Chapter 1056: The Balance of Strength and Weakness

Zhou Yu felt a deep silence within him. He had long suspected that Liu Bei would be extremely difficult to deal with, but seeing it firsthand now left him even more astonished.

As he pondered, Zhou Yu was filled with immense admiration.

It was indeed difficult to make the noble families consider the plight of the common people, and even harder to restrain their actions and make them appear righteous. But as difficult as that was, it seemed much easier compared to the immense strength Liu Bei had displayed.

The noble families sought survival, a better quality of life—not destruction in a "mutually assured destruction" scenario. Under Liu Bei's overwhelming dominance, these families had no choice but to show goodwill. Without it, survival would be impossible.

It was precisely under the pressure of such formidable power that the actions of the noble families had become significantly more restrained. Chaos arises when order collapses, but when an absolute power establishes order, it is no longer chaos.

In other words, since the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the rise of Liu Bei, the world had effectively ceased to be in chaos. Instead, it had returned to a state governed by the rules of a strong authority.

No matter how harsh the rules, they were far better than the chaos of lawlessness. Moreover, Liu Bei's rules were not even that harsh. On the contrary, as long as one was willing to repent and change, Liu Bei was open to accepting them.

Collectives tend to be more rational than individuals, who are often more emotional. Thus, in the face of survival versus destruction, the noble families would choose survival rather than self-destruction for some illusory possibility. As Liu Bei’s power rose independent of the noble families, their behavior became increasingly restrained.

This was why the times had gradually moved toward stability. If someone held a gun to your head and forced you to do the right thing, would you? Especially after seeing a group of self-righteous people fall before you?

This also explained why, within the territory of the Han Dynasty, society was becoming more harmonious—or at least more stable. The biggest supporters of banditry, the biggest colluders between officials and criminals, and the largest land-grabbing aristocrats had all reined in their actions. The strongest power had begun cleaning up these issues.

This was a power so formidable that it seemed to be able to operate independently of the noble families. It was laying its cards on the table, threatening the aristocracy to stop their dangerous behavior, while attempting to resolve conflicts through a so-called "moral persuasion."

Fine, Chen Xi admitted that his "moral persuasion" was entirely built upon a vast disparity in strength. The most obvious evidence of this was his visit to Yingchuan back then. He had been the same person then as he was now, but no one had listened to him at that time. Now, whatever he said was easily understood.

Similarly, many strategies were difficult to execute when your power was on par with or slightly weaker than the opponent’s. But when your power far surpassed theirs, no matter what clever schemes they devised, you could crush them with sheer force.

Take the battle in Yanzhou, for instance. Jushou’s strategy was flawless, but Chen Xi attacked without any hesitation, because it didn’t matter. Even if all the enemies joined forces, Chen Xi wasn’t worried about failure. What was there to fear?

It was the same with Fazheng’s campaign in Yuzhou. Every step was calculated perfectly. He believed that, by combining the strength of Jingzhou and Yizhou with the resources of Zhuge Liang, he could crush Sun Ce in one fell swoop. Even if he couldn’t wipe them out, he could at least halt Sun Ce’s rising momentum. But what was the outcome?

Zhou Yu followed Fazheng’s strategy, but Sun Ce flipped the script, tactically overwhelming the Yizhou army and taking control of Jingzhou. If not for Kuai Yue diverting the Yangtze River to flood Jingxiang, Zhou Yu would have had the strength to raise troops and retake Yuzhou. In that battle, both Zhou Yu and Fazheng had won, but Jingzhou had lost.

You couldn’t determine the superiority of one strategist over another simply by the result of victory or defeat. Wang Jian fought Li Mu five times and won three, but that didn’t necessarily mean Wang Jian was stronger. A weaker force relies on cunning, while overwhelming power wins through straightforward battles.

This is the essence of the balance of strength and weakness. It was clear that Liu Bei had become incredibly powerful. Under such circumstances, many noble families understood the need to bow their heads. Of course, fools like Yuan Shu, or those here purely to gather intelligence, like the Cao family, the Xiahou family, and Sun family, didn’t count.

Even so, three-tenths of the noble families had not come. These weren’t loyalists of Cao Cao or Sun Ce, either. Their absence could be explained in simple terms: some preferred to "shatter like jade rather than be whole like pottery," while others were just too stubborn and antiquated, destined to be crushed by the wheel of history.

That was why Chen Xi considered it a success that seven-tenths of the noble families had shown up. Sure, some had left, reducing the number to six-tenths. But no matter their motives, they were willing to let Chen Xi, backed by overwhelming power, "persuade them with virtue."

Since they had come and bowed their heads, these families had resigned themselves to following Chen Xi’s lead. Having chosen survival, there was no point in pretending to stand tall.

Chen Xi wanted harmony, and these families were now willing to provide it. Everything they were doing now was in preparation for a better future. Without enduring the present, there would be no future to speak of.

This was also why Chen Xi offered the noble families benefits. He didn’t want traitors. As long as they were still human, they could be reasoned with. By having them bow their heads now, Chen Xi intended to make them sincerely accept the rules Liu Bei had established, and to let them enjoy the benefits of those rules.

Of course, some would still rebel. But where there was reward, there would also be punishment. Chen Xi didn’t even need to personally handle it—his think tank was more than capable of managing any unexpected events.

After witnessing firsthand the comprehensive infrastructure in Liu Bei’s territory, the well-distributed irrigation systems, and the widespread education, Zhou Yu felt an overwhelming pressure. He suddenly understood the behavior of the noble families with perfect clarity.

Zhou Yu’s heart was already prepared for what lay ahead.

Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter