Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7226 The Core of Internal Friction
"Should I get out of here?" Fa Zheng looked at Chen Xi, who had just returned from the side hall of the government building, when he saw Liu Tong appear in the government building and say this.

Of course, this was just a joke. Could someone of Fazheng's rank really be kicked out?

Moreover, this was the opportunity that Fazheng had been waiting for. There were some things that even Fazheng would find difficult to tell Chen Xi formally without an opportunity, and now, it seemed that the opportunity had really come.

"Get the hell out of here! What level are you at? Is there anything you can't listen to?" Chen Xi said irritably. Chen Xi really didn't believe that Fa Zheng didn't know what Li You had done. What a joke! Even if he didn't know at first, he should know by now. Everyone here is a shrewd person.

"Let me start by saying that I agree with Wenru's approach, and I even think that this method is worth promoting." Jia Xu felt that chanting scriptures and getting entangled with Chen Xi was meaningless. For ordinary people, playing some tricks might be okay, but when facing a monster like Chen Xi, who was at the level of a god, Jia Xu felt that it would only benefit everyone if everything was discussed openly and honestly.

After all, you've stated your position directly. As long as it's not a conflict of principle or stance, Chen Xi won't attack you. Chen Xi's personal morality is still trustworthy.

Even at their level, if there are differences in their stance with Chen Xi, as long as everyone adheres to a single position, then even if there are some deviations, as long as it does not completely violate Chen Xi's principles, given Chen Xi's personality, he will carefully consider and thoroughly understand the situation before making a judgment.

Regarding what happened at Ganges, was it really impossible for Chen Xi to force them to withdraw? Not at all. It was just that most of the people on the front lines chose to fight this battle. After considering all factors, Chen Xi abandoned his own idea.

The so-called "following the will of Heaven and inheriting the hearts of the people" refers to Chen Xi's actions. It's not a matter of offending or not offending people, but simply that Chen Xi truly goes with the tide.

So seeing that Chen Xi was going to openly discuss this matter, Jia Xu didn't want to consider what Chen Xi might say next. Some things shouldn't be ignored now just because Chen Xi might give a more perfect answer in the future. This was the biggest lesson Jia Xu learned from Lu Su's sudden death.

We can talk about anything, and we can lay everything out in the open!
Even if discussing certain matters in the Executive Yuan might cause a falling out, then go to Chen Xi privately. In short, you must speak up. If you keep it to yourself, trouble will inevitably arise sooner or later. But as long as you speak out, Chen Xi will definitely give you an answer, an answer that will absolutely satisfy you.

“I don’t think Li Shi’s actions were right, but law is no substitute for human sentiment. When regulations conflict with public order and good morals, it’s definitely a problem with the regulations, not with the moral system built by human subconsciousness. All regulations that conflict with public order and good morals are essentially undermining collective consensus,” Zhuge Liang said slowly. “You and I have already discussed this point before.”

Zhuge Liang was the first to advise Li You to restrain himself, but when he found that he couldn't persuade him, he went to Chen Xi, which was like giving him a heads-up. Chen Xi's answer at that time was exactly what Zhuge Liang said now. Zhuge Liang felt that no matter what, there was really nothing wrong with that statement.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble or make things difficult for Wenru. If I really wanted to cause trouble, I would have done it when Wenru was here. Why would I wait until he's not here?" Chen Xi said irritably. "I just feel that now we need to make certain things clear, understand them, and clarify them. The Ganges River issue, as well as the issues concerning other people under our jurisdiction, all need to be made clear."

Upon hearing this, Liu Tong's expression suddenly turned serious, while Jia Xu, Fa Zheng, and the others also composed themselves and prepared to await Chen Xi's answer.

"Should we also call Fengxiao? He's off today," Fazheng asked. The government offices are on duty in shifts these days, and Guo Jia isn't here today.

"No need, I'm here!" Guo Jia's voice came from outside, and beside him stood Guan Yu with a dignified expression. It was clear that Guo Jia and Guan Yu had been waiting for this moment.

"I also want to know the answer." Guan Yu looked at Chen Xi with a serious expression. As the commander-in-chief of the Ganges Legion, Guan Yu was also very annoyed that the situation had come to this point. If it weren't for Lu Su causing this, Guan Yu would have already gone up and killed the other party with a single blow.

Trust and righteousness were the foundation upon which Guan Yu stood in this world.

"How did you know I would bring this up?" Chen Xi asked Guo Jia.

"I don't know, but I think you should have the answer to the problem," Guo Jia said calmly. "From the beginning, your attitude was only regret, not anger. In other words, in your view, those people would only suffer greater losses if they didn't follow your plan."

"Isn't this what a normal person would think?" Chen Xi said with a smile, then looked around. He had a feeling that this group of people had been waiting for an answer.

“You know those are normal people. Obviously, Zichuan, you shouldn’t be categorized as normal. You must know something or be aware of something to act this way. In terms of domestic affairs, all of us combined are actually not as good as you,” Guo Jia said very seriously.

“The most direct point is that things have come to this point, and none of us really have any other options. All the solutions we've found are not about solving the problem, but about solving the people,” Fa Zheng added in a somewhat somber voice. “So I want to see the answer.”

