Chapter 1424: A Few Words

1424. Chapter 1424: A Few Words

"Staying out of the realm's affairs can indeed spare one many troubles. But Lord Zhao, beyond the realm lies nothing but desolate frontiers. Even if we granted them the grasslands or the lands beyond the passes, the Western Regions are only desert and gobi — endless barren waste. To send them there, is that not simply sending them to die?" Sun Chuanting was very solemn as he spoke these words. What he left unsaid was this: driving people into a death trap would only make them fight you to the death here. That would be no different from a purge or slaughter.

Zhao Jin laughed. He stood up, paced a few steps, and spoke: "You say beyond the realm lies nothing but desolate frontiers. But do you know that beyond those desolate frontiers lie fertile lands and rich soil, a prosperity not inferior to that of Huaxia? Not to speak of other places, do you know that the Wa country across the sea is rich in gold and silver? Do you know that in the Western Regions there are ten-thousand-li plains of fertile soil, dense with rivers, even surpassing the Central Plains and Jiangnan? Let alone the vastness of the seas — the countries of the Southern Ocean abound in gold, silver, spices, hardwoods, and rice. Everything we lack, they possess. So much fertile land, so much wealth, yet occupied by incompetent, weak barbarians. Should we not seize it, put it to use for our Huaxia, and grant it as hereditary fiefs to the brave warriors who dare to pioneer?"

These words stirred Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang to excitement, but Sun Chuanting grew increasingly cautious. Given his temperament, he was naturally not one to be swept away by such talk. Instead, he pondered it carefully, weighing whether it was actually feasible.

At first hearing, Zhao Jin's words sounded like sheer fantasy, but upon careful reflection they held considerable logic. Sun Chuanting had dealt extensively with Shanxi merchants and had naturally heard them speak of how, traveling further north and further west, one did indeed encounter desolate frontiers of desert and gobi — but beyond those, there truly were fertile lands not inferior to those of the Great Ming.

Moreover, the merchants had said much about this. Ming troops might not be able to win victories there, but Mongol cavalry could act like tyrants in those regions. With the New Army's capabilities, they could naturally rampage at will.

The implications occasionally revealed by the merchants had somewhat disgusted Sun Chuanting, even sent a chill through him. Though they profited through trade, they were also very eager to simply go and plunder, to thoroughly seize and dominate. Of course, the wealth they could obtain that way would indeed be greater — but what about the dead? What about the slaughter? What about diplomatic relations? He had never expected that today Zhao Jin would speak of the same thing, and even more nakedly.

"Unheard of, utterly unheard of. If this course is pursued, will it not lead to exhausting the military and impoverishing the people? Lord Zhao, be prudent — this is a policy that destroys nations!" Though Sun Chuanting spoke with gravity, his tone was weak and feeble, as if he himself did not believe his own words.

Zhao Jin halted his steps, fixed his gaze on Sun Chuanting, and said: "I have listened to those close to me discuss the cycles of order and chaos. From the Warring States to the present, the realm has always alternated between great order and great chaos. Recovery and rest, peace under heaven — and then utter chaos and catastrophe, until the people are nearly all dead, and the cycle begins again. Some call it fate, some call it the Mandate of Heaven, and some speak of rulers grown arrogant and debauched after long in power, losing the enterprising spirit of their early years."

"That someone speaks such principled words to Lord Zhao — this is a blessing for all under heaven," Sun Chuanting said insincerely.

Zhao Jin waved his hand and said solemnly: "I think there is no need for so many mystical theories. In the final analysis, it is very simple: too many people, too little land. After every great chaos, enough people have died, there is enough land, and after paying taxes, the grain is sufficient. When people are fed and live in peace and contentment, naturally it is an ascending golden age. But living in peace and contentment, they bear children and can raise them. The population grows and grows, the land is divided generation after generation, gradually becoming insufficient to feed them. They still must pay taxes. When they can no longer sustain themselves, disorder is bound to arise. You speak of the natural disasters of recent years — but were there no natural disasters in earlier years? The difference is simply that back then people could endure them, and now they cannot, and can only starve to death!"

