Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 120: Astronomy

In the 19th year of Emperor Tianzibian's reign,

After many years of war,
Enter sage time again.

This year,
No additional conflicts broke out between the princes, and everyone was enjoying the wonderful feeling of emptiness after the melee.

On the Qin side,

In order to better fight for the world and go east from the Central Plains, the King of Qin moved the capital again, moving it from Liyang to Xianyang.

Two years ago,
With the support of the reform, Qin launched a large-scale attack on Wei and captured Hexi County and Shang County of Wei in one fell swoop.

As a result, the Hexi area, which had been lost for many years, was finally recovered and became a powerful stepping stone for the Qin State to advance into the Central Plains.

The whole world was in an uproar as a result, and more and more small princes came to pay homage to the King of Qin.

The King of Qin was very happy, so he granted the fifteen towns of Shangyu to Wei Yang as his fiefdom. As a result, Wei Yang was respected by the world as "Shang Jun".

After regaining Hexi, the conditions of the old capital of Liyang could no longer meet the needs of the increasingly powerful Qin State.

During the reign of Duke Xian, the capital was moved to Liyang in order to facilitate the recovery of Hexi.

Now the Qin State's goal has been upgraded to conquer the world, so naturally it needs a new capital.

Xianyang is located on the south side of the Wei River and on the north side of the plateau, surrounded by the Qinling Mountains. It is convenient for travel and for obtaining products from the southern mountains. Due to its convenient terrain, it is known as "the place that controls the fate of the world."

As a result, he was valued by the King of Qin.

After severely beating up the Yiqiu tribe in the north and forcing them to pay tribute and not attack the Qin border or cause trouble for Qin's Western Regions merchant caravans, the King of Qin issued an order:

Move the capital to Xianyang!

As the Qin State moved its capital, Shang Yang once again advised the King of Qin, "Li Kui's reforms in Wei State only made Wei State strong for two generations."

"Before Wu Qi's reforms were fully realized, he was surrounded and killed by the feudal lords of Chu."

"Now that Qin has become powerful enough to defeat Wei and Chu through reform, I am still worried that I will follow in their footsteps."

"So I ask the king to allow me to carry out a more in-depth reform, eliminate the original malpractices, and ensure the prosperity of Qin!"

The King of Qin waved his hand and said, "I have said that the affairs of state are entrusted to the King of Shang!"

"If some people object, then let them scold me!"

"Shang Jun, just concentrate on reforming the law!"

then,

Shang Yang began his second reform in Qin State to further implement his own ideas.

However, such behavior also aroused fierce opposition from conservatives.

Ministers led by Gan Long and Du Zhi constantly took advantage of the turmoil during the reform process to attack Shang Yang.

However, with the strong support of the King of Qin, these things failed to prevent Qin from ushering in another reform.

Then the conservative officials realized that
When this Qin Jun was still alive,
It is impossible for Shang Yang to fall.

Green mountains, pines and cypresses,

As long as the green mountains remain, the pines and cypresses can survive forever.

and so……

They still have to wait!

At the same time,
The national strength of Wei State rebounded a little. The record of defeating the coalition of Qi, Song and Wei two years ago and forcing Chu State to sue for peace made Wei Houying proud again.

Although two years ago, Anyi, the old capital of Wei State, was besieged by the Qin army that crossed the river, Anyi was not wanted by Wei State in the first place, so it was just besieged, not to mention that Wei State fought back later!

How can the pulling in the west compare to the satisfaction of defeating the three kingdoms in the east and oppressing Southern Chu?
In this state of mind,

Wei Houying believed that only by managing the Central Plains could Wei obtain the Mandate of Heaven and restore its hegemony. Therefore, he neglected to be vigilant against the Qin State in the west and pressed the princes in the east step by step.

Under such pressure, the Duke of Qi also followed the example of the State of Wei and built the Great Wall.

Building border walls to keep other countries out,
What a beautiful thing!
Should be repaired! Repair as much as possible!
But the city repair matter,
It makes people feel timid.
In order not to affect his own prestige at home, the Duke of Qi greatly expanded the Jixia Academy established by his predecessor Duke Huan, and called on famous sages in the world to gather at the Jixia Academy to discuss knowledge and principles.

