My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 590 National Reputation
Strictly speaking, in this era, there is almost nothing that Liu Rong, as the emperor of Han, could not do if he wanted to.

Of course, this excludes cutting-edge technologies that only exist in the new era, and miracles that defy the laws of physics.

Although Liu Rong could not easily eliminate the Xiongnu in the north, he could roll up his sleeves and give them a beating whenever he wanted.

Although Liu Rong could not unify or conquer the Baiyue region of the south at will, he could decide whether to engage in "civil" or "military" tactics with Lingnan, as long as he was not concerned about the huge investment costs.

The same applies to the Korean Peninsula.

—Liu Rong intends to advance the process and speed of the Korean Peninsula's rise and fall, and no one can stop him.

However, how exactly to do it—how to get started and how to further promote it—is a significant challenge.

Later generations often say that people in feudal times were like people who took off their pants to fart, and they always insisted on having a "just cause" for everything they did. It was simply whining without cause and making trouble for themselves.

To rebel, one must raise a flag and claim a so-called 'righteous cause';
To quell a rebellion, one must issue a manifesto and call for a so-called 'righteous army';
Even treacherous officials who abuse their power must disguise themselves as harmless sheepskin to demonstrate that they are "not treacherous, but rather loyal in disguise."

Liu Rong remembered seeing similar comments in the comment sections of many online novels in his previous life.

Why not just raise some troops and rebel? Why bother with political infighting?
—Why not just gather a team and take him down? Why bother with all this conspiracy stuff?
However, even in the modern era, countries around the world still instinctively abide by this set of unspoken political rules about having a legitimate reason for war.

Because both Chinese civilization and other civilizations have always understood the principle that those who act justly will receive much help, while those who act unjustly will receive little help.

Whether an action is just or necessary will directly affect whether it can gain the approval of the majority of people.
Furthermore, whether the actions of a person or country are just will directly affect their image in the eyes of others.

A person who lies constantly, bullies the kind-hearted, and robs others of their property without cause will inevitably find it difficult to gain the trust and affection of many people.

Similarly, a country that changes its policies frequently, acts impulsively, and readily puts its neighbors on the menu will not gain much recognition or following from other countries.

While it is said that there are no eternal friendships between countries, only eternal interests, it does not mean that there is absolutely no friendship or camaraderie to speak of.

Just like a country that is kind and harmonious with its neighbors, treats people like a gentle breeze, and always prioritizes 'avoiding conflict' when friction occurs, and has a relatively positive international image, it is always easier to get help from other countries when it encounters unforeseen difficulties.

Conversely, a country that is at odds with its neighbors, frequently clashes and frictions, and even fights every now and then, and is arrogant and rude in its dealings with others, with a relatively negative international image, will find it difficult to inspire other countries to offer assistance, even if it is flooded by a tsunami.

That might be a euphemistic way of putting it.

Then let's use a more direct and frank way of saying it.

A just country, a country that always manages to position itself on the moral high ground and on the side of justice, will inevitably lead other countries, whether willingly or unwillingly, to follow it, thus naturally becoming its leader and guide.

A regime that is unjust, acts without considering the consequences or right and wrong, and constantly finds itself in the crossfire of moral condemnation, will not be able to gain the sincere support of other countries, no matter how powerful its military or how wealthy it may be.

This is because interactions and relationships between countries are almost entirely unrestrained by the word 'law'.

The essence of law is a convention formulated by the ruling class, introduced to facilitate rule, and widely recognized by society.

The existence of law is not meaningless between rulers and the ruled.

The ruling class can always use the power it holds to make the law an ironclad rule that the people must obey, or else they will be punished.

However, there is no such relationship as 'ruler and ruled' between countries.

The two countries may be one strong and one weak, or they may be evenly matched.

However, unless the power gap is too large, it is impossible for a powerful country to unilaterally set the rules and a weak country to unilaterally abide by them.

The reason for this is that as long as a country is not excessively weak, it will always have the ability to break treaties and overturn tables.

Like the Han and Xiongnu sides in this era.

—From the beginning of the Han Dynasty until the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, for more than fifty years, the peace treaties between the Han and the Xiongnu were signed almost every two or three years, and then unilaterally torn up by the Xiongnu.

