Today is the ninety-first birthday of King Zhao Tuo, the founder of the Kingdom of Nanyue.
There was an endless stream of Nanyue nobles, ministers, local officials and tribal leaders who came to congratulate him.
Among the congratulatory gifts, dozens of beautiful girls stood out.
At this moment, Zhao Tuo was casually picking at the bamboo slips that recorded the origins and information of these beautiful girls. His eyes were blazing, and under the cover of his beads, no one knew what he was thinking in his heart. He could only kowtow and kneel down in fear.
After a long time, Zhao Tuo said tremblingly: "It's passed, it's passed!"
"I am an old man, all these maids should be sent to Wang Shisun!"
"No!" Prime Minister Lu Jia bowed his head and bowed.
Zhao Tuo looked past Lu Jia and stopped at the chariot at the door of the palace, which had gone through decades but was still as new as before.
Seeing this chariot, Zhao Tuo seemed to have traveled through time and returned to that morning more than sixty years ago.
"The First Emperor has passed away!" Angels from China brought this news, which was tantamount to bad news, to Nanhai County.
In the entire Nanhai County, hundreds of thousands of troops were in silence, and everyone was in tears.
Almost everyone, at that moment, seemed to have lost the reason for their existence.
Especially for Zhao Tuo, the death of the First Emperor was equivalent to the collapse of the sky.
At that time, hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Nanhai County were thinking in their hearts: Without the First Emperor, who should we listen to?
It is indeed difficult to live in such a life when we lose our backbone and goals.
Soon, Zhao Tuo discovered that, in fact, things were not as bad as he imagined.
The First Emperor passed away, and Nanhai County became an orphan of the Qin Empire.
The nobles in Xianyang were busy with political disputes, and Zhao Gaolisi acted recklessly. The supplies and support from China were gradually cut off, and even the envoys from Xianyang no longer appeared in Nanhai County.
The Qin army, immigrants and family members in Nanhai County could only rely on him and the then-prefect Ren Xiao.
Without the support from the motherland, the expeditionary army began to struggle to move forward in Nanhai County, where hundreds of Yue people lived together and barbarians and Di people were everywhere.
The Vietnamese were unruly and difficult to tame, and they often attacked areas where Chinese immigrants gathered.
At that time, Zhao Tuo was the magistrate of Longchuan County, Nanhai County.
Longchuan is located between Baiyue and the main gathering place of Chinese immigrants. The terrain is difficult and the strategic location is very important.
In contrast, the Yue people's attacks and resistance were also very strong.
Throughout the year, Zhao Tuo led his army, killing, killing, killing, killing.
Anyone who dares to attack Han people will be killed, anyone who refuses to obey will be killed, even those who look wrong will be killed!
China's elite Qin army crushed the resistance of various tribes in Baiyue. Of course it was easy.
However, the Baiyue tribe deep in the jungle and in the swamps are endlessly killed and destroyed.
This year, 10,000 heads were chopped off, and next year, 30,000 Yue people rushed over, screaming.
At that time, Zhao Tuo often rode in that chariot and mobilized troops to encircle and suppress the Baiyue tribes who resisted the rule and attacked the Han people.
The ruts of the chariot were stained with the flesh and blood of the Baiyue people. Corpses were strewn in the swamps and mountains, and broken limbs could be seen everywhere.
Finally one day, Zhao Tuo discovered that killing people alone could not solve the problem.
Yue people are not afraid of death at all, so why should they be afraid of death?
If the First Emperor is still there, that's okay!
With the firm support of the First Emperor, Chinese materials, immigrants, supplementary troops and civil servants continued to flow into the South China Sea. The elite and ruthless Qin army could wipe out the resistance of the Baiyue people inch by inch.
It is a pity that the first emperor, a man of great talent and sagacity, died on his way south in search of immortality.
Sitting in Xianyang City are a group of mediocre aristocrats who are just living in a coma and are short-sighted.
No one cares about the hundreds of thousands of troops and immigrants in Nanhai County. The envoys sent to Xianyang for help reported back that the nobles in the court only care about the money, taxes, grains and silk sent by Nanhai County. No one cares about the life and death of Nanhai County.
