My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 594 Consideration
Even in later generations, this was a truly magical land.

This place is covered with black soil, yet it remains frozen year-round;

The landscape here is beautiful, yet it is covered in a blanket of snow.

For most of the Chinese civilization throughout history, as well as the civilizations of the northern grasslands and the Korean Peninsula, this region was like a large watermelon frozen in ice.

Tasty?
Of course it tastes good.

Even if you haven't tried it, just by looking at its appearance, you can easily tell how delicious it is.

But no matter how delicious it was, no one had ever tasted or experienced the sweetness of this watermelon.

Because there was a whole block of ice on the outside of this watermelon, which couldn't be broken, melted, or pried open.

—In particular, Liu Rong, as a time traveler, was the one who knew best how much development potential this region, which later generations called 'black soil', had.

Even so, for the first twenty years after arriving in this era, Liu Rong did not devote his gaze and attention to this fertile land for even a moment.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong, Liu Rong disregarded the fertile black soil of Northeast China. It could be said that the then Crown Prince Liu Qi was like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river, barely able to protect himself, while the eldest grandson of the emperor, Liu Rong, was completely invisible, having no presence whatsoever in the Han Dynasty's political arena.

Before being established as the crown prince during the reign of the late emperor, Liu Rong, who was merely the eldest son of a concubine, seemed to have no ability to make a move in the Northeast.

Strangely enough, in the last three years of the late emperor's reign, Liu Rong was made crown prince and even served as regent. Later, he succeeded to the throne and became the emperor of Han!
After the Han-Xiongnu Hetao-Mayi Campaign—especially after the Han-Xiongnu Gaoque Campaign—Liu Rong had established his authority and held great power!

At that time, Liu Rong already had the ability to realize all the miracles that might appear in feudal dynasties, without violating the laws of nature.

But Liu Rong did not do that.

Liu Rong had the ability to do so, but he didn't, so there's only one explanation left.

It's not that Liu Rong didn't want to, nor that he lacked the right or qualification to push it forward; it's just that the matter itself was impossible to accomplish.

It's like the mushroom egg, does Liu Rong want to make one?
Of course I want to do it!

If Liu Rong insists on creating a mushroom egg, can he mobilize all the necessary resources of the current Han Dynasty?

of course can!

But the problem is: it's unmanageable.

In this backward era where communication relied mainly on shouting, transportation relied mainly on walking, and even primitive cement and gunpowder were considered "black technologies," let alone mushroom eggs.

The fact that military explosives are stable in nature and can be deployed in large units and used on the battlefield is enough to trigger a scientific revolution in this era that is no less significant than the Industrial Revolution.

The same principle applies to development in Northeast China.

Liu Rong certainly knew that if this land were used properly, it could support hundreds of millions of people!
The current population of the Han dynasty is only a little over 30 million, less than 40 million!

This means that as long as the black soil of Northeast China can be developed, the Han people can abandon farming in all other areas except for this region!
Even this land doesn't need to be cultivated every year—a good harvest from the black soil in one year is enough to feed the Han people for two or three years!

This is just the potential for agricultural development in this black soil region.

In terms of industry, Liu Rong, as a time traveler, coveted this region and placed high hopes on it.

But in the end, it all comes down to this: this big watermelon is very sweet and fragrant, but you can't actually eat it.

Because in this era, the Dai Kingdom, located in the area of ​​Datong in Shanxi and Yu County in Hebei in later generations, was already a "bitterly cold land in the north";

Even the Yan Kingdom, located in the northeasternmost part of the Han Dynasty's territory, corresponds to the Hebei and Beijing areas in later generations, rather than the three provinces outside the Great Wall that are 'further northeast'.

For later generations, the three northeastern provinces are very cold, Beijing in Hebei is alright, and further south, it's not really cold.

However, in this era, the Yan state—especially the Youbeiping area in eastern Yan and the northern Yan region—was the coldest and most uninhabitable permafrost region in the understanding of Chinese civilization.

For the Han dynasty at present, there is no difference between the area north of Yan and the Arctic—both are extremely cold places where humans cannot survive and would freeze to death at any moment.

The Yan state was so cold that humans could hardly survive there, and both Dai and Zhao were classified as bitterly cold places in the north.
It's not hard to see what the black soil of Northeast China means to this era.

The reason for this situation is actually not complicated.

—In this day and age, the survival skills and access to resources of the lower classes are extremely limited.

Moreover, the development of the times and the progress of technology have not yet demonstrated any characteristic of 'technology making human life happier' in this era.

In cold places, the lower classes of that era often could only ward off the cold by lighting a bonfire and sitting around it to keep warm.