When the Xiongnu broke the treaty, there was no law that could punish them for "breach of contract," and the Han dynasty was also powerless to retaliate against them for breaking the treaty.

This situation was so infuriating that even the passionate young people of the Han Dynasty today were once outraged, let alone people in later generations and the new era.

——Why!
Why should the Xiongnu just tear up a signed contract like that?!
—Did the princess sent for a political marriage, and her dowry, all benefit the Xiongnu?!

Stop with the marriage alliances!

Regardless of whether or not a marriage alliance is established, the Xiongnu will still raid the Han borders from the south!
—Save those dowry items that should have been sent to the Xiongnu, and use them to support more soldiers!
—Leave the princess who should have married off to the grasslands in Chang'an, so that she can give birth to a few more fine sons for the Han people!
Liu Rong was once one of these indignant youths.

Liu Rong, too, couldn't understand why they still needed to arrange a marriage alliance.
The Xiongnu people had no sense of contract and did not abide by the marriage alliance treaty. So what was the point of the Han dynasty humiliatingly marrying off its daughters to the Xiongnu?
Liu Rong, during his time as the eldest son of the emperor, and even during his time as the crown prince, was unable to arrive at a correct answer to this matter.

I just kept comforting myself: the time hasn't come yet.

The Han dynasty was not yet strong enough, and it was not yet time to break ties with the Xiongnu.

Whether marriage alliances worked or not, they were still the only, albeit less effective, method available to the Han dynasty to stabilize and lull the Xiongnu into a false sense of security.

As for whether the Xiongnu people abided by the marriage alliance treaty—it would be best if they did, and the Han people would be considered lucky.

There's nothing we can do if they don't comply, after all, they have the power to break the treaty.

Once upon a time, Liu Rong even fantasized that one day, when he beat the Xiongnu so badly that even their own mothers wouldn't recognize them, and when he beat the Xiongnu so badly that their brains came out, he would force the Xiongnu to turn around and beg the Han for a marriage alliance!

When that time comes, the Han people will also have to learn from the Xiongnu people and decide when to break the marriage alliance treaty based on their mood!

But after becoming emperor—especially after becoming a powerful and all-powerful ruler—Liu Rong finally realized, belatedly, that it wasn't like that at all.

In the past, the Xiongnu, who considered themselves powerful, would frequently break the marriage alliance treaties with the Han Dynasty, and no one could stop them.

However, the Xiongnu people did suffer losses as a result.

—National reputation;
—National image.

During those fifty years, the Xiongnu broke the Han-Xiongnu peace treaty no less than twenty times, and launched military attacks on the Han border no less than thirty times despite the peace treaty.

These actions have already caused the reputation and image of the Xiongnu people—and the Xiongnu Chanyu court—to fall into an abyss of no return.

It's not apparent now. Because this era belongs to the two behemoths, the Han and the Xiongnu, and all other regimes and civilizations are merely supporting characters.

The Xiongnu people themselves were naturally not dissatisfied because their own regime was shameless and untrustworthy.

Seeing the country act so thuggishly makes me feel relieved; this is the most genuine and normal state of mind of our own people.

As for the Han dynasty, they were also unaffected by this.

Because regardless of whether the Xiongnu people kept their word, the existing logic of the Han people would instinctively regard all non-Han ethnic groups as fickle and treacherous people.

Calling him a 'petty person' is actually a bit of an understatement.

Perhaps calling them 'wild men' would be more accurate.

Therefore, from the perspective of the Han people, whether or not the Xiongnu kept their promises, they could not change their species classification as 'barbarians'.

Clearly, the Han people, who consider themselves the only known human race in the world, would not care whether a group of savages are trustworthy or keep their promises.

It is precisely because the Xiongnu themselves did not care whether the regime kept its word, and the Han dynasty did not care whether the people on the northern grasslands were a group of trustworthy barbarians or savages, that the Xiongnu's repeated breaches of contracts and habitual dishonesty did not seem too out of place.

But now that Liu Rong has great power, he knows very well that once poison is ingested, it will eventually take effect.

