xymnovel Chapter 7315 Teacher
Chapter 7315 Teacher
Chapter 7315 Teacher
The death of Pompiannis caused a great deal of turmoil. By the time it reached the Han Dynasty, the impact had lessened considerably, as Chen Xi and Liu Tong were able to view the matter calmly. However, for Rome, it was the biggest event in the past decade or so, even greater than Rome's conquest of Parthia!
Because much of the work Pompiannis was doing at that time directly affected the overall direction of the Roman Empire and the future of countless senators and citizens, the fact that Pompiannis has now passed away has left many things in an awkward position.
After all, without Pompiannis's prestige and ability, some things simply cannot be pushed forward in Rome. To put it simply, the acquisition of the Claudius family's assets would only be a matter of time before it was interrupted without Pompiannis in charge.
Considering Pompiannis's consistently high moral standards, which largely maintained the stability of the Roman Empire's interpersonal network, the question of how to distribute the vacant wealth now that this conscientious treasurer has taken office is a matter of much debate.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, Pomponi has come to see you." Just as Chen Xi and Liu Tong were lamenting the passing of a renowned minister, the secret guards brought another message.
"Oh, please let him in. Bring his entourage in as well." Chen Xi nodded and gestured for the guards to invite Pomponi inside. After all, the man had been sent by his father with the intention of meeting Chen Xi and learning from him. Chen Xi was not prejudiced in this regard and had indeed taught Pomponi some things, but time was running out.
"Greetings, Master." Pomponi bowed in a disciple's salute, his face showing obvious sorrow.
"I've heard about your father's situation. You're probably preparing to return to Rome now?" Chen Xi nodded to Pomponni, offering no further advice. Pomponni was dead, and he was bound to return to Rome.
"Although my father passed away ten years ago, the empire has been using special medicines and techniques to prolong his life. When I left Rome last year, my father told me to come to the Han Dynasty to pay my respects to you and learn from you. He even said that he would visit you in the future. But in the blink of an eye..." Pomponi seemed to be lamenting his father's death, but in reality, he was also explaining to Chen Xi what he should do next, because the time of his father's death was wrong!
"Don't overthink it," Chen Xi said, shaking her head.
It's absolutely impossible that Pompiñus was murdered. No one would dare to harm Pompiñus. At most, these people would do what the Soviet high command did to Stalin: wait for Stalin to have a stroke and fall into a coma, then delay the process and pretend they didn't know Stalin was in a coma until he died.
It's impossible to say that you're just playing some tricks to make the other party go down, because the latter will really be purged. And if you do that, then others are very likely to do the same thing. The so-called instigator will have no descendants.
Therefore, Chen Xi knew very well that Pompiñus would die, but he also knew that Pompiñus's death was inevitably caused by the exhaustion of a new round of life-extending methods.
“Pomboni, I know you may be a little agitated right now, but you need to understand one thing: the fact that your father sent you to Duke Ganassis’s side is enough to show that even his biggest political enemy wouldn’t do anything to sabotage this matter.” Chen Xi looked at Pompony very seriously.
Pomponi was taken aback when he heard this. After all, he was a smart man, and with his high social standing, he knew a lot of information that others did not. For example, Pomponi knew who the backer of Rome's biggest silk smuggler was, and whose black glove was the bandit army in the eastern provinces that could never be eradicated.
The relationship between Ganassis and Pompiñus was not good, and many conflicts broke out between them. After all, the fact that the trade in commodities such as silk, jade, sugar, spices, and warhorses was nationalized had the greatest impact on whom, as can be seen from the distribution of the world map.
It's obvious that he's the Duke of the Eastern Border County!
Why did Severus grant Canassis the Mesopotamian region, and even Ctesiphon, the winter capital of Parthia, in recognition of Canassis's outstanding achievements in the Roman-Parthian Wars? What a joke! That was a fertile land that the Parthian and Roman Empires had fought over for hundreds of years.
There was only one reason for giving it to Ganassis: back then, the biggest drain on the Silk Road, besides Parthia, was the Duke of the Eastern Frontier. Unlike those sneaky guys before, Ganassis was a regular army.
Other companies wage price wars by spending money, but Ghanaians waged a price war by actually sending troops to fight Parthia head-on. They are truly ruthless.
After Pompiñus won the Parthian War, he nationalized all these commodities and the transactions were handled through the Han government. Ganassis's biggest source of revenue was cut off, which led to Severus's concessions to appease Ganassis.
However, Ganassis, who had always been making quick money, was somewhat unable to accept the speed of this accumulation, which led to many stories. For example, the Yuan Yang, Er Cui, San Wang, and Wei Zhao families all told stories about selling the silk they produced locally. Who were they selling it to? They were selling it to Ganassis.
Furthermore, the reason why the Zhen family was able to easily break through eastern Rome and enter the core area of Rome through trade is simple: Ganassis wanted to make money.
