Besides merchants, the people in these places also love the storytellers who come from Chaoge.
These storytellers always tell some very interesting stories.
These stories include "The Primordial Era," which traces the origins of humankind.
In the story, before the world was created, there was only chaos, with no distinction between clear and turbid.
There was a god named Pangu who existed before heaven and earth. He held a giant axe and split the heavens and earth, dividing yin and yang.
But the world was unstable at the beginning, so Pangu had to support the sky with his hands and tread on it with his feet.
Thus, after 108,000 years, Pangu exhausted his divine power and perished.
After Pangu fell, his eyes transformed into the sun and moon.
His body transformed into mountains and rivers. His blood became rivers, lakes, and seas.
His hair transformed into flowers, grass, and trees.
His spine transformed into a pillar of heaven!
After Pangu's fall, the goddess Nuwa created humans from clay, and the human race came into being, beginning to multiply and reproduce on the primordial land.
However, the ancient ancestral witches Gonggong and Zhurong fought each other, and in a fit of anger, Gonggong smashed the pillar of heaven on Buzhou Mountain.
Thus, the sky collapsed and the earth caved in, and humanity suffered a great calamity.
Later, Nuwa, moved by the suffering of humanity and the catastrophe that befell heaven and earth, refined five-colored stones to mend the sky and used the feet of a divine tortoise to support the four corners of the earth. She quelled the floods and eradicated the plague.
Feeling that the order of heaven and earth was in chaos, the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who was born in the beginning, established the Heavenly Court in the celestial realm.
The ruler of Heaven is the Jade Emperor, who can command all the immortals and gods in the celestial realm.
The Jade Emperor established heavenly rules that all gods in the heavenly realm are not allowed to descend to the mortal realm without permission.
Thus, the immortals and mortals were separated, and the human race finally found peace.
Later came the ancient sage, the Fire Ancestor, who drilled wood to make fire and taught people how to cook food. He named all the beasts and taught people how to hunt, and his fame spread throughout the wilderness, being passed down through generations.
Now, there are the shamans and rulers of the Xia dynasty, who have come by divine mandate to transmit many wonderful methods, so that the people have food to eat and clothes to wear, and to rise up the Xia dynasty and rule the world. All the people praise them and wish to be citizens of the Xia dynasty.
Besides "The Primordial Era", there are also works such as "The Chronicles of the Xia Dynasty", "The Long Serpent Clan", "The Dragon Totem of the Xia Dynasty", "The Apocalypse", and so on.
The stories in these books are a mix of truth and fiction, but they are all quite vivid, captivating every listener.
Every time someone tells a story, the storyteller is surrounded by a huge crowd, with many people even forming a human ladder.
In this newly settled primitive era, listening to storytellers was arguably the only form of entertainment for people.
Even if you've heard the story once, many people want to hear it a second time, and after hearing it a second time, they want to hear it a third time.
The characters in the story became widely known through word of mouth.
In every story, the shaman is a symbol of wisdom.
His birth was accompanied by thunder and lightning. After becoming a great shaman, he taught people how to make clothes and fish, so that his people would no longer suffer from hunger and cold.
Ba Mao, Man Zhui, Gui Gu, Chi Lie, and others have all become classic villains in various storybooks.
They were all greedy, cunning, cruel, and barbaric, and they also threatened to kill their own tribes.
People grit their teeth every time they hear these people's names.
Recently, people have heard storytellers say that Wu Hou has established a new arts and literature department.
The Arts and Literature Department mainly organizes arts and cultural performances.
Many characters from traditional Chinese novels will be portrayed by real people, and the Literature and Art Department will hold a tour.
Inside the Great Shaman's Temple.
Hou Wenjie looked at his disciple Xia Qi and asked, "Do you know how to govern a country?"
Xia Qi pondered for a moment and said, "Employ the virtuous and wise, and stay away from the petty and wicked."
Hou Wenjie laughed and said, "Then how do you judge who is wise and who is petty? Is it through their character, words, or talents?"
