Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 583 Yonghe's Unresolved Difference
In the twelfth year of Emperor Liu Bao's reign in Han Dynasty,

Feeling that the country had been peaceful and the policies had been implemented well in the past few years, and that the first pregnant concubine had appeared in the harem, the emperor was very happy and changed the reign title to "Yonghe" to express his expectations for the future.

unfortunately,

Things in the world are always unpredictable and never change according to the will of a monarch.

A problem that has been accumulating for a century
At the very beginning of the first year of Yonghe, they broke out in large numbers.

First, due to the officials' poor decision-making and bad attitude, the Qiang people in the west rebelled again.

The imperial court had no choice but to invest the wealth it had accumulated over the years into the campaign to quell the Qiang people.

Then the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu led his army south and plundered the border regions.

The reason for this is...
This is also due to the same reason as the Qiang people's rebellion—

The newly appointed governor of Wuyuan County, Chen Gui, was a man of intense temperament who rarely considered the consequences of his actions.

Upon assuming office, he believed that the long-standing problem of barbarian raids on the border was entirely due to the Xiongnu Chanyu's lax management of his subordinates. He disregarded the vastness of the Han Dynasty's borders and the large number of ethnic groups living in the surrounding areas, and simply blamed the Xiongnu.

then,

Chen Gui then sent an envoy to the current Xiongnu Chanyu, whereupon he loudly rebuked him and demanded that he commit suicide.

Having been subservient to the Han Dynasty for many years, the Chanyu, who was extremely afraid of the might of the Han army, did not know whether he was cowardly and weak or for the sake of the overall situation. In the end, he actually chose to commit suicide and let his brother succeed him as the new Chanyu.

However, the new Chanyu was very uneasy after taking the throne.

After all, a governor in the Han Dynasty could force his brother to die today, and he could force him to die tomorrow as well.

in this way,

It’s better to strike first!

The Xiongnu, who had been peaceful for many years, soon became restless again.

After that,
Furthermore, the southwestern barbarians, dissatisfied with the ever-increasing taxes, rebelled.

The Han Dynasty's finances, which had finally eased, faced another severe challenge in a short period of time.

"With internal troubles not yet fully resolved and external threats constantly rising, is the destiny of our great Han Dynasty truly heading towards decline?"

The emperor, overwhelmed by the successive reports of his ability to give birth, was dejected and his joy turned to despair.

Perhaps there really is such a thing as "national destiny."
Perhaps it was some unseen spirit or deity that had grown weary of the Han dynasty's more than three hundred years of rule.
Looking at the national treasury, which he had painstakingly accumulated over more than a decade, only to see it rapidly emptied,

The emperor was filled with bitterness.

Zhang Heng comforted him, saying, "The workings of heaven and earth have their own reasons."

"People in this world just need to fulfill their own duties."

External threats all originate from human-caused disasters.

Man-made disasters can be quelled through effort.

Zhang Heng did not want temporary setbacks to shake the emperor's resolve and allow the winds of prophecy to blow across the Central Plains once again.

To know,
During the reigns of Emperor Cheng and Emperor Ai of the Former Han Dynasty, vague and ambiguous prophetic sayings, which sounded quite powerful, became popular in the central country.

There were reasons why Wang Mang was able to seize power and usurp the throne.

When Emperor Guangwu restored the dynasty,

Emperor Shizu of Han's martial prowess was certainly recognized by the people of the world.
But during the Battle of Kunyang, the perfectly timed violent storm and the perfectly timed meteorite fall from the sky...

It's truly astonishing and makes one ponder the extra details.

otherwise,

At that time, Emperor Guangwu, whose elder brother had been killed and who himself had been rejected by Emperor Gengshi, would not so easily gain the support and reliance of the powerful clans in Hebei.
Unfathomable prophecies
Coupled with the equally unpredictable human nature,
That would be perfect!
Now that the Han dynasty has been established...

In order to consolidate their rule and safeguard the country, emperors throughout history have intentionally or unintentionally used prophecies and apocryphal texts to enhance their mystique and instill the concept that "the Mandate of Heaven is determined by the Liu family" into the minds of the people.

This makes it difficult to promote the theory of investigating things.

Zhang Heng, along with his predecessors Wang Jing and Wang Chong, as well as some Taoist priests of the Way of Great Peace, repeatedly criticized and opposed this kind of thing, but there were always people who would say:
"You're just a bunch of bookworms and sutra reciters, how could you possibly understand the hidden messages conveyed by ghosts and spirits like I do?"

therefore,

Zhang Heng was very worried.
If the emperor becomes despondent, loses the sharp edges and ambition of youth, and becomes worldly and shrewd, then many of his previous efforts will ultimately fail.

The emperor knew of the old minister's worries, and could only offer a wry smile before forcing himself to cheer up.

"With the war raging on, I still have many things to do."

"Grand Commander, there's no need to worry!"

As he said this, he went back to handling government affairs.

He continued until he was so tired that he yawned and his stomach made a slight rumbling sound.

