Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 219 Seeking Common Ground While Reserving Differences, Strategic Retrenchment

After Xuan Chong took over Storm City, he adopted a noble republic system in the city, which meant that the nobles voted to decide all matters in the city, and the next king of the city-state was not chosen.
Xuan Chongyi said sternly, "Because the Storm Family lost their country in the war and failed to fulfill their obligation to protect their subjects, they need to be educated by us; after ten years, we will send them back to a qualified successor."

As outsiders, their involvement in the deposition and enthronement of a foreign ruler is the limit of what the Wu family army can currently achieve!
Completely abolishing the royal family of Storm City? Not only would doing so be unethical within the Great Yao, it would also be extremely unpopular locally.

The power distribution system within the Feather Clan is highly dependent on the quality of bloodlines; the reason why their nobles are nobler than commoners is because their wings allow them to soar for longer periods of time compared to commoners.

The purification of the nobles' bloodlines came from the elimination of those who died during the trials, with many unqualified individuals being weeded out. Simultaneously, they had illegitimate children with the royals who had completed the royal trials, maintaining the flow of their bloodline through mutual exchange. Therefore, if Xuan Chong were to eliminate the Storm Royal Family, he would be severing their institutional structure, which would provoke fierce resistance. This would be akin to preventing the Great Yao people from performing ancestral sacrifices, crippling the system of "rites and laws."

However, simply "retaining the king" and making other changes went very smoothly. The nobles who had returned from Storm City first quietly visited Xuan Chong, hoping to secure a position on the Noble Council.

The fact that the nobles of Storm City flocked to him had a significant impact on an insignificant person.

The guards at the gates of these nobles turned away Lurger's personal guards. Clearly, the nobles were on very good terms with the Grand Envoy and didn't want Xuan Chong to misunderstand.

However, the feathers stuck at the entrances of these nobles' homes serve as a reminder that "they have a deep bond with the person who placed them, but the tangible benefits offered are too meager!"

In the hotel in Storm City, Lurger stared at his familiar "friend," whose face now demanded his "patient waiting," his fingers clenching tightly. —Having always been the center of attention, the moment he was no longer the center, he felt the world owed him something.

So he went south. After learning about Lurger's departure from Muyun Kuohai, Xuan Chong nodded, indicating he understood.

…Don't overreact in areas you're not good at…

"Connecting" is a cultural practice among the Feathered Tribe; whenever interests are at stake, someone will come forward to connect.

Xuan Chong concludes: This is the difference between maritime culture and land-based agricultural culture, and even in the modern industrial society of the 21st century, there is a clear gap in the field of diplomacy.

Maritime powers tend to favor diplomacy between leaders, and within the developed bloc, leaders often hold direct talks with each other.

Especially in countries with wavering stances and internal instability, ambassadors dispatched by maritime powers maintain diverse connections with the local military, parliament, and economic tycoons. Diplomatic occasions are like battlefields, and ambassadors, by expanding their networks, possess abundant resources and enjoy a very prestigious position.

However, in the land-based agricultural states of the East, all foreign relations were based on the concept of a "system of rites and laws." That is, under the rites and laws, all people (states) automatically ranked themselves, a spontaneous positioning that came about after they had mastered important resources.

Envoys from powerful nations to weaker ones actually held relatively low status within their own countries. This was because, no matter how much they tried to negotiate, the resources for tribute were determined by the Celestial Empire. Therefore, while Han envoys might be arrogant, they wouldn't cultivate a good reputation or interfere in the internal affairs of the weaker nation—unless, of course, the weaker nation had a princess sent for a political marriage.

Therefore, the reason why East Asia was so chaotic during the second millennium was that the leader, who was originally the core of the "rites and laws" system in this cultural region, suffered a complete defeat in technology and military when faced with external shocks.

During that period, with the "sect leader" absent, those who were riding the wave of opportunity had their own agendas.

Japan once harbored ambitions to establish a legal and ethical system centered on itself, leveraging its economic and technological strength; while Silla desired to establish rice as a new center, thereby ranking first among the world's second-class nations.

