Chapter 7159 Shock

Chapter 7159 Shock
After hearing Chen Xi's reply, Liu Tong felt somewhat helpless. She hadn't even finished speaking when Chen Xi knew what she wanted to say and even acted as if what she said made perfect sense. To be honest, Liu Tong was speechless.

"Um, Lord Chen, may I ask another rather outrageous question? You don't have to answer it," Liu Tong said to Chen Xi telepathically, feeling it necessary to clarify things for him.

"Just ask me whatever your question is," Chen Xi replied, somewhat puzzled.

"Lord Chen, knowing the outcome, what exactly were you thinking when you implemented these systems?" Liu Tong asked with a hint of unease. "Is this just your perverse sense of humor, or your pure moral character? To be honest, it seems very strange to me."

Well, Liu Tong also realized the question Jia Xu had asked earlier: Chen Xi clearly knew what the future would be like and what kinds of mistakes others would make, but Chen Xi just didn't care. This made Liu Tong somewhat puzzled about what Chen Xi was thinking.

"It's not as strange as you think. I can indeed anticipate some inevitable mistakes, even criminal situations, but I can't prevent all possibilities. So, these rules and regulations, these relatively refined management methods, are more like a means to guard against honest people than unscrupulous ones. After all, if the other party is determined to court disaster, I can't keep watching them forever." Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness. It was only after Jia Xu's questioning that Chen Xi spoke so calmly now.

"I see." Liu Tong felt that this answer was still believable. Although Han Xin had given Liu Tong a lot of information about Chen Xi's dark side, saying that Chen Xi's morality was basically a tool that could be used very flexibly when necessary, Liu Tong, who had been associated with Chen Xi's spiritual talent for so many years, still had a considerable understanding of Chen Xi's true nature and morality.

“Actually, many times, many things are limited by one’s own energy and ability. If I were to focus on a certain person or a certain group of people, I could indeed achieve it, but such a thing is not worth it for me.” Chen Xiping explained calmly, “Making mistakes and committing crimes is unavoidable under the current system. I also need to let future generations have some understanding of certain things, so it’s not wrong for you to say that I have some understanding. After all, if others don’t make mistakes, how will future generations have relevant understanding?”

"So this is what you mean by having to make up for a lesson sooner or later, right? Even if we force ourselves onto the correct path now, if future generations can't understand what's right, they'll inevitably try other wrong paths, right?" Liu Bei also intervened in the telepathic communication channel, asking casually.

"Actually, besides this possibility, there is another possibility that is quite speechless: the revolution was so thorough that later generations could not understand its meaning, and thus they added a beautiful filter to everything that was destroyed by the revolution," Chen Xi said with a hint of mockery.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Anyway, you're not a revolutionary, you're a reformist, so there's no need to discuss this point. But I still have to say something: your so-called leniency, your idea of ​​keeping gentlemen in check but not scoundrels, and leaving experience and ample precautions for those who come after you, is meaningless to me." Liu Tong said with a hint of sarcasm. Liu Bei was silent for a while after hearing this, and then echoed Liu Tong's words.

"It still has some significance. Although the only lesson that mankind learns from history is that mankind doesn't learn any lessons, it still has some effect, right?" Chen Xi was helpless when he heard this, but some things are like this. Even though he knew that the bastards who come later would definitely not learn from the lessons when they actually got to that point, as a senior, he still hoped that his experience could be used as a reference for those who come after.

“The Ode to the Epang Palace is hanging right here. Every time there’s a grand court assembly, I have people tidy it up and put it in the brightest spot so everyone can see it,” Liu Tong said with a smirk. “But how many people who study this can actually listen to it? Even if they have a deep understanding of the words, they will probably still repeat the same mistakes in the end.”

"That's true," Chen Xi said noncommittally. That's just how humans are.

"Forget it, let's continue listening to Kongming's explanation. I'm getting a little tired," Liu Tong said with a hint of dejection and weariness, then naturally ended the telepathic transmission.

