All the heavens, starting with Little Li Flying Dagger

Chapter 238 Kind-hearted Little Wang
"Xiufang invited the Holy Emperor here this time solely for the sake of the world!"

When Shang Xiufang opened her mouth, her voice was gentle and warm, like a spring breeze.

"Now that the situation in the world is becoming clearer, the world is divided between the Holy Emperor, the Li family, and Li Mi. Xiufang hopes that the Holy Emperor will stop fighting and negotiate peace for the sake of the people."

"You are a beautiful woman, why did you become a thief?"

Wang Gan sighed softly.
"I've heard you have close ties with the Li family. Are you now determined to speak out for them?"

In fact, Wang Gan originally had some goodwill towards Shang Xiufang, because in the original work, Shang Xiufang was not a saint, but a pragmatist who truly died for defending the city and protecting the people.

Shang Xiufang remained composed, yet spoke frankly,
"Originally, the Li family and the Buddhist sect did want to use my words to persuade the Holy Emperor to value peace and, for the sake of all the people, not to resort to violence and cause further suffering."

"For this reason, the Li family and the Buddhist sect are willing to divide the country into North and South with the Holy Emperor, each governing their own territory. They are even willing to pay tribute to the Holy Emperor every year and be regarded as a superior nation!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked!
The Li family, located in Guanzhong, was willing to divide and rule the area, while Buddhism, as the number one religion in the world, was willing to abandon the faith of half of all living beings.

But upon closer reflection, what other choice did they have?
Facing the army led by Song Que, a military genius of the Song clan, plus Wang Gan, the number one man in the world, what are the chances of victory for the Li clan and Li Mi if a battle breaks out?
Putting everything else aside, Wang Gan alone, with his exceptional martial prowess, could probably easily take the heads of all the leaders without much effort.

"But actually I don't want to do it."

Shang Xiufang sighed softly.
"Because I originally thought that the Holy Emperor was a tyrannical ruler who regarded all living beings as worthless, and therefore would not care about the well-being of the people."

"Until Xiufang heard what the Holy Emperor said yesterday: 'The rise and fall of dynasties are all due to the suffering of the people.'"

"Only now do I realize that the Holy Emperor probably also has a great philanthropist in his heart who cares about the world and all living beings."

"Therefore, Xiufang was willing to persuade the Holy Emperor to stop killing for the sake of the people and instead divide the land for governance, which would be best for the people."

Wang Gan's expression turned strange.
So it turns out it's because he's kind?!

"Tell me, how am I a great philanthropist?"

Wang Gan's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
Shang Xiufang spoke slowly, her tone tinged with admiration.
"Since the Holy Emperor's debut, although his actions have been unpredictable and seemingly aimless, they have actually followed a rather predictable pattern,"

"The Holy Emperor has always identified himself as a member of the Demonic Sect, but after conquering the Demonic Sect, he mostly eliminated the troublemakers within it and even consolidated its power, preventing it from committing evil again."

"Looking at how the Holy Emperor recovered his forces, he always took down enemy leaders easily without losing a single soldier. This clearly shows that the Holy Emperor is kind-hearted and unwilling to engage in much bloodshed."

"Secondly, the Holy Emperor's continuous promotion of his divine name, seemingly a path of chaos, was actually a way to reassure the people amidst the turmoil. Later, the Holy Emperor widely distributed sacred talisman water as a catalyst to heal the people's bodies."

"In times of chaos, the emperor's willingness to do practical things for the people shows that his virtue surpasses that of most people in the world!"

Shang Xiufang paused, and as she spoke, her eyes held an even greater sense of reverence.
"Not to mention the 'four world-shaking words' of the Holy Emperor that ushered in an era of peace for all generations, and the famous admonition of 'being the first to worry about the world'."

"The awe-inspiring spirit within is something that ordinary villains could not create."

Wang Gan was confused upon hearing this.

Is he really that kind?!
In reality, all his actions have been for the benefit of the people!
Wang Gan looked at Shang Xiufang with a strange expression. If it weren't for his mental powers, he would believe that everything Shang Xiufang said was true.
He was starting to think this woman was a pervert!
"Even if what you say is true, for the sake of all living beings, there is no reason for me to give up the principle of unifying the world and dividing it into separate kingdoms."

Wang Gan remained calm. “Since the time of the First Emperor, unification has been the inevitable trend of the Central Plains. It is better to have a short pain than a long one. If the north and south are divided, it will cause endless harm to future generations. In less than a hundred years, war will break out again. As the most talented woman in the world, you should know the reason behind this.”

Shang Xiufang sighed.

"As the Holy Emperor said, the unification of the world should be like this, but the Holy Emperor forgot that the world is not only the Central Plains, but also includes powerful tribes such as the Turks and Goguryeo, whose national power is so great that it may even surpass that of the Central Plains."

"Your Majesty should understand that while the Li clan can still feign compliance with the Turks, if Your Majesty were to show any inclination to seize the world, the Turks and even Goguryeo would absolutely not stand idly by and allow you, who claims to be of Han lineage, to become the ruler of the world!"

"If the powerful Turkic states were to resume hostilities during the war between the north and south, the devastation would likely be even greater than it is today!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Gan immediately let out a cold laugh.
He said Shang Xiufang was going to say something shocking to persuade him to reconcile, but it turned out to be the so-called distinction between Chinese and barbarians, and the words of foreigners!

This is also the ideology upheld by Fan Qinghui, Cihang, Jingzhai, and others in the original work—supporting the great integration of Han and non-Han peoples, believing that ethnic integration is the general trend of the world, and that Song Que's insistence on Han orthodoxy is nothing but a mirage.

"So, you also believe that the integration of the Han and non-Han peoples is an inevitable trend, and that the orthodoxy of the Han people is nothing but a mirage?!"

Wang Gan asked calmly.

Shang Xiufang nodded without hesitation.

"Since the Rebellion of the Eight Princes and the Yongjia Rebellion, the Five Barbarian Tribes have invaded the Central Plains. The Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di and Qiang tribes have infiltrated the Central Plains like ants swarming to honey. Since then, the Central Plains has been inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples. To this day, the Han and non-Han peoples are indistinguishable, and the four major tribes all have non-Han blood."

"From now on, the integration of Han and non-Han peoples in the Central Plains dynasties will naturally be the general trend. The actions of future rulers will only be those who regard Han and non-Han peoples as equals, and who are considered wise rulers!"

Shang Xiufang truly deserves to be called the most talented woman in the world. She really has some real skills. She can indeed see the big picture of history and foresee the future trends of the world. If the world were to develop normally, it would indeed be as Shang Xiufang said, with the Han and non-Han peoples as one, without any distinction between you and me.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers secretly nodded in agreement with Shang Xiufang's words.

Who in this world dares to say that they have no Hu (non-Han) blood or Hu habits?
But Wang Gan came into this world precisely because he wanted to take an unconventional path.

“What you say is indeed true. The integration of the Hu and Han peoples is an inevitable trend. Even from your perspective, what Cihang Jingzhai said is not wrong. The Li family are Hu peoples who have integrated Han blood and are located in Guanzhong. If Li Shimin is chosen as emperor, the country can be pacified and the people can be settled in the fastest way.”

"He also appeased the Turks by adopting a familiar demeanor towards them, in order to plan for the future."

Wang Gan sighed.

"But do you know?"

"This Han-dominated world has reached the point where it must be raped."

Rape?!
These words shocked everyone; the Holy Emperor truly did not play by the rules!

"Rape?!"

Upon hearing such blunt words, Shang Xiufang blushed and lowered her head.
"Why does the Holy Emperor say such a thing?"

(End of this chapter)