Chapter 849: Dark Land! New Map! Shackles Broken!
The progress of the world is driven by people all over the world.
When good luck comes, heaven and earth are on your side; when bad luck is gone, even heroes cannot be free.
In the face of the tide of the times, human power seems so insignificant.
We can only go with the flow, watch things flourish, and then, after reaching their peak, suddenly decline. The world is in this state of chaos.
Prosperity and failure are due to people.
The Luo family once had a mission that lasted for three thousand years, for Ji Zhao's ultimate cause.
But after spending the first thousand years, Ji Zhao had already understood some of the basics of the system.
Hundreds of years ago, he reached Tianzhu and saw the truth of the world, so he chose to follow the Dao. Once successful, it would bring about earth-shaking changes.
The Luo family initially had four hundred years of imperial luck, and after experiencing several events, they now have five hundred years of imperial luck.
Even if Ji Zhao cannot succeed in achieving the Hedao in a short period of time, as long as the Luo family can survive the last nine hundred years, Ji Zhao's main mission will be completed.
Is nine hundred years difficult?
Under the centralized system, it is impossible for any other family to ensure that wealth and prosperity can be passed down through the direct line for more than 900 years. It is a blessing to perish along with the dynasty.
But for the Luo family, as long as they have enough luck and foundation, nine hundred years is not a problem.
The Luo family didn't know that the family only needed to survive for more than 900 years, and thought that it would have to last for thousands, tens of thousands, or even a hundred thousand years, which was why life was so difficult.
But Luo Su knew it vaguely, so his family policies and actions were very radical.
…
Luo Su and his two companions traveled all the way to the Khanate of Western Turkic Khanate, where they saw a little bit of Turkic culture, including tiger and leopard patterns, and some slaves wearing Turkic-style felt hats.
Only slaves.
Most Turks, whether they look like people from the Western Regions, or look like Han people, or look like Donghu people, wear clothing that is not much different from the style of the Central Plains.
The biggest difference is probably that the clothes worn by those nobles have a lot of blue, purple, gold and silver patterns, which look very solemn and dignified. They like gold and purple, which is a characteristic of the Western Regions.
Just approaching Shenlin City made Luo Su and the other two quite surprised. This was a city the likes of which Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye had never seen before. It was very different from the Central Plains.
Its city walls seemed to be made of stone, with statues on the city gates and countless murals hanging outside the city walls, painted in gorgeous colors. All of the murals were people, and most of them looked similar, all majestic figures holding divine staffs or swords, and riding Pegasus.
On the straight road leading into the city, there were many people of different looks, who bowed their heads respectfully as they entered the city. Luo Su and his companions, who were wearing bamboo hats, were inconspicuous. Here were almost all races that could be seen in the world, people with black hair, blond hair, brown hair, straight hair, curly hair, and people with high and low noses.
When Luo Su saw this scene, his heart was filled with excitement. It turned out that his ancestors had not lied to him. The truth of traveling thousands of miles is always correct.
The most terrible thing in this world is to be complacent.
At the beginning, Luo Su let the King of Chu Xiong Dun go and let him go south to explore. As long as he did not return to the Central Plains, he would forgive the State of Chu. From that time on, Luo Su knew that there was no future in being involved in the internal affairs of the Xia State.
He has the same idea now.
After the three entered the city, they stepped lightly on the stone slabs under their feet. The stone slabs were glued together with some unknown material.
This street alone is better than countless cities in the Central Plains. Even Chang'an City is just a road paved with rammed earth.
In this era, only places like the imperial city would be paved with marble.
Luo Xuanjing looked at the buildings in the city carefully, and the more he looked, the more he felt that there was something there. "Grandfather, the buildings in this city are quite unusual, and many of the technologies are not available in the Central Plains.
The family spread various theories in the Central Plains in the past, but numerology was eventually abandoned. These buildings today would not have been built without good numerology."
In Luo Su's time, mathematics had not yet developed. After he came into the world and learned about mathematics, he knew that it was something that could change the world and that it contained the highest principles in the world.
but.
Luo Su pondered and said, "Numerology is very useful, but even if you learn it to a level that no one else can reach, you are still controlled by others. It is impossible to expect those who want to be officials to learn it.
Moreover, numerology requires too much talent, requires a lot of investment, and has low returns. It is destined to be an extremely niche category, and this cannot be changed.”
Luo Xuanjing was quick-witted and asked, "Ancestor, didn't the emperor of the Sui Dynasty establish an imperial examination system? What if numerology was included in the subjects?"
Luo Su walked away and said, “So which types of numerology should I choose?
You should know that there are many types of mathematical subjects, and the learning speed is completely different with or without a teacher. Take the simplest problem of chickens and rabbits in the same cage for me. If it were in the outside world, most people would not be able to do it.
Can most of the poor students compare with those from the aristocratic families?
The imperial examination system is a good thing, but it is not that rare.
Except for the era of hereditary aristocracy, all recommended officials have been evaluated since ancient times.
Yang Jian's imperial examination system was actually still a system of recommendation, except that the power of recommendation was delegated to lower-level officials.
The only thing worth praising is that there is a criterion for judging. Later, I will study the ancient system of selecting scholars and then implement a complete system to select scholars.
Selecting officials is a very profound subject and is not that simple. It is necessary to select those who have real talents and knowledge, but at the same time, not let the system become a tool for a certain group of people. It requires many comprehensive considerations.
Those things that require a lot of wealth to learn should be excluded from the path of selection first.
Ah Jing, do you understand?"
Luo Xuanjing suddenly realized, "Grandfather, I understand now. Only a system that allows everyone to participate is valuable, at least those families that are wealthy enough to support a scholar."
Luo Su smiled and said, "I understand. When I was traveling in the Sui Dynasty, I heard a saying, 'poor in literature and rich in martial arts'. This simple phrase touched me deeply.
More than 1,500 years ago, after the ancestor Su Wang, I once again started the great division of fiefdoms, and I had a share in the final chaos.
Now I have two paths before me, and I may choose the path that is doomed to self-destruction. "
ah?
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye were both very surprised when they heard this. They didn't know what decision the ancestor had made that he would say such a thing.
Luo Su looked at the expressions of the two people, but said in a relaxed tone: "But it doesn't matter, with you and the Luo family here, you can give me options to support me. I will keep the solution in the family.
When the time is right, the contemporary Luo family will initiate it and put an end to the chaos I created."
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye became even more frightened after listening to this. The words of ancestor Wen Gong were too scary. If he couldn’t solve the problem, could his descendants in later generations really solve it?
But ancestor Wen Gong liked to be a riddle teller and did not explain many things clearly. The two of them could only feel uneasy and had no other choice.
The three of them found a good inn to stay in. After Luo Xuanjing cleaned up, he went to the inner room to help Luo Su clean up. While he was cleaning up, he asked, "Ancestor, are we going to contact the temple?"
Luo Su shook his head, and after a moment of silence, he said, "No need. This place is too busy. Let's find a chance to meet again when we come back."
Luo Xuanjing was very smart. When he heard what Luo Su said, he immediately asked, "Grandfather, do we still need to go west?"
Luo Su smiled and said, "Of course we have to go further west. The Western Region is the hub of the east, west, south and north. From here we can see that there is civilization in the far west.
Just coming to the Western Regions is not a journey of thousands of miles. We still have several years to travel."
Luo Xuanjing's hands slowed down as she cleaned up the things. A heavy burden weighed on her heart, and a surge of excited thoughts also emerged.
There are many people from the Western Regions and even the Central Plains who travel further west.
In the far west of the Western Regions, there is a powerful country according to legend.
But for the Luo family, that is the dark place mentioned by their ancestors. Once the Luo family members walk out of it, they will be lost there.
This is the warning from our ancestor, the King of Su.
Luo Xuanjing carefully stretched out her index finger and pointed to the sky. She didn't say anything, but Luo Su knew what she was asking and nodded with a smile.
Luo Xuanjing's face suddenly blossomed with surprise, and her eyes burst into infinite light. She couldn't help but ask: "Grandfather, is it true? Is it true?
Are our restrictions really lifted?"
Luo Su nodded again and looked at Luo Xuanjing who was happily circling in the room like a butterfly. This was the joy of freedom and the happiness of releasing the shackles.
From then on, the Luo family members could go further west to the Western Regions.
…
From the west of the Pamir Mountains, the scenery and customs are very different.
When Luo Su and the other two took that step, a thunder that shook the earth suddenly exploded in the sky. This thunder seemed to be celebrating something and tearing the sky apart.
In the system's map, all lands outside the Western Regions are dark, which is why Ji Zhao calls these lands the Land of Darkness.
