PFC Chapter 7040: Although I don't agree, I have no choice but to accept it.
Chapter 7040: Although I don't agree, I have no choice but to accept it.
Chapter 7040: Although I don't agree, I have no choice but to accept it.
However, compared to the solemnity of these Kushan veterans and the indifference of Liu Bei and Chen Xi, Liu Tong entered with a faint smile, showing no embarrassment and even a hint of excitement.
After all, this group of people did fulfill her wish—a top-three finish! In that chaotic battle of the small world, a bunch of gods were watching. To be able to achieve a top-three finish in such an event, their strength was beyond doubt. Moreover, the two mainstays, Zena and Annada, were even killed by Zhang Yong.
Of course, they displayed astonishing fighting power when they left, so it wasn't shameful. Therefore, Liu Tong was quite satisfied with their performance.
"What's with all those expressions on your faces?" Liu Tong said with a light laugh, looking at the veterans led by Ananda. Then he clapped his hands. "Your identities don't matter much to me. Ananda, hold your heads high, stand tall, well done!"
"And you, Zena, you did very well too. What are you all worried about now? Are you worried about your identities being exposed? You don't really think we don't know, do you?" Liu Tong said with a light laugh. This teasing tone and the direct revelation of the facts calmed down the Kushan veterans present. After all, their worries were completely gone, and they no longer needed to overthink things.
“Your past identities will not be specifically mentioned here. You are the team personally selected by the Grand Princess of the Han Dynasty. Here, this is your true identity.” Liu Tong looked at everyone present and gave a very formal answer. “The crimes of the Marquis of Wuxi should be dealt with by the Grand Princess Regent, not by you. You are simply not capable of bearing such a burden.”
"Now, cheer! You've achieved third place in the overall standings. Come and collect your rewards!" Liu Tong clapped and cheered, and the Kushan veterans visibly felt relieved.
Liu Bei looked at Liu Tong, but did not interrupt her speech, nor did he show any dissatisfaction with her words. Just as Liu Tong said, even if the Five Marquises were to be held accountable for their rebellion, it would not be directed at you veterans on the front lines. Your ranks are indeed quite high, but when it comes to a clash at the level of national political systems, even a slight leak of aura is enough to crush these people. So why should these people bear such responsibility?
The saying goes, "To bear the nation's shame is to be the ruler of the state; to bear the nation's misfortune is to be the king of the world." How could ordinary people bear such burdens? Only a handful of people in the Kushan Empire were qualified to bear these burdens. At least among the veterans present who participated in this grand military exercise, not one of them was qualified.
There is no need to deal with these people at all. The aftershocks of the investigation into the Wu Xi Hou's rebellion, and the amplified pressure from the collapse of the existing power structure, will naturally crush most of them.
This is what is known as the torrent of the times!
These veterans present could be considered gods, but very few were qualified to ride the tide of the times. Even the strongest Zena was nothing more than a speck of dust in this torrent, drifting with the current and unable to control himself.
Naturally, Liu Bei and Chen Xi had no intention of pursuing these people. They believed that once the tide of history had passed, the selection process of the times would eliminate the existing hatred.
When do important people need to deal with these trivial matters?
What seemed like a huge deal to this group of people was just a few words to Liu Bei and Chen Xi. They couldn't break the rules and didn't even have the right to face Liu Bei and Chen Xi.
"Alright, come and collect your prizes. You earned these through your own hard work. No matter what your mindset was, you should give it a try," Liu Tong said to Annada. Annada understood and stepped forward to accept her reward.
With Anada leading the way, the others also stepped forward to receive their respective rewards. The Kushan forces that came were all top-tier elites, so even if they were unlucky, they wouldn't be slaughtered without getting any points. To be honest, their performances were all quite good, so they all received their corresponding rewards.
"There will be a banquet tonight. If you don't want to attend, you can go for a stroll outside the palace, but don't get into any conflicts with the locals. If you want to attend, bring your name tags." Liu Tong instructed Ananda and the others after distributing the rewards.
