Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7228 is error-free
Chen Xi had basically figured out what was going on and how this group of people had come to this conclusion. All he could say was that even though Chen Xi had managed to cover all normal people with the grandest ideals, the back-and-forth transmission of information and the biases caused by individual perceptions still revealed the differences between each person, which were then summarized in Chen Xi's account.

"Well, my biggest problem right now is that I'm treating everyone as just another human being." Chen Xi sensed Guan Yu's questioning gaze and decided to set aside the issues of information asymmetry and biases caused by personal perception. Instead, he should first explain the problem he was facing. If he hadn't treated people so much like human beings, none of this would have happened.

In reality, it was normal for people not to be treated as human beings in feudal dynasties. Chen Xi's problem was that he treated everyone as human beings, which is why he repeatedly gave instructions and reminders. However, when the frontline troops did not listen to his instructions and reminders, Guan Yu saw it as deliberate indulgence.

The problem is that, given the state of the Ganges Legion, Chen Xi chose to deliberately indulge them. What could that be for? It could only be to let those bastards die if they deserved to!
“If we didn’t treat people like human beings, these problems wouldn’t have occurred,” Chen Xi sighed. “Alright, I know how you deduced that I was going to annihilate the Ganges Legion.”

"My actions, repeatedly compromising when the Ganges Legion refused to obey, did seem somewhat like indulging them. After all, they wouldn't even obey Chen Xi's orders, so what did the orders of others matter?" Chen Xi sighed, with a hint of regret, having fully grasped the underlying logic.

But this is the perception of this era, Chen Xi's perception. Even though he has been assimilated by this era for more than 20 years, due to Chen Xi's overly powerful nature, some core aspects have not been distorted. And the fact that he treats people as human beings is what makes Chen Xi different from everyone else in this era.

In this era, there are very few people who can treat others as human beings. Even Guan Yu in front of us may not truly treat people as human beings!

As for those outside, Jia Xu need not say more. When there is no threat to his life, he doesn't care what others are. But as long as they pose a threat to him, they are definitely not human.

Fa Zheng, you're just a Marquis of Guannei? You think you're worthy to speak to me? This is a Marquis of Guannei, someone who has already touched the existence of human rights cards, but in Fa Zheng's eyes, he's nothing special.

Zhuge Liang was slightly better, but in Zhuge Kongming's eyes, people were closer to resources. If you look at the people as resources, how can they be considered human?

While it is correct to consider issues from an efficiency perspective and to view them with a resource-oriented attitude, anything used as a metric will create distortion. Focusing on efficiency will inevitably lead to the neglect of things that hinder efficiency improvement, and these things may not necessarily be wrong.

Having been in power for so many years, Chen Xi's understanding of some things that were once vague has gradually become clearer as he has grown. The existence of a core objective will inevitably lead people to selectively ignore other things and choose to pursue the so-called core objective.

That's why Chen Xi asked Zhuge Liang to take over now, while he would assist from the sidelines. Some things can only be understood through experience. Although there is no clear right or wrong in the humanities, Chen Xi still hopes to pass on his understanding of what he believes to be right to Zhuge Liang, and then to everyone else.

The most important point here is to treat people as human beings. However, in reality, very few people in the world truly treat people as human beings. Chen Xi can only rely on his words and actions to influence and promote this concept when those people get close to him, but the effect is only so-so.

Chen Xi even suspected that if he wasn't really strong enough, his behavior would only make others laugh. For example, how many people in the world could be considered human in Zhou Yu's eyes?

Among the high-ranking officials in the imperial court and the powerful families with generations of noble titles, only the Yang family truly treats ordinary people as human beings. The others have already proven themselves during the round of universal education. They are good to the people and all the common folk now, but the people and all the common folk still have value to them. Once they no longer have that value, they will naturally give their true answer.

As for officers, this is even more true; the phrase "using troops like mud" perfectly describes their situation.

