As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 282 No path is inherently dead.

"I wonder how my benefactor views the Blood-Clad Army and my brother?"

Wang Liu didn't beat around the bush and looked directly at Ming Chen, asking the question he most wanted to ask.

Mingchen lowered his eyes and said calmly, "Although Brother Wang and I are not blood brothers, he treats me with sincerity that surpasses that of blood brothers. I will always respect him."

He didn't mention the Blood-Clad Army, only Wang Huai.

Looking into his eyes, Wang Liu asked, "If that's the case, why are you unwilling to help my brother, my benefactor?"

Mingchen simply smiled and shook his head: "Personal feelings are personal feelings. Even parents cannot decide the course of their children's lives, so how can an elder brother? Everyone has their own ideals and things they want to do. Some people are willing to dedicate their lives to fulfilling the ideals of others, while others have their own things to do. I belong to the latter."

Mingchen and Wang Liu are both Wang Huai's younger brothers.

Of the two younger brothers, Wang Liu is the former that Mingchen mentioned. He was willing to venture alone into the enemy capital, enduring hardships, just to cooperate with his brother from the inside at a crucial moment. Wang Huai's ideal was actually Wang Liu's ideal.

Mingchen is different. He can use his words to point Wang Huai in the right direction, but where he goes and what he does are all his own decisions.

Upon hearing this, Wang Liu pursed her lips and finally sighed.

He is a reasonable person. Everyone is free. If someone is unwilling, you can't use morality or sentiment to bind him.

"What about the Blood-Clad Army?"

“My benefactor, I have always been puzzled as to why you treat the Blood-Clad Army so harshly.”

Wang Liu raised her voice a few decibels and stared intently at Ming Chen: "Aren't these people followers gathered by the spiritual signals you sent out? Aren't they the people you like?"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Mingchen's smile faded somewhat, and he countered, "May I ask, Brother Liu, what makes you think I'm harsh on the Blood-Clad Army?"

People are always prone to self-pity.

They always exaggerate their own efforts, ignore their own mistakes, and are harsh on others' attitudes.

"My benefactor, Liu wants to ask, what are your plans for the Blood-Clad Army?"

"From the moment the Blood-Clad Army rose up, did my benefactor foresee this outcome?"

Wang Liu had no doubt about Mingchen's wisdom, vision, and ability.

He complained about Mingchen, but he never underestimated him.

In his mind, Mingchen's abilities were like those of a god, and everything was within his calculations.

The reason things didn't go as planned was actually due to Mingchen's harsh attitude.

If Mingchen is willing, the Blood-Clad Army will surely have a brighter future.

"Does our benefactor merely want the Blood-Clad Army to pave the way for the new Emperor Qian Yuan?"

"Does our benefactor simply want the Blood-Clad Army to eliminate all the powerful and influential figures from the old dynasty who are blocking our way?"

"Does our benefactor intend for the Blood-Clad Army to act as suicide soldiers and block the Northern Fierce Army?"

"Does our benefactor intend for the Blood-Clad Army to muddy the waters of the world, in order to highlight the wisdom and benevolence of the new Emperor Qian Yuan and win the hearts of the people?"

"My benefactor, my Blood-Clad Army, my brother... are we merely pawns in your game?"

Wang Liu addressed Mingchen as her benefactor, but every word she uttered was a veiled interrogation.

Ever since the Blood-Clad Army occupied Kyoto, and things started to get worse, these questions have been constantly on Wang Liu's mind.

Mingchen never sided with the Blood-Clad Army, so does that mean the Blood-Clad Army was just cannon fodder for him?

He wanted to see Mingchen to get the answers to these questions.

He just wanted to know one result: even if Mingchen really harbored ill intentions towards them, he would accept it.

After all, they had once been penniless and hovered on the brink of death. It was only after meeting Mingchen that they had the opportunity to live such a magnificent life.

Mingchen remained unperturbed by Wang Liu's impolite questions.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and felt the delicate aroma of the tea spread in his throat.

"Brother Liu, the general trend of the world cannot be changed by the will of an individual."

"The bigger the plan, the more likely it is to change, because too many people are involved and too many accidental factors will affect the outcome. I am not as good as you say, able to predict the outcome ten years from now."

