"You, your vision is still too narrow," Chen Sanliang chuckled.
"I’d like to hear your insights," Zhang Chen responded, putting down his wine cup and looking at Chen Sanliang.
"The so-called battle between the great forces, the conflict between the Human Race and the Demon Race, is merely the elites crushing each other, just a redistribution of interests. Look at the territory of Prince Pingbian, where local noble families have sided with the Demon Race, yet they continue to thrive, while only the common people suffer. What does this tell us?" Chen Sanliang asked.
Zhang Chen was taken aback, shaking his head in disbelief, "What does it mean? I don’t know! Please enlighten me, sir."
"The elites have no borders or races; in their eyes, there is only interest. As long as the benefits are sufficient, today they can be part of the Demon Race, tomorrow they can be part of the Human Race. They do not care about their identity or status; they only care about their interests. Their identity and status change with their interests," Chen Sanliang said with a smile.
"Today, I’m giving you the most important lesson on behalf of your master: The people can be used but not informed. The so-called loyalty to the ruler and patriotism, defending the home and country, are used to brainwash you ordinary people, letting you grow up under this education, becoming puppets trapped in an information cocoon," Chen Sanliang said. "Han Suzhen only taught you the surface learning, taught you those riches used to brainwash, but didn’t impart the true high-level essence to you."
Chen Sanliang’s expression became solemn at this moment:
"Think about it, what is the essence of war?"
Zhang Chen looked at Chen Sanliang with bewilderment, thousands of thoughts flashing in his mind. For plunder? For money? For expanding territories and achieving greatness? But he felt these answers were all wrong, missing something important.
"Heh, for what?" Chen Sanliang asked with a smile.
Zhang Chen shook his head, "For interests!"
"For whose interests?" Chen Sanliang asked.
"Of course, for the public’s interests," Zhang Chen answered without hesitation to Chen Sanliang.
"Wrong! Completely wrong! Ridiculously wrong!" Chen Sanliang interrupted, "This is the brainwashed thinking formed after absorbing those corrupt Confucian ideologies. War is for the elites’ interests."
"What? What you said is pure nonsense, is the invasion by the Demon Race also for the elites’ interests?" Zhang Chen retorted.
"You! You’ve truly been brainwashed. Let me ask you, Prince Pingbian has the entire Northern Land, calls upon the people of the Northern Land to form an army against the Demon Race, whose interests are being protected?" Chen Sanliang asked.
Zhang Chen fell silent, countless thoughts flickered in his mind, and after a long time, he reluctantly said, "Student... student... please guide me, sir."
Seeing Zhang Chen’s reaction, Chen Sanliang nodded: "It seems you haven’t been completely brainwashed. Otherwise, I wouldn’t speak another word to you. Prince Pingbian and countless elites of the Northern Land protect only the elites’ interests."
Fearing Zhang Chen didn’t understand, Chen Sanliang began to explain in detail: "What do the people have? Two acres of thin fields? Plus taxes, how much can be left for the year? It’s barely enough to eat. As for those elites, they possess the rights to use and own this land, it is all their asset. People can run away, but these nobles cannot!"
"I use Demon Race as an analogy, you may not see the crux of it, so I suppose Prince Pingbian leads an army to attack Pingbei Marquis, whose assets are being protected by Pingbei Marquis? This land belongs to the elites, is the land of the elites, the common people are just cattle living on this land. Even if Prince Pingbian conquered this land, eliminated Pingbei Marquis, for the ordinary people, it’s just changing the master above their heads, they still can’t enjoy those beauties, wealth, or power. Yet, under the grand righteousness of Pingbei Marquis, they make countless people enthusiastically join the army to resist Prince Pingbian, using their own lives to fight against Prince Pingbian, while those great nobles hide behind, they won’t appear on the battlefield. It’s the common folk dying, the real nobles never come to the battlefield, when defeat comes, they can just switch sides, what loss do they have? They simply change allegiance from Pingbei Marquis to Prince Pingbian, and what impact does it have on them?" Chen Sanliang said with a solemn expression: "Boy, remember this is the last lesson I give you: The people can be used but not informed! There are countless ideologies to brainwash the people, each generation forming preconceived notions, they’ll naturally defend and adhere, becoming a cocoon of thought for their descendants, unable to break free."
Zhang Chen was shaken as if struck by Celestial Thunder, sitting woodenly, his entire mind overturned by Chen Sanliang’s words.
Indeed, whose world is this?
This is the world of the rich! This is the world of the elites! It could be anyone’s world, but it is not the world of the common people.
They enjoy everything, possess enormous fortunes, yet hide behind the scenes manipulating the ignorant, sending penniless people out to fight for their own possessions.
For ordinary people, what difference does it make to change Heaven and Earth? Aren’t they still being exploited? From the Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, is it not the same? The elites hide in the back, and it’s the people rushing forward, brainwashed with various loyalty and patriotic thoughts, using their cheap lives to guard their assets?
When victory comes, the people remain people, while the elites continue to use various ideologies of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and trust to brainwash the people, half turning them into cattle and half turning them into warriors shedding blood for themselves.
Zhang Chen actually thinks there is some truth in these words, for instance, stretching the timeline, and using the Tang Dynasty and Sui Dynasty as comparisons, fighting and killing each other, what impact does it have on ordinary people? The people died in vain, their blood and sweat only serve to protect the wealth of the elites behind.
But in the next moment, Zhang Chen came to his senses, after all, he is a man from the future, his thoughts shift quickly: "No, you’re wrong! The Demon Race is different, they implement a policy of extermination against the people, if ordinary people do not resist, they will die! Sir, you’re distorting concepts, you’re confusing me!"
This era is different from the past times; this era has the Demon Race! The Demon Race implements an extermination policy against the Human Race.
"I want to establish the Demon Country and recreate Heaven and Earth, relying on our human wisdom, isn’t it far superior to those demons? If you are willing to help me, we’ll build the Human Race’s nation within the Demon Race, relying on our Human Race’s tactics and talents, we can turn the tables, enslave all demons, and make them servants for the Human Race, every demon will be at our disposal, every demon will be our meal. Humans are born with rankings, born to be exploited, and to eliminate this exploitation, we must make everyone a privileged person, everyone an exploiter. This goal is impossible to achieve, but now I have found a way. The Demon Race is my chosen target; as long as humans can enslave demons, the entire Human Race can exploit demons, then naturally everyone will be an elite, a lord!" Chen Sanliang looked at Zhang Chen with burning eyes:
"In this process, there may be casualties, there may be bloodshed sacrifices, but it is worth it! Once we recreate Heaven and Earth, we can forge a supreme race where Humans are at the top, the other Hundred Races as slaves. By then, the Human Race won’t have any exploitation, and this would be the real golden era for our Human Race."
Zhang Chen heard Chen Sanliang’s words, his eyes showed a trace of horror, staring intensely at Chen Sanliang, a thought surged in his mind: "Madman! Genius, yet a madman!"
"Destroy the Human Race, integrate into the Demon Race, and then rise above the Demon Race." Zhang Chen thought Chen Sanliang’s mind must be broken, according to Chen Sanliang’s logic, it would be as if, to every nation of the future: surrender to Charm Country, integrate, and relying on five thousand years of power struggle experience, then take control and dominate that country, is this even possible?
If Zhang Chen didn’t have the experience of two worlds, he might have been completely fooled by Chen Sanliang now, utterly deceived.
The opponent’s vision and inspiration are indeed grand, but lacking practical feasibility; it’s nothing more than the dream of a fool. If he truly believed the opponent’s words, the Human Race would probably never have a chance to rise again.
Like lambs penned among wolves, they can never rise.