Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7229 Okay, I'll handle it.
"Alright, now Zichuan, you know what happened, the problem, and the cause and effect. Now it's my turn." Guan Yu wasn't really interested in the above content. As long as he was sure that Chen Xi was still the same Chen Xi, nothing else mattered.

From Guan Yu's perspective, it's simple: Zichuan pointed out the direction for me, and I could handle the rest; other issues were not problems at all.

"Uh." Chen Xi was silent for a while, unsure how to respond to Guan Yu's question, because he knew what Guan Yu's problem was, and that problem, well, was not easy to solve.

That's right, it's difficult to solve, not impossible to solve. Even so-called problems of people's hearts and minds, even if they can't be cured at the root, can still be suppressed and delayed temporarily.

"Zichuan, you can't just tell me it can't be solved, can you?" Guan Yu said directly. The situation had been laid bare, and the problem was clear. Guan Yu wanted an answer, a solution that could solve the problem. The invincible Chen Xi could definitely provide one, which was why Guan Yu trusted Chen Xi.

"Yes." Chen Xi said through gritted teeth. If a group of people were asking in circles, Chen Xi would also go around in circles and pass the buck. After all, there were many reasons and causes, and Chen Xi could put any one of them in front of them, leaving them speechless.

But Guan Yu went straight to the point, not talking about politics or interests, just saying, "We've known each other since Hulao Pass over twenty years ago. I've trusted you all these years, and I truly trust you. As long as you open your mouth, even if this is a dead end, I'll risk my life to charge forward. I just want an answer. Tell me the answer to this problem."

"That's fine then. I'm not Zijing (a famous Chinese scholar), I don't have that kind of obsession. I only have one request: how did we get here, and how will we go in the end? It's that simple." Guan Yu was very direct. He didn't want to get entangled in any interests, politics, sins, or the Spring and Autumn Annals. Damn it, I, Guan Yu, read the Spring and Autumn Annals, I study the Spring and Autumn Annals, and in the end, I establish my own integrity, not the Spring and Autumn Annals!
"I'll do my best." Chen Xi was silent for a moment; he couldn't guarantee that.

"Can't it be done?" Guan Yu became very serious.

"The bureaucratic system will try its best to block information channels to the highest levels. It's the instinct of all bureaucrats to deceive me and Lord Xuande. They don't even do this for any particular reason; it's just a subconscious act of blocking information, hoping to delay it and make it more controllable." Chen Xi sighed, and unlike his previous conversations with Jia Xu and the others, he simply explained the reason.

Chen Xi knew very well that Guan Yu would understand even if he went around in circles, but there was no need for that. Telling Guan Yu the truth would be the best way for him to understand what was going on.

"The Ganges front is not just a matter of Zijing, nor is it just a matter of crisis or planning for future generations. It's a result of several factors combined. To put it simply, Second Brother, recall if my initial suggestion to retreat was communicated to the front lines, and if it reached the frontline." Chen Xi raised his index finger and asked earnestly.

After thinking for a while, Guan Yu said, "I recalled that the first suggestion to retreat was sent to the front line. After discussion by the front-line commanders at all levels, a limited retreat was carried out. This is also the reason why Wenze abandoned Ayodhya and retreated to Prayaga. Essentially, it was because the commanders at all levels had a very detailed discussion and took into account both the front line and the rear."

“The core issue is here. Second Brother should have realized what the problem is.” Chen Xi spread his hands. “Even I can’t completely deny the frontline’s assessment, because this is a very serious issue. If I directly deny it and force the frontline to retreat, an even more fatal problem will arise.”

This problem has been unsolvable since the Song Dynasty, and along with it, the spirit of martial prowess was destroyed, because only civil officials, who were inherently a level above military generals, could achieve this.

Chen Xi absolutely cannot set this precedent. To put it bluntly, even if everyone in the Ganges River died, it wouldn't be as serious as the beginning of the destruction of the Han people's martial spirit.

