Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1351: Chapter 1303: Political Science and Ce Theory

Chen Xi looked at Cai Yan curiously. To be honest, he couldn’t quite gauge the depth of Cai Yan. She understood the knowledge he imparted very well and even developed her own thoughts after integrating it.

”I’d like to hear about it too. It’s indeed a bit unfair that you didn’t take the exam,” Chen Xi said through Voice Transmission.

”Perhaps I instilled some of my own thoughts in Wang Yi. Although her writings aren’t profound yet, overall, she has written down all that I initially conveyed,” Cai Yan said through Voice Transmission, and then looked at Wang Yi again. She truly was a very smart woman.

”I might not have thought about these things before. Upon coming to Lord Xuande’s domain, I had a lot of time and came in contact with many of those Classic Books from your place, which, although seem absurd, do have substance when pondered over deeply,” Cai Yan slowly recounted her story.

”Perhaps I have a natural ability to comprehend and understand Classic Books. Your books have provided much to think about, and many of my concepts have changed. The perspective from which I view things is quite different from before,” Cai Yan said, revealing an obvious look of lamentation.

”Although I once worried about it, as of now, it seems good. Many things seem very simple to me now,” Cai Yan looked at Chen Xi with a serene gaze, not appearing confused.

”In my current view, the reform of the dynasty is nothing more than an inevitable process. It can be delayed, hastened, but not prevented from happening, because it is an inevitable result driven by selfish desires and interests,” Cai Yan said with a smile, ”This inevitability was also what you taught me.”

”What genuinely leads to the collapse of a dynasty is essentially one thing: the absence of advancement channels for the lower class and the monopolization of all interests by the upper class. Moreover, under such circumstances, those with vested interests still seek more due to their selfish desires,” Cai Yan recounted using the words Chen Xi had once used, though Chen Xi felt a slight pang in his heart hearing Cai Yan use these terms.

”As for how to resolve this, the most fundamental way is to enhance output, be it in agriculture or the handicrafts mentioned by Marquis Chen. As long as clothing, food, shelter, and transportation can be solved, the dynasty will not collapse regardless of the turmoil,” Cai Yan said with a slight hint of melancholy, ”but it’s impossible.”

”Why is it impossible?” Chen Xi lamented in his heart, impressed by Cai Yan’s astounding comprehension. Such a person, in later generations, could well be a figure of first-level knowledge elite.

”Land, fields, I’ve calculated that a population of about sixty million is roughly the warning line Marquis Chen mentioned. Once the dynasty unifies and enters a period of prosperity, the population will surge. I specifically researched the population numbers from the Former Han to the period During Emperor Ling’s Reign...” Cai Yan said with a clear sense of sadness, having never concerned herself with such matters before.

”Yes, that’s indeed the case,” Chen Xi nodded, ”Sixty million is indeed the current limit of arable land capacity in the Central Plains. This is why I’m opening up new territories. Due to Physician Hua and Dr. Zhang, pandemics haven’t broken out, and because of Lord Xuande’s suppression, the Central Plains hasn’t reached a level where Feudal Lords treat the people like dirt. Currently, the population is nearing fifty million...”

Cai Yan had already guessed this number, and because of the knowledge inherited from Chen Xi, she already had a clear understanding of chaos brought by wars.

One can say that the massive disappearance of the population during times of chaos laid the foundation for the subsequent prosperity. It was because so many people perished that land and fields became available.

Unfortunately, the biggest issue hasn’t changed. Throughout this process, the number of aristocratic families has increased. The population capacity of land in the Central Plains, given stable grain yield per unit, further declined until a more severe disturbance forced some aristocratic land holdings to be released.

”Thus, we must expand territories. Your thoughts are indeed correct. I chose to internally improve agriculture and handicrafts as much as possible, and externally deploy excess manpower into expanding territories. Instead of clearing the population through civil wars and seizing brothers’ lands, it’s better to go out and seize others’ lands!” Chen Xi said coldly.

If it were three years ago, Cai Yan might have felt Chen Xi lacked the demeanor of a gentleman and thought that what he did was excessively severe. But over these three years of understanding, Cai Yan now comprehends how her current life came about.

”If there’s a document review later, I’ll join too, just to see if there’s any astonishing rhetoric,” Cai Yan suggested to Chen Xi as she changed the subject.

”Very well,” Chen Xi did not refuse this aspect. To be honest, the responses from this group in the current exam were fairly decent, only that Chen Xi held very high expectations and always viewed issues from a historical perspective, making the group’s performance appear average.

”Phew...” Lu Yu exhaled deeply, unsure whether it was due to Mi Zhen’s actions or something else, but with a belly full of emotion, Lu Yu answered the last question very smoothly, almost without a single blot.

[This should be alright. That bastard Lul Boyan shouldn’t outdo me.] Lu Yu thought privately,[I wonder what that guy is up to now.]

Just as Lu Yu was about to turn his head to glance at Lul Xun not far away, he suddenly noticed Xun Yue standing right behind him and quickly sat up straight.

”A very interesting answer,” Xun Yue commented with satisfaction to Lu Yu, then moved towards other areas; he had been standing behind Lu Yu for quite some time.

Lu Yu also started from the essentials of food and clothing to explain the issues in the late dynasty beyond the political environment. Meanwhile, Lul Xun pursued the path of conquest to expand arable land as much as possible, while Lu Yu followed another route based on the current environment.

Under the unchanged current conditions, the most appropriate action isn’t expansion itself, but rather enhancing utilization efficiency, not only of the fields but also of people and materials.

In this, Lu Yu exemplified comparisons between past Spring and Autumn Period field grain yields and current yields, as well as the changes in grain-producing areas, proposing migration of dense population areas and official reclamation, maximizing the utilization of current resources.

Overall, this response was very good, though Lu Yu also mentioned that this could not solve the fundamental problem. However, he still opted to explore his limits, as he believed the land beneath his feet was not infinite either.

Though this might be off-topic, those reviewing the papers couldn’t deny this fact, and Lu Yu also pointed out the limits of the empire’s dominance in his writings.

Unlike others whose aim was to infinitely extend the empire’s lifespan, Lu Yu straightforwardly stated that it was fundamentally impossible. Once the limits of empire dominance appeared, the focus should not continue wasting national power to expand territory but rather turn to excavate its own limits, with equal emphasis on technology and fields!