Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 539 Han and Rome
In the spring of the eighteenth year of Yongping,
After a thawing rain,

The Yellow River did not ripple with any additional waves.

The clear river water flows along its course, out of the plateau, through Guanzhong, through Guandong, and finally into the sea.

Nowhere did this volatile and unpredictable mother cause any new disasters.

The silt deposited at the bottom of the river was washed away by the large waves.

The river regained its rare tranquility.

On both sides of the Taiwan Strait,

People wearing colorful headscarves led their oxen and began to work in the fields where the ice and snow had melted.

Their sweat fell into the soil and gathered into a report to the emperor that the spring plowing was going smoothly.

"I should tell my parents this good news!"

Holding the report, the emperor, whose face was usually serious and solemn, inspiring fear in his ministers, revealed a slight smile.

Subsequently,

He issued an order to go to the Yuanling Mausoleum to pay homage to the late emperor.

The carriage, creaking and groaning, carrying the emperor and the joy of the New Year, arrived before the Yuanling Mausoleum.

The emperor held up the green seedlings he had brought from the outskirts of Luoyang and placed them on the sacrificial altar, hoping to use these sturdy and upright seedlings to tell his parents that his efforts had yielded excellent results.

The world is in great order!

In the Western Regions, Ban Chao also displayed great bravery and wisdom. After stirring up chaos in Jiaonan, he used the conflicts and interests among the various kingdoms of the Western Regions to rebuild the Protectorate of the Western Regions, spreading the might of the Han Dynasty far and wide once again.

The southern Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan and other barbarian tribes all submitted and became their subjects.
Although the Yan state in Liaodong never lost a verbal battle, its constant "condemnation" and "don't say we didn't warn you" revealed its internal weakness and powerlessness.

It has completely lost the possibility of competing with the Han Dynasty.

Meanwhile, the Yingyue and Ailao tribes in the southwest also sent congratulatory messages at the end of last winter, praising the emperor's civil and military achievements.

The distant Sui and Qi states, in their struggle for the title of "who is the true descendant of the Xia dynasty," petitioned the emperor for a judgment.

All of the above,

All of this indicates that the Han Dynasty was ushering in a new era of glory after the reigns of Emperor Wu and Emperor Xuan of the Former Han Dynasty.

This brought genuine joy to both the living and the dead.

After all, in times of peace and prosperity, even if there are still dark places, the common people will always benefit to some extent.

In times of chaos, the helpless and destitute will fall into all sorts of dire straits.

The Xin Dynasty of decades ago still seems like yesterday.

The chaos on the other side of the Western Sea, like heavenly fire consuming the world, was even more heartbreaking.

God therefore indicated that,

He wanted to reward Emperor Liu Zhuang.

He summoned Liu Xiu and Yin Lihua, and addressed the loving couple who remained respectful to each other even in death:
"He came specifically to share the good news with you, so go see him and talk to him!"

Emperor Liu Zhuang,

To the many rulers and emperors of the underworld, he was a special being—

His talent is extraordinary.

Even Emperor Guangwu, who valued public image and governed the country with a policy of appeasement, was moved to change the crown prince.
His parents never showed any conflict, giving Liu Zhuang a wonderful and memorable childhood;

He was strict in educating his successor, so that his prosperous state would have a qualified heir...

How could there be such a smooth-sailing emperor in the world?

To know,
Emperor Xuan of Han, who also had loving parents, a harmonious marriage, and a talent for governing the country, also had shortcomings in terms of succession!
right now,

The child achieved something and didn't forget to come and tell his parents.

How could this not make some of our late fathers feel bitter?
Emperor Yuan of the Former Han Dynasty and his successors have been keeping a low profile lately, for fear of igniting the pent-up anger of their fathers and grandfathers.

Liu Xiu and Yin Lihua were naturally pleased with this.

They also missed their child very much and were equally proud of his achievements.

then,

When a person experiences a joyous occasion, instead of reporting it to the "father" in Heaven, they immediately tell the emperor, who is their biological parents, and that very night they have a wonderful dream.

In dreams,
He transformed back into a young child, nestled in his parents' arms, reading the words from the book in his childish voice.

What was written was not a moving poem, but rather his achievements over the years.

When the child's voice stopped and he looked up at his parents with a proud expression, the parents reached out and stroked his hair, uttering one word of praise after another, accompanied by hearty laughter.

"I really wish this scene could last forever."

As night fell and the illusion of the dream slowly dissipated, the young emperor sensed something and suddenly uttered these words.

