Chapter 7064 People are ultimately different

Chapter 7064 People are ultimately different

At this moment, Zhou Yu was truly plunged into a state of self-doubt. The chief strategist and the most senior general of the Yuan family, the two important ministers who clearly represented Yuan Tan, were kneeling before the emperor, not daring to utter a single unnecessary word. For Zhou Yu, the impact was simply too great.

It became so significant that Zhou Yu began to doubt his previous arrogance and rebelliousness.

After all, Zhou Yu truly knew the strength of the Zhong clan. He wouldn't dare say they were absolutely stronger than Jiangdong, but they were definitely on the same level. Moreover, in terms of land warfare, their equipment and experience far surpassed Jiangdong's.

As a result, the Zhong clan of Dongou, who possessed such strength and resources, knelt down without any scruples or regard for face after Liu Bei had only revealed a little bit of his intentions.

Compared to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, who already felt ashamed, the two looked at each other in disbelief. So, their shameless and undignified behavior was actually a polite and respectful response?

Could it be that feudal lords of our rank should actually kneel before the steps of the palace and listen to the King of Jin's proclamation, just like the Zhong family did?

In this whole affair, is it the attitude of those of us who previously felt ashamed but now seem to have been polite and respectful that was correct, or is it the kneeling and subservient posture of Zhong Shi that is the attitude that feudal lords should show in front of the King of Jin?

In short, at this moment, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu could not hide their confusion in their eyes. Not to mention that Sun Ce himself was not the kind of person who could hide his emotions and was a very shrewd person, even if he were a really shrewd person, he would probably find it hard to keep a straight face after seeing this scene.

This scene was so unbelievable that even Sun Ce, who was practically a solid-headed man relying entirely on his superhuman intelligence, realized that Xun Chen and Chunyu Qiong's act of bowing down directly negated the Yuan family's foundation.

In other words, this action essentially acknowledged that the Yuan clan of Eastern Europe recognized Liu Bei's right to take any action against them, including the removal of their kingdom!

"Do you find it unbelievable?" Chen Xi turned to look at Zhou Yu. He had noticed the confusion in Zhou Yu's eyes, a confusion that came from realizing that he seemed to have completely misunderstood something.

"Did Xun Youruo and General Chunyu really not consider what their actions meant?" Zhou Yu remained silent for a while, his voice carrying a sense of confusion, self-doubt, and even mental turmoil. Because of this mental turmoil, Zhou Yu's voice transmission was somewhat out of control, to the point that Chen Xi had to stabilize him to prevent others from overhearing.

"On the contrary, they are perfectly aware of what they are doing, and they have chosen the most correct, shameless, and unacceptable way for us to pursue the matter even if we want to." Chen Xi heard the wavering in Zhou Yu's words and said with a touch of calmness, "Chunyu Qiong may not be very clear about it, but Xun Chen probably understood how to face this day a few years ago."

Xun Chen's intellectual talent lies in his ability to extract thought patterns from his opponents. Over the years, if anyone has been able to understand Chen Xi's way of thinking most accurately, Xun Chen is undoubtedly number one. In fact, many times, Chen Xi has even suspected that the Han family's ability to accurately control his psychology, teetering on the edge of death without crossing it, owes part of the credit to Xun Chen.

So, Xun Chen probably already knew how to kneel in a way that would please Liu Bei and make Chen Xi feel most at ease.

For example, Xun Chen immediately addressed himself as the King of Jin and called himself a subject, directly demoting the Zhong family. Face and dignity are meaningless now. The only thing that matters is that the King of Jin must realize that the Yuan family is the dog of the Han Dynasty!

That's right, the facts are that simple!
“But!” Zhou Yu’s voice was noticeably sharp.

"There are no buts." Chen Xi shook his head and looked at Zhou Yu with a serious expression. "What you want to say is that the Zhong clan's strength is no less than that of your Jiangdong or your Wu Kingdom, right? They are even stronger than you in terms of land forces and have a very deep foundation, etc. But these are things that apply to you. For Lord Xuande and me, they are meaningless!"

