The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

Although Yan State has indeed given a lot to Great Chu, its ultimate goal is to become a more reliable partner.

There was no need for Fei Liang to communicate with her in such a humble manner. There was still a long road ahead, and Yang Xia decided to make things clear with him.

As sincere collaborators, we do not rely on such despicable means to cooperate; we rely on genuine sincerity.

For example, the cooperative relationship between Yan and Phil is very good. Kanapan will do his best to develop Phil's strength and then teach it to Yan without reservation.

Yang Xia would also share his technological products with him without reservation.

There was no animosity between them; they maintained an equal cooperative relationship. Yang Xia also hoped that his relationship with Fei Liang could be as peaceful as his relationship with the Phil Kingdom.

“My Lord, we have a long road ahead of us to cooperate, so there are some things we need to clarify beforehand.”

“We have an equal partnership, so I don’t like the kind of cliques that exist between us. You are a king, and I am a king; we are equals.”

Yang Xia spoke to him about this issue very seriously, hoping that they could make each other more comfortable during the cooperation process.

"Yang Xia, since you put it that way, I will try my best to be more careful in the future."

Fei Liang scratched his head sheepishly. He knew that as a king, such a humble behavior was indeed a bit excessive.

Fei Liang's original intention was to express his loyalty to Yang Xia, but it seems that Yang Xia did not like that kind of atmosphere, so Fei Liang naturally had to change it quickly.

After Yang Xia said that, Fei Liang finally sat down and started eating obediently.

Fei Liang finally settled down to eat, no longer humbly toasting Yang Xia as before, which made things much quieter.

Yang Xia's original intention was to cooperate sincerely with the other party. As for all the other formalities, he didn't like them at all, nor was he used to using his power to oppress others.

If I did that, my actions would be no different from those of the Moonlight Kingdom.

Yang Xia came to this other world with the goal of developing Yan Kingdom into the most powerful nation.

To achieve this goal, we must establish genuine cooperative relationships with the surrounding countries, making them genuinely willing to cooperate with Yan, and ensuring that these relationships are unbreakable.

Only after such an atmosphere is formed can the Yan Kingdom grow stronger day by day and eventually become the most powerful country in the other world.

For example, the relationship between the current Phil Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom is very good, and Yang Xia hopes to develop more large countries like the Phil Kingdom.

Fei Liang in front of me is a kind-hearted person, but we're still getting used to each other. As long as he's willing to listen to Yang Xia's guidance, things will gradually get better.

Yang Xia didn't dwell on the previous minor unpleasantness; he knew that everything needed a period of adjustment.

They then ate while watching the song and dance performance. Yang Xia, of course, didn't like the performance; he just treated it as something to watch for entertainment, since he had nothing better to do than have his eyes idle.

Suddenly, Yang Xia realized that the people who were performing the song and dance for them were from the Great Chu Kingdom, but there were also many onlookers on the outside.

Perhaps the Great Chu Kingdom was relatively relaxed in governing its people, who could even come to the palaces of the Great Chu Kingdom to watch the excitement.

A faint smile appeared on Yang Xia's face. It seemed that the customs and traditions of each country were quite different.

Like the Kingdom of Moonlight, their ruler felt he possessed absolute authority, and no one was allowed to defy him.

The ministers didn't even dare to look their king in the eye, let alone the ordinary people.

Looking at the Great Chu Kingdom before us, it is indeed very friendly in these aspects.

But upon closer inspection, Yang Xia noticed a group of people on the periphery dressed in tattered clothes, with obviously haggard faces and sallow complexions.

They were even wearing handcuffs and shackles, and worn-out straw sandals.

"Holy crap, what kind of outfit is this? How can someone be dressed like this?"

Yang Xia thought he had traveled back to a slave era, but he saw such a scene.

After he looked closely, it was indeed like that; those people looked particularly pitiful, their eyes filled with terror.

Yang Xia's heart sank. He had no idea what kind of country the Great Chu Kingdom was.

Through these past few days of observation, I've come to realize that the people of the Great Chu Kingdom are simple and honest, and even the king has no airs whatsoever.

