Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 525 On the Grassland

"Many of the old shadows have disappeared!"

"Fortunately, a new era has arrived."

When spring and autumn turn again, and plants flourish and wither once more...
The Northern Xiongnu, who had been rooted in the northern grasslands for two hundred years, have been swept away by the changing seasons.

It's quite remarkable that it has become so desolate after only one year.

But the scenery on the grassland is always like this.

The warm, humid climate of the south can nurture evergreen trees, but how can the short spring and summer of the north sustain their long-term existence?

The fact that the Xiongnu, a tribe established by nomadic herders on the grasslands, were able to enjoy a "national reign" for more than two hundred years and leave a significant mark on the history of the Chinese people was something that other nomadic peoples could only envy.

After all, in the original historical trajectory, after the Xiongnu people migrated westward,
Which historian would bother to record the lineage of its Chanyu (ruler)? And what about the grudges and feuds that occurred within this ethnic group?
But upon closer reflection, there's nothing that can be done about it.

After all, in the vast lands beyond the reach of the Chinese gentry, apart from Rome, which was "similar to China," what long-lasting and powerful civilizations existed?

Where would the people there find the extra wisdom and energy to record the story of a foreign race?

They haven't even lost their animalistic nature; their minds are filled with questions about survival.

Even if they were fortunate enough to encounter the Huns who had come from afar, and were whipped as slaves by the losers who had been dragged out of this Eastern monster's room, they would not remember anything that happened.

At most, when the Huns disappeared again, they would celebrate surviving the "Scourge of God".

Under the cover of night on the grassland, He Bo rode his steed along the shallow river flowing across the land, and uttered the above sentiments to the dead ghosts who had followed him out.

Then he looked up at the starry sky and said, "The stars are so beautiful!"

Shi Shen, standing nearby, echoed God's words and then smiled at his companions:
"I thought the Xiongnu would follow in the footsteps of the Former Han and Western Qin dynasties and reunite with these old friends in the history books. Who would have thought they could run so fast?"

"They are indeed skilled archers, proficient in horsemanship and archery!"

"But this is no longer a matter for the Central Plains."

"Let the countries outside the region take over the task of recording this entanglement and continue to write the story of their interactions with the Xiongnu!"

"I only hope that the Xiongnu can stay in Yueban a little longer, and wait until the Western Sea returns to calm before knocking on its door."

Having won the latest round of competition, Gander, holding a telescope, looked up at the brilliant starry sky and replied calmly.

At present, the Western Sea is truly a scene of "the decline of the Qin Dynasty and the rise of various feudal lords," resembling a classic replay of the chaotic Warring States period.

The Qin emperor, who once maintained the dignity of the Zhou emperor during the Spring and Autumn period thanks to the rich counties of Beidi and Longxi, has been reduced to a mere roadside figure amidst the chaos of war.

This made King Nan of Zhou, who had left a deep impression on the world by virtue of his status as the "last emperor of Zhou" and thus always enjoyed the privilege of eating cold pork, unable to help but reminisce about his life.

He even overcame the fear he felt when the Qin people seized the Nine Tripods, as well as the various twists and turns along the way, and set off for the Western Sea.

"Even if I die, I'll still watch Ying Qin make a fool of himself!"

When someone wondered why this usually inactive old man had suddenly displayed such energy and spirit, King Nan of Zhou simply slapped his thigh and replied in this way.

After seeing the conditions of the two Qin emperors, Afang and Yubi, King Nan of Zhou laughed so hard that his eyebrows and beard trembled.

He found King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Ying Ji, whom he disliked the most, and said to him:
"As the last emperor of the Zhou dynasty, even though I had to beg for donations from the feudal lords for sacrificial offerings, I have never fallen to the level of your descendants!"

The emperors who were installed as emperors were all young men, and they had to endure the disrespect of powerful ministers.

Even when staying in a spacious palace, one still had to worry about being overheard or having poison in one's food.

But during the reign of King Nan of Zhou,

But I don't have that kind of trouble.

He was simply destitute.

Despite his relentless efforts, he was even able to borrow money from wealthy merchants to build an army and launch an attack on the Qin state.

Although the final result was that the army assembled by the Zhou emperor was easily defeated, and King Nan of Zhou himself was heavily in debt...

But ultimately no one subjected him to such humiliation or manipulated him as a puppet.

Those feudal lords who looked down on him would at most send an envoy to rebuke the Zhou emperor for his ignorance.

The King of Qin, who was given the nickname "millet" by God, was naturally angry when he heard King Nan of Zhou say such things.

But seeing the miserable state of his descendants, he had no heart to argue with them. He could only secretly pray that the crooked tree planted by the gods on the top of Ying Pijiang's tomb would never have any effect.

