Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 538 Yongping
In the seventeenth year of Yongping of the Han Dynasty,

No major or drastic events have occurred in the world.

The Western Xia peoples continued to replicate the expansionist policies of the Western Zhou Dynasty, engaging in strategic battles with the Germanic tribes, the Celtic peoples, and the Romans, playing a game of alliances and counter-alliances.

This should have been the comfort zone of the Chinese people.

They had experienced something similar long ago.

Unfortunately, the barbarians from the West were truly ignorant and rude; their brains seemed to contain only a single, brute force.

Overly sophisticated and profound wisdom and methods do not yield good results for them.

This caused the various Xia states in the west to lament their misfortune.

But the country has been established and the population has grown. As long as we work hard to cultivate and maintain it, the future is still very promising.

The chaotic battle continues in the Western Sea.

Many regimes that controlled a region collapsed shortly after their establishment.

The Xia and Yi peoples were all united in a lively and bustling atmosphere, making one feel as if they were bathed in sunlight.

He could watch the Zhou emperor in the underworld with great interest.

King Nan of Zhou grinned, revealing his last remaining teeth, and said:
"The one who inherits the destiny of Ji Zhou will eventually become Ji Zhou himself!"

"But the Nine Tripods are still in God's treasury!" The dead ghost beside him couldn't help but remind him to be more restrained, lest he become too proud and laugh his last tooth out.

King Nan of Zhou then smacked his lips, hummed a little tune, rubbed his aching back, sipped his wine, and continued watching the play.

Although descendants of the Qin dynasty still exist in the Western Qin and Central and Southern Yue regions.
However, its territory was not as vast as that of Western Qin, and its population was not as large as that of Western Qin. It even lacked the confidence to challenge the Liu family...

This towering pillar of the Western Sea!

It's fallen, and that's it!

As for the Han Dynasty

It is also developing steadily and moving towards a prosperous era.

Two years before setting off for the Western Regions,
Having accumulated sufficient experience and developed a general plan for flood control, the Luoyang imperial court finally extended its tangible hand to the long-flooded Yellow River.

Wang Jing was recommended and became the person in charge of flood control.

This caused Wang Jing, who had just returned from the Sikong Bureau and whose skin had been tanned black and white by the sun, resembling an iron-eating beast, to stay at home for several days in seclusion.

then,

He wanted to decline the appointment on the grounds that his grandmother was old.

But his grandmother persuaded him, "The millions of people below Wei County are still waiting for you to save them. What are you doing staying in Luoyang with me?"

"With the help of that miracle doctor, my body is relatively stable. Although the hot and cold seasons are a bit difficult, my life is not in danger."

"If you're worried, then go ahead and heal the river as quickly as possible. When you return with a full honor, I can show it off to the other old folks."

After Wang Jing was arrested and beaten to death...

Wang Yanshi foresaw that he would sooner or later be entrusted with the important task of flood control, and would become the god of earth and wood who traveled between the two banks of the great river.

To ensure Wang Jing had no worries, he specially invited an old physician who had followed God for a long time to treat Madam Wang's health.

He smiled and said to Wang Jing:
"I've thought about this for many years and I believe that it's not impossible to balance family and country."

"But didn't you say that this gentleman was a livestock herder?"

“After his death, guided by the gods, he became even more vigorous in his old age!” Wang Yanshi replied, mimicking God’s self-righteousness.

Learning after death isn't a privilege reserved for the dead.

As long as you have the will,

The dead, dwelling in the underworld, always manage to develop some hobbies or skills.

Under the care of the physician, the old lady's health did indeed improve, and her vitality was much more active and abundant than before.

This is the main reason why the old lady can still push her grandson out of the house and let him make her proud, so that she can be a proud old lady.

otherwise,
The old lady, who was not a saint by nature, would certainly support her grandson's idea and let him help her to choose a nice coffin.

For this,

Wang Jing had no choice but to pack his bags, leave Luoyang, and head east to dredge the waterways.

He Bo, posing as the River God, met with Wang Jing and stood on the shore to encourage him.

Wang Yanshi, with tears in his eyes, often stayed by his side, serving him tea, water, and fanning him.

Wang Jing could only endure the harassment from the ghosts and gods, focusing all his energy on flood control, hoping to finish it as soon as possible and go home.

Until this year,

Significant progress has been made in the management of the Yellow River.

The new waterway has been planned.

New dikes were built.

Starting from the Wang Mang era, the river, which had been overflowing and unrestrained due to the laziness and indolence of the people, was finally brought under control thanks to the renewed efforts of the people.

The raging Yellow River has returned to calm.

The land, once swallowed by silt, was now bathed in sunlight and rain. Farmers brought oxen and iron plows to cultivate it into fertile farmland, which became a major foundation for the Han Dynasty to solidify its destiny.

"That was fast..."

