My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 591 Wonderful, Absolutely Wonderful
This is precisely the lesson Liu Rong learned after he seized power and became the ruler of the world.

The wealth of a country, a regime, or even a civilization is never limited to its superficial aspects such as wealth, population, military power, and culture.

There are also things like national credibility and civilized image that exist "behind the scenes" and "behind the scenes," things that are unseen and intangible, yet very real.

When you are powerful enough, having these things will not make you better, nor will they bring you more benefits;
Without these, it won't have any impact on you or cause you any loss.

However, whether you possess these things when you are not powerful enough—especially during the process of transitioning from power to decline—will directly affect the direction of your regime, the rise and fall of dynasties, and even the progress of civilization.

After figuring all this out, Liu Rong finally came to his senses.

The Xiongnu people were untrustworthy and did not uphold the national credit. They treated the national credit like a credit card, and once it was maxed out, they became deadbeats. They were like wild boars that couldn't tolerate fine food.

Given their level of civilization, it is understandable that they do not understand or comprehend the importance of national credit.

However, the Han dynasty, as the most brilliant civilization in the entire known world, possessing the richest heritage and at the most advanced stage of civilization, could not emulate the Xiongnu.

National credit is like a credit card.

You can max out his credit and then become a deadbeat—just like the Huns;

You can also use it for temporary purposes, borrowing more after repaying, and repaying again, in a cycle that barely sustains you—like Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue.

However, the wisest and most cost-effective way to manage this 'credit card' is to continuously increase your credit limit through good usage habits.

Just like the Han Dynasty, and throughout the five thousand years of Chinese history, the vast majority of feudal regimes in China have established their credibility and maintained their image well.

Even if you write 'this much money' on a piece of paper and then give it to the people to use as money, they won't feel anything about it;
In feudal times, doing something so unbelievable was the proper way to build national credibility and the level that should truly be achieved.

As for Liu Rong's past idea of ​​"forcing the Xiongnu to seek peace with the Han through marriage, and then breaking the treaty like the Xiongnu to vent his anger," it has long since vanished like smoke.

—If in the future, the Xiongnu people ask the Han dynasty for a marriage alliance, Liu Rong will really consider it carefully, instead of agreeing without thinking like the Xiongnu people did in the past, and then breaking the agreement at the slightest disagreement.

If Liu Rong believed that a truce would be more beneficial to the Han Dynasty in the short term, he would have accepted the Xiongnu's request for a marriage alliance, thereby securing an additional benefit for the Han Dynasty. After all, a truce was more beneficial to the Han Dynasty in the first place, and Liu Rong had originally intended to have a truce even without a marriage alliance.

Otherwise—if Liu Rong at that time believed that continuing the war would be more beneficial to the Han Dynasty, he would never have risked the national reputation of the Han Dynasty for the sake of a Xiongnu princess and a dowry for a marriage alliance.

Liu Rong clearly refused the Xiongnu and told them: Why can't we make peace through marriage? Why should the war continue?

The final conclusion will inevitably be: the score has not been settled, the revenge has not been completed, it is not that the Han people do not love peace, but that they have no choice but to continue fighting the Xiongnu.

Such national credibility needs to be built and maintained at certain times, and it also needs to be utilized at other times.

— To raise an army for a thousand days is to use it for one hour.

Scholars of later generations spent half their lives striving for fame, ultimately hoping to gain a position of official rank in exchange for it.

In the new era to come, the credit that people maintain for half their lives will ultimately be used for a mortgage on a single home.

The same applies to national reputation.

Building and maintaining something takes so much effort and time, often spanning decades or even centuries. It's not meant to be just for show; it's meant to be used when necessary.

For Liu Rong, the current emperor of the Han Dynasty, the main means of leveraging the credibility and image of the Han state were the Xiongnu in the north, the Baiyue in the south, and the Korean Peninsula in the northeast.

To the Xiongnu, the Han dynasty was once weak and cowardly, and frequently sought peace through marriage alliances.
The Han people neither rode horses nor hunted; instead, they dug for food in the soil with hoes, showing no 'manliness' whatsoever.

On the battlefield, the Han Chinese army could never muster even a thousand cavalrymen. Like a clumsy snail, they were whipped around like a spinning top by the agile Xiongnu cavalry.

But one thing is certain: even the Xiongnu people—even those who looked down on the Han people—admired him and were willing to give him a thumbs up.

When Han people speak, their words are truly as firm as nails.

Although on the battlefield, the Han people would often demonstrate what it means to "use deception in war" and employ some despicable schemes and tricks;

But as long as it's not on the battlefield, in other times and other situations, the Han people are truly trustworthy in keeping their promises.

This was even somewhat incomprehensible to nomadic peoples, including the Xiongnu.

