Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 517 The Struggles of the Chinese in the West
In the seventeenth year of Jianwu of the Han Dynasty,

The small town of Zhuxia, located on the right bank of the Reina River, is thriving.

Two rows of wooden houses stood neatly facing each other, with a flat road running through the middle.

The surrounding walls are built in the style of the Chinese civilization, using rammed earth and wooden planks, which is quite different from the defensive walls of the neighboring Roman fortress, which are made of piled stones or rafts of wood.

Within the city wall's protected area, many people strolled through the streets, some carrying loads on their shoulders, others herding cattle and sheep returning from grazing, creating a scene of peace and prosperity.

Perhaps such a town wouldn't be considered a good place in the Central Plains or Xinxia.

But what can you do when this is located in the northern part of western Thailand?

In a place surrounded by barbarians, wild beasts, jungles, and swamps, the fact that the people of the Xia dynasty were able to build a city where people could live in peace and cultivate the land at their leisure was an excellent testament to their tenacious vitality!
Unfortunately, there aren't many seeds here.

"Looking around, there are just too many of those mixed-race fellows."

In the most spacious and tallest house, one of the city's founders quietly uttered a complaint.

Yege'er, who was standing next to him, didn't react much to this.

After all, the clan he came from, though called a clan, actually had a very mixed bloodline.

How can a "mouthy" person who wanders around and can only rely on his maternal lineage to prove that he is still alive compare with the gentlemen of the Chinese nation?

Moreover, although their people claimed that "their ancestors fled the chaos of the Qin Dynasty and led their wives, children and fellow villagers to this remote place," how could they possibly have escaped into the valley unscathed under the heavy suppression of the Qin people back then?

At least Yegor's biological father, who was related by blood, had some Chinese features in appearance.

This is a major reason why the other party was able to gain the approval of his teacher, who came from the Mohist school.

When it reached Yacob,
Although his hair was still slightly curly, which made it take him longer than usual to tie it up, it was generally black with black hair and eyes, and his skin was smooth and odorless.

Unlike here,

When the amount of work is large each time,
Such a person would inevitably emit an excessive odor, causing the gentlemen of the Central Plains to feel dizzy and disoriented.

Moreover, those people had messy, multicolored hair and were never willing to tie it up properly. Only on important days like Mass, when they had to gather at the temple where God was worshipped, would they be willing to take care of their appearance.

"Spreading the word in the West is inherently much more difficult than opening up the New World and the Western Sea."

"You have to be patient."

Upon hearing these words, Yege'er couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

The first two groups took much longer to take action than this group.

But ultimately there is a sequential relationship.

Xinxia is launching a major talent recruitment drive from the Central Plains.
Once it develops, it can then be used to support talent recruitment in Western Qin.

Back and forth, time always manages to smooth out the barriers of long journeys, bringing more nutrients to seeds far from their homeland.

But on the Western side...
Besides the long journey, the obstacles along the way are also far more formidable than those faced by their predecessors.

At that time, when people traveled westward from the Central Plains, through the Western Regions, and to the Western Sea, there were no large countries. Instead, there were scattered tribes that followed the water and grass for survival, or city-states where a few dozen brave warriors could stir up trouble.

But now,
Taixi wanted to take advantage of the turmoil in Qin to import enough seeds from there to provide more nutrients for itself, but it encountered two obstacles.

Organizing a large number of people to travel by ship along the Mediterranean would arouse the Romans' suspicion.

The latter established its nation and gained prestige by dominating the seas, and therefore attached great importance to this matter.

If one were to take the western sea route, one would first travel north by boat from the northern region, then disembark and travel west.
Those barbarian tribes blocking the road were naturally not a big problem.

But the Qin people, who had long been settled and multiplied there, would not let go of this easy opportunity!

The westward expansion requires manpower.

Don't these people who are pioneering the eastern part of the West need manpower?

To know,
As early as when the Qin people first established themselves in the Western Sea, they explored the land north of the Western Sea.

At the height of its territory, it once incorporated the Western Sea into its own inland sea and built cities along its coast.

Compared to Yege'er's side,
The place and the people there are more familiar and welcoming.
Therefore, the talents introduced were happy to accept the invitations of the local hosts and settle down there.

"This year's batch was intercepted by the Qin people again."

"I really don't know how I got here, and now I have to endure the torment of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty."

Liu Ruyi, who was also present, stroked his beard and cursed the Qin people who were separated from him at the two ends of the Pacific Ocean.

Those guys were forced to migrate to eastern Thailand due to the country's internal strife, and they should have been fearful and cautious.

Why does it still seem like it's "taking every last penny"?