The so-called nameplates were actually titles bestowed with urgent rewards. The Kushan veterans also killed a lot of Huns. Although most of them were Huns without self-awareness, there were also elites who killed the real Hun backbone.
Moreover, Zena and Annada captured four live Huns, including a Hunnic commander of ten thousand cavalry, a high-ranking officer second only to the Hunnic nobles. As a result, Zena and Annada both rose to the eleventh rank of nobility.
Furthermore, this title originated from the Xiongnu and was of very high value, theoretically enough to offset Zena's crimes. However, Zena himself had no intention of submitting to the Han Dynasty; he merely accepted the title, and it's unclear what his true thoughts were.
However, as mentioned before, with proof of his title and status, it wouldn't be a problem for Zena to attend the banquet. The head of a Xiongnu commander of ten thousand cavalry is actually worth the same as that of a Marquis within the Pass. It's just that this commander of ten thousand cavalry didn't bring any troops, so the value was reduced, and the head had to be divided between two people, which is why it was cut off by more than half. But even so, Zena was able to stand up straight and speak in front of a group of people after capturing the Xiongnu commander of ten thousand cavalry.
"Can we also attend the banquet?" Ananda asked hesitantly. He was well aware of his family's situation. It was not impossible for them to be surrounded and killed by the veteran soldiers of the Han Dynasty if they showed their faces. After all, if they really gave up their titles and killed you, that would be the end of it. It wouldn't be considered paying with their lives.
Just like those people in the Northern Frontier War back then, Chen Xi forbade killing prisoners, but some people got carried away and killed several prisoners in a row. Then they lost their titles, but they were still heroes afterward.
The Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals' concept of revenge has both positive and negative aspects. After all, since the government has used this method, it cannot only think about the good and not the bad; it must accept this fact!
“Those who already hold titles can go directly to the banquet. Those who don’t have titles, you’d better keep your eyes peeled when you go to the banquet.” Chen Xi thought for a moment and felt that he still couldn’t be careless. After all, there was a real grudge. Even if some people didn’t care, it didn’t mean that everyone didn’t care.
“Then I’ll go and see for myself,” Zena suddenly said.
“Okay, I’ll go too. We can go and see for ourselves.” Ananda glanced at Zena. He knew exactly what Zena meant. He’d just brush up on some content, make some minor adjustments, find a corner to watch and eat, and broaden his horizons.
Soon a group of Kushan veterans decided to attend the banquet. Of course, there were also veterans who wanted to leave the palace to report to their princess. In short, the Kushan veterans soon dispersed.
"What do you think?" Liu Bei asked Chen Xi on their way to the main hall of the Myriad Manifestations Divine Palace.
"What are you looking at? These Kushan veterans, are they?" Chen Xi was a little slow to react, then turned to Liu Bei and asked.
"Hmm," Liu Bei hummed softly.
“Let’s wait until they survive the final battle. There’s no need for us at this level to pursue these matters. Let’s settle things on the battlefield. When it comes to revenge in private, we can just follow universal morality.” Chen Xi said calmly, “It would be too shameful for us at this level to play dirty tricks on people like this.”
"Just as I thought," Liu Bei sighed softly. "I've been to many places and witnessed a lot of hatred. You know about the water dispute, right?"
“I know, I’ve seen all sorts of people become sworn enemies over water,” Chen Xi said with a muffled groan.
The reason why there was a water conservancy network plan and deep well drilling when villages were merged was because in ancient times, water disputes could be extremely deadly. It could really cause two villages to send their able-bodied men to fight each other, resulting in more than a dozen deaths and injuries. Moreover, even the county magistrate could not control such matters.
“Some hatred is not actually hatred, but it is just that it has accumulated there and cannot be resolved, so it has become hatred.” Liu Bei sighed. “Gongyang’s great revenge is good, but Gongyang’s great revenge is a bit extreme in terms of personal grudges.”