Chen Xi views people as human beings, but others seem completely unable to understand this perception. They can only view Chen Xi's current behavior based on their own understanding, and then they come to completely different conclusions.

"I just thought I would save him if I could." After saying what he had said earlier, Chen Xi realized that Guan Yu couldn't understand. Even if he explained Guan Yu's past, experiences, and knowledge, he still couldn't draw a conclusion based on that. In the end, he simply replied with a single sentence.

Normally, such a simple answer wouldn't solve any problems, but Chen Xi's extraordinary ability lies in the fact that he doesn't actually need to explain. He only needs to clearly state the logic behind his actions, ensuring it aligns with his own reasoning. The reputation and strength that Chen Xi has built up over twenty years can solve all the remaining issues.

Whatever operation you need, pure and clean numerical values ​​can solve all the problems.

The generational gap in understanding between the two is similar to the situation where young people who choose not to marry face the advice of older generations who are married. They cannot communicate their understanding to each other. However, if a young person who chooses not to marry has such incredible statistics, and has produced hundreds of illegitimate children without being married, then frankly, the older generation will have to accept it whether they want to or not. That's the reality.

Chen Xi realized the crux of the problem, but discussing it was meaningless to Guan Yu. It would be better to give Guan Yu the correct answer that would allow him to completely break free from the vicious cycle.

"Zichuan, your actions are not saving them, but indulging them. True saving means making them realize their mistakes and correct them. But in fact, your actions neither make them realize their mistakes nor correct them. They only lead them further down the wrong path." Guan Yu carefully examined Chen Xi and, after confirming that Chen Xi was not just being perfunctory, said with a hint of coldness.

"?" Chen Xi looked up at Guan Yu, somewhat stunned.

"Wen Ze said something about General Guan's Mo Tu Luo to my face." Guan Yu looked at Chen Xi calmly, and Chen Xi was stunned and didn't know how to respond.

That's right, there's really no way to respond to that.

“I didn’t say anything, and then Wenze went further and further down the wrong path, so I have to make things clear to you.” Guan Yu’s voice was somewhat cold. “Because the damage that Wenze could cause by going down the wrong path was limited, but if it were you, it would be terrifying.”

When Yu Jin mentioned Guan Yu's "Mo Tu Luo" in front of him, Guan Yu was actually very angry. However, Yu Jin and Guan Yu had a deep friendship, so deep that even someone like Guan Yu was unwilling to offend Yu Jin, so he didn't respond.

However, this lack of response led Yu Jin to make one mistake after another, which Guan Yu deeply regretted. In his opinion, if he had been straightforward back then, although it would have hurt Yu Jin's feelings, it would have prevented Yu Jin from having this misconception and going further and further down the wrong path.

This is also why Guan Yu chose to confront Chen Xi after realizing that Chen Xi seemed to be going further and further down the wrong path. Because the previous mistake had already been made, if Guan Yu went to talk to him now, Yu Jin would think that Guan Yu was under pressure from above and chose to pass on the pressure to make him be on guard, rather than truly recognizing his own mistake.

Therefore, Guan Yu absolutely cannot accept the fact that Chen Xi may have made a mistake. Yu Jin's mistake and Chen Xi's mistake are on completely different levels.

Guan Yu felt he could cover up Yu Jin's mistake, which is why he remained silent and gave Yu Jin face. He believed that Yu Jin was just acting impulsively, and even if he really went mad, Guan Yu was still alive and could easily cover it up.
But Chen Xi's situation is different. If Chen Xi makes a mistake, no one can cover for her.

"Was it my mistake?" Chen Xi lowered his head and pondered for a while.

“When you need to be resolute, you must be resolute. Don’t expect compromise to solve the problem. The more you compromise, the more others will indulge you. In the end, if they really take that step, you will still be the one to deal with it.” Guan Yu’s voice became increasingly cold.

