Chapter 2380 2102: The Feast Before Unification

After dealing with the group of young people whose thinking mode was still focused on conquering the world, Chen Xi's life once again entered normalcy.

"Focusing on livelihood, huh?" Lub Su looked at the document. After Chen Xi pointed this out, he also understood. During the time of conquering, the focus was on martial force and military, and many governance methods pursued speed. Now, other considerations are necessary.

"Although I believe that in the next twenty years we might still need to strive for a better living environment for future generations, within the Thirteen Provinces of Great Han, our focus should indeed be on livelihood." Li Youu was very much in agreement with Chen Xi's view.

To say disagreement is impossible, considering how the two had fought many times over whether it was right to decisively overthrow the system without a better one, or to come up with a better system before overthrowing the current one.

More importantly, unlike other lip-service parties, one of these guys once had the power to overthrow circumstances, and the other currently possesses it. Both reached the peak.

Therefore, these two guys, besides having the lip-service ability of ordinary people, also have sufficient historical validation.

For instance, Li Youu's saying, rather than saying the Yellow Turbans shook the foundations of the Han Dynasty, it would be more accurate to say we shattered the Han Empire's system back then. The defeat or victory of the Eighteen Feudal Lords' campaign against Dong Zhuo indicated the collapse of the system.

Because of the system's collapse, there is room for maneuver, which also signifies the system's faults. Overturn it directly, and naturally, there will be people building anew on the ruins, absorbing the experiences of previous failures, and establishing a new order.

At that moment, Chen Xi expressed, do you know that I want to hit someone, and then Chen Xi took action.

Alright, alright, don't hit anymore, don't hit anymore, if you continue, I'll call for help, Old Man Hann, will you intervene? I'm about to be beaten to death!

Really think only you have a guardian? Block for me! Li Youu continued to batter Chen Xi, as Chen Xi had taken the initiative to start a fight.

In any case, since then, when Chen Xi talked to Li Youu, he did so properly. Why do others not have a guardian, but Li Youu does? It's unfair. What great achievements does this guy have that warrant protection?

Li Youu never explained why he had one, but according to Hann Qiong, the immortal behind Li Youu is quite strong. In the past, when pretending to be mysterious, he even claimed to be Sun Chariot, Great Sun blazing, particularly arrogant.

The immortal known as Sun Chariot wanted to assert he was actually a guardian of Dong Zhuo, but Dong Zhuo brought doom upon himself, and the immortal followed Li Youu. As a result, Li Youu's fate kept rising, even more promising than when following Dong Zhuo.

Anyway, for certain unscrupulous immortals, following anyone is just mingling, but following someone as profitable as Li Youu, and finding Li Youu quite admirable, means staying with him.

As for things like fate, Li Youu has no family, no descendants, not even willing to take in adopted children. It's all his own, used by Sun Chariot to refine himself, and Li Youu doesn't feel much about it.

The saying that "it's hard to resist when one has accepted someone's favor" applies here. After following Li Youu all these years, Li Youu can now command Sun Chariot to handle some tasks.

In summary, the exploration of the system by Li Youu and Chen Xi, and the adjustment of their respective methods, resulted in a compromise. Chen Xi possesses the advantage of historical downstream, but Li Youu also has tangible evidence witnessed with his own eyes.

However, the result of their compromise was not bad. Both deepened their understanding of the system, which is why when Chen Xi said the Central Plains Region will transition towards the development direction of livelihood, Li Youu instantly grasped the essence.

"And then use the outputs from the surrounding areas of the Thirteen Prefectures to sustain the military?" Lub Su solemnly touched his forehead and said, "This is very stressful, and are you sure the output is sufficient?"

"You can rest assured, if the output isn't enough, just switch people. Those wanting a fiefdom line up long enough to circle Ye City several times." Li Youu waved his hand and said, "If you lack ability, don't embarrass yourself."

"…" Fa Zheng couldn't help but have dark thoughts about the future of aristocratic families.

"Don't make that expression. Even if it would be extremely difficult in the next twenty years and some clansmen might be lost, the aristocratic families will not hesitate. Compared to the bottom layer, aristocratic families have more determination and foresight," Jia Xu said, turning his gaze towards the door.

"As for the ability of families to exist forever, they can at least comfortably exist for several centuries, and open the mode of 'lose, but can come back at any time.' They won't give up," Guo Jia said, casually propping his head with one hand, gazing out the door.

Although I don't want to admit it, compared to the lower classes, the ambition and perspective of the upper aristocratic families—one could even say their ambition and height—far exceed those of the lower classes. Although there are fewer people at the top, no matter how you look at it, it's not a fair competition.

[What I helplessly realized is that all my plans for the people will be intercepted by the aristocracy. From the start, both sides were not on the same level. The few exceptional talents that can emerge from the sheer number of the masses are not enough.] Li Youu recalled as Chen Xi narrated this fact with a helpless tone, and finally sighed while shaking his head.