The Xiongnu of today are strong enough to withstand the poison of those who break their promises and fail to uphold their national reputation.

But sooner or later, this deadly poison hidden within the Xiongnu's 'body' will deliver a fatal blow to the gradually weakening Xiongnu Chanyu court.

For example, one day, the Xiongnu were so badly defeated by the Han that they could not raise their heads and had no chance of winning. They had to find a helper to unite with in order to barely protect themselves—such as the Wusun, or the Wuhuan, Xianbei, etc.
When that time comes, the Wusun, Wuhuan, or Xianbei people who are approached by the Xiongnu, or who are begged by the Xiongnu, will recall the Xiongnu's 'resume' of repeatedly breaking their promises over the past fifty years.

Then they would think: Can the Huns be trusted?

Between the Han and the Han, the two known largest powers in the world, the Xiongnu would tear up any officially signed marriage alliance treaties with the Han.

Right now, the Huns' promises of benefits to us are nothing but a mirage.

On the contrary, the Han people seem to have always valued credibility, constantly talking about "having a legitimate reason for fighting" and "having a clear objective."

Although they may seem a bit slow, rigid, and inflexible, dealing with them is still more reassuring...

This is the importance of national credibility and national image.

—If you are always powerful, you can certainly use your strength to break your promise to the weak, and even use your reputation to gain short-term benefits.

However, no country, regime, or even civilization can remain strong forever.

The principle that prosperity inevitably leads to decline and things will inevitably reverse when they reach their extremes was already summarized and generalized by Chinese civilization in ancient times.

Therefore, the strength of a country or a regime cannot be maintained forever.

However, reputation and national image can be preserved and passed down for a long time.

Let's take the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty as examples.

For the past fifty years, the Huns have been the most powerful and virtually unrivaled rulers of the known world.

No one, no force, could defy the will of the Xiongnu—not even the Han.

However, the Xiongnu's reputation for being untrustworthy and unreliable means that, now and in the future, the gradually declining Xiongnu will no longer be able to gain the trust of neighboring countries and regimes, nor will they be able to provide assistance out of friendship.

In a more popular way of putting it, the powerful Huns collected the 'tax' on this track for hundreds of years.

Therefore, as the Xiongnu people declined, the nomadic peoples of the grasslands would no longer be able to profit from 'breaking the agreement' for a considerable period of time.

Since everyone knows you're not honoring the contract, naturally no one will sign a contract with you anymore.

Even if the Xiongnu regained their strength, or a new hegemon emerged on the grasslands, it would be difficult for them to sign agreements with the Han and other surrounding regimes in the short term to resolve issues through political means.

In contrast, the Han dynasty did not have this problem at all.

—Not only during the Han Dynasty of the past few decades, but for thousands of years, the Chinese nation has always insisted on having a just cause for war, and has always insisted on standing on the side of justice and on the moral high ground.

This deeply ingrained image of Chinese civilization naturally led all surrounding regimes and civilizations to place greater trust in it.

To put it bluntly: you don't have to believe in Qin Shi Huang or the Han emperor;

But you can be completely confident that even if Chinese civilization wanted to kill you, it would give you an impeccable explanation.

This explanation will make you feel like you deserve to die.

Moreover, the Chinese civilization's consistent commitment to keeping promises and upholding its image of "justice" has always provided an additional "political channel" option for dealing with exchanges between Chinese and other civilizations.

If the Xiongnu wanted a piece of land, they had no choice but to fight and resolve the issue through force.

At best, they would have to send in the army to intimidate; ultimately, it's still a matter of resolving the problem by force.

However, for the Han people to want a piece of land, conquering it by force was the last resort, a last-ditch effort.

Before military conquest, the Han people had countless gentler and more harmonious ways to resolve issues through political channels.

All of this is based on the image and reputation of Chinese civilization, which has always been righteous in its actions over thousands of years.

In the simplest terms, it means that in Chinese civilization, one can use facial recognition to obtain credit from their neighbors.

People will believe in the promises of Chinese civilization, and they will gladly accept the goodwill of Chinese civilization.

Even the malice of Chinese civilization seems less frightening under this premise...

(End of this chapter)