RPAGF Chapter 7200: It's possible, but not the way it's done.
Chapter 7200: It's possible, but not the way it's done.
Chapter 7200: It's possible, but not the way it's done.
If we really have to find a reason for the current situation on the Ganges, public sentiment is only one aspect. What truly ignited the Ganges problem was the Situ case, which is also why Chen Xi was somewhat angry when he dealt with Lu Su.
Speaking of the Situ case, besides Chen Xi, the person who suffered the most was not Lu Su, who was in semi-exile, nor Liu Ye, who had completely faded from the position of elder, but Guo Jia.
Guo Jia was the second person, besides Chen Xi, who was qualified to stop Lu Su before the incident even occurred. Because Guo Jia was in charge of the intelligence organization, he could obtain a lot of information in advance and take the initiative to solve or prevent many things.
Of course, this requires Guo Jia to have the ability to see the big picture from small details, and also to understand people's hearts. Guo Jia happens to have these abilities, so theoretically, Guo Jia did have the opportunity to stop his friend Lu Su, and also the opportunity to prevent the Twelve Elders from going down this path.
After all, the conflicts between Chen Xi and Lu Su, and between Liu Ye and Chen Xi, were not really a big deal before they escalated. As for the saying "those who walk different paths cannot make plans together," there are always ways to prevent things from happening before they reach that point.
However, looking back, Guo Jia realized that he was powerless to stop it under his circumstances. The reason was simple: at that time, Guo Jia was in a half-dead state. He was only nominally in charge of the intelligence organization, and his own condition was not good.
Or to put it more directly, after Guo Jia was carried back from the attack on Kushan with Guan Yu, he was in a state of inability to use his brain at a high intensity for a long time. That's why, during the Jizhou case, Guo Jia only realized afterward that he had been deceived by Zhao Yan.
Logically, given Guo Jia's intelligence, if he realized he had been deceived afterward, it would be considered an act, and Chen Xi would need to investigate personally. However, no one mentioned Guo Jia that time, nor did anyone investigate him, because all the elders knew that Guo Jia was not in good condition. In fact, Guo Jia himself said during that period that he was not in a good state to work.
The combined Jizhou case and the Situ case infuriated Guo Jia, because in his view, these were all things he could and should have handled, but due to his absence, things had escalated to the worst possible outcome.
Especially after the Situ case, the Ganges army showed signs of morale turmoil, which angered Guo Jia even more. As the earliest chief strategist of the Ganges army, Guo Jia had a protective mentality towards those people, after all, he went abroad with Guan Yu and laid the foundation for the expansion of the Ganges.
As a result, he watched helplessly as the entire Ganges Legion was about to reach this point because of his own mistakes. To be honest, if he really didn't care about anything, it wouldn't matter. But in this world, who can be indifferent to everything? Guo Jia called him a prodigal son, and Jia Xu even said that he only cared about scheming for himself. But both of them changed a lot because of Chen Xi's existence.
That's why later on, after the Han Dynasty's medical technology improved, Guo Jia quickly began to purge his subordinate intelligence organization. At this time, there were still many people secretly planted in Guo Jia's intelligence organization, and even the people left behind by Zhao Yan were still in it. But none of that mattered. For Guo Jia, who had barely recovered, even offspring were useful!
For example, you could turn it into a suicide truck and throw it across the Ganges, then dispose of it there, creating a powerful card that can solve all problems.
After all, not everyone on the Ganges side has problems, but only a portion of them. Moreover, the lower classes have no hope of being enfeoffed, so they naturally won't cause trouble. In this way, the card they've created can be used to easily remove all the problematic middle classes, just like mowing grass.
“It was a setup from the very beginning.” Fa Zheng looked at Guo Jia with a thoughtful expression. Some things are simple once they are laid bare.
“Well, at first I didn’t suspect that Fengxiao created this, but the further I went, the more complicated the Ganges problem became, with more and more things being added on. And the death of the Chang’an investigator that Fengxiao mentioned could just completely solve these problems.” Chen Xi nodded calmly and said, “So I had some doubts at that time.”
“I didn’t suspect that Fengxiao made this, but the fact that the Chang’an investigator is gone could be due to problems at the front or in Chang’an. I just didn’t expect that it was Fengxiao who did it from the beginning.” Jia Xu explained. He had suspected something was wrong from the start, but he hadn’t considered Guo Jia because it was too dangerous to do it this way, and Guo Jia didn’t seem like the kind of person who would take such a big risk.
“Now that things have come to this, I think we can proceed with Xiaozhi’s suggestion and Fengxiao’s plan. We are not going to deal with them or settle scores for what they have done. What we want is actually very simple.” A cold glint flashed in Li You’s eyes as he spoke.
In Li You's view, since things have come to this point, it would be better to proceed according to Fengxiao's previous plan, to make the matter bigger, to remove all the problematic officers and generals under Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Yu Jin, Huang Zhong, Zang Ba, Chen Dao and others, and then reassign officers and generals to fill the vacancies.