"What's wrong? Did you offend her again?" Liu Bei asked Chen Xi telepathically, sounding somewhat puzzled.

"No, I explained it to her in detail, and then I felt that she wasn't very interested, I don't know why." Chen Xi was a little slow to react this time, "But I'm sure I didn't talk nonsense, I just gave her a detailed explanation of the relevant knowledge, I didn't do anything wrong."

"I see." Liu Bei thought for a moment, feeling that it was hard to say, who knew why Liu Tong was in a bad mood. "Be careful in the future, and offer him a couple of drinks at the banquet tonight."

"That's all we can do." Chen Xi said helplessly. He couldn't understand why Liu Tong suddenly looked defeated and seemed a bit down. What was going on? Had he said something wrong?

It can't be that she understands the nature of the world and then feels resentful because she thinks the Han dynasty will collapse sooner or later. What a joke! How could a princess be so responsible and have such awareness?

"Next year, we will conduct a troop deployment test in the five northern provinces. The bureaucratic systems of the five northern provinces need to make preparations in all aspects." Zhuge Liang naturally changed the subject from the local industries and began to explain the troop deployment test in the five northern provinces in the Three-Five Plan.

"Verification required for troop mobilization in the five northern states?" Liang Mao, the governor of Youzhou, Guo Yuan, the acting governor of Jizhou, Zang Hong, the governor of Bingzhou, Yi Ji, the governor of Yanzhou, and Guan Ning, the governor of Qingzhou, all found this strange. What verification was needed for troop mobilization? Did they look down on the conscription of all people in their region?
"It is estimated that more than one million troops will need to be mobilized, and there will be state-level mobilization tests," Zhuge Liang said in a deep voice, observing the expressions of the group.

Upon hearing this, all the officials present wore solemn expressions, but then their faces lit up with surprise and delight.

The story of the three million-strong army destroying the Kushan Empire seems to be widely circulated, but for such a major event involving an imperial war, the person who could obtain information in advance would at least be of the rank of one of the Nine Ministers. It should be noted that even a high-ranking official like Ruan Gong learned of this news from Huangfu Song. This shows that individuals who could obtain such information were indeed very good at keeping it secret.

Therefore, when Zhuge Liang mentioned the need to conduct a troop mobilization test of a million-strong force in the five northern provinces, most of the ministers, after their initial shock, instantly understood that this was preparation for the destruction of the Kushan Empire.

"Do our southern prefectures and counties need to provide supplies?" Liao Li asked, raising his hand. "If the troop deployment is limited to the five northern prefectures, is the scale insufficient? Of course, I'm not doubting the combat capabilities of a million elite troops, but considering our current strength, we can be more cautious. Jingzhou can also send troops to support the front lines."

“Yongliang is also an option, and the elite troops in the world come from Yongliang.” Wang Yi also frowned and said. Although she had heard the news, the scale of three million was indeed a bit too exaggerated for Wang Yi. A scale of one million would be more appropriate.

As for why the five northern provinces were chosen, from Wang Yi's perspective, it was normal. That was where Liu Bei started his career, and the pacification of the Kushan Empire was a process of dividing up the spoils. Therefore, assigning the five northern provinces to handle the matter was a completely understandable action.

However, while I understand, from the perspective of the governor, I still have to speak out. After all, I am the governor of this place, and I can't really not speak up for the local military forces.

"It's not necessary at this stage. This is just for verification, and mobilizing a million troops is no easy task," Zhuge Liang said, shaking his head. He was aware of Chen Xi's plan to pacify Kushan with a three million-strong army, but for Zhuge Liang, the plan was too radical.

There is a big difference between understanding and not understanding some things. Zhuge Liang was one of those who understood. It was precisely because he understood military affairs that he could understand how crazy Chen Xi's plan to destroy the Kushan Empire with three million troops really was.

Frankly, the most difficult part of this plan is not actually recruiting the three million troops under the conscription system, but how to distribute the troops, how to divide the responsibilities of the troops, how to clarify the command authority, and how to define the command system. Considering that this is a large army integrated from various localities, the issue of coordination will inevitably need to be considered. Therefore, a unified command system must be built.

