My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 626 Helplessness…

National consciousness.

In the eyes of later generations, the Han Dynasty was precisely the key historical turning point in the awakening of national consciousness of the Chinese nation.

However, in fact, the seeds of national consciousness had already sprouted as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, or even as late as the Shang Dynasty.

—As early as thousands of years ago, the Chinese nation already knew how to distinguish between the Bai Di, the Bei Man, and the Nan Yi.

Although various barbarian tribes that were once rejected have become part of Chinese civilization during the course of thousands of years of history, this process is indispensable.

Once upon a time, the Chu people were called barbarians, and the Yue people were called barbarians;

Even today's Guanzhong region, just a few hundred years ago during the Spring and Autumn Period, was nothing more than a pasture for the Zhou emperor's horses: the horse-breeding land of the Qin clan of the Ying surname.

Nowadays, whether they are people of Chu, Yue, Qin, Zhao, Yan, or Liang...

Anyone who uses the script and language of the Chinese people, wears a crown with their hair tied up, and wears a robe with the right side overlapping the left is recognized as a member of the Chinese people.

Although the concepts of 'Han people' and 'Huaxia nation' have not yet been clearly formed, a vague and elusive sense of national consciousness has quietly emerged.

However, unlike later generations, the Chinese people divided the world's people into Han Chinese and foreigners, Chinese and foreigners—in the value system prevalent in the Han Dynasty today, there is only one kind of people in the world.

The people of the various Xia states.

According to the value system of this era, apart from the people of the Xia Dynasty who wear their hair tied up and their robes fastened on the right, and the descendants of Yan and Huang, there is no other race in the world.

The northern Xiongnu were barbarians.

The southwestern barbarians—since they're called 'barbarians,' how could they not be considered barbarians?
Even if, one day in the future, the Roman civilization, shining brightly on the other side of the world, sends its apostles to the Central Plains, it will likely only add another entry to the 'Wild Man's Compendium' of Chinese civilization at that time: "Tens of thousands of miles away in the far west, there are the White Di, with golden hair and blue eyes..."

In other words, although the Chinese people of this era had not yet formed a strict distinction between the Chinese and other ethnic groups, they had already formed a standard for judging whether they were "humans" or "savages".

The people here are, of course, the actual Han Chinese.

As for the "wild people"—all ethnic groups other than the Han Chinese were included in this broad category.

In this context, it can be said that the Chinese nation has, to some extent, begun to awaken its national consciousness.

However, this sense of national consciousness is not precise: the distinction between one's own nation and other nations, or between other nations and other nations.
Instead, it was a more general and arrogant distinction: the distinction between one's own people and savages, between this savage and that savage.

Although the style is somewhat strange, it is essentially a matter of national consciousness, and it seems that Liu Rong does not need to interfere too much.

But Liu Rong knew perfectly well that in the original history, almost every wrong turn that China took in the next two thousand years, and every stumbling block that harmed the Chinese nation, originated from foreign tribes.

They could even be named specifically: the northern nomadic peoples.

— Liu Rong did not think that the northern nomadic peoples, who had been part of China's more than two thousand years of feudal history, were a bad thing.

As the saying goes: A nation, however large, will perish if it loves war, and will be in danger if it forgets war.

More than two thousand years ago, before the Common Era, Chinese civilization occupied the eastern half of Asia. Without a worthy opponent, it was easy for them to become complacent and go astray.

In later generations, there has been a view that is open to debate.

The development of human civilization has been almost entirely driven by war.
Every war inspires new technological innovations, and every pioneering achievement of a civilization forces the region in which it resides to progress rapidly in order to cope with potential external threats in the future.

Especially in later generations, the two world wars that occurred in modern times have made this claim even more prevalent, giving it an unshakable and solid basis.

Indeed, it seems that this is indeed the case.

Before those two world wars, or more precisely, before the Industrial Revolution in the West, the achievements of human civilization over thousands of years were not even comparable to the progress made by human technology in just one year after those two world wars.

To be more specific, it took humans more than five million years to evolve from quadrupedal beasts into the terrifying upright apes.

It took them hundreds of thousands of years to evolve from upright-walking 'apes' into humans who rule the world through intelligence;
Then, humans spent another 50,000 to 60,000 years replacing their grass skirts and animal skins with cloth, and moving from caves and tree hollows into houses they built themselves.