Difficulty, Xianyang does not even want to send a single soldier to the South China Sea.
They are ready to use these resources and wealth for their extravagant life and indulgent enjoyment.
Nanhai County became an orphan and was abandoned by Xianyang!
After receiving the messenger's reply, everyone fell silent.
Some people didn't believe it, so another group of messengers set off.
But the result was cruel. Several waves of messengers brought back the same news: Xianyang only ordered and urged Nanhai County to pay taxes. As for resources and reinforcements?
Zhao Gao is busy calling deer a horse, and Li Si is seeking to destroy everything. Who cares about the problems of Nanhai County?
The commander-in-chief Ren Xiao was so angry that the soldiers of Nanhai County also gave up on Xianyang.
The glory of the Qin Empire quickly disappeared like the setting sun with the death of the First Emperor and the struggle of Zhao Gaolisi.
The age of endless darkness has arrived.
In the darkness, no one could see what was going on. No one knew what was waiting for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and immigrants who were ordered to come to Baiyue to open up territories for future generations.
Everyone was panicked and at a loss.
The resistance of the Baiyue people was still fierce.
At that time, Zhao Tuo knew that the policy must be changed.
Without China's support, only half a million immigrants and troops would not be enough to gain a foothold in this civilized wilderness.
But, at that time, Zhao Tuo didn't know what to do?
The Baiyue people are unruly and do not understand Chinese language and writing, so it is difficult for them to communicate.
Some people can no longer hold on and use alcohol to anesthetize themselves all day long. Some people are so decadent that they are like walking zombies.
There are even desperate officers who cannot bear the pressure and choose to commit suicide.
Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo had to start looking for a path for the hundreds of thousands of comrades under their command.
They have that responsibility and that obligation - because it was the two of them who brought these hundreds of thousands of comrades and immigrants from their prosperous hometown in China to this wild Nanhai County.
If a fox dies, how about the head of a hill? How much less a human?
Ren Xiao decided to abandon the colony in Nanhai County, and the entire army escorted the immigrants and their families back to China - even if he lost his life for it!
But soon, another news came from China - the world was in chaos!
Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebelled in Daze Township. The uprising army was as powerful as a prairie fire, and the Qin Empire lost control of the world.
Then, heroes arose everywhere, and wars raged all over the world.
Countless refugees fled to Nanhai every day and told the soldiers of Nanhai County about the horror and terror of the war in China.
The official army and the rebel army fought each other, countless prosperous cities were turned into ruins, and many prosperous cities became deserted and dead cities.
The empire fell...
Faith collapsed...
More importantly - there is no hometown anymore...
Almost everyone’s hometown is already in flames of war!
Countless people are asking: What should we do?
In order to prevent Nanhai County from being affected by the war, the county captain Ren Xiao ordered the burning of the bridges and roads leading to China and the closure of the five passes.
None of the soldiers in Nanhai County had a favorable impression of the warring parties in the Chinese Civil War.
The arrogance of the Qin court and the misbehaving nobles, ministers, and princes broke their hearts. They refused to work for this regime that had changed its color and lost the founding spirit of Qin.
As for the rebellious Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, King Huai of Chu and so on?
Haha. In the eyes of the officers and soldiers of Nanhai County, they are a bunch of rebels! If the First Emperor were here, with an edict, the 500,000 soldiers and civilians of Nanhai County would have to go out to suppress the rebellion!
Moreover, at this time, the resistance and attacks of the Baiyue people became more and more frequent, and Nanhai County no longer had time to pay attention to the various rights and wrongs in China.
It was also at that time that Zhao Tuo captured a person while leading his army to encircle and suppress the Baiyue tribe.
His current prime minister, Lu Jia, was a nobleman among the Baiyue people.
Zhao Tuo finally discovered that it turned out that the Baiyue people were not incapable of communication, nor could they only rely on iron and blood, death and killing to conquer.
If you control the nobles of Baiyue, you can control the tribes of Baiyue. If the nobles of Baiyue surrender, those Baiyue barbarians who were not afraid of death and fought one after another will suddenly become unable to fight back or retaliate.
Mouth, subjects who are more docile than Chinese farmers.