Sun Chuanting opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but said nothing. He simply sat upright and listened quietly. Sun Dalin, standing by the doorway, turned sideways to glance inside, then continued standing outside the door.

"Too many people, too little land — the people grow anxious and unsettled, the state falls into turmoil. The surrounding barbarians see their opportunity and rise up to exploit it. To cope, the state can only impose additional grain levies and conscript soldiers and laborers — yet this causes the already fragile and unsustainable livelihoods of the common people to collapse completely. Then comes a vicious cycle. There is no need to look far: can you not see, Brother Sun, the evils wrought by these additional grain levies in recent years?"

Sun Chuanting merely heaved a long sigh. The court's additional grain levies and heavy corvée labor had truly left the people destitute. If one asked what the Great Ming's greatest internal threat was, the Jianzhou Jurchens hardly counted — these additional grain levies were the real threat. Yet no matter how harmful one knew them to be, there was no way to stop them, because everywhere was leaking, everywhere required troops, and grain and pay were needed to sustain them. Knowing full well it was poisoned wine, one still had to drink it to quench one's thirst.

"Too many people, too little land — what then? Can we stop the common people from bearing children? Is it not a good thing that our Huaxia people are numerous? Should we let only the barbarians and caitiffs multiply, let them come to slaughter our common people, let them come to invade and occupy our fields and fertile lands?"

Zhao Jin spoke with some agitation, constantly gesturing with his hands, yet no one found it laughable. Everyone listened with solemn attention, feeling that Zhao Jin was speaking of a matter of the utmost importance.

"Too many people, too little land — then go and seize the territory of others. The Mongols always come south; why can we not go north? The Jurchens always come west; why can we not go east? The Wa pirates and foreign barbarians always cross the sea to come here; why can we not cross the sea to go there? Just from what I know, to the north there is fertile land like the Hetao; beyond the passes there are plains like the White Mountains and Black Waters, where the soil practically oozes oil. The Wa country also has ten thousand qing of good fields. The Southern Ocean and the Western Regions are boundless and limitless. Why can we not use these lands to sustain our Huaxia people!"

"What Lord Jin says is truly... truly..." Sun Chuanting murmured a few times but did not know how to continue.

Zhao Jin walked over to the tea table, picked up the now-cold tea and drained it in one gulp, then turned and spoke again: "Some speak of compassion, some speak of avoiding the sin of killing. But those who are not of Huaxia are not human — they are akin to beasts. Why speak of compassion to them? Do men speak of compassion to tigers and wolves? Do they speak of compassion to pigs and sheep? Do tigers and wolves speak of compassion to men? Do pigs and sheep speak of benevolence and mercy to men? Setting aside these abstruse doctrines, I often hear that Datong preaches benevolence and righteousness to the Mongols — but have the Mongols ever preached it to Datong?"

Hearing this, Sun Chuanting could only smile bitterly. But it was not a smile of helplessness — rather, he wanted to refute it. Yet when he opened his mouth to speak, in the end he could only smile bitterly. He felt that what Zhao Jin said was wrong, that it completely departed from the principles of the world and the doctrines in the sages' books, that it even carried a hint of treasonous heresy. But upon careful reflection, he found himself unable to refute it — hence the bitter smile.

Zhao Jin grew impassioned: "In this present age, the strong devour the weak, and it is the survival of the fittest. Brother Sun, you have long been in the north and know little of overseas affairs. Those foreign devils and barbarians sail great ships, voyaging ten thousand li to reach India and the Southern Ocean. Relying on sturdy ships and powerful cannons, relying on iron armor and firelocks, they can seize territory and make themselves kings, using the natives as slaves. They raid Guangdong, have fraudulently occupied Macao, and scheme for Taiwan. Were it not for Huaxia's immense size, we would likely have long since been reduced to the same state as the natives of the Southern Ocean."