"It's much faster than when I was a kid."

Beside the newly built dike,

Wang Yanshi planted another weeping willow in the soft soil.

The small willow tree is still very thin and weak. It needs enough time to grow strong and cast a patch of shade on the surface of the river.

But in this process,

Will the river overflow the dam again, submerging its roots and even its entire body?
Will this young weeping willow grow up alongside the flowing water and witness the years to come?

Having witnessed the entire process of Wang Jing's flood control efforts, Wang Yanshi could only hold onto hope and look forward to the sight of the weeping willows turning green.

When the planting was finished, he stepped onto the embankment, stood on it, and faced the calm and serene river, expressing his feelings.

The entire process of flood control seemed like a dream to Wang Yanshi:
A steady stream of money and grain was transferred from Luoyang and warehouses in various places and transported to Guandong, which had suffered from floods for many years.
At the order, hundreds of thousands of laborers worked together to rush to the flooded land. Before the stone dam was built, they used their bodies to construct an unbreakable "dam".
From a young age, Wang Jing excelled in mathematics and craftsmanship. As an adult, he traveled through Northeast China, rolling up his trousers and sleeves, measuring the depth of the river with a wooden stick, feeling the direction of the water flow with his body, and then summarizing the methods for controlling the river…

A wise and virtuous ruler
A powerful minister,
A united people.

This was something that Wang Yanshi had never possessed when he was managing the floods.

At that time, the emperor and his ministers were engaged in fierce infighting, and the people were desperately fleeing.

No one had any expectations for the future.

Naturally, they wouldn't devote their energy to the immense and arduous task of managing the Yellow River, which yields no clear benefits.

This led to completely different outcomes for the two water management personnel, both from the Wang clan.

Wang Yanshi toiled for several years, eventually dying of exhaustion on the road to flood control.

Wang Jing, thinking of his grandmother at home, worked tirelessly alongside the extravagantly wealthy and powerful imperial court, achieving this situation in just two years.

at the moment,

The latter had already turned and returned to Luoyang to be with his grandmother.

The emperor, who emptied the treasury in just a few years and used his extraordinary energy and control to make his ministers spin like tops, was also calculating gains and losses in the palace, thinking about how much resources the restored Guandong region would provide to the court in the future.

of course,

The phase of exerting effort has ended.

Some guys who stand idly by while you're sweating it out will also pop out and reap the rewards later.

This is what the emperor will do next.

The stages of fighting against nature

But the struggle with others is never-ending.

just,

Enemies are endless, but people with vision, ability, and will are always rare.

People who worry and overthink often reach the end of their lives earlier than their rivals.

……

"But the river will still flow to the sea, won't it?"

No matter how winding the road,
How many storms will the wind and rain along the way stir up?
No matter how much the waters, unwilling to be restrained, overflow the riverbanks and rush towards freedom,
Ultimately, it must follow the direction of nature's creation and go where it is meant to go.

All things eventually flow to the sea.

"So, you still need to have dreams when you do things!"

"The more you think about it, the more likely you are to realize it in the future!"

Wang Yanshi thought about the regrets he had in his life, and sighed again.

He Bo stood beside him, laughing and echoing his words, clapping and celebrating for this "Little Yu the Great" who was still troubled by flood control even after his death.

right now,

Wang Yanshi can finally enjoy the happiness of death in peace.

However, due to inertia, after enjoying himself for a while with his hands on his hips, Wang Yanshi couldn't help but show concern again:
How many years will the river embankment built by Wang Jing last?

He raised a question to the god of the Xia people who was in charge of the Yellow River.

He Bo, who had just found a suitable excuse to binge eat, said, "How should I know?"

"The dam is built by people, and how long it can last depends on how people's hearts will turn."

In those distant times,
Why was Yu the Great able to establish the Xia Dynasty?
Wasn't it because he traveled up and down the river to control the floods, contacted the tribes on both sides, united people's hearts and resources, and kneaded the tribes that were allied but not yet united into a whole, that he finally gained the recognition of most people and ushered in a new era?

Human nature,
It's invisible and intangible, and it sounds even more ethereal.

Yet, in the torrent of history, it has always been so important that it is hard to ignore.

Wang Yanshi nodded and said, "I understand!"

"It should last a long time!"

He witnessed the hard work and unity under the prosperous era, and knew how solid and sturdy the dike beneath his feet was.

As long as it is not maliciously damaged or excavated.
This dike can hold back the river for a very long time, allowing the people on both banks to enjoy the true nurturing care from the Yellow River.

"so good!"

He cheered, then jumped into the water and transformed back into the giant Yellow River carp he once was.

He Bo, holding the wine jar, stood there and asked him, "What are you doing!"

The koi fish flicked its tail and told him, "Wang Jing built a new waterway along the direction the river was flowing."

"I want to get to know it better!"

