Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 507 Travels to Various Places

"Have you gained weight again?"

Wearing a "crown" made of olive branches on his head so that pigeons could nest on it, Yege felt the pressure on his neck and couldn't help but utter a disrespectful word.

The pigeon cooed twice in dissatisfaction, its claws hooking into his hair.

So Jesus quickly changed his tune, saying, “The power of God is increasing day by day, and I am filled with more and more fear that I cannot look up to Him.”

Only then did the pigeon proudly raise its head and puff out its chest.

He told Jacob, “I have come here to see you off and to remind you to go to Rome and meet some of your companions.”

"Huh? Anyone else want to come to Taixi with me?"

Yege'er's gaze swept over the group of people beside him, lingering a little longer on Liu Ruyi, a descendant of the Han dynasty—

Liu Ruyi,
She was a descendant of the Han emperor who came to the Qin state to establish a new dynasty, accompanying the Qin envoys to the new dynasty.

original,

He clung to the powerful figure of the Qin king and lived a very comfortable life in the northern region, even building up a considerable business empire.

Unfortunately, the good days didn't last long.
The coup d'état resulted in harm to many members of the royal family.

The prince whom Liu Ruyi relied on for support died in the coup, and his assets were subsequently divided up by others.

Liu Ruyi then fell into poverty once again.

Fortunately,

Zhao Shen, who had been watching him closely for a long time, promptly sent someone to help him, inviting him to the Qin state's Longxi County, where the Taiping Dao was based, to join Yege'er's missionary team.

At that time, Yege'er curiously asked his master, "Why are we looking for him?"

Zhao Shen said calmly, "Because I admired him from the first time I met him."

Yege'er stood to the side, completely bewildered.

Zhao Shen could only ask him, "If you were to pass by an embassy where a foreign envoy is staying, could you become friends with him within a day, or even become sworn brothers with him?"

Even setting aside the animosity between the Qin and Han dynasties,
A guy who had just been released from prison, who was so poor he only had one set of clothes, and who claimed to be a member of the Han imperial family, was able to easily enter the embassy, ​​befriend foreign envoys, and freeload off them all the way to their hometowns, until the envoys passed away...

Doesn't this prove Liu Ruyi's amazing abilities?

"This is far more amazing than the story of how Emperor Taizu of Han got married!"

If it weren't for the upright character of the Qin people, their aversion to crooked methods, and their tendency to emulate the Romans in import and export,
Zhao Shen even began to suspect that Liu Ruyi might be selling a hook to that prince.

Yege'er listened and agreed wholeheartedly, and thus accepted Liu Ruyi.

As for whether Liu Ruyi, who was content to live a simple life as a farmer in his remaining property, agreed to join the group when a group of burly Taoist priests forcibly broke into his home and dragged him out, that is another matter entirely.

Anyway,

He's already on Yacob's ship; there's no way he can think about going any further.

"Who are those people?" Yege'er withdrew his gaze and fed the pigeons two pieces of bread that weren't too hard.

As the pigeon ate, it told him, "They're a group of guys who also want to go to the West to broaden their horizons."

Yege'er asked doubtfully, "What knowledge could Taixi possibly have to broaden their horizons?"

He, God's agent, the gospel preacher, and the Great Teacher of the West appointed by the Way of Peace, had not yet brought them into civilization, taught them, or granted them human status.
Now, if you go there, all you can do is play wilderness survival games.

He Bo said, "They're so bored and fearless, so they always like to run around everywhere."

"You don't need to worry about this. Those people are quite capable and will be very helpful in getting you settled in the West."

Yege'er then said "Oh," and developed considerable anticipation for those who were traveling with him halfway.

"besides!"

As the sea breeze carried the ships westward, the sailors on the deck could see the city of Rome.

The pigeon, which had been "incubating its eggs" on Yego's head for some time, suddenly spoke:
"I brought you a gift!"

He lowered his head and pecked at his broad pigeon breast with his beak, then pulled out a naan bread the size of a human face and a dried fish with an inexplicable sword intent from his soft feathers.

When those things fell to the ground, they hit the ship's deck with a loud thud, attracting the attention of many people.

Liu Ruyi was puzzled, "Why did those things suddenly pop out from under Coconut Bro's feet?"

A Taoist priest who knew the inside story and had followed Yege'er to the West interrupted his thoughts, saying, "Perhaps there's a hole in the bundle he's carrying."

Liu Ruyi, remembering the large and small bags they were carrying, stopped pursuing the matter. She simply watched as Yege'er picked up the dried fish, which resembled swords, and waved it around, and sighed:
“I’ve heard the story of ‘an awl in a bag will show its tip,’ but I never imagined that dried salted fish could do that.”

"This is no ordinary dried fish!"

"This dried fish is filled with a father's love!"

On the other side, the pigeons, visible only to Yggdrasil, continued to speak with unwavering conviction:
"Each of them is stronger than six!"