—To fulfill a promise, the Han people are willing to risk their lives!

When people are destitute and receive a single bite of food from someone, they are willing to repay that kindness with immense wealth once they become successful, a practice known as "repaying kindness with a spring of gratitude."
—A soldier sacrificed his life for his country and entrusted his orphan to his comrades before he died. The comrades were even willing to go hungry so that the child could have a good meal!
Such lofty ideals are clearly inconceivable... and foolish to nomadic peoples at this stage.

Yes, stupid.

Because on the grasslands, in a place where the living environment is extremely harsh and survival is incredibly difficult, trust is always the least valuable thing.

Similarly worthless are things like propriety, integrity, and moral character.

On the grasslands, what is truly valuable are things that are tangible and real, such as cattle, sheep, livestock, slaves, and women.

Despite their incomprehension, nomadic peoples also instinctively admired the Han people's absurd commitment to keeping their promises.

—The grasslands lack the fertile ground for the concept of 'credit' to thrive; this is an objective reality.
But this does not mean that the nomadic peoples on the grasslands do not yearn for the grasslands to be trustworthy and keep their promises.

Later generations often say: Credit is the best way for the weak to protect themselves.

Because of trust, the strong cannot go back on their word, and even if they want to bully the weak, they have to have some scruples.

In today's grasslands, under the jungle law of the nomadic peoples where the strong prey on the weak, such rules of caring for and favoring the weak are undoubtedly very desirable.

The weak always make up the majority.

Rules that take care of the vulnerable are always more likely to gain widespread acceptance.

For example, the principle of "a life for a life" and "theft for punishment" are social conventions that protect the weak from the harm caused by the strong.

Even the law, in essence, protects the weak, who constitute the 'majority,' rather than the strong, who constitute the very few.

Of course, this is based on the premise that "princes are subject to the same laws as commoners," and that the powerful cannot operate outside the legal system.

So, what benefits could the Han people, who were considered trustworthy and reliable by the Xiongnu, bring to the Han people?

Just look at the Hetao region today and you'll know.

—After occupying the Hetao region, the Han dynasty made almost no substantial investment for a considerable period of time.

The mere promise of "granting titles to the best performers" was enough to drive tribal leaders across the Hetao region to scramble for positions, eager to become the vanguard for the Han dynasty's efforts to stabilize and control the Hetao region. Why?
Because Han Chinese people have always valued trustworthiness.

If a Han Chinese says they will do something, they will definitely do it.

If the Han people promise to give something, they will definitely give it.

What if someone else—like the Xiongnu Chanyu—tried it?
What promises and trust—letting you live is Heaven's mercy, letting you lick my toes is my forgiveness.

It is also like the Baiyue in the south—especially the Nanyue of Zhao Tuo.

When faced with local natives who were untrustworthy and disregarded integrity, Zhao Tuo's approach was a combination of firmness and leniency.

The strong approach is military intimidation, while the gentle approach is marriage alliances and friendly relations.

Essentially, it's still a combination of a big stick and sweet promises, and both are delivered immediately.

Military deterrence means having an army right in front of you, like a dragon charging at your face, ready to strike at any moment.

A marriage alliance means directly bringing your woman into the bridal chamber and saying you're related to her, and then immediately becoming related to her.

There are no verbal promises like "If I say I'll hit you, I will definitely hit you" or "If I say I'll marry your daughter, I will marry her sooner or later," nor is there any role for the word "trust."

However, when dealing with the Han Dynasty, Zhao Tuo instinctively treated every word spoken by the Han people as a predetermined fact that was about to happen.

For example, at the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Tuo established his own independent regime and brazenly declared himself emperor.

Although Emperor Gaozu was furious, he was constrained by the state of the Han Dynasty at that time and had no choice but to send Lu Jia to Nanyue to persuade Zhao Tuo to relinquish his imperial title and submit to the Han Dynasty.

At that time, Emperor Taizu Gaozu gave Lu Jia a very simple task.

Zhao Tuo was ordered to relinquish his imperial title, cease referring to himself as "Emperor Wu of Nanyue," and submit a petition to the Han court.

In return, the Han dynasty would recognize Zhao Tuo's legitimate title of "King Wu of Nanyue" and his legitimate rule over the Nanyue Kingdom, and promise not to launch a military campaign against Lingnan.

If someone else had said these things to Zhao Tuo—such as the Xiongnu in the north, the Yue people in Lingnan, the various ethnic groups in the southwest, or a certain regime on the Korean Peninsula—Zhao Tuo would have first considered the veracity of these words.

Is it true or not?
Are you trying to lure me to the Imperial Palace and then ambush me?
No, I need to think about it. At least I need to observe and wait. If things really don't go my way, and we're going to lose our country and our homes, then we'll have to do what they say...

