Chapter 7169 Effect and Cause

Chapter 7169 Effect and Cause

Zhuge Liang and Cyprian are like gods, even in the context of thousands of years of human history, they belong to the most outstanding human stars. Therefore, when they were observing, they actually knew the answers to many problems and how to solve them.

The problem is that knowing the answer and how to solve it doesn't mean they can use that answer to solve the problem.

There is a very long distance between knowing and doing. For example, when Zhuge Liang mentioned the word "education," Cyprian understood what the Greek civilization should be doing now, but it was meaningless. Standing in the Han court, Cyprian had no way to influence the direction of the Greek civilization.

No, even if Cyprian hadn't stood in the Han Dynasty's court, but in the Roman Senate, he wouldn't have had any good solutions. Because of the Greek hydra's nature, even if Cyprian became the strongest head, he wouldn't be able to make the other heads obey.

An imperial system is one where orders can be issued uniformly, but it is certainly not an imperial system if orders cannot be issued uniformly. Without an imperial system, some things simply cannot be done.

As Cyprian said, centralization is not the right answer, but when centralization encounters a truly formidable opponent, such as a figure of Zhuge Liang who controls the country, then what he wants to implement can indeed be implemented.

Organizational structure determines organizational power, and the imperial system, with its high ceiling but low floor, can indeed unleash incredibly powerful tactics when it encounters the right person. It can even completely silence others and make everyone follow the beliefs of the supreme ruler at the forefront.

This is something that no other system could possibly achieve. So when Zhuge Liang mentioned the word "education," Cyprian kept silent because he knew that it was something he couldn't do in Rome, not because Cyprian was boasting that if he couldn't do it, the Romans certainly couldn't either.

This is not a question of the strength or weakness of Cyprian, but a problem of the overall Greek system. The other heads of the polymorph will inevitably try to stop it because the interests of people and forces are different, or even more directly, conflicting. This is reflected in centralized states, but such conflicts in centralized states can be suppressed.

Because of centralized power, at the height of a dynasty, the central government's power can inevitably overcome all resistance. Otherwise, what is the point of centralizing power? If this cannot be achieved, centralization is impossible. Therefore, at the height of a dynasty, the central government, while not able to do whatever it wants, can at least implement its own policies, especially correct ones, because it has sufficient impetus.

As for the Greek multi-headed monsters, they would never be able to do such a thing most of the time. Even if they knew it was right, they would never carry it out, because even if their interests overlapped with those of other heads, the comparison between the large and small heads would be enough to shut them down.

To put it bluntly, you may think that universal education is the right thing to do and the way to the future, but many more people believe that keeping the people ignorant is the right thing to do and that it is the most effective way to stabilize the national political system. There are also different ideas among elites, which can be fatal.

Of course, if Cyprian could defeat everyone else on his own, it wouldn't be a multi-headed monster structure like the Greeks, but rather a centralized system. The problem is that even the stars of humanity, even the chosen ones of the era, even those who have left terrifying marks on history, cannot defeat everyone of their time on their own.

Human beings are influenced by the civilization in which they are born, and they become like the laws they learn. Even the most brilliant minds, who can transcend these boundaries, cannot be completely unaffected by these forces.

Just as Cyprian is now perfectly clear that education is the right thing to do, he is even more clear that if he wants to do this in the Greek system, he can only achieve universal education by choosing other methods; otherwise, it's all nonsense.

The hydra's structure dictates that even if you become one of the heads, even the middle or the largest one, the resources of the other heads will not belong to you. Therefore, what you believe to be correct is definitely not the same as what other heads believe to be correct.

Therefore, they had no choice but to watch Zhuge Liang's correct plan with nothing to do.

"It seems you've already realized the biggest problem with the Greek civilization," Zhuge Liang asked, looking at Cyprian, who remained somewhat silent. He had realized this before: within the Greek civilization, there would be many other voices, and the noise would never be suppressed. Of course, as Cyprian said when commenting on Chinese civilization, this was not wrong.

Because dissenting voices mean a margin of error, meaning there will always be some people with plans that differ from the mainstream, or even plans that completely defy the mainstream. This way, even if the mainstream makes an irreparable mistake, it can rely on other branches of civilization to save itself. Such losses are significant, but not irreparable. However, the drawback is that you can never unify all the forces.

Even setting aside all the power, in this situation, the entire civilization is actually perpetually engaged in internal strife.

“Actually, I realized this a long time ago, and coming here has made this understanding even clearer,” Cyprian said with a hint of helplessness. “Internal strife is a problem that the Greek system cannot solve. One of the essences of the Greek system is that the elites lead the weak. But what is an elite and how do we define an elite? These are all questions. And since they are a group of elites, they must each have their own ideas.”