For a while,
The reputation of the Duke of Qi spread and was praised throughout the world, but no one paid attention to his building of the wall.

And what is He Bo doing?

He is looking at the stars.

……

"finally!"

"Star Chart Completed!"

When the last word was written, the ghosts and gods who had been lying in the water with a fish head propped up and "looking up at the stars" for several years couldn't help but cheer.

Shi Shen next to him also clapped his hands happily. He picked up the painstaking work whose ink had not yet dried and looked at it from left to right, filled with joy.

"This is unprecedented. With just this star catalogue, I can go down in history!"

Shi Shen stroked his beard and said proudly.

He was a historian of the State of Wei.
The responsibilities of the historian, in addition to recording history and managing documents, also include divination and sacrifice.

Since it is divination, it is natural to observe the stars at night.

When He Bo saw this historian who was so immersed in the stars that he neglected to record history, the other party was looking at the stars on Jingshan Mountain near Anyi.

Shi Shen was so engrossed in watching that he was attacked from behind by the wild boar and rolled around on the ground.

The ghosts and gods who hid during the day and came out at night couldn't stand it and took advantage of the situation to grab the man.

then,

The two sides became familiar with each other.

Out of curiosity, He Bo also learned the art of stargazing from Shi Shen.

After all, when we are still human,
He Bo no longer had the chance to see the brilliant starry sky at night.

The moon of old still shines on the people of later generations,

But the stars have retreated in the light-filled nights of later generations, and it is difficult to see the stars that the ancients once saw with the naked eye.

In He Bo's memory,

The brightest "star" he had ever seen, and which he could clearly identify,
It is a space station built in later generations.

Moreover, times have changed.
The world has changed forever.
In the starry sky, there is also the inevitable alternation of light and darkness.

Some starlight,

It can only exist in the memories of ancient people thousands of years ago and cannot be seen by later generations.

When He Bo had nothing to do, he would lie on the ground and admire the stars from the Warring States Period.

Anyway, countless people fought back and forth,
I can't reach the sky.
The stars twinkle in the night sky, and the plants wither and grow again with the changing of the seasons.

This is the leisure that only ghosts and gods can enjoy.

but,

No matter how long he looked, He Bo could not completely distinguish the ownership and names of the stars in the sky.

After all, "astrology" is considered high-end knowledge at this time.

Ordinary historians are unable to conduct in-depth research.

Therefore, after meeting Shi Shen, He Bo asked the other party to repay him for saving him from the wild boar's tusks.

When Shi Shen heard that he was free, he agreed.

The art of stargazing is difficult to teach to too many people.

Apart from the complexity of astrology, an additional reason is that it takes too much time.

Are there dark clouds covering the sky tonight?

Then you can’t stargaze.

Today there is a big event to record.
Then there will be no time for stargazing.

When encountering important days, we need to arrange sacrifices.
That would drain all of one's energy, leaving one unable to even look at the stars.

Therefore, the position of historian is often hereditary.

Only by being guided and taught by adults from a young age can one become a qualified historian when he grows up.

Even though all countries are now clamoring for reform, innovation, and the elimination of the parasites of hereditary nobles and officials in their countries,
No one thought of taking action against the historian.

After all, this job,
Not much power,

There are too many things.
No one wants to ask for trouble.

Shi Shen is not a very conservative person, and since he was a child, he has had a dream of recording as many stars in the sky as possible. Now that an apprentice has come to him on his own initiative, he certainly will not refuse.

Today,
Shi Shen, who was already 57 years old, finally recorded all the stars he had observed and named his book "Astronomy".

The book records the movement patterns of five stars: Venus (Venus), Jupiter (Jupiter), Mercury (Mercury), Mars (Mars), and Saturn (Earth), and measures the positions of 810 stars in the distant sky.

In order to enable others to understand the positions of the stars in the book, Shi Shen also specially drew a star map and marked them one by one.

He Bo, who was watching from the side, felt very impressed.

Shi Shen also felt that he was indeed amazing. He put away the "Astronomy" and waved his sleeves, "Today I have written a book. Gan De of Qi will definitely not be able to compare with me!"

