Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 6 Home Visit
It's getting late,

He Bo was holding a vegetable dumpling and walking slowly on the main road of Ye County.

Through various observations, he found that the "ghost rumors" often mentioned by the people of Ye were mostly about "He Bo", and the rest were rumors that there were monsters in certain places. But when He Bo asked them how to scare people, they just described with gestures how those monsters would scream and how big they looked. As for the monsters that could capture people's souls and change their shapes as mentioned in later vernacular novels... he had never heard of them.

So now, He Bo speculated three possibilities.

First, there are no other ghosts or gods in the world today except him.

The second is the ghostly monks who appear and disappear mysteriously and have never been seen or heard of around Ye.

Three is...

People of this era still lack the experience of later generations, and their imagination about monsters is insufficient.

However, as for the third point, when he thought about the fact that according to the trend of historical development, hundreds of years later there would still be people who could stimulate a large group of people to revolt by imitating the speech of foxes, He Bo had nothing else to say.

"…But I still need to confirm it again and again."

If I am the only one in this world,

This is naturally the best news for He Bo.

Even if he can no longer explore and develop new capabilities in the future, He Bo can still live comfortably in the basin relying on the Zhangshui River.

After all, hundreds and thousands of years later, the Zhang River is also an important part of the Haihe River Basin where it is located. Because of its long history, some scholars even believe that the Zhang River is the real trunk of the Haihe River.

The Haihe River,
It is a well-known water system in northern China, covering a wide range and with complex water systems. Among them, the famous city that relies on the Haihe River is naturally a giant imperial capital that suppresses the destiny of a country.

As for the history of the imperial capital, no matter how ignorant He Bo was, he knew that it was designated as the secondary capital during the Liao Dynasty, the central capital during the Jin Dynasty, and the Dadu during the Yuan Dynasty...

With such convenience,

As long as He Bo can endure the loneliness and wait for a thousand or eight hundred years, he will be able to enjoy great convenience.

And during these thousands of years, there are so many things that He Bo can do.

If He Bo had not monopolized the benefits of becoming a god, and there were still people before him who were at the top of the world, then He Bo would naturally have to be more careful and keep a low profile.

"Since Ximen Bao was able to become an official, he should know more than ordinary people."

Thinking like this,

He Bo walked towards the mansion where Ximen Bao was, and on the way he gave the vegetable dumplings he had bought to the children passing by.

He had enjoyed shopping before and was very curious about the scenery during the transition from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, so he caught a few fish from the Zhang River and exchanged them for some local specialty foods so that he could also taste the joys and sorrows of the ancients.

It's just a pity,

He Bo did not really turn into a human form, but used illusion to deceive the eyes and ears of mortals. In fact, he still could not escape the category of "a piece of air".

Therefore,
He couldn't eat.

He Bo was very sad about this, so he took some dumplings made of unknown vegetables to tease the children on the street and asked them if they looked like human beings.

The children didn't understand why this nobleman had no servants following him, nor did they understand why this man was so stupid that he even forgot whether he was a human or not. However, for the sake of the free meal package, they all pointed out that there was no one in the world more like a human than He Bo!

So, He Bo gave away all the vegetable balls, so as not to waste several lives of the Zhanghe aquatic creatures.

……

"Please inform the magistrate of Ye. I heard that he is going to build a canal to divert water from the Zhang River, so I came to visit him specially."

He Bo came to the door and said to the servant guarding the gate.

Seeing that he looked rich and noble, the servant respectfully asked him to wait for a while and then went in to inform Ximen Bao.

When Ximen Bao heard that a distinguished guest was coming, he went to the door to greet him.

"Be polite!"

Ximen Bao first bowed to the visitor.

He Bo imitated the etiquette of this world and returned the courtesy.

immediately,

Ximen Bao invited people into the room, and the two of them knelt down on the table facing each other.

"May I ask why you teach me?"

Ximen Bao leaned forward first and asked.

He felt that the person who came at this time must be related to the governance of Ye.

In today's world, there are also many scholars who promote their own theories everywhere, trying to persuade the nobles in the hope of getting promoted.

No matter what their main focus is, Confucianism, Mohism and other schools of thought will naturally rely on their sharp tongues if they want to spread their ideas.

Although Ximen Bao had never entered Anyi or held a seat in the imperial court, he was the head of a county in Ye. It was normal for him to attract some unknown and powerless scholars to come to him.

The suffering of Ye was well known throughout the State of Wei. Also, because it was sandwiched between the border of Wei and Zhao and in the eastern county of Wei, it was isolated by Han. It was a very difficult situation for the current monarch, Wei Si.