It might take a year to interrogate these people from the Ganges, another year to investigate them in Chang'an, and another year to keep them under observation. During this time, they will only be investigated, not punished or investigated. Once the Kushan Empire is destroyed, these problematic individuals will be released after their merits are calculated. All problems will then be solved.
For Li You, this was already very dignified. In fact, if he hadn't worked with Chen Xi for nearly twenty years, Li You would never have accepted this way of dealing with things—you were all about to break the law and commit crimes, and all they did was arrest you, wait for the time to pass, release you, and then arrange things for you according to your past merits. What more could you possibly want?
“I think so too.” Fa Zheng remained silent for a while, but he did not have any rebellious mentality because this was a scheme orchestrated by Guo Jia. He had grown a lot now, and he was very clear about what was right and what was wrong.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? I've already said it before, my stance is very clear, and you all know it too. From the moment I set up this scheme, I've considered how to handle things now. As the first strategist of the Ganges Legion, I have an obligation to give them a reasonably acceptable ending, and in my opinion, this ending is completely acceptable, and even quite good." Guo Jia put down his teacup and spoke calmly, seeing that everyone was looking at him.
That's right. From the very beginning, what Guo Jia wanted was exactly what Fa Zheng is saying now. When he set up this scheme, he considered Chen Xi's feelings and Liu Bei's benevolence. None of the people with problems would die, and they would all get what they were supposed to get before.
Chen Xi and Liu Bei's sense of propriety is evident here. They will not punish without warning, nor will they deal with things before they happen. Even if they are very clear about who will cause problems next, as long as the matter has not yet occurred, they will try their best to salvage the situation.
Even Liu Bei's journey to the Ganges was facilitated by Guo Jia. Once Guo Jia returned to normal, he was indeed worthy of being called a top strategist, and he was equally clear about everything.
With Liu Bei stationed at the Ganges, and Li You arresting people according to the standards for suppressing rebellions, there was no way the Ganges would become chaotic. This was because Liu Bei was there watching, and the reasons for arresting people were very clear. Those who wanted to cause trouble also knew whether they had done anything wrong. The whole situation meant that you could cry foul, but you couldn't just take action in a fit of anger in front of Liu Bei.
Guo Jia wanted this outcome. Why force these people to go through all that, losing everything? Just bring it to a close, take all the spoils, and once everything is settled, give them all the rewards they deserve. This is a settlement for their twenty years of service to the country. The Han Dynasty won't miss this little bit. And I, Guo Jia, won't give you the chance to make a mistake. As the first strategist of the Henghe Group, I, Guo Jia, have this obligation!
"Wenhe, what are your thoughts?" Chen Xi turned his gaze away from Guo Jia and looked at Jia Xu beside him. Guo Jia knew that the situation was about to turn bad as he sensed the heavy look in Chen Xi's eyes.
“If Fengxiao’s plan goes smoothly, I think it is indeed a good choice, but it is impossible to sacrifice Zhong Yuanchang now.” Jia Xu said after a moment of silence. “Zijing and Yuanchang can stabilize the territory we have acquired in the future, and even if the situation becomes turbulent, they can stabilize it. Fengxiao’s plan is correct in preserving those people’s dignity, but the result may not be good.”
Guo Jia turned to look at Jia Xu. He hadn't expected that Jia Xu, who had always focused on self-preservation, would give a different answer on this matter. With Jia Xu's words, the cards Guo Jia had played were essentially useless. The four of them together could forcefully veto Chen Xi's plan, but if even one of them stood on Chen Xi's side, then there was no hope for the plan.
"Zichuan, what is your purpose?" Before Chen Xi could speak, Guo Jia asked in advance. He was now somewhat unable to understand Chen Xi's purpose. Whether it was to build a Han cultural sphere or to solve the current Ganges River problem, his plan was not wrong. But Chen Xi's rejection made Guo Jia very puzzled. This should not be, or why?
“My goal has not changed at all. It is to build a Han cultural sphere. To be honest, it is almost complete now. The territory we occupy is enough. What we need to do is let Han culture take root and flourish.” Chen Xi sighed and said, “To be honest, even destroying the Kushan Empire is not necessary. Development is the most important thing right now.”
"Then why not just proceed according to the plan? This plan doesn't conflict with yours at all," Guo Jia asked, frowning.
At the same time, Li You and Fa Zheng both looked at Chen Xi. They couldn't understand why, even if Zhong Yao was very important, there was no need to stop the situation now. If you really wanted to protect Zhong Yao, Chen Zichuan had many other plans. If all else failed, there was the option of a pardon. Why did you do this just for Zhong Yao?
“Wenhe, you explain it. You should have already guessed the problem.” Chen Xi looked at Jia Xu, who had a hint of sorrow in his eyes, and said, “Some things are like chanting scriptures when I say them; they have to be said by someone else.”