Why could Cao's sugar factory consume any amount of sugar it produced, even sugar coupons? The answer is simple: Ganassis was smuggling.
Do you remember what Ganassis did first after hearing Cao Cao's outburst? He ordered Ma Chao to reorganize his troops and prepare to join him in extorting Cao Cao with armed force, first to get the sugar back, and then to protect the local sugarcane plantations and sugar factories.
What kind of behavior is this? Would a normal nobleman react like this?
Absolutely not!
Then, when Pompiñus sent someone with the Senate's vote to tell Ganassi to stop, Ganassi rushed to the Senate overnight and gave Pompiñus the following advice: "The methods we used in the Eastern Provinces were indeed problematic, but putting that aside, your Senate is not wrong to save outsiders and ignore our brothers in the Eastern Provinces."
This is blatant bullying; it lays bare the logic of political groups, forcing Pompiñus to share his spoils. And how much did Pompiñus give him? 7.5%!
The scale wasn't too large, but it wasn't too small either. But what did Ganassis do? He used that 7.5% to launder all the stuff he smuggled. The answer was that it was compensation from Pompiñus to their eastern provinces. But whether that was true or not, everyone knew the truth in their hearts.
From a certain perspective, when Ganassis can get along with extraordinary figures like Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou without any conflicts arising, you need to consider what kind of monster Ganassis is, because it is very likely that Ganassis is an enhanced version of these monsters.
If a powerful duke is such a monster, what will happen to the political landscape of Rome? It goes without saying what kind of resistance Pompiannis, the steward in charge of the nation's finances, will encounter!
Therefore, Chen Xi had to enlighten Pomponi to prevent him from having wild thoughts—the fact that your father was able to put you under Ganassis's command means that your father and his political enemies have not broken off relations. Ganassis, that bastard, is either the number one or the top three among your father's political enemies.
After all, without some strength, do you really think you can stand up to Pompiñus?
If they haven't even broken ties yet, then what heinous things has your father done recently to turn his political enemies into mortal foe, and then turn on them?
It's obviously impossible. Besides, given Rome's testing capabilities, only if Pompiñus himself perished could other methods be detected.
Pomponi lowered his head and pondered for a while. His previously flustered state of mind calmed down a lot because he realized that he had been a bit paranoid.
“But…” After Chen Xi dispelled Pomponi’s worries, her intelligence quickly returned, and she realized a certain possibility.
“There is no doubt that your father’s lifespan has come to an end.” Chen Xi interrupted Pomponius’s words. All other possibilities and actions require a prerequisite, and that prerequisite is clear: Pomponius himself has reached the end of his lifespan. Without this, everyone else has to endure it.
Upon hearing this, Pomponi pursed his lips and said nothing more. He understood completely, but he knew that what his father had done was offensive. In the end, he was truly helpless in this situation.
"Thank you for your guidance, teacher." Pomponi bowed to Chen Xi with a sigh. The thought of avenging his father had faded considerably, because he had no target. His lifespan was already over, and if he continued to concern himself with state affairs, he would easily be entangled in karma and suffer backlash. His father had played such a big game. To be honest, it was hard to say whether he died from the backlash or from being tricked into dying without realizing it.
“You should inherit your father’s position when you go back.” Chen Xi waved his hand, getting straight to the heart of the matter. Upon hearing Chen Xi’s words, Pomponi was clearly taken aback. Although he was confident in his own qualifications and abilities, there were many extraordinary people in the Roman Senate. Not to mention, if Herodian were to become the treasurer, everyone would be quite convinced.
“There’s no need to be so surprised. Although I’m not very familiar with those Roman senators, your father’s financial management skills are on a completely different level. Under the current circumstances, most others probably wouldn’t dare to take over. Of course, if it weren’t for you, Herodian would probably have Dio by the neck to temporarily take over as treasurer,” Chen Xi said with a hint of speculation.
To reiterate, Herodian is a talented individual. He's capable of anything and possesses a high level of morality. Paired with Dio, Herodian is perfectly capable of handling the role of treasurer. The only problem is that he's not as strong as Pompiñus and can only do minor repairs.
The problem is that Rome's current situation requires a treasurer who can fix things, doesn't act recklessly, and has high moral standards. Therefore, in terms of the future situation, if Herodian were to seize power alongside Dio, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for the Roman Empire.
Herodian would most likely follow in the footsteps of his old friend Pompiannis, advocating that the Roman Empire belonged to all Romans. While it's not certain he would succeed, as long as he continued down this path, the situation of the Roman Empire wouldn't deteriorate too much.
However, the Roman Empire currently has alternatives, and with Pompiannis dead, those senators who opposed him will certainly try to suppress any potential successors to his ideas.
After all, the Claudius family has fought so many times, so how could they not know who is on Pompiñus's side, who is neutral, and who is conservative?