Upon hearing his words, those around him immediately glanced at him sideways and asked, "When you were serving under the Qin king, did you also mention 'tyrannical Qin' to him?"

Liu Ruyi waved her hand and said, "I'll speak for whoever pays my bills."

"I understand that much."

"Ever since you lured me up the mountain, my life and fortune have been tied to this place. How could I possibly still have any lingering feelings for people and things from the past?"

Liu Ruyi possessed the same agile physique as his ancestors, and he was not hesitant in important matters, thus missing opportunities.

Moreover, the prince's descendants were very numerous, and he was fortunate enough not to be greatly affected when the internal strife broke out.

While Liu Ruyi was being forcibly taken away by a civilian man, their lives were quite comfortable!
If we talk about gratitude...

Every year on the fifteenth of August and during the Spring Festival, Liu Ruyi would also entrust Yege'er, his great and wise teacher, to send something to his sworn brother.

Yege'er also told Liu Ruyi that the other party was doing well down there and there was no need to worry about it.

"Ugh!"

"Then we can only wait for ships to cross the Mediterranean and bring people to us."

Finally,

That was all the Taoist priests who participated in the discussion could say.

"Pay more attention to the offerings we make to God these days, and think about these things more often when we pray."

The lazy gods are like the toads in Daming Lake.
It only bounces when you poke it.

If they didn't urge them on and shout louder, it wouldn't be easy for God to bestow more grace upon them, protecting the ships laden with the seeds of the Chinese people from the Roman ships, allowing them to quietly cross the ocean, advance into the mouth of the Reina River, and come upstream to their side.

The deity with the face of a white deer, who was appointed by God to be the ruler of the Reina River, was not as approachable and easygoing as God; he was rather withdrawn and indifferent.

most of the time,
That person would only secretly protect their area, ensuring favorable weather and abundant harvests.

Even the number of times he would enter Yege'er's dreams to disturb him was very small.

but,

This also earned Yageer a rare respect for him.

After all, the fat pigeons that would occasionally go to the port of Rome to collect breadcrumbs were something he couldn't possibly admire and revere like his mother.

"All right!"

"Let's talk about your son marrying a woman from the Ubier tribe!"

After recounting the recent situation in the city, Yege'er said the same thing to Liu Ruyi.

Although this descendant of the Liu family did not find a way to live off a woman in a foreign land to alleviate the pressure of starting a business, this did not prevent him from using his social skills to lay the foundation for his descendants to live off women.

Liu Ruyi is now fifty years old, so it is impossible for her not to have any children.

Actually,
During his carefree years in Qin, he had already married a beautiful woman and fathered two children.

But perhaps fate was not on their side, for the woman fell ill and died before her child grew up.

after that,

Someone coveted Liu Ruyi's property and chose to target his eldest son.

Unlike her ancestors, Liu Ruyi was not extremely rational. Even as she watched her father being thrown into a boiling pot, she could still shout, "Give me a share of the soup!"

He gave away most of his wealth, but still couldn't get his eldest son back.

This is also why Liu Ruyi did not put up a fierce resistance after being lured up the mountain by the Taiping Dao.

Compared to staying in the chaotic Qin state where he couldn't even protect his son, it was better to bring his young child to seek development elsewhere.

now,

His son has grown up and reached the age to start a family and career.

Liu Ruyi, however, had a long-term plan in mind. After looking around, he chose the Ubier tribe, which belonged to the Suweihui branch of the Rierman tribe.

Ubier tribe,
They were an ancient tribe living along the Reina River.

Trade relations began with the Romans not long after their influence had spread to the region.

When Caesar arrived in Gaul and was busy racking up military achievements among the local barbarians, he couldn't help but admit in his diary that the Ubi people, who had more dealings with merchants and were more knowledgeable and worldly-wise, were much more civilized than his own people.

Moreover, the Ubi people were frequently harassed by their own kind who had inherited the title of "Soviet Union," and had deep conflicts with them. They could be won over by Rome and become an asset in consolidating its rule over Gaul.

then,

Afterwards, Caesar persuaded the Ubi people to relocate their tribe to a nearby area and form an alliance with the Roman soldiers stationed there.

Today,

The Ubi people had developed into a large tribe in the area, and in terms of civilization, they were much more advanced due to their connections with the Romans.

At least they know how to wash their bodies, eat with their hands, and wear clothes properly, instead of following the tradition of the Japanese barbarians who often openly expose themselves and show off their "masculinity" to others.

For the gentlemen of the Chinese nation, they were someone they could approach.

