It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 200
Only Ranovel
Episode 200 Flames of War (1)
The Yan Dynasty is famous for its medicinal herbs.
In particular, the Yeonsan Mountains area of the Liaoxi Corridor is called Tianhuangdao, or ‘Emperor’s Land’ in the 21st century, because Qin Shi Huang sent many people to look for medicinal herbs.
It was not much different in this era, and people in this area originally made a lot of profit by selling medicinal herbs.
But it was just a side job. Until the merchants appeared a few years ago.
-I will purchase an unlimited amount of medicinal herbs from the Yan Dynasty.
One day, northern merchants appeared and purchased medicinal herbs from the Yan Dynasty at a high price.
Thanks to this, the finances of the Yan Dynasty became abundant.
Even farmers abandoned their farmland and flocked to the mountains. Because it made more money. Because of this, there were many empty fields even in March and April, when farming was supposed to start.
However, this spring, the third year since the herbal medicine craze began, was a bit different.
“Where are the herbalists?”
“… what? “Where did you get out of hiding in the mountains?”
At those words, Ah-hyung nodded.
“I built a hut on the mountain and gathered only herbs for a month. This time, I filled it with ginseng (meaning wild ginseng in this era)… .”
“It’s nonsense. “No one will buy that.”
“… what?”
My younger brother was taken aback by those words.
The old man answered this.
“Nobody buys herbs anymore.”
“What do you mean? How can merchants… overnight? .”
“It’s strange to me too. But see, there are more than one person like you these days.”
Only then did the younger brother look around.
There were many people like him, holding baskets of herbs and looking desperate. They are also people who stayed in the mountains like their younger brother.
“… “If I can’t sell this, where can I get grain?”
“… Well, what if we have to dig up the grass roots and eat them?”
At those words, Ah-hyung felt as if the sky was turning yellow.
***
And that time.
Yan Huanhu, located in the capital of Yan Dynasty, Jing (present-day Beijing), was also shouting with his face red.
“There is not enough food! “What do you mean!”
“That is… Last farming season, all the farmers went into the mountains to dig up medicinal herbs, so the farmland in Yan was empty! But, all those herbal dealers disappeared overnight… “The people are starving.”
“Way? “Is there no way?”
“There is one thing.”
“What is it?”
“… … At least we have saved up some supplies, so if we stop the war now and release the reserves… … .”
“That’s crazy!”
Yeon Hwan-hu shouted. This is in line with the idea of reducing the number of troops.
If that happens, even if the people are saved, the country will collapse. Qi and Asadal will invade right away.
“Neighboring countries, what about neighboring countries? “Can’t we just import what we need?”
“If you sell bronze weapons… “There are several feudal lords who have offered to give us grain.”
“That’s crazy!”
Selling weapons to buy grain at a time when war is about to start is crazy.
Yeon Hwan-hu sighed.
“how… “Why did this happen?”
“I’m sorry, please kill me!”
“What difference will it make if I kill you?”
Yeon Hwan-hu gritted his teeth. And then, as if she didn’t want to see it anymore, she returned to the palace.
And commanded.
“Samseoksan! Bring me Samseoksan! right now!”
After the training, I decided to rest for a bit. If you rest a little and clear your head with an elixir, something will come to mind. Something… .
***
“It’s hell.”
Guan Yio thought so after receiving the report on the Yan Dynasty. The Yan Dynasty, whose main source of income was the sale of medicinal herbs, was cut off, and its grain holdings decreased significantly.
As grain disappeared, people starved, and looting occurred throughout Yan. The interior shook greatly. To this, Guan Yio said:
“Now that it’s done, we’ve done everything we had to do.”
Having said that, Guan Yio decided to withdraw from the north.
Guan Yio knows something about war. War occurs in one of two situations.
Either the enemy is not prepared.
Either I’m ready or not.
And the current situation is both.
The Yan Dynasty was not ready, but Asadal was ready.
“There will soon be war.”
There are two things for Yan to choose here.
Either we get invaded, or we gather all the capabilities we had before and invade.
“Prepare for war.”
