Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1625 The Solution to Rome
"So, that's how it is." After returning, Shangluo informed Victoria of the "backup plan".

This shocked her, but it was also understandable.

“My senior brother, I hope you know this—that is, we are prepared to destroy Rome. If Rome shows weakness, or if Rome is able to handle its own problems and something undignified happens, then we will help Rome to be dignified.”

“I understand,” Victoria nodded. “I’ve understood from the beginning.”

"Really? My senior brother wants you to know about this because he's afraid you won't be able to accept it later. How do you interpret that?"

"Because China and Rome have fundamentally different worldviews—we Romans' understanding of the world is 'who can become Romans.' We seek to define the scope of Romans and absorb useful people from among them as citizens. If necessary, elves, werewolves, and even ghosts of the past can become Romans. For example, the Muses' Palace and Syracuse are controlled by ancient ghosts like the 'Philosopher King.' In other words, the Romans' xenophobia is only superficial; in reality, the Romans still hope to absorb more people as their own kind."

"So what do you think Aurora is like?"

"We believe that the kindness shown by the people of Aurora is only superficial; it is more like charity than kindness. Aurora culture is inherently exclusive and is built around the question of 'who cannot be Aurora people.' We have studied Aurora's historical policies toward other ethnic groups. Guess what we found? Let me ask you first, what do you think of the Tang Dynasty's attitude toward other ethnic groups?"

"More open-minded?"

"No, in fact, the Tang Dynasty had a systematic policy of exclusion against people of other ethnicities, with various forms of racial discrimination and laws emerging one after another—why? Because the people of the Tang Dynasty really lived with many other ethnic groups. For example, although it was not stipulated in the Ming Dynasty's laws, the Tang Dynasty's laws explicitly stated that 'all non-Han people in the capital shall wear their own clothes and shall not imitate the Han people,' strictly prohibiting them from impersonating Han people. This was not because the Ming Dynasty was more tolerant, but because there simply couldn't be non-Han people walking the streets in the Ming Dynasty, so there was no need to write it down and give people grounds for criticism. Because as long as it was written down, people would start trying to revise it. If it wasn't written down, it wouldn't be selected, and naturally, it would be impossible to revise something that didn't exist."

"Oh, you've been researching this all along?"

"Because outsiders see things more clearly, sometimes these kinds of issues are clearer when investigated from an outsider's perspective. We clearly see that the people of China actually systematically use the distinction between Chinese and barbarians as their underlying logic. There was no prior conflict between China and Rome, so Romans were still treated favorably, just as Koreans were treated with respect when they came to China—we interpret this as hospitality, stemming from the most basic goodwill, because the people of China have high moral standards. But if a Roman, or a Korean, says, 'I want to become a Chinese,' then they won't be treated as guests. So..."

Victoria said in a deep voice, "We fully understand Aurora's actions. We also know that if Rome cannot solve its own problems, then Aurora will truly begin to cleanse the world and carry out a great purge. So, your plan is ready?"

"It seems like they've been preparing for this all along. I only just found out about it myself. Although I know they've been preparing for it, I only just learned about the specific plan."

"What is the specific plan?"

"Use forward-type data fortresses to establish numerous fire channels, and then use intelligent and information-based firepower to quickly bombard enemy forces."

In other words, it's all about killing. The kill rate will likely be incredibly high. Previously, a battlefront relying on fortifications might be fought over repeatedly for hours, days, or even weeks. But under informationized firepower, it could be crushed in just a few minutes. This is very expensive, but Aurora has plenty of money. "Hmm," Victoria murmured, lost in thought.

In reality, the Roman army maintained a stalemate with the Aurora army across a broad front. This stalemate was not hostile, but rather neutral—that is, both sides did have troops stationed on the border, but neither was willing to risk everything to maintain such a presence. The firepower deployed by both sides on the border was sufficient to wage a medium-sized battle. In the event of an accidental clash, both sides shared the common goal of resolving the issue through consultation and negotiation, rather than through fighting.

However, once the border troops of Zhen Dan complete this transformation, and their firepower is strengthened to the level described by Shang Luo, a small border detachment could likely quickly annihilate the enemy. In this situation, numbers become meaningless, because numerical superiority requires a battle line to be established. If wolves charge into a flock of sheep, and the sheep cannot mount an effective resistance and can only flee, then no matter how many sheep there are, they will only trample each other.

"Shangluo, I will do my job well. Please make sure you have confidence in Rome."

“It’s not ‘we,’ it’s ‘I,’” Shangluo said in a deep voice. “After my senior brother explained everything to me, he handed the choice over to me.”

Yes, this is the Emperor's decision.

This is a supplementary explanation given by Zhu Xianxi after he told Shangluo the details.

When Zhu Xianxi decided to tell Victoria all this, he also made a decision—the trigger for whether or not to launch a major purge against Rome was thus handed over to Shangluo.

Because Shangluo knows Rome best and is the most trustworthy. Shangluo has the ability to use firsthand information to promptly determine whether Rome is credible and whether a timely choice should be made.

"So, the Sword of Damocles is in your hands?"

"Yes, it's in my hands." It was a difficult situation, but it was a choice he had to make.

"You are still trusted, I think, and that's something to be thankful for. At least, I can ensure you have access to the most accurate and effective information. And we can work together to solve this problem. If Rome really falls into that situation—for example, if our upcoming trial against Amun-Zeus fails and Amun-Zeus continues to be a threat—then we can consider it a significant indicator that Rome has lost control. If that day ever comes, Shangluo will believe that destruction is inevitable."

"So, will Rome resist?"

“We will resist. Even if there is no hope, we must resist, because if that day really comes, I'm afraid I won't even have the power to order the resistance to end. However, it would be a good thing to see that Rome will ultimately not pollute the world.”

(End of this chapter)