Doctor, I'm really strong!

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were still quite cautious in their actions, mainly because the Commonwealth currently had the upper hand in terms of national strength. At present, the Commonwealth's total population has expanded to more than 40 million. Although there are still several million people scattered in the immigration areas of border cities who are under observation and learning examinations, they are people who are loyal to the Commonwealth to a certain extent. If the Commonwealth offers formal citizenship as a reward, these people will definitely be willing to act as vanguards and fight to the death with the Commonwealth's enemies.

This is under the condition of a full-scale war mobilization by the community, but does the community need such mobilization at this stage?

Ironically, more than five million people in the community are now unruly civilians who fled from Yan. Even if they don't hate the Yan court to the bone, they still feel a deep hatred for their fathers. With so many "traitors" gathered together, if Liu Jiuli were to arm them, Yan would be doomed. They might as well go find the old crooked-necked tree.

Therefore, various reforms are currently underway within the Yan Kingdom. However, everyone is probably aware of the disastrous state of reforms at the end of a feudal dynasty. Even figures as capable as Wang Anshi and Zhang Juzheng ultimately failed. It's like having terminal cancer; don't even think about how to cure it. The best course of action is to find a better reincarnation in the next life.

The result of this piecemeal approach was that the Yan Kingdom began to follow the path of the Song Dynasty: wherever there was disaster, the court would conscript soldiers; wherever there was instability, the court would conscript soldiers, then gather and train these soldiers, and then disperse them to various places. In this way, stability would be improved.

In response, Liu Jiuli could only ask, "Is practicing the Seven Injury Fist fun?"

Anyone can see that doing this will not eliminate the conflict, but only temporarily shift it away. It's like giving medicine to delay the collapse of a body riddled with holes, and it may even make the body look energetic for a short time. But is this useful?

The saying "It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but only one day to use it" aptly illustrates the cost and expense of training soldiers. With so many men entirely funded by the imperial treasury, and with trade routes between East and West completely controlled by the common people, the security of Yan's foreign trade was utterly unsecured. They were solely focused on internal exploitation. With such severe land annexation in Yan, how much money did the common people have? Were the officials no longer going to live? Were the landlords no longer collecting rent? Were the gentry no longer taking bribes? Were the military officers no longer exploiting their soldiers?

That's impossible, it's obvious just by thinking about it.

The result of this is that the imperial court has to bear increasingly high costs of maintaining the army. In order for these cannon fodder to exert a certain combat effectiveness, basic military training must be guaranteed. So when the finances of the Yan Kingdom's court can no longer bear it, things will become "a group of people who have received military training are suddenly thrown into society to make a living after losing their jobs."

It would be better to just commit suicide and end it all quickly. Is Yan Kingdom starting to give up on everything?

Or rather, they plan to deploy these soldiers somewhere, hoping that as long as enough unruly civilians die quickly enough, the remaining ones won't be able to rebel against me. Their conscience is truly utterly wicked!

After gathering intelligence from all sides, Liu Jiuli was absolutely certain that Yan Kingdom was preparing to open a battlefield in Dongguo, dragging the community into a quagmire. "Dongguo is not Afghanistan, and you are not America, traitors."

Liu Jiuli tapped the location of the Eastern Kingdom on the map with his finger, and then he noticed a problem.

According to the intelligence, the Eastern Kingdom is currently divided into North and South. The intelligence regarding the secret cooperation between the Eastern Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom mainly focuses on the Southern Shogunate, but what about the Northern Shogunate? Why is the Northern Shogunate absent?

Upon noticing this, Liu Jiuli immediately gathered all the intelligence on the Northern Shogunate of the Eastern Kingdom. He then discovered that the Northern Shogunate was almost completely transparent to the community. Looking at the long list of personnel, one might think that the community had turned the Northern Shogunate into a province of the community.

It's important to understand that within the Northern Shogunate, two-thirds of the key and high-ranking positions have been filled by their own people...

What's even more amazing is that these positions were all personally appointed by the shogun of the Northern Shogunate.

After confirming several times, Liu Jiuli smiled.

"The shogun of the Northern Shogunate wants to make friends."

Section 288: This man is so honest and upright, he must be!

(Second update, (～￣▽￣)～)

Eastern Country, Northern Shogunate.

Raiden was actually fishing, a new hobby she developed after transmigrating. If she was lucky, she would have fish for dinner; if she didn't catch anything, it didn't matter, since the Shogun's meals couldn't be bad.

With Kujo, the general's right-hand man, serving by his side, passersby would only wonder whose young lady this was if it weren't for the samurai on guard.

"I'm having good luck today."

Raiden looked at the harvest in the bucket and smiled with satisfaction.

"Kujo."

"Yes, General."

"Have all the new people I appointed reported for duty?"

"Reporting to the General, they have all arrived at their posts."

Lei Dian smiled meaningfully: "They've all arrived a week before they're actually on duty. They're really diligent."