Zhou Yu remained completely silent, his entire being enveloped in a sense of oppressive tension.

Seeing this, Chen Xi continued, "At the level of Lord Xuande and me, we don't consider how strong you are, because your strength is meaningless at my level. What we consider more is your loyalty to the Han Empire or Han culture, and whether you have made sufficient contributions to the construction of the Han Empire and Han culture."

Zhou Yu fell silent; he understood what Chen Xi was talking about.

"Jiangdong's victory over Serian is commendable and they have the right to be proud of their achievements, but how many other forces are worthy of such recognition?" Chen Xi's cold voice came through. "To put it bluntly, apart from the Jiangdong forces, the other forces are not only meaningless to us, but we are also just making use of them. Gongjin, you have truly reversed Jiangdong's position through the naval battle."

Chen Xi spoke very frankly. The existence of the Yuan family, the Cao family, the Jiangdong family, and the Central Asian aristocratic families was essentially a way for Chen Xi to turn waste into treasure in order to reduce internal friction. It is undeniable that this is indeed a win-win situation, but this win-win situation is based on Chen Xi's willingness to promote it.

Of course, Chen Xi's consistent integrity has also made these forces believe that he is not harming them, but is genuinely willing to give them a better opportunity, which has led to the current situation of the Yuan family in Eastern Europe, the aristocratic families in Central Asia, the Cao family in Kandahar, and the Sun Wu family in Southeast Asia.

In reality, after these people were driven out of the Central Plains, without fighting for the Han Empire or Liu Bei, Chen Xi could have done whatever he wanted, or even just abandoned them and focused on developing the domestic economy. He would have been doing much better than he is now.

To be honest, aside from Jiangdong, all the forces abroad, even the Yuan family which was nominally the most developed, did not contribute as much to the Han Dynasty as the single state-owned factory under Chen Xi. Of course, from a historical perspective, the Yuan family's presence in Eastern Europe played an important supporting role in the future spread of Han culture throughout the world.

But from a practical standpoint, what significance does the Yuan family of Eastern Europe have for the current Han Empire? No, the Yuan family of Eastern Europe cannot provide any supplies to the Han Empire. The Han court still needs to continuously supply the Yuan family of Eastern Europe with various technical and military talents to ensure the gradual development of this fiefdom.

In short, Chen Xi's investments in the Yuan family of Eastern Europe, the Cao family of Kandahar, and the aristocratic families of Central Asia are more than they are worth; in fact, they are only losing money and not making any. These investments are entirely based on the future, and there is basically no hope of gaining anything in the present.

Even if you think about it maliciously, it's not impossible that these ungrateful wolves could one day turn on you, but Chen Xi continues to invest in them despite this possibility.

In fact, this is also the biggest difference between Liu Ye and Chen Xi. To be honest, Liu Ye did not hesitate to protect Chen Xi, even if it meant risking his own life. This is because Liu Ye had personally witnessed the difference between the Han Dynasty, which even he, a member of the Han imperial family, was prepared to abandon, and the Han Dynasty that had developed to the point that Liu Ye himself could hardly understand.

To put it bluntly, it would be a miracle if Liu Ye hadn't harbored some malicious intent when he brought the Han imperial family to Chang'an. However, Liu Ye never expected that others would be so ruthless as to wipe out all the members of the Han imperial family.

But if you say that Liu Ye regrets this matter, or even deeply regrets it, then you're overthinking it. For Liu Ye, the regret he feels about this matter is not as great as Li You's regret when the Kuaiji Wang family still hasn't gathered enough people to repair the Leiji Terrace.

Liu Ye was a man who truly believed that the Han Empire could not be sold out.

Of course, that's because Liu Ye had already realized that the Han Dynasty was beyond saving.

As a result, Liu Bei and Chen Xi showed Liu Ye what it means to mend the sky with one hand, what it means to not only save someone, but also to make them thrive and even surpass their previous peak level. No, it means to directly surpass the limits of your understanding. Come, let me see the limits of this era!