The ever-attentive eunuch Cao Teng quickly brought the emperor food and hot water to help the monarch recover his energy.

The emperor wiped his face with the warm cloth, then suddenly remembered something and said to Cao Teng:
"You recently had a son?"

"Your Majesty, it is like this!"

Cao Teng was delighted to receive the emperor's attention and immediately beamed with joy.

Even though he had entered the palace at a young age and had long since developed a meticulous and steady temperament, the thought of having a son still revealed a hint of undisguised joy and pride in his expression.

“There was a child in the clan who had lost his parents and no elders were willing to take care of him, so they discussed it and he was adopted by me.”

He was a descendant of Cao Can, a meritorious official who helped found the Han Dynasty. According to his lineage, he should have been living a leisurely and comfortable life as a wealthy man.

However, as the family prospered over time and its population grew, internal rise and fall naturally occurred.

Cao Teng is from a branch of the family.

Originally, he was not close to the direct descendants.

However, once he became a trusted confidant of the emperor and a famous eunuch in the Han Dynasty,
The direct descendants then took the initiative to approach them.

This adoption, and the effort to arrange for Cao Teng to have offspring and continue the family line, was also due to the enthusiasm of the direct descendants.

Cao Tengcheng was grateful for their kindness, and their relationship naturally grew closer over the years.

Seeing his beaming smile, the emperor intended to warn the palace eunuch to have less contact with officials outside the palace.

But remembering that Cao Teng was chosen by his grandmother, Lady Deng, to serve her as an old minister, he remained silent for a while.

At last,
He sighed, "You have children, but I have none at all."

His first child has been born; she is a somewhat frail girl.

The emperor naturally loved her.
However, the fact that he didn't have a son still caused him great distress.
After all, the Liu family really did have a throne to inherit.

Upon hearing this, Cao Teng immediately stopped smiling and dared not speak.

From Emperor Zhang onwards

The Han dynasty was as if it were under a witchcraft curse.
They either have few offspring,
Or, many of them die young after birth.

Succession to the throne is, in itself, extremely difficult.

Therefore,
The fact that Emperor An deposed his only son and held a nationwide selection for a crown prince was a shocking event to the world.

Cao Teng, who served the emperor closely, knew how much effort the emperor had put into the harem after realizing that he had inherited his ancestors' "weakness".

Following the advice of his physicians, he sought out women from the common people who had given birth, were strong and healthy, and of mature age to enter the palace in order to secure the next generation of the royal family.

This prompted even more complaints from aristocratic families who were already dissatisfied with the emperor's suppression of them.

Even including the Yan family, the empresses of the present Han dynasty all came from aristocratic families.

Where can you find people from the general public?

If common women were to give birth to the next emperor, how would their wealth and status be guaranteed? Therefore...

When good news spread from the emperor's harem, the pregnant woman was indeed a commoner.
Liang Na's brother, Liang Ji, couldn't help but go to the palace and hint that she should do something for the sake of the family.

After Liang Na understood, she angrily drove him away.

When her father, Liang Shang, heard about the foolish thing his son had done, he also picked up a stick and beat him severely, almost to the point of fainting from anger.

Liang Ji was beaten so badly he couldn't get up, and he kept groaning in pain.

Liang Shang wanted to continue hitting him, but was pulled away by the others.

Another Liang Buyi seized the opportunity to step forward, carry his brother, whose buttocks were bruised, and run away.

The old father could only clutch his chest, his face pale, watching his two sons' departing figures, and said sadly:
"The Liang family will be ruined by that brat Liang Ji sooner or later!"

"He dares to meddle in the Emperor's family affairs without even consulting his family... What a wretched child!"

The rise of the Liang family,
It originated from Emperor He, born to Consort Liang.

Before that,
The Liang family had already been affected by the power struggle within the royal family due to the birth of Emperor He.

The jealous and domineering Empress Dou not only forced Consort Liang to commit suicide, but also exiled her all the way to Jiaozhi.

Liang Shang was born on the road to his family's exile and lived in Jiaozhi for several years.

He therefore knew,
Royal affairs are not something ordinary people can interfere with.

Their family's ability to gain the Emperor's favor and become a prominent maternal relative is already a testament to the blessings of their ancestors.

Greed for more will only backfire and lead the family down the path of destruction.

"If you don't let me kill that bastard Liang Ji today, don't blame me if you get implicated by him in the future and even lose your lives!"

After all,

Liang Shang, who was already in poor health and quite old, fainted. When he woke up, he heard from the doctor that he had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on one side.

Shortly before the birth of the emperor's eldest daughter,

Liang Shang has passed away.

The emperor even sent people to pay their respects to this elder who had always been dutiful and dutiful.

"Your Majesty is in good health and is in the prime of your life; you will surely have many children!"

Back to the present,

Seeing that the emperor remained sullen, Cao Teng could only offer him words of comfort.

The emperor gave a casual reply and continued reading the memorials, no longer dwelling on this heavy topic.

And in the days that followed,
He no longer had time to complain about his "incompetence".

