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Shi Feixuan silently followed beside Yi Huawei, her mind replaying the analysis of the Northern Wei, the Six Garrisons, and the Guanlong Group. The history of blood and fire, the entanglement of systems and people's hearts, made her understanding of the word "world" heavier and more complex.

From a young age, she was taught to care for the common people and to take it upon herself to ensure peace and well-being for all. The Cihang Jingzhai's choice of a "true emperor" was essentially a hope to establish a unified, stable, and benevolent dynasty by supporting a wise ruler, allowing the people to recuperate and thrive. However, the historical context and current predicaments revealed by Yi Huawei made her realize that the problem was far more complex than simply "choosing a good emperor."

Even if the Heavenly Alliance unifies the Central Plains and establishes a powerful new dynasty, the Turks in the north, the potential upheavals in the west (Sasanian and Abbasid), and the lingering issues of Han-Hu integration within the territory all pose enormous challenges. Simple military defense or cultural assimilation seem insufficient to fundamentally resolve these issues.

"gentlemen,"

Shi Feixuan spoke again, her voice sounding somewhat faint in the cold wind, yet carrying an unprecedented seriousness:
"Feixuan has a question, which may be presumptuous, but I have pondered it for a long time and must ask. With your abilities, sir, your learning is profound, your martial arts are divine, and your Heavenly Dao Alliance has become a force to be reckoned with. If... if one day you truly rule the world and govern the four seas, how will you deal with the northern grasslands, the Turks, Khitans, Tiele and other tribes, and the various barbarians of the Western Regions?"

After a pause, her clear eyes met Yi Huawei's directly, and Shi Feixuan asked the most crucial and sensitive question:
"Should we emulate Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, building the Great Wall, sending generals on expeditions to the northern deserts, and sealing the wolf's lair to seek temporary peace? Or should we emulate Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, implementing a policy of Sinicization and appeasement, and gradually taking action? Or perhaps... there are other methods?"

Upon hearing this, Lianrou pricked up her ears; this question was closely related to her. She was both a Sogdian (one of the Nine Sogdian Clans) and the adopted daughter of the Western Turkic Khan, Tongyagh Khan, making her a person of special status.

Yi Huawei stopped and stood with his hands behind his back on a sheltered hillside, gazing at the vast, boundless grassland to the north. The cold wind blew his thin blue shirt close to his body, outlining his tall and straight figure.

After a moment of silence, Yi Huawei slowly spoke, his voice calm, but he uttered a sentence that sent chills down the spines of both Shi Feixuan and Lian Rou:

"I had thought of the simplest and most permanent solution."

"We will mobilize a million elite troops, equipped with the best weapons and armor, and supplemented by military formations and logistical systems that I have personally improved. Then, we will launch a northern expedition and a western campaign."

"Our aim is not to occupy land, nor to collect taxes. We will only do one thing—"

Yi Huawei turned his head, looked calmly at Shi Feixuan, and said, word by word:

"Plow the courtyard and sweep away the holes, leaving not a single blade of grass behind."

“Any tribe that resists the king’s rule and confronts me with weapons, and whose men are taller than a cartwheel, shall be slaughtered. Women and children shall be forcibly relocated inland, scattered and resettled, given Han surnames, taught Han script, and forbidden from speaking or using foreign languages ​​and customs. After three generations, they shall be no different from the Han people.”

“All the land north of the Yin Mountains and east of the Altai Mountains, which was fertile and suitable for nomadic life, was turned into scorched earth. The poor people, prisoners, and sons-in-law from the Central Plains were relocated to the border areas to build settlements and cities, and pastures were transformed into farmland. The Great Wall was extended northward to the North Sea (Lake Baikal), and a Protectorate was rebuilt in the Western Regions, where a large army was stationed to control the Silk Road.”

"In this way, within twenty or thirty years, or at most fifty years, it will be difficult for a large nomadic regime capable of threatening the Central Plains to rise again on the northern grasslands. The so-called Xiongnu, Xianbei, Rouran, Tujue... will all become names in history books. Future generations may only know what kind of threats their ancestors once faced from old books and frontier museums."

Yi Huawei's description is cold yet carries a chilling logic. It's not emotional hatred, but a "solution" to completely resolve the problem based on absolute power superiority.

Shi Feixuan seemed to see a scene of blood and fire: iron hooves trampled the grasslands, smoke from battle obscured the sky, countless felt tents turned to ashes in the flames, the heads of the rebels piled up like mountains, and the survivors embarked on a long journey of migration inland, driven by swords and spears...

She involuntarily shivered, her face turning slightly pale. Even with her "clear-minded" state of mind, she was shocked by this plan.