At best, with the best of luck, you might find a decent bricklayer to build a fireplace that connects the wall to the stove, barely enough to keep out the cold.

Going a step further—forget about central heating or underfloor heating, let alone the lower classes of this era;
Even Emperor Liu Rong had been planning to install underfloor heating in the Xuan Shi Hall for several years, but he couldn't come up with a decent solution.

What's even more critical is that, apart from centralized heating systems, people in this era don't even have personal means of keeping warm like cotton-padded clothes!
Don't forget;
Cotton didn't exist in this era!
According to the original historical trajectory, it would have taken at least a hundred years for the original, unmodified cotton, which could only exist as an ornamental crop, to be introduced from the Western Regions to China.

After hundreds or thousands of years of breeding and improvement, it finally became a material that could be used as filling for clothing and bedding to keep warm.

In other words, in the Han Dynasty today, wanting to go to the Northeast—or even the Yan Kingdom—is simply playing with one's life.

There was no heating, no air conditioning, and certainly no cotton-padded clothes, trousers, or silk quilts;

Clothing and bedding could only be filled with 'fluff'.

The sons of wealthy families are fine—they have rare items like duck and goose down, and the amenities like heaters and carriages ensure they won't freeze to death.

But if a farmer, all alone and without possessions, were to go to such a harsh and cold place, he would truly not know the meaning of death.

This situation not only exists among the lower classes, but also affects the central government of this era and its development plans for this frozen land.

—Just like the Korean Peninsula, which Liu Rong is now eyeing, its climate is no less cold than the permafrost of Northeast China.

In later idol dramas, male leads are always depicted wearing trench coats and scarves, and their voices are always filled with steam.

This means that if Liu Rong wants to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue by force, he must first ensure that his soldiers have enough to eat and wear before they go to war.

Some might ask: During the Battle of Hetao-Mayi, weren't the Han soldiers cold while running around in Hetao?
Especially the Battle of Gaoque—a surprise attack on Gaoque in the dead of winter, didn't the Han soldiers feel cold?

Liu Rong could only say that the two were not comparable.

The Han-Xiongnu Hetao-Mayi Campaign broke out in mid-autumn and ended completely before winter.

Moreover, the Hetao region actually corresponds to the junction of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Shaanxi provinces in later generations—it was cold, but still within a tolerable range.

As for the Battle of Gaoque, Gaoque was located in Inner Mongolia, a place known in later generations as the "bitterly cold land of the north".

But don't forget;

The Battle of Gaoque was not a protracted, drawn-out war, but a surprise attack and a blitzkrieg.

Within ten days of the battle's outbreak, the Han forces had successfully captured the Gaoque Fortress, essentially ending the 'offensive phase' of the entire campaign. Moreover, immediately after the capture of Gaoque, Bowang City in northern Hetao began a continuous stream of winter supplies sent from Chang'an to Gaoque on the opposite bank of the river.

even!
Even with such thorough preparations, the Han people still suffered no fewer than several thousand non-combat casualties in that battle, all due to the extreme cold weather!

The Korean Peninsula, however, is different from the Hetao and Gaoque regions.

—The Korean Peninsula is larger in area than the Hetao region, and its terrain is more complex and 'undulating'.
If the Han dynasty's attempt to seize the Hetao region was a feint to the east and a surprise attack on Gaoque was an attack on the enemy's unpreparedness, then the Han dynasty could only openly and honestly advance eastward from the Yan state to the Korean Peninsula, pushing forward without any surprises.

Moreover, the Korean Peninsula and the Hetao region are different in one aspect.

—In the Hetao region, the loess plateau is an unavoidable natural barrier.

The other three sides are all protected by the Yellow River as a 'moat,' which is the origin of the name Hetao. However, the Yellow River basin in the Hetao region is essentially just a buffer zone and a warning line.

If the Han people wanted to cross over, they certainly could; the only difference was the scale of the movement and the speed of the crossing.

Moreover, once you cross that, there are vast plains, with no other natural barrier.

This led to the Xiongnu people, who once controlled the Hetao region, having to separate Hetao from Hexi in the west, Munan in the north, and Beidi Commandery in the east.

Even though Hexi and Munan were both under the control of the Xiongnu, the same was true.

Because the Hetao region is rich in aquatic plants;

Whether it was the tribes in the western part of the Hetao region or the tribes in the southern part of the Hetao region, they all wanted to take a piece of the land, or even migrate to the Hetao region as a whole.

Therefore, in essence, the Hetao region, which once belonged to the Xiongnu, needed to be "guarded against enemies on three sides".

In contrast, the Korean Peninsula clearly does not have this concern.