"So even though some solutions are known to be the most correct, they still can't be widely adopted," Zhuge Liang said with a hint of disdain and mockery.

Unlike the Han Dynasty, which had an absolutely correct path, such as education or a utopian society, which everyone knew was correct, the Han Dynasty would definitely promote it when they were truly capable of doing it.

Even if the way this progresses may be strange in various ways, in essence, moving closer to this myth is an instinct of Chinese civilization, that is, the desire to do things well.

Even if this desire to do a good job is only the idea of ​​a saint, they will still pass on this thought, this theory, and this value to everyone, and then lead everyone forward.

Of course, there are occasional instances of catastrophic events, such as what was initially thought to be the right path turning out to be wrong, resulting in everyone suffering heavy losses and even plunging the entire country into turmoil. These are truly unavoidable situations.

“Yes, even if we know how to solve the problem, there’s no way to solve it unless there’s a powerful external force. Well, even if there is a powerful external force, it’s useless.” Cyprian was also helpless. The more he learned, the more he understood the essence of Greek civilization, and the clearer he became that he could not escape his fate.

In fact, Cyprian in the official history may have realized this as well. When constructing the organizational structure of the church for the next two thousand years, he focused on education and centralization. Even though Cyprian did not fundamentally want centralization, the organizational power granted by the organizational structure still represented the concentration of power.

Similarly, only by reaching this level can he do what he believes is right. Even so, the nature of the Greek multi-headed monster still hinders Cyprian's actions.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that. The Greek system really can't beat you, especially with your system. When a monster like Chen Hou and you take the lead, the Greek civilization can't possibly beat you no matter what." Cyprian was also somewhat disappointed. The more he understood some things, the more he realized that there was nothing he could do.

The situation in the Greek system dictates that even if Chen Xi were parachuted in, he wouldn't reach the level of the current Han Dynasty. Unless Chen Xi immediately centralized power upon arrival, even with his abilities, he wouldn't be able to subdue those multi-headed monsters.

In terms of the upper limit, to be honest, the upper limit of centralized power is indeed high. Similarly, in terms of the lower limit, centralized power has no lower limit at all. This thing can be so bad that it leaves people speechless.

"However, I still have to add that your system has a very low margin for error, and the success rate of your system is too high due to the influence of individuals. Once any link goes wrong, there will be very big problems. This is completely different from the Greek system, where no matter how many mistakes are made, there are other possible outcomes." After acknowledging his helplessness, Cyprian added another sentence, directly pointing to the core of the Han Dynasty's system.

"I don't deny it." Zhuge Liang had also seen chaotic times and knew very well that the current situation of the Han Dynasty was entirely due to the actions of certain people. If Chen Xi had been removed, countless people would have died from the plague back then, and there would have been no way the current prosperity would have been possible.

"Zhongda, what did you hear?" Cyprian turned to Sima Yi and asked, "Is there anything you'd like to add?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi's expression shifted between light and shadow. It wasn't that he was completely incapable of offering any further explanation, but after listening to Cyprian and Zhuge Liang's exchange, Sima Yi was perfectly aware that his own additions were a level below those two monsters, so it was better to remain silent.

Seeing that Sima Yi didn't say much, Cyprian shook his head and didn't say anything either. He had said before that if Sima Yi didn't speak at the beginning, he probably wouldn't have a chance to speak later.

"Well, let me ask you a question. It's not about Chinese civilization, but about how long the centralized system derived from your Chinese civilization can last." After turning his gaze away from Sima Yi, Cyprian looked at Zhuge Liang very seriously.

At this point, Cyprian had truly placed Zhuge Liang on the same level as himself. Conversely, he had realized that Chen Xi, who had seemed somewhat bewildered before, was definitely a monster.

After all, if Chen Xi could subdue a monster like Zhuge Liang, whom even he considered powerful, then he must possess abilities that would shock even him.

"I will try my best to explain and talk to you. I can also make up for some of the problems on our side." Zhuge Liang nodded when he heard Cyprian say this. He now had a very high opinion of Cyprian. He was a genius and very powerful. It was just a pity that he was not suitable for the Central Plains.

"How does your Han dynasty system prevent your bureaucrats from excessively carrying out orders from their superiors?" Cyprian asked directly.

While the Greek civilization also exhibited this phenomenon, it was a multi-headed system where internal conflicts and infighting meant that even with over-implementation, other obstacles would arise, resulting in relatively low efficiency. However, the problem of over-implementation was less severe because if certain policies were over-implemented, the individuals under one leadership were likely to defect to other leaders.

