Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 607 Unity and Division

In the fifth year of Xiping,

Like a stagnant pool of water, a world long stagnant and decaying, some very subtle things have happened.

The Sui Dynasty, which was given a temporary reprieve by the Song Dynasty, finally met its demise.

An army led by local powerful figures stormed into its capital and obtained from the surrendered Sui emperor the bronze tripod that had been bestowed by the Zhou emperor at the beginning of the Xia dynasty, representing the legitimacy of the Xia's rule over the region.

The bronze tripod, which was once gleaming with gold, has now been covered with bluish rust after five hundred years of wind and rain, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.

These are the marks that time has etched upon it, upon the new summer.
It is in those subtle details that even historians failed to glimpse that this bronze cauldron bears witness to the prosperity and development of the Xia dynasty.

No one could resist being captivated by it.

That innovative king would often, when all was quiet, carefully reach out and stroke the ancient patterns on the bronze cauldron, as well as the Zhou emperor's expectations for the various branches of the Xia dynasty, which were engraved inside.

Of course,
After spending a long time with it, the new king was summoned by the "New Heavenly Mandate" represented by the bronze cauldron.

"I'm sending troops!"

"I will destroy the State of Qi!"

"I will reunify Xinxia!"

The young and ambitious monarch made these bold remarks at a banquet celebrating the founding of his new dynasty.

His ministers naturally supported him.

The Xia dynasty and the Western Xia dynasty coexisted for over a hundred years.

The tricks of fate
Even the wise rulers who succeeded Sui and Qi were unable to end this situation.
but now,
It is time for them to take on this mission and heal the people of this land once more!

The deceased historian of the new dynasty, along with the local Taoist priest, were secretly reviewing the accounts, examining the mistakes made by various forces during this dynastic change, and the reasons for their rise to power.

"The Central Plains are not far from such a scene."

"Such things will definitely happen again in the future."

"We must pass on our experience to future generations so that they don't repeat the same mistakes."

The historian blew on the fresh ink on the paper and spoke of those wise words spoken by predecessors, words that later generations dare not forget.

at the same time,

The Song Kingdom in the Western Sea has finally built a powerful navy.

They crossed the vast sea of the West Sea, reached the former Beidi Commandery of the Western Qin, reached the land that once belonged to the Northern Qin, and reached Lixuan in the southwest.

then,

The territory lost by Western Qin was recovered by the Song people.

"It's really not easy."

It was also at the banquet celebrating the reunification of the Western Sea that the Song Emperor remarked with great emotion:
"Which country in the world, besides our Great Song Dynasty, has ever reclaimed its lost homeland after a century of loss?"

He was not boasting about his achievements.

Instead, it laments the helplessness of people who can only return to their homeland after several generations.

Generally speaking,
At the beginning of a dynasty, the army is at its most capable and the territorial expansion is the most rapid.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of the Song Dynasty, there were simply not enough trees available to build ships.

Rome's Augustus, who only showed his brilliance in his old age, was indeed cunning and resourceful. He dispatched a navy to firmly guard the strait, leaving the Song people only able to sigh across the strait.

but,

Although he was cunning and shrewd, his descendants were not capable of maintaining the status quo.

After a brief period of revival, the Roman Empire inevitably declined, even losing its secondary capital, Constantinople.

Faced with the emperor's感慨 (deep feelings), the ministers of the Song state said, "What you keep in mind will surely come to pass."

"As long as we do not forget the hard work of our ancestors and remember the shame of losing our homeland, even if it takes another two hundred years, the descendants of the Chinese nation can reclaim it!"

The emperor agreed with these words.

He stood up, raised his wine cup, and addressed the assembled officials:
"We still need to keep working hard!"

The Romans had occupied the northern counties for so many years and attached great importance to their rule over them.

therefore,

They also left a deep mark on the majestic and imposing city walls of Yu Bi City.

How many of the descendants of Qin who live in Yu Bi City can speak elegant language and wear their hair tied up with the right side fastened?

Although Rome became a "good brother" of the various Xia states due to its association with the Qin Dynasty, its recognition as "Great Qin" by the Han Dynasty, and its influence from the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace).
But seeing her own child run off with a relative, she was heartbroken.

"Even though the people of the Northland still retain the custom of ancestor worship and know their origins, they are influenced by Rome and will not easily sever their ties."

"The unification of the Western Sea requires not only the unification of the land, but also the unification of the people's hearts."

"We must not become complacent because of the achievements we have already made!"

In terms of territory,

Only then did the State of Song recover the territory that the Western Qin Empire had at its peak.
To completely surpass the Qin dynasty, which originated in the Central Plains, and to revive it in a corner of the Western Sea, while conquering the south and north, attacking the left and right, and encompassing thousands of miles of the previous dynasty...

The people of Song still had much to do!
"Besides, the Mandate of Heaven has not yet completely fallen to the Western Sea. The Qi Kingdom of the Eastern Sea is still unwilling to submit to us and pay tribute. How can we become arrogant and complacent?"

After the states of Taixi, Rongzhou Liang, Xinxia, Suiqi, and Sui, among others, knelt and submitted to the State of Song,
The Song people would naturally have other ideas about the various branches of the Xia in the east.

