Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 618 Central Plains and Western Regions

As the Murong Yan state in Liaodong raised the banner of "restoring the Han dynasty," they brazenly marched south along the gap in the Yanshan Mountains, attacking Zhuojun in Youzhou.

The world of Han suddenly became even more lively.

Because their hometown was attacked and captured by the Yan state,

Even Liu Bei, who was fighting against Dou Jiande, a hero from Hebei, couldn't help but be stunned.

To restore the Han Dynasty...

Why are the Murong clan from Liaodong all coming to support the Han Dynasty?
"This world is becoming more and more unpredictable."

Liu Bei sighed to the heavens, then picked up his sword again and, together with his sworn brothers, led the soldiers recruited from the surrounding villages and towns into a new battle.

He hoped to resolve the immediate situation quickly and then return to his hometown to rescue his relatives and friends who had fallen into the hands of the Yan people.

The same was true of his fellow villagers and soldiers who followed him.

If not for a formidable enemy at hand, desertion in the face of battle would be a capital offense. Dou Jiande's "Xia Army" was also an extremely tough opponent.

I'm afraid the soldiers from Zhuojun will immediately get restless and pack their bags to go home.

Although the Yan state claimed to be a descendant of the Xia people,
The Han dynasty also confirmed that he was a descendant of the Xia people.

And their royal family is indeed a descendant of the Xia dynasty...

However, there were still many people from the Xianbei people under the rule of the Yan state.

Even though they have been Sinicized for many years, their speech, behavior and dress are not much different from those of Han Chinese men.

but……

But that was "Xianbei!"

Youzhou was located in the northern frontier of the Han Dynasty, bordering the sea to the east and adjacent to the Yan State.

The area extending westward into the grasslands bordered the various Xianbei tribes.

They are frequently harassed by attacks from the north.

Things are alright in Yan.

Even when they make their move, they still remember their identity and show some gentleness as fellow citizens of the Xia people. They usually only invade the outermost Yuyang County and take away the people and things there.

However, the Xianbei would break into the interior and cause a great deal of damage there.

Therefore, the people of Youzhou have always held a bad impression of the Xianbei.

Moreover, in this chaotic world, with numerous heroes rising up and everything uncertain, many old experiences have lost their effectiveness.

Good people are being twisted into bad people.
Even good things can be twisted into bad things.

No one can guarantee that the people of Yan will be kind to Zhuojun.

Furthermore,

Dou Jiande,
Although he came from humble beginnings and his family had been farmers for generations, he was known for his benevolence and righteousness, and everyone in the village praised him.

Once they started their rebellion, gained control of a territory, and gathered a large following, they did not, like their counterparts in the chaotic times, quickly degenerate and become addicted to the power and status they had never enjoyed before.

He remained the same as he was back in his hometown, neither greedy for money nor lustful, and shared joys and sorrows with his soldiers.

Each time a city is breached and the enemy is defeated,

He would distribute all the wealth he obtained to his generals, and would not take any for himself.

Even when it comes to the most difficult thing for ordinary people to control their appetite, he has no ambition. He eats only vegetables and whole grains every day, and his clothes are sewn by his wife.

Some powerful figures thought he was worth investing in and were willing to send several beautiful women from their clans to serve him, but Dou Jiande refused and instead introduced them to his unmarried subordinates.

...and so on,
How could soldiers who were forcibly dragged into battle by the imperial court and the governors have a strong will to fight?
I heard that under the rule of the "Xia King",
The common people live much better lives than they do under the rule of the imperial court!

……

"It's not too good!"

"But compared to the big men who go through the hands of the prefectural and county officials, the local strongmen, and finally the soldiers, Dou Jiande's side can still get more food and drink."

God, who was observing the battle in Hebei from the sidelines, heard the soldiers' private murmurs and couldn't help but laugh.

Xia Jun started from scratch, and his business was just beginning. The downsides were obvious, but so were the upsides.

Inside it,

There are not many people who practice rent-seeking.
With a leader like Dou Jiande in place, the people's hearts were united.

Everyone is willing to endure the current difficulties for a better future.

They are very efficient and energetic in their work.

On the other hand, the Han Dynasty

The complex local problems that the emperor faced in Luoyang have not yet been resolved.

The problem became even more apparent when the court sold off its liabilities and the incoming governor took over.

After all, the emperor in Luoyang was far away.
The governor, however, was right before his eyes.

This meant that despite having a larger population and stronger army, the Han people were unable to suppress the bandits in various regions for a long time.

With a distinct and fiery personality, Liu Bei, like Dou Jiande, was fond of performing acts of benevolence and righteousness. He criticized many instances where collusion among those in power led to missed opportunities in battle.

But his voice carries little weight; no matter how loud his criticism, it won't reach the ears of those in power.

