Chapter 1556: The Art of Balance

"Coming all the way here, we haven't found a single suitable high ground. Every place is just so... so flat. Therefore, it makes no difference where we set up camp, so we don't need to be picky anymore. Right here will do."

Baifeng pointed with his finger at the vast Heaven and Earth: "This place is just right. Look over there, there are too many trees; if someone uses fire attacks, it would be very dangerous. Over there, it is too close to the waterway. This season is the rainy season; if we are too close to the waterway, it is easy to get flooded when the water rises. So, it is better for us to choose here; it is easy to fetch water and relatively safer."

Xuanyuan did not refute: "Yes, this is a very good location. Let's set up camp here then."

Baifeng dismounted and began to pace out the land with his own steps, considering how this battle on the plains should be fought.

Baifeng intentionally kept Shaoyin by his side to mentor him, so he now also held the duty of a personal guard. After Baifeng dismounted, he also had to climb down from his ox and follow quickly.

Regarding Shaoyin, Baifeng felt there was great room for cultivation. Compared to other generals, Shaoyin was young enough, and from the battle reports of previous years, it could be seen that he was very talented, provided those battle reports were not faked.

The most important point was still Shaoyin's background. He was the son of Xiong and had grown up with Yulong and Changle; there were no issues with his status or loyalty. As a Noble by birth, he was very suitable to take over his father's position in the future, though he would have to wait for the older generation to retire to let him become the leader of the new generation.

He could not exactly be considered a second-generation Noble. After all, when he was young, Huaxia was still very miserable and poor. He grew up alongside Huaxia from its weakest time, so he could not be considered a thorough second-generation; "generation and a half" would be more accurate.

Baifeng could still make good use of this generation and cultivate them. This was also quite important for the stability of Huaxia, as it allowed everyone to see that their merits and power would not just vanish after their own generation, but could be passed down.

As for the next generation, which would be the thorough second-generation Nobles, Baifeng would have to let Yulong make the selections. When a commoner and a Noble had the same ability, prioritize the commoner to suppress the influence of the Nobles. One must let the Nobles maintain a certain amount of power, but not let them become too high; this is the art of balance.

As a King, his position is inherently awkward. To the commoners, he is the ruling class, but to the other Nobles of the ruling class, the King should stand from the perspective of the commoners. Therefore, the King is neither commoner nor Noble, but must stand independently to balance the contradictions between the two classes.

The power of a King is not given by the Nobles, but by the commoners. However, the greatest threat that can overthrow a King is the Nobles, not the commoners. The King must give the Nobles power and status, yet still guard against them; it is impossible not to give it, otherwise everyone would stand in opposition to him. Such an art of balance will become increasingly difficult as Huaxia grows larger in the future. Baifeng does not know how long his descendants will be able to hold on.

However, the more backward the era, the more stable the rule should be. The Zhou Dynasty lasted eight hundred years; no dynasty in later generations could have such a lifespan. Baifeng hopes his own dynasty can also possess a lifespan of at least eight hundred years. As for being eternal, that is just a beautiful wish.

In the books he gave to his descendants, he stated what kind of progress this world should have. Now Huaxia has entered a half-Slave Society and half-Feudal Society, while other tribes are still completely in a Slave Society.

Huaxia will strive to use thirty years, before Baifeng abdicates, to complete the accumulation and reform, and thoroughly enter a Feudal Society.

As for the time from a Feudal Society to a Capitalist Society, it certainly cannot be achieved in a few decades or a hundred years. Population breeding, land development, and primitive accumulation are an extremely long process. Conservatively estimated, it will take five or six hundred years.

The power and wisdom of one person, Baifeng, are very limited. He cannot bring about an explosion of knowledge and technology; it requires time to develop slowly, and then develop the Small-scale Peasant Economy well. Once the Small-scale Peasant Economy is sufficiently developed and technology is sufficiently advanced, one can enter the Industrial Age.

Once in the Industrial Age, carrying out the primitive accumulation of capital will be a relatively fast process, but only relatively. The primitive accumulation of the West back then was completed quickly through plundering, robbing, and slaughtering other races; Huaxia currently has absolutely no such conditions.

Even if the world is unified, what can be squeezed or plundered?

After completing the primitive accumulation and entering the capitalist stage, the King, the Emperor, will also be cleared away by history and the era. In the books Baifeng gave to his descendants, he told them they should conform to the tide of the era. After all, the tide of an era is not something a single family can resist; otherwise, their heads will be chopped off and treated as a regional joke, teased daily that even joking must have a limit.

Baifeng wants to cultivate Shaoyin, but Shaoyin has a flaw, which is his fear of horses. That incident back then had long since left him with a shadow. Although he can now stand beside a horse without fear, that is because he is not afraid of death and is bold, but deep down, he is still afraid.

In future wars, Huaxia will certainly vigorously develop Cavalry and pull the oxen back to their role in agriculture. It is impossible for Shaoyin to ride an ox instead of a horse for the next few decades of his life; this is absolutely not allowed.

When this war ends and Huaxia can obtain a period of relative peace, Baifeng will have Shaoyin learn to ride a horse. If he cannot pass this hurdle, he will be unable to reach the highest position and will have difficulty making any greater progress.

As for whether there will be peace after this war, Baifeng cannot say for sure. However, he feels that perhaps the Battle of Zhuolu will not happen in his era, because the current state of a tripartite balance is about to form, and at that time, no one will dare to act rashly.

All three sides possess vast lands and enough population, and food is also sufficient. But it is very difficult to provoke long-distance, large-scale wars, not to mention that all three sides have now gradually stabilized trade exchanges.

Huaxia has powerful Weaponry and Cavalry, but it is also difficult to unify the world. The distance is far, there are no roads, logistics cannot keep up, and the Cavalry cannot have such good room for performance.

Perhaps after continuing to develop for a few decades, and after the three sides have widened a large enough gap, will they begin wars of annexation.