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Chapter 907: Entering Ye City
🕑 Added 2024-10-25 07:37:37 +0000 UTCChen Xi had already made up his mind to spread this concept across the land: it didn’t matter if you followed Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, or any other school of thought. All of you came from the same origin, and since ancient times, you’ve always been one family. Under the witness of the Hundred Schools of Thought, history converges into a single source!
Of course, Chen Xi would never elevate an existing school of thought to be the origin of all. He would rather create a new, ancient and flawed school of thought than give any one school such a chance, because that would lead to another situation like Confucianism becoming the sole dominant school, which had caused problems in the past.
Even if it weren’t Confucianism in power, any school that achieved unity would initially suppress other schools, only to eventually become corrupted, pandering to those in power. Just like how Confucianism was twisted from a philosophy of humanity and benevolence into something more oppressive.
"It looks like everyone has recovered," Chen Xi said, glancing at the mighty generals like Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong, who had finished their meditation.
"Yes, we’ve recovered," Zhao Yun exhaled, speaking. Guan Yu's strike had indeed been a life-threatening move, and forcibly creating a god-like presence wasn’t easy. The internal energy of powerful generals like Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Xu Chu, Gan Ning, Hua Xiong, and Wu Anguo had been completely drained earlier.
However, in terms of results, it had achieved exactly what Chen Xi wanted. That awe-inspiring strike was enough to make all of Yuan Shao's troops unable to exert more than half of their strength when facing Guan Yu.
"It was truly a stunning blow," Huang Zhong said with a wry smile. The strike was only possible by combining the strength of everyone present. Otherwise, did people really think Ye City's walls could be shattered by human hands?
"Quite a trick," Gan Ning gave a thumbs-up, then grinned cheekily at Chen Xi. "Strategist, will you give me a chance to show off like that in the future? That was epic!"
"General Gan, you’d best not dwell on such things. Among everyone present, and even all the top warriors in the world, only General Guan could execute that strike. Each of us has our own way of fighting, and only General Guan can handle such a violent attack style. If anyone else tried, they likely wouldn’t manage to pull off that strike," Huang Zhong, with his keen understanding of martial arts, explained that this was not something achievable just by gathering everyone’s strength.
"Just call me Xingba, and could you please not shatter my dreams so quickly?" Gan Ning protested. Although Huang Zhong's words made sense, it was frustrating to have his fantasies crushed just as they began.
"Indeed. Only General Guan can wield such a strike. Even if Lü Bu attempted it, he’d likely suffer backlash from his own internal energy," Zhao Yun nodded in agreement.
"Let’s stop dreaming about such things. That was the peak. Lord Xuande, let’s enter the city!" Chen Xi said as he pulled on the reins and rode toward Ye City.
Liu Bei chuckled, and seeing that the generals had all returned to their normal state, he spurred his horse forward, leading the charge toward the city.
At that moment, Ye City was in utter chaos. Although Liu Bei's army had strict discipline, even Chen Xi couldn’t fully prevent certain unlawful acts from occurring. Just like in Bohai before, all Chen Xi could do was try his best to control the actions of Liu Bei's troops. As for complete order without a single infraction, that wasn’t something Liu Bei’s army could achieve yet.
After some hoodlums and thugs who had taken advantage of the chaos were executed, the generals dispatched their personal troops to enter the city, finally bringing the situation under control.
"Military discipline... sigh," Liu Bei sighed. He knew that Taishan’s army already had the best discipline among all the warlords, but there were still issues. It seemed human nature always had a violent side, only restrained by morality, self-cultivation, and education.
"We can’t set our expectations too high. After all, we haven’t yet completed their moral education," Chen Xi said helplessly as they noticed the common people peeking out from their homes to watch Liu Bei’s army.
Once the chaos subsided and the Liu Bei army stopped any illegal activities, the commoners were no longer very worried. After all, Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence was widely acknowledged.
Especially the promise Liu Bei had once made, which had been ridiculed by the warlords but gradually became a reality. The mockery had turned into a form of promotion for Liu Bei, as even the ordinary people were no longer fearful upon seeing his banner enter the city.
However, as they passed more opulent buildings, the tightly shut doors and occasional sounds of weeping indicated deeper concerns.
To the aristocratic families, the arrival of Liu Bei's army meant something entirely different. Even though the noble families under Liu Bei's rule were still thriving, the noble families of Hebei saw them as little more than pigs being fattened for slaughter. Without land and private armies, how were they any different from livestock?
"Those cries are truly unsettling," Chen Xi said with a bitter smile. "It seems the noble families of Hebei fear us quite a bit. And to think I’m the head of the Chen family myself."
"That's because Lord Xuande is here now. Just wait until we take the Xuanyuan Cauldron, and then you’ll see how things change when you're the one left to manage Ye City alone," Li You said with a smirk.
Chen Xi’s identity was far too special. Strip everything away, and he was still the head of the second-largest noble family in the land.
As for the former top families like the Yuan and Yang clans, the Yangs were already barely surviving, and the Yuan family had lost much of its power with the fall of Yuan Shao, though Yuan Shu remained. As for the Xun family, which used to be on par with the Chen family, they had quietly taken a back seat under Chen Xi’s growing influence.
As the head of the second-largest noble family, Chen Xi was almost predestined to become the mediator for the aristocracy in Hebei. His very presence symbolized that the conflict between the noble families and the common people could be reconciled, though how that reconciliation would play out was beyond the control of the noble families.
"These are minor issues. We have millions of acres of land, and we’re still figuring out how to allocate it. Those who listen will get large plots; those who don’t, well, tough luck," Chen Xi said with a grin, indicating he wasn’t too worried about the situation.
"We should focus on how to develop the land," Li You sighed, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. He had just received detailed reports on the vast northeastern plains, and it was giving him a headache.
"Let the noble families help us with the development," Chen Xi said with a shrug. "Do you really think it’s possible to make ordinary commoners see the benefits in this? As much as I dislike the aristocracy, we have to admit that their foresight and understanding are far superior to that of the average commoner or even local landlords, especially when profit is involved."
"That’s why I feel so conflicted," Liu Bei sighed deeply. He genuinely wanted to provide long-term benefits to the common people, but for ordinary folks, such invisible advantages couldn’t compare to the immediate need for a full stomach.
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