"...Why are you paying so much attention to these two people from Hebei?"

Just as God was watching with amusement as the armies of the Han and Xia dynasties faced off,

Old Gui scratched his head in confusion and asked He Bo about it.

After the world fell into chaos,
Not only are the living watching to see who will seize this land and establish a new dynasty,
The bored ghosts often gossiped about human affairs, speculating which hunter would be able to catch the fawn that had escaped from the Liu family's Shanglin Garden.

no way,
In this chaotic world, far too many new ghosts are flooding into the underworld.
The spirits and deities of the underworld were unable to deal with them in time.
The streets of many cities in the underworld also became bustling with noise.

This disturbed those old ghosts who originally harbored peaceful thoughts and didn't pay much attention to human affairs, forcing them to get involved in this "lively" event.

His style of doing things was quite similar to that of Dou Jiande after the union of Liu's two ancestors, so he was considered by the seasoned veterans to be one of the strongest contenders for the throne of the Central Plains.

God came to see his splendor and found no problem.

But why was Liu Bei, who has yet to show his true colors, chosen by God to be compared with Dou Jiande?

"Perhaps they are all very principled and ethical in their actions?"

"Such character is rare in today's chaotic world."

"The black-market person accompanying the old man spoke cautiously."

Liu Bei was given a second glance by God.

Those who follow God naturally took a few more glances as well.

Therefore, they had some understanding of this person's character.

But I still can't help but feel a sense of melancholy—

Those who possess ideals and righteousness will always encounter more hardships in chaotic times than others.

Dou Jiande, who proclaimed himself King of Xia, had no choice but to fight his way up with his remaining troops after he had gone through several uprising leaders and could no longer find anyone to rely on.

And Liu Bei...

He was a member of the Han imperial family whose lineage could only be traced back to Emperor Jing of the Former Han Dynasty. How could he not have stumbled and fallen along the way?

Not to mention,
Liu Bei's ambition was still to restore the Han Dynasty and reclaim the Liu family's mandate of heaven!
To know,
Many things can be done once or twice, but not a third time.

Emperor Taizu of Han was able to slay the white snake and start a rebellion, eventually becoming emperor in Dingtao. While he certainly possessed extraordinary abilities, he also relied on the strength of the common people at the time, as well as the turmoil stirred up by the nobles of the former six states.

As for Emperor Guangwu of Han achieving the restoration of the Han dynasty...
And that wouldn't have been possible without the self-sacrifice of Wang Mang, this "loyal minister."

The damage Wang Mang inflicted on the Central Plains during his decade-long rule was so great that the people of that time forgot the decline of the reigns of Emperor Cheng and Emperor Ai and began to yearn for the Han Dynasty.

It's a competition of who's worse.
If one side is terribly rotten,
Naturally, the other party, which also bears signs of decay but is largely intact, will appear "refined." But now,
Although these powerful families, who occupied most of the land and controlled a large population, were not as hostile as the nobles of the six former states, who hated the Qin Dynasty so much that they were determined to bring about its destruction.

And the harm that the Han Dynasty inflicted on the people is no longer being addressed or its consequences, and no one is standing in front of it to draw attention to it anymore.

The emperor has been selling official positions for so many years...
The three dukes and nine ministers of the central government were sold.
The county magistrate and military officers below them were also sold.

They made a lot of money very easily.

Those who bought official positions also made a quick return on their investment.

After all, the most profitable means in the world is power.

Then,

Neither the buyer nor the seller suffered a loss.
And who is it that cuts off their own flesh to make money and fill their stomachs?
In the face of repeated natural and man-made disasters

Why do the wealth of these elites continue to grow?

In any case, before the uprising broke out, the common people would not speak or resist in the eyes of the powerful.

Therefore,
When a group of desperate people erupted

When the Way of Peace reorganized the Yellow Turban Army
The meat-eaters were quite surprised and questioned them why they didn't make An'an starve to death.

How glorious the Han Dynasty was!

This country is thriving.

What right do you have to rebel!

Unable to be suppressed, the uprising swept across the entire eastern part of the empire.
These nobles became alarmed.

On this basis,
How could Liu Bei's goal of continuing the Han dynasty be easily achieved?

Unless like Wang Mang,
Then a few more even worse ones will highlight the remaining beauty of the Han Dynasty.

"I'm just curious about what kind of sparks will fly between these two virtuous gentlemen from different backgrounds in this chaotic world."

He Bo simply smiled at the curiosity of the dead man beside him and didn't say anything more.

He then inquired about the unregistered residents who frequently traveled between the Central Plains and the Western Sea to visit the descendants of the Hei family, and who had stayed in the Western Regions for the past ten years or so: "Have your families settled down in the Western Regions?"

The black-market man replied with considerable pride, "We've already occupied a city!"

