Chapter 377 Luo's Protection
When Luo Jing sent people to Zhaocheng to investigate Dong Zhongshu's identity information, another group of people was heading to Zhaocheng. Judging from the flags, they were from the Zhao family in Lingnan.
Lingnan.
This is a wild land that people from the Central Plains fear. It is full of miasma, and there are towering trees and dense snakes, rats, insects and ants everywhere. People who live here have their hair cut because it is too hot and humid. If they grow their hair long like people in the Central Plains, the only result is that they will be infected with diseases due to the growth of bacteria.
When the State of Wu changed from cutting their hair and tattooing their bodies back to wearing Chinese clothing, they only required the upper class who could afford to wash their hair every day to change. They did not require the lower class people to do the same because it was unrealistic. Now that the climate in Wu has improved a lot, they have finally made a thorough change.
The imperial court was aware of the situation in Lingnan, so they were allowed to wear appropriate clothing and decorations according to the local climate, as long as they wore gorgeous clothes when they went to the Central Plains to pay homage to the emperor.
There are many countries in the vast land of Lingnan, among which the largest and strongest is naturally the Kingdom of Lingnan, a country among the Xia countries.
For decades, the Central Plains has continuously spread its advanced culture and technology to Lingnan, making the Lingnan Kingdom completely surpass other Lingnan barbarian countries in terms of national strength.
In addition to Lingnan Kingdom, there are also many gathering places established by people exiled from the Central Plains.
Over the past few decades, the number of criminals exiled from the Central Plains has reached hundreds of thousands, mainly because too many people were exiled for rebellion. Historically, tens of thousands of people would be killed for treason at a time. In this world, exile has become the mainstream way of dealing with the crime.
These criminals looked for places suitable for living and lived there in scattered locations, with some numbering several thousand and some hundreds. The population was so dense that it even accounted for the population of an entire county. Coupled with the birth rate in recent years, if the land in Lingnan could not accommodate so many people, this place would even have some of the flavor of the Central Plains.
In the last few years of Liu Heng's life, although he had not set up counties due to the face of Zhao Tuo, the King of Lingnan, he did appoint a Marquis Che here to manage the local military affairs.
With a multi-pronged approach, the development of Lingnan was much smoother than expected. Moreover, it was not the kind of expansion that was just for show and wasted resources, but rather the kind of expansion that could actually establish a stable rule.
Lingnan Kingdom, Panyu.
Zhao Tuo looked at the endless river outside the city and sighed slightly. His life experience could be described as legendary. He would never forget the appearance of Zhaogong Luoling when he first came to Lingnan alone.
That was the feeling of having the whole world in the palm of one's hand, which made even a hero like Zhao Tuo unable to help but be convinced.
Then, he was given a crown and a promise. Zhao Tuo worked diligently in the Lingnan area to carry out the plan of transforming the barbarians into Chinese people, and served as the King of Lingnan for decades.
"Grandfather, what are you thinking about?"
The Crown Prince of Lingnan had naturally been tortured to death by Zhao Tuo, and the one talking to him now was the Crown Prince, who was currently the heir to the Kingdom of Lingnan.
Zhao Tuo pondered for a moment and said, "I have always wondered where I would go if there was no Mausoleum of Duke Zhao.
Where will the Lingnan Kingdom end?
What will be the end of Zhao family?"
He did not wait for the prince to speak, and said directly: "The Lingnan Kingdom will definitely be established, and I may establish myself as king here, but the final outcome will definitely not be good.
The First Emperor sent a large army to conquer this place, and this place was marked by the Chinese people for the first time.
When Zhao Gongling came to Lingnan, he clearly told his grandfather that the land under our feet is an inseparable part of the Xia Dynasty. Anyone who dares to split it will be hunted down by the Luo family to the ends of the earth until the end of time. "
Upon hearing this, the prince trembled, and then asked in astonishment: "Grandfather, I think it is inappropriate to threaten the king of Zhuxia so blatantly.
No matter how powerful the Luo family is, can they be stronger than the central court?
Even if the Han court wants to attack Lingnan, my grandson is confident that he can defeat them. Even if the Luo family sends out 3,000 brave warriors, they can never be a match for Lingnan!"
This is the truth. Lingnan is such a big kingdom, especially with the emperor far away. If the Luo family only relies on its own strength, it may not be able to defeat the Zhao family of Lingnan.
"madness.
Since the fall of Luo State, when will the Luo family fight head-on? Do you think the Luo family will be as stubborn as you?
They have plenty of means and ways to call on people all over the world, and they can even raise their arms and call on everyone. In this Lingnan country, among the civil and military officials in the hall, I don't know how many people are willing to offer your and my heads to the Mausoleum of King Zhao.