[Likewise, the path I sought for the Humble Family and the lower class now seems that the general education you proposed is the only viable option. By enlightening the populace, even a slight rise in the intellectual elite born from the masses would be sufficient, even if it's just one in ten thousand.] Li Youu replied with the same helpless sigh.

[Although I reluctantly admit it, for an empire as powerful as the Han Dynasty to function, the wisdom of the upper echelons is crucial, a large and solid middle is indispensable, and the essence of law is that the higher the rank, the stronger the authority.] Chen Xi responded to Li Youu's question with a smile.

[If the Humble Family and the lower class are to rise, at least every generation needs someone at our level. However, at our level, it only takes one generation to change the fate of a family. Now, I can probably mention the Li Family of Fufeng.] Li Youu reminisced about the mocking tone he faced from Chen Xi at that time.

[Ordinary people, upon reaching your level, start to establish a family and compile a family tree,] Chen Xi said with a sense of regret, [but once you do this, your mindset will deviate from before, and whether you can stand at your previous ideal standpoint is a question.]

[This is also why for many years, the aristocracy remained the aristocracy and the people remained the people, making communication difficult. Once the people become Local Tyrants, they gradually sever ties with the people, and as they turn into aristocratic families, they have long lost any connection with the people.] Li Youu recalled his original words again.

[Therefore, for the people to have a choice, there are only two types: one is like me, who stands within the aristocratic class, full and satiated, empathizing with the lower class; and the other is like you, having risen from the bottom, unwavering in your ideals, abandoning even family and descendants.] Chen Xi said to Li Youu with utmost seriousness.

The more Chen Xi understood Li Youu, the more he felt Li Youu was frightening. Perhaps he wasn't the strongest in ability, but he was all-rounded, and more importantly, his will was exceptionally strong. This terrifying willpower sometimes led Li Youu to make very frightening decisions.

Li Youu did not plan to leave behind a family legacy or even any descendants. This guy had made up his mind to focus on handling various dark aspects and dealing with aristocratic families.

As for counterattacking and settling scores, for Li Youu, who had no descendants at all, a mere daughter married off—see what you can do to hold him accountable. If you can tarnish Li Youu's name, then that would be your skill!

This terrifying willpower left Chen Xi astounded. It can be said that after so many years, Li Youu was the most monstrous man Chen Xi had ever seen. This man was a fanatic, but a rational and visionary fanatic, with very clear objectives.

Even acknowledging the current reality, Li Youu remained helpless but continued his efforts. Even if it was to check the aristocracy a hundred and fifty years or two hundred years later, he wouldn't stop halfway.

"That's it. For the next few months, I still need to oversee the Northern Frontier and handle the related affairs. Zichuan's Great Pasture plan is good, but it has its complexities. Moreover, for many, with the world near unity, it's time to discuss merit and reward," Jia Xu's lips curled into a faint mocking smile as he spoke.

"It's indeed the truth. I've already instructed Suzhi to begin verifying the officials everywhere," Guo Jia, regaining his composure from a casual demeanor, sat up straight and said, "The situation isn't too good. We need to strengthen official management."

"Before the unification of the realm, with spirits in turmoil—it's the last grand feast; I'll lead the charge!" Liu Ye said with a sneer, "And just right, after being rebuked by Cui Jigui, this time I'll lead, with Cui Jigui as deputy, and see how he performs."

"Those noted scholars have indeed done well, making the local officials more restrained, but there are core governmental issues they cannot address. Therefore, Suzhi's main task now is to investigate these matters," Guo Jia said, his hands clasped, with a glint of coldness in his eyes.

"Is it serious?" Li Youu asked.

"If you take over, it would be equivalent to a military purge of the bureaucratic system. Your approach isn't mere replacement," Guo Jia decisively dismissed Li Youu's suggestion. After witnessing Li Youu's methods of cleansing aristocratic families, Guo Jia had no intention of letting Li Youu handle any debatable tasks—that very cleaning was indeed purging.

"Let me lead the team," Liu Ye volunteered.

"That works. In this way, the initial operations of Suzhi will be under your charge, with Cui Jigui as the second-in-command; Suzhi will just be the errand-runner," Guo Jia said with a smile, while Jia Xu, ever silent on matters pertaining to Jia Mu, although his presence effectively supported Jia Mu.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Lub Su, flipping through the documents, addressed Jia Xu without looking up.

"What's there to say? At most, we'll mess up and face criticism; what's the big deal?" Jia Xu responded nonchalantly. With Liu Ye leading the team, meaning an Elder was personally overseeing this matter, and by having Guo Jia assign Jia Mu as the runner means this matters execution would ultimately be carried out by Jia Mu. Although it's risky, Jia Xu is still alive!