Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 56: Ximen Bao Returns

January is passing by in a flash.
The weather is getting hotter.

Although He Bo lived in the water and didn't have many feelings, at this season, he still had to do more than before.

After all, in the summer, heavy rains and strong winds always come suddenly, which can overwhelm the crops in the fields and raise the water level of the Zhang River, causing summer floods.

At this time, many of the rain clouds were drifting over from the sea, not from the Zhang River, and therefore were not under He Bo's control.

They must fall according to the laws of heaven and earth, and He Bo cannot stop them.

The rainwater fell into the tributaries of the Zhangshui River and finally merged into the main trunk, causing the already high water level to rise again.

He Bo could also feel that as the summer flood gradually arrived and countless torrents poured into the Zhangshui River, he gradually became irritable and often felt restless.

"This is the law of heaven and earth."

“I can’t quite shake it off yet.”

He Bo suppressed the inexplicable anger in his heart that wanted to sweep away everything and turn into a torrent. He sat in his mansion, watching the whirlpools that kept rolling up due to the raging waves in the Zhang River in summer.

"Fortunately, I was able to control myself, otherwise this flood would have caused disasters in many places."

He Bo felt the recent surge in incense sales, and thought to himself: My efforts have paid off after all.

Ye County is located at a higher altitude, so even without He Bo's regulation, there is no need to worry about being flooded by the surging Zhang River.

But the cities built in the flat areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Zhang River required extra help from He Bo.

Although, He Bo could control the flow of water, rushing it downwards and merging into the Yellow River.

But the surging water is always bound to overflow.

For Zhangshui in summer,
The originally flowing river channel became narrow and crowded.

It's like a huge fat cat trying to squeeze itself into a small cardboard box.

Although the force was controlled cleverly and the cardboard box was not broken, a layer of fat on the body was inevitably "flowing" out.

To deal with these inevitable problems, He Bo would guide the water flow to flow underground as much as possible, or to remote areas with few people.

of course,

He Bo also wanted to "announce to the world" and demonstrate his power in exchange for more worship after such hard self-restraint.

then,

Just before the summer flood arrives in a certain place, many people will be told in their dreams by the River God, who tells them how much rain will fall and how much the river water will increase at a certain time. If there is a possibility of being affected, they should hide in high places as soon as possible.

Although under He Bo's control, the entire city will not be flooded, but no one knows how much dirty things are hidden in the flood.

If people are soaked in flood water and accidentally get infected, they will inevitably get injured or sick. In such an era, they will eventually die of the disease.

Because such things were too miraculous, the villagers who had heard the dreams basically believed them. While there was still some time left, they took their belongings and ran to the nearby high ground, thus escaping the disaster and preserving most of their wealth.

thus,

The name of He Bo spread widely.

Although the subsequent fanatical sacrifices were stopped by ghosts and gods in dreams, temples to Hebo were continuously built in various places, and the flames in front of the temples used to convey prayers seemed to burn endlessly.

"This way, Guanhe can be obtained faster."

He Bo glanced at the Guanhe progress bar that had been successfully refreshed in the past few days and nodded with satisfaction.

Then, he remembered, "Ximen Bao will be back soon!"

Although he has recently met Gongzi Chao, He Bo is not the kind of person who gets bored easily.

He still remembered the approximate date of return that Ximen Bao had mentioned before.

His wife who stayed in Ye County often went to the temple to ask the gods and ghosts: When will my beloved come back?

“I just don’t know which way to go.”

At this time of year, it would be quite dangerous to take a boat along the Yellow River.

When Ximen Bao returns, there will be no envoy following him. He will probably choose to take a car, pass through Korea, and return to Ye County.

After two days,

In response to He Bo's guess, Ximen Bao came to Tongdi.

As soon as He Bo "saw" him appear in his own river basin, he came to Tongdi to greet him.

But Ximen Bao was thin and looked listless, and he did not look very happy.

He got off the car and stood by the Tongdi River crying. When he saw He Bo appear, he just said to him, "The king is indeed old."

"When I went to see him this time, he listened to the words of other ministers and wanted to take back my seal."