This incident had a tremendous impact on Liu Ye, overturning his understanding of the world. Liu Ye thought about it for ten years, simulating the thoughts of countless people and analyzing it from the perspective of thousands of people. In the end, he found that it was indeed impossible to do, and that Chen Xi was simply a pervert.

Therefore, Liu Ye was a staunch supporter of Chen Xi, and absolutely supported him. This is why, during the Situ case, Chen Xi didn't even bother to interrogate Liu Ye, because he knew that Liu Ye would only oppose him because of his own actions, not because of his own actions.

Therefore, Liu Ye viewed the Yuan family of Eastern Europe, the Cao family of Kandahar, and the Han aristocratic families with prejudice, because he knew that these forces and these people could only exist because of Chen Xi's support.

As for Jiangdong, Liu Ye felt that it would be great if all these forces that went abroad to establish their own countries were from Jiangdong. After all, when facing the Kushan navy, Jiangdong was truly fearless and fought to the death, breaking the enemy's leg. After the battle, when they sat down to divide the spoils, they immediately started to split up. Moreover, it was an active split, and the entire force naturally cracked apart, just like it was innate.

Not only did it disintegrate so smoothly, but it also actively provided financial support to the Han Dynasty, engaging in large-scale trade in fruits, grains, and spices, greatly boosting the Han Dynasty's commerce and adding several ballast stones to the great ship that sailed against the wind and waves.

Let alone from Liu Ye's perspective, from the perspective of any high-ranking official of the Han Dynasty, Jiangdong was the best fiefdom. To put it bluntly, even according to Emperor Wu of Han, the most outstanding emperor of the medieval era who had the most demanding requirements for vassal kings, Wu, located in Southeast Asia, was the best and most outstanding fiefdom.

It can be said that anyone who thinks that Jiangdong, as a fiefdom, is not good enough for the Han Empire is not standing on the side of the Han Empire.

From the perspective of the Han Empire, the Jiangdong vassal states, which could continuously provide fruits, grains, spices, high-quality iron ore, copper ore, and fertilizer, yet were riddled with internal conflicts and constantly engaged in internal divisions, were just short of being a large fiefdom with eighty heads, and could occasionally produce a great spectacle. They were absolutely something any central government would love.

Surely no central government would actually favor a prince like the King of Wu during the Han Dynasty, who integrated military and political power, was impenetrable, and constantly plotted to conquer Chang'an, defeat Emperor Jing, and become emperor himself.

What a joke!
All central governments favored fiefdoms like Jiangdong, which were constantly embroiled in internal strife and practically destroyed themselves. When Chen Xi asked Zhou Yu whether Jiangdong was currently a Wu state or an alliance of Wu with other states, Liu Ye remained silent afterward, realizing that Wu was indeed the best fiefdom.

Although from the perspective of the Han cultural sphere, Chen Xi wished that each vassal state was a superman, capable of fighting, resisting, and developing independently, how much authority would the central government have left if any vassal state could develop to the point of being capable of fighting, resisting, and developing independently?

Therefore, Chen Xi didn't say much about his thoughts on these aspects, but simply provided support and let the group develop, hoping to cultivate a few true dragons.

However, in the entire Han cultural sphere, apart from Liu Bei, there is no true dragon. Originally, Sun Ce's Wu Kingdom was qualified to be a true dragon, but Sun Ce himself enfeoffed himself, so there is no need to count on him.

As for forces other than those in Jiangdong, let's put it this way: if Chen Xi cuts off the financial support and says he won't interfere, the Yuan family will be the first to die, followed by the three families in the Persian Gulf, and the Central Asian aristocratic families will most likely perish one after another. Of course, a true dragon might emerge in the meantime, just like the rise of the Sassanid Persian Empire in historical records, swallowing up the former territory and becoming the true dragon that Chen Xi needs. But more likely, they will simply be wiped out.