Chen Xi paused for a moment upon hearing this, then suddenly recalled Lenin's criticism of Stalin when the Soviet Union was established. Besides being too harsh, Stalin was also too weak, preferring to compromise, appease, and play the good guy when faced with struggles. As a result, he failed to nip conflicts in the bud at the outset, allowing them to escalate until they became unmanageable and extremely dangerous...

"Zichuan, if you weren't so incredibly strong, so strong that everyone could only have a brighter future by following you, so strong that even if you compromised again and again, others wouldn't dare to attack you directly, what do you think you would have encountered?" Guan Yu looked at Chen Xi, who had already realized the truth, and felt somewhat relieved. As long as Chen Xi himself didn't cause any problems, everything would be fine.

Guan Yu feared two things most: either Chen Xi went to extremes or Chen Xi quit. These two things were more fatal to the Han Dynasty than anything else.

To be honest, Guan Yu, a famous general who had practically worn out the Spring and Autumn Annals, didn't really take the concept of "the emperor's title" seriously. He didn't say it directly because his elder brother was Liu Bei, but fundamentally, Guan Yu actually agreed with the idea. Of course, agreeing doesn't mean he would actually do it.

However, in extreme circumstances, whether to choose Chen Xi or a member of the Liu royal family, Guan Yu knew exactly who to point his sword at. After all, he was well aware of why he had given up being a small landowner and why he had chosen to commit murder and go into exile.

At this point, for the veterans of Liu Bei's lineage, the historical sins of Tian and Chen are already laid bare before them. In fact, Chen Xi's actions are not much different from those before Wang Mang's usurpation. The image of him as a moral saint is self-evident, but all of this is meaningless now.

Believing in Chen Xi's morality is only one aspect. Another aspect is that, for them, the great cause Chen Xi has built makes it irrelevant whether they believe in morality or not; the people of the world will truly vote with their feet.

Even in private, Fazheng said that if Wang Mang had really achieved what Zichuan did, to be honest, the people of the world would have accepted it, and the ideal society would have been within reach. Even if it hadn't been achieved, at least it would have been a satisfactory outcome. It wouldn't be a loss to exchange the throne of an emperor for a wise ruler!

Of course, it was Fazheng. Even if others had thought about it, they wouldn't have said it out loud. Only Fazheng actually said it out loud.

Therefore, Chen Xi could understand why Guan Yu insisted on staying in Chang'an before. For Guan Yu, Yu Jin's problem was serious, but still within an acceptable range. However, if Chen Xi went crazy now, how to deal with him would be a big problem.

To be honest, as Chen Ji said before, things have come to this point, and there is no way to have the best of both worlds in the known history. Only Chen Xi can recognize reality and choose the right path. Fortunately, Chen Xi is really strong enough that everyone else knows who to choose.

"I roughly understand, but this matter is not just a matter of weakness and compromise." Chen Xi explained briefly, then felt it was pointless and said nothing more.

"Call me Second Brother," Guan Yu said to Chen Xi without responding to the previous question.

"Second Brother, this was my mistake. I just saved people out of habit." Chen Xi said to Guan Yu, both amused and exasperated.

"Okay, I'm sure you were focused on saving people before." Guan Yu's stiff expression softened considerably, and the shadow in his heart had largely dissipated.

Who can imagine the psychological trauma Guan Yu experienced after returning from a trip to Africa, spending a month honing his martial arts skills, only to be met with the news that Chen Xi seemed to be playing hard to get, intending to annihilate the Ganges Legion? Only Guan Yu could handle that; anyone else would have had their mentality collapse.

The main problem was that Guan Yu couldn't tell anyone about this, nor could he communicate directly with Chen Xi. If Liu Bei hadn't gone to the Ganges, Guan Yu wouldn't have realized that the situation seemed to have become more dangerous, and he would have had to find a way to communicate with Chen Xi to find out what Chen Xi was thinking. If things really got to the worst, he would at least have to protect his elder brother. That's why he contacted Guo Jia and asked Guo Jia to find a way to set up a venue for him.

