Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 424: Irresistible Human Nature, Someone Will Always Become the Light

Lin Yuan heard Li Renjie's subtext.

The so-called "not enough" is not a lack of loyalty.

The target of loyalty is wrong.

"There always has to be a target for loyalty, right? Otherwise, no matter how loyal you are to the emperor, he can't see you and can't feel you." Li Renjie made his words clearer.

If it were someone else who rejected his kindness, Li Renjie would not bother to waste so much time talking.

But today he really loves talent.

Whether in character or ability, the young man in front of me is very much like myself when I was young.

Lin Yuan said nothing. He knew that if he showed his loyalty at this moment, he would immediately gain great benefits.

But Lin Yuan really couldn't convince himself to become an accomplice of those who were collecting empty salaries and sucking the blood of soldiers.

Seeing that Lin Yuan remained silent, Li Renjie stood up from his seat and walked up to him.

"General Yuchi, you despise our behavior, so you are ashamed to associate with us?" Li Renjie showed a kind smile on his face, but said the most heartbreaking words.

"I dare not." Lin Yuan replied.

"There is no one else here, and what I say only reaches your ears. There are some things I might as well be frank with you," said Li Renjie.

Of course, Li Renjie could see through Lin Yuan's heart knot. He was also a grassroots military officer. It was almost instinctive for him to hate the fact that his superiors were collecting empty salaries and exploiting the blood of soldiers.

But he believed he could convince Lin Yuan.

"Please give me some advice, sir!" Lin Yuan said.

"General Yuchi has served in the army in Yunzhou for many years. May I ask how the soldiers of Datong Army are living?" Lin Renjie asked in return.

"To be honest, life is not bad." Lin Yuan answered truthfully.

To be honest, it's not just the Datong Army. The officers and soldiers of the entire Hedong Town may not have meat for every meal, but they can still ensure that they have enough food and clothing.

"Lord Wang Yu and I have a bottom line and ethics. That is, we only take empty salaries, not bloodshed. Do you agree?"

“…” Lin Yuan didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

Although eating the empty salary and sucking the blood of soldiers are always put together, they are strictly speaking different.

Take modern companies as an example.

Suppose your company has 100 people on its roster, but only 50 of them actually go to work, yet they are paid according to the standard for 100 people. This is called drawing a salary without working.

Although management is also putting money into their own pockets, they are not directly deducting your salary, resulting in a reduction in your income.

The biggest harm to you is that you may have to do the work of two people.

After all, if you pay 100 people, you have to complete the workload of 100 people.

The greater the proportion of people drawing salaries without working, the more workload the working people will have to bear.

Drinking the blood of soldiers means that they have agreed with you a monthly salary of 10000 yuan, but you actually only get 3000 yuan, and the difference is taken away by the leader.

You get a salary of 3000 yuan, but you have to do work worth 10000 yuan because that's what you report to your superiors.

Comparing the two, if you really want to be picky, drawing empty salaries is definitely better than sucking the blood of soldiers.

Li Renjie said that they have bottom lines and ethics based on this.

Some border army commanders were not only collecting empty salaries but also sucking the blood of their soldiers, causing their soldiers to have trouble getting enough food and clothing. They also had to do several jobs at the same time, which was extremely miserable.

Therefore, in Li Renjie's view, they are already moral models, and he has made it clear that there is no need for Lin Yuan to be hostile to him.

"Since you are so frank, I will not hide my thoughts either. I'm sorry, but I still cannot accept it." Lin Yuan answered seriously.

If the harm is smaller, does it really mean there is no harm?
Although he had been resisting the practice of drawing salaries without working, why were there only more than 700 people under his command before the war when he had a full complement of 500 people?
Soldiers always have to go to the battlefield. Once on the battlefield, no matter how brave you are or how low your casualty ratio is, there will eventually be casualties.

Blocking your quota for recruiting fresh blood will eventually make them eat your empty salary.

It's just that the speed is a little slower, and we need to wait for you to vacate the spot slowly.