Upon hearing this, Fa Zheng vaguely realized something, and his gaze towards Chen Xi suddenly became much more complicated. He spoke before Jia Xu, looking at Chen Xi and asking, "Zi Chuan, you actually can't suppress your evil, right?"
“Good and evil have become blurred in my mind. If this continues, I’m afraid I’ll run into trouble myself,” Chen Xi sighed, then looked at Jia Xu.
“Fengxiao, your plan is sound, and Wenru, your problem-solving approach is sound. In fact, if we look purely at the problem-solving strategies, your thinking is absolutely correct. It ensures the purity of the Ganges Legion and the dignity of those officers who have followed us for a long time, allowing them to obtain everything they deserve in the future. However, the potential impact on Zichuan is negligible,” Jia Xu said with a hint of lament.
"Is building the Han cultural sphere a means or an ideal?" Jia Xu asked in a deep voice. "This answer is extremely important to Zichuan. It concerns what Zichuan truly values. And what you are doing now is one of the answers to this question."
Guo Jia and Li You's expressions suddenly darkened, and they looked at Chen Xi, who held his teacup without saying anything.
“It’s an ideal, not a means,” Chen Xi said softly. “If it were truly a means, I would have treated everyone in the world as resources long ago. This involves whether I treat the common people as pawns, resources, or human mines, or whether I treat them as people, as people who can be cultivated, educated, and become my people someday in the distant future.”
Chen Xi may seem indifferent to the common people, but in reality, he does have some ideals. In other words, he truly sees the common people as people who can be nurtured, educated, or allowed to choose to degenerate or let themselves go, but he acknowledges their future and believes that some of them have the potential to become "me".
Instead of chess pieces, consumables, or human resources.
This is extremely important: to treat people as people. This is extremely important.
“So I treat them as human beings.” Chen Xi said calmly, “So those who don’t treat others as human beings should die. That’s my bottom line. If I can accept that others don’t treat people as human beings and don’t even have this much empathy, then the future you will face will be extremely painful, more painful than everything you are facing now.”
“When Zichuan chooses not to treat people as human beings, then there will be a big problem.” Jia Xu said with a hint of helplessness. “What you are doing now is demonstrating this operation to him. If you don’t do some things in front of him or tell him the truth, he can turn a blind eye. After all, every temple has its share of wronged ghosts. But if you insist on telling him the truth, then it can’t be done.”
"Okay, I understand." Guo Jia had completely understood the situation. Chen Xi had a relatively flexible bottom line, but even the most flexible bottom line still had one that could not be crossed. Guo Jia's move, when presented to Chen Xi, was tantamount to clearly telling Chen Xi that those who were close to us were human, and those who were far away from us were not human!
Therefore, I will forcibly save those who come near us. As for those who are harmed by those who come near us, well, let them be unlucky!
This isn't how things should be done, okay? Chen Xi can't accept this!
Chen Xi can accept those who approach her, realize their mistakes, choose the right path when faced with life and death, survive, and then be saved. But she cannot accept those who are not repentant and are forcibly saved. That is not salvation!
If you go down the wrong path, you can get back on the right path after you realize your mistake. If you commit a crime, you must be dealt with before you can get back on the right path. Now you've committed a crime, but before you've been dealt with, you've protected him and he's back on the right path. What about the people who die from these crimes?
It's possible for someone to die unjustly, but if you're so wronged, is the temple still a temple?
Chen Xi could accept this approach, but he couldn't accept others doing this in front of him. It completely negated his original intention of treating people as equals. Even if equality itself didn't exist, at least in the most basic rule enforcement, you should treat me equally!
“Alright, I’ll handle this at the Ganges.” Li You didn’t say anything more, giving a compromise answer. Guo Jia looked at Chen Xi thoughtfully, but in the end, he didn’t say anything more. As for Fa Zheng, he looked at Li You and then at Chen Xi. This answer was not what Chen Xi wanted, but at least it wasn’t as extreme as before.
"Fengxiao, have you finished cleaning up your intelligence organization?" Seeing Li You's state, Chen Xi didn't say anything more, but looked at Guo Jia and asked. He didn't want to dwell on the previous matter. You can do what you want, but you should at least have a bottom line. You can deal with mistakes like this, but you can't deal with crimes like this. This is the most basic fairness.
"It's all cleared up." Guo Jia nodded. He knew why Chen Xi brought this up, because intelligence support was crucial going forward, whether internally, with the Ganges, or with the Kushan Empire.
“Okay, it’s all cleaned up.” Chen Xi nodded slowly. “Have someone check Oswin’s current status to find out exactly how he was promoted to commander of a large army, give an accurate assessment, and determine if there are any exploitable aspects. Oswin’s qualifications are definitely not up to par with normal methods, and conventional methods will certainly not work.”
"We're already investigating, but the Kushan Empire's blockade is quite tight, so it will take some more time," Guo Jia replied in a deep voice.
I can't get up, I absolutely can't get up.