The former doesn't even qualify as the fall of a nation, while the latter would need to lose the world at least twice before he would wake up!
Therefore, Chen Xi would absolutely never start this project.

“This decision was not made by Wen Ze as you believe, nor is it the so-called collective will of the middle ranks. Rather, it was made by a rank-and-file officer at the squad leader level after careful consultation and discussion with the frontline soldiers. There may be dissenting voices, but the general trend is indeed as described. Of course, if you think that I cannot even deliver such an order to the frontline soldiers and that it is blocked by the middle ranks of the Ganges, then Lord Xuande really shouldn’t go.” Chen Xi said with an extremely serious expression.

If the latter scenario described by Chen Xi really occurs, then why would Liu Bei bother to rescue anyone? Suppressing a rebellion only requires finding the coordinates, so why would he need to rescue anyone at all?
Guan Yu was speechless. Chen Xi first mentioned the information blockade imposed on Liu Bei and himself by the bureaucratic system, and then brought up the issue of whether his suggestions from the military could be delegated to the grassroots level.

Based on Guan Yu's understanding of Chen Xi, the former is definitely true. However, even if the former is true, Chen Xi can still accurately understand the information at the grassroots level and determine the situation there. This means that Chen Xi has other channels that the bureaucratic system cannot block. Conversely, in an army where authoritarianism is more serious and problems directly lead to chaos, could Chen Xi deliver information to the grassroots level?

There is only one answer, and that is yes.

“So the problem is more complicated than Second Brother thought. If it were just Wen Ze, I could just bring him back and give him a scolding. If it were just the middle management, I could just replace all the middle management according to Feng Xiao’s tactics and that would be the end of it. I wouldn’t even need Feng Xiao’s complicated methods,” Chen Xi said very seriously.

Compared to Guo Jia, who needed to devise plans, schemes, and plots to take over the middle levels of the Ganges, Chen Xi didn't need to at all.

Why did Fazheng think that if Wang Mang had reached the level of Chen Xi, the throne should have been given to Wang Mang? It was just a matter of exchanging the position of emperor for a wise ruler, so what was wrong with that?
To put it bluntly, Chen Xi really succeeded in making those with brains realize that everything they have now was given to them by Chen Xi!

Especially for those in the middle management, those who can recognize reality to some extent, when they develop greed and take that step, the mental hurdle they must overcome is: what if Lord Chen comes?
After all, these things really are Chen Hou's things. Even if Chen Hou says they belong to the country, the crazy changes over the past twenty years have made people with brains and cleverness realize that their efforts are insignificant compared to those who were like them in the past. And the tide of the times is all Chen Xi's output.

Therefore, unless one is so arrogant as to believe that everything they have is due to their own efforts, a normal person has no way to resist Chen Xi's punishment.

Why are thunder and rain considered imperial favors? Because within the logic of the interaction between heaven and humanity, this truly reflects the monarch's power.

But if there's any element of divine favor in the story of Jun'en, then Chen Xi is completely unsolvable. Chen Xi can crush you, and even if he crushes you by mistake, everyone else will have to find a reason for Chen Xi's actions. That's the reality, and that's what makes Chen Xi so terrifying.

Chen Ji was fully aware of this, which is why he realized that all the previous rules were meaningless to Chen Xi. On the contrary, the morality that the Xun and Chen families praised the most but distrusted the most was the most valuable to Chen Xi. This reality was a complete destruction of known history.

So when Chen Xi said he was dealing with middle-level managers, it really meant that if you were guilty, you shouldn't argue. Just write a record of atonement and wait for Chen Xi to forgive you. In particular, all the bureaucrats who could take that step because of greed, avarice, or even the slightest loophole in the rules would face the grand undertaking created by Chen Xi.

It should even be said that the more greedy one is, the more one understands one's powerlessness in the face of Chen Xi.

Why did Zhao Yu go mad the moment he faced Chen Xi's seal? It was because he realized that in front of Chen Xi, he was not even an ant, and Chen Xi could blow him away with a single breath if he wanted to.