Li Renjie patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder and said, "The practice of drawing salary without working has never been eradicated since ancient times. Full quota and full salary is just a fantasy. If you reject me, you are only giving those bastards an advantage."

This sentence is Li Renjie's real trump card. He believes that by saying this, he can completely break through Lin Yuan's psychological defenses.

Lin Yuan and the 700 cavalrymen under his command were organized into the central imperial guards, so the personnel management authority was in Chang'an.

He and his soldiers are organized in Chang'an, but their financial affairs need to be borne by the local government. This is a thankless and difficult task.

Chang'an was holding onto his recruitment quota and wanted to collect his salary without working.

The local military town wants to clear them out and make room for its own army.

It's just that my mom doesn't love me anymore.

As for why such an elite force was marginalized and sent to Hedong Town, it was naturally related to Lin Yuan's identity.

I won't go into details, to put it simply, a new emperor appoints new ministers. The glory that the Yuchi family had when the country was founded has long since faded after being passed down for generations, and the old must make way for the new.

If the old people have not made any mistakes, it is not easy to purge them directly. The best option is to throw them to the border and let them slowly die in the war.

"General Yuchi and his soldiers have made outstanding military achievements over the years. Am I the one who is blocking your promotion?" Li Renjie continued to say cruelly.

of course not!

Lin Yuan knew that all the resistance came from Chang'an.

Since you are a consumable sent to the frontier, how could you be given the opportunity to be promoted?

Many adults in Chang'an City thought that the soldiers should fight to the last drop of blood on the frontier.

From the initial fully equipped 700 cavalrymen, there are now less than 500 people. Lin Yuan watched helplessly as his old brothers became fewer and fewer.

Seeing Lin Yuan's angry eyes, Li Renjie knew that the time was almost right.

Then, he dropped his final bomb: "What are you still holding on to? There is nothing shameful about this, because His Majesty knows everything, and he tacitly encourages us to do this."

"What did you say?"

At this moment, Li Renjie's words directly exceeded his imagination.

How could the emperor know that they were collecting salaries without working, yet still condone and encourage them to do so?
"Your Majesty has worked hard all his life. Now that the world is at peace, he wants to live a good life. If Your Majesty wants to live a good life, while the people below continue to suffer, that would be inappropriate, wouldn't it?
Some people may be able to resist their desires, but others can't. Therefore, this kind of thing is impossible to prevent; it's bound to happen. "Why bother being a mantis blocking the way?" Li Renjie continued.

These words, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, instantly pierced Lin Yuan's mind.

So that’s it!
Many doubts that had troubled him for many years were now resolved.

He clenched his fists, feeling sad and angry inside.

Li Renjie looked at Lin Yuan with a smile. He knew that he had finally impressed the young man in front of him.

Because he himself was once full of passion and reckless.

Until he understood the laws of this world, felt discouraged, and stopped resisting in vain.

Li Renjie is looking forward to Lin Yuan's "transformation" and joining them.

Why do you have to work so hard? Wouldn't it be better to just lie down and enjoy yourself?

Seeing this scene, Meng Tao behind the camera asked with some confusion: "What does this conversation mean? Why do I feel like I don't understand it?"

Director Nolan said with a smile: "Li Renjie is trying to convince Lin Yuan that this is an objective law that cannot be resisted, so instead of struggling desperately, it is better to accept reality."

Meng Tao asked in confusion, "Why? How can something as awful as eating the soldiers' salaries without paying them any more money become an irresistible objective law?"

Director Nolan said: "Have you heard of the law of dynastic cycles?"

“I’ve heard of it. It basically means that when a dynasty is first established, everyone has land and property, and everyone lives and works in peace and contentment.

However, as land was annexed, farmers began to lose their land, social contradictions intensified, and finally there was chaos in the country, and the land was redistributed in a brutal way of reshuffling.

This cycle repeats endlessly, so it's called the law of cycles," said Meng Tao.

"This is a false proposition and a deliberately distorted interpretation. Land annexation and farmers losing their land, but as long as they can survive, it will not necessarily lead to chaos in the world and the fall of the dynasty," said director Nolan.