“War, you mean?”
“We are not releasing military rations. Instead, gather more soldiers. Tell the hungry common people that you will provide them with food when they join the military. “I will capture the State of Qi and fill the people of Yan with food from there!”
Yeon Hwan-hu chose the latter.
***
The target of the Yan Dynasty’s cry for war was the Qi Dynasty.
Because it was right to fight while you still have a little bit of capability.
“All you have to do is subjugate the State of Qi and feed it plenty of kites as food for its troops! “That’s all!”
Yeon Hwan-hu shouted like an addicted gambler.
It is true that he is addicted, and it is true that he is a gambler.
And at that point.
“The Yan Dynasty is shaking.”
“… “It was Asadal’s plan.”
“Asadal?”
“yes. “Now I understand.”
Duke Zhe Huan and Bao Shu’er talked.
“They moved merchants from all over the world to purchase medicinal herbs from the Yan Dynasty. The Yan Dynasty happily sold medicinal herbs, and the people went into the mountains. And now, I suddenly stopped buying medicinal herbs.”
“… “Asadal did that?”
“It’s even weirder to think that Asadal didn’t do it.”
Posukah said.
“Excluding Asadal, the only power that possesses that much financial power and has influence in the north is the Qin Province. However, from Jin’s perspective, there is no reason to go to such lengths to attack the Yan Dynasty.”
“Hmm… “Why didn’t Yeonhu know about this?”
“Even I didn’t know. “I am only certain now that I have seen that the purchase of medicinal herbs has stopped at this point and the Yan Dynasty has fallen into chaos.”
“… That’s amazing. “Pungbaek, how did he come up with this scheme?”
Duke Je Huan felt that his decision to join hands with Asadal once again was right. And, he buried deep in his heart the thought of ‘taking the Shandong peninsula without even giving it to him.’
Posukah said.
“… Someone said so. “The person who makes the game is first-class, and the second-class person takes advantage of the game.”
“If you look at it that way, we are second-rate.”
“Do you regret it?”
“little.”
Duke Huan of Zhe trembled his hands as if he was indignant.
“It wasn’t like this during my father’s time, but I guess I’m not as good as him yet.”
Bao Shu-ah, who had personally served King Je Hee-hee, had a slightly different opinion here. Even if he was Duke of Jexi, it would have been difficult for him to be better than Poongbaek. But she didn’t say that.
“It’s not necessarily just the top class that gets the most. “We didn’t make the cut, but we have to take as much as we can out of it.”
“Say it a little easier.”
Duke Huan of Zhe said.
“Isn’t it finally time to avenge the humiliation of five years ago, Master?”
“That’s right.”
Now, Duke Huan of Qi, who had grown to the point where his beard was bushy, stood up with his sword in hand. He wore an ornate crown and held an iron sword and bronze shield.
“What about Asadal?”
“They will go to war with us.”
“Good.”
Duke Huan of Zhe said.
“All troops, dispatch! “Let’s subdue those bandits!”
***
Duke Huan of Qi stood up wearing a large crown.
Denouncing the Yan Dynasty as bandits is a truly cultural powerhouse. It feels like Italian chefs look down on British chefs.
And the expression ‘bandit’ is really interesting.
Originally, when criticizing the Yan Dynasty, people often used the term ‘San Yong’ or ‘Yong Zhi’, but those expressions were avoided.
Because of Asadal. Asadal, who is close to Sanyung, is an ally, so wouldn’t it be a bit strange to curse at Sanyung there?
Even Hitler, a pure-blooded Aryanist art student, did not say that Latin and Asian races were inferior. Because Japan and Italy were allies.
Well, I’ve often said that islanders and Gauls are inferior.
“We are almost ready for war.”
“Okay. However, there is some work to do before that.”
I left the administration. A lot of people were gathered there.
***
Each princely state in the Central Plains had greatly different characteristics depending on the region. You can tell just by looking at the appearance of a nobleman.
The nobles of the Qi Dynasty wore high crowns and wide belts, held swords in sheaths made from the most precious parts of shells, and carried shields.