Guo Jia knew that Chen Xi was incapable of carrying out such a large-scale purge, but it would be useless for him to tell Guan Yu this. Moreover, Guo Jia needed Guan Yu to correct Chen Xi's perceptions and correct some perceptions that seemed obviously wrong in this era, so he took the initiative to pave a path for Guan Yu.

“Actually, General Guan, what you need to worry about the least is that Chen Zichuan will carry out a large-scale purge. He wouldn’t do such a thing.” Liu Tong, who was standing to the side, vaguely knew where Chen Xi’s problem lay. Precisely because he knew the problem, Liu Tong believed that Chen Xi could not possibly do such a thing.

Chen Xi's weakness and tendency to compromise meant he was destined to be incapable of doing such a thing.

Upon hearing Liu Tong's words, Chen Xi's expression darkened slightly. He then shook his head. "Your Highness, it's the exact opposite of what you think. It's precisely because of weakness and compromise that they keep thinking of other ways instead of resorting to violence. When there's no room for retreat, they'll be more terrifying than any hardliner, because they know there's no way out, so they'll go straight for the kill."

"Huh?" Liu Tong was stunned for a moment, somewhat incredulous.

“It’s true. Second Brother’s deduction is indeed correct. Even though I initially promised to save them if I could, this method of rescue was indeed indulging them. When this indulgence continues again and again, those people will eventually leave me with nowhere to go.” Chen Xi said very seriously. “From this point of view, the statement that Zheng Bo defeated Duan Yuyan is actually correct.”

“Whatever the original purpose was, as long as this continues, it’s not an exaggeration to call it indulgence.” Chen Xi said with a sigh, “After all, if they don’t listen to the solutions I’ve proposed, that’s already a big problem. Others who didn’t listen to my solutions suffered backlash, but Ganges didn’t listen and didn’t suffer backlash. I’ve been trying to find solutions again and again. It can only be said that the backlash was left until the end. There’s no such thing as no backlash at all.”

Chen Xi is a human being, with human hearts and minds, and he doesn't treat everyone equally. The outcome is self-evident!

"Zichuan only hopes that everyone can live with dignity, and that all those who have followed him can have a dignified end," Guan Yu added. "But if it really comes to an irreversible point, Zichuan will make sure they have dignity. There are actually quite a few noble families and ministers who have died at Zichuan's hands, it just seems that it was Wenru and Wenhe who did it."

Guan Yu never considered Chen Xi as Liu Bei's subject. From the time of Hulao Pass, Guan Yu believed that Chen Xi was Liu Bei's best collaborator. Even though Chen Xi called Guan Yu "Second Brother" and Guan Yu acknowledged him as his younger brother, Guan Yu respected Chen Xi and always placed him in a higher position.

If this matter hadn't been so significant, Guan Yu would never have confronted Chen Xi with a different stance. Compared to others, Guan Yu, who had seen Chen Xi before the Battle of Hulao Pass, was well aware of Chen Xi's strength. Chen Xi was a true powerhouse who had foreseen the outcome of the Battle of Hulao Pass. Such a person might have weaknesses and compromises, but even with those, he was not someone others could easily take advantage of.

Since the Taishan era, Guan Yu had met many civil officials, some of whom were as cunning as foxes, while others were elites whom even Guan Yu had to take seriously. But in Guan Yu's mind, if Liu Bei's group had a strategist, it could only be Chen Xi. The elder brother Liu Bei was supreme, and the younger brother Chen Xi was in charge of Yin and Yang. It was that simple.

There is nothing in this world that Chen Xi cannot do; there is only that Chen Xi has other ideas and considers things differently from them—this is Guan Yu's perception. He firmly believes that if Chen Xi wants to succeed, then there is no way he cannot fail!

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