So if it were just a problem at the top or middle level, Chen Xi could have easily solved it. But Ganges' answer was filled in by officers at all levels who combined the morale and state of the lower-level soldiers, the middle-level officers' assessment of the situation, and the top-level officers' assessment of the Kushan's combat strength.

Just like the Battle of Kinmen in later years, it wasn't a problem of command, but rather that everyone, including the soldiers, underestimated the enemy. After all, several million enemy troops had been easily defeated, and now the enemy was reduced to such a small force. They could just press on and crush them in one fell swoop. Strategy and tactics were insignificant. As long as they set foot there, victory was within reach!

Even within the military, there was a widespread belief that "landing equals success" and that "it's the last battle on the mainland, and everyone should grab a piece of the action."

The outcome is clear to everyone. Was it because the higher-ups didn't say to guard against arrogance and impetuosity? Was it because the marshal-level command didn't give clear instructions? To be honest, it wasn't.

When the lower-level staff believe they can win, the middle-level staff think the situation is good, and the upper-level staff also think it's acceptable, even if the top-level staff have some ideas, unless they are absolutely certain that something big is going to happen, they generally won't directly reject them, but will just wait and see.

Chen Xi held this attitude because he was certain that the Han Dynasty's main force on the Ganges River had indeed weakened under the current circumstances. But as the saying goes, just because our army has weakened doesn't mean the enemy can win. Chen Xi has weakened many times, but that doesn't change the fact that he is still invincible.

Chen Xi's assessment was that the Ganges Legion had weakened and that they needed to be cautious. However, the Ganges Legion, from its lower-ranking soldiers and officers to its middle and high-ranking officers, and even Yu Jin, the substitute commander-in-chief, all concluded that they could win. What could Chen Xi say? He could only continue to advise caution.

"Did everyone, including the frontline soldiers, make this judgment?" Guan Yu was silent for a while, feeling that it was a bit outrageous. But considering the situation of the officers and soldiers after the Ganges received the news of the enfeoffment of the Ganges' elite region, to be honest, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible. As for the lower-ranking soldiers, they had won so many times, and this time the higher-ups hadn't changed their leaders, and their armor was still polished like before. What did they have to worry about? They were very confident. They were also shield guards, okay!
"We can't replace the soldiers on the front lines. If we were to replace them, we'd have to wait for the next wave of people to arrive. It's impossible to replace all of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers right now," Chen Xi added. Replacing a few hundred or a few thousand mid-level officers is no big deal, but with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, Chen Xi rotates them in batches of a few thousand or tens of thousands each year. He's never done anything like replacing hundreds of thousands of soldiers all at once.

"As for whether this is an irrational voice or something, I'm not sure, but most of the soldiers are optimistic about the situation," Chen Xi said seriously. "That's why I stopped saying anything after Wen Ze abandoned Ayutthaya."

Whether it's arrogance, haughtiness, or empty talk, these are all things that can only be said after the fact. Beforehand, to be honest, even Chen Xi only thought that the front line might lose. To put it realistically, the probability of losing was relatively high, but maybe they would win, right?

Throughout history, wars that were considered doomed to fail have been won. But can those who are arrogant and conceited be as good as Huo Qubing and Dou Xian?

In hindsight, countless reasons for success may be found, but beforehand, looking at Huo Qubing and Dou Xian's actions, frankly speaking, they only faced certain death. But they won, and victory is victory. That's reality; once you win, any unreasonable aspects can be accepted.

As for war, Chen Xi couldn't be certain of victory or defeat. The suggestions from Han Xin, Bai Qi, Huangfu Song, and others all had prerequisites. As long as Yu Jin himself didn't make any mistakes, even if Han Xin were in Oswin's position, and Yu Jin held out in Boroyaga, Han Xin wouldn't be able to take Boroyaga in a short time.

Honestly, Chen Xi would love for these people to win, so he could save on compensation and retain more able-bodied men. After all, Chen Xi would need more labor in the upcoming era of large-scale construction. Although having children was one solution, raising children would take time.