When Ximen Bao was still in Anyi,
He lived a very simple life, had no closeness to the people around the Marquis of Wei, and strictly observed the etiquette of a gentleman.

This made many of the attendants dislike Ximen Bao.

Why don't you come and please me?

And the position of Ye Ling was also coveted by others.

After all, Ye County played an important role in the layout of Wei State.

Some nobles and officials who considered themselves capable felt that they were also capable of governing Ye County, so that they could better gain the appreciation of the Marquis of Wei and promote their own reputation.

As for Ximen Bao?
He just got this opportunity by luck.

So, some people began to bribe the attendants around the king, hoping that they could speak ill of Ximen Bao in front of the king, so that the king would abandon him and replace him with themselves.

When Ximen Bao left Anyi and went to Ye County, the distance was far and the transmission of information was slow, so the attendants took the money and started to do their work.

The Marquis of Wei was old, and not as resolute and trustworthy as he was when he was young.

People kept saying bad things about Ximen Bao in front of him. He didn't think much of it at first, but after a while he began to waver.

When Ximen Bao and the envoy returned to Anyi, the Marquis of Wei was also in doubt.

The messengers he sent out were all trustworthy and strong enough.

After all, if he was physically weak, how could he have walked such a long distance to various places in Wei to inspect the performance of officials?

How come you were fine when you left?

After returning from Ye County, you became mute?

The attendants therefore slandered Ximen Bao even more.

So after meeting Ximen Bao, the Duke of Wei did not fully believe the documents on his political achievements presented to him, and thought of replacing him with someone he trusted more.

Ximen Bao fell to the ground and apologized, saying with tears in his eyes, "I have failed the king's trust, I really deserve to die!"

"I didn't know how to govern Ye County before, but now I know. Please give me another chance. If I still can't do it, I am willing to accept the death penalty."

Seeing the minister whom he trusted last year crying in fear because he had lost his favor this year, the Marquis of Wei began to waver again.

He raised his old, striped hand, asked Ximen Bao to stand up, and decided to give him another year.

Ximen Bao was able to return to Ye County and continue to serve as Ye County Magistrate.

But unlike the high spirits he had when he first took office, when he set out on the road to Ye County again, Ximen Bao felt only bitterness in his heart.

He Bo comforted him, "Everything has a beginning, but few can have an end."

"This is a truth summed up by the ancients. Many people and things in this world are inevitably like this."

"To have a good beginning and a good end is already a saint."

Ximen Bao nodded, "I know this is true, and I also know that the king is old and it is difficult for him to be as smart and wise as before."

"It's just that knowing is knowing, but it's inevitable that there will be other feelings in your heart."

He promoted many commoners and even appointed the Marquis of Wei, who was of Rongdi origin.
The Duke of Wei, who led the reform and was determined to make progress,
After completing the great feat of dividing Jin among the three families, the Marquis of Wei, who was promoted from a minister to a vassal...

He finally got old.

He has reached the age where he listens to slander, cannot make decisions, and even becomes capricious.

The former Marquis of Wei,
He is the monarch of Ximen Bao's dreams and, in Ximen Bao's opinion, a "sage king" who meets the requirements of Confucianism.

but now,
Ximen Bao's dream was shattered.

Although he had anticipated this,
But when I witnessed it with my own eyes, I still felt sad.

"It doesn't matter!"

He Bo waited quietly for Ximen Bao to finish crying and calm down, then said to him, "If you come to serve me after you die, you will never encounter such a thing again."

Old and incompetent?

How can ghosts and gods grow old?

By that time, it would be a good thing if He Bo did not become more and more indifferent to everything in the world as time goes by!

When Ximen Bao heard this, he became cheerful and joked with the ghosts and gods, "It is difficult to predict destiny."

"I can only try my best to be buried by the Zhang River."

He Bo wished him well, "It would be best if you died of old age."

"The tomb should also be built in a high place, otherwise if you offend the ghosts and gods one day, the ghosts and gods will be angry and use water to cover it."

Ximen Bao laughed, "As it should be!"

(End of this chapter)