The high crown and wide belt show the wealth and splendor of the Qi dynasty.
The people of Western Qin and Yan wore rough linen and leather clothes, and made sword sheaths out of leather thongs.
It shows their frugal lifestyle, and the fact that it has a leather sheath means that it is for practical use, not just for decoration. It shows that this is a country that values the military.
And the states of Chu and Lu tied their coffins with strings and wore generous robes. It doesn’t feel too flashy, but it doesn’t feel too plain either.
As both countries gave birth to Lao Tzu and Confucius, the two towers of Confucianism, they placed great importance on standards.
Isn’t Lao Tzu Taoism?
If you think about it, that’s true, but in fact, the first batter of the disciple hundred family is Laoja.
It is said that Confucius also asked Lao Tzu for teachings.
Lao Tzu then looked at Confucius and said, ‘What? One great emperor? In the end, even if you talk fancy, isn’t it true that you will live as an aristocrat for generations? ‘You hypocrite!’ he cursed.
From the point of view of Lao Tzu, who advocated the nature of inaction, which is to leave the people alone, and the principle of retreating from attack and defense after accomplishing a feat, the idea of the emperor’s central circle must have been quite a bitch.
However, rather than criticizing Lao Tzu, Confucius, who was reviled, described Lao Tzu as ‘an untouchable dragon-like being.’ He quoted the story of Lao Tzu a lot in his writings, and he lived by saying that Lao Tzu was the best. In the end, Lao Tzu also had a significant influence on Confucius’s thoughts.
Therefore, Li Yeon, the founder of the Tang Dynasty, which centered on Confucianism, said that Lao Tzu was his ancestor.
Of course it’s bullshit.
Lee Yeon is not a farmer like Lao Tzu. In the first place, Lee Yeon is not a Hwaha, but a scholar.
In response, a monk named Beol-rim said, ‘I heard that Lao-tzu’s father had an adulterous relationship with a slave next door when he was seventy years old, and thus became Lao-tzu. So, are you also a descendant of the slave?’ and hit the emperor with something similar to a padrep, which almost literally led to his betrayal.
In my opinion, Beoprim is also a reincarnated person.
Living in the 21st century, where it is okay to criticize politicians, one day I tripped into the Tang Dynasty.
If not, how can you give a bad lip to the emperor?
No, now that I think about it, this is also strange.
Even in the 21st century, China cannot swear at its president.
Anyway, the monarchs of O and Wol, located in Gangnam below, do not wear anything on their heads.
Conversely, it also eliminates what exists. I shave my head hard. That’s because I live in a hot area.
The barang made a mean joke to me, saying, ‘Hmm, are you from Wu, too?’, but I pretended not to hear it.
Moreover, he doesn’t wear clothes and instead enjoys getting tattoos. This is a characteristic of sea people. It’s a bit difficult to put on clothes on a boat, but it’s also difficult to take them off, so I got a tattoo. The Susu tribe and the maritime tribes of the Korean Peninsula also had many tattoos.
Why am I suddenly talking about Jungwon’s culture? Because this is the sight I see before my eyes right now.
“… “You’ve come a long way.”
These are delegations from the Central Plains. Now that it has been confirmed that Asadal and Yeon will face off, I have come to check on Asadal’s situation.
These delegations moved only along designated routes from Port Asadal, following the guidance of soldiers.
This is for two reasons. Firstly, to prevent Asadal’s technology from being leaked, and secondly, if something were to happen to them, it could develop into a diplomatic breach.
Consider Horazm. After killing Genghis Khan’s diplomatic envoy, the country was ruined. (Of course, it was Mongolia that insulted them first. They even called the lord of a region by his ‘name’. In the 21st century, this would be equivalent to calling the Korean president’s name at an official event. Same thing.)
‘… It’s very Tang Dynasty.’
The Tang Dynasty was the one that handled these diplomatic envoys best.
According to the records, a Japanese delegation offered a bribe to a Tang official saying that they wanted to take a different path than the designated one in order to understand the technology and atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty, but the official refused, saying, “If an official accepts a bribe, it will be a big problem.”