As for the Cao clan in Kandahar, as long as the Han dynasty does not suppress the Kushans, it is only a matter of time before Oswinja Ardashir, with ample food and supplies, tears the Cao clan apart.

Therefore, it's easy to tell who belongs to the Han dynasty, who is a subject, and who is a dog.

"What, do you find it unbelievable?" Chen Xi looked at Zhou Yu with a calm expression.

"It's just that I suddenly realized this reality," Zhou Yu said after a moment of silence. "What I knew before was indeed shallow."

"Status is something you have to earn yourself, through ability, value, and merit. If you think back to the situation of the Yuan family, you'll realize that they have no value or ability to the Han Dynasty now. Their only merit is actually just a condition for us to let them leave, and that hasn't even been fulfilled yet." Chen Xi turned to look at Zhou Yu, his expression rather cold.

The fact that the Xiongnu emerged from the ground proved that they were indeed from the northern frontier and even had kinship ties with those people. The Yuan family actually had the greatest influence on the Han dynasty's forces.

The precondition for Liu Bei and Chen Xi letting the Yuan family leave back then—well, not really a precondition, just a nominal agreement—was that the Yuan family would exterminate the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu, and then Liu Bei and Chen Xi would let the Yuan family leave, and provide them with support in various aspects when expanding outwards.

Of course, this was just a random excuse back then. Chen Xi definitely wanted to let the Yuan family out, because without letting the Yuan family out, without a first test subject of sufficient importance, it would be difficult to lure other forces out to explore.

Even if Chen Xi's reputation is indeed high enough, there still needs to be someone who takes the plunge first.

Just like Shang Yang's story of moving a log to establish trust, your credibility may indeed be good, but if you want to convince those who are skeptical, you must present examples that are credible enough to convince them.

However, the condition that Liu Bei and Chen Xi set out on the surface was that the Yuan family would exterminate the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu. Everything that followed, and even all the support we have today, is theoretically based on the Yuan family's extermination of the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu. This is a condition that everyone acknowledges.

Now the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu have emerged, and they are indeed descendants of the group led by Qiu Linbei. What do you mean by that?
Liu Bei and Chen Xi definitely did not betray their promise, but what about the Yuan family who failed to complete their mission?
The remnants of the Xiongnu meant that the foundation for the Yuan family's establishment of a state in Eastern Europe was shaken, as was the basis for the Han Empire's aid. Even though the Yuan family had now completely solved the food problem and built a defensive system like the Tian Shu Guang Bi in the Ural Mountains, without the protection of the Han Empire, the Yuan family was nothing to Rome!
To put it bluntly, Rome was willing to grant the Yuan family a ducal position and vacate some seats in the Senate, not out of respect for the Yuan family, but out of respect for the Han Dynasty.

Although the Roman Empire often portrays itself as very abstract, in terms of strength, it is no pushover. It is a truly powerful force capable of easily tearing the Yuan family to pieces.

In this situation, let alone Xun Chen and Chunyu Qiong, Chen Xi estimated that even if Yuan Tan came over, he would have to admit Yuan Shao's sins back then. Even if there were no sins, he would have to have someone fabricate a reasonable set of sins, and then kneel before Liu Bei and submit to him.

Because if they don't kneel now, all their previous efforts, all the humiliations they've suffered, and even the Zhong Kingdom they've painstakingly built will be destroyed by the tide, just like a sand sculpture facing a rising tide.

Ten years earlier, faced with this situation, Yuan Tan might have roared in anger, broken ties with Liu Bei, fought to the death, and been killed by Liu Bei.

But if we do that now, the sunk costs would be enormous, even negating everything Yuan Tan has endured over the years.

"In truth, the fact that these two are kneeling down doesn't negate everything they've done; on the contrary, as you think, it's a desperate fight that truly negates all their years of struggle." Chen Xi looked at Zhou Yu indifferently. "Gongjin, people are different. They understand this very well, perfectly well!"

　Lying in bed
　　(End of this chapter)