In the past, the descendants of the Luo family were not allowed to set foot on these lands, but now the situation has changed.
[Dear master, your descendants have set foot on the land of Central Asia. The new world map is open to you. In the prelude of this glorious era, may your family sing the most magnificent song.
This is one of the most beautiful lands in the world. May it become the jewel in your family's crown, and let this land shine in the long river of history, bearing the name of the Luo family. 】
[Luck points +1000, current luck points 1434623. ]
With the sound of camel bells ringing, Luo Su and the other two headed towards the far west along the road that countless merchants had traveled before.
This road was full of traveling merchants, carrying silk and porcelain from the Sui Dynasty, as well as goods from the Far West. These merchants walked on this dangerous road for the sake of profit.
Luo Su chatted with these businessmen from time to time. He quickly learned those exotic languages, which amazed everyone who met him.
Luo Xuanye was still driving the carriage for Luo Su. Luo Su lifted the curtain and looked at the endless yellow sand desert, and said softly: "Without business, there is no business, and without business, there is no wealth.
The Central Plains dynasty has suppressed merchants for too many years. It is time to change this situation. The situation of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce must be eliminated.
But if we want to develop business, we must first develop agriculture. Now even families find it difficult to increase grain production unless they can get a higher-yield grain variety. "
In Luosu’s time, the grains grown were of a very low yield, but now not only do we have iron as a crop, the emergence of wheat is also a great improvement.
But wheat also has a big problem. It produces wastewater, which will cause the soil fertility to decline. This is only possible if the crop is cultivated for one year and rested for one year, but this is obviously unrealistic, so the soil fertility declines seriously.
Many lands turned into saline-alkali lands, eventually causing large-scale crop failures. The solution was to build water conservancy facilities, but distant water still could not quench immediate thirst.
If the food is not good, then go find better food. From the emergence of the Xia Dynasty to the present, the staple food has changed several times, and each staple food has higher yield and is easier to cultivate than the previous one.
…
When the sun rises, the moon sets.
Luo Su and the other two didn't know how far they had walked. They only knew that they passed some powerful countries along the way. Those countries had millions of people, strong armies, magnificent palaces, and countless wealth.
There are big rivers flowing, plains that even Luo Su is amazed at, and fertile land that is not seen even in the Central Plains. Even a cold-faced man like Luo Xuanye could not help but say, "This place should belong to us, the Xia people."
They saw a civilization that was very different from that of other countries, but it was undeniable that there was a different style here. What surprised Luo Su the most was that the countries along the way admired scholars far more than those in the Central Plains.
The reason why he used the word "scholar" instead of "reader" is because in his opinion, scholar and reader are completely different.
The Central Plains also admired culture, but what they admired were scholars who inherited the teachings of the sages, that is, the classics passed down by great sages, and the ways of governing the country such as Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Huang-Lao.
In the Mohist school, those who mastered the techniques were not of the mainstream, and even the Luo family could not change this concept, but it was not the case here.
Here, they met many scholars who were engaged in matters totally unrelated to state governance, but who had acquired extraordinary status and were guests of honor of the powerful.
This was the first time Luo Su felt frightened!
He had never been afraid before, but now he felt afraid for the first time!
Because he knew too well how powerful the force contained in this overlooked thing. The reason why the Luo family was able to gain a foothold in Liaodong was because they mastered advanced things.
The speed of special research and free development is different. Now Luo's iron smelting technology is two levels stronger than that of Zhongyuan. As for some other technologies that will not be of much use in the short term, Luo's is stronger than Zhongyuan.
The Central Plains dynasties were of the take-what-is-what-is approach.
For the Central Plains dynasty, its size was too large, and even if it used weapons of a lower era, it could still win the war.
Even though there were better weapons around, they were wiped out by Zhongyuan in one wave before they could make a difference.
But what did Luo Su see?
For a country with such a large population, it still has ever-changing demands for technological innovation and is also vigorously developing theoretical disciplines such as mathematics, astronomy, and geography that many people think are of no use.
Luo Su and the other two have now become proficient in reading these foreign texts. Now, the three of them are staring at a book in their hands with serious expressions.
This is a book about logic.
“I thought I would only see this kind of book in the family.”
Luo Xuanye is not very good at logic, and he does not have much talent in literature, especially academics, but his expression is equally ugly.
Logic and speculation.
Before the Qin Dynasty, it was booming. Both the Mohist school and the School of Names had content on this aspect, but it was overshadowed by the theory of governing the country.