"Huh? Isn't it? All the books I read say so." Meng Tao asked.

"Otherwise you can't explain the existence of feudal dynasties, in which serfs didn't own a single piece of land. But these dynasties weren't necessarily unstable," director Nolan replied.

"It seems to be true." Meng Tao had to admit: "But why?"

Director Nolan said: "The essence of chaos and national destruction is that the central government of a country has fewer resources."

"Fighting foreign wars, consolidating rule internally, providing disaster relief during natural disasters... Each of these major events, which are crucial to the survival of the nation, requires resources."

"If land is simply annexed but the taxes paid to the state remain the same, then no matter how much land is annexed, the country's rule will remain as stable as Mount Tai." "The root cause of the demise of any country is the continuous reduction of social resources under its control, resulting in the inability to maintain the system and ultimate collapse."

"Land annexation and hiding of populations are all actions that hollow out a country's economic foundation, leaving it with fewer and fewer resources to control."

"But why does it show a periodic pattern? Is it because this situation is inevitable?" Meng Tao asked.

"Yes, it's inevitable because of human nature," said director Nolan.

"Tell me, are objective laws due to human nature?" Meng Tao said.

"Human nature is also part of objective laws," Director Nolan replied.

"Clam?"

"In fact, the logic is very simple. If we want to prevent the reduction of resources controlled by the state, do we have to strictly control the landlords and officials, prevent them from excessively encroaching on state resources, and limit them to a controllable range?" asked director Nolan.

"Of course! If we can do this, can we break out of the dynasty cycle?" Meng Tao asked.

“It’s a pity that we can’t do that. Let’s not discuss the situation where the emperor is incompetent and can’t control his subordinates.

Even if the emperor is capable enough, as long as he is a human being, he will have desires. He will want fine clothes and delicious food, build a big house, and live a luxurious life.

Just like Li Renjie's line, if the emperor wants to live a good life, but the people below continue to suffer, that's not right, right?" Director Nolan said.

"If the emperor wants to live an extravagant life, he must allow his subordinates to live even more extravagantly. This will inevitably erode the resources at the country's disposal." Director Nolan continued:
"So, if the emperor can be frugal, his subordinates will be forced to be frugal as well, and this way the dynastic cycle can be avoided?" Meng Tao said.

"It's useless. Even if a few emperors were frugal, it's impossible for all of them to be like that. There will always be emperors who have had 'good days'. This is human nature," Director Nolan replied.

At this point, Meng Tao fully understood the logic behind Lin Yuan's play.

In the 51th year of Kaiyuan, Li Longji was years old.

At this age, his great-grandfather Li Shimin had ended his magnificent life.

Therefore, for him, who has struggled all his life and created the Kaiyuan Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, why can't he have a few days of good life?
The self-discipline and thriftiness he practiced in his early years had by now transformed into a desire to enjoy life.

As the supreme ruler of the Tang Dynasty, when he began to live a luxurious life, he naturally could no longer suppress the ever-expanding desires of the bureaucracy.

Therefore, he had to tolerate the officials' annexation of land and no longer pay taxes.

Tolerating the hiding of population by large clans and the reduction of labor force for corvee labor.

We must also tolerate officers at all levels drawing salaries without doing any work and exploiting the soldiers' blood.

How could he not know about these behaviors?
But can he control it?
Therefore, Li Renjie said to Lin Yuan:

His Majesty knows all about it, and he tacitly encourages us to do so.

Some people may be able to resist their desires, but others can't. Therefore, it's impossible to prevent this kind of thing; it's bound to happen. So why bother being a mantis trying to stop a car?
The truth was cold and merciless, like a black fog enveloping Lin Yuan.

Li Renjie knew that it was in the face of this cruel truth that he completely gave up his years of persistence.

He believed that Lin Yuan, who was equally smart, would make the same decision as him.

Lin Yuan was silent for a long time before he said, "You're right. I can't resist this kind of thing..."

The smile that Li Renjie had just revealed was immediately interrupted by his next words.