Then, it took humanity at least five thousand years to develop a lineage that could be called a 'civilization'.

It took millions of years for humans to evolve from monkeys into a civilization with a sound social system and the protection of basic human rights.

However, it took humanity less than a century to develop from an agricultural civilization under a backward system to a modern technological civilization.

From this perspective, that statement seems to be correct.

War is indeed a catalyst that drives humanity forward, compelling it to progress and explore.

Only the crises brought about by war can force civilizations and regimes to progress.

Conversely, if there is no war, or even a worthy adversary, then even the largest social resources will be used by nobles for extravagant pleasures rather than for technological exploration.

In this respect, Chinese civilization has learned a bloody lesson.

Therefore, Liu Rong never believed that the current Xiongnu people, or the future Xianbei and Khitan people, or other nomadic peoples, were sent by Heaven to suppress and punish Chinese civilization as a balancing mechanism.

Quite the opposite.

It was the existence of these nomadic peoples that kept Chinese civilization in a state of constant anxiety, forcing it to rush headlong down the path of self-strengthening.

From this perspective, if one day in the future there is an opportunity to eliminate the nomadic peoples of the grasslands and allow the Chinese civilization to completely absorb the grasslands, then the nomadic peoples can also be incorporated into the Chinese nation.

Even if it were feasible to do so, Liu Rong would most likely choose to "raise bandits to enhance his own importance," leaving an opening for the nomadic civilization.

Just like adult lions and tigers that bring their prey back alive to their cubs after a successful hunt, so that the cubs can learn to hunt.

As a ruler, Liu Rong knew all too well what kind of people the rulers of China were.

King Fuchai of Wu;

When he was diligently governing the country, he avoided women entirely; however, once he conquered the Yue Kingdom, he began indulging in debauchery by day and night. —Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji;

He did so well in the first half of his life that he managed to push the Tang Dynasty to an unprecedented peak in Chinese civilization!
As a result, he became arrogant after achieving some success, and during the An Lushan Rebellion, he almost became the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

To put it bluntly, whether it's Chinese civilization or any other civilization—as long as they are ruled, they are all the same.

When they have something on their minds and a goal in front of them, these rulers can unleash an ascetic-like tenacity, determined not to give up until they achieve their goal.
But once the goal is achieved, rulers who have lost their goal will fall into a deep abyss of pleasure in spiritual emptiness.

Just like in later generations, most people who win the lottery and become rich overnight will quickly fall back into poverty and never recover.

—Because the goal is gone.

Originally, one needed to work hard, get promoted and earn a raise to support their family, but after receiving a lottery ticket, everything was taken care of;

I don't know what to do for the rest of my life. I can only do all the things I wanted to do but didn't get to do in the first half of my life.

After finishing their tasks, they have nothing else to do, so they can only seek out unusual stimuli that are detrimental to their physical and mental health, or even illegal.

This phenomenon is not limited to the poor who suddenly become rich—it also applies to the vast majority of second- and third-generation rich.

Their privileged backgrounds left them with almost nothing in life that required effort or desperate exploration.

In addition, their fathers and grandfathers came from humble backgrounds and suffered a lot, so they couldn't bear to let their children and grandchildren suffer. This drove them to remove as many obstacles as possible for their descendants.

While children from ordinary families are still learning to speak and recognizing numbers with flashcards at home, these children may already be attending private kindergartens.
While children from ordinary families are studying hard for that crucial exam that will determine their life's trajectory, those going through their rebellious phase may already be living a life of luxury.

Around the time they reach adulthood, that crucial exam ends, and for children from ordinary families, some are happy while others are sad.
At most, they would be scolded by their disappointed parents and grandparents, and then their connections and wealth would be used to send them abroad for further education.

Even if they're supposed to be "gilded" (meaning they lack the patience to handle a major exam), these "tough guys" obviously won't instantly become well-behaved children once they're abroad.

After wasting several years, it's fortunate if you're still a 'person'—you might not have gone astray and become a walking corpse.

Returning home after completing one's studies is like entering a life on a fast track.

Jobs, careers, houses, cars, dowries, marriage and children—all are arranged perfectly by parents and grandparents, so there's no need to worry about anything.

