Daniel Davis's question immediately silenced both Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. They had no prior impression of Goguryeo, but after Fu Junshi saved them and became their adoptive mother, it became difficult for them to consider taking action against Goguryeo.
If it weren't for Daniel Davis's favorable impression of the Twin Dragons and his desire not to waste their talents, he could have simply ignored them. With him around, Kou Zhong might not even be able to form the Shao Shuai Army this time.
In other worlds, Daniel Davis had never bothered nurturing protagonists like Harry Potter, Naruto, or Luffy. He rarely interacted with them.
"Why must there be war? Wouldn't it be better if everyone lived in peace?" Xu Ziling sighed deeply while Kou Zhong remained silent.
"Why must there be war? I'm sorry, but I can't answer that." Even if he were a god, war would still be inevitable. Look at Asgard in Marvel—constant warfare.
"Even you and Kou Zhong have disagreements and conflicts of ideals. Multiply that by countless others, and you'll see why war is unavoidable. As the saying goes, 'One person, one righteousness; ten people, ten righteousnesses; a hundred people, a hundred righteousnesses; a thousand people, a thousand righteousnesses.' In such a situation, even if you don't want to start a war, there will always be others who do.
When others attack, will you fight back or kneel and surrender, allowing them to decide your fate? Think about when you were street rats. If someone bullied you, what would you do?"
Xu Ziling fell silent again. Of course, they would fight back. If they couldn't win, they'd run. Kneeling and begging for mercy was never an option.
"Let's set that aside for now. What are your thoughts on Emperor Yang Guang? Do you think he's a tyrant or a wise ruler?" Seeing Kou Zhong remain silent, Daniel Davis shifted the topic.
"Yang Guang, a wise ruler?" Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at Daniel Davis in disbelief. Most people would immediately label Yang Guang a tyrant, but the two were sharp enough to detect something in Daniel Davis's tone.
"Why couldn't he be a wise ruler?" Daniel Davis smiled.
"How could he be? Yang Guang plunged the world into chaos with his grandiose projects, incompetence, and indulgence in luxury and women. If he's a wise ruler, then there are no tyrants in the world," Kou Zhong retorted, with Xu Ziling nodding in agreement.
"Do you really think the current chaos is solely Yang Guang's fault? But I don't blame you. You've never had the chance to study."
Street rats like Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were common in this era. Their friends in the Bamboo Flower Gang had fared better than them, but in terms of ambition, the Twin Dragons far surpassed most.
Their friends' success was largely thanks to Kou Zhong.
"Sit down. I'll give you a proper lesson." Daniel Davis gestured for the two to sit on the sand, then sat down himself, holding a bamboo stick.
"Let's start with why Yang Guang launched three campaigns against Goguryeo. It wasn't just his ambition—it was strategic. Kou Zhong, I can tell you this: whoever unifies the world in the future will inevitably have to deal with Goguryeo. If they don't, they're not a good emperor.
Yang Guang had many reasons for attacking Goguryeo, one of which was Goguryeo's repeated invasions of the border. Think of the Central Plains as a gang. If another gang keeps attacking your territory, what would you do?" Daniel Davis drew a diagram in the sand as he spoke.
"Of course, we'd fight back."
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were stunned. As street rats, they were used to fighting over territory. Even pickpockets had their own turf.
But they didn't voice this thought. According to Daniel Davis, the war between the Central Plains and Goguryeo was essentially a large-scale gang war.
"In fact, Yang Guang was a highly capable emperor in the early part of his reign. Whether it was the construction of the Grand Canal or the imperial examination system, his achievements benefited the present and future generations."
Daniel Davis sketched a rough map of the Central Plains, including the Grand Canal, and explained its significance and the role of the imperial examinations.
Yang Guang was a strategic thinker. His decision to move the capital from Chang'an demonstrated this. Even Li Shimin couldn't match him in this regard.
Chang'an, known as the capital of thirteen dynasties, held immense historical significance. However, by the Sui and Tang dynasties, its importance had waned.
To put it bluntly, if Li Shimin had established the capital in Luoyang instead of Chang'an, the Tang Dynasty might not have faced so many problems later.
"Setting aside Yang Guang's other aspects, just the imperial examination system alone is enough to earn him praise. While the aristocratic families may curse him, as people from the lowest rungs of society, you have no right to criticize him. He provided a path for the common people to rise."
"If Yang Guang was so capable, why is the world in chaos now?" After a long silence, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling finally asked.
"Simple. He offended the aristocratic families. Do you know what system was in place before the imperial examinations? The Nine-Rank System, where 'the upper ranks have no commoners, and the lower ranks have no nobles.'"
Seeing that Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling didn't understand, Daniel Davis explained further.
In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the arrogance of the aristocratic families was unparalleled.
"For these families, the Nine-Rank System ensured their continued prosperity. The imperial examinations threatened their interests. During Yang Guang's campaigns against Goguryeo, these families sabotaged his efforts, leaking military secrets to ensure his failure.
Otherwise, how could Yang Guang's million-strong army fail three times? While Fu Cailin, the Sword Master, was formidable, the Central Plains had no shortage of experts. Where were they?"
Daniel Davis subtly criticized Ning Daoqi. While grandmasters from other nations fought for their countries, Ning Daoqi was busy with his "Heavenly Selection of the Emperor" plan, which had been in the works for twenty years. If this were exposed, it would raise many questions.
"What about the grandmasters of the Central Plains?" Kou Zhong immediately thought of Ning Daoqi.
