Five, two thousand years of pain

  A person, at birth, does not know what their fate will be; otherwise, many people would reconsider and choose again at some point in life.

  The old man in the autumn forest couldn't help but feel such emotions when recalling past events! At that time, was it right or wrong for his father to take him out of the deep mountains? If he could choose for himself, he really wanted to stay in the depths of the mountain and try to live another kind of life.

  Xu Fu's academic performance is mediocre in his class, just barely passing.

  He doesn't seem to be lazy, so why can't he get good grades? Maybe this kid really has a problem with his brain. Liang Jin wanted to put more pressure on Xu Fu. But as soon as the weekend arrived, Xu Fu would leave as scheduled. He would leave on Friday night and return on Monday morning, coming back exhausted and unable to muster up any energy.

  What is this kid up to?

  At night, walking on the mountain road, a 100-li mountain road, just him, a little kid, alone, can people feel at ease? At first, Liang Jin insisted on sending him, but Xu Fu refused. Not letting him go, he cried, as if he had suffered a great injustice. Liang Jin had no choice but to let him go.

  The first two times, Liang Jin was worried and even followed Xu Fu for a while, but as soon as they entered the mountain, Xu Fu would suddenly disappear. After being anxious for two days, he would return intact. This happened several times, and Liang Jin finally felt at ease. Mountain children are just wild. As for Xu Fu's unusual abilities, Liang Jin could only explain it this way. To think that even when he was young, going to the mountains to visit relatives would exhaust him for several days.

  Xu Dingkun insisted that the child return, he had his own ideas, this was his idea, and it was also his secret, so it's not convenient to ask. However, if things go on like this for a long time, the child's studies will be delayed.

  Let's talk with Xu Dingkun.

  Two months later, as in previous years, Xu Dingkun brought mountain game to Liang Jin's home for a family visit. Liang Jin shared his thoughts with him.

  Xu Dingkun fell into deep thought and didn't speak. As he was about to leave, he left behind a sentence: "Big brother, let me think it over." Huh? What kind of words are these, saying nothing is the same as not speaking. Liang Jin secretly grumbled in his heart.

  Liáng Jìn took the wild game sent by Xú Dìng Kūn, divided it into several piles, then borrowed a car from the town and brought his wife to the county seat. Now, for city dwellers, these wild animals are rare treats that are hard to find on the market. One portion went to his father-in-law's family, one to the county party secretary, one to the county magistrate, and one to the vice-county magistrate in charge of public security. Although he didn't have any personal ambitions, relationships still needed to be maintained; when the time came, they could all be put to use. Liáng Jìn understood this aspect of human relations. Without these connections, how could he live such a comfortable life?

  A few days later, Xu Dingkun came again, which made Liang Jin somewhat surprised.

  Nothing can be accomplished without entering the Hall of Three Treasures.

  Xu Dingkun gave Liang Jin another difficult problem.

  Luckily for Liang Jin, it's no big deal.

  Xu Dingkun wanted to take over the deserted mountain in the northwest corner of the town and move his family out of the mountains at the same time.

  In the northwest corner of the town, there was a desolate mountain that Liang Jin knew well. A former sent-down youth had once secretly told him that there might be some mineral deposits there and asked Liang Jin not to tell anyone else. At the time, Liang Jin thought the young man just wanted to get close to him and have fewer labor tasks assigned to him, a sly little trickster. He didn't pay attention to him.

  Xu Dingkun brought it up this time, which reminded him of the matter. However, he really couldn't see what treasure could be hidden in this rocky mountain. On other mountains, trees planted a few years ago had already become forests, but in that place, tree saplings grew for over a decade and still looked like saplings. No one was willing to take on the contract, and it had been abandoned for many years. Xu Dingkun bringing it up this time could only prove one thing - he also had problems with his brain. Following in his father's footsteps was a good explanation for Xu Fu's foolishness.

  Was I wrong about myself from the start? Liang Jin began to doubt himself for the first time. These past ten or so years, his sister had really suffered because of him.

  But anyway, can't let family members suffer, Liang Jin still kindly reminded a few words. Xu Dingkun just smiled and finally explained that they had other meanings, just wanting to be closer to the child, take care of them, and avoid the little guy from suffering on the road.

  The last reason seems sufficient. Liang Jin had nothing more to say.