If fate truly intends for the descendants of the Qin Dynasty to become "Sunny Dolls,"
King Qin also hoped that the people of Sui would go first, so as not to let Qin "take the lead" and be laughed at by God and many dead ghosts for hundreds of years.

"Anyway, the pressure of the Xiongnu's westward migration is currently on the Qi state, and there's nothing to worry about in the Western Sea." He Bo, who was tired from riding his horse and had switched to leading it, replied casually to Gan De's words.

Punu Chanyu of the Northern Xiongnu was not as good at running as his predecessor, Zhizhi Chanyu.

The Xiongnu forces, now reduced to targets of the Wuhuan's "hunting," were far weaker than they had been a century ago.

Therefore, they dared not run too far, and once they found a place where they could graze their livestock safely, they stopped causing trouble.

then,

The King of Qi, who had gained land, people, and tribute from the Sui Dynasty, enjoyed his glory for only four years before he was surprised to hear that his relatives, who had previously seized his family property, had also come to the border, and that their new sphere of influence was only one country away from his own.

This caused King Qi to feel inexplicably worried.

"Will they imitate my experience and do the things I used to do?"

"And will the arrival of these Huns affect my 'legitimate' status?"

Generally speaking, the rules governing how people behave are similar.

When you've taken a good road, boarded a good car, and secured a good position, your first reaction isn't to remark, "Good things should be shared," but rather to block it, preventing the latter from moving forward, getting on, or competing with you.

After all, there are only so many good things in the world.

If everyone gets a share, what they actually receive will become scarce.

Is it ever as comfortable to have something all to yourself?

If we judge people by such standards...
Stacking glasses into a tower and pouring wine into it, hoping that the top glass will be full and overflow into the bottom glass, is nothing but wishful thinking.

When the Kangju envoy arrived, lamenting that he could no longer pay the annual tribute to the Qi Kingdom because its wealth had been plundered by the Yueban Xiongnu, the King of Qi became even more determined in his decision.

then,

He slowed his invasion of the Sui Dynasty and became wary of his relatives in the north.

of course,

He was even more wary of news from the Xiongnu flying over Yangguan and the Xindu River to reach the Sui Dynasty.

He was busy debating with scholars from the Sui Dynasty, arguing about who was the true "Xia," and he couldn't let his poor relatives ruin this important matter of shaping national identity.

Meanwhile, in the Sui Dynasty...
Because of the actions of the State of Qi, he was forced to sit up from a completely flat position.

At least the quick-witted Mohists, Legalists, Confucians, and Taoists of Xinxia all stood up to criticize Qi's shameless behavior in the face of Qi's relentless legal pressure.

If they knew about the Xiongnu, their fighting strength might not have increased, but their arguing might have become much louder.

This brought a slight sigh of relief to the Sui rulers and ministers, who had been worried that the Qi state might cross the Xindu River and the desert in between to launch an attack on their core territory in the Ganges River basin. It seemed the standoff between the Sui and Qi states would continue for many years to come.

"But can the Xiongnu people's journey to the west truly serve as a test and tempering for the descendants of the Xia people there?"

After a burst of laughter
God made a fire in the meadow, and the dead, who gathered around it to enjoy the warmth and admire the night, raised new questions.

Due to the technological and organizational methods of the Chinese people, even including Rome, they possessed a significant advantage.
This makes the initial stages of development difficult, but as long as a foundation is laid, even without the secret help of the dead or God, good results can be achieved within two generations, allowing one to pursue a bright future.

To know,
The saying "one Han man is worth five Hu men" was absolutely true at that time.

Regarding the situation in the West,

Even though the land was barren and inhabited by many barbarians, and the Roman Empire was eager to expand its territory and spread its culture, it still faced challenges.

However, the various Chinese states could still resist them.

Humph,
Isn't it just Rongshan and Dihai?!
So what if there are powerful enemies outside?!
Such a problem is not unfamiliar to the gentlemen of the Chinese nation!

Backed by the ancient civilization passed down from the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor, and with precedents like Xinxia, ​​Xihai, and even Xinxiang,

They absolutely did not believe that what they had accomplished was comparable to what the feudal lords who were enfeoffed at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty had done!
For a while,
The two adjacent areas of Taixi and Xihai have surprisingly shown a phenomenon where the former replicates the beginning of the week and the latter replicates the end of the week.

but no matter,
For the virtuous people of the Central Plains, once they have weathered the turmoil, as long as the nation still exists and the seeds are still sprouting, prosperity will inevitably come.

At that time,
If we want to go further, the local barbarians are not enough.