Yggdrasil weighed the object in his hand and thought that God shouldn't be a liar.

These naan breads and dried fish didn't exude any aroma; their heavy weight and hard shape made them a real challenge for the stomach and teeth.

"But wasn't my wish when I came of age to be free from the life of five loaves and two fish?"

Recalling how his parents forced him to eat so many foods supposedly good for his health in order to give him a strong body, Yege felt a little sad when he left his hometown.

"I heard you want five loaves and two fish!" the pigeon cooed, tilting its head.

Yageer got angry, "Don't just listen to what you want to hear!"

……

In the end,
Yggdrasil accepted God's gift and met with the latter's chosen companion.

"We are going to explore the land and water of the West, to see if there are any medicines or healing methods that the Chinese have never seen before!"

The two old men introduced themselves to Yege'er.

The elder, Zhou Jian, said indignantly, "I heard that orthopedics in Germania is even better than mine?"

"I must go and test my skills against the doctors there!"

"We are here to spread the wisdom of our ancestors and to use the Xia people to transform the barbarians."

Several refined and cultured Confucian scholars said this.

"We don't have enough skills, but we can still do some farming."

Another old man said, "I've heard that once you leave the Roman territory and head towards the sea, the water and temperature in the West are different. I imagine that farming there would be a unique experience."

Yege looked at them, then said happily, "Good, good, good, they are all talented!"

"With elders like you by my side, my life in Taixi will definitely be wonderful!"

just,

Why are the people in front of me wearing beautiful, semi-circular jade?

The beautiful jade that was sought after by the gentlemen of the Chinese nation.
Once outside the Western Regions, they become less common.

This means that those who could wear jade in Xinxia and Xihai, making a tinkling sound when walking, were mostly from wealthy families.

In Rome, a foreign nation separated from the Chinese world by the sea, such occurrences were even rarer.

"This is our guarantee for traveling to the Western Regions!"

The doctor, who called himself "Zhong," patted the eye-catching jade at his waist that emitted a strange glow. "Without this, we couldn't have followed you to such a far place!"

The people next to them whispered, "It's a pity that it's too far away, and the uses of jade are limited... If this life is lost in the West, then the soul can only return to the homeland."

"Moreover, the Roman emperor previously sent people to exchange our jade pendant for jewels and valuables!"

I don't know why,
After the death of the previous emperor Octavian, the new emperor Augustus Tiberius also showed an extra enthusiasm for Chinese culture.

He shouldn't have done this. The late emperor had studied in Qin and used Qin people to help him consolidate his power, so such hobbies are understandable.

Tiberius only briefly visited Qin as an envoy when he was young, and at that time he did not show any inclination.

Why would she suddenly develop such a serious illness after outliving her long-lived stepfather and gradually growing old herself?
Furthermore, his tacit acceptance of the spread of the Way of Peace in Rome, which challenged the divine authority of Jupiter, also displeased the Roman standard-bearer.

But what could Tiberius say?
Seven days after the late emperor's death, which is the fifteenth of the eighth month according to the Chinese calendar, it was not them who were harassed by ghosts!
Therefore,
When Tiberius heard that a group of people in Rome were wearing jade ornaments, which in Chinese mythology possessed magical functions such as spiritual communication and soul storage, he wanted to acquire these rare treasures from the West.

but,

His requests were all rejected by these people.

Tiberius had no choice but to let go.

"That's it!"

When Yggdrasil heard this, he thought it was a good thing that the current Roman emperor, Augustus, still maintained his curiosity and love for the Chinese civilization.

He has forgotten.

When the late Emperor Octavian passed away, I had performed a pre-death ritual for him.

Let's set off first!

After exchanging a few words and becoming familiar with each other, Yege'er didn't linger any longer.

He gathered his men, raised the sails, and sailed alongside another ship filled with "people."

They planned to travel to the western part of Rome, and from there slowly make their way eastward.

Perhaps when their missionary work has yielded good results and they have grown old, they will have traveled all over the northern border of Rome and will be able to enter the Qin state directly, return to the land of the Xia people, and rest well?

And along with their footsteps
Zhao Shen, who was stranded in Longxi, also stopped breathing.

He was nearly 100 years old and passed away peacefully in his sleep.

With the help of ghosts and gods, Sun Chong, who had corresponded with him, came to greet this fellow Daoist and mocked him, saying, "I heard that the Taiping Dao of Qin has a very strong military force, so why is it only now that there is any movement of uprising?"

Zhao Shen ignored him.

Sun Chong then began to talk about the great achievements his descendants had made in the Central Plains. Even though his words were calm and his language humble, everyone could tell that he was showing off.

Zhao Shen waited quietly for him to finish speaking, then raised his hand and punched him.

"This punch has the power of ninety years of skill, what can you do about it?"