This happened not even during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, but in the 9th century when the Tang Dynasty was collapsing. To that extent, the Tang Dynasty strictly managed the missions. I think this is one of the secrets to the party’s longevity.
And I did the same thing.
The most trustworthy people were assigned to this work, double and triple surveillance was carried out to ensure that no bribes were accepted, and they were moved on a wagon in the hopes of making a map or something.
And they were treated kindly.
“Now, eat!”
The main dishes are Asadal fried chicken made with soybean oil and pork meat made with soy sauce.
It was chosen intentionally.
‘You’ve never eaten anything like this before.’
In the 21st century, China is the mecca of fried food, but not now. Because there isn’t much room for oil to flow.
Oil in the Central Plains was largely represented by soybeans and peanuts.
Soybeans were grown in the north and peanuts in the south.
However, both are ambiguous now.
Peanuts are now across the sea in the New World, and soybeans from Manchuria were introduced to the Central Plains less than 10 years ago.
‘Even in Yuan history, the first time soybeans were introduced to the Central Plains was during the reign of Emperor Je Huan. While Duke Huan of Zhe was subduing Sanyong. Well, in this history, I just got it through trade with Asadal.’
Vegetable oil and soybean oil began to spread in the central plains during the Wei, Jin, and Northern Dynasties, and peanut oil began to spread much later, during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
There is no such thing as fried food in China these days. Even in Asadal, soybean oil is quite rare.
It’s the kind of food you sometimes eat at festivals.
As a result, Asadal’s soybean oil is an important export product to the Central Plains. Roughly speaking, you can think of things like pepper or cloves from the Age of Exploration.
‘Asadal soy sauce meat is a little less precious.’
Meat marinated in soy sauce. That’s right, it’s bulgogi.
In Yuan history, it was also called maekjeok because it was Goguryeo-style meat, and the people of Jungwon loved this maekjeok so much that there is a record that the emperor of Jungwon at the time complained, saying, “You eat the food of Goguryeo people. Don’t you have any pride in Jungwon?”
So, these two foods must be foods that really stimulate the hearts of people in Jungwon.
Unfortunately, the envoys in the central plains were not very interested in this good food that was put together with so much thought. Everyone was busy observing their surroundings.
And it is obvious who the center is.
“Hehe, did you think bandits would be here?”
“What are these extravagant people talking about? It is a foreign country. “Be careful of your words.”
“Luxury? “You guys go on and on about how envious you are of the bandits because they are so bigots?”
“The Yan Dynasty considers frugality a virtue. “There are no fools in Yan like you who wear gold around their necks.”
“Oh, so you got into trouble for selling medicinal herbs?”
“Have you still forgotten that it was destroyed five years ago? “I’ll have to ask you if the arrow wound on your chest is okay.”
The expressions on which the envoys from the Yan and Qi kingdoms looked at each other were grim.
With war approaching, it was only natural.
It is said that Goryeo once went to the Song Dynasty as an envoy, found the Liao Dynasty envoys, and made a fuss about them.
Still, they didn’t go as far as punching.
Although I thought it was fortunate, I was also disappointed.
A fist fight between the reapers. That would have been really fun.
Anyway, the most important thing here is the delegation from Je and Yeon. The rest were honestly more like just coming to see Asadal.
After the banquet was over, we met with the envoy from the Yan Dynasty.
“Why did King Yeon send an envoy to Asadal?”
The expression on the envoy’s face was not good.
I feel like he’s going to swear at me right now. It’s natural.
Yeonhu would have realized by now that this herbal commotion was caused by Asadal.
But it won’t kill you. Because the weapons were confiscated in advance. There was a bit of backlash here. People of this era wear swords even in front of the king.
Still, looking at the fact that all the delegations eventually responded to Asadal’s request, it can be seen that the central government also cares a lot about Asadal.
Of course, if we go back to Centipede Country, people will say, ‘President Asadal was a pure coward and even took his sword,’ but that’s none of my business.
The reaper said.
“… “Your Majesty wants peace with Asadal.”
It means not to fight.