Therefore, Zhao Tuo put forward the slogan of "harmony and editing of Baiyue".
He gave the Baiyue nobles official positions, salaries and rewards, sent out civil servants to teach the Baiyue nobles how to read and write, and taught them etiquette, morality and culture.
Therefore, the Baiyue people became honest.
There were no more attacks on Chinese gathering areas.
No one is hostile to the Chinese anymore.
The Chinese and the Vietnamese could finally live in peace.
Of course, in this process, some disobedient thorns will naturally disappear in the process of national integration.
As of today, Zhao Tuo can proudly say that the various tribes of Baiyue in the South Vietnam Kingdom are essentially the same as the Chinese.
Most of them have Chinese surnames, use Chinese etiquette to get along with each other, and use Chinese characters as the basis.
Although everyone is not very fond of the current Emperor of China, they regard him as the King of South Vietnam as a god.
After that, things became extremely smooth.
While China was still suffering in the flames of war, the soldiers of Nanhai County were busy marrying wives and having children.
Their wives and concubines came from the leaders of various tribes in Baiyue and the daughters of noble families.
In order to encourage the soldiers from China to marry the daughters of the Baiyue tribe, Zhao Tuo and Ren Xiao took the lead in marrying the daughters of the Baiyue nobles.
This tradition continues to this day. Zhao Tuo marries dozens of Baiyue women every year to fill his harem.
After the Baiyue people married the rulers from China, they also settled down and submitted to the rule of the colonists from China.
Then, Zhao Tuo's closest comrade-in-arms, Ren Xiao, who was ordered by the First Emperor to lead the army to conquer Baiyue, died of illness. Before his death, Ren Xiao passed the power of county captain to Zhao Tuo.
Then, Zhao Tuo sent troops to annex two other neighboring counties, Xiangjun and Guilin.
The world is in chaos, the Qin court has collapsed, and faith has been shattered.
Unknowingly, Zhao Tuo became a great hero in the minds of the soldiers and immigrants from the three counties of Nanhai, Guilin and Xiangjun.
Countless people worship him and worship him.
Zhao Tuo's ambition also slowly expanded.
He first established himself as king in Panyu City. After waiting for a while, he found that no one cared about him and had no objection.
So he called himself King Wu of South Vietnam, called him a policeman when he came in and out, called him a ruler in writing, and also used the emperor's ceremonial guard and system.
Unfortunately, good times are not far away.
The war in China soon subsided.
Liu Bang from Peijun miraculously defeated all competitors. He ascended the throne in Luoyang and proclaimed himself emperor, establishing the Han Dynasty.
Soon, Liu Bang moved his capital to Guanzhong and built Weiyang and Changle palaces on the ruins of the Qin Palace. Based on these two palaces, he built the city of Chang'an.
After unifying the world, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty finally discovered that there was a political power established by the remnants of Qin in this rough place in the South China Sea.
In the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang moved Wu Bin, the king of Hengshan, to be the king of Changsha.
In the canonization edict, the territory of Changsha Kingdom included Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun.
This was a naked expression of the threat to him, Zhao Tuo.
From then on, the Changsha Kingdom and the South Vietnam Kingdom became mortal enemies.
Over the past few decades, weapons have not met once or twice.
At the beginning, China was tired and Changsha was small, so the South Vietnamese soldiers were naturally able to defeat Changsha without any pressure.
It's a pity that some people are biased...
After the Changsha Kingdom suffered a defeat, the elite soldiers and horses from the Emperor of China accepted the defense of Changsha. The army gathered and the troops were fierce and murderous.
In the South Vietnam Kingdom at that time, the first generation of elite Qin troops who came here with Zhao Tuo to pioneer the land in the early days were either old or had died in battle and were buried in a foreign land.
The new generation of warriors who grew up in the wild areas of Baiyue. Regardless of their equipment, skills and tactics, they were all thrown out of the way by the Han army that had experienced the struggle for hegemony among China's heroes.
Fortunately, the emperor of China also has internal and external troubles.
The princes inside are ready to make a move. The Huns outside the Great Wall are also watching eagerly.