"Even now, I don't know what the future holds. I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate."

Mingchen shook his head: "However, I can tell you that I do expect the Blood-Clad Army to overthrow all the powerful and influential figures of the old dynasty, uprooting them completely. They are parasites on the country, and their existence has already threatened the safety of this country."

Upon hearing this, Wang Liu lowered her eyes.

"but……"

However, Mingchen then changed the subject: "This matter was not decided by me, but by my elder brother and the Blood-Clad Army themselves. The newly emerging resistance forces and the old privileged class have an irreconcilable contradiction. This contradiction is your slogan for starting the uprising, your driving force. Without this goal, how can you start an uprising? This is something you must do, otherwise what is the point of your uprising?"

In name, Wang Huai was the spiritual leader and banner of the Blood-Clad Army.

However, in reality, this spiritual banner was erected for him by Mingchen, so Wang Liu, who knew the truth, somewhat idolized Mingchen and placed some responsibilities that did not belong to him on his shoulders.

Those privileged classes were born enemies of the Blood-Clad Army, and their relationship with them was irreconcilable.

Without these powerful and influential families, the Blood-Clad Army could not have been established.

Why does the Blood-Clad Army's war never stop?

Because that is the meaning of their existence; everyone is united in their efforts to overthrow the old dynasty.

However, in Wang Liu's eyes, it was Ming Chen's special arrangement to have the Blood-Clad Army clean up these dregs and pave the way for Xiao Xinyue.

The priorities have been reversed.

Wang Liu had no interest in drinking tea. He had maintained good emotional control during his years as an undercover agent in the capital, and he remained calm even now while overseeing the rear of Qi.

But at this moment, he became somewhat agitated: "But...but this road is a dead end! My benefactor, tell me, where does the future of the Blood-Clad Army lie?"

"A hundred years from now, history will record that I, my elder brother, and all of us who risked our lives for this cause were nothing more than demons who instigated chaos in the country."

Mingchen raised an eyebrow: "A dead end?"

“Brother Liu, no path is inherently dead. Back then, my elder brother and I shared the same ideals, and every word we spoke came from the bottom of our hearts. There was no deception. I told him about the advantages and disadvantages of starting an uprising.”

“I’ve joined Qian Yuan now simply because I prefer life here. But I’ve never said that the path my elder brother has taken is a dead end.”

Since things have come to this point, and Mingchen can trust Wang Liu's character, he might as well lay everything out in the open.

“I’m asking you, Brother Liu.”

"Did I make my elder brother declare himself emperor? Your peasant uprising, crossing huge class barriers, was never legitimate. The Qian Yuan dynasty has been in power for five hundred years, and everyone is already used to the Xiao dynasty! You started your uprising rashly, always shouting slogans about working for the people's welfare and overthrowing corrupt officials. Why did you have to declare yourself emperor and expose your ambition? Why couldn't you use the pretext of purging the court of corrupt officials to march on Yueyang, remove all the nobles, depose the emperor, choose a young member of the royal family who is pleasing to the eye, and use the emperor to command the disobedient? After several generations, you could control everything, digest it, and proceed slowly."

Wang Liu fell silent upon hearing this.

Mingchen was somewhat angry about this matter back in Yueyang City, and he remembered it.

"Secondly, did I tell my elder brother not to manage his men properly? People can change. Loyal and righteous men may turn into bandits and hooligans, but rules cannot be changed. Trust the rules more than character. Any regime should have strict laws. Rules are rules. Even if it's your own brother, he should be punished if he deserves it. How did you govern after you occupied the south? You are a regime, not a bandit gang. Incompetent people who just want to make a living should be kicked out, and promises that shouldn't be made should not be made. You have brotherly affection, but you have lost all the authority of the law. The entire rebel army is loose and chaotic, and the people don't do anything productive, they just shout slogans all day long."

"Thirdly, did I order my elder brother to launch the Northern Expedition and plunder the people? Even if resources are insufficient and the soldiers are starving, you can't rob the people! Have you forgotten who your base of support is? Don't you know who protected the Blood-Clad Army in the south? If you truly care about the people, they will see it. They won't let you perish. If they don't give, you can beg, but you can't rob!"