Xia Qi pondered and said, "Those who talk big but do nothing are petty people. Those who bring more benefit than harm and contribute to the country are wise and virtuous."
Hou Wenjie smiled and said, "A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. It's good that you understand this. So how do we maintain the stability of a country and quell disputes?"
Thinking of the armies of the various Xia states that are now sweeping across the land, Xia Qi said, "We must train a strong army to deter all sides."
Hou Wenjie shook his head for the first time: "He who bears the nation's shame is called the master of the state. He who bears the nation's misfortune is called the king of the world."
For a ruler to ensure national stability, the most important thing is to win the hearts and minds of the people!
People all over the world have different demands, but the most basic demand is only one: to have enough to eat and wear.
If the people are suffering, even the sharpest weapons cannot stop the will of the people.
Besides reassuring the people, there's also the strategy of strengthening the military, as you mentioned!
As a monarch, one must always remember not to relinquish military power!
The loss of military power is the root of chaos and disorder.
If this territory falls into other hands, it will inevitably lead to chaos and infighting among various factions. The people will suffer greatly, and the people's hearts will be lost!
Xia Qi said, "I have learned a lot."
Hou Wenjie laughed and said, "Starting tomorrow, you will set off with the Arts Department's touring troupe, and you will play me in 'The Chronicle of the Chinese Civilization'."
Let all the people of the Xia people see the grandeur of you, the future king of the Xia.
You must also remember to do a good job of inspecting the lives of the people in Zhucheng.
If there are starving people or those who are not properly dealt with, you may punish them directly. You must not allow the glory of the Xia people to be tarnished.
This is a precious sword forged by the Ministry of Armaments at the Shangfangtai, which I named the Shangfang Sword.
With this sword, you may execute first and report later!
As they spoke, Hou Wenjie took the sword from his waist and handed it to Xia Qi.
Xia Qi bowed, accepted the sword with both hands, and said, "I will certainly live up to my teacher's expectations."
Autumn of the third year of the Tianqi reign.
Xia Qi, a disciple of Wu Hou, left Chaoge and toured various cities.
Wherever he went, crowds surged. His portrayal of the Witch Lord was praised by every person of the Xia people.
People also know that he was the chief disciple of Wuhou and the next king of the Xia people.
Xia Qi kept the teachings of the Witch Lord firmly in mind, and wherever he went, he would order the black-armored guards assigned to him by the Witch Lord to investigate carefully.
He also disguised himself and went out to investigate the people's conditions.
Fortunately, he lived up to expectations and exposed some remnants of the old tribes who were dissatisfied with the Xia dynasty, as well as some corrupt officials.
These remnants possessed vast amounts of wealth, used it to bribe local officials, annex the lands of ordinary Xia people, and even secretly kept slaves.
Xia Qi showed no mercy to these remnants of the regime and officials.
He set up the execution ground and personally supervised the execution.
Not only that, he also commissioned the compilation of vernacular stories to nail these people's names to the pillar of historical shame, ensuring they could never escape their infamy.
The confiscated land was redistributed to the people, and they were given corresponding compensation.
Many people praised him, saying he would be the next sage king of China.
In the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, Xia Qi was ordered by the king to dredge the waterways of the great river.
Xia Qi rose early and went to bed late every day, conducting on-site investigations, visiting local residents, and discussing suitable water management plans with officials from the Ministry of Water Resources.
After seven years, it has finally come to fruition.
As a result, the floods that had plagued the people on both sides of the river were greatly reduced.
Moreover, shipping on the great river has also seen unprecedented development.
Countless ships traveled between Chaoge and the various city-states along the river.
Commerce became more developed, and people's lives gradually escaped poverty.
Countless people faced east and sang "The Songs of the Xia".
The vast wilderness, the homeland of the Chinese people!
The mighty Yellow River, the cradle of all Chinese civilization!
A magnificent vessel, a treasure for all Chinese people!
[The Mandate of Heaven bestows upon the Witch Lord to establish a new kingdom and expand its territory!]
[There were basically no comments on the original world, so I finished writing it quickly; I was originally planning to write more.]
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