"It's neither a mystery nor a solution," Chen Xi said, shaking his head. "Things have come to this point, and I can't simply solve it. I can only say that this thing had an answer from the beginning, but it's not a good answer."

"Does anyone know why things have come to this point?" Chen Xi asked the crowd earnestly. "Even without Zijing's involvement, this scene would have inevitably occurred after the destruction of Kushan. The only difference is that Zijing brought this event to a head earlier. You can share your answers."

"For the sake of our children and grandchildren," Guan Yu replied softly.

“Yes, it’s all because of these four words.” Chen Xi nodded. There’s nothing too complicated about it. Essentially, it’s all because of these four words that things have turned out this way. Even without Lu Su, as long as the Han dynasty had overthrown the Kushan Empire, the things that have happened now would have happened later because of these four words.

The only difference is in form and expression, but in essence, there is no difference.

“Everything, in essence, revolves around this.” Chen Xi sighed slightly. “Why isn’t there any trouble in Liangzhou? It’s because what Wen Ru gave them has already settled the problem. Those people can’t find anything better than what Wen Ru can offer. And more importantly, they can’t really see what the future holds, so they can only look at the problem from the present perspective.”

“If everyone could see through the fog of the future like you, then the problems of fighting would be even greater. Zichuan, you can’t judge others by your own standards, nor can you look at the problem entirely from your own perspective.” Jia Xu said with his eyes half-closed. “Even a scholar can’t see the exact direction of the future. He can only choose a reasonable way to deal with all this. After all, some sucker is really rich.”

In other dynasties, Li You's handling of the Western Liang faction would have caused intense political struggles, because often, national affairs revolve around money. The amount of money, food, and resources Li You spent to completely resolve the Western Liang faction's problems was actually enormous.

In a normal dynasty, this kind of operation would be enough to cause many political factions to fight over the money. Putting aside everything else, how could other factions operate if Li You did this? It's impossible for Li You to take the money while everyone else doesn't, that's just not possible!

In Chen Xi's era, this operation was perfectly acceptable, because Chen Xi indeed had enough resources to subdue the Liangzhou faction, and even resolved a very dangerous mountain stronghold in such a simple way. To be honest, Chen Xi was completely satisfied.

To avoid certain bombs exploding in your own hands, spending a little money is perfectly acceptable!

"Then why didn't the others do the same?" Chen Xi asked Jia Xu calmly. "Since you think Wen Ru's approach was to bribe him in advance and settle the matter, why didn't you do the same?"

The amount of money Li You transferred to the Liangzhou faction was enormous; in other dynasties, it would be enough for several powerful factions to fight over it endlessly. But for the Yuanfeng Dynasty, it was nothing special. In fact, to be honest, Li You was essentially taking advantage of the Liangzhou people's short-sightedness. Now that they had taken the money and signed the papers, they were told not to cause any more trouble.

The question is, is that what other people want?

No!

Even Zhang Yong knew that after becoming the Marquis of Guannei, he immediately abandoned his plans to go to Turan and the Pamir Mountains, and instead chose a place in the Indochina Peninsula to carve out a fiefdom. Was Zhang Yong stupid? If the Pamir Mountains and Turan were really that good, why would Zhang Yong go to the Indochina Peninsula!
Moreover, those officers and generals in Ganges who were willing to listen to Chen Xi and were of high moral character, and who did not want to turn against their brothers, such as An Ling and Xu Kang, all voluntarily retired and then chose a piece of land in the Indochina Peninsula. What does this mean? It means that the Indochina Peninsula, a place that is much better than a normal fiefdom, is nothing special in the eyes of those officers and generals who fought alongside Liu Bei!

Zhang Yong's title of Marquis of Guannei is a real privilege, but in reality, it's not as good as fighting to the end on the Ganges and being granted a ninth-rank title there.

Are these two completely different issues?
This is already turning the tables on the Heavenly Gang, it's like defecating on the necks of the marquises. Chen Xi was just about to say that the marquises are marquises, but the marquises of Liu Bei's lineage are the real marquises!

"So, those that Imperial Censor Li spent were the least!" Leaving aside the expressions of the others, Liu Tong finally realized what was really going on. With a desolate look, he said, "Lord Chen, is it inappropriate for me to stay here? Perhaps Si Niang and I should leave first?"

"Forget it, it's good to listen. It's actually quite beneficial to have some understanding of this world." Chen Xi glanced at Liu Tong and said, "None of you here are scheming for yourselves, because there's no need for that. You've already made all the necessary preparations, so there's no need for planning at all. But you all have people around you!"

As he spoke, Chen Xi pointed to himself and said, "Damn it, when the old soldiers who fought with me to seize Qingzhou came to me with gifts and asked me questions, what could I say? Of course, I could only say, 'Don't worry, even if you die in battle now, the fiefdom of Ganges will fall into your son's hands. What? You don't have a son? You must have a stepson, right? You must have brothers, right? Don't worry, the family line will never end!'"