But since these words were spoken by an official envoy sent by the Han dynasty, Zhao Tuo no longer thought about them.

Instead, they would directly consider whether or not to accept the Han family's conditions, and the advantages and disadvantages for themselves, based on the premise that 'all of these are true'.

Ultimately, Zhao Tuo, who believed that Nanyue could not resist the military conquest of the Han Dynasty and could barely accept the outcome of submitting to the Han Dynasty and being granted the title of "King Wu of Nanyue", chose to comply with the Han Dynasty's demands, relinquish the title of emperor, and submit to the Han Dynasty. He transformed from the previously unrecognized and illegitimate Emperor Wu of Nanyue into the King Wu of Nanyue, who was officially recognized and conferred the title by the Han Dynasty.

why?
When Lu Jia presented the conditions of the Han dynasty and promised corresponding returns, why didn't Zhao Tuo suspect that the Han dynasty was lying?

As a fellow Chinese and a citizen of the various Xia states, Zhao Tuo was very clear that Chinese civilization emphasizes that "a ruler's words are not to be taken lightly" and that "an imperial edict cannot be changed overnight."
The emperors of China spoke the law, and their words became law.

If he dares to say it, then he will definitely do it.

He will restrain himself from lying and deceiving people, so you don't need to worry about the truthfulness of what he says. You only need to consider the pros and cons of his suggestions for you.

This is the most direct manifestation of the benefits that the national credibility and image of Chinese civilization brought to the Han people.

— The efficiency of communication between countries, the level of honesty, and at the very least, the level of trust.

If even this basic level of trust is lacking—if it's impossible to be certain whether the other party keeps their word—then communication between countries is meaningless except for the fact that the two delegations can afford to travel at their own expense.

As for the Korean Peninsula, it would be a bit more difficult for Liu Rong to use the national credit of the Han Dynasty.

no way;
It is true that Mustard Seed Joseon took in the traitor Wiman back then.

However, it is also an indisputable fact that Mustard See Joseon submitted to the Han Dynasty, paid tribute to the Han Dynasty, and received the protection of the Han Dynasty.

Back then, when Wiman usurped the throne and overthrew the Joseon Dynasty, the Han Chinese, as the suzerain state, stood idly by, which somewhat implied that they had failed to fulfill their responsibilities as the suzerain state and the elder brother.

—Although at that time, the Han dynasty itself was overwhelmed by the constant rebellions of princes of different surnames and had no time to attend to anything else.

Although Mustard Korea was at fault to begin with, it also suffered the consequences of its own actions, staging a peasant and snake scenario at the level of the regime;

Despite all these factors, it is an undeniable fact that the Han Dynasty, as the suzerain state, accepted tribute from Mustard Joseon but failed to protect its ancestral temples.

As the saying goes: It takes only a mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of legwork to refute them.

The underlying logic of this statement is that building trust is incredibly difficult and time-consuming, while destroying it can happen in the blink of an eye.

Keeping your promise ten times and breaking it once, or breaking your promise once outright, are both considered "untrustworthy".

The same principle applies to the Han Dynasty today.

Wiman overthrew Mustard Joseon, and the Han people broke their political promise to 'protect the vassal state,' becoming a traitor widely recognized on the Korean Peninsula.

Nowadays, if Liu Rong were to go to the Korean Peninsula again and talk about how the Han people are trustworthy, just, and have a legitimate reason for fighting, it would be difficult to convince the local indigenous regime.

Furthermore, the presence of Wiman Joseon, a staunch rebel and destabilizing factor, greatly amplified the negative image of the Han Dynasty in the perception of various regimes on the Korean Peninsula.

There are two ways to reverse this negative image.

The first approach is the brute-force method—if the building has already collapsed, then start over from scratch, rebuilding it brick by brick.

The second method is a slightly more opportunistic one: creating trending topics.

Wasn't the national image of the Han dynasty tarnished on the Korean Peninsula because of the demise of Mustard Seed Joseon?
Then create an event as sensational as the demise of Mustard Seed Joseon back then, and forcibly reverse the image of the Han people on the Korean Peninsula through the logic of 'a serious disease requires strong medicine'.

For example, restoring Mustard Seed Joseon;

Incidentally, they also destroyed Wiman Joseon.

Alternatively, from a political perspective, it could be an official characterization of what happened back then, to give an explanation to the Korean Peninsula: why didn't the Han Chinese intervene when Wiman usurped power and overthrew Mustard Joseon?

This kind of political tactic, unique to Chinese civilization—at least to the feudal dynasties of China, and certainly not something that could be used in the feudal periods of other civilizations—is undoubtedly fascinating.

(End of this chapter)