“I have a problem with that.” Zhou Yu stood up abruptly. “A million-strong army, and a million-strong army from different places. How will we organize the army? How will we define the command system? If we want to build a unified command, will local authorities be involved?”

Zhuge Liang nodded upon hearing this, preparing to explain, but Zhou Yu interrupted him first, "If the above are just relatively simple issues, and there are officers present who can solve them, then what about the provisions? Should they be sent from the official granaries, from local areas, or from state-run farms? And can the troop deployment route overlap with the provisions transportation route?"

"How should we build the transportation system? Of course, I believe we can solve the domestic part, but what about the international part? Especially after leaving Sichuan and entering the Central and Southern regions, the transportation route has to go closer to the coast. Currently, the navy has an absolute advantage, and the Kushans cannot launch a surprise attack. But when it comes to life and death, how should we solve this problem?" Zhou Yu did not give Zhuge Liang a chance to explain at all and asked the biggest question directly.

After all, the expedition was heading to the Ganges, so the logistics and transportation would inevitably have to go through the Indochina Peninsula, and if they went through the Indochina Peninsula, they would have to go through the Bay of Bengal.

At present, the situation is actually not too bad. Gan Ning and Lu Xun have built permanent defensive fortifications on Ceylon Island and have seventh-generation warships. The Bay of Bengal has been barely successfully blockaded. Considering that Zhou Yu previously severely damaged the Kushan fleet, the Han army has gained an absolute advantage in naval warfare and has an absolute ability to suppress the Kushan navy. However, it is only a suppressive ability.

"Putting everything else aside, based on my understanding of Mongkangbu, when it really comes down to life and death, he will definitely risk his life to launch a fierce attack on our supply lines. That's the supply line for a million-strong army. If it's cut off!" Zhou Yu looked at Zhuge Liang with a cold expression. He had specifically considered Chen Xi's plan to destroy the Kushan Empire with three million troops. To be honest, as long as this punch lands, the Kushan Empire will basically have no way out. If the Kushan Empire doesn't want to die, the only way is to prevent this punch from landing.

Therefore, cutting off the supply line was almost the only option.

However, there is a problem: Zhou Yu and Gan Ning can blockade the Bay of Bengal, but if Mongkob really wants to fight to the death and has no intention of returning, he can actually rush to Bengal, especially during the rainy season. Bengal, which is the Wenga region in this era, is a land of swamps!
This is really dangerous!

“It’s not a big problem.” Zhong Yao stood up and glanced at Zhou Yu before saying, “I’ve been organizing land reclamation along the Ganges for the past few years. As long as the army can reach the Ganges mainland, we can hold out even if our supplies run out. Of course, if we really fight for two or three years, we really can’t hold out. But if it’s a year or two, I’m prepared.”

Zhong Yao was a god, a god who could send horses and grain from Chang'an to Cao Cao, who was starving, during the Battle of Guandu. You can doubt his ability to slack off, but you don't need to doubt his capabilities.

“Alright, then I have no questions.” Zhou Yu gave Zhong Yao a deep look, feeling that this was somewhat outrageous. The Ganges had barely stabilized, and it had only been a short time since it went from repeated turmoil to entering a positive cycle, yet Zhong Yao had already prepared all the provisions for the decisive battle.

"Are there still any problems with the domestic section?" Zhuge Liang asked the others.

The governors of the five northern prefectures all shook their heads. Before the New Year, Chen Xi purchased various supplies from different places, which was also a test of logistics. Ordinary people did not realize this, but how could governors of this rank not understand it? Therefore, they also compiled statistics on the efficiency of the use of supplies in their respective prefectures and counties. Although they could not guarantee that everyone would be satisfied, they thought that the performance was quite good and that there would be no problem in undertaking the task of troop deployment.