From the perspective of the Ubi people,

This group of outsiders, unlike those from Rome, was able to build a prosperous town in a short period of time and integrate some small Celtic tribes, making them a good partner.

Ubiel's military strength was not great.

The Soviets to their west were still harassing them.

The cunning Roman allies did not wholeheartedly help them; they only let them fight with the enemy, weaken their forces, and then strike first, becoming the biggest winners.

In the wise words of the Chinese people, this should be called "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

The Ubi people, who had become much more civilized, were naturally unwilling to continue like this, so they thought of introducing the Chinese to compete with them, so that the Romans would know "the price of not treasuring themselves"!
"But why don't you choose to let your son marry a Roman woman?"

"I remember that quite a few Roman generals were willing to marry their daughters to us."

When Yege'er heard that Liu Ruyi was planning to let his son live off Ubiel's "princess" (a term of endearment for a concubine), he went to him in confusion to express his doubts.

Liu Ruyi was a member of the Han imperial family.

Although he lived in dire poverty, in the eyes of the Romans, who valued family lineage, he was a good "potential for introduction."

of course,

The former King Guangzong of the Han Dynasty, a figurehead, lacked the ability to curry favor with powerful Roman families.

But this is a border region, a remote corner of the empire.
The minor Roman nobles here were quite willing to offer a woman to bring noble blood into their families, bringing them more prestige and more bragging rights.

But Liu Ruyi simply put his hands behind his back and said, "Qi is not a suitable match, let alone Rome!"

The various Xia peoples are here.
The conflict with Rome was a clash of civilizations.

For now, everyone is living a relatively easy life, and all parties are getting along quite well. However, when the power of the various Chinese states grows and expands in this area, they will inevitably engage in fierce battles with Rome.

Even in the matter of civilizing barbarians, many problems arise.

Based on the previous rate of development,

He always has to think about his future generations.

Moreover, thanks to their remarkable relationship with the Roman emperor, they had already gained the friendliness of the Roman soldiers here;
Yegor also used various means to instill spiritual power in the Celts;

Now all that's left is for him to use marriage alliances to physically infiltrate the Rierman tribes, isn't that right?
……

On the day Liu Ruyi's son got married,
The city, named "Guangye," meaning "to expand the foundation of the Chinese nation," became even more bustling.

Both Rome and Celtic sent representatives to congratulate the two young people on their marriage.

Meanwhile, amidst the merriment, Yorgos encountered a strange Roman guest.

Curious, he went over to talk to him and got to know this former Roman governor named Pontius Pilate, now a Roman political exile.

Once you are familiar with it,
Pontius Pilate, who had been depressed for a long time and felt that his life, with its ups and downs, was meaningless, found comfort in the cheerful and strong-looking Javier.

Some of the dark clouds in his heart dissipated, and he regained the motivation to continue living.

Why are you being so kind to me?

After Pontius Pilate, he asked Jesse this question.

After pondering for a moment, Yege'er told him, "It must be fate!"

"When I see you, I feel a surge of extraneous emotions."

Pontius Pilate was therefore even more moved.

He clasped his hands together in front of the clear sky and expressed his gratitude in his own way, saying, "This must be God's guidance, that you have come to save me, this lost lamb."

"do not worry!"

"If God is merciful, my life will be able to emerge from the cold winter and usher in a new spring."

“I will definitely find a way to persuade some people in the empire to grant you more convenience in your life in Gaul.”

The Roman nobility could not have been completely unprepared for the expansion of the Chinese in Western Gaul.

As Guangye City has evolved from its initial wooden fences to high rammed earth walls, there is now a trend of adding bricks to them.
From the initial few hundred people, they have multiplied to several thousand today.
The frequency with which it was mentioned in the Senate was also increasing day by day.

The veteran officials waved their arms and made these accusations:
"This must be a conspiracy by the Chinese!"

However, all three Augustus emperors expressed a relatively friendly attitude towards the Chinese culture, which meant that while the rhetoric was loud, the actual implementation was slow.

But the problem still exists, and it will eventually erupt.

Pontius Pilate didn't mind using this to extend goodwill to these people.

He had been won over by Yacob's magnanimity.

"How did you manage to make him so friendly towards you?"

Upon hearing about this, even Liu Ruyi, who considered herself skilled in social interaction, couldn't help but marvel.

“That guy used to be a governor, he can’t be so stupid as to be fooled by a few words and believe the lies of a foreigner.”

"He's even willing to make promises that nearly harm Rome's interests for your sake!"

Yege'er didn't know why the other party was so enthusiastic.

He then recalled his superfluous feelings for Pontius Pilate and sighed:
"Perhaps this is fate!"

(End of this chapter)