It is unlikely that they will invade South Vietnam even if they use a rat weapon.
In this way, after countless negotiations and compromises, Zhao Tuo surrendered to Chang'an and accepted the canonization and seal of the Emperor of China.
This is a good thing for Zhao Tuo.
He was finally able to claim his authority and swagger as king of the establishment.
Moreover, with the recognition and canonization from the Emperor of China, both the internal thorns and the nobles of Baiyue have become honest.
If this were the case, Zhao Tuo would be happy to continue like this forever.
Unfortunately, this is impossible!
For decades, Chang'an has never given up its ambitions in South Vietnam.
Whether it was the Changsha State at the beginning, or the Wu State and Chu State later, they never stopped coveting and ambitions towards South Vietnam.
In the past few decades, frictions and even large-scale conflicts on the border have never stopped.
In the middle, there are countless swords, swords, and arrows.
From Zhao Tuo's point of view, the South Vietnam regime has survived to this day because it has gone through eighty-one hardships!
Recalling these past events, Zhao Tuo felt that his spirit was revived.
"I can't die!" Zhao Tuo told himself in his heart.
He has lived for ninety-one years!
Live longer than most people in this world!
He endured to death such heroes as Taizu of the Han Dynasty, Empress Lu of the Han Dynasty, King Wu Bin of Changsha, Emperor Taizong of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen, King of Wu and Liu Bi, but he still had to endure it.
Because the news coming from Chang'an made him very uneasy.
The newly ascended emperor of the Han Dynasty had only been in power for half a year. Various measures and measures made Zhao Tuo, an old fox who had experienced countless ups and downs and struggles, smell something unusual.
The demise of North Korea further confirmed his speculation.
Since the time of the First Emperor, the concept and thought of great unification have been deeply rooted in the soul of every Chinese.
Even Zhao Tuo himself found it difficult to resist this desire from the depths of his soul.
Every normal Chinese ruler will not give up on reunification, and every normal Chinese will not sit back and watch the country split.
Zhao Tuo even felt that because he was already ninety years old and had been the king for more than fifty years, he might be just like his grandson, with the illusions, longings and desires.
But unfortunately, after living to his age and experiencing so many years of ups and downs, Zhao Tuo no longer believes in any ideals and beliefs.
Although he worked hard to implement Sinicization reforms in South Vietnam and integrated various Baiyue tribes into the Chinese system.
But towards Chang'an, he showed no loyalty at all.
Want him to surrender?
Okay, let the First Emperor come back to life and issue the edict himself!
As for the Emperor Liu of Chang'an, who is that?
In Zhao Tuo's eyes, even Liu Bang was just a Guizhou leader who pretended to be in trouble in the country, did treasonous things, and was crowned as a monkey, a traitor like a chicken sitting in the morning.
However, Zhao Tuo also clearly saw the dangers in the future.
The sinicization of junior high schools is deepening day by day.
From the royal family to the common people, everyone recognized Chang'an as the suzerain state.
Even his eldest grandson Zhao Hu missed the prosperity and richness of Chang'an, and talked about going back to Chang'an for pilgrimage every day.
The second and third generations of Qin soldiers and descendants of immigrants have even forgotten how the Chinese regime abandoned their ancestors.
Everyone misses returning to their hometown to worship their ancestors.
Confucian scholars from Wu, Chu, and Qilu spread the ideas of Zhu Xia everywhere among these people.
If this continues, I'm afraid that after he dies, no one in South Vietnam will be able to fight against the coercion and inducement from Chang'an.
"The country is in a difficult situation, and only a few people can understand it with the Prime Minister!" Zhao Tuo sighed inexplicably to the Prime Minister Lu Jia who was kneeling in front of him.
In the past twenty years, Zhao Tuo has begun to support Lu Jia and other Baiyue noble leaders to balance the pro-Han forces in the country.
However, even the Baiyue people, after decades of sinicization, actually began to look forward to China and consider themselves Chinese. This made Zhao Tuo really happy and sad!
The only person who has a common language with Zhao Tuo and can understand his policies is probably the former prisoner who is kneeling in front of him now, the leader of the Lu family with the highest prestige among the Baiyue people, and the Prime Minister of South Vietnam Lu Jia.