Wang Liu twitched the corner of her mouth: "Big brother doesn't want to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mingchen interrupted him bluntly: "If you don't want to, why don't you discipline your subordinates?! Is it so hard to just behead anyone who makes a mistake?"

"Fourthly, did I ask my elder brother to personally order the execution of our own men? Now that you've become emperor, you should have the mindset and methods of an emperor. If you want to establish your authority and make an example of someone, why not put one of the chickens and monkeys out to do the dirty work for you? Put out a scapegoat and execute those unruly soldiers. After everything has settled down, my elder brother can then step forward and eliminate that person, pretending to appease the disheartened soldiers. Is that so difficult? This way, the authority of the rules is maintained, and no one can find fault with it. Even if some clever ones can see through it, so what? They will only respect my elder brother more. Let the conflict be resolved internally among the subordinates, instead of making them unite against my elder brother."

Being careful in speech and action is the secret to success.

However, Mingchen spoke at length, which was unusual for him, and his tone was sharp, leaving Wang Liu unable to refute him.

He shared with Wang Liu all the issues he had observed from an outsider's perspective.

It's too late to say these things now, and it's pointless anyway.

But in the end, Mingchen did indeed place his hopes on the Blood-Clad Army.

Having come this far, he was actually somewhat angry at his son's lack of ambition.

The fate of the world is uncertain; a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane.

A thousand-mile-long dike never collapses suddenly in a single moment; it is destroyed little by little by erosion from anthills.

Mingchen has always given the Blood-Clad Army a 20% chance of winning.

It was only by their own efforts that the Blood-Clad Army gradually brought about their own demise.

One by one, seemingly insignificant details that might have gone unnoticed at first became ticking time bombs, accumulating little by little until they all exploded at a crucial juncture, ruining the promising situation. Every loophole that Mingchen pointed out could be traced back to the crux of the current predicament of the Great Qi Dynasty.

As he finished speaking, Mingchen's voice gradually lowered, and his expression became calm.

"Brother Liu, did I ask my elder brother to do all of this?"

The usually carefree and easygoing person was now expressionless, devoid of joy or sorrow, and simply asked Wang Liu in a calm tone, "I ask you, if all these things are done well, is the road still a dead end?"

Wang Liu: ...

His gaze was intense, as if he could see into a person's soul. Every word he uttered penetrated into their heart, leaving Wang Liu, who had just been aggressively questioning him, speechless.

Every word Mingchen said was true.

He not only raised the question, but also provided the best solution.

If the Blood-Clad Army had followed his lead, would things have turned out this way?

Would the Blood-Clad Army have a completely different ending?
Wang Liu sat there, her eyes somewhat vacant.

Is everything entirely his own fault?

A deep sense of regret lingered in my heart.

There are no "what ifs" in this world.

Ultimately, the kind of cause you sow will determine the kind of fruit you reap.

A hero with boundless passion raised his arms and shouted, drawing a hundred responses and sweeping across half the country—this is cause and effect.

Heroes who don't pay attention to details often overlook many seemingly insignificant issues, which can ultimately lead to their demise—this is the law of cause and effect.

“My benefactor, today it is Liu Yuyue’s turn.”

He knelt on the ground and bowed to Mingchen, saying, "Please forgive me."

Ultimately, it was all Wang Huai's own choice.

The uprising was started by Wang Huai, and the subsequent decisions were also made by Wang Huai.

It's unfair to blame Mingchen for it.

Wang Liu felt somewhat embarrassed to blame his benefactor for his own misdeeds.

Mingchen: ...

“Brother Liu, we are equals. A man of seven feet tall should not perform such a grand ceremony.”

“You are older than me, you should be my elder brother.”

An invisible force lifted Wang Liu up, stopping her subsequent movements.

"No one is perfect; it's impossible to go through life without making mistakes."

“Even if we do these things well, we might not win. Chen is just all talk.”

Even if all these details are perfected, the probability of the Blood-Clad Army is only 20%.

Perhaps by some chance, the opportunity will be lost.

Even if you make all the right choices in life, one careless mistake can lead to complete failure.

People are always thinking about "what ifs" and "what ifs," and perhaps other choices wouldn't lead to a better outcome.