No matter what theory the various schools of thought have, they all ultimately revolve around governing a country. This is a huge flaw that makes it easy for people to overlook the other wisdom contained in the writings of those saints.
Luo almost completely inherited the theories of Laozi and Mozi, extracted the contents related to logic from them, and compiled them into a book for the family members to study.
But I didn't expect to see such a book outside the Central Plains.
Luo Su's face was no longer relaxed. He said slowly, "Those merchants said that there was once an extremely powerful country in the far west called Rome. That's where we should go. There must be many precious books there. A stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade. This may be the stone from another mountain that I'm looking for."
Luo Xuanye asked doubtfully: "Ancestor, didn't those merchants say that the capital of Rome had been captured by the barbarians?
The most powerful country right now is said to be called Persia, and it is blocking our way westward."
Luo Su shook his head and said, "From the tone and description of those merchants, Rome was once an extremely great and glorious country, probably not worse than the Han Dynasty.
Such a country, no, civilization, is not so easy to be destroyed. There must be countless people who want to revive it. Even if the country is destroyed, the culture will not necessarily disappear. We can understand how they run a country.
What are the advantages of their country?
The system of the Xia people established by our ancestor King Su must be the greatest, but other civilizations must have their merits. After this trip, I believe you have already gained a deep understanding of this.
Regardless of other aspects, in terms of business rules alone, the Central Plains is not as good as these countries. Our merchants are not merchants, but officials. "
…
Hiss.
The sword energy was whistling and the horses were neighing. The setting sun was as red as blood, but not brighter than the blood on the ground, which was still steaming. The spiritual soldiers were wearing armor, one team holding bows and arrows was covering in the back, and the other team holding lances and swords was charging in the front, killing madly.
Luo Xuanye took the lead, the lance in his hand almost waving like a shadow. As long as he stepped onto the battlefield, he was as brave as a god of war.
Not long after, this team was run away or died, and Luo Xuanye finally returned to Luo Su. His body was still stained with blood and sweat was dripping on his face.
It was obvious that a lot of physical energy had just been expended.
After returning to Luo Su, Luo Xuanye said directly: "Ancestor, the further we go, the more chaotic it becomes. The Persian soldiers and Roman soldiers are in great chaos. I'm afraid it won't work for us to move forward like this.
Even the spirit soldiers are beginning to show scars. If the spirit soldiers die, that will be bad."
The war between Persia and Rome was so intense that even many caravans could not pass. It is said that the Roman emperor asked for peace with Persia, calling himself an "obedient son" and willing to become a vassal state of Persia, but Persia did not agree and still wanted to annex the entire Rome.
Judging from the current situation, Rome can no longer withstand the attack of Persia, and the once glorious Rome is likely to be completely destroyed. During these days, Luo Su has learned a lot about the systems and cultures of Rome and Persia.
Both civilizations were quite brilliant. Both Persia and Rome were worthy of praise. Even someone like Luosu, who came from the distant Zhou Dynasty, could not say that these two countries were barbarians.
He wants face.
These two countries have civilizations, systems, and their own morals, and in some aspects they are even more advanced than the Central Plains. Calling them barbarians is not only an insult to them, but also an insult to ourselves.
Compared with Persia, Losu was more interested in the political system of Rome. From the Roman system, he felt the flavor of his own rule.
He was the initiator of the Bangzhou Regency Conference.
Limiting the power of the monarch is also what the Luo family has always done.
But in the end, as the land area and population increased, centralization had to be strengthened step by step. Is there a complete theory that can distinguish between imperial power and centralization? This led to the current situation.
The larger the territory of a country, the more important it is to ensure the central authority to prevent division. The higher the central authority, the greater the power of the monarch. Even Luo Shi could not solve this problem.
At this moment, Losu saw that the aristocratic republic of Rome brought him some gains, but only a little bit, because this aristocratic republic was too unsuccessful.
Luo Su's evaluation is that it is even worse than a dictatorship.
The Regency Council at that time was also a kind of aristocratic republic, which was much better than the aristocratic republic of Rome.
In particular, when Losu learned about the frequent civil wars in Rome, he immediately realized that Rome had a typical problem with its inheritance system. The imperial power had no sacredness at all, and the throne that relied entirely on force was of course unstable.
And the Xia.
