The Wallfacer: Everyone wants to break through my wall.

"If you're unwilling, then we'll have no choice but to come to you to collect our debts. That's perfectly legal and reasonable, isn't it? The banks in the space city do the same thing, except this time it's our Taylor Group's turn to be the creditors."

When Lin Feng said this, the expressions of the representatives from various human forces changed repeatedly.

How else can you collect a debt? Of course, you have to use violence. You can't just ask for a debt in a gentle and polite way, can you?

So the question is, to what specific degree is this 'violence'?

Is it possible to deploy the entire main fleet of the Taylor fleet?

This is a perfectly reasonable excuse to launch an attack, and the key is that it's impossible to refute. The Taylors are standing on the moral high ground, believing that paying back debts is a matter of course, and that this isn't some kind of usury.

The representative from the Space Force couldn't stand it any longer and joined in to remind Lin Feng.

"Human civilization needs orderly development to counter the Trisolaran fleet that will arrive in the solar system in the future. The actions of the Taylor system have violated this original intention. As a former Wallfacer, Mr. Taylor, our Space Force hopes that you can consider the overall situation."

Lin Feng nodded in deep agreement, showing no intention of refuting.

"The Space Force representative is absolutely right. As the representative of the Taylor system, I completely agree with his point of view. As the leaders of human civilization, we should consider the bigger picture. Therefore, I propose that the Space Force go to the indebted space cities to collect their debts on behalf of our Taylor system. What do you think?"

Lin Feng's gaze swept across the room, revealing a circle of bewildered expressions.

"???"

Not only was the representative from the Space Force dumbfounded, but the representatives from other human factions were also dumbfounded.

Lin Feng coughed lightly and continued, "First of all, the losses of the Taylor Group must be recovered. We have too many people and too large an economy. If so many people harbor resentment, the consequences will be very serious. The Taylor Group has a high level of education and strong practical skills, which can easily lead to larger-scale conflicts. In order to control the situation and minimize the conflict, if any space cities default on their debts, we must take action."

"Secondly, if it were our Taylor Group that were to collect the debt, although it would be reasonable and legal, it would inevitably provoke resentment. It would be bad if some irrational people took irrational actions, which could easily escalate the conflict. Therefore, it is more appropriate to let the Space Force collect the debt."

"Firstly, as the embodiment of international order within the solar system, the Space Force has the responsibility to maintain order and stability. Secondly, the Space Force is more capable than the Taylor system and must have a non-offensive and efficient way to collect debts, so that both the Taylor system and the space city of the other party to the agreement can have a satisfactory result."

Despite feeling somewhat elated that the Space Force representative was praised by a key figure in the Taylor faction in such a public setting, he remained steadfast in his stance and replied...

“Maple Taylor, we need to discuss this matter further.”

The meeting lasted for thirty hours, with six sessions held over three days, discussing issues such as the two-way immigration agreement and the new Irish Community, but very little was discussed.

The meeting concluded that the penalty for breach of the bilateral immigration agreement could be repaid in installments.

The premise for the Taylor system to make such a concession is that the happiness index of the lower-class population in all space cities cannot be lower than that of the Taylor system.

To this end, the Solar System Fleet Joint Conference established a special review body that regularly conducts happiness index tests on the lower-level populations of major space cities every year, and space cities that fail to meet the standards will be required to make rectifications.

Those who repeatedly fail to correct their behavior may be subject to a joint military operation, formed under the guise of the Solar System Fleet Joint Conference, to forcibly take over the space city for rectification.

This day was recorded in history and called the 'Spring of Labor' by the workers.

Chapter 176 Those who attain the Way receive much help.

Since the confrontation between the two fleets and the asteroid belt and Kuiper Belt, and the signing of a new agreement at the Solar System Fleet Joint Conference, the political structure of the human world has become completely polarized.

One side is the Taylor Group centered around Lin Feng, and the other side is the Space Force. Through strategic alliance agreements, various human forces are brought together to form a united front, thus creating an opposing camp, the Alliance.

Within just two years, the conflict between the two forces became increasingly acute, forcing many neutral parties to choose between the two sides.

A year later, during a standoff between the two fleets, a sudden solar flare disrupted radio communications between the high-frequency and conventional bands throughout the solar system. This unexpected stellar event caused both fleets to lose contact with their rear bases.

In this situation, both the Taylor fleet and the main fleet of the Alliance rapidly raised their war alert levels following the solar flare.

No one knows how long this solar flare will last, and no one can guarantee that the opposing fleet will not take advantage of this opportunity to launch a surprise attack and dismantle the opponent's combat-ready forces.

The Taylor fleet felt an even stronger sense of crisis because it faced enemies from two directions: one was the enemy from Mars to the Sun, with the asteroid belt as the boundary, and the other was the space force base in the Kuiper Belt.

