xymnovel Chapter 7313 The Pioneers
Chapter 7313 The Pioneers
Chapter 7313 The Pioneers
When Liu Tong came over to check on Chen Xi's recent situation, he saw Zhou Yu kneeling in a corner of the main hall, writing diligently. To be honest, Liu Tong was quite surprised to see this. It was rare to see Zhou Yu so well-behaved.
In Liu Tong's memory, Zhou Yu was becoming increasingly abstract, and he was almost never as well-behaved as he was today. Had he suffered some kind of blow?
"Zichuan, what's this?" Liu Tong casually found a seat and sat down, without bothering to find the head seat. After all, Chen Xi was in a bad mood recently, and there was no need to tease Chen Xi. After sitting down, he looked in Zhou Yu's direction with a bit of curiosity and asked.
“The Commander-in-Chief has done another major task; he’s currently copying books.” Chen Xi said with a hint of weariness, then handed Lu Yu’s original dossier to Liu Tong. “You’ll understand once you take a look. To be honest, I’ve already been very lenient by only asking the Commander-in-Chief to copy letters.”
To reiterate, the problems in Xuzhou this time are already quite serious. Even if the Zhao and Chen families bear the primary responsibility, Zhou Yu's disconnection of the internet caused a loophole in the management in Fusang, which in turn allowed the two families to secretly transport large quantities of rice imbued with the essence of heaven and earth out of the country. Therefore, they also bear secondary responsibility.
Of course, one could argue that the Zhao and Chen families were just watching and this was bound to happen sooner or later. But in any case, Zhou Yu was going to get a beating this time. The Zhao and Chen families would be executed along with their entire clans, while Zhou Yu would only be stripped of his title. To be honest, that was already quite lenient.
Liu Tong, puzzled, took the file from Chen Xi and casually flipped through it. As he read, his expression turned serious. When he saw Chen Yu's angry words, Liu Tong's relaxed posture involuntarily changed.
"Sigh, it's only you." Liu Tong said with a hint of melancholy after reading it. Her mind was not fake; it could really see through many things. If it were anyone else, there would be no way to clear their name after being smeared like this, and they would have no choice but to accept it.
No matter what, the Chen family of Xuzhou was among the most prominent families in the Han dynasty. In terms of background, the Yuan family was not as good as the Chen family of Xiapi. They were among the earliest families to follow Liu Bei and had a very complex relationship with him.
To be honest, if it weren't Chen Xi who handled it, in any other era, such a treatment of the Xiapi Chen family would seem rather cold-hearted, no matter who was in a high position. But if it were Chen Xi, any other aristocratic family that wasn't stupid would understand by now.
"To be honest, the head of the Chen family in Xiapi is quite a figure. He is capable of firmly holding onto the position of head of the Chen family and suppressing the Chen Gui and Chen Deng lineage." Chen Xi put the dossier away. Compared to Zhou Yu's conditioned reflex of fear before he realized what was going on, Liu Tong, like Liu Bei, recognized the error of this statement as soon as he saw it.
Chen Xi didn't need to do this at all. As the creator, if Chen Xi really wanted to take this path, he would have done so during the construction back then. Why wait until now?
Doing it back then would have been easier and more stable than it is now. Why drag it out now to resort to some underhanded tactics? You look down on Chen Hou, who plans ahead and is always ready for anything!
“Indeed, I never thought the head of the Chen family of Xiapi was that capable before, but this time I’ve really seen it all. There aren’t many useless people among these family heads.” Liu Tong nodded. Although Chen Yu died just like that, what he showed in the end was pure evil, not stupidity.
It was obvious that Chen Yu knew what he was doing from the very first day he started doing this, and he also knew what the consequences of doing this would be. At most, he didn't expect Chen Xi to deal with it so severely, and he didn't expect that this issue would be a red line for Chen Xi. Normally speaking, this issue would not be a big deal at the level of the Chen family of Xiapi.
The common people are not the people, they are just grass; this is the logic of the feudal era.
“However, that’s all in the past now.” Chen Xi shook his head and said. Although he didn’t know what level Chen Yu was at before, he didn’t think Chen Yu was stupid. A family head who could suppress people like Chen Gui and Chen Deng with his background couldn’t possibly be stupid. He just didn’t expect him to be this bad, so bad that Chen Xi was somewhat helpless.
"You don't seem surprised at all," Liu Tong asked Chen Xi with a slightly strange look.
“I never doubt the intelligence of the Han aristocratic families. What I worry about every day is how these people will use that intelligence to become monsters and demons.” Chen Xi said helplessly. “To be honest, even if it weren’t for the Chen family of Xiapi, other aristocratic families would have tried it. It was only a matter of time. After all, as society progresses, the major aristocratic families will eventually realize what the real obstacles to the policies are.”
"Isn't resistance just like you fighting with both hands?" Liu Tong said with a hint of teasing.
"The problem is that I'm too big for them, too invincible. They can't possibly find a loophole in me. So, conversely, what they'll do is pretty self-evident," Chen Xi said, sounding somewhat weary.
