo, who was sitting on a large rock at the mountaintop, didn't even turn his head. He was just admiring the starry sky through his binoculars when he casually answered Shi Shen's request:
"If you want it, come and get it yourself."

"You already knew this rule!"

So Shi Shen strode forward and became the new figure wrestling with God.

By throwing a tantrum, crying and screaming, Shi Shen successfully obtained the astronomical treasure through his own efforts.

He held the binoculars like a young man embracing a stunningly beautiful woman, his expression radiating boundless brilliance and vitality.

God, whose treasure had been taken away, couldn't stand the old man's smugness, so he went to Gander and told him about it.

quickly,

These two old geezers started fighting over the most precious treasure.

The Mohist disciple who created the telescope even tried to mediate, saying, "Don't fight over what I made. I'll just make another one!"

He didn't understand the principle that "only what is snatched from the old enemy is the best." While trying to mediate the fight, he secretly lamented that he was a sinful person who had caused two sages to fight each other.

Gan and Shi ignored him and argued for a long time before finally deciding to use their respective astronomical expertise to determine the winner.

Just right,

Since Emperor Cheng's reign, natural disasters have occurred frequently.

Not only will the land be hit by fierce winds and rain, but also by terrifying torrents.
Meteorites frequently fall from the sky, destroying many houses and forests.

In the third year of Emperor Cheng's reign (Yangshuo era), eight meteorites fell in Dongjun.
In the fourth year of the Hongjia era, four meteorites fell in Bo County, and two meteorites fell in Feilei.

In the first year of Yuanyan, a meteorite shower fell in a spectacular fashion, terrifying everyone.

Even in the second year of Wang Mang's reign, a meteorite streaked across the night sky, startling countless people before landing in a remote, unknown place.

For decades, Gan and Shi have been busy with this matter.

Although he had a somewhat childlike demeanor,
But both of them knew in their hearts the importance of astronomy to life.

Meteorites kept falling.

The stars always twinkle with an unusual light.

This greatly worried the historians responsible for observing celestial phenomena, who feared it would affect the cycle of the four seasons on Earth.

telescope,
It was just an excuse for the two old men to relax and, incidentally, crush their opponent in the midst of their busy work.

So, is there a meteorite this year?

He Bo watched as Shi Shen snatched the telescope, smugly kicked Gan De aside, and took his original stargazing spot before speaking again.

"How do I know this?"

Shi Shen replied matter-of-factly, "I haven't had a chance to carefully observe the celestial phenomena at night yet!"

"By the way, why are you suddenly so interested in this kind of thing?"

When the meteorite fell earlier, this God didn't react with much excitement.

"Has he caught the ailment of the man from Qi?"

Qi State

They are descendants of Yu the Great of the Xia Dynasty.

Because King Wu of Zhou "revived what was lost and continued what was interrupted," the system was established and lasted for nearly seven hundred years.

just,

This ancient vassal state did not receive the attention and affection of later generations because of its long and noble lineage or because it was a "guest" of the Zhou emperor.

Like the people of the State of Song, who were also founded by nobles of the previous dynasty, the people of Qi often appear in the writings of pre-Qin philosophers, playing wonderful roles in the stories.

In contrast, the State of Song, which at least produced a Duke Xiang of Song and left a significant mark on history,

The most famous legacy left to posterity by the State of Qi is the idiom "the man of Qi worries about the sky falling."

of course,

As orthodox historians, Gan De and Shi Shen, through reviewing numerous records, knew that the Qi Kingdom had suffered several meteorite strikes in the past and had been severely affected by the "Heavenly Palm Technique."

But this doesn't stop them from continuing this somewhat regionally biased story and applying it to God.

"That's not something you can know!"

For this,

God was not angry; he simply put on an inscrutable expression and told Gan Shi to lead his disciples to continue observing the starry night sky over the Qinling Mountains.

People come and go on the ground.

The flames of war were extinguished and then reignited; the fighting ceased and then began again.

But the sun, moon, and stars still operate according to their own laws.

In the sixth month of the fourth year of the reign of the Earth Emperor,

After arranging the funeral of his elder Zhou Jian, Sun En, the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, organized an army and agreed to march south to fight against the Red Eyebrow Army, which was planning to seize territory in Taiping Dao.

invasion,

This is something Sun En cannot tolerate.

Although he had a benevolent heart to save the world and benefit all people, and recognized the significance of the Red Eyebrow Army peasant uprising, this did not mean that he was willing to allow the Red Eyebrow Army to harm the people under his protection.

"Fan Chong, the leader of the Red Eyebrow Army, was arrogant and frivolous. At the beginning of the uprising, he attracted many followers by his reputation for fighting injustice and his bravery in leading from the front."

"but now……"

How many people can remain clear-headed amidst constant flattery and sudden wealth?

The matter of Prince Chen is still fresh in our minds.

When the news that the Green Forest Army had supported an emperor and that its meritorious officials had been enfeoffed as marquises and kings reached the Yellow Turban Army, the same news that Zhou Jian had heard also reached Sun En's ears.

They crave more.

Instead of wasting your time and energy on a so-called belief.

"Faith can't put food on the table."

"I still have decades to live, why am I thinking about accumulating good fortune after I die?"

Sun En heard someone say that.

He stroked the white hair at his temples and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart.

He thought,

He knew what would happen to him.

But some things must ultimately have a beginning and an end.

Ideals are beautiful, but also fragile, and will be abandoned by many who are fed up with the pain of reality.

But over the long course of time, it will always attract some people who are unwilling to accept reality, like moths drawn to a flame.

Who will be the winner in the great battle between the Green Forest Army and Wang Mang?

"No matter which side it is, they won't be able to withstand a major defeat!"

Having read through the historical records about the end of the Qin and Xia dynasties countless times, and having gained profound insights into certain events, Sun Enhuai, with his thoughts on the western war, led his troops northward.

(End of this chapter)