At a banquet like today's, they actually allow their own people to freely observe.

Logically speaking, why would such a disharmonious scene occur in a country with such a simple and honest folk? Yang Xia thought he was seeing things.

Is this also a form of performance? But the more I look, the more something seems off; the miserable state of those people doesn't seem to be staged.

"You unworthy ruler, why do I see some people on the outskirts wearing handcuffs and shackles? What's going on?"

Yang Xia finally couldn't help but ask. Faced with this unexpected situation, he naturally had to find out the truth.

Although their two countries were only in a cooperative relationship, he did not want any unfair practices to exist in the Great Chu Kingdom, as they would naturally affect the customs and morals of the people in the Great Chu Kingdom over time.

Yang Xia hoped that the Great Chu Kingdom could also develop healthily, which was the outcome he most wanted to see. Everything had to be perfect to avoid any unexpected situations.

Fei Liang was surprised that Yang Xia took the initiative to talk to him, so he quickly put down his chopsticks and looked in the direction Yang Xia was pointing.

Fei Liang looked at everything in front of him and thought it was perfectly normal. He didn't know what Yang Xia meant by those words.

"Yang Xia, are you referring to that group of 'lowly people' outside?"

Fei Liang didn't know why Yang Xia was interested in that group of lowly people, nor did he know that Yang Xia was already extremely unhappy at this moment.

"Are those people called lowly people by the Great Chu Kingdom? Why are they treated like this?"

Seeing Fei Liang's calm demeanor, Yang Xia knew that this phenomenon was perfectly normal in his eyes.

This situation made Yang Xia even more incredulous; it seemed he was determined to get involved in this matter.

In this era of rapid technological development, it is unbelievable that there are still countries that divide their people into different classes and that there are even terms like "lowly people." Yang Xia found this both infuriating and shocking.

"These are prisoners from the surrounding areas. They are usually responsible for doing dirty and hard work, and they are collectively referred to as 'untouchables'."

Fei Liang patiently explained to Yang Xia the origins of these lowly people. It turned out they were prisoners from the surrounding area, a situation that Yang Xia found hard to accept. Although it is said that the victor is king and the loser is a bandit, it was still particularly cruel to make these prisoners endure such unfair treatment and live such inhuman lives every day.

Yang Xia never dreamed that the seemingly simple and honest Great Chu Kingdom would have such a cruel side, and his face immediately darkened.

"So, how exactly did their home disappear?"

Yang Xia decided to find out more about these people's origins, and if possible, he would definitely try to save them from their predicament.

Yang Xia not only wanted to develop the economic strength of various countries, but also to help them gradually become civilized and abandon their previous barbaric behavior, so that they could truly progress.

Fei Liang looked bewildered. He didn't know why Yang Xia had suddenly become interested in such a group of lowly people and kept asking him all sorts of questions.

However, when faced with Yang Xia's questions, Fei Liang naturally answered them all without reservation.

Although Yang Xia did not want Fei Liang to treat him with a humble attitude, Fei Liang always regarded Yang Xia as the savior of the Great Chu, and naturally obeyed Yang Xia's words.

"The Great Chu has been in turmoil for many years, which is one of the reasons for the country's poverty and backwardness. We are used to fighting and killing, so we have become accustomed to many things."

“When they saw a race they didn’t like, they would exterminate them. Some of the men would be captured and used as laborers, and the women would be married off to have children.”

When Fei Liang talked about these things, it was as if he were recounting something completely ordinary.

Over the years, the Great Chu Kingdom has maintained this state of affairs, and they have long been accustomed to it, so naturally they don't take it seriously.

But these words shocked Yang Xia.

He truly hadn't expected that the Great Chu Kingdom would have such a backward and barbaric side.

Fortunately, he had come to the Great Chu Kingdom; otherwise, this situation would have continued for who knows how many more years. The thought was terrifying, and Yang Xia dared not think any further.

Now that we have witnessed this barbaric phenomenon, we must make them change completely.