“Elder Hirodian, he is indeed a very suitable candidate.” Pomponi seemed to understand what was going on, but he also realized where the resistance came from.
“It seems you understand now. Your family is not entirely satisfied with the current system, but that’s inevitable. I’m the same way,” Chen Xi said with a hint of teasing. Pomponi smiled sheepishly after hearing this.
"So you're clearly just one of the options, but when you go back, you'll become the only option because you're a second-generation, a choice that the previous generation can accept. Whether it's the enlightened older generation or the conservative older generation, in the end they all have to hand everything over to the successors. Compared to you, those people have no advantage whatsoever in this respect." Chen Xi said this with utmost seriousness.
Pomponi lowered his head to think. He had come here to say goodbye to Chen Xi and to seek the true scriptures. Chen Xi was clearly analyzing him now.
"Pomboni, what are you going to choose?" Chen Xi asked Pompony.
"The Roman Empire is an empire of citizens. The Claudius family is a member of Rome, and is the most important core of Rome. But the existence of Rome is necessary for the existence of the Claudius family," Pomponi said in a deep voice, as if his thoughts no longer needed to be hidden.
“Actually, I think your father’s path was more correct,” Chen Xi said with a sigh, knowing that he had to say what needed to be said.
“Teacher, have you ever considered the possibility that my father actually thought the same way, but he needed to do more, and ultimately things collapsed like this?” Pomponi asked Chen Xi very seriously.
Goodness, those who aim high only achieve the middle, right? Well, that makes sense.
“That’s true. I’ve never met your father, so I can’t be entirely sure what he’s thinking.” Chen Xi was silent for a moment, then nodded. He didn’t want to think about whether Pompionus really said what Pompioni said, or whether Pompioni was just using this as a pretext to recruit more people. But no matter which answer it was, Chen Xi had to say that Pompioni’s answer was impeccable.
"Teacher, if I really become a treasurer after returning to Rome, what should I do?" Pomponi asked Chen Xi with some caution.
“Continue to follow your father’s path. Industrialization is the future. In terms of output, agriculture has its limits, but the limits of industry after industrialization are far higher than those of agriculture. There will be much more output. The enormous amount of capital that your father and I have accumulated is thanks to these real industries,” Chen Xi said very seriously. He was really speaking to Pomponi.
Although Pomponi becoming the Roman treasurer would certainly lead to crony capitalism and the path of flesh-and-blood workshops, for Chen Xi, it would be more suitable for the reality of the Han Dynasty if Rome moved slower, more steadily, and its descent into the abyss was less rapid.
“Continue along the path of manufacturing, right? I will.” Pomponi nodded. “I will also carefully consider the linkages between various industries and the extension of the industrial chain.”
Chen Xi nodded upon hearing this, expressing satisfaction with Pomponi. There was no doubt about her qualifications, but morally...
Well, like Shang Yang, he was indeed morally upright and capable for the country, but for ordinary people, he was truly immoral. But no matter what, he was indeed strong!
"Is there anything else you want to teach, teacher?" Pomponi asked. Chen Xi thought for a moment. He had actually prepared a gift for Pomponi, but he was currently in Jiangling, and the matter of Pomponi was too urgent. Chen Xi couldn't leave Pomponi here and make him wait.
"I will have someone send you the gift afterward," Chen Xi said frankly. Pomponi nodded, bowed deeply to Chen Xi, then bowed to Liu Tong, before preparing to have his guards escort him to Rome.
"Pomboni!" Chen Xi watched Pomponi leave, and even when Pomponi reached the threshold, Chen Xi couldn't help but call out.
"Teacher, is there anything else?" Pomponi asked, turning to the side.
“In the bureaucratic system, ability is very important, but sometimes you have to be clear about what you are doing, what you are sacrificing, and whether it is worth it!” Chen Xi looked at Pomponi very seriously. “If you are confused, think more about why your father did not back down when the elders forced him to step down. If you really have to do something big one day, remember to transfer your wife Anya to your side.”
Pomponi paused for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you, teacher. See you another day."
After saying that, Pomponi left with the guards. Chen Xi shook his head as he watched Pomponi's back. He wasn't sure if she had listened or if it had any effect. At this moment, Chen Xi was even curious about his own intentions in saying those words to Pomponi.
"It's rare to see so many emotions on your face," Liu Tong said, looking at Chen Xi who had sat back down. He added with a hint of teasing.
"After all, he calls me 'teacher,' and he's a genius at that. It's a bit of a pity to think that he'll inevitably follow a certain path in the future," Chen Xi sighed.
Chen Xi felt a little sorry for Pomponi. As a son, a father, and a friend, he was excellent, but as a finance minister of a country, he was capable of doing outrageous things in the current situation. This was the so-called tide of fate.
I'm currently stuck at home. I have to take the kids to school this morning. Oh no, I guess I'll have to switch to working at night from now on. Despair.