Sun Chong, who hadn't fought in many years, was hit hard and finally calmed down, covering his face.

Everything's in chaos.

"I don't know when things will calm down."

Walking slowly along the Weak Water on the dark Netherworld, Sun Chong ended his silence and suddenly let out a sigh.

"I thought that at least the Qin state could maintain peace in one place and allow its state to continue for a longer period of time."

right now,

The Han dynasty has produced a figure capable of reviving it.
What will become of the Qin Dynasty, which is destined to be entangled with Ying Qin for a long time in the annals of history?
Zhao Shen replied bluntly, "It's better if things are completely chaotic!"

"Otherwise, if they continue to linger in this half-dead state, they will inevitably turn the bloodline of the Xia people in the Western Sea into stiff but incorruptible corpses!"

Only through destruction can great things be established.

Conflicts must accumulate to the point of eruption.
It is impossible for it to unleash flames powerful enough to completely destroy the old era.

What the Qin state looked like before.
It gave the Taiping Dao a feeling of disgust, yet they couldn't bring themselves to do anything about it.

Like a bowl that has held dirty things and leaked a hand through a crack.
Even though they knew it was dirty and they didn't want to use it anymore, they couldn't bear to smash it and buy a new one because they were poor.

Sun Chong agreed with him, and then added, "The Sui royal family is also in turmoil, but fortunately the country is at its peak and has not brought too much disaster to the people."

The struggle for the crown prince position has always been like this!
This is a problem that some powerful families can never avoid.

Not to mention the royal family that actually has a throne to pass on.

However, compared to the Qin and Han dynasties, which lasted for two hundred years,
The Sui Dynasty had only been established for about seventy years, and was still in its middle and promising stage.

With the addition of the New Xia Land's amazing combat power matching mechanism, even if the country experiences some turmoil, there won't be any major problems.

This is why Sun Chong did not return to his hometown in the Sui state, but instead came to the Qin state to watch the excitement.

just,

For the dead, enjoying God's protection and able to watch the world change, a few growing pains of the times are not so terrible.
But when the dust of the times settles on an individual, it always feels like an insurmountable mountain, forcing them to make changes and seek opportunities for survival.

Less than ten years after migrating to the Sui Dynasty, Ying Feng, who was not yet twenty years old, was forced to move his home again with his family, from the western counties of the Sui Dynasty to the eastern border region that connects with the central and southern parts of the country.

Ying Feng's father reminisced about his old home while looking at the new house, and then said to his son, "The family fortune we had accumulated has been lost too much in this upheaval."

"I am not resigned to such a failure, and if my family wants to maintain its wealth, we must find a new business and endure more hardships."

"After much thought, I decided to go to Central South China to do some business. I heard that there is plenty of grain there, and some places have even discovered jade mines."

"You're all grown up now, would you like to come with your father?"

Ying Feng naturally wouldn't refuse.

He is not an incompetent second-generation heir who sits at home and only knows how to enjoy his parents' blessings.

He was a good student, had practiced martial arts, and possessed a strong physique and extraordinary courage.

How could he possibly let his father, who was over fifty years old, risk his life alone in Zhongnan to revive the family business?
"Like father, like son; take me with you to battle!"

This is how he answered his father.

Shortly thereafter,

The father and son packed their belongings, organized their men, and followed a caravan that had been traveling between Xinxia and Zhongnan for some time, heading due east.

quickly,

Ying Feng and his son found suitable business partners and started doing business with them through trade routes.

As a result, the family's wealth grew rapidly, and Ying Feng, who gradually showed his talent, was entrusted with an important task by his father, who arranged for him to go to Zhongnan to communicate with business partners in order to stabilize the business route.

The merchants who were cooperating with him greatly admired Ying Feng, a younger man, and suggested, "Why don't our two families form a marriage alliance?"

“I only have one daughter, and you only have one son. If we join forces, our relationship can become even closer, and our wealth can double!”

Ying Feng's father hesitated.

Because the other party was from Central South China, and his wife was the female leader of a small local state—

This is the main reason why the merchant, despite accumulating considerable wealth, did not acquire more concubines and only had one daughter.

If they were to form a marriage alliance...
Ying Feng will inevitably be influenced by his wife's family and will stay in Zhongnan for a long time.

What should be done with the Sui dynasty's assets?

But Ying Feng himself said, "I am still young, and it is not a big problem for me to travel between the two places more often."

"When we have many children in the future, we can settle them on both sides and each manage a part of the property, then we won't have to worry about this anymore."

"The other party is a major merchant in Central South China, who also possesses the power of a state. Their wealth and influence surpass ours."

"Now that I'm young and somewhat attractive, I've gained their appreciation. Isn't that a good thing?"

"And if we refuse, won't it affect both of our businesses?"

The father thought he made sense and agreed to the marriage.

Ying Feng then began to develop in Central and Southern China.

(End of this chapter)