He believed that Fei Liang was a person of good character who would listen to his good advice and that they must completely change their behavior and then devote all their energy to the development of the country.

By eliminating prisoners of war, the barbaric practice of fighting and killing among the people of Chu was also eliminated, naturally leading to a greater increase in national strength.

“You are not a good ruler. What you are doing is wrong. This indiscriminate fighting and killing is a disregard for human life.”

"Have you ever thought about how many people will die unjustly and how many will face a state worse than death when you barbarically exterminate your clan?"

Yang Xia spoke very sincerely with Fei Liang, hoping that he could put himself in the shoes of those whose clans had been wiped out.

As human beings, every life is equal and deserves respect. Yang Xia sincerely hopes that Fei Liang can abandon this kind of thinking.

From now on, let's stop fighting and killing indiscriminately, respect every life, and we certainly don't want any more prisoners of war.

Seeing the inhumane treatment of these prisoners filled Yang Xia with immense distress, and he vowed never to allow such a situation to occur again.

The scene was filled with singing and dancing, and no one could hear what Yang Xia and Fei Liang were talking about; everyone's attention was focused on the people performing.

The people here have long since become numb, finding everything before them perfectly normal.

Although they also longed to make the Great Chu Kingdom rich and powerful, they could not find the root cause of its poverty and backwardness.

For example, when dealing with these lowly people, it feels perfectly reasonable and there's nothing wrong with it.

Some people also noticed that Yang Xia's expression was not right; his usual amiable demeanor had changed, and his face looked particularly grim.

Fei Liang even looked at Yang Xia in front of him with some strangeness, feeling that he was meddling a bit too much.

There's no need to put that effort into these things; it's been done this way for so many years, and everyone in Da Chu thinks it's perfectly normal.

“Lord Feiliang, I am speaking to you seriously about this matter. Since these prisoners have been exterminated, I hope you will treat them kindly.”

"Don't call them outcasts, and don't treat them in such a barbaric way. You can educate them in a much more civilized way."

Yang Xia knew that this practice had become a habit in Da Chu, so he patiently explained it to Fei Liang, hoping that he could accept his suggestion.

No matter how many years you've persisted with something, the incorrect aspects must be completely corrected; there's no room for negotiation on this.

Just like these prisoners in front of him, Yang Xia wanted the Great Chu to treat them in a more civilized way.

Fei Liang never expected that Yang Xia would actually take this matter to the end, and even want him to treat the slaves in a civilized manner. He felt as if he had heard a huge joke and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha..."

“Yang Xia, did I hear that right? They are nothing but slaves. This is a tradition passed down through generations in our Great Chu Kingdom. Our ancestors have always lived this way. If we were to treat them in a civilized manner, as you say, that would be truly laughable.”

Fei Liang stared at Yang Xia with some surprise, finding this person a bit strange for the first time.

Previously, he thought Yang Xia was an extraordinary and capable person who was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the situation and could lead the Great Chu to prosperity.

Unexpectedly, Yang Xia was so stubborn in his ideas, insisting on changing the traditions that had been passed down through generations in the Great Chu Kingdom. This approach was abnormal in the eyes of others.

In Fei Liang's eyes, the rules left by his ancestors are the only rules, and he never thought about whether these practices were right or wrong.

As long as it is traditional, we must stick to it. This is also a major reason why the Great Chu Kingdom was ignorant, poor, and backward.

According to Fei Liang, this tradition is so deeply ingrained that it cannot be easily changed.

Moreover, he spoke of such bloody events with such nonchalance.

Despite their extremely cruel actions, they treated Yang Xia like a monster, which infuriated Yang Xia.

The fact that such a bloody disaster seemed so commonplace to them was something Yang Xia simply couldn't accept.

He finally understood the true meaning of the saying, "Bad people come from poor and remote places." On the surface, the Great Chu Kingdom seemed to have a simple and honest folk culture, with no clear hierarchy among its people.

Little did I know that what I saw was only the tip of the iceberg, and that such a bloody affair was hidden behind it all. (End of Chapter)