Lu Jia kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty has worked hard, and I know it. The Emperor of China, Xiang Zhuang, dances with his sword, and I also see it. I dare you to show me this!"
For Lu Jia, everything he has now is given by Zhao Tuo. If it weren't for Zhao Tuo, he would have been a pile of bones. How did he get his current status?
However, Lu Jia himself is already very old.
The monarch and his minister looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
"I am ninety-one years old and have only a few more years to live..." Zhao Tuo sighed with emotion: "My eldest son died young. Many of his sons also died. Wang Sunhu was young and ignorant of world affairs. He was deceived by Chang'an. If things go on like this, the Sheji Ancestral Temple
For fear of uneasiness, if one day I follow Mr. Ren away, the Nanyue Sheji Ancestral Temple will have to rely on the Prime Minister to take care of it. Please remember that if the grandson wants to go to Chang'an, he must be discouraged!"
Zhao Tuo knew very well that if after his death, Zhao Hu's unfilial grandson went to Chang'an, South Vietnam would completely lose its independence.
If you are lucky, the Zhao family may be able to become a happy marquis. If you are not lucky, a glass of poisonous wine will kill everyone!
After experiencing Xianyang's betrayal, it was really hard for Zhao Tuo to believe in the integrity of a ruler in a high position.
Besides, he is already the overlord of one party, so why should he succumb to others again?
The only thing to worry about is future generations.
However, he had said these words countless times, and although Zhao Hu nodded in agreement every time and swore to abide by them, Zhao Tuo could see that his grandson did not take his warning to heart at all.
That naive young man still fully believed that the Emperor of Chang'an treated him extremely well and would never harm him...
Zhao Tuo had no choice but to continue to strengthen Lu Jia's power. If one day, he died, Lu Jia could continue to support South Vietnam's independence.
"It's just that after Lu Jia's death, who can the South Vietnam country rely on?" Zhao Tuo couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Lu Jia doesn’t even need to die.
As long as the Emperor of Chang'an has a firm belief and is willing to sacrifice, the South Vietnam Kingdom cannot survive even if he is still alive!
As a member of the Qin Empire's once rigorous and extremely large military system, Zhao Tuo deeply understood how powerful the Chinese government would be once it was mobilized!
Back then, he and Ren Xiao were ordered to command 500,000 troops to open up territory for the First Emperor, and came to this barren land inhabited by hundreds of Vietnamese.
In order to take root here, the First Emperor ordered to use manpower to dig a canal to transport supplies to the army and replenish the supply of troops.
Now, if Chang'an decides to use force.
So, many of the facilities built by the First Emperor in order to attack the South China Sea area were ready-made and could be used.
What's even more troublesome is that in the past fifty years, Zhao Tuo has developed counties in South Vietnam, built many roads, water conservancy facilities, and bridges, and cleared many blocked rivers, swamps, and jungles that hindered traffic.
In other words, the current Han army no longer needs to be like the Qin army sixty years ago. Every step in the counties of South Vietnam is extremely difficult.
They only need to break through the five defenses deployed by the South Vietnamese Kingdom on the border, and then they can march straight in, along the roads and rivers created by Zhao Tuo, and reach Panyu.
Moreover, the Han army no longer even had to face the rebellious Baiyue tribe.
Those Baiyue tribes that caused huge casualties and difficulties to the Qin army in those years have basically been more or less Hanized today.
Especially in the core area ruled by Zhao Tuo, there was almost no difference between the Baiyue people and the Han people. These people did not dislike the Han people. On the contrary, some people might welcome the Han people.
Zhao Tuo had ruled South Vietnam for decades, and he certainly had his own base. But on the other hand, he also had enemies and tribes that didn't like his rule.
These people probably dream about overthrowing Zhao Tuo's rule.
As soon as the Han army arrives, these people will immediately become the leading party!
The Wu-Chu rebellion last year further demonstrated the combat effectiveness of the Han army.
Hundreds of thousands of Wu and Chu troops were wiped out in three months!
Of the more than 100,000 Sanyue troops who went north with Wu King Liu Bi, only a few thousand escaped.