Because the envoy from the State of Song has once again come to the Central Plains and has made new demands of the emperor.

"The State of Song invited scholars from the Central Plains to travel to the Western Sea to exchange ideas on the study of things with people from Xinxia, ​​Taixi, and other places..."

"Grand Commandant, what is your opinion on this matter?"

In the imperial court,

The emperor distributed the Song state's official letter to the Three Dukes and the Six Ministries, asking them to discuss the matter. He also highlighted Zhang Heng, a contemporary master of natural science, the Grand Minister of Works of the Han Dynasty, a master of water conservancy, and the inventor of movable type printing and the seismograph.

Zhang Heng did not answer immediately, but took the copied letter and examined it carefully.

The above content,

Emperor Song invited all the Xia peoples, as well as Rome, a "half-kin" that had been gifted by Qin and Han dynasties, to travel to the Western Sea and gather in Andu City. Following the precedent set by the Qin, Xia, and Han dynasties in compiling classics and standardizing weights and measures, they truly established the study of things.

The Han Dynasty in the Central Plains,
Although the study of investigating things was successively passed down by Wang Jing, Wang Chong, and Zhang Heng,
But ultimately it depends more on individual strength.

The disciples trained in the academy, hindered by the long-standing exclusive veneration of Confucianism and by those "early rich" who had already gained too much benefit from classical studies, were unable to form a powerful, united, and orderly school of thought like Confucianism and Mohism.

But the West Sea is different.

The land and water of the Western Sea are mostly barren, yet its territory is vast and located in an important area of ​​the Silk Road.
Therefore, the country has always attached great importance to methods to improve the efficiency of communication.

This led to the Western Qin period showing that the Western Sea region surpassed other regions in areas such as mathematics, astronomy, and craftsmanship.

In addition, the Qin state did not exclusively promote Confucianism.

After being driven out of the Central Plains and settling in the Western Sea, he also reflected on the "exclusive veneration of Legalism".
Therefore, we should be open-minded, unconventional, and only seek practical application to the world.

Before the fall of Western Qin,
Numerous books containing relevant knowledge emerged in the Western Sea.

Furthermore, the indigenous peoples conquered by the neighboring Western Roman Empire also largely used more abstract symbolic writing systems.
Therefore, after absorbing the essence of these methods, the scholars of Western Qin also created special numbers that were distinctly "barbarian" but were actually easy to use and remember, further facilitating the research of scholars in the Western Sea in mathematics and craftsmanship.

Although the turmoil forced such research to be interrupted,
However, after the establishment of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Wu Zhao Yu helped it to continue.

In this person's words
The study of things, which includes practical subjects such as mathematics and astronomy, is not only beneficial to governing the country and benefiting the people, but can also help the Western Sea obtain the "Mandate of Heaven".

After all, destiny is something that originates from the human heart.
Like prophecies and omens, they are invisible and intangible.

Often, once you've convinced others and gained their approval, you can claim to have "divine mandate."

In general, it's not much different from debating scriptures.

but,

In the debate over Confucian classics
Western scholars are certainly no match for their Central Plains counterparts who have been making a living in this field for over two hundred years.
It is also slightly inferior to the new summer relatives and friends who have been able to delve into its mysteries for many years of peace.
and so……

"Let them argue their case, we'll argue ours!"

"Don't talk to them about Confucianism; use solid, practical methods to confront them and attack their weaknesses!"

At that time, Emperor Taizu of Song simply waved his hand and spoke to the group of strategists, civil officials, and scholars under his command.

"The Western Emperor's ambition to seize the throne never dies; he is indeed a descendant of the Qin Dynasty."

After reading it, Zhang Heng made a definitive conclusion.

Although it was the State of Chu that "chased the throne," it was the State of Qin that ultimately destroyed the Zhou dynasty.

These two families have been linked by marriage for generations and sit side by side at the table where "we are barbarians," so there's no need to take it too seriously.

Zhang Heng suddenly thought of the Yue Kingdom to the south.

That's what you call a true "Qin-Chu crystallization".

The emperor also thought of it.

During the reign of Emperor Ming, there was Liu Jing, the Prince of Guangling, who was always up to no good and had planned several rebellions.

It can only be described as a powerful alliance.
The discovery of the Zhao clan of the Song state truly brought trouble to the Han people.

"Why not first have a debate and comparison with it?"

"To test the capabilities of the Western Sea in this regard."

From the reign of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, there was a tendency to support the study of natural phenomena.

During the reign of Empress Dowager Deng, academies were established, and a corresponding education system was formed.

And now, the current emperor,

Furthermore, by selecting candidates through examinations, we can promote their further development.

Even though its scale did not grow into a prominent school of thought during its short span of several decades,
However, having gathered the best of it, we are not afraid of the scholars that the Song state brought this time.

Zhang Heng is still alive!
"Then we shall do as you have suggested!"

The emperor waved his hand, agreeing with Zhang Heng's words.

He rubbed his temples, feeling that the Han Dynasty had gained another external threat.

(End of this chapter)