"This Taiwan is...?" In this era, Taiwan was not yet called by that name. Fortunately, Zhao Jin had done his homework on this and immediately answered: "It is Yizhou from the time of the Three Kingdoms — that large island east of the Penghu Patrol Inspectorate."

"That place I do know of, though the miasma there is extremely heavy, unsuitable for human habitation..." Sun Chuanting murmured a couple of lines, but the general meaning was already very clear.

By this point, Sun Chuanting had been completely drawn into Zhao Jin's discourse. He gently stroked his beard and said thoughtfully: "What Lord Zhao says is reasonable. How many people do the steppe Mongols have? Counting men and women, young and old, I fear they number no more than a million. How many are the Jianzhou Jurchens? I fear they do not exceed three hundred thousand. These numbers are no more than the population of a single prefecture in our Great Ming, yet they can menace a great nation with few troops, becoming a mortal threat, even entering and ruling the Central Plains. Those foreign devils from across the seas are likely the same. It is strange, when you think about it — why are these barbarians and caitiffs unwilling to practice the sages' way of benevolence and mercy, knowing only slaughter and plunder, while it is our Huaxia people who suffer the calamity?"

Unconsciously, Sun Chuanting's terminology had shifted as well. He no longer spoke of "the Great Ming" or "Xuzhou," but used the broader term "Huaxia."

"Benevolence, mercy, and compassion are for within. Only the people of Huaxia are worthy of this benevolence, righteousness, and compassion. But to the outside, we must not speak or practice these things. Only by practicing 'the strong devour the weak, survival of the fittest' toward the outside can the common people of Huaxia continue to enjoy this benevolence, righteousness, and compassion. Therefore, we must expand, must seize more land, must let our warriors display their talents beyond our borders, unfettered by the shackles of rotten Confucian scholars and ritual law."

"The people who pay taxes and serve as soldiers for our Huaxia — Huaxia shall protect them for life. Whether on this continental territory or in the foreign oceans and seas beyond, if they suffer grievance, it must be redressed!"

This was practically a speech. At this point, Zhao Jin stopped, smiled self-deprecatingly, and after a moment of silence waved his hand and said: "I have truly spoken too much. All I hold in my hands now is no more than two provinces of land, no more than a hundred thousand troops, and yet I speak of such grand prospects. Brother Sun, forgive me for making a fool of myself."

Sun Chuanting sat in silence, as if pondering what Zhao Jin had just said. Only after a while did he look up and say: "Everything Lord Zhao has said is unheard of, yet upon careful reflection, it holds reason."

He spoke very slowly, pausing to deliberate for a moment, then smiled and said: "If anyone else spoke such words, I would simply take them for a madman and keep far away, never associating with them. But what Lord Zhao says carries a measure of credibility. To say that troops like Lord Zhao's are unprecedented is not entirely true. The iron cavalry and mighty army of the Mongol Yuan's Great Ancestor swept across the universe and campaigned far beyond the realm. What he could achieve, Lord Zhao may not necessarily be unable to achieve."

Sun Chuanting spoke slowly. He picked up the teacup at his side, brought it to his lips, only to discover he had not removed the lid. He let out a rueful laugh but did not drink, simply setting the teacup back down. He spoke again: "The words Lord Zhao spoke just now — at first hearing, they are heavy with killing intent, yet upon careful reflection, they contain a great compassion. If this can truly be realized, it would be the great fortune of our Huaxia, the great fortune of our Huaxia people. Since ancient times, the civil and the military have never been able to balance. Only the mighty Han could make no distinction between civil and military, with men serving as generals abroad and ministers at home. Later, if the military was strong, the realm fell into chaos and ceaseless slaughter; if the civil was strong, there might be some years of peace, but in the end, foreign invasion was inevitable, and the state's altars crumbled. Only Lord Zhao's method is a strategy for lasting peace and stability. Let our Huaxia spread its martial might across the four seas, let all beyond the realm become Huaxia — then there will be no need to worry about foreign tribes, no need to worry about imbalance between civil and military. The military will expand the frontiers, the civil will govern and bring stability — each fulfilling its proper role."