Moreover, the interruption of radio communications was caused by a sunspot eruption. Even the commander of the Taylor fleet could not guarantee that this was not a solar phenomenon deliberately created by the Alliance.

The main fleet of the alliance also thought a lot about it. They even put themselves in the Taylor fleet's shoes and imagined how the main fleet would judge the current situation, so they felt a great sense of crisis.

Not only the two main fleets, but also the decision-makers of the Alliance and the Taylor Group, were uncertain whether their opponents had anticipated the solar flare and whether they would take further military action against them.

Even if we concede that the other side also did not anticipate this solar flare, once the main fleet, which has lost contact with the decision-making level, engages in combat with the enemy fleet after losing contact, they will have no choice but to enter a state of war.

Since no one could guarantee that the other side wouldn't take advantage of the situation and launch a full-scale attack, both sides activated their war production machines for their own safety, and all space cities entered a state of high alert.

The interruption of communication made the chain of suspicion between the two sides unbreakable.

Under the command of the fleet commander, the weapons of both main fleets were deactivated. Laser cannons and electromagnetic cannons were aimed at the enemy. They had played a brilliant role in the Kuiper Belt Campaign. Radiation kinetic energy projectiles that reached five percent of the speed of light through nuclear fusion radiation were loaded onto the magnetic rails of the electromagnetic cannons.

At this point, all it would take is for the commanders of the two main fleets to press the button to launch a general offensive, and the history of humankind would enter another turning point, with devastating weapons mercilessly annihilating their compatriots.

Fortunately, the sunspot eruption subsided after only an hour.

With communication restored to their rear bases and the alert level lowered, the commanders of both fleets breathed a sigh of relief, unloaded their shipborne weapons that were already ready for deployment, and the two opposing fleets ended their standoff and returned to port.

A potential civil war in the solar system has thus been averted.

However, although no civil war broke out, this event still aroused a collective sense of crisis among humanity.

Pessimism quickly spread in the human world, with people generally believing that humanity would perish due to internal strife before the Trisolaran fleet even reached the solar system.

In other words, if such a confrontation were to escalate into a full-blown conflict, the only ones who would ultimately benefit would be the Trisolarans who arrive in the solar system centuries later.

Meanwhile, with the basic living standards of the lower classes fundamentally improved thanks to Lin Feng's scare tactics, the most pressing need for the lower classes on both sides is a stable living environment, since no one likes war.

Whether it's the Taylor faction or the alliance, the voices from the grassroots are growing louder.

Because of Lin Feng's personal prestige, although there were many voices at the bottom of the Taylor faction who longed for a peaceful end to polarization, they were unable to fundamentally shake the Taylor faction's decisions.

However, the alliance is different. It is a union of multiple forces, which is based on grassroots support. More importantly, the leaders of these multiple forces do not want to see a second civil war break out in the solar system.

Therefore, the alliance's strategy toward the Taylor faction changed from strategic confrontation to vigilance and appeasement.

Seeking peace does not mean surrendering, but rather engaging in healthy competition in a more peaceful manner.

This policy immediately won widespread support from the lower classes, and both the Taylor faction and the Alliance voiced even stronger calls for peaceful competition.

……

Occupying the moral high ground is an intangible advantage, because it naturally gains the approval of the majority.

Those who follow the right path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little help—this is the principle at play.

The Taylor system is facing a similar situation. The alliance advocates peaceful competition, and the lower classes of the human world have started to live a good life. They haven't enjoyed it for long, so naturally they are unwilling to enter a war environment that is worse than before.

If it weren't for Lin Feng and the Taylor Group bringing a 'spring of labor' to the lower classes, the current situation would probably be very unfavorable. There might even be a confrontation between the upper and lower classes within the Taylor Group, or even a split.

The Alliance's peace envoy crossed the asteroid belt to meet with core members of the Taylor system and Lin Feng, conveying the Alliance's idea of ​​peaceful competition.

However, at the meeting, no matter how the peace envoys lobbied, all they got in return was Lin Feng's rejection.

"Could you please reconsider?" the peace envoy asked.

Lin Feng said irritably, "What are you considering? The polarization of the human world is part of my plan, and that will never change."

The peacemaker said, "But with the current approach, it is easy for things to get out of control. If similar solar activity occurs again, and none of us have predicted it beforehand, the civil war in the solar system will inevitably break out again."

"If it's just a matter of bipolar competition, we can compete around virtual space exercises, placing the competition in the virtual world to reduce tensions within the solar system."

"If the world is in a state of panic, who can calm down and focus on development and construction? More people will prioritize how to survive in such an environment rather than how to develop and build."

The peace envoy's claims were echoed by some of the core members of the Taylor faction.