"Hmm?" Chen Xi turned his head to look at Liu Bei.
"What's wrong?" Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi, who had stopped, and also stopped, turning his head to look at Chen Xi.
"I just find it surprising that Lord Xuande would actually be thinking about the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals," Chen Xi said with a smile.
"What, do you think I don't think about these things?" Liu Bei said with a smile. "I have traveled to many places and seen many things, so naturally I will think about these issues."
"The Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals is excellent on the issue of national vengeance. The statement 'Even a feud of ten generations can be avenged, even a feud of a hundred generations can be avenged' is correct. However, when the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals extends its righteousness to personal vengeance, new problems arise," Liu Bei said with a sigh. "It will damage the credibility of the country and also undermine the laws of the country."
Chen Xi nodded upon hearing this. This was true; the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals permitted individuals to seek revenge for the sake of Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher, and for the sake of justice.
But what is justice? It's hard to define, especially individual justice and collective justice. They can't be equated in many cases, which leads to conflicts in basic logic.
"Actually, I've been pushing for this all along, to strengthen the state and government's control capabilities, enhance the state and government's credibility, gradually rationalize criminal law, and transform individual revenge into a belief that the state and government will handle things in an enlightened and correct manner," Chen Xi said with a sigh.
"Do you believe me?" Liu Bei's figure, which was taking a step forward, suddenly stopped in place.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xi coughed lightly twice, but ultimately said nothing.
“Admittedly, in your time, Chen Zichuan’s time, and in Man Boning’s time, it was indeed possible for the state and government to handle these matters with an enlightened and correct approach. But what happened afterward?” Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi very seriously. “This is actually the point that has been bothering me. The state and government cannot always be correct and enlightened. The existence of bureaucrats will inevitably create a system, making things inherently difficult. In that case, why not choose to be perfunctory, or simply let a group naturally form and deal with things according to its own interests? Why do we need answers?”
Chen Xi was at a loss for words after Liu Bei's words. Of course, the most important thing was that what Liu Bei said was true, and the bureaucratic group actually knew in their hearts who they were responsible for.
The problem is that the bureaucratic collective manages the largest number of ordinary people. Once the mindset of being accountable to superiors is formed, or is destined to be formed, the way it is dealt with will be fatal.
“I think there are many problems with the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals.” Liu Bei looked around to make sure no one else was there, then looked at Chen Xi very seriously and said.
“However, I think the problem with the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals is not that individuals can avenge the world, the ruler, parents, and teachers, or seek justice for their own conscience.” Liu Bei sighed and said, “I personally experienced the reign of Emperor Ling and know what ordinary people were like in that era. The court is not someone you can rely on! The only person you can rely on is yourself.”
“If we abolish this provision and instead rely on the bureaucratic system to handle it, then sooner or later we will probably find ourselves with nowhere to turn for justice,” Liu Bei said, sounding somewhat weary.
“After all, it’s path dependence. Bureaucrats don’t think they should spend time and effort dealing with these trivial matters that have nothing to do with them. They simply think that these things are just adding trouble to their lives. They will deal with trouble in the same way they deal with trouble, and the way they deal with trouble…” Chen Xi said with a tone of indifference and disappointment.
“I have carefully studied how Bo Ning handled the situation. As the Minister of Justice, Bo Ning completely won the trust of the people of Chang’an, which is very difficult. Since the fifth year of Yuanfeng, there have been no cases of ordinary people seeking revenge on their own in Chang’an. Basically, when something happens, they all come to the court,” Liu Bei said with a touch of emotion.
Chen Xi remained silent for a while. Chen Xi actually knew a lot about Man Chong's affairs. Man Chong never pursued justice in the process, only justice in the result.
In Man Chong's words, only powerful figures use procedural justice to drag ordinary people down. Ordinary people pursue the final result, and talking about procedural justice is just a way to force those who cannot speak out to their deaths.
Although this idea is very incorrect, Chen Xi also knows that if we really talk about procedural justice, there are many things that cannot be resolved.