Lian Rou's face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively took a half-step back, her brown eyes filled with terror. She seemed to see the fate of her people—if Yi Huawei really carried out this plan, then the Sogdian city-states, the Western Turks, and even all the steppe tribes would face annihilation!

"Sir...this..."

Shi Feixuan's voice was somewhat hoarse. She almost blurted out, "This is not the act of a benevolent person," but she swallowed the words back. Because she knew that Yi Huawei was by no means an ordinary "benevolent person" or "tyrant." His way of thinking seemed to be based on some higher and colder dimension.

"You think it's cruel? Inhumane?"

Yi Huawei seemed to see through her thoughts, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips:

"From the perspective of the Han people, and from the perspective of a dynasty ruler who yearns for long-term peace and stability, isn't this the choice with the least cost and the greatest benefit? Solving the northern border troubles once and for all means that future generations will not need to spend countless amounts of money and grain, or sacrifice millions of soldiers to build the Great Wall and wage war. The wealth and manpower of the Central Plains can be focused on internal development, technological advancement, and improving people's livelihoods. From a purely utilitarian perspective, is it... worth it to exchange the blood and cruelty of one generation for a thousand years of peace for future generations?"

Shi Feixuan fell silent. She couldn't refute this "calculation" from a utilitarian perspective. Historically, how heavy a price had the Central Plains dynasties paid to defend against the invasions of northern nomadic tribes? Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall; Emperor Wu of Han exhausted the accumulated wealth of the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing to launch a northern expedition against the Xiongnu; Emperor Yang of Sui's three campaigns against Goguryeo led to widespread peasant uprisings…

Every major conflict is accompanied by enormous drain on national resources and widespread suffering. If it could truly be eradicated in one fell swoop, perhaps... it really would be a "worthwhile" outcome.

However, people are not numbers.

"gentlemen……"

Shi Feixuan took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady: "While such actions may resolve the external threat, excessive killing would be against the natural order and not the way of a true ruler. Forcibly changing customs and banning culture could breed resentment and sow the seeds of even greater disaster. The rebellion of the Six Garrisons of Northern Wei serves as a stark warning. Moreover, the grasslands are vast and home to numerous tribes. Even if we can subdue them temporarily, how can we guarantee that new threats won't arise in the far north and west?"

Yi Huawei listened quietly without interrupting.

Shi Feixuan continued, “In my opinion, a sage should govern a country with benevolence and righteousness as the foundation, and with pacification of distant peoples. In the past, Zhuge Liang pacified the Nanman region, capturing Meng Huo seven times, finally winning his heart and bringing peace to the Nanman. You might follow this path, using a strong national power as a backing, with virtuous governance and education as the guiding principle, to divide and weaken them, using both suppression and appeasement, establishing tributary prefectures, bestowing titles upon their leaders, opening trade routes, and spreading the kingly way. Given time, you might be able to gradually emulate Chinese customs and win their hearts to the court. Although the process is slow, it can avoid countless bloodshed, and perhaps this is the best way to ensure lasting peace.”

This is the mainstream and relatively mild concept of Chinese and barbarian and its approach, representing the Confucian ideal of "world order".

After listening, Yi Huawei suddenly chuckled softly:
"What you're describing is an ideal state. Historically, wise rulers, like Emperor Xuan of Han, did indeed achieve 'submission of all barbarian tribes' for a period of time. However, you've overlooked a fundamental issue—"

"Nomadic and agricultural civilizations arose from completely different modes of production and living environments. The limited ecological carrying capacity of the grasslands and the fragility of the nomadic economy determined their material dependence on and plundering impulses from the rich agricultural areas in the south, which were almost ingrained survival instincts. When natural disasters struck, livestock died in large numbers, and in order to survive, they often had no better choice than to plunder southwards. This cannot be simply summarized as 'barbarian greed'."

"The so-called 'virtuous governance and education' and 'tribute and investiture' might be effective when the weather is favorable and the Central Plains are strong. Once internal turmoil occurs within the Central Plains dynasty, natural disasters strike, or a brilliant and ambitious warlord emerges on the grasslands capable of unifying the various tribes, this fragile balance will be instantly shattered. The marriage alliances of the early Han dynasty did not stop the Xiongnu from raiding the borders. History has proven time and again that simple appeasement cannot fundamentally eliminate the root causes of conflict." Shi Feixuan fell silent again. She knew that what Yi Huawei said was true.

"so,"

Yi Huawei abruptly changed the subject, his tone carrying a rare hint of hesitation:

"That's when I had that 'once and for all' idea. Using the most extreme and thorough means to physically eliminate the foundation of a civilization's existence might be the most 'efficient' approach."

After a pause, Yi Huawei's gaze fell on Shi Feixuan's face:
"However, I also know that the very idea represents a failure."

