Chapter 1138: The Questioned Sanxin

"What do you mean I don't know the characters? Chengqie, I was just thinking about this matter. If you want to hear it, then I will explain it to you carefully once."

Immediately, Sanxin read it to Chengqie word by word. After finishing, he did not speak, but instead watched Chengqie's expression, wanting to see if Chengqie could truly understand the matters within.

After listening to Sanxin read it through, Chengqie also fell a bit silent. This matter sounded like it had a great deal to do with him. Just as that person from the Ministry of Rites said, if he were willing, this could completely allow him to obtain very, very great benefits.

As long as this document existed, it meant that what they were doing was legal in Huaxia. Baifeng could not do anything to them. This was the order given by Baifeng; Baifeng's signature was on it, and Baifeng also wanted them to do this.

But why, even until now, had these Huaxia Nobles not taken action? Was it because they felt Suiren was too far away, or because they themselves lacked grain?

Chengqie did not understand Huaxia before and did not know, but now he understood Huaxia quite well. Regarding these Nobles, he still knew a few things; for instance, it was impossible for them to lack grain, nor would they. Therefore, they were fully capable of using grain to exchange for the Slaves and population of Suiren, yet they had not acted. Why?

He truly could not understand the reason behind it. Could it be that they felt this policy was too much of a loss for them, that they were wasting too much grain, and it was unnecessary?

Seeing that Chengqie was a bit confused, frowning and turning his head, Sanxin explained it to Chengqie once more.

"Our Huaxia Nobles all have their own fiefs. The output of the fiefs is entirely their own. Can you understand this?"

"Your family also has a fief in Huaxia, and the area is not small at all; it is very large. If it could all be turned into farmland, let alone your brothers and sisters, your father's women, or your own women, you could even support all the Slaves in your family's territory, and without any pressure at all. You must know how many people one mu of land in Huaxia can support in a year. Your family's fief is not just a hundred mu; it is simply so large that you cannot see the edge."

"Chengqie, can you understand this point?"

Chengqie nodded: "I certainly understand this. However, what exactly does it mean to 'develop the fief' as mentioned here? Shouldn't there be people living on the fief? Isn't the reason you can bring out so much grain casually because your fiefs are large enough?"

"Oh, I understand. The reason you are unwilling to go to Suiren and ask for people yourselves is because you feel that using your own grain to support the people of Suiren is too wasteful and unnecessary. So, even though the Royal Capital issued the document, you are unwilling to follow it."

"Actually, if it were me, I wouldn't be willing either. After all, who would want to give their own grain to people they don't know at all? You are doing the right thing."

"But this is useless to me. You know that we in Suiren just have many people, but we don't have much grain ourselves. How much grain could my father have? He is only able to distribute it."

"Right now, Suiren still needs the support of Huaxia's grain. No, no, this official from the Ministry of Rites, is he trying to trick me? Does he think this is fun?"

Sanxin hurriedly stopped Chengqie, who wanted to go find someone to settle the score. Because he had not understood the matters within, Sanxin had no choice but to explain the fief policy to Chengqie again, bit by bit, starting from the basics.

Chengqie, who had only heard of it before but had not fully understood, finally understood now. He connected everything he had known before, and all the things that were unclear before were now linked together.

"Oh! So that's how it is. Is it that there are no people on everyone's fiefs? But Uncle Sanxin, based on what you said and our current situation in Suiren, I have discovered a major problem for Huaxia."

Sanxin did not pay much attention and just said casually: "Oh, what problem? Tell me and let me hear it."

Chengqie said bluntly: "Huaxia's ability to control its territory is truly too poor. As long as one leaves Huaxia City, there is absolutely no control over the territory. Although it is nominally your own territory, others are roaming everywhere on your, er, our territory, hunting our prey at will. As long as they don't come to the edge of the city, it is completely impossible to discover them."

"It is said that Huaxia controls so much territory, but if no one goes there and no one occupies it, then in the eyes of others, territory without people has no owner. Then anything goes; one can occupy a piece of land at will. And I feel that our Huaxia, at least for many years, will not encounter such tribes, because no one goes there, and they can't even be seen."

"Uncle Sanxin, do you think there might be people from other tribes living in Huaxia's territory right now, and they don't even know that the tribe of Huaxia exists? Do you think so? Is it possible?"

Sanxin's eyelids twitched as he listened. He had never even thought about this problem because Huaxia operated so smoothly. The Royal Capital had never mentioned this issue. Perhaps some people had already thought of it, but for so long, no one had ever brought it up. Gradually, no one felt it was a problem anymore.

Until now, a young man from a large tribe suddenly threw this question out again, and Sanxin could not help but think about whether this was appropriate.

Before Sanxin could answer, Chengqie continued to press: "Uncle Sanxin, just tell me, is it true that all Huaxia people live in Huaxia City, Lema City, and the surrounding towns, and there is absolutely no one in other places—not a single Village, not a single small tribe?"

Sanxin was asked until he felt unconfident: "This, it cannot be said that there is absolutely no one, because our Huaxia, besides these two cities and several towns, still has deployments in other places. At least, at least, I think the territory within a dozen days' journey around can still be controlled."

"Then how big is Huaxia? What is the significance of this dozen days' journey? Also, are the few deployments you mentioned numerous? Is their range of activity wide? Have they hunted the wild beasts in our Huaxia territory? Have they consumed resources on Huaxia's land? At the same time, do they guard our territory against invading enemies? If there is any problem, can they report the news to us here in Huaxia City at the fastest speed? Can this be done?"