He Bo then laughed heartily and said, "In that case, I'm afraid I can be called the ruler of the country!"

The unregistered man waved his hand and said, "The ruler is a son of the Ying clan!"

"His status and abilities are more convincing than those of my descendants... therefore, I elected him as king."

Upon hearing this, He Bo sighed, "The descendants of Ying Qin have once again run to the side of the Liu family and become kings."

The unregistered man chuckled and rubbed his hands together, saying, "The younger generation is doing well; there's nothing we can do about it."

The bloodline of Ying Qin has been scattered too much in the Central Plains.

When Xiang Yu gave the order, the seeds of two generations of Qin emperors were directly deprived of the opportunity to continue growing.

If Ying Pijiang hadn't escaped in time...

Xiang Yu's hegemonic move can be described as artificially sterilizing the First Emperor.

The remaining descendants of Qin, fearing Xiang Yu's brutality, changed their names and surnames and lived a low-key life.

Even though some of them were later found by Emperor Taizu of Han and put in charge of the sacrifices for the two Qin emperors, those people never changed back to their original surnames.

Just like how the descendants of King Jian of Qi continued to use the surname "Wang" after the establishment of the Han Dynasty.

otherwise,

How could the Black Bird, which had thrived in the Guanzhong Plain for hundreds of years, not have a family called "Ying Clan"?
Fortunately,

After Ying Pijiang arrived in the Western Sea and rebuilt the Qin state, he made up for this regret.

During the two hundred years of the Western Qin Empire, the Qin dynasty continued to expand and multiply.

Although no one like Prince Jing of Zhongshan, who was born out of wedlock, had ever appeared in the royal family of Ying Qin,
However, due to their status and the longevity of their dynasty, the number of descendants of the Ying clan was quite large.

As their bloodline multiplied, the descendants of Ying Qin scattered to all corners of the world, and naturally, some even fled to the Western Sea.

Some people fled to Northern Qin.

After the fall of the Northern Qin, they were forced by the Xiongnu to flee to the more northerly regions.

Based on the estimated distance and location, it's likely that there will be some encounters with the Vened people, who live between China and the Western Continent.

Some of them fled to Rome.

After all, Qin and Rome had a relationship of "sharing life and death".

The two countries have been entangled for so many years,

The Western Qin dynasty saw the Roman Republic depart.
The Roman Empire sent the Western Qin Empire away.
What more can be said?

Another group headed eastward.

They could either seek refuge with the Ying clan's Yue state in central and southern China,
Or perhaps they harbored the idea that "if the descendants of the Liu family can establish a country and become emperors in the West, why can't I?" and intended to establish a foundation on the vast grasslands of central China.

As for the Liang state of the Ying clan located in Rongzhou?
Let King Liang work on adjusting the colors.

Turning black into white is not an easy task.

all in all,
The descendants of the Qin dynasty who are currently appearing in the Western Regions are among those who have chosen to travel eastward.

He didn't have the ambition to start a business, but he did want to find a wider space to make his life more comfortable.

The State of Song had been prosperous and flourishing for a long time.

As a result, there are fewer places to climb.

In contrast,

The newly unified Xia, which is recuperating and rebuilding, is clearly a good place to make money.

Perhaps it was a strange connection with the Black family,

It is more likely because the Hei surname is also a common surname widely distributed in the Western Sea.

Anyway, the descendants of the Ying and Hei families,
They met, got to know each other, and hit it off immediately at the beginning of the relocation plan, and then recreated Ying Pijiang's experience of fleeing west.

It's just in the opposite direction.

When they arrived in Xinxia by boat and had just settled down,

Then the son of the Ying family met a woman from the Zhao family.

Zhao Shi,

Thanks to the long reign of the Xia dynasty, they had already multiplied and spread everywhere.

The young man and woman fell in love and became a family, continuing the bond between their ancestors.

As for the fact that everyone shares the surname Ying, we should adhere to the tradition of not marrying people with the same surname...

snort!
Times have changed.

Surnames used to distinguish lineage and social status have been merged for many years now.
Why can't the Ying and Zhao families intermarry?
After that,
These three ancient surnames, whose ancestors were closely related, began to do business in the Western Regions along the established trade routes.

The unregistered residents had been secretly observing them.

Until the child of Ying Zhao was born and grew up, he married his childhood sweetheart from the Hei clan, further mixing their bloodlines, and decided to build on the foundation laid by his father to achieve even greater things.

"I didn't expect that the child would actually realize his dream."

Hei Hu couldn't help but laugh as he recalled the bond between the three families in the Western Regions.

"When I was young and studying, I always boasted that I had the blood of two dynasties in my veins and that I must make a great achievement."

"And now, he's done it in the Western Regions!"

(End of this chapter)