"But I know full well that those hungry wolf-like beasts on the northern grasslands are constantly sharpening their teeth, ready to bite us hard at any moment."

"How can we, robbed of our wealth by those who eat up our salary without paying it, resist the invasion of foreign enemies and protect the millions of Tang people behind us?"

"I can pretend not to see the hands of the adults filling their pockets with gold, but I cannot pretend not to see the wailing and blood of countless people of the Tang Dynasty. I swore to protect them with my life."

"Although reality is dark, if there is no light in the darkness, can't I be the only light?"

"Sir, I am very grateful for your appreciation, but I can only say sorry." Lin Yuan answered firmly.

"Whoo~"

Li Renjie let out a long breath.

"You..." He couldn't finish the second half of the sentence.

His eyes flashed with surprise, admiration, and relief, and finally turned into a resolute and stern look.

If Lin Yuan didn't have so many resources in his hands, he really wanted to let him go.

But reality doesn't allow it after all.

This is a cavalry of 700 people, each equipped with 3 war horses, which is already a huge resource.

Among this cavalry, there are 300 armored cavalrymen, and the remaining 400 people also have considerable armor and various equipment.

Taken together, this is a huge money-eating beast.

Such a cavalry unit, if used properly, can easily defeat tens of thousands of peasant soldiers and fight against thousands of knights on the grassland.

Pity.

Li Renjie sighed in his heart.

Even if he wanted to let him go, Hedong Jiedushi Wang Yu and the Prime Minister Li Linfu behind him would never agree.

Thinking of this, Li Renjie suddenly didn't want to talk to Lin Yuan anymore.

So he said, "What else do you want?"

"Compensation for those killed in this battle..."

Lin Yuan was a little worried. He had just rejected Li Renjie, and his immediate superior might immediately make things difficult for him regarding the pension.

But he obviously underestimated Li Renjie.

"No problem!" Li Renjie replied immediately.

"Ah?" Lin Yuan was a little bit unbelievable.

Li Renjie just shook his head and said, "This is a small matter. Submit your proposal and I'll have someone do it for you right away.

I'm also a military man, so no matter how big our differences are, I won't make it difficult for you regarding compensation, so go ahead and rest assured."

Hearing Li Renjie's words, Lin Yuan couldn't help but feel moved.

After all, they are all soldiers who have fought on the battlefield. No matter how much they fight, they will not use dirty tricks on heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country.

If you really do this, it would be a betrayal of your own identity.

Obviously Li Renjie has his own bottom line and he would not do such despicable things.

Lin Yuan bowed to express his gratitude.

After the official business was done, the two of them had different ideas and it was awkward for them to get along with each other.

So Lin Yuan decisively said goodbye and left: "Thank you, sir! I'll take my leave now!"

After saying that, he turned and walked out.

"Wait a moment!"

When Lin Yuan walked to the gate, Li Renjie's voice came from the hall.

"Sir?" Lin Yuan turned around and asked.

"I'll sign an injury document for you, and you can go back to Chang'an to recuperate for two years. How about that?" Li Renjie asked.

Lin Yuan immediately understood what he meant: Since you don't want to go along with the crowd, you don't necessarily have to confront it head-on. You can consider staying out of it.

Taking the injury and recuperation document signed by Li Renjie, he hid aside and pretended to recuperate, turning a blind eye to their behavior, so as to avoid becoming a stumbling block.

This was obviously Li Renjie's last act of kindness. If it were someone else, he would not have spent so much energy and would have simply chosen to run over him.

Li Renjie looked at Lin Yuan with a hint of pleading in his eyes.

But he was soon disappointed, as he saw the determination in Lin Yuan's eyes.

Lin Yuan smiled and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, sir! But I am in good health, so what's wrong with me?"

"Go away!" Li Renjie waved his hand and said with his back to him.

Lin Yuan clenched his fists and walked out of the lobby.

He knew that the two sides had finally broken up completely, and he would inevitably face a more dangerous counterattack in the future.

But Lin Yuan had already prepared himself mentally, no matter what the wind and rain, he would face it calmly.

"Cut!"

(End of this chapter)