After hearing this, He Bo said "Oh" and waved his hand, letting him wag his tail freely.

He continued to drink his wine and enjoy the scenery on the embankment.

expression and posture
Just like the Yellow River beside it, it is calm and composed.

……

The autumn wind blew by.

The summer hustle and bustle faded away.
A trivial matter that had caused a quarrel was once again brought to the attention of the magnificent and spacious imperial court in Luoyang.

The arrival of the envoy from the State of Qi was due to their desire for a formal title from the emperor of all the states.
Surprised that "ancestors can be recognized in this way," the emperor had no choice but to order scholars in the court to have a public discussion on the contents of the "Records of the Grand Historian."

During the Former Han Dynasty, the dissemination of this book was prohibited.

Although quite a few people see it, it's not really appropriate to publicly display or comment on it.

Because "privately compiling national history" is a violation of the law, even if Sima Qian was a historian by family tradition, he could not do so.

After all, the status of "national history" is just like its name suggests, as it is an important record of a country or dynasty.

How should we evaluate it?
How do we understand it?
How to describe it?
For subsequent dynasties, this is a very serious matter, and it cannot be done haphazardly. It must be done slowly, carefully, and with high quality in order to give a final verdict on the previous dynasty.

How can you, a mere historian, rely on your family's ancestral historical records to bypass the imperial court and define previous dynasties in your personal capacity?

Moreover, once he started writing, he couldn't stop, and smoothly wrote all the way to the emperor's head!

You are really not afraid of death!
Many scholars who lived after Emperor Wu and were accustomed to the glory, stability, and monarchical authority of a unified empire have privately expressed:
"Emperor Wu's temper was still somewhat soft."

"Such blatant criticism was allowed to circulate, and Sima Qian himself was only subjected to sterilization."

Ban Gu, a renowned contemporary historian, believed that since the "Records of the Grand Historian" was written by a private individual, it naturally contained biased and personal viewpoints, which was inappropriate.

all in all,
When the emperor's order was issued, scholars from all walks of life, who had been holding back for a long time, began to express their opinions.

Since ancient times, literati have looked down upon each other.

Is the "Records of the Grand Historian" well-written?
It's actually a very good thing.

It is rich in content, beautiful in language, vivid in description, and also pioneers a new style of historical writing.

But precisely because of this,
Scholars who believe they too can write such a book are even more inclined to criticize it.

This made the Grand Historian in the underworld stare wide-eyed in disbelief.

Unfortunately,

Because his important organs were removed during his lifetime, even though he received the blessing of the gods after death to fill the gaps, he still couldn't have a beard.

"The profound meanings expressed in concise historical texts have been evident ever since the Spring and Autumn Annals!"

"Why do they say that about me!"

It's one thing for a senior figure like Gan Deshi to say that, but it's another.
This group of younger generations,

Especially that Ban Gu!
He himself secretly compiled history books at home and even copied the biographical style that he pioneered!
How dare you speak ill of him?!
Watch as I appear in their dreams one by one, revealing my evil nature and scaring them all to death!
Seeing that he was truly angered, the other historians comforted him:
Confucius once said, "Those who know me and those who condemn me, only the Spring and Autumn Annals will know."

"It is clear that while such writing may spread ideas and promote righteous virtues, it may also inevitably cause displeasure to people."

"This is why our predecessors have repeatedly emphasized that historians must write with unwavering resolve, narrating events as usual without altering a single word."

To express opinions on certain matters

This is one of the inherent traits of humans as the most intelligent of all beings.

However, it is ultimately not good to let this nature be recorded in history.

Sima Qian was still somewhat displeased.

He grumbled, "To do the same thing as me and still criticize me like this... only the two emperors of the Han Dynasty are truly merciful."

The more I think about it, the angrier I get!

Subsequently,

He then went to find Ban Biao, who had already died, to challenge him to a duel.

"Why did they start fighting again?"

He Bo, who had just returned from taking care of the Iron-Eating Beasts in their breeding season in the Guanzhong Mountains, saw the fight between Taishi Gong and Ban Biao and asked the other dead ghosts about it with some confusion.

Ban Biao,

He was Ban Gu's father and a representative historian during the reign of Emperor Guangwu.

During his lifetime, he had already made various comments on Sima Qian.

This made Sima Qian very hostile towards this man after his death.

The two old men often brandished their carving knives, trying to treat each other like bamboo slips.

"It's all the fault of the State of Qi!"

In response to God's question, the dead ghost shrugged and confessed without hesitation who was the culprit.

"How can the State of Qi interfere in the internal affairs of the Han Dynasty?"

"Why did he bring up these historical issues and make people here today solve them?"

Is the wisdom of later generations meant to solve this kind of problem?
Once that Qi envoy who went to the Han Dynasty dies, he will sooner or later be beaten up by Sima Qian and the Ban family!
(End of this chapter)