The issue of receiving the mandate from Heaven had been resolved as early as in ancient times. When King Su came to the world, the lofty status of Heaven was completely fixed. Combined with the system of primogeniture, dynasties lasted for hundreds of years. However, the Roman dynasty did not even last more than a hundred years.
Thinking back on these things, Luo Su felt more and more the superiority of Zhuxia. In terms of the most critical thing in a country, the political system, the Zhuxia dynasty had surpassed them by a thousand years.
The rest of the shortcomings will not lead to an imbalance of power in the short term. Now that I have come here, the blueprint in my mind has been completely drawn up.
It's time to go back to the Central Plains and let the Luo family return to the Central Plains.
After being out for a few years, the news that the direct descendants of the Luo family are walking around in the world has probably spread everywhere.
I don’t know whether Prince of Jin Yang Guang became the crown prince.
I don’t know whether the Sui Dynasty has defeated those powerful enemies now. It is certainly impossible to defeat Liaodong Kingdom as the terrain there is not easy to attack. However, there is a good chance against Western Yan Kingdom and Dong Turkic Khanate.
Thinking of this, Luo Su pondered for a moment and then asked with a smile: "Aye, Ajing, do you want to go back to Zhongyuan?"
Do you want to go back to Central Plains?
Of course I did.
In traditional concepts, the Central Plains is surrounded by bitter and cold lands, and those barbarians live a hard life. The best land has been occupied by the Chinese. After traveling thousands of miles, they realized that this was certainly not true. At least Persia and Rome had quite prosperous cities.
Here there is silk, tea, gold, gems, beauties, fine wine, and everything that civilization needs.
But this isn't home.
There is no Su Wang, no Yayu, no Luo family here. This place feels strange.
"Go back to the ancestors, think!"
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye were not pretentious and directly said what they were thinking.
"Then let's go home, back to the Central Plains. How many years have passed since we left the Central Plains?"
"Ancestor, about six years."
Six years.
It was really a long time. Luo Su thought about it and said, "We will be back in the Western Regions for about three or four years. One day, we must build a highway here so that it will be unobstructed all the way from Constantinople to Chang'an."
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye were stunned. If that day really comes, how big would the land of Zhuxia be?
Just think about it and you will know that it is impossible. No capital city can support such a vast empire.
The territory of the Central Plains Dynasty could only reach the Pamir Mountains, which was already the limit. Even the Pamir Mountains would require a huge amount of manpower and material resources to maintain.
At least from Luo Xuanye's political level, he thought it was not worth it.
But the person in front of him is Lord Luo Wen, maybe the ancestor can find a way?
…
The sun rises and the moon sets, spring goes and autumn comes. Looking from the sky down to the earth, the winding road crosses countless rivers, passes through grasslands, deserts and Gobi, and encounters bandits and rebel soldiers who roam along this journey of more than 10,000 miles.
This is a road of return stained with blood.
Luo Su and the other two walked and stopped on this road. Time is such a great power that in just a few years, the country along this road has changed.
Some countries become strong, while others decline or even perish. Countries established on plains have no ability to resist foreign enemies. Only natural barriers can protect a country from existing in difficult times.
The three men traveled thousands of miles, but before they entered the Western Regions, an oncoming caravan brought them a piece of news.
Yang Jian has passed away for a long time.
Less than two years after they left, Yang Jian deposed Yang Yong from the crown prince position and made Yang Guang the crown prince instead, and at the same time changed the reign title to Renshou.
Before they arrived in Rome, Yang Jian had died, and Crown Prince Yang Guang became the new emperor of the Sui Dynasty and changed the reign title to Daye. After becoming the emperor, he immediately began to conquer the east and the west.
As Luo Su had expected, Western Yan was easily destroyed by Yang Guang. The king of Western Yan surrendered to him. He also sent troops to Dong Turkestan to show off his military power and defeat those small countries in the northeast.
After the Sui Dynasty's civil governance reached its peak, its military power also gradually reached its peak.
Luo Su and the other two heard some rumors.
After a long silence, Luo Su stretched out his hand, and the divine artifact Qingshi appeared in his hand, shining with bright divine light. It should not have been used when the luck points were so short, but it had to be used now.
————
Duke Wen traveled westward for 20,000 miles, saw the world and people, and finally found the great way. Therefore, he was able to expand the country and accomplish great achievements unprecedented in ancient and modern times. - Luo's Grand View
Written by a PhD from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I have recommended it more than once. It is full of personal style and charm!
(End of this chapter)
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