Mingchen shook his head: "I can tell you, you are not devils, you are all heroes, the blood of resistance flows in your veins, and your spirit will be passed on."

This is the first uprising in five hundred years, rising from the grassroots. There are too many unknowns and too many difficulties ahead. Getting to this point is already a miracle. We cannot ask more of them.

Choosing Mingchen sounds simple, but it's actually very difficult to do.

Reality presents numerous problems, making it difficult to achieve perfection in both aspects.

In any army, there will always be those who are the first to charge into battle.

Someone always has to take the first step, and whatever they do, whether they succeed or fail, they will be remembered by history.

As time goes by, the loyal souls and righteous bones will all turn into a handful of yellow earth.

Future generations will only see the words and numbers in history books; they will never know how many hardships and tribulations, how many tears and tragedies, were endured along the way.

But I believe history is fair. People will remember these rebels, the chaos they caused, and how they united to unleash the power of the underprivileged, all for the sake of a brighter future.

Wang Liu's eyes were bloodshot as she looked at Ming Chen pleadingly: "My benefactor, is the Blood-Clad Army truly beyond help now?"

Mingchen is an omnipotent person; he can always see the crux of a problem and always provide a solution.

So what now?
Can he change the current awkward situation of the Blood-Clad Army?

Mingchen simply shook his head: "Brother Liu, regardless of whether there is a law or not, you shouldn't ask me."

"One's stance determines the direction in which one acts."

"I already told my older brother that the next time we meet, we'll be rivals."

"The world will eventually be unified, and there will only be one winner."

Upon hearing this, Wang Liu paused, then sighed softly, as if she had aged considerably in an instant.

The Blood-Clad Army was a self-reliant and righteous army, and he felt somewhat pathetic in his current powerlessness.

He stood up, bowed to Mingchen, and said, "My benefactor, I will not reveal a word about what happened today."

"Thank you so much for clearing up my doubts, Liu is extremely grateful."

Although the answer wasn't good, at least the doubts were resolved.

Mingchen wouldn't help him; the future was uncertain, but he still wanted to accompany his brother on this journey.

Mingchen simply waved his hand casually: "Don't say any more, come, have some tea."

Mingchen chuckled, sitting casually like a carefree young master. His calm and sharp demeanor from just moments ago seemed to vanish in an instant: "Let me tell you, this tea is from the south. It's incredibly delicious, and it's not served to just anyone."

Back in Yueyang, the capital, they used to drink and make merry.

Time flowed slowly, and the benefactor became a marquis, while the wine was replaced by precious tea.

For some reason, Wang Liu felt a pang of nostalgia for her early days in Kyoto.

He gulped down the tea, ate the peony-shaped tea leaves, wiped his mouth, and bowed to Mingchen, saying, "Well... Brother Ming, I have to go now. My elder brother is still waiting for me, so I won't bother you any longer."

Mingchen didn't try to stop him, and stood up as well: "Then I wish Brother Liu a safe journey."

Wang Liu said to Ming Chen, "Brother Ming, what I just said was all my own unauthorized speculation and has nothing to do with my brother."

"When I left, my elder brother told me to pass on a message to the descendants of the Ming brothers when I saw them."

"Oh?"

"My brother misses you very much, saying that even rivals can drink together."

Wang Liu left decisively.

Mingchen stood under the eaves, quietly watching him walk away alone.

His eyes darted around, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"Young Master? Young Master?"

The little bird came close to him and gently nuzzled his cheek.

Mingchen lowered his eyes and smiled, "I'm only twenty years old, but I already feel a bit old..."

As people get older, they tend to reminisce about the past.

For some reason, I recalled that summer, amidst the incessant chirping of cicadas, the story of a wealthy family's child and a starving refugee.

No one could have imagined that these two seemingly insignificant individuals would cause such a dramatic change to the world ten years from now.

Those roads were not chosen by Mingchen for Wang Huai.

However, if he had stayed by Wang Huai's side, he probably wouldn't have experienced so many twists and turns.

Can the Blood-Clad Army create a brand new future?
Starting from the bottom, rising steadily upwards, overcoming all obstacles, and creating a brand new future.

The probability of 20% is extremely low, but wouldn't it be more interesting to create such a miraculous legend?

(End of this chapter)