After all, there can only be one "Son of Heaven".
There can only be one core entity that can attract the various branches of China to unite.

If we cannot connect all the famous branches of the Xia people to ourselves...

The emperor of Song was ultimately unworthy of the title.

unfortunately,

Even though the Qi state was divided into numerous factions, every feudal lord still needed to engage in trade with the Central Plains to obtain the scarce resources of the Eastern Sea.

They would naturally not betray the Han Dynasty, which on the surface maintained unity and appeared to be very powerful, and instead recognize a new overlord who was far away from them and could not bring them much benefit.

In this regard,
The old Qi people reached a temporary consensus:
The despicable successor of the Qin Dynasty,
They definitely want to replicate the "befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones" strategy on themselves!

They lure themselves into befriending them, then incite neighboring countries to target them!

snort!
They, the old Qi people, will not fall into the same trap twice!

This greatly frustrated the people of Song.

"However, this little trouble might at least help the State of Song delay its decline, right?"

There are still goals to be achieved.

That way, they won't just slack off.
This will allow the glory passed down from our ancestors to continue for a longer period of time.

Throughout history, countless talented individuals, nations, and organizations have emerged.
They strive to make a name for themselves by pursuing their goals.
And then, because they lost their goals, they fell into depravity and perished?
King Fuchai of Wu had quite a lot to say about this!

The dead ghost next to him nodded in agreement.

They talked about other places, but the conversation eventually returned to the Central Plains.

That is the place where the Chinese people originated.
It was also the place where the glory of unification was first established.

right now,

Other regions, standing alongside it, are embracing their own unification.

But the Han dynasty, which ruled the Central Plains, went further and further down the path of division.

"The emperor is auctioning off official positions..."

"I never imagined that a monarch would do such a thing."

"What are you saying!" He Bo immediately retorted, "Did you eat the actions of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han?"

During the reign of the First Emperor, there was an order that if a commoner paid 1,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of millet during locust plagues or epidemics, he could exchange it for a first-class noble title.

of course,

According to the twenty-rank nobility system popular in the Qin Dynasty, and the worship of military merit, the lowest rank of nobility could be obtained directly by exchanging money and grain.

Aside from enjoying some preferential treatment in their hometowns, they were unable to hold official positions or exert a greater influence on the government.

After all, the pain of businessmen interfering in politics
The First Emperor experienced it firsthand.

At the beginning of the Former Han Dynasty, the country was exhausted and the Xiongnu invaded frequently, so this practice was continued and a special system of "offering grain for the title of nobility" was created.

but,

At that time, such "aristocrats" were not allowed to directly enter officialdom and preside over local affairs.

Until Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne,
In order to raise funds and provisions for major events such as fighting the Xiongnu and building palaces, and to encourage wealthy people to actively provide grain to the court, the restrictions on those who "contribute grain to be granted titles" were further relaxed.

no way,
Exchanging the lowest-ranking noble titles, which are of little use to the imperial court, for large quantities of grain is a very worthwhile endeavor.

This led emperors to resort to this tactic whenever they encountered financial difficulties. By the time Emperor Wu was on the throne...

No matter how much the wealthy businessman pursued power, he had calmed down and realized that he had been deceived emotionally and financially by the emperor.

If Emperor Wu hadn't shown more sincerity, there wouldn't have been many people willing to jump into this trap.

"But they gave the title first, then assigned the official position!"

This conforms to the official appointment process of the Han Dynasty!

It's not like they directly promoted a commoner to a local official position!
"Moreover, the official positions they can hold are only county magistrates in small counties, so there will be no obstacles to their removal."

Emperor Wu, who was walking by with his dog, immediately defended himself, saying, "Liu Hong has a clear price tag; he's selling all kinds of official positions... How can he compare to me!"

"Yeah!"

"And you treat everyone the same, subjecting your subjects to all sorts of torture!"

Chen Ajiao, who had been at odds with Emperor Wu even after her death, immediately spoke up and let out a chuckle.

When she lived in Nagamon Palace
Although they could not enjoy the freedom to leave the palace, they could still receive news from the outside world.

then,

Empress Chen was alive, watching how Emperor Wu tormented his ministers.

Even after Empress Chen died, she was still watching how Emperor Wu would torment his ministers.

Do you understand the significance of Emperor Wu's prime minister celebrating his peaceful death before he died?

The truth is as swift as a knife.

This left Emperor Wu speechless, unable to refute it.

After all, many of his former officials still live in the underworld.

He lied today, and tomorrow a bunch of old ministers might come to visit and comfort their lord who has "suddenly lost his memory" in the underworld.

Emperor Wu could only grumble and leave, leading his dog to find Emperor Gaozu and watch the dogs fight together.

He Bo felt a little regretful when he saw him leave like that, feeling that he had lost one of his amusement targets.

Fortunately,

Liu Hong is still alive and will not run away or cover up because a group of dead people are gossiping about him behind his back.

"From another perspective, could it be considered that he is selling off the 'liabilities of the imperial court' again?"