All the survivors told others about the power and invincibility of the Han army without fear.
Now, they have destroyed Wu Chu and accepted Wu Chu's Chang'an. As long as they are willing to pay the price, they can destroy South Vietnam!
Zhao Tuo firmly believes in this and has no doubt about it!
The Korean War that just happened further proved Zhao Tuo’s worries!
Xu Han, the general of the Han Dynasty, commanded a huge fleet that crossed the long coastline and landed on the soft belly of North Korea, dealing a fatal blow to the Wei family. It also led to the collapse of the Wei family's regime!
Therefore, Zhao Tuo knew very well that the only way to maintain the independence of South Vietnam was to let the Han court know that destroying South Vietnam would cost a huge price. And this price was something Chang'an was not willing to pay.
Of course. On the other hand, we can’t seek death like North Korea!
The Emperor of Chang'an is young and vigorous. If he offends him and wants to destroy South Vietnam no matter what the cost, he will die.
Therefore, Zhao Tuo knew very well that obedience and surrender were very important to him and the South Vietnamese Kingdom.
We must never do such foolish things as casually proclaiming emperor as we did back then!
Not only that, but we must also try our best to satisfy the Emperor of Chang'an.
Therefore, when he sent the envoy to Chang'an this time, he ordered his people to bring many treasures from South Vietnam.
From specialty lychees to treasures from overseas, everything is included. Even the credentials are written in an extremely euphemistic way. In the credentials, the dignified King of South Vietnam not only calls himself the "Grand Elder of the Barbarians of South Vietnam, Fuchen Tuo", but also calls himself the Emperor of Chang'an.
As the 'Heavenly King', the wording is extremely humble. The entire credential emphasizes how obedient and loyal Zhao Tuo is to the Han Dynasty, and is willing to 'be a Han vassal forever' and be paid every year.
Pay tribute and ask for tribute every year.
On the other hand, Zhao Tuo began to rebuild a sailing fleet, and appointed several trusted generals to lead the ships to sea and explore routes to small overseas countries.
If the Emperor of Chang'an really cannot stand up to him anymore, he might as well let his descendants run away with their wealth and troops, go to those barbarian and Di lands, and establish a new kingdom.
The emperor of Chang'an couldn't cross the sea and go to pursue him, right?
…………………………………………
Chang'an, Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Palace.
After the envoy of King Dongou, the envoy of the King of Nanyue also asked to see Liu Che and presented the credentials and gifts of the King of Nanyue Zhao Tuo.
The gifts are very rich.
Liu Che just casually looked at the gift list and discovered that there were lychees, glass beads from overseas, ivory, gold and other luxury goods.
However, Liu Che was quite dissatisfied with the lack of rice.
You know, the South Vietnam Kingdom at this time was part of the rulers of Vietnam.
Therefore, later generations of Vietnamese monkeys followed their ancestors and gave Zhao Tuo the title of the so-called Kaitian Ti Dao Shengwu Shenzhe Emperor.
However, the monkeys probably don’t know that Zhao Tuo has nothing to do with them!
Even the tribes of Baiyue at this time had little to do with the monkeys.
It's probably like the Italians of later generations. Although the Italians were a country on the core territory of Rome, the Italians and the ancient Romans were two completely different races!
Liu Che was too lazy to take care of this messy matter for future generations.
All he cares about now is whether the South Vietnamese can have access to the Champa rice of later generations?
Liu Che was not familiar with the history of rice development and was not sure whether there was already Champa rice in this era.
However, one thing Liu Che is sure of is that rice is generally the main crop in South Vietnam.
In other words, even if South Vietnam does not have Champa rice, it should still have its own special rice.
So, Liu Che put down the gift list and said: "After the envoy returns home, please tell the King of Nanyue, I order him to donate rice seeds. He must send fifty dan to each of the rice seeds in South Vietnam!"
As a legitimate vassal of the Han Dynasty, Nanyue had a natural and unshirkable obligation to pay tribute to the Emperor of Han during his pilgrimage.
How could the South Vietnamese envoy dare to say no?
Hearing this, he immediately kowtowed: "Promise!" (To be continued, please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!