When people reach middle age, their parents and grandparents have retired to the background. Those with a bit of ambition can learn from their parents and grandparents and barely take over the family business, which is enough for several generations to squander.

Some spoiled brats might just wait for their elders to die so they can squander the family fortune accumulated by their fathers and grandfathers over decades, or even generations.

This was true for later generations, and the current Han dynasty is no exception.

—Aren't there many descendants of founding fathers who lost their country or even their lives because of drunkenness?
How many sons of businessmen have been made examples of by the government and purged by powerful figures because of their arrogance, even being mentioned in the context of steel plates?

In all the cases mentioned above, the children of wealthy merchants, officials, or powerful figures were involved.
Ultimately, those who wield the most power, possess the most wealth, and are the least restricted are undoubtedly the royal family members.

Unlike other sons of powerful and noble families—the descendants of the royal family, especially feudal emperors—they were neither burdened by wealth nor restricted by rules.
Theoretically, all things in heaven and earth, and even all people in the world, belong to him, and he can do whatever he wants with them.
He could do whatever he wanted, and apart from a lukewarm accusation of being "condemned by all," there were no other constraints that could limit the emperor's power.

The phrase "A rider gallops through the dust, bringing smiles to the imperial concubine's face" is never an exaggeration.

King Zhou's story of lighting the beacon fires to amuse the feudal lords is not merely a fable in a play.

He possessed the most extreme and supreme power in the world, and even in human history, and had lived under extremely affluent material protection since childhood.

If the training method goes wrong, the result will inevitably be widespread calamities and disasters.

That's why Liu Rong said he couldn't guarantee that his descendants wouldn't be foolish enough to abolish the mausoleum system.

—Because in history, there really was such a fool at the end of the Western Han Dynasty!

If Emperor Wu of Han's descendants were so foolish, there's no reason why Liu Rong's descendants wouldn't be.

Again.

If something has a probability of happening, it will happen sooner or later if there are enough experiments.

Even if the probability of getting heads or tails is infinitely close to 50% and the probability of it landing on its edge is infinitely close to zero, it is by no means entirely impossible to flip a coin.

A thousand times, ten thousand times, even a hundred thousand or a million times, there will always be a coin that lands on its edge.

The same principle applies;
Even if Liu Rong planned ahead and established systems, there was still a chance that loopholes would appear among the royal descendants, especially the heirs to the throne.

What's particularly fatal is that the rules one sets for oneself are not necessarily followed by future generations;
As long as someone is outrageous enough, they can completely disregard everything and do whatever they want.

Furthermore, as dynasties remained stable for longer periods, social classes became increasingly rigid, and social contradictions slowly accumulated...

Taking all this into account, and extending the timeline to two hundred years, or at least ten generations, it is almost inevitable that one or two idiots will emerge from Liu Rong's descendants in the next ten generations.

Looking further ahead, it might be two hundred years from now, Liu Rong's ninth or tenth generation descendant;
To put it more bluntly—it could be Liu Rong's grandson, or even his son!
After all, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen in history probably never imagined that, just two generations after his death, his grandson would produce a tyrant who disregarded the people's livelihood.

Furthermore, two hundred years later, will the one sitting on the throne of the Han dynasty necessarily be a descendant of Liu Rong?
—According to the original historical timeline, from Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang to Emperor Wu Liu Che;
From the first ancestor Liu Bang to the fourth great-grandson Liu Che;

In just three generations, the succession to the Han throne deviated from the direct line twice!
Emperor Xiaohui of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying, did not become the second emperor of all the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty.

Crown Prince Liu Rong of Emperor Xiaojing didn't even get to sit on the throne before his younger brother usurped it!

After Emperor Wu, there was also Crown Prince Liu Ju, who died because of the witchcraft scandal.

Later, Emperor Zhao of Liu Fuling died without an heir;

Then there were the deposed emperors, the Marquis of Haihun and the King of Changyi, who, in a mere twenty-seven days on the throne, committed one thousand one hundred and twenty-seven unforgivable crimes…

Considering the medical level of this era, as well as infant survival rates and adult male fertility rates;

It is no exaggeration to say that for the next two hundred years, Liu Rong's idea that every emperor of the Han dynasty would be his direct descendant was simply a pipe dream!
(End of this chapter)