Holding a glass of juice squeezed from wild mountain citrus fruits, I drank it.

He Bo quickly developed a wrinkled face from the sour taste, but his mouth kept moving.

He was secretly thinking to himself:
We must give some dead men new instructions to study this citrus stuff.

If not properly nurtured, the raw flavor of this plant is so delicious that even God would tremble.

but,

These tangerines were initially snatched from the old doctor.

The old man said he wanted to take it to feed the monkeys in the Taihang Mountains.
But He Bo, adhering to the principle that "anything that appears before God is a tribute," snatched it away.

This can be considered reaping what you sow.

The loyal old ghost quickly served God a glass of water, which diluted the sour, astringent, and bitter taste, and He Bo could speak fluently again.

He continued:
"In any case, the local power has been basically eroded by powerful clans and wealthy families."

"Using officials in this way can both increase revenue and cause trouble for powerful families, breaking their monopoly on official positions... Why not do it?"

Today,

The emperor's orders were becoming increasingly difficult to reach the countryside.

Although on the surface, everyone still respects the emperor's authority and still carries out his orders,

Optional execution is still execution.
Sincere advice from ministers can also persuade the emperor to retract his decision.

The emperor who came from Hejian County

They were very perceptive in noticing this.

But previously,

He had only recently ascended the throne and his power base was not yet fully established, so even if he had some ideas in mind, it was not appropriate for him to act on them.

But now, what else does he need to worry about?
At the beginning of this year,
Some ministers even submitted a memorial requesting the abolition of the "Three Mutual Law," which restricted officials' hometowns, wives' and relatives' registered residences, which was a blatant provocation against him!

In that case,

Why should he tolerate and yield to those ministers?
"Moreover, this is a win-win-win situation, I really don't know what they're yelling about!"

In the harem,

The emperor was also dissatisfied with the opposition voices from both the court and the public.

Consort He comforted him, saying, "The common people are unaware of the situation in the court and are easily misled by powerful families. Your Majesty need not be angry about this."

As the emperor enjoyed her shoulder massage, he said, "I have never cared about the wisdom of commoners."

He's too lazy to even make money off ordinary people, so why would he care about their opinions?
"But Shi Daoren also joined in the opposition, which greatly disappointed me."

Taoism, due to the political correctness of the modern Han dynasty,
Even though they were supported by the common people and in the mansions of some officials and nobles, they never received public recognition.

Therefore, Shi Daoren,
He can be considered the first Taoist priest in the nearly two hundred years of the Han Dynasty to gain access to the inner sanctum and have a certain influence on the Han Dynasty's politics.

Don't say anything else,

The fact that he successfully supported Liu Bian was enough to bind him firmly to the royal family.

The emperor also showed him a superficial closeness, frequently summoning him to the palace to listen to his nonsensical ramblings.

When spending time together in private
The emperor, who was only twenty years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), once told Shi Daoren:
"Don't talk to me about the hardships of ordinary people or the principle of the people being like boats on water."

"I am a descendant of the Liu family and the monarch of the Han Dynasty. How could I not know such a principle?"

"You have traveled to many places and are very concerned about the situation of the people. You should know that I cannot do whatever I want."

The emperor was a very intelligent person.
This allowed him to seize upon the conflict between eunuchs and imperial relatives immediately after ascending the throne, thus bypassing the stage of being a puppet ruler, eliminating the Dou family, and directly assuming personal rule.

But he is also a very lazy person.

He didn't want to deal with many troublesome things at all.

From this perspective, he was remarkably similar to his nominal father, Emperor Huan.

The reason he suppressed the powerful families was...
This was to keep the powerful families in line and prevent the emergence of figures like Wang Mang, so as to maintain the rule of the Han Dynasty, avoid the infamy of being a "ruler who brought about the downfall of the country," and enjoy wealth and honor both before and after death.

At the same time, it was also to make them obediently pay for it, fulfill the rules of the "transaction," and stop defaulting on their debts or not repaying the loans.

Rather than truly a monarch who restrains himself and benefits all people.

Only God knows.
If we truly want to solve the various difficulties faced by ordinary people,

How much effort and money does he need to put in?

Don't you even look?

Which of the emperors who ushered in the Yongyuan era of prosperity, Emperor He, and Emperor Shun, who brought about the Yangjia era of restoration, had descendants?

It's clear that being a good person doesn't earn you anything.

Shi Daoren wanted to speak, but was interrupted by the emperor.

"Any place beyond my jurisdiction is not my territory."

"Instead of trying to persuade me, you might as well try to bewitch the aristocratic families."

A family that has been rooted in the local area for hundreds of years has a word that carries far more weight than the emperor in Luoyang!

Shi Daoren could only say dejectedly, "But when His Majesty was in Hejian, he was still willing to discuss such matters with Zhang Jiao."

The emperor simply waved his hand and said, "Times have changed."

The fallen royal family of the region,
Can he be compared to today's emperor?

The position you sit on can greatly influence how you think.

The emperor's movements during this transition were remarkably smooth and fluid.

So Shi Daoren could only leave dejectedly.

The emperor did not summon him afterward.