Kujo replied, "Everyone loves and respects the general, so they all wish they could do something for him right away."

"Do they really love and respect me?"

Kujo looked at Raiden General, puzzled, unsure how to respond.

Raiden Shin continued, "Recently, we've produced many outstanding talents here, haven't we? They're all shrewd and capable, dedicated to the country and its people, and incorruptible—it's like a dream."

Kujo quickly replied, "This is because the General governs the country effectively."

"Really? Is it really that simple? Have you looked at those people's resumes?"

"Yes, I have seen them all."

"how do you feel?"

"They are all outstanding talents, and they are promising gems no matter where they are placed."

Raiden laughed even more heartily, as if his scheme had succeeded, and then said, "Would you be surprised if I told you that they are all from the Eastern Community?"

Kujo stood frozen in place, and after a long while, he forced himself to say, "The General's joke is quite amusing."

Raiden's smile faded, and he said calmly, "This is not a joke, it's true. In fact, there are even members of the East Communist Party among the samurai around us now."

Kujo was completely unsettled and immediately began to think about how many members of the East Asian Communist Party were here and what they wanted to do.

At this moment, Lei Dian Zhen Chong waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about it. They won't make a move. If nothing unexpected happens, Liu Jiu Li from the community already knows about this. He will definitely be able to see through my goodwill gesture."

Then Raiden sighed: "Those people are really too outstanding. They don't take money, don't amass wealth, don't exploit soldiers, and are thrifty. They are simply outstanding. Nine times out of ten, such people are comrades who share the same beliefs. So many people are striving and working hard for the same goal. It is truly admirable."

Kujo asked, puzzled, "Since you already know who these people are, why do you still keep them by your side, General?"

Raiden Shin countered, "Kujo, do you think these people are dangerous?"

Kujo immediately replied, "Of course! They are extremely dangerous."

Raiden Shin added, "To be precise, they are just very dangerous to the ruling class, but good people to the working class."

Kujo was a little confused, but still spoke up: "But, General, the daimyo are loyal to you, doing this..."

“Loyalty?” Raiden Shin laughed. “I admit that there are people who are absolutely loyal, but the kind of loyalty I want is not the kind that lets them do whatever they want to me. It’s about governing the whole country well. From this point of view, our shogunate’s Three Commissioners system is far inferior to the bureaucracy of the community.”

Kujo: "Is the General planning to implement reforms? If so, then..."

“It’s no use.” Raiden Shin shook his head and said, “Putting aside whether there is enough time, the current geographical location of the Eastern Kingdom determines that this country cannot remain unaffected. It can only waver between the two major powers and wait for an opportunity to choose sides. It’s just that this time one of our neighbors has been replaced by the Community, and the Community wants to smuggle us into communism.”

“National reform requires not only time, but also funds and the exchange of interests. Otherwise, reform will turn into revolution. Even if the community gives us time, Yan will not give us time. Look at the Southern Mufu. It has become an outpost for the struggle between Yan and the community. If Dongguo does not want to become a chessboard, it has no choice but to choose sides.”

Kujo hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why did you choose the Commonwealth, General? If it were Yan Kingdom, you could have stayed... in your current position forever."

Raiden Shin replied with a smile, "Because I have never cared whether I am the Shogun or not. I only want to see a prosperous and happy country. This is my promise to everyone."

The Northern Shogunate had previously sent many people to the Commonwealth to learn, and they brought back many photos. Looking at the bustling cities in the photos, Raiden really thought of the Winter Solstice Kingdom.

But that country was cold and austere, completely lacking the warmth and prosperity of a community. Queen Winter believed that power was the highest form of love, boundless love, and ruthless benevolence. Therefore, Winter was powerful yet cold, and its prosperity was tinged with tyranny.

To believe that power can solve everything is to say that power can solve nothing.

In this regard, the Terra Peoples Community has provided a new answer, and Thunder even has the illusion that the Community's script is the most correct choice for Winter's End.

However, in this script, God is a superfluous being.

That's not bad either. A world where people manage each other, a country like that, can truly iterate and pass on its traditions.

Teyvat has a history of many powerful gods, but their existence has also bound the nations associated with them to them forever. When a god dies, the nation perishes, and there is no future to speak of, nor any chance to start over.

Just look at those former demon gods' followers and you'll know what a cruel selection process the so-called God's love for humanity is.

Yes, gods can bring prosperity to people for thousands of years, but destruction often happens in an instant. After all, the laws of nature do not allow any existence that can challenge the highest order, and the purification of reincarnation will come sooner or later.

In contrast, although Terra is plagued by natural disasters, Originium, disease, and famine, and there is hardly any so-called paradise favored by the gods, the order among people here gives the civilization of this continent more possibilities.

After all, compared to humans, gods are an absolute minority. Even the Rock King Emperor needs humans to manage them.

To realize the people's dream and build a better future, since one has never cared about one's own position, then of course one should choose the community.