Unfortunately, he couldn't persuade Lin Feng. When Lin Feng was still around, he was the true leader of the Taylor Group. If he said no, no one in the Taylor Group would go against his ideas.

The purpose of the Taylor system is to help the Wallfacer named Maple Taylor better complete his Wallfacer project.

Even though it has now developed into a political entity, its core original intention remains unchanged.

Chapter 177 Unsteady State Inevitably Tends to Steady State

Seeing that Lin Feng remained unmoved no matter how much he pleaded, the peace envoy was somewhat discouraged. After a moment's thought, he decided to try to persuade Lin Feng from another angle.

"Mr. Taylor, may I ask you a question?"

"What do you want to ask?" Lin Feng countered.

"Is your enemy still the Trisolarans?" the peace envoy asked solemnly.

"It always has been."

Lin Feng nodded, giving a clear answer.

The peace envoy then asked, "Is the current bipolar world order based on what you said back then, that it was intentionally designed to spur human progress?"

"Yes."

Lin Feng nodded again.

Having received a clear answer from Lin Feng, the peace envoy asked a third question.

"So, shifting the main focus from 'showing in reality' to 'showing in the virtual world' could not only reduce the tension in local situations and alleviate the outbreak of a second solar system civil war, but also spur human progress. Could you tell me your reasons for hesitation?"

Lin Feng hesitated. The purpose of the polarization pattern was not simply to spur humanity on, but he could not explain it, because that would involve other Wallfacers.

After a moment of silence, Lin Feng replied, "I am worried that in the future, the Taylor system will be blinded by the peaceful environment. You will become complacent and weak because of this competition. The Trisolarans have more than just antimatter and sophon technologies, but these two technologies alone are enough to make humanity feel crushed."

"Thirty years ago, do you know what the high command of the Space Force told me? The human fleet would definitely defeat the Trisolaran fleet. When the Trisolaran fleet arrived in the solar system, they would be no match for the human fleet."

"At first, I thought their confidence came from their great strength, so I asked to watch their military exercises. And what happened? They defeated the fake Trisolarans who were deliberately weakened and had their intelligence lowered, and then they confidently showed off their achievements to me. Do you know how I felt at that time?"

"From that time on, I understood a principle: humanity cannot be at peace. A peaceful environment is just poison. The more peaceful the environment, the weaker humanity becomes, and the less clear-headed we become," Lin Feng replied solemnly.

Lin Feng stared intently into the eyes of the peace envoy, making the latter feel a chill run down his spine.

Lin Feng said, "The idea of ​​polarization is something I started thinking about back then. I don't want there to come a day when the human fleet faces the Trisolaran fleet head-on, and a group of people are like fools who take it for granted that the enemy is weak, indulging in the fantasy of being superior as the strong, and being slaughtered by the enemy with advanced technology amidst laughter and joy, and in the end, they don't even know how they died."

The peace envoy replied, "This situation has not occurred since you intervened in the Space Force's virtual space exercises."

Lin Feng replied irritably, "The reason it hasn't appeared is because I was there to watch over it thirty years ago. During the thirty years of hibernation, the Space Force has been constantly honed in actual combat. This generation of Space Force leaders is still very self-aware."

"But can you guarantee the future? What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again."

"The Trisolaran fleet will need several centuries to reach the solar system. That long period is enough for the space force to go astray. In fact, I don't even trust the Taylor system. We are all human, and this is the norm for humans. Even if the decision-makers of human civilization can ensure that they have self-awareness at all times, can they guarantee that their successors will have the same self-awareness?"

Upon hearing Lin Feng mention the Taylor Group, core members of the Taylor Group, including Davis, all turned to look at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng completely ignored the gazes of the core members of the Taylor system and continued, "Only by maintaining a sense of crisis can the human world always maintain a humble and cautious attitude in order to face the enemies that will arrive in the solar system in the future."

The peace envoy said, "But if humanity falls into civil war, your actions will be tantamount to helping the Trisolaran fleet. The resources wasted in the internal conflict will not reappear, all the electrical energy stored in the macro-electrons will be completely exhausted, and the hatred brought about by the brutal war may even destroy the entire human civilization."

"I urge you to reconsider my proposal for healthy competition, or you may choose not to agree with my proposal for peaceful competition and instead find another way to reduce tensions within the solar system to replace the current situation. Humanity cannot afford civil war; it would be of no benefit to human civilization as a whole."

The peace envoy looked at Lin Feng and made a very sincere request. Although Lin Feng's aura as a superior made him feel extremely nervous, he still firmly expressed his thoughts.

"..." Lin Feng simply looked at the other person without speaking, while the peace envoy also looked at Lin Feng. After a moment of silent staring at each other, Lin Feng turned his head and asked the core members of the Taylor system beside him, "What do you think?"