"You mean Ning Daoqi, the Wanderer? He didn't appear on the battlefield." Daniel Davis sneered, and Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged glances.
"There's a saying: 'A dynasty lasts a hundred years; a family lasts a thousand.' Some aristocratic families would do anything to ensure their prosperity for generations."
In feudal times, most aristocratic families sought to close the door to upward mobility, but they underestimated the resilience of the Chinese people. If the door was welded shut, they'd simply tear it down.
"Let's set that aside for now. I'll explain the concept of 'long division must unite, long unity must divide.'"
Daniel Davis proceeded to give the Twin Dragons a lesson on land, economics, and why dynasties inevitably fell into chaos.
As the population grew and aristocratic families monopolized resources, the lower classes, unable to survive, would rise up. War would ensue, leading to mass deaths and the redistribution of resources, bringing temporary peace before the cycle repeated.
This was similar to the four Great Ninja Wars in the Naruto world. As the number of ninjas increased, missions became scarce, leading to war. The deaths of many ninjas would free up missions again.
In the ninja world, villages believed they were fighting for missions, but they didn't realize they were competing for missions left behind by the dead.
"Is there no way to break this cycle?" After a long silence, Xu Ziling asked. While Kou Zhong sought to conquer the world for fun, Xu Ziling was more compassionate. This was why Shi Feixuan had manipulated him into supporting Li Shimin over his lifelong friend Kou Zhong.
"Of course, there's a way, but it's incredibly difficult. In fact, aside from me, no one else would even attempt it."
"What is it?" Xu Ziling pressed.
"The solution is simple: it all comes down to interests. For ordinary people, as long as they can live well, they don't care who the emperor is." Daniel Davis finally mentioned the word "taxes."
"There's a saying: 'Harsh governance is fiercer than a tiger.' But this only applies to those who pay taxes. Those exempt from taxes don't care."
To put it bluntly, the taxes paid by peasants were negligible. The real tax burden fell on the aristocratic families and Buddhist institutions, yet these groups were tax-exempt in this era.
Even Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, bold as they were, fell silent upon realizing the implications. This was too radical. If the imperial examinations had already made Yang Guang an enemy of the world, taxing the aristocratic families would make one a true enemy of all.
"By the way, you've met Li Shimin, right? Do you know who gave him the name 'Jishi Jiumin' (Save the World and Aid the People)?"
"I know. He said that when he was four, a fortune-teller visited his home and predicted that by the age of twenty, he would save the world and bring peace to the people. I even joked that he had the destiny of an emperor," Kou Zhong said with a laugh.
"That's not wrong. He does have the destiny of an emperor, because this was part of a plan devised twenty years ago—the 'Heavenly Selection of the Emperor' plan. The fortune-teller was no ordinary person; it was Ning Daoqi, the Wanderer."
Daniel Davis's tone was full of mockery. He was confident that after revealing this to the Twin Dragons, Shi Feixuan and her ilk would have a hard time manipulating them. He looked forward to seeing the expressions of Shi Feixuan, Cihang Jingzhai, and Jingnian Chan Sect when their plans fell apart.
"What?!" Kou Zhong exclaimed.
"Surprised?"
In truth, Daniel Davis didn't know who had given Li Shimin his name, but he pinned it on Ning Daoqi. After all, Ning Daoqi supported the "Heavenly Selection of the Emperor" plan, making it impossible for him to clear his name.
"Do you know about Cihang Jingzhai? Over twenty years ago, they joined forces with Jingnian Chan Sect, Ning Daoqi, and others to devise the 'Heavenly Selection of the Emperor' plan. The current chaos was orchestrated to give their chosen candidate a chance to become emperor."
Without chaos, Li Shimin would never have had the opportunity to become emperor.
"Why would they do this?" Xu Ziling's expression changed.
"Do you know about Emperor Wu of Liang starving to death? In a country called Tianzhu (India), where Buddhism originated, emperors had to bow to Buddhist institutions."
Daniel Davis shared some knowledge about Buddhism and then looked at Xu Ziling. "They wanted Buddhism to achieve the same status in the Central Plains as it did in Tianzhu. In other words, they wanted to establish a 'Buddhist kingdom on earth,' where even emperors could be starved to death at will."
"'Heavenly Selection of the Emperor'—what arrogance!" Kou Zhong was furious. As someone aspiring to conquer the world, he despised such rhetoric.
"Don't underestimate Cihang Jingzhai. Each generation of their disciples is a peerless beauty. Few men can resist their charm. Ning Daoqi, the Wanderer, fell for it, as did Song Que, the Heavenly Sword of the Song family. When it comes to using beauty as a weapon, no one surpasses Cihang Jingzhai. You might not understand now, but when you meet Shi Feixuan, their current disciple, you'll see what I mean."
Spoiling the plot was always satisfying.
"Brother Daniel, are you telling us this to warn us about Shi Feixuan?" Xu Ziling seemed to catch on.
"I'm just reminding you not to be deceived. I know you're both clever, but your experience is limited."
Daniel Davis didn't deny Xu Ziling's assumption. He was using an open strategy. The same events, viewed from different angles, could lead to different conclusions.
For example, after hearing about the extravagance of Buddhist institutions, when the Twin Dragons visited Jingnian Chan Monastery, they would inevitably recall Daniel Davis's words.
Shi Feixuan herself might not have malicious intentions, but the same couldn't be said for Fan Qinghui, Liaokong, or Ning Daoqi.
Daniel Davis was eagerly anticipating the moment when their plans would fall apart.
(End of Chapter)
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