Chen Xi shook his head as he watched this scene. These five guys would probably get a beating next year. There was no way around it; they thought the verification of troop mobilization in the five northern states was during the entire three-five plan, while Chen Xi's verification of troop mobilization in the five northern states was for the nine months of this year.

The verification will be completed in nine months this year, followed by three months of rectification. Next year, we will begin to plan for the deployment of three million troops, which will be deployed at the end of next year and enter the Kushan Empire the year after, directly killing the Kushan Empire!

This is why Chen Xi didn't mind the two meritorious veterans from Kushan who would definitely return to Kushan to listen in on the proceedings, because the thinking of a normal person and Chen Xi's thinking are completely different.

The preparations made by the Kushans after hearing this part of the speech at the grand assembly were completely meaningless. One problem was that their troop strength was not up to par, another was that their efficiency was not up to par, and sometimes false intelligence was worse than not having any intelligence at all!

To be honest, Chen Xi was also having a headache about this year's verification. If it were done in the usual way, the pressure wouldn't be too great, because the Han Dynasty itself was a conscription system, and the local people were used to troop deployment. At most, they would need to cooperate to some extent.

The problem is that the efficiency of regular troop deployment is different from the efficiency Chen Xi needs now. The efficiency he needs now is at least seven times that Zang Hong and others think. After all, the time has been shortened from five years to nine months. Considering that the time of certain fixed links cannot be compressed, the overall efficiency will really explode.

Incidentally, this is also why the claim of destroying the Kushan Empire in the thirteenth year of Yuanfeng was only uttered by Chen Xi and rarely mentioned to others. Theoretically speaking, even if an army of three million were organized and mobilized, it would not have been something that could be accomplished in the thirteenth year of Yuanfeng.

Similarly, this is why, although the Han aristocratic families all felt that the destruction of the Kushan Empire was only a matter of time, they did not realize that Chen Xi had already set the date.

From a certain perspective, this operation largely deceived the major families, making them believe that they still had plenty of time to prepare.

Of course, only in this way could Liu Bei's faction obtain the greatest benefits, and only in this way could Sun Qian have extra time to arrange the central and southern regions for his generals and officers.

[Chen Zichuan has really made a fool of the powerful families.] Chen Gong looked at the heads of the powerful families present with a complicated expression. [These people probably all think that Chen Xi will destroy the Kushan Empire in five or six years, but in reality...]

"Next, I will personally lead the team to conduct verification and inspect the area." Chen Xi stood up and said, "There are some things that you should handle before I arrive. I won't keep an eye on them. But if you haven't handled them by the time I get there, don't blame me for being ruthless. It's been eleven years since Yuanfeng. You all know what kind of life the people should be living."

Chen Xi's voice, tinged with coldness, sent a chill down the spines of the county-level officials present. After all, if Chen Xi were to come down to inspect the area and try any tricks, people could really die. Years of experience had taught them not to count on any tricks to fool Chen Xi. He knew exactly what tricks they were capable of.

"Alright, it seems you all know what's going on." Chen Xi's gaze swept over all the prefects present, then he slowly sat down. Despite his words, Chen Xi knew very well that Bi Gui, the prefect of Yanmen, would definitely not be the first, nor would he be the last. That's just how bureaucrats are. "Kongming, please continue and see if there are any more questions."

“I have a question,” Zhang Zhong, the archery instructor from Yuzhou, asked, raising his hand.

"Please speak," Zhuge Liang nodded and said.

“Why only conduct the troop deployment verification in the five northern states? Even if the soldiers in those five states are indeed stronger, it doesn’t mean that every one of them is stronger than those in other states.” Zhang Zhong asked directly, “We can’t deny other states a spot just because the average level of soldiers in the five northern states is slightly higher. At the very least, I don’t think the veterans in the five northern states are better than me at archery.”

Zhang Zhong's question took this issue to a new level. Instead of asking about the difficulty of verification, Zhang Zhong asked why the Kushan Empire didn't take him or the people of Yuzhou with them!
While on the run, the author felt truly doomed.