Mythical Three Kingdoms
Chapter 1064 - 1020: Requirements to Step Out of the Central Plains

Chapter 1064: Chapter 1020: Requirements to Step Out of the Central Plains

Naturally, Lub Su could not escape this ingrained instinct either. Previously overwhelmed and dizzy, flushed with excitement, but once he calmed down, the instinct resurfaced.

These are two empires, after all. How could the land capable of nurturing empires be barren soil? Although Chen Xi’s speech earlier contained much criticism of the Central Plains, no one is blind.

Everyone is well aware of the fertile land and mineral resources in the Central Plains. Previously, it was considered poor and weak when compared to the entire world, but everyone knows the reality.

In the realm of empathy, how could other empires possibly be impoverished? If the soil that nurtures empires were assimilated by the Central Plains, the benefits to the Central Plains would be unimaginable. With such thoughts, others are bound to entertain ideas of conquering the world.

Though the Central Plains is vast and rich, there’s an expression that one’s own children are good, but others’ things are better. Therefore, the state of Lub Su is that we are poor, but we are mighty, and those territories you occupy will eventually be ours, so we need to plan ahead.

On the other side, Liu Bei also received the information from today’s alliance. He laughed heartily at the situation with Zhen Mi and Chen Xi and merely furrowed his brows at the aristocratic families’ land exchange plan before setting it aside afterward.

Liu Bei’s trust in Chen Xi has reached a somewhat peculiar level, which is due in part to Liu Bei’s keen eye for people. Each ability displayed by Chen Xi indicates that if he had been willing, he would have reached this point regardless of being with Liu Bei. This is crucial and is the foundation of trust!

Therefore, when Liu Bei heard this intelligence, he instinctively guessed that Chen Xi was likely scheming against the aristocratic families; from a certain perspective, Liu Bei truly understands Chen Xi’s intentions.

There is no need to inquire or offer reassurance—just quietly observe Chen Xi’s actions, and satisfactory results will naturally materialize. By opening his heart and trusting openly, he can obtain everything he desires. From this perspective, Liu Bei operates with ease as a monarch.

Under the high heavens, the world reveals a mysterious visage beneath its veil, causing all sages in Liu Bei’s realm who witness this enchanting form to become entranced, unable to wholly calm their inner tumult.

No matter the circumstances, after witnessing the world’s vastness, the constraints on people’s perspectives have burst open, further elevating their outlook, stabilizing their attitudes, and significantly altering their view of things.

As for why Chen Xi only showed the in-depth strategy to Liu Bei’s civil officials and not the military generals, it ultimately comes down to these top-tier civil officials overthinking things. Even if military generals are meticulous, they are only at Zhao Yun or Gan Ning’s level, not at the same realm as those like Liu Ye or Jia Xu, renowned for their strategic acumen.

Thus, civil officials need to be restrained by ideals, while military generals only need to execute tasks single-mindedly. Showing them the world map would not only be ineffective but could result in adverse effects.

Regarding Liu Bei, Chen Xi has yet to decide when exactly to show Liu Bei this map. He fears that showing the map now would stir Liu Bei’s inner impulse.

Unlike Jia Xu, Li Youu, and other sages, these individuals understand the current objectives more clearly and grasp the importance of steady progress, while Liu Bei earns recognition more through his magnanimity and boldness. It can be said that aside from broad-mindedness and excellent discernment, Liu Bei falls significantly short in other aspects.

Chen Xi is concerned that showing Liu Bei the map now may lead Liu Bei to feel a sense of urgency.

The world is vast, and unifying the Central Plains alone, along with building it up, would require ten years. What about other regions? Would I be able to see them before I am laid to rest? Such is the thinking of many ancient monarchs, especially brilliant rulers, and unfortunately, Liu Bei is considered a brilliant ruler.

If Liu Bei develops such a notion, his subjective judgment is bound to hasten the unification process. After all, anyone who sees this map would, besides Chen Xi, harbor the sense that time waits for no one. While some can suppress it, others cannot fully restrain themselves.

In such circumstances, if Liu Bei leads the way in wanting to accelerate unification, Lub Su and Jia Xu, among others, are certain to ride the momentum. But establishing and maintaining livelihoods under the pace of unification, rather than the mere act of unifying, is exceedingly difficult.

Chen Xi has no desire to prematurely venture out to conquer the four directions’ empires while the foundational stability of the nation has yet to be solidified. In Chen Xi’s view, that would ultimately result in victory through martial force, unable to remedy foundational losses.

"Strike while the iron is hot" is Chen Xi’s consistent philosophy. An empire with complete systems and infrastructure need only avoid demographic explosions and can sustain expansionary steps for hundreds of years without issues.

Therefore, fully unifying the Central Plains, boosting its prosperity, establishing a national agricultural zone in the plains, ensuring strategic reserves in grain self-sufficiency, and guaranteeing essential supplies amidst extreme disasters for three years is Chen Xi’s internal benchmark for stepping out of the Central Plains.

Only upon reaching this standard would Chen Xi dare to genuinely step beyond the Central Plains, for only when the national material reaches this level can the mobilization of young and strong men be seen as transferring surplus labor, or else it would merely disrupt societal structure.

Currently, Chen Xi has not formally begun construction of large-scale agricultural districts; the current colonial farming efforts are merely simplified versions of such areas. Without reclaiming vast tracts of aristocratic farmland to the nation, the large agricultural zone cannot be established.

In Chen Xi’s view, scientific farming has been researched for a long time. Under Chen Xi’s guidance, both soil fertilizers and agricultural fertilizers have been developed, although due to technical constraints, large-scale manufacturing might not reduce costs sufficiently, and preservation remains a challenge.

Yet after Chen Xi’s meticulous cost calculations, he found that if the scale expanded to hundreds or even thousands of hectares, the investment in seeds and soil fertilizers, along with employment-based cultivation and diversified animal husbandry, could potentially boost yields while providing a wealth of meat and poultry products.

Chen Xi has stopped distributing chickens and ducks in modest quantities to the populace, as compared to the rapid growth of concentrated animal husbandry, those methods seem slower; some people still raise them even now, but it’s just too slow.

Attempting to raise larger livestock would be even more challenging, so Chen Xi has abandoned such hopes for household farming and instead focuses on concentrated rearing. Regarding diseases, after several rounds of mass deaths, concentrated animal husbandry seems to have gained experience.

Regarding large-scale livestock farming, when mass deaths occur, farmers eliminate the entire batch before an epidemic fully erupts, then it ends up on dining tables—this aspect Chen Xi only learned later... (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)