"fail?"

Shi Feixuan was puzzled.

Yes, it was a failure.

Yi Huawei said slowly:

"That is intellectual laziness, the impulse to choose the simplest and most brutal 'solution' when faced with complex problems. It reduces living people, rich and colorful cultures, and millennia-old survival wisdom to 'obstacles' or 'threats' that need to be eliminated. This in itself is a departure from humanity and a denial of the diversity of civilizations."

"and,"

Yi Huawei tilted his head slightly, looking up at the leaden-gray sky, as if talking to himself:

"Mencius said: 'If a country has no advisors or remonstrating ministers at home and no external enemies abroad, it will surely perish.' I have pondered this statement for a long time."

Shi Feixuan's heart stirred. This is a famous quote from Mencius, Book 6, Part 2, which means: A country that lacks ministers who uphold the law and wise advisors to the ruler, and that has no external enemies, is likely to perish.

Yi Huawei continued:

"At first glance, one might think that Mencius was emphasizing a sense of crisis. But as you read more and think more deeply, you will find that behind this lies a more profound dialectic about the life and death of civilization."

What happens if a civilization, a nation, or even an individual lives in a safe and comfortable environment free from external pressure for an extended period?

"Fighting spirit will wane, ambition will be lost, and corruption, complacency, and internal strife will breed. Because a common and powerful external enemy has been lost, internal contradictions will become prominent and intensified. Resources will flow towards extravagance and enjoyment rather than innovation, and systems will gradually become rigid rather than keep pace with the times. Throughout history, this has always been the case. After the mighty Han Dynasty completely defeated the Xiongnu, it itself quickly declined towards the annexation of land by powerful clans and the monopolization of power by relatives of the empress and eunuchs..."

"External pressure, while bringing pain and sacrifice, is also a whetstone for forging the backbone of civilization, stimulating internal vitality, and maintaining vigilance and ambition. The wolves on the grasslands forced the Central Plains dynasties to continuously improve military technology, perfect their logistics systems, and strengthen centralized power. Meanwhile, the wealth and civilization of the Central Plains attracted the grassland peoples to learn from, imitate, and even integrate into it. It is in this continuous, sometimes bloody, interaction that both sides are being changed and evolving."

"If the 'wolves' are completely eliminated, the 'sheep' may be at ease for a while, but in the near future, they may become helpless due to internal corruption or when faced with a completely different 'new wolf' from the ocean or a more distant continent. Historically, many once glorious civilizations have fallen into long-term stagnation and involution after losing external pressure, and finally collapsed in the face of sudden new challenges."

"So, sir, you mean,"

Shi Feixuan struggled to process this astonishing viewpoint:

"Is it really beneficial to the long-term health of Chinese civilization to retain a certain degree of external pressure or challenges? This... this contradicts the ideal of 'pacifying the world' and 'achieving peace'?"

"Peace is not absolute tranquility like stagnant water."

Yi Huawei shook his head:

"Peace should be a dynamic balance, a vibrant state of self-renewal and self-strengthening in the face of external challenges. Absolute 'peace' that eliminates all dissent may very well mean the stagnation and death of civilization."

"Therefore, I am very conflicted."

Yi Huawei frankly admitted that this honesty surprised Shi Feixuan.

"That 'plowing the courtyard and sweeping the holes' approach is technically feasible and has significant short-term effects. But it stifles many future possibilities. Moreover, from the most utilitarian point of view, it is also a kind of 'waste'."

"waste?"

Lianrou couldn't help but whisper in response.

"Yeah, what a waste."

Yi Huawei glanced at her, his tone cold:

"If we only seek temporary peace and slaughter them all, while reducing border troubles, it would be tantamount to destroying tens of millions of the best laborers. Digging waterways connecting north and south, building roads to defend against natural barriers, constructing cities radiating in all directions, and cultivating the wasteland of the northern deserts and the Hexi Corridor… which of these tasks doesn't require a massive amount of manpower? The people of the Central Plains can certainly be used, but the war has just ended, and the people's livelihood needs to be restored; excessive conscription would easily damage the foundation of the nation. And these barbarians, especially the young and strong prisoners of war or those who have joined our tribes, aren't they readily available free labor?"

"Those skilled in animal husbandry can be placed in border pastures to breed warhorses, cattle, and sheep; their craftsmen, such as the Sogdians in gold and silver ware, the Persians in carpet weaving, and the Turks in iron forging, can also have their skills absorbed to enrich all trades. Even the most ordinary tribesmen can emulate the Qin and Han dynasties by engaging in work-for-relief programs, either by guarding the borders and cultivating the land, or by mining and building roads, exchanging their labor for survival and the right to be assimilated..." (End of Chapter)