Of course, even if everyone's thinking is flawed, the resources under each individual's leadership will still be scattered everywhere. After all, this is a matter of personal choice. Therefore, under this system, the problem of over-implementation is not likely to be too serious. Rather, administrative resistance and inefficiency are the real issues.

But the situation was different in the Han Dynasty. Under centralized power, there was no possibility of defecting to other forces. The most crucial aspect of issuing orders was high execution.

"This problem is unsolvable," Zhuge Liang said truthfully. This is something that cannot be solved under a centralized system. Even if you strengthen supervision or constantly promote it, it will not be solved.

To put it bluntly, this problem is a systemic issue within the system itself; it's deeply rooted in the system and is something that is simply impossible to solve.

“You’re quite direct.” Cyprian nodded, then looked at Sima Yi, “Zhongda, do you think this problem can be solved?”

Sima Yi shook his head, looking at Cyprian with some displeasure. How could he be asked such a question? Even if Sima Yi was indeed falling behind these two extraordinary individuals, he shouldn't be unable to answer such a question.

"What's the reason?" Cyprian asked Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang was slightly taken aback, while Sima Yi was lost in a strange expression.

“It seems you two both have the answer,” Cyprian said with a smile. “Come, Zhongda, you answer this question. I want to hear your answer. It’s very important. It concerns how I should help you when we go to the Yuan family.”

Cyprian was very direct. He and Sima Yi were definitely going back to the Yuan family and to the Roman Senate, but what they would do there and how they would conduct themselves were things that could be adjusted. Helping Sima Yi while Cyprian was still in a state of ecstasy was entirely possible.

As for what this behavior would cause, Cyprian didn't care at all. How bad could it get? Chinese civilization and Roman civilization, at the very least, were civilizations that leaned towards neutrality and order. No matter which path they chose, they could not completely lead beasts to devour humans.

So no matter how much effort is put into it, it's just a social experiment.

"Because of the Han Dynasty's system, officials were accountable to their superiors, so they would take that into account in many situations," Sima Yi said calmly, seemingly unconcerned about Cyprian's claim that he could help him in the future. In reality, having fully grasped what kind of extraordinary person Cyprian was, Sima Yi desperately needed Cyprian's assistance.

"The simplest example is that the teacher asks you to gather all the students at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow to announce something. As the senior brother, how would you inform the other junior brothers?" Sima Yi asked with a matter-of-fact expression. "Of course, you would inform them before 3:45 AM, or even earlier. Depending on your own abilities, the time can vary, but it will definitely be earlier than Chenshi."

This is an unavoidable reality. The teacher asked all the students to gather at Chenshi (7-9 AM). To save the teacher trouble and avoid students not arriving on time, the student in charge would definitely notify them in advance. Human laziness leads to this: if you notify them at Chenshi, there might still be people who haven't arrived by then, so you have to notify them at an even earlier time.

This way, even if someone doesn't show up, you still have some time to notify them, thus ensuring the so-called margin of error.

Conversely, for students who genuinely accept this earlier arrival time, it means that honest people are actually at a disadvantage.

"And you?" Cyprian listened to Sima Yi's words without comment, then turned to Zhuge Liang. "I want to hear your answer. Zhongda's answer is not wrong, but hearing your answer is the reason why I asked this question."

Sima Yi clenched his fists upon hearing this. He felt that he had been humiliated by Cyprian these past few days. What did he mean by asking this question just to hear Zhuge Liang's answer? If that's what you think, why did you ask me to answer? Did you want me to beat you up?

"Where does power ultimately come from?" Zhuge Liang sighed softly.

Upon hearing this answer, Cyprian clapped his hands and said, "You really knew what I was asking. In fact, you also know very well why the so-called over-enforcement is so serious, and you also know why things happen under your system. You really have a conscience."

Upon hearing Cyprian's words, Zhuge Liang almost rolled his eyes, but managed to suppress the urge. Sima Yi, on the other hand, fell silent and even distanced himself from the two immortals. He had finally understood the essence of Cyprian's question and what their question and answer were actually about: civilization, and still civilization.

"This is the biggest failure of the centralized system," Zhuge Liang said with a hint of regret.

“Yes, but the multi-headed system of Greek civilization, when faced with a centralized civilization with such flaws, still falls into a complete disadvantage. It’s not just a matter of failure,” Cyprian said with a hint of sarcasm.

Sima Yi remained silent. He fully understood Zhuge Liang's answer—centralization of power would alienate the common people and cause those at the bottom of the organizational structure, those who exercise organizational power, to see them as a resource. The reason for the problem of over-executing is that they are not treated as human beings.

The statements in this book do not represent my personal views; they are from political and historical books, and I am merely relaying them.