From Chief to Ball

Page 437

"In three years, apart from the training of soldiers, how much has changed in E City? Does the leader of E Yue really think that he can govern thousands of miles of land out of thin air?"

"At that time, it will be nothing more than capturing Dongyi people as slaves and ruling the land of three hundred miles. Three hundred miles away, the Dongyi clan will submit to pay tribute, and there will be resentment in their hearts. Ten thousand people live in the city, and the outside of the city is still Dongyi land , speaking the Dongyi language, worshiping the sky, and maintaining the clan."

"In 30 years, E City will be strong, and Dongyi will still pay tribute and surrender. After a hundred years, if the descendants are strong and the population of E City increases, they may really rule for thousands of miles."

"But if after a hundred years, the descendants are weak and the Dongyi people stand up and rebel, not only will they lose a thousand miles of land, but even sacrifices will be difficult to preserve. What's the point of such a thousand miles of land?"

E Yue hurriedly asked: "Then what should Ji Xia mean?"

"There is no rush for this matter. I have also heard about the changes in the two cities. This is actually the beginning of owning a land of thousands of miles."

"In a few years, in addition to preparing and training soldiers, young relatives will also be dispatched to learn the methods of writing, farming, and management. There are only more than 200 people who can read and count in Echeng, and ten thousand people will be enough to govern Echeng. Where can you rule over a thousand miles of land?"

"There are many clans in Dongyi, which are continued by blood. If they don't obey discipline, they will inevitably relapse once they become weak. It will be different if there are five or six hundred people in Echeng who can read, write, and manage them in a few years."

"Disintegrate the Dongyi clan by using farm tools to cultivate cattle, help the poor and punish their relatives and nobles, so that the clan can't be united and hate each other."

"People who can read and write will assist in the management, and the leader will directly administer the government, build roads, and connect with each other."

"Or enfeoff relatives and heirs, each with one or two hundred literate people, two thousand clansmen, Dongyi people who govern more than ten thousand clans disintegrated, and build a city alone as the wings of E City. Only four cities within a thousand miles can make Dongyi difficult to repeat. .Teach characters, change customs, and make them forget the word Dongyi. This land of thousands of miles is the real land of Echeng."

"And if you don't make these preparations in advance, even if you enter Dongyi, how many people in Echeng can govern those lands? How many people can teach writing and change customs?"

"If there were no such people, wouldn't it be necessary to rely on Dongyi's relatives to maintain stability? Although they say they surrender and pay tribute, they will inevitably rebel after a long time. What's the point of such surrender?"

"It's like wanting to eat a roasted lamb, and start the fire before the sheep is caught. The roasted sheep must have fire, but what we want is the roasted sheep, not the fire."

"That's why I said, these are two things. If you just want to leave behind the meritorious service of conquering thousands of miles, the future will be developed by your descendants. Now it can be as you two said."

"If you want to leave real land for future generations, you can't do it now. You need to accumulate strength and prepare manpower."

"Until we have people who can read, write, and count tens of thousands of people, we can't do it. We are like cicadas lying dormant for several years, and we can break through the ground and soar into the sky until the wings are full."

"It is precisely because of this that I am worried that the two of you are too impatient to attack rashly without being prepared."

"For the tribes of Dahe, we must appeal to the unity of the kin, and if there is any turmoil between the barbarians and the Didi, we must send troops to increase our prestige. We must not give Su Yue and others the opportunity to attack us, and secretly accumulate strength."

"For the tribes of Dongyi, we are not calling out for attacking them, nor for clan hatred, but because they have gone astray and fell behind. We want to bring civilization and a better way of life to those people. Bringing technology such as farming iron tools is like lighting a fire in the dark night, so as to reduce their resentment and make them believe that our ancestors care for us and their sky cannot make them strong and destroy what they believe in .”

"This is exactly the reason why I built Xinhua City in Dongyi, so that Dongyi people can see our progress and their backwardness, and make them yearn for this new life. Only the writings of the tribes of the Great River can lead such a life.”

"Like silkworms eating mulberry leaves, with Xinhua City as the foundation, we absorb the fleeing Dongyi people and change the customs and culture. Those who obey us will submit, and those who do not obey will attack, so that all the tribes of Dongyi will know our existence."

E Yueweihe thought for a moment when he heard the words, and thanked him: "If it wasn't for Ji Xia, we would have almost ruined the future of the ethnic group because of our impatience."

Chen Jian also thanked and said: "Without the help of the two of you, how could it be possible to succeed only relying on Xia Cheng?"

"Now that the three cities are of one mind, they have to be in step. After the two lead the army back, they need to select the children of relatives and relatives to go to Yucheng, thinking that they will prepare for it in a few years. To conquer a piece of land, a clan must rely on armor and spears ; but to truly govern a piece of land, it still depends on words.”

"Xia City is not yet stable. Once it is stable, I will invite the two of you to come to discuss major issues. The three cities are one and cannot be betrayed, otherwise it will be the other cities that will benefit."

After finishing speaking, the three of them raised their wine bottles together, ready to make an oath again.