The same logic applies to appointing those lurking members of the East Communist Party. The ideology of the community is infiltrating the entire East. The Northern Shogunate has now largely entered the ranks of the revolutionaries, and this force is backed by the community. When Liu Jiuli notices the changes on the Northern Shogunate's side, he will definitely have some ideas.

The anti-Dong forces within the Eastern Kingdom are also very powerful, but on the Northern Shogunate side, a balance of power has been established between the two sides. It remains to be seen when the giant behind the scenes will break this balance.

Lei Dianzhen turned around and said, "If I were Liu Jiuli, I would definitely take action against the Southern Army first."

Kujo paused, a puzzled expression on her face.

Raiden Shin laughed and said, "Because there are deep-water harbors over there that don't freeze over."

Section 289: The Eastern Civil War 1105-2-25

(Where are everyone's comments? (?ω?))

Now Kujo was even more confused.

The oceans of Terra have become extremely dangerous due to the presence of the Sea Kings. In addition, the interconnected structure of the entire Terra continent means that the nations here have no understanding of what long-distance trade is. Even Iberia's overseas colonization is merely along the coastline, which is not even comparable to Europe during the Age of Exploration.

But Raiden truly comes from the continent of Teyvat, from Inazuma. In this maritime nation, maritime trade is the economic pulse of life and an important window connecting the continent of Teyvat. Liyue's prosperity also benefits from its open and thriving port trade.

The simplest calculation shows that sea freight is much cheaper than land and air freight.

Even with behemoths like landships on Terra, maritime transport will still be a low-cost mode of transportation once it develops. Unless humanity can use space teleportation or anti-gravity technology like it's nothing, using technological advantages to overwhelm the advantages of the natural environment, maritime transport will eventually fall into disuse. But that won't mean it will become useless; rather, it will mean there will be better alternatives.

Just as machine guns defeat cavalry, but cars and tanks destroy them, this is a matter of niche replacement. Without a substitute, the original dominant species will not disappear.

Liu Jiuli's plan reminded Lei Dian of something familiar: the history of the Geo Archon leading the people to build Liyue Harbor during the Demon God War. Liu Jiuli had built a massive port city on the coast of the Far North, replacing traditional agriculture and animal husbandry with trade and Mora.

Although the city is not yet in use, Raiden certainly doesn't consider it a mere decorative spectacle.

Although the port is frozen for two-thirds of the year, having it and not having it are two different things.

The community is reaching out to the ocean, and this is driven by Liu Jiuli's will. Because the locals of Terra rarely take the initiative to touch the ocean, and even if someone recognizes the ocean's bounty, they are afraid of the dangers of the sea.

In such circumstances, anyone who dares to be a pioneer must possess extraordinary strategic vision, formidable strength, and an unwavering will to support the realization of this vision.

Coincidentally, Liu Jiuli possessed all of these qualities, and he actually did them.

Sometimes, you don't understand why you have to do things a certain way unless you're in that position. If the community's base were in Yan, Liu Jiuli would definitely go directly to develop the southeast coast and wouldn't bother with Dongguo, as long as that little brat doesn't overestimate himself and provoke them.

But now the core of the community is the Ursus Empire, or the Far East. Without strong political centralization to develop, such a harsh land will forever remain a wasteland. It is no exaggeration to say that it was the Soviet system that brought Russia to a position it would not normally be in.

With geographical conditions highly similar to Russia, Ursus is naturally not immune to this fate, the fate of geopolitics. God has made the surrounding environment this way, what can you do? Before humans create a weather controller, the only option is to fight your way out.

In the short term, the community cannot liberate Yan State. Its vast population and land are beyond the current capacity of the community to absorb. Moreover, Liu Jiuli wants a complete revolution. If less than a million idiots are hanged after the fall of this feudal regime, then he would be considered merciful.

These vacant positions all need to be filled, and Yan's current small-scale agricultural economy must also be dismantled; otherwise, you can forget about the country's industrialization.

More than 400 million people are also more than 400 million mouths. They can bring miracles, but you also have to feed them. Liu Jiuli can't bear to see the common people suffer, so he can only make the officials suffer. He uses all kinds of methods to slowly boil the blue poison in water. When the community is enough to liberate the entire Yan Kingdom and solve the subsequent construction problems, it will be the end of this feudal dynasty.

Since that's the case, the only way for the community to get access to the sea is to target the Eastern Kingdom. If those people in the Southern Shogunate of the Eastern Kingdom had even a shred of integrity, they wouldn't be so inhuman. Not only are their domestic conflicts on the verge of exploding, but they've also been dragged into a proxy war by the Yan Kingdom. This is definitely a path of no return.

The alliance and the Yan Kingdom fought each other, and in the end, the Eastern Kingdom was destroyed. As expected, when the big brothers fight, the little brothers suffer.

VeryCola agreed, and Heqi gave it a thumbs up with tears in his eyes.