Gander,

He was also a world-famous stargazer at that time and a historian of the State of Qi.

Because they were in the same industry and were of similar age, when Shi Shen was young and was taken by his father to visit the historian of Qi State, he was pulled over and compared with Gan De.

Fifty years have passed, and Shi Shen is still comparing himself with Gan De.

And when stargazing,
Every time he discovered a new star, Shi Shen would remember it and say, "Gande must be one step behind me!"

He Bo was shocked by his behavior and wondered if there was anyone in the world who held a grudge more than him?
then,

He sneaked into Qi State and secretly observed the Gande historian. He found that the other party's progress was actually similar to Shi Shen's. He even recorded several stars that Shi Shen had not observed.

Therefore, regarding Shi Shen's pride at this moment,

He Bo could only blink and considerately didn't say anything about the situation.

"I'm going to correct the calendar!"

After finishing "Astronomy", Shi Shen suddenly felt full of energy and vitality, and he didn't look like a man in his sixties who stayed up late every day to look at the stars.

He put his hands behind his back, looked up at the starry sky, and said with emotion, "If we revise the calendar according to the stars, we can better teach the people the time."

"If the common people follow the laws of nature and farm more, they can harvest more food!"

"In this way, even if there is still a war, the possibility of ordinary people saving their lives will be even greater!"

Although Shi Shen was just a historian who couldn't beat anyone,

However, the reason why the ancient sages of the Chinese nation observed the stars and established the position of historian was to promote farming and support the people.

Since he was born in this chaotic era,
He should also fulfill his duties as a historian instead of avoiding the war from the outside world.

He Bo applauded him, "Good!"

"If you can revise the calendar to be more in line with agricultural seasons, I will help you spread it around the world!"

Shi Shen was even more proud after receiving the affirmation, "Gande's fame in the future will be so great that he won't be able to catch up with me even if he drives a car!"

When I think of such a beautiful thing,
Shi Shen couldn't help but hum softly.

Subsequently,

He spent another year revising the calendar.

He Bo handed the new calendar to his cattle and horses and asked them to spread it along the river.

It just so happens that people’s farming relies heavily on water sources.

Many fields are not far from the river. After receiving the blessing of ghosts and gods and knowing that a wise man named Shi Shen has revised the calendar, experienced farmers can experiment for a period of time to determine whether this new calendar is really more conducive to the growth of seedlings.

In the East,

Mencius, who had already completed his studies and became famous in the local area, left his hometown and embarked on a journey of traveling around the four countries in imitation of Confucius.

He led hundreds of disciples, riding in ten carriages, to the State of Song to give lectures.

Zi Han, who had just completed the great cause of "Dai's conquest of Song" last year and became the new King of Song, was shocked by Mencius' arrival.

He immediately slammed the table and stood up, "Hundreds of Confucian scholars?"

"Ten cars?"

"Is Meng Ke here to give a lecture?"

Are you really not here to start a war with the State of Song?

Confucian scholars studied the Six Arts and delved into etiquette, so most of them were good at both literature and martial arts and had handsome looks.

Moreover, they have always been good at speaking, and can attract many common people and scholars to follow them.

Not to mention Mencius himself. Although he was young, he had already gained a reputation as a virtuous man and was not someone who could be easily dealt with.

Now hundreds of Confucian scholars are coming from Qi and Lu. By the time they reach Song, I wonder how many people will be gathered.

Song Junzihan couldn't help but touch his neck and confirmed with his confidant again and again, "I heard that Confucian scholars pay great attention to Zhou Li and believe that this is an important law in the world."

"Did Meng Ke come here this time to denounce me for not observing Zhou rituals?"

After all, he had just replicated the "Quwo replacing Yi" in the State of Song, replacing the main clan with a smaller clan that had split off hundreds of years ago. In any case, this was not in line with Zhou rituals.

The confidant was also a little uncertain, "It shouldn't be that serious, right?"

"We are the descendants of the Shang Dynasty. If he wants to condemn us for not observing Zhou rituals, he shouldn't come here..."

"Then come to fight!"

Song Jun slammed the table and said angrily, "Damn it!"

"I haven't heard that Mencius is a member of the Gongyang School either!"

(End of this chapter)