The current situation of the Han aristocratic families—to put it bluntly, aren't they saying they haven't recognized reality, but their actions show that they have completely recognized it? Anyway, Chen Xi is definitely right. Even if Marquis Chen really wants to weaken them, you'd better accept Marquis Chen's proposal, because the sooner you accept it, the better you'll get; the later you accept it, the worse the outcome will be.
We can't win either way!
With this understanding, many things become clear when we think about the reality faced by the Han family. First, everything Chen Xi said is correct. Second, if we can't understand Chen Xi's actions, then it must be our problem. Third, if Chen Hou is having internal conflicts, then it must be our problem, not Chen Hou's.
In other words, Lord Chen definitely did not make a mistake!
Lord Chen did not make any mistakes, and his policies have a bright future. So what is wrong? It must be the troublemakers who are at fault! We are following Lord Chen's path, and even if it is not absolutely correct, at least Lord Chen is leading the way. The troublemakers, on the other hand, are not following Lord Chen's policies. They are troublemakers, definitely troublemakers!
“That’s true. Rather than thinking your policies are flawed, it’s more reasonable to consider those who don’t follow the policies as troublemakers.” Liu Tong said with a hint of sarcasm. This was indeed a situation unique to the Han aristocratic families, but it was also reasonable.
“So, some actions were bound to happen sooner or later, but what I thought before was that those guys would do these things abroad, in the Ganges.” Chen Xi had nothing to argue with when he heard Liu Tong’s words. In the Central Plains, Chen Xi had won for so many years, and even if the major families had a confrontational mentality, they had essentially accepted the reality of who was the leader.
Compared to relying on connections, background, or building up a foundation, Chen Xi obtained his leadership position through victory. No one can detach themselves from this, nor can any conditions allow them to.
"What if we did this in Central Asia and the Ganges?" Liu Tong asked with some curiosity.
"Of course I'll still take them down, but no matter how serious their actions are abroad, I wouldn't go to such lengths," Chen Xi said calmly. "But I didn't expect them to do this in China. They're really courting death."
Liu Tong nodded slightly in understanding, but Chen Xi had some guesses about what he was really thinking.
"I'm having the governor copy and organize the details of this matter, as well as the relevant files, and then I'll have him send them to the major families. If they take my bribes, they have to abide by my rules," Chen Xi said very seriously. "This line was a death line for me when I was alive. Don't even think about stepping on it; you'll get a beating just for thinking about it. But I won't do anything like that. Just tell them to be careful."
"When you were alive," Liu Tong said, remaining silent for a moment before smiling. "Never mind then, may you live forever."
"What you're saying..." Chen Xi was somewhat speechless upon hearing this. She wanted to explain, but then shook her head and said nothing.
“It’s true.” Liu Tong nodded. “Only when you’re alive can things move forward smoothly. When you’re really gone, even if things continue to move forward, they won’t be as smooth as they are now. At that time, all sorts of monsters and demons will appear.”
“Demons and monsters.” Some outrageous ideas naturally popped into Chen Xi’s mind. Finally, he couldn’t help but laugh. “From a certain perspective, it is an inevitable path of history, a reality that cannot be avoided.”
“But the later the better. The longer it is, the more solid the foundation we accumulate will be, the greater the social impact we can withstand, and the further we can go,” Liu Tong asked tentatively.
“That’s true.” Chen Xi said lightly, without dwelling on the matter.
"The Han aristocratic families will eventually follow this path," Liu Tong said.
“Well, if industrialization and industrialization cannot be completed naturally by the progress of the times before I can completely get away, then the Han family will inevitably take this step after I leave.” Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness. “Now I understand more and more that all I can do is leave behind a shadow. As for the continuation, that depends on what the successors think.”
"What if later generations try to smear us?" Liu Tong said with a hint of mockery. Chen Xi sighed upon hearing this, and to be fair, it was indeed very possible.
The women are jealous of my beautiful eyebrows, and they spread rumors that I am promiscuous. This is not an empty statement; it is something that has happened since ancient times and is a very reasonable reality.
Therefore, Chen Xi could naturally predict the situations he might encounter in the future.
"Speaking of which, can your so-called progress of the times really be smoothly pushed to that point?" Liu Tong asked with some caution. Unlike other things, what worried Liu Tong the most about the case file that Chen Xi showed her this time was not Chen Yu's attempt to smear Chen Xi, but rather that what Chen Yu said and did was logically completely reasonable.
This is a terrifying thing for someone like Liu Tong, who sits on the throne of the Han emperor. Perhaps without a clear self-positioning, it is difficult to realize who the royal family should stand with, but Liu Tong has this self-positioning, and she knows very well who she should stand with.
So when Chen Yu put forward such a completely reasonable anti-traditional theory, Liu Tong felt a chill run down his spine. If it really came to that, what would become of the Han dynasty?
Or to put it more bluntly, would that Han dynasty still be the Han dynasty? Would it truly not be hell? Would it truly not be some terrifying story of evil spirits on earth?