The fact that it can be called a 'peninsula' is enough to show that the Korean Peninsula is surrounded by sea on three sides;
The only western side that borders the mainland is even separated from the Han Dynasty's territory by the Mazi River.

Ma Zishui, that name might sound unfamiliar.

Its ancient name was: Peishui, which is a rare and uncommon character.

But in later generations, this river had a very famous name.

Yalu River.

Starting from what is now the Yan Kingdom region, heading east to Youbeiping, crossing the Yalu River, one can set foot on the Korean Peninsula.

At the same time as setting foot on the Korean Peninsula, they will also directly set foot on the western part of Wiman Joseon's territory.

From this perspective, if the Han dynasty were to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue by force, the army's marching route would essentially be fixed.

—The Chang'an court selected two or three captains from the Southern and Northern armies, as well as the Feathered Forest Guard and the Tiger Guard, as key personnel;

A large number of soldiers were conscripted from Guanzhong, with key personnel from the Northern and Southern Armies and the Imperial Guards serving as officers, forming an expeditionary force of about 100,000 men.

Then, the army set off from Chang'an, heading east, passing through Hangu Pass, and passing through the Yellow River and Luo River;

From Liang, they turned northeast, passed through Zhao, and arrived at Yan.

After a brief rest in Yan, and with a sufficient number of Yan soldiers to serve as guides and provide survival advice in the extreme cold, they then launched a major eastward advance.

If all goes well, the army might be able to hold out until Wiman Joseon can react and cross the river first.

Of course, even if they had realized what was happening, Wiman Joseon would most likely not have dared to take action before the Han army crossed the river and set foot on their territory.

The first battle will most likely break out on the east bank of the Mazi River, when the Han people have just set foot on the Korean Peninsula, and the situation is unclear and their foothold is not yet secure.

What happens next depends on the outcome of each battle.

Right now, Liu Rong has issued an edict summoning all the well-known and respectable monarchs of the Korean Peninsula to Chang'an.

These people's course of action is completely the opposite.

First, the territory is located east of the Mazi River, which is across the river from the Han Dynasty. However, it is annoying that Wiman Joseon is the only one in the corner. It is highly likely that it can successfully cross the river and set foot in the Yan State.

Other regimes' delegations—such as Jinhan and Mahan—had to start from the southern peninsula, travel north, and then find a way to pass through the northern peninsula controlled by Wiman Joseon before they could reach the Yan state in the far northeast of the Han dynasty's territory.

The phrase "find a way to access the territory of Wiman Joseon" is undoubtedly a trap set by Liu Rong for Wiman Joseon's monarch, Wie U-gu.

—If delegations from countries such as Jinhan and Mahan want to pass through Chang'an to pay their respects, and their route passes through your Wiman Joseon territory, will you allow them to pass?
Whether you let go or not—will you come to Chang'an yourself?
Liu Rong dared to guarantee that Wei Youqu himself would definitely not dare to come.

However, they certainly wouldn't dare not send a delegation, and would most likely send several influential people to form a delegation to pay homage to Chang'an.

Liu Rong boldly speculated that at least one of Wei Youqu's sons would be in the delegation—and it was very likely that he was the crown prince of Wei Joseon.

In addition, there will be a senior official of the Wiman Joseon dynasty—most likely the prime minister.

Then things get interesting.

Once the Wiman Joseon delegation arrives in Chang'an, Liu Rong can seize on Wei Youqu's weakness and question the Wiman Joseon delegation: Why did the Joseon King not come to Chang'an?

After this matter is resolved, the delegation will be severely humiliated.

Next, Liu Rong would ask the delegation: Why haven't the other delegations arrived/why haven't they been able to set foot in Yan?
Was it your Wiman Joseon that interfered and prevented loyal vassal states from having an audience with the suzerain state?

If the Wiman Joseon delegation cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for this accusation, Liu Rong will have a legitimate reason to launch his campaign.

—My little brother is here to kowtow to his elder brother, but this bastard won't let his little brother kneel down?!
—If it doesn't die, who will?

Of course, Wiman Joseon also had a more rational choice: to endure humiliation and allow all the envoys passing through to come to Chang'an to pay homage.

Even so, Liu Rong still had something to say.

cough cough;

For decades, the various vassal states of Korea had repeatedly requested to visit Chang'an, but most of them were unable to do so.

What's going on?
Liu Rong wasn't sure if it was always Wiman Joseon that was causing trouble.

But it's okay;

Liu Rong could have shamelessly and without any scruples declared: "If I say you are, then you are!"

Will your Wiman Joseon surrender or perish?

Will you kneel before me, or continue to be stubbornly ignorant?

You'd better think it over carefully...

(End of this chapter)