  Under Liang Jin's activity, the contract was signed very smoothly. When he got the 50-year contract, Xu Dingkun had a faint smile at the corner of his mouth that was not easily detectable.

  More than 2,000 years have passed, and finally, we've made it through. Entering the mountains and leaving the mountains took over 2,000 years; is this cycle not too long?! Thinking of the hardships endured by our ancestors for generations, Xu Dingfu's heart ached with sorrow.

  Xu Dingkun's village, all with the surname Xu, were descendants of a common ancestor. As for the origin of their ancestors, only Xu Dingkun, the current head of the clan, and a few elderly people who continued to compile the genealogy knew...

  The reason why it's being kept mysterious is because there are reasons that can't be spoken...

  The common saying goes: "Having become an emperor, one wants to become a fairy." Qin Shi Huang was just such a person.

  Qin Shi Huang, having unified the six states, had all his desires fulfilled, except for one: longevity. Some alchemists, catering to his interests, fabricated stories about immortals and immortal medicines, claiming that there were immortals on the islands in the sea who possessed medicines that would grant eternal life if ingested.

  In 219 BC (the 28th year of Qin Shi Huang), Qin Shi Huang began his second tour after unifying the six states. A large team of people went to Mount Tai to carve stones, and then went to the Bohai Sea in a mighty manner. Upon arriving at the seaside, Qin Shi Huang climbed up Zhifu Island, indulging in the scenery. All he saw was the clouds and sea, with mountains, rivers, and people appearing and disappearing from time to time, forming a magnificent view that made Qin Shi Huang's heart flutter. This scene was originally a mirage, but the Fangshi explained it as a legendary paradise on the sea to cater to Qin Shi Huang's desire for immortality.

  One of the fangshi, Xu Fu from Qi, took advantage of this and presented a memorial to Qin Shi Huang, saying that in the sea there were three divine mountains: Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou, where immortals dwelled and could be obtained elixirs of immortality. Qin Shi Huang was overjoyed. To show his sincerity, he spared no expense. He sent thousands of boys and girls to follow Xu Fu out to sea in search of the elixir.

  Xu Fu of Qi was one such person who set sail into the sea under these circumstances.

  After Xu Fu set sail, the First Emperor himself lingered on, waiting for good news from Xu Fu. However, what he got was only Xu Fu returning empty-handed. Xu Fu claimed that he had seen the Sea God, who refused to give him the elixir because his gifts were too meager. The Qin Shi Huang deeply believed this and sent 3,000 more boys and girls, as well as craftsmen, engineers, and grains, ordering Xu Fu to set sail again. The Qin Shi Huang himself did not want to leave and waited for three months without seeing any news from Xu Fu before reluctantly returning.

  In the following years, Qin Shi Huang sent Yan people such as Lu Sheng to enter the sea to seek elixirs, of course, also without any gain. In 210 BC (the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang), Qin Shi Huang made his fifth tour and came to Langya again.

  Xu Fu had gone out to sea nine years ago in search of the elixir of immortality and still hadn't returned.

  Upon learning of the news, Qin Shi Huang immediately sent someone to summon Xu Fu.

  Xu Fu sailed the seas for many years, incurring great expenses and worrying about being severely punished. He reported to Qin Shi Huang: "The Penglai Mountain of the immortals indeed has immortal medicine, but when I go out to sea, I often encounter giant fish blocking my way, so I cannot reach it. Please send a group of archers to go with me, and when we see the giant fish, use crossbows to shoot them." Qin Shi Huang ordered that when entering the sea, they should bring enough fishing gear, and he also prepared crossbows. The fleet set sail from Langya, sailed dozens of miles, passed by Rongcheng Mountain, and continued on to Zhifu, where they indeed saw a giant fish. They immediately shot it with crossbows, and the fish died and sank to the bottom of the sea. Qin Shi Huang thought that after this, there should be no more worries, and ordered Xu Fu to enter the sea again to seek the immortal medicine. This time, Qin Shi Huang waited in vain for news from Xu Fu. That year, Qin Shi Huang died of illness at Shaqiu (now southeast of Hebei Shulu), while Xu Fu "obtained a vast and peaceful land, and did not return to the king." He never came back again.