"Well, as for the Ganges River, barring any major chaos, all the issues are simply about the subsequent allocation," Chen Xi said calmly. "The fiefdoms will be distributed in person after I sign off on your nominations, then Lord Xuande will review and approve them, and after a face-to-face review, they will be distributed one by one."

When Chen Xi said this, there was even a hint of arrogance in his expression, but Guan Yu completely understood it, because this was the real Chen Xi.

More importantly, this system can genuinely solve problems. Like I mentioned before, both are county heads; the county head in the southwestern mountainous region and the district head in Shanghai's Pudong district are nominally similar, but in reality…

Although theoretically, the same merit should result in roughly the same fiefdom, if Chen Xi signs off on the nominations and then Liu Bei reviews and approves them, Chen Xi can activate the illegal skill "Thunder and rain are all the emperor's grace," and Liu Bei can also activate the skill of rescuing people. As for the legion commander's nomination, well, he only has the qualification to nominate; whether it is approved or not depends on Chen Xi.

Chen Xi could even reject it outright.

Chen Xi didn't care about taking all the blame upon himself. Given his situation, this amount of blame was really not a problem. Moreover, since Chen Xi had done this, those who had been suppressed by Chen Xi should have some idea of ​​what had happened. Even if they really couldn't remember what they had done wrong, they would find a suitable answer for themselves. Did they understand the characteristics brought about by the dual suppression of morality and strength?
"This is the final solution to the problem." Guan Yu pondered for a while and realized that spreading this news would indeed solve some problems. Moreover, when the real enfeoffment takes place, Chen Xi would definitely do what he was supposed to do. He might not give everyone a result that would satisfy everyone, but everyone would accept it. As for any grievances, they were not worth mentioning to Chen Xi.

"But this method can't solve the current problem of people's hearts." Liu Tong, who had been listening in, spoke up. She had finished her gossip and felt it was no longer interesting. She thought Guan Yu's previous attitude was better. In Liu Tong's opinion, the current one was indeed meaningless.

“From a practical standpoint, this problem doesn’t actually need to be solved,” Chen Xi said, shaking his head. “From a realistic perspective, no matter what your thoughts are, as long as you win, that’s enough. I won’t take away their rewards just because they have those thoughts. I will only deal with them according to the rules if they lose, demoting them or removing them from their posts.”

After all, there really is a situation where the country is facing extremely serious internal and external troubles, and then the god-like figure wins one battle after another in foreign wars, and finally successfully builds morale in the army. What does it matter if it's a matter of people's hearts? The things are theirs to begin with. What they need to do now is win. If they win, everything will be fine. If they don't win, the cooked duck will fly away, and they deserve it.

"Then you promised that the rewards for those who died in battle would remain the same?" Guan Yu asked, somewhat puzzled.

“It doesn’t say that they died in this battle, let alone that they died in this battle,” Chen Xi said calmly. “The soldiers who followed us, from the Northern Expedition against Yuan Shao, the Southern Campaign against Yuan Shu, and the Western Campaign against Cao Cao, every soldier who died in the process will be counted. The Jingling Hall was built for this purpose from the beginning.”

Guan Yu was stunned for a moment, while Chen Xi remained indifferent and calm, because he had considered this from the beginning. Today's Ganges Army is Liu Bei's direct subordinate, so weren't those who followed Liu Bei and Chen Xi to fight for the world, conquering east and west, and dying in battle since 190 also direct subordinates?
Those who died young had nothing; what exactly did their blood stain?
Since I, Chen Xi, have tacitly approved Li You's provision of supplementary pensions to veterans of the Liangzhou faction who died in battle, then the soldiers who died in battle following Liu Bei and Chen Xi in the process of rebuilding the Han Empire will receive far more than just this amount of pension. The descendants of the fallen can choose one person to inherit much more.

Wow, the New Year went by so fast! It just didn't go by at all.