Even many major events in this world, groundbreaking events, belong to the category of things whose processes cannot be scrutinized in detail. When one insists on discussing procedural justice, it means that the other party is well aware that the outcome will be unfavorable to them.
“That’s because he’s Bo Ning,” Chen Xi replied after a moment of silence. “In fact, if you only pursue the correctness of the result, some aspects will be covered up.”
"You don't agree with Bo Ning's ideas?" Liu Bei asked, somewhat surprised.
“No, I just don’t really like this approach, but if I had to choose between procedural justice and substantive justice, and if justice could be guaranteed, I would choose substantive justice,” Chen Xi said very seriously. “Just like the Ram’s Revenge, that’s the result.”
Chen Xi doesn't actually like the idea of justice in the outcome, nor does he like the concept of ram revenge, but when things are laid bare in this world, sometimes there is no choice.
Therefore, Chen Xi could only choose between outcome justice and the ram's revenge.
After all, most people in this world are ordinary people. What ordinary people want is a clear and straightforward result, not a process that is shrouded in mystery, with one link after another, like solving a puzzle.
And most people don't like to forgive others; what they prefer is the most common kind of tit-for-tat, eye for an eye—you punch me, I kick you back.
Therefore, Chen Xi had no choice but to join Gongyang in seeking revenge. At least if the righteous cause of Gongyang's revenge could continue forever, then when one was humiliated and the law was distorted by external forces, one could use the hilt of a knife to solve the problem. Even if such an act would result in death, at least the behavior would be recognized by the people.
A large government that controls everything is indeed beneficial, but it will naturally absorb public power and gradually infiltrate every aspect of people's lives, even using various forms of instruction to completely control and manipulate them. In a government that is enlightened and where the law is clear, such behavior will not have much impact, but once bureaucrats develop a dependency on this approach...
Individuals cannot resist the evils that arise from order.
More terrifying than chaotic evil is evil that exists in an orderly form; only another kind of order can overturn this kind of evil.
Chen Xi did not want individuals to fall into this predicament, so he could only blindly vote for the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. After all, the basic logic of the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals could form a consensus at the bottom level, forming a chaotic good form that could resist the evil of the order.
It's not a good choice, but it's not the worst choice either.
Therefore, Chen Xi was dissatisfied with Man Chong's approach and Gongyang Chunqiu's style, but he could only support Man Chong and continue to support Gongyang Chunqiu.
From a certain perspective, all prohibitions against revenge and attempts to convince individuals that the bureaucratic system is impartial can be considered an illusion.
On the contrary, tacitly condoning revenge and recognizing righteous revenge, but the real solution is for the state to reduce the conditions for revenge to arise through laws.
Just like Chen Xi said earlier, which temple doesn't have ghosts who died unjustly? If they don't acknowledge that someone died unjustly and don't allow people to take revenge, what choice do they have but to accumulate resentment to the maximum extent, tear down the temple, and settle accounts directly?
"Zichuan, you have a very long-term vision," Liu Bei said with admiration.
Chen Xi remained silent, not because he had a long-term vision, but because he had already witnessed some of these things.
Just like the lawyers and judges who clamor for the abolition of the death penalty, once they are stabbed to death, the abolitionists will only do their best to use their power to kill them, instead of talking about human rights and letting those people go as they claim.
Often, slogans are just slogans, and interests are just interests; the outcome is who ends up with the knife.
Therefore, the moral and legal permission for the wronged to take revenge is itself a way to alleviate resentment. However, if the ram is banned, the law will only move towards absolutely prohibiting the wronged from taking revenge, and may even actively suppress the relevant personnel involved.
"After all, sociology is a law of human collective progress, and the law of humanity is that if you don't go to extremes, others will, and you will suffer. Therefore, when a group of people choose extremes, everyone will choose extremes, and then the law of the country will lose its meaning and turn into a dog-eat-dog world, completely losing the veneer of fairness," Chen Xi said with some weariness.
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