This is in a dream.
He no longer needs to maintain a serious and aloof demeanor in public, and can speak according to his inner feelings.

His parents exchanged a glance, then smiled and said to him, "That's not good."

"You should come to us later!"

After all,

They stood up, took the child's hand, and walked out of the room.

An endless fog obscured everything.
The emperor stood outside like that, and then woke up.

He slowly sat up from the bed, the warmth of the bedding still lingering.

After a long silence,

Only a sigh was heard.

the next day,
The bright sun rose again.
The emperor returned to his palace in his carriage, ready for a new round of struggle.

He still has many ideas for this country that have not been realized, and many policies that have not been implemented.

Recover the Western Regions

Governing the Yellow River

That wasn't enough to satisfy him.

Looking at the plants and trees in the imperial palace in Luoyang, which were full of vitality in the spring sunshine, the emperor believed that the eighteenth year of Yongping would be a new beginning.

And when summer arrives,
The Roman envoy from the far west finally arrived at the legendary Central Kingdom, the origin of everything, the sacred land beloved by God.

With black hair and black eyes, but with deep features and slightly curly hair, the envoy disembarked from the ship and landed on the coast of Qi and Lu. He was to travel upstream along the river to the center of the world, to the magnificent and splendid city of Luoyang.

"It was a tough journey."

The envoy stroked the jade pendant he had specially commissioned to be blessed by a priest who had established a temple in Rome before his departure, and said to his companions with emotion:
"I often thought on the road that if I were to die before reaching my destination, would God take me into that eternally peaceful and blissful underworld?"

His companion laughed and said, “You are so knowledgeable about the culture of the Chinese people, you will surely receive a special honor bestowed by God.”

Thanks to the efforts of the Roman dead men
The underworld in the western part of the country has been adequately developed.

And accompanied by that invisible sweat and effort,
And the later Roman Augusti emperors frequently received roars and beatings in their dreams.

The spread of Taipingdao (the Way of Peace) within the Roman Empire also yielded positive results.

Although the Roman gods, who primarily worshipped Jupiter, still gained popular faith due to the inertia of the times and the influence of custom,
But this did not prevent the God from the Chinese from rising higher and higher in the pantheon and receiving increasingly grand sacrifices.

Among the general populace, it was common to hear phrases like "God-King Jupiter" and "O God" interchangeably.

This is because Rome had already made contact with the various Chinese states when it was still a republic.

After so many years of influence, it's only natural that the Romans, who were already "similar to the Chinese," learned some real skills from the gentlemen of the Xia people!
As the wise men say:
Anyway, it's free.
Believe a little bit.
What if it works?
Not to mention that after believing the Taoist priests and having them perform rituals for the deceased elders before their passing, the descendants could indeed encounter mysterious and extraordinary events. Although the gentlemen of the various states also say:
"Think about it every day and dream about it at night."

Dreaming of deceased relatives may be a reflection of sadness and longing in one's heart, manifesting in the dream.

But after reconciling the accounts with others...
Those with a more flexible mindset can figure it out.

Seven days after a loved one's death, one will dream of that person precisely on time.

According to the Chinese calendar, on the fifteenth of August each year, it's inevitable that there will be a slightly chilly feeling around...

Tsk tsk,

There might really be something there!

then,

Some believers spontaneously began to promote the priests, hoping to enjoy God's mercy after death.

only,
These Romans were somewhat slow to realize things.

Because they also valued family and bloodlines, the Romans had a tradition of ancestor worship, but unlike the Chinese, they did not have the same emphasis on these aspects.

They usually only offer tributes to their ancestors during the Ancestor Worship Festival in mid-February.

This often results in the ancestors finally returning to their ancestral home on the seventh day after their death, only to find a desolate scene and not be able to eat any offerings.

The part where the dead visit a dream often involves scolding the descendants for their lack of consideration and ordering them to hang a copy of the Chinese calendar at home and remember the dates of various festivals.

In any case, Tiberius and the other Augustans had a lot of experience in this regard.

Fortunately, the current monarch Alexius is a wise man and has not fallen into the same trap as his ancestors, thus avoiding the bitter consequences of "sleep deprivation caused by repeated harassment by evil spirits".

When he first encountered that strange tradition from the East, he carefully adhered to it.

Because Alexius knew
Unless there is a necessary reason, the proud royal family will not go through all this trouble.

After he ascended the throne,
When they arrived in Pompeii, they encountered traces of ghosts and spirits.
Alexius's curiosity about the East grew even stronger.

then,

He sent messengers to the East to find out why the gods favored that land.

