Mythical Three Kingdoms

As for this aspect, Li You pondered over it several times but couldn’t come up with a plan. It’s fundamentally a deadlock. Although Li You acknowledged that Chen Xi’s current approach with the three cornerstones could indeed be worthy of being the foundation of eternity, the problem is that if things go wrong, this foundation of eternity might collapse the Empire.

However, speaking of this, Chen Xi every day seemed to be carefree, neither hurried nor slow, but Li You estimated that Chen Xi was also confident, so he never mentioned this aspect. Chen Xi’s consistent foresight was also the guarantee for everyone’s calmness.

”Zichuan, speaking of which, have you ever thought about whether one day, if you were no longer here, would the world still proceed along the predetermined track?” Li You pondered for a moment, and then took this opportunity concerning military expenses to ask this question.

Chen Xi’s step paused involuntarily, standing still watching Li You, with a somewhat perplexed expression.

”It will. When the war chariot rushes forward, no road matters anymore, and to stop this maddening chariot, probably no one can do it.” Although perplexed, Chen Xi still reassured Li You.

”That war chariot might very well be scattered after losing you.” Jia Xu suddenly interjected with divine insight. Don’t really think Jia Xu’s strategy is poor; he’s just better at planning for himself, excelling by waiting for others to make mistakes.

”Before it gets scattered, I’ve already changed the chassis to refined steel and replaced the horses with connected horses.” Chen Xi chuckled and said, the sealed porcelain kiln, the sealed sugar production, the sealed tea processing, and the sealed foreign trade, as well as the northern pasture, these are the fundamental economic future of the Empire.

It’s not about exploiting people’s food to supply the Empire, but about the Empire using industry to support the world. Porcelain, sugar production, and tea processing, as long as there is foreign trade and monopoly, can supply the Empire from this era to the twentieth century.

As for the northern pasture, instead of letting the Hu People move with the grass, it’s better to partition the pasture, have the state plant fodder, and breed cattle and sheep. Don’t mention future three million livestock, believe it or not, every year the Han Dynasty could fight anyone they want.

Hence, the northern prairie must belong to the Han Dynasty. That cursed place Siberia can be left alone, but the pasture with good grass must be reclaimed.

Instead of giving it to the Northern Barbarians to let them cause trouble every year, it’s better to turn them into Han People. Chen Xi simply doesn’t believe it; under strict pasture management, if they can eat well and dress well, they’ll have any thoughts of causing trouble.

According to Chen Xi’s calculations, about 300,000 people can manage the Northern Grasslands pasture, the rest can all be relocated south for development. As for animal infectious diseases, Chen Xi is currently looking for excellent veterinarians, if he remembers correctly, there’s a clan specialized in this.

The problem is Chen Xi asked the Members of Chen Family which Central Plains family had the ancestral knowledge of livestock breeding, and the Chen Family Elder said that those two unlucky families were destroyed, one with the surname Zhao and the other Luo. The former was destroyed four hundred years ago, the latter two hundred years ago, and the remaining ones aren’t presentable.

Therefore, they can only ask Qu Qi for help afterward, as the Tiancang Clan, which deals with grain planting, supposedly has something to do with livestock breeding. Even though Qu Qi awkwardly stated that the Tiancang Clan just manages farming and has no connection with livestock breeding, Chen Xi always believed it’s all food-related...

Food always has some correlation, so Qu Qi must shoulder the blame, and Chen Xi inquired with professionals. For large-scale breeding, costs can be significantly reduced, and profits can increase alarmingly.

Five million cattle could almost boast that the Han Dynasty became an empire riding on the backs of cows, which is undoubtedly much more reliable than horse or sheep back, at least it’s stable.

Chen Xi doesn’t believe it, with the state’s control over tea tax, sugar profits, porcelain, the northern pasture, plus the existing silk trade, could they all go down in the same year, of course, if they run into something like the Donglin Faction at the end of the Ming Dynasty, then Chen Xi has nothing to say.

It’s just that the soil for the birth of the Donglin Faction has already been removed by Chen Xi, and in this life, the imperial examination system absolutely cannot be monopolized by one family, so Chen Xi is confident, that when he falls, the four Divine Steeds he left behind will pull the Great Han Dynasty forward.

Although driving political progress with economic means indeed isn’t great, it’s far better than internal oppression. Anyway, Rome and the Han Dynasty are far enough apart, they can’t fight if they wanted to, both sides can only stare at each other waiting for the other to perish.

Anyway, Chen Xi doesn’t believe that before industrialization, the Han Dynasty and Rome could fight a nation-destroying war spanning thousands of miles. Even during World War II, Germany was dragged down by long supply lines and harsh winters, Rome and the Han Dynasty could at best stare at each other, maintaining mutual threats.

Of course, this can’t be without Central Asia being turned into a mess, but Central Asia being a mess doesn’t affect the Central Plains whatsoever, let them be, let them fight, as long as the Han Dynasty knows it isn’t invincible, it’s enough.

In the era of cold weapons, Chen Xi carefully deduced that an empire only needs to ensure a few points to survive. The first is the army’s independence, the second is the people’s ability to survive, and the third is having money and grain for external warfare.

The military, one of the three cornerstones, absolutely cannot earn money independently, this class is completely stripped of production, supported by the state, fighting for the state. The funds and benefits for this are actually supported by those things Chen Xi is currently storing without commencing.

The military’s material consumption is collectively accounted for by the military, the government, and the Imperial Clan, with layers of oversight. In short, the military has combat power but no money or grain.

As for the army’s independence, there’s no need to elaborate, it belongs to the country. Within, the Green-cloth hooligan escort can be used at will, but mobilizing the army is a matter for the entire world to strike against.

Chen Xi cross-referenced Liu Bang’s previous White Horse Oath concerning this rule, generally finding no issues, and having such a rule basically cuts off possible future wars.

However, Chen Xi is also aware that this move isn’t foolproof, but it doesn’t matter if the military, politics, and economy all collapse; the country would be due for reshuffling anyway.

Chen Xi doesn’t believe he can ensure eternal glory, after all, he’s human, not a god. The human heart is unpredictable, and in just this generation, while he’s alive, it’s already difficult to control; if he’s gone, who knows how things will turn out in the future.

However, Chen Xi, after accounting for all these considerations, feels that he has done well enough. It’s estimated that when referring to the prosperous Han of past hundred years of Zhang Zifang, one can add a phrase about the reconstruction and revival under Chen Zichuan, as a transmigrator, he could say he did not disgrace himself.

The great men emerge generation after generation, this is no joke. Being able to press this generation to walk the path he has planned is already a tremendous task for Chen Xi, let alone afterward, what he can do is try to plan this generation well, as for the future, we shall see.

All Chen Xi can hope for is that once the chariot of conquest sets off on the planned road, no one can stop it again. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)