This is Luo's!
Your grandfather is over a hundred years old. I don’t know how long I can live. My health has been deteriorating over the years, and death may be imminent.
I have been corresponding with Zhao Gongling over the years. He is very satisfied with my achievements over the years. He has reserved a place for my grandfather in Zhaocheng. This is not just a cemetery, but also a retreat for the future.
Everyone in the world knows that Xiang Yu's descendants are in Zhaocheng, but even the royal family has never asked about it, because the unspoken rule of politics is that entering Zhaocheng is equivalent to withdrawing from politics, or even leaving this world, and the disturbances of the outside world will no longer matter to you.
Zhao Gongling said that Xiang Yu's descendants would not appear in the entire Han Dynasty, and it would not be until the end of the Mandate of Heaven that people would ask whether Xiang Yu's descendants should be born.
The reason why the descendants of King Xiang were able to enter Zhaocheng was because of their great achievement in destroying Qin. To the Luo family, this was an unparalleled merit, so the Luo family was willing to protect the Xiang family for a very long time.
Zhao's development in Lingnan is also a great merit. Luo's will bless everyone who has great merit. This is what I have been working tirelessly for, a chance for a family to avoid destruction."
Upon hearing this, the prince said thoughtfully, "Grandfather, I understand, but where did the destruction of our family come from?
We, the Zhao clan, have firmly established our foothold in Lingnan and no longer have to worry about the constant attacks from the barbarians."
Zhao Tuo found it hard to believe that his grandson could be so stupid. Under Zhao Tuo's stern gaze, Prince Wang's voice became lower and lower.
Zhao Tuo then said angrily: "Who told you that you are a barbarian?
Lingnan Kingdom will definitely be annexed by the Han court in the end and turned into a county, just like the land of the Central Plains.
Do you think that the imperial court has been building canals, ditches and straight roads over the years simply to facilitate the transportation of population?
Haven’t you noticed that the speed of traveling from Central Plains to Lingnan is getting faster and faster?
If this continues, sooner or later, the army from the Central Plains will be able to arrive here in a short time!
Were the marquises appointed here only to guard the criminals from the Central Plains?
That is a pilot project of the imperial court. To implement the policies of the Central Plains here, in my opinion, the first step is to transform them into inner vassal princes, and then begin to extend favors and divide them into marquisates, completely the same as the Central Plains."
Zhao Tuo told the possible future situations in one breath. The prince was horrified and kept muttering: "How could this be? What should I do?"
His performance even made Zhao Tuo think of replacing this heir, and he said unhappily: "What is there to worry about? The Zhao family has been prosperous here for decades. Look at those glorious princes in the past, which one can be as prosperous and wealthy as the Zhao family.
As long as the Zhao family does not cause trouble and does not attempt to provoke the central government, it will not be a problem for them to remain rich and powerful for decades or even hundreds of years. Even if they become marquises step by step, they are still a powerful family, and they still have a way out. What is there to be afraid of? "
Zhao Tuo was completely disappointed and was ready to replace his grandson as heir because he felt that he really didn't have much time left and had to make a decision quickly.
But before he could do anything, he fell ill. Falling ill in a place like Lingnan basically means having one foot in the underworld, and Zhao Tuo was no exception. This rather long-lived prince finally died before Luo Ling.
He failed to become the longest-lived person of his time. According to the previous agreement between the Zhao and Luo families, Zhao Tuo's spirit would be transported to Zhaocheng for burial after being settled in Lingnan, so there was the group of people heading to Zhaocheng at the beginning.
Another group of people went to Chang'an City to report the death of King of Lingnan to the court in Chang'an, and at the same time asked the court to give Zhao Tuo a posthumous title, making him a vassal prince, but also a subject of the emperor.
This is what should be there!
————
Zhaocheng is one of the commercial centers of the Central Plains and is undoubtedly a cultural center. It has many titles, but one of them cannot be ignored and even affects the development of the entire political situation. That is, the political asylum center!
Zhaocheng sheltered many losers in political struggles, including princes who failed in their fight for the world and ministers who were hunted down by the royal family. Once they entered Zhaocheng, all attacks would stop, but the price was that they would never be able to leave, abandoning everything as social members and becoming just an ordinary citizen of Zhaocheng.
But Zhaocheng's protection was not unlimited. The Luo family had their own standards. Only those who had made great contributions to the world could enter. This profoundly influenced the political choices of the kings, princes, generals and ministers of the ancient dynasties, and thus profoundly influenced the choices of the entire civilization. - "Luo Culture"
(End of this chapter)
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