The fleet departed from Rome, crossed the Mediterranean Sea, and then sailed along Egyptian canals into a new ocean—

After the remnants of Western Qin were replaced,

Rome, adhering to the principle of "taking advantage of someone's misfortune," launched several offensives against the neighboring Ningguo.

Through its proud navy, Rome incorporated the "Lixuan," which originally belonged to the Qin state, into its territory and restored its former name.

unfortunately,

The land has not changed.
The long-lost form of address has reappeared.
The people who lived there have changed too much.

But Rome did not object to this.
It was brimming with confidence, believing that if the Qin people could conquer this land, then it, having defeated them, could certainly do the same.

that's it,
The fleet followed the ocean current eastward.

They first landed at Guazhou, where the Xindu River flows into the sea, hoping to hear divine revelation in Xinxia, ​​the birthplace of the Taiping Dao.

As a result, the State of Qi occupied that area.
Rome indicated that it was not very familiar with this newly separated Xia state and that there was no need to waste time on diplomacy with it.

If one wants to go to the Sui Dynasty...

Either cross the vast desert between the two countries, where the borders play a role,
Alternatively, one could detour through the southern part of China, travel upstream from the Ganges estuary, and reach Dening.

For this,

The Roman envoy reiterated that
Taking a detour would be a waste of time, and the Ganges River has a huge volume of water and a rapid current, making it impossible for ordinary boats to break through the obstacles and force their way in.

He was burdened with a heavy responsibility entrusted to him by Augustus, and he really couldn't afford to waste his energy on this tug-of-war with the Ganges.

"And I've heard from an old notebook that something bad happened in this river before."

The envoy said to his companion, “In the past, a cruel general threw all those who opposed him into this river to feed the fish.”

His companion thought for a moment and replied, "But haven't we done that before?"

During the Republic era, those who opposed the Gracchi brothers' reforms also shed blood on the Tiber River.

“How can they be the same?” the messenger said, waving his hand.

"Why is it different?" his companion asked, puzzled.

"The New Summer throws out living people and holds a diving competition; the Senate throws out dead people and reuses human resources... of course, they can't be compared!"

His companion nodded, indicating that he understood.

……

"Truly worthy of being called the Central Kingdom."

"The rivers, the population, and the land here are beyond my imagination."

After the boats bound for Luoyang had been traveling on the Yellow River for some time,

The envoy from Rome then shared his thoughts.

"Its richness and beauty truly deserve God's favor."

No matter how proud you are of your country.

The vast plains, abundant population, and prosperous cities of the Han Dynasty left a deep impression on the envoy.

Rome, on the other hand, was mostly mountainous, so its cities couldn't be built as square and spacious as those in the Central Plains to accommodate a large number of residents.

Moreover, the Romans, who were accustomed to traveling by sea, had never seen farmlands stretching to the horizon like those in the Central Plains.

of course,

According to Roman scholars, the Western Qin dynasty once created such a magnificent spectacle in Mesopotamia.
However, with years of continuous warfare, the past prosperity has long since vanished, leaving only some traces that tell of the glory that Ying Qin once created in the outer regions.

His companions also exclaimed in surprise at everything they saw.

"Can Rome achieve the same thing?"

Could they possess an even more expansive territory, creating a powerful and wealthy nation comparable to the Central Kingdom, standing alongside it in the East and West?
“Of course!” the envoy replied without hesitation.

People living in a prosperous era always have a strong sense of self-confidence, believing that they and their country will continue to rise and move towards the sun.

They will not fail.
They will always be victorious!
Until they heard,

The river the fleet crossed had been repaired by the Han Dynasty court a few years ago.

A new waterway traversing the Kanto Plain,
The sturdy dikes on both sides of the river
There were also the hundreds of thousands of laborers who were mobilized at the time...

This seems to be another thing that defies common sense in Rome.

"So, is it really possible?"

His companion glanced at the scenery on the riverbank, noticed a few small, green willow trees, and then turned to look at the messenger.

The envoy opened his mouth, but in the end, he just stood on the ship with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless.
"No need!"

"Rome doesn't have such a long and wild river!"

Even if Egypt were conquered, the Nile River would still be a challenge.

Even conquering Gaul and the Germanic tribes would require facing the Rhône River.

Don't forget that even the gentry of the Xia people who migrated to the Western Sea complained about the temper of their mother rivers, such as the Nile!

The Romans, raised by she-wolves
The Xia people, who established their first dynasty through water management,
It's still quite different!

(End of this chapter)