The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 695 Heaven and Earth Are Unmerciful
A speck of dust in the era becomes a mountain on an individual's shoulder.

However, this one will eventually fall.

While the interests of the nation and the interests of individuals are aligned in the long run, they cannot be completely aligned, and in some situations they may even be in conflict.

In the ideal world of Great Harmony, everyone is selfless and dedicated to public service, instinctively safeguarding the collective interest.

However, such a world is ultimately difficult to achieve. Just like the communal pot of food, fewer and fewer people will be willing to cook it.

People like Old Man Wang, who are willing to suffer losses, will become fewer and fewer, and everyone will become more and more "intelligent".

However, for society as a whole, the more "smart people" there are, the greater the internal conflicts become, and the more resources are consumed.

If society is a lake, then each person is a small puddle connected to it.

When a severe drought strikes, small puddles cannot sustain themselves; the water supply from lakes must be relied upon.

The "foolish man" follows the laws of nature, collecting rainwater and dew, and then injecting some of the accumulated water into the lake to maintain the overall balance.

But the "smart people" began to wake up, thinking that they should not share the rainwater they had worked so hard to collect with the lakes.

As long as you work hard enough and collect enough rainwater, you can survive even without the help of lakes.

As more and more "intelligent people" emerge, some of them become increasingly aware of their own abilities. Instead of adding water to the lake, they begin to draw water from it, growing stronger and becoming another small lake.

The lake is so big anyway, what harm could it do to take some?
As a result, the lake's water level decreased, making it increasingly difficult for "fools" to survive, while the number of "wise people" increased.

The "smart people" who become the new lakes may also feel a strange sense of superiority and start lecturing those puddles that are about to dry up: "See? The strong know how to intercept water sources. Instead of waiting for the lakes to give them water, you should make your own lakes."

However, when a severe drought actually arrives, the only result will be that more puddles and even lakes dry up completely.

The survival of civilization is never a zero-sum game between puddles and lakes, but a symbiosis between water droplets and water veins.

Every puddle is working hard, but every puddle's efforts are inseparable from the support of the lake.

When individuals build a dam of isolation around their "self," believing that interception is proof of strength, they are unaware that the severing of each waterway is undermining the water cycle upon which they depend for survival.

This is a truth that is not particularly profound, yet it is one that people have failed to understand for thousands of years.

This principle was the most debated among the many schools of thought at the Jixia Academy, and no definitive conclusion could ever be reached.

But just like the debates among various schools of thought on the issues of people migrating and returning farmland to forest, once such debates spread throughout the world, the outcome of the debates became no longer important.

Because everyone involved understands that the individual and the whole are equally important.

Many things in this world are both contradictory and unified, just like the Confucianism and Mohism among the Hundred Schools of Thought, and the theories of the inherent goodness and the inherent evil of human nature.

There is no fixed answer; the key lies in scale and balance.

In this era lacking entertainment, Tian Ze had few hobbies: fishing, watching ball games, listening to music, appreciating dances, and watching the debates between the various schools of thought.

Even the smallest topic, after in-depth analysis by both parties, can always give Tian Ze a sense of sudden enlightenment.

The more Tianze knew, the more awe he felt.

He has picked up many books that he used to scoff at, such as "The Doctrine of the Mean".

The works of these sages are truly gems, and each reading brings new insights.

Based on what I've seen and heard since then, I can see some things more clearly and understand them more thoroughly. For example, Tian Ze's current tacit approval of "forced relocation" was something he would never have done before; he would have only increased rewards to encourage people to relocate voluntarily.

Because in the past, Tianze only felt that everything should be done from the perspective of the people, and that he should do his best to fight for their interests.

But that was when there were few people under his rule, and he was exploiting the entire country for his own benefit.

With relatively abundant resources, the people were easily satisfied, having gone from chaos to order, and with the Central Plains as a reference point.

After gaining control of the entire Central Plains, Tian Ze gradually realized how simplistic his previous thoughts and actions had been.

Ordinary people can only see a very small part of the world because their world is small and they cannot see that far or that deep.

The interests that ordinary people fight for are not always just; they are often built on the theft of the interests of the entire society and the harm to the interests of others.

If this village doesn't relocate, then that village will have to. If no one relocates, and another country grows strong and invades in the future, future generations will suffer.

Therefore, "forced relocation" became a helpless move by Tian Ze after weighing the overall pros and cons, for the long-term interests of the country and the people, but against the people's current wishes and harming their short-term interests.

Tian Ze knew that it was not wrong for the relocated people to be unwilling to leave; in their eyes, it was indeed "unfair."

Having returned from his experience serving under Liu Bei, Tian An is now participating in the review of some government affairs under Tian Ze's arrangement.

Looking at the reports submitted by officials from various regions, many of whom were even "pleading for the people," Tian An couldn't help but sigh.

Tian Ze, who was taking a short rest nearby, watched this scene and smiled faintly.

"What? Have you softened your heart?"

Upon hearing this, Tian An put down the report in his hand and looked at Tian Ze with a slightly confused expression: "Father, since the implementation of the relocation policy, many areas have harbored deep resentment. Shouldn't this matter be reconsidered at a later stage?"

Tian Ze lightly tapped the table, the gilded dragon pattern shimmering in the candlelight, reflecting the light and shadow in his eyes: "Not bad, able to understand the people's plight, my son is benevolent."

"However, my son, do you know the saying, 'Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs'?"

Tian An nodded: "This is what Lao Tzu said in the Tao Te Ching."

"Does Your Majesty think this statement is right or wrong?" Tian Ze asked meaningfully.

Tian An looked hesitant.

Before he had gone through the trials, he might have thought this statement was biased.

Although he studied a wide range of schools of thought, Tian An's education was mainly based on Confucianism and Legalism. He was not very interested in Taoism and always felt that governing by non-action was not the right way.

Although the teachings of Taoism are profound, they are not the principles of governing a country.

However, after experiencing numerous battles and conflicts under Liu Bei's command, Tian An realized that many things were not as he had imagined, and only through personal experience could he understand the hardships and suffering involved.

Seeing this, Tian Ze smiled slightly: "Heaven and earth are ruthless, which is the greatest benevolence."

"My son, you have been serving in the military for the past two years. Do you know how difficult it is for soldiers?"

Tian An nodded and said in a deep voice, "The soldiers train hard every day and are fearless on the battlefield. They are truly the pillars of the nation."

(End of this chapter)