Therefore, Ximen Bao, a talent that the king could use, was demoted to be the magistrate of Ye County. "What do you want me to say?"

He Bo asked back.

Ximen Bao first asked, "How about the State of Wei?"

He Bo shook his head and said, "Governing a country, I don't know about that."

What's more, at this time the three families had just divided up the State of Jin. They were vying for the spoils of war and the situation was in chaos. Everything was unsettled and even the national borders were scattered. For example, the Dongjun of Wei State, where Ye County was located, was an enclave for the Wei mainland, with the State of Han sandwiched in the middle.

He Bo only has one main stream on the east side, and most of the river flows through the Zhang River in Handan County of Zhao State. How much does he know about Wei State?
of course,

If I have to say,
Those things that have been talked about a lot in later generations, such as "light taxes and levies, rewards for farming and weaving", etc., can naturally be brought out to open the eyes of people in the early Warring States period who had not yet accumulated much historical experience.

but,

He Bo didn't want to get involved in this aspect.

Still the same reason——

He is just a river.

Ximen Bao straightened his back slightly and asked again, "What about Yuye?"

"I'm not too sure about that." He Bo shook his head again, "After all, I'm not the Lord of Ye."

Ximen Bao frowned slightly, and stopped leaning forward, instead looking at He Bo, "Then...what about building a canal for water conservancy?"

He Bo wanted to continue shaking his head, but when he found that Ximen Bao's attitude had changed, he laughed and said, "I have never repaired water conservancy projects, but I still have something to say about the Zhang River!"

Ximen Bao's expression softened as a result.

No wonder he chose the right dish based on the food.

The truth is that the world today, with its princes competing for supremacy, is no longer the same as before.

Although the princes had been fighting for hegemony over the world before, they still adhered to the principle of "gentleness, courtesy, frugality and modesty" in the overall situation. The nobles would not kill each other in wars. Even if a big country oppressed a small country, as long as the small country surrendered, they would give in. Some nobles would even help the small country in various ways just because the small country recognized them as their big brother.

Therefore, people in later generations said: "The Struggle for Hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period".

The so-called "hegemon" is the greatest among the princes and the leader of the princes.

As the three families divided Jin, the world seemed to have changed, quietly becoming more complicated and cruel.

The Zhou Dynasty was granted a title at the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty, originating from the bloodline of King Wu. It lasted for hundreds of years. The large Jin state of the Ji clan that had held the Jiantu League was dismembered and the country was in danger. The Zhou emperor also personally recognized the three noble families who divided up Jin as new princes, which further promoted the collapse of rituals and music.

After this incident, in order to preserve their ancestral temples, status and power, all the princes in the world, no matter how conservative they were, began to think about ways to strengthen their national strength.

When those in power have the intention to become stronger, there will naturally be a reaction from those below.

in this way,

That is, "practicality" is in vogue.

Even if the reasoning is good,

It cannot strengthen our country.

Make my ancestral temple everlasting,

So that my authority will not be lost,

That's useless too.

This is also the reason why the Legalists developed rapidly and gained attention from major princes.

Ximen Bao studied under the Xihe School, which was a branch of Confucianism, but its founder, Zixia, was a disciple of Confucius.

However, compared with other "gentle and refined" brothers, Zixia's doctrine seems more radical. Compared with the morality and etiquette advocated by Confucianism, Zixia attaches more importance to the Confucian "art" of governance and reconciliation of the world, and to a certain extent, requires that the governance methods should keep pace with the times.

Therefore, later generations said: "Confucius talked about rites and laws, Zeng Shen learned rites, and Zixia learned laws."

Zixia himself once said: "A gentleman has three characteristics: he is solemn when seen from afar, warm when approached, and stern when listened to."

A gentleman is required not only to be gentle and elegant, but also to have certain political skills and scheming.

It is not difficult to see that these requirements for "gentlemen" are quite similar to the Legalists' advocacy of observing the situation and exercising power.

To some extent, the Xihe School can also be regarded as one of the origins of Legalism.

Ximen Bao was born into a commoner family. By studying in Xihe, he was appreciated by the king and was promoted. Naturally, he paid more attention to "usage".

What's more, when he first arrived in Ye County, he acted aggressively, which was enough to show that Ximen Bao was eager to achieve some results so that he could return to the core of the Wei State.

He is respectful to the wise and humble.
It is the benefits that people can provide.

If it's just a waste of time,
There is no need to waste expressions.

(End of this chapter)