Moreover, this set of reverse logic is completely airtight. At Liu Tong's level, he can understand the operation and the potential future just by flipping through it twice. That is, several times or even dozens of times the prosperity. But if he were to go through this, it would not be a matter of shedding a layer of skin, or even a matter of being squeezed to the bone. Just thinking about it makes Liu Tong feel a little shudder. Is this what the future will be like?
"I think it's possible, I'm trying it out." Chen Xi thought for a moment, then said with a hint of seriousness.
If Chen Xi were to follow Chen Yu's path, would he need to spend so much time and energy? Would he need to think so deeply? History has shown Chen Xi countless inhuman monsters how to "correctly" promote industrialization. It's simply about making a group of people work more than eighteen hours a day, ensuring that eighteen-year-old adults don't live more than five years after entering the factory, and putting three-year-old children in pipelines, thus raising the child mortality rate to over fifty percent.
In short, there are all sorts of outrageous and inhumane things that can be forcibly brought to the fore when conditions are not right in the early stages. After accumulating experience, they are gradually optimized and gradually move towards a reasonable direction. In short, there are countless records of this in history.
But Chen Xi didn't want to choose any of these. As a great power that had been developed for over a thousand years, did it really have to come to this? What a joke! Having been developed so much, why did it need to copy small countries, copy history, and make itself look so bad? What was the point of being developed then!
For Chen Xi, since he had already made so many moves, had a solid foundation, and the external environment supported him, why not take a theoretically sound, or at least theoretically sound, route? It was this kind of thinking that led to Chen Xi's later actions of using both his left and right brains to work together.
Even with the conflict between his left and right brains, Chen Xi's stance remained clear. He was not confused by the conflict and knew exactly what he should do and why he was promoting industrial development and local construction. It wasn't for economic indicators or data; it was simply to make the local people live better lives.
"Try?" Liu Tong was silent for a moment. "So, even for you, this path is actually very difficult?"
“Yes, the simple route has many problems. Just look at the route Chen Yu summarized, and you should be able to feel the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I can’t take that route. I can only take a more difficult one. The so-called vicissitudes of life are the true path of humanity.” Chen Xi nodded. He had no reason to lie to Liu Tong on this point. He was indeed taking the more difficult route.
"I'm a little worried about the future," Liu Tong said with a complicated expression.
"It's alright, we'll soon have a model to refer to, we'll learn by doing, and a brother who will warn us with his own path," Chen Xi said with a light laugh.
As the saying goes, even if you suspect that hell is ahead, some people will still go for the sake of profit before they have seen it. But when they actually see hell, even the most determined person will consider whether it is worth it. After all, empathy is very important in the Confucian system.
Although the Han aristocratic families were also eccentric, at least they hadn't completely crossed the line and hadn't become like the powerful clans of the Wei and Jin dynasties; they still retained some humanity.
"?" Liu Tong looked at Chen Xi with some confusion, wondering what he meant by that.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, urgent news from Chang'an." Just as Chen Xi was explaining his route to Liu Tong, the secret guard walked in. Although he was completely covered in armor, Liu Tong and Chen Xi could sense the surprise on his face.
"What happened?" Chen Xi asked the secret guard with a hint of curiosity. What could possibly happen in Chang'an right now? Aren't Jia Xu's group all in Chang'an? How could things get chaotic?
"Urgent report from Rome: Pompianus, the Roman treasurer, has passed away today," the guard said in a deep voice, handing the secret letter to Chen Xi. Chen Xi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then sighed. It was to be expected; the old man had reached his age. Even if he had something to prolong his life, his natural lifespan was over. The fact that he had lived this long was the result of repeated attempts to extend his life.
"Pompianus is dead?" Liu Tong turned to look at Chen Xi. Even Liu Tong was shocked by this news. After all, Pompianus's position in Rome was like Chen Xi's position in the Han Dynasty—a true pillar of the empire. Many financial plans were orchestrated by him. Now that such a figure has passed away, what will become of the Roman Empire...?
"When it rains, it pours," Liu Tong sighed. Rome had been trying to acquire the assets of the Claudius family and quell internal strife in recent years, and both of these tasks required Pompiñus's support. Now, that pillar had collapsed.
"Order Taichang to prepare the envoy team," Liu Tong simply ordered. She didn't need to be involved in the details, but she needed to confirm the general direction and level.
"Alas, Rome has finally come to this point." Chen Xi sighed. Ever since Pompiñus copied his homework and produced some results, Chen Xi knew that the Roman Empire would eventually reach this point, but the fact that this day had come so soon still shocked him.
"It's come to this?" Liu Tong looked at Chen Xi with a puzzled expression. What did this mean?
Perhaps understanding Liu Tong's gaze, Chen Xi dismissed the secret guards and then explained, "The first person in this world to deduce this path was not Liu Ba, nor Chen Yu, but Pompiñus of Rome. He had actually realized it when it was nationalized, but he restrained himself with morality and did not unleash it."
The biggest testing ground has emerged. If you don't understand, you can look at the section about Pompiñus's nationalization efforts and see what those elders wanted to do.