At this moment, there was a commotion outside, Chen Jian asked loudly, and someone outside responded with joy: "Return to Jixia! Baima sent someone to inform that the plotters have been intercepted and will be escorted back to Xiacheng soon! Yes, relatives who fled around have already returned and are being resettled."

Chapter 84 Country ([-])

"How many came back?"

"Not many, maybe forty or fifty. I'm still looking for the rest, but it's not easy to find. Although there is snow on the ground, there are some people who followed Jixia to the grassland and ran from the branches. It's hard to track down."

"No rush, it's a good thing someone comes back. You go there first and let them prepare some hot food."

The person who reported the letter took the order and left. Chen Jian raised the wine bottle and finished the previous conversation with E Yueweihe.

Putting down the wine bottle, E Yue said leniently, "Ji Xia doesn't have to worry, those people can always be found."

"Worried? I'm not worried. I'm happy. These people are running away because they're afraid of the new rules and they think deep down that they've done something wrong. That's a good thing."

"Good thing?"

"Yeah, many rules are established, which are different from previous habits. For example, there were rules in the clan a long time ago, but the basis of this rule is that the clan's interests are the greatest. According to the basis of this rule, they did the right thing. And the new rules I set are not based on this, so they are afraid that it means that the clan has disbanded in their hearts..."

Chen Jian thought for a while and explained: "It's like... If there is a clan that cannibals and thinks it's right. One day the new rules say that cannibalism is not allowed, and one day the person who made the rules After leaving, some people couldn't help eating people. However, he didn't think that he was doing the right thing, but felt that he was doing something wrong and tried to escape."

E Yue shook her head and said, "They are just afraid."

"Fear is just the beginning. Over time, in addition to fear, there is also inner right and wrong. Rules cannot control the evaluation of right and wrong in the heart, but they can affect the evaluation of right and wrong in the heart. When one day the inner morality and rules When it was close, these rules, which some people seem strange now, came to be taken for granted."

"But Ji Xia, how do you know that what you want them to think is right or wrong is really right or wrong? Don't you worry that what you want them to think is right or wrong is actually right and what is right is right? Incorrect?"

Chen Jian raised his head and laughed loudly: "I don't think mine is the real right and wrong, but this kind of right and wrong can make the city stronger in a short period of time. Think about who is right and who is wrong, and leave it to future generations. People will have time to think about right and wrong when they are well fed, clothed, warm and comfortable. At that time, what is the point of thinking that we have done something wrong? They can judge whether we are right or wrong, and prove that the ethnic group is still alive and doing well. good."

He toasted the two of them with another bottle of wine, apologized and let the two of them take care of themselves, and left the house by himself.

Several black-clothed guards followed, habitually guarding with swords, and led Chen Jian to the dozens of returnees.

In a small courtyard, forty or fifty people were divided into several groups, squatting by the fire, and broth was boiled in clay pots.

The scent wafted out, but the men had no appetite. They always felt that the people outside the courtyard who they had agreed to be slaves were pointing them out. Sometimes the sound of the wind blowing on the clothesline made them feel that those people were obviously mixed in. anger.

The riders had already told them that the matter after the mill fight would be dealt with lightly, but they were still a little uneasy. What they were most worried about was how they would face it if they were assigned to live within one mile of those people in the future.

When Chen Jian appeared, everyone immediately stood up, yelling nervously and embarrassingly.

"Finally, I still remember where my home is. I thought you guys really weren't coming back. Why, do you really want to leave Xia City and go pick fruit in the woods?"

"I see. If you don't know the bitterness of collecting in the woods, it is easy to forget the sweetness of settling in the city. Your method is very good. I will let everyone try it in the future."

While talking, he took advantage of the opportunity to sit among a group of people, and casually called a person's name to ask him to add more firewood.

Those people thought that the beginning of this conversation would be a questioning or accusation, but they didn't expect to hear a joke. They lowered their heads and smiled, and the people next to the fire surrounded them.

"Jixia, how can we forget where our home is? These days when we left, we huddled in the cave, the children clamored to sleep on the hot kang, and clamored that the city would distribute candied haws to eat during the Chinese New Year. Who wants to live outside? ?”

At the beginning, when talking about home, some people opened their mouths, talking about the cold and misery they suffered in the wild these days.

"In that case, why did you run away in the first place?"

"Because we know that Jixia will punish us when he comes back, and those rebels also said that Jixia will even kill us when he comes back."

The sound of worms being burned and crackling in the firewood covered up the killing words in the words. A seven or eight-year-old child next to him only heard the punishment. Said naively: "Of course you will be punished if you do something wrong."

The child probably didn't understand that the limit of punishment was death. Chen Jian sighed, and called someone outside to bring some candy and the remaining mutton to the child, and took the child to play.

After the child walked away, Chen Jian sighed and said: "Do you know? When I came back, I saw the dilapidated Xiacheng, and I was really angry. Because everyone worked so hard to build the Xiacheng and our home. appearance."

"When I was in Yucheng, people always asked the people of Xiacheng with envy, what Xiacheng looked like. At that time, everyone recalled the appearance of Xiacheng, and those who heard it were always surprised. At that time, I thought, I I want to bring those children from other cities, those children who call me Mr. to our house to have a look. Now I have brought them, but what kind of Xiacheng do I see?"