Can Chen Xi be completely impartial? Can he say anything strange? No!
"What exactly are you suspecting me of?" Chen Xi swept a cold light across the crowd, then her gaze fell on Guan Yu. "Brother Yun, you have always valued integrity, and I agree with your integrity. You tell me, I was a little unclear about many things before, but I've recently figured them out. What exactly are you suspecting me of?"

Chen Xi didn't mention the issue of Guan Yu's "golden nature" or anything else, because he knew that saying so would be a veiled attack on his character. Guan Yu shouldn't have stayed in Chang'an. What "golden nature" or "severe injury" were all jokes to Guan Yu. If Zhang Fei could erase his "golden nature," then Guan Yu certainly could too.

Even if it cannot be erased, Guan Yu must have had other ways to expel that metal-related wound that damaged his soul.

The simplest point is how Guan Yu transferred the metal-related injuries from Guan Ping and Wei Yan to himself. Anyone who knows this should realize that Guan Yu could have resolved the metal-related injury problem at any time if he wanted to.

Since the problem of Jin Xing's injury could be resolved at any time, and with the Ganges River in turmoil right now, why would Guan Yu abandon going to the front lines for a little personal strength? What a joke! Everyone knows what kind of person Guan Yu is!

Although Guan Yu valued personal martial prowess, it was utterly insignificant compared to the lives of his brothers and subordinates.

However, the most ridiculous thing has now happened. Guan Yu stayed in Chang'an instead of going to the Ganges because of his personal pursuit of martial prowess. What a joke!
Doesn't Chen Xi understand? Chen Xi understands very well!
However, there are some things that Chen Xi cannot say to people's faces, let alone in the government, unless he has made up his mind to completely turn against them and not try to salvage the relationship. He must leave room for these people to maneuver, but whether they are willing to accept that room is beyond Chen Xi's control!
"Whose world is this?" Guan Yu looked at Chen Xi very seriously, his voice inexplicably low, but at this moment it seemed extremely majestic.

"I've said it countless times, but in the end you actually come to ask me this question. Was everything I said before just going in one ear and out the other?" Chen Xi didn't care about Guan Yu's intimidating presence at all, but said to Guan Yu with a bit of seriousness, "This is the world of the Han Dynasty, not the world of one family or one clan!"

"I'm still here!" Liu Tong said to Chen Xi in an annoyed tone.

"Do you believe me?" Guan Yu forced a smile onto his cold and arrogant face.

"Time will tell," Chen Xi said coldly.

If the emperor's position can be hereditary, then it is only natural for his subjects to try their best to make their own positions hereditary as well, imitating the emperor's rise to power.

"Zichuan, do you know what it means to feel farther away the closer you are to someone?" Jia Xu interrupted Guan Yu, who was about to continue speaking, and changed the subject. He couldn't let Guan Yu and Chen Xi continue talking in this atmosphere, because Chen Xi had just said the above sentence. If Guan Yu got angry, he might really make some outrageous statement in the government.

The problem is that this isn't a place where you can talk nonsense; you have to stay calm.

"So, you think my line of thinking is wrong?" Chen Xi said with a hint of sarcasm. "If my line of thinking is wrong, does that mean your line of thinking is correct?"

"Who should be the core, what should be the core, and most importantly, is the future path built according to the current thinking correct?" Fa Zheng laid his cards on the table. At this point, it was no longer Chen Xi who was making the decisions, but everyone was scrambling internally. Even the top management was now considering whether there was a problem with this operation.

“The Ganges River basin is too far away. No one can directly govern it. Even if Gongyou completely opens up the road, the limit of our direct governance is still not reaching Varanasi.” Chen Xi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Fazheng’s words. Although Fazheng had gone around in circles, he had still pointed out the core issue that was causing the most internal strife. Moreover, the way he asked the question reassured Chen Xi somewhat; it wasn’t a coercion.

“Therefore, the core area of ​​the Indus-Ganges River basin, which has been the heart of Brahmanism for thousands of years, will definitely be divided up. The only difference is who gets it,” Chen Xi said calmly.

"Whoever gets it, they'll rebel!" Zhuge Liang also chose to reveal his hand, confirming that those around him were teammates, not troublemakers like his own father-in-law. Zhuge Liang finally revealed his true intentions, which was the key to the internal strife at the highest level. It wasn't that he thought the Ganges Essence Zone was bad, nor that there was a problem with the Ganges, but rather that, most importantly, anyone there would rebel.

Based on this logic, why enfeoff one's own family members in that area, only to completely annihilate them if they rebel later? Then, the people who quell the rebellion are enfeoffed again, creating a continuous cycle. This way, the population is periodically depleted, while ensuring the country maintains a continuous elite army, keeping the situation in dynamic equilibrium? What a joke, Zichuan, don't you think you're being far too cruel?
"Does the possibility of rebellion mean we shouldn't grant fiefdoms?" Chen Xi asked Kongming.

"No matter whose name it is, three generations, at most three generations, then they are just nominal Han officials. It's not that I don't believe in people's loyalty, but that's how terrible geographical relationships are; the environment can isolate people's hearts." Fa Zheng rarely stood on the same side as Zhuge Liang.

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