So God chose the Huns and decided to use them to loosen the soil and break off branches for the trees planted by the Chinese, so that the land would not harden and the branches would not grow wildly, thus falling into the trap Mencius proposed: "A country without external threats will always perish."

It's only temporary that Punu Chanyu is staying in Yueban with his tribe.

A strong wind from the east kept blowing.
The weak and powerless cattail will eventually be blown westward by the wind.

"As long as the grass grows well and the cattle and sheep are fed to be strong, given the habits of the Xiongnu, a nomadic people of the grasslands, how could they not take the initiative to launch attacks in all directions?"

Hearing this, God, who was stringing a fish out of the river and preparing to throw it into the fire to roast, replied.

On the side of the Northern Xiongnu,
After the efforts of Punu Chanyu's father to "weed out" the remaining people, there were hardly any Han Chinese left.

Wang Zhi, who led a large number of Han Chinese to the grasslands and whose bloodline was undeniably Han Chinese, could not be treated the same as Wang Zhi, who fled to foreign lands.

"What if the Xiongnu people get used to a comfortable life, like the Wusun, and no longer want to travel far and wide?"

The Kunrong, who founded Wusun, were also eliminated from the Eastern Monster House.

During his journey from the Hexi Corridor to the edge of the Western Regions, he also demonstrated considerable martial prowess and courage.

but now?
Wang Zhi already despised them as "barbarians," so what else is there to say?

Even the whip chosen by God can sometimes become loose and soft.

"Isn't this the State of Qi?"

He Bo immediately laughed and said, "Having a relative with whom we have long severed ties by our side only serves to confirm our past blemishes. How could the King of Qi, a member of the Xia people, possibly tolerate this?"

Drive them away.

They must be driven away!

"Besides, although Yueban is nice, its place is ultimately small."

“Once the Xiongnu recover some strength and their population and livestock increase, their Chanyu will inevitably expand.”

"Was all of this part of your plan?"

Upon hearing God's explanation, the old man Shi Shen immediately narrowed his eyes, wondering whether His wisdom had simply surfaced by chance or was inherently a case of great wisdom appearing as foolishness.

God ignored him and continued to look up at the stars.

He braced his body with his hands behind him, his legs spread wide and swaying gently.

Having received no response, Shi Shen gave up the attempt to persuade him and lay down on the grass, letting the dark night completely envelop him.

Bright starlight came from afar and fell upon these dead ghosts.

The vital energy flowing between heaven and earth, along with the brilliant starlight, the gentle night breeze, and the flowing river, slowly filled their living souls.

This is one of the reasons why the dead remain conscious.

After all, as a "human being",
Besides communicating with friends around me

You should always bask in the sun, look at the moon, and count the stars!

And when the moon sets, the stars disappear, and the sun rises again...
The songs of herdsmen drifted from afar.

It was a very long and drawn-out melody, like the wind blowing across the grassland.

Gan De looked through the binoculars and then asked He Bo:
"Their attire and speech don't resemble those of the remaining Huns here. Where did they come from?"

“They are the Tiele people from the Han Sea. Su Wu is very familiar with them.”

He Bo told him, "The Xiongnu people in the northern desert have fled, while the Xiongnu people in the southern desert have attached themselves to the land of the Han Dynasty. The Wuhuan and Xianbei, these two rising stars, have not yet developed to the point of filling the grasslands."

"Such emptiness will naturally attract other shepherds."

Gan De suddenly realized, and then reflected on his work, "I haven't been to the Hanhai, and I don't know much about it."

The historians of the underworld don't just wander around aimlessly.

The vast sea is too desolate.

When Su Wu was herding sheep over there, he had to dig a hole in the ground to live, living like a groundhog. Naturally, he had no vitality and no characteristics that would attract historians.

The scribes preferred to travel to places like Xinxia and Xihai to record the clashes and integration between the Xia and the barbarians, and to rejoice in the development of the former.

What can you do at Hanhai?
Did they keep track of how many times a day the fat seals living there would pat their bellies, and which one patted the loudest?
Ok……

That’s not impossible!

"What impact will their migration have on the Central Plains?" Gan De asked again.

He Bo said, "How should I know!"

"That's something for those who come after to consider!"

The dead stopped asking questions, simply gathered up the remains from the previous night, and followed the river back to the Central Plains.

When it passed the Yellow River
He Bo saw Wang Yanshi, a paperhanger from the Former Han Dynasty, following a young man around.

God then released the other dead and appeared behind Wang Yanshi, seizing him.

"Haven't you convinced this kid after all these years?"

Wang Yanshi was startled by him, and upon hearing this, he could only let out a helpless sigh.

"I can't please both my family and my country, there's nothing I can do..."

(End of this chapter)