  The earliest record of Xu Fu's story in historical books is Sima Qian, but it does not clearly state where Xu Fu sailed to. Later generations believed it was Taiwan or Ryukyu, and some said it was the Americas, but most people think it was Japan. The first person to propose that Xu Fu crossed the sea to Japan was Hui Shang of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He wrote: "Japan is also called Wa Country, located in the eastern sea. During the Qin dynasty, Xu Fu brought 500 boys and 500 girls to this country, and now the people are just like those in Chang'an... Furthermore, northeast of here, there is a mountain named 'Fuji', also known as 'Penglai'... Xu Fu arrived at Penglai, and from then on his descendants were all surnamed Qin."

  The term is said to have originated from Japanese monk Gishin.

  Song Dynasty literary historian Ouyang Xiu also believed that Xu Fu traveled east to Japan. In the early Ming dynasty, Japanese monk Kukai visited Nanjing and presented a poem to the first emperor of the Ming dynasty, mentioning "the shrine of Xu Fu in front of Kumano". At the end of the Qing dynasty, envoys Li Shuchang and Huang Xueqian visited Xu Fu's tomb and wrote poems about it.

  Since last century, Chinese and Japanese scholars have conducted extensive research on Xu Fu's voyage to the East. Ma Feibai in "Qin Ji Shi" believed that Xu Fu was intentionally going to Japan, "his intention was not to seek immortality at first, but to take advantage of Qin Shi Huang's private desire for immortality, and to use his power to establish a colony overseas." Xu Songshi in "The Origin of the Japanese Nation" said that during the Warring States period before Qin, large numbers of people from China's southeastern coast migrated to Japan, and Xu Fu led one of the groups, "Xu Fu's voyage to the East must have been true." Hong Kong scholar Wei Tingsheng wrote "Examination of Xu Fu's Entry into Japan and Establishment of a Nation", believing that Xu Fu was actually the Japanese founder Emperor Jimmu, and that he was the 29th generation descendant of Xu Ruo Wang after Zhuanxu. Taiwanese scholar Peng Shuangsong wrote "Xu Fu is Actually Emperor Jimmu", further enriching Wei Tingsheng's viewpoint.

  Until now, Japan has preserved many relics of Xu Fu's activities, such as the tomb of Xu Fu and his seven envoys in Wakayama Prefecture, the Xu Fu Palace, the "Xu Fu Landing Site" monument in Saga Prefecture on Kyushu Island, Xu Fu's stone house, Xu Fu Temple, and others, including the Kinri Shrine dedicated to Xu Fu.

  Of course, some scholars also believe that Xu Fu's voyage to Japan is just a legend and there is no reliable historical document to prove it. Some even think that the legend of Xu Fu's voyage to Japan was produced in Japan around the 10th century and was not first proposed by Chinese people. At that time, Xu Fu only arrived at an island in the Bohai Sea, and his deeds, relics, and tomb in Japan were all fabricated by later generations.

  In addition, some scholars believe that Xu Fu's eastward voyage was a historical fact, but he did not go to Japan, but to the Americas: because Xu Fu's eastward voyage coincided with the rise of the Maya civilization in the Americas, and Japan is very close to the Chinese mainland, so it is not necessary to spend huge sums of money and take several years to reach.

  …………

  Nowadays, the only thing that can be confirmed is that Xu Fu was indeed a historical figure!

  According to investigations, Xu Fu is also known as Xu Shi. His hometown was in Jinshan Township, Ganyu County, Jiangsu Province, at a place called Xufu Village. According to local gazetteers, Xufu Village was known as Xufu Village during both the Ming and Qing dynasties, and even today there are still stories circulating about Xu Fu leading boys and girls to sail east across the ocean. However, another theory suggests that Xu Fu's hometown is actually Longkou City in Shandong Province.

  Endless human sea, Xu Fu went eastward, but where he ultimately went is still without a convincing answer. However, what he left for his people was endless harm.

  To avoid the punishment of Qin Huang, Xu Fu's two cousins, with Xu Fu's two sons, fled south and hid in Chu Di, where the ruling power of the Qin Dynasty was relatively weak. One son died on the way, and Xu Dingkun's line is the only root of the pre-Qin Xu family.

  The greed of the ancestors, but the younger generation has to pay for it for so long, this can't be said to be a tragedy. As for the secrets of his own family, Xu Dingkun, as the head of the clan, could only obtain them from the dying words of the previous head of the clan.