However, with the return of the most legitimate "suzerain" through sheer power, these two nations discovered that the capital they had accumulated over the past decades through "re-ranking" was vanishing at an alarming rate. Their past plans gradually became a joke, and they had offended the real leader. Their previously enjoyed high status might be reduced to the same level as Vietnam. Thus began their frantic diplomacy, which, unlike that of smaller Western nations, appeared quite contradictory—a state of "fearing their father, hoping for his forgiveness, but unwilling to acknowledge him as their father."

Looking back at history from a third-party perspective, it is said that Silla, and even the great dragon of the East, as a traditional Eastern country, did not actually engage in the secretive diplomacy of "Mediterranean civilization".

Because each of them silently defined their own position within the framework of etiquette and law based on the amount of core resources they controlled!

Each of them remained in their own perceived proper place, unable to do anything out of line.

They only take action when they feel that the loss of their core resources will lead to a drop in their "rank," and such actions are often irrational and impulsive.

Those smaller countries realized that with the return of their old patron, they wanted everything related to the power of discourse! They wanted to monopolize the table, and those who had previously occupied it would be kicked down. Hence, they were quite anxious.

This kind of "anxiety" can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period, when the State of Song actively sought to become the hegemon after the disappearance of the State of Qi's hegemony.

Unlike maritime nations, large countries, driven by self-interest, often do things that, in the eyes of Easterners, are "no different from small countries, shameless." Small countries, on the other hand, are remarkably bold and flexible in navigating the complexities between large nations. They seize opportunities, disregarding the consequences, and force their way to the table, regardless of whether they are seated or brought there.

Therefore, it was inevitable that the "collaboration" of the Feathered Clan would form an exclusive faction targeting the Yao People.

Whether the collusion is feasible depends entirely on whether the person in charge of the "collusion" has a clear mind and can grasp the core interests of all parties.

In Xuan Chong's eyes, Lurger was not a qualified coordinator. He craved glory, so he led the army to continue resisting; but he was afraid to take responsibility and did not dare to give orders to retreat when it was time to do so; and when he was about to face the sword, he turned around and ran away, which was cowardly and weak.

Regarding this type of communicator, Han Feizi, in his "Five Vermin," labeled them as "talkers" (i.e., strategists), and provided a detailed description of their elements.

Xuan Chong: What do I have to worry about in this inevitably emerging xenophobic force, such a blustering but cowardly and hypocritical fellow? He's more of an ally than an enemy.

…a horizontal alliance…

Ten days later, at the Watchtower, Xuan Chong was invited to attend a meeting of the Feather Clan Southern Alliance.

This is a white tower. Unlike the brick and tile structures of Da Yao, the building here is very tall, and the curved lines extend from the bottom to the top, making it seem like a whole, with no visible dividing line between the "columns" and "beams".

The Grand Astrologer of Da Yao supports towering ancient buildings that are "unimaginable in geophysics" by firing bricks and tiles with spiritual patterns, which generate a force field through these patterns.

Since the Winged Race possesses such wondrous architecture, it's also worth discussing their arcane system.

The winged archmages practice their magic based on the principle of "spiritual communication," which is accomplished through "trees," "insects," "fish," and "beasts."

The winged archmages can communicate with giant birds in the sky, establish mental connections with treants in the forest, and even command crows to bite and cause spontaneously combustible "insects" to unleash firestorms.

The Watchtower was created by the Winged Clan mages through magic, a spell that summons a type of "terrestrial calcic worm".

These calcareous worms feed on coral reefs in the ocean, then secrete calcium to create smooth, porous, "hornbill"-like structures that accumulate on the seabed.

When activated by the Winged Clan mages, these "hornstone" structures can transform into regular beams and pillars, much like the high-tech nanomechanical structures created in science fiction, allowing calcareous buildings to grow directly.

There's no need for grand schemes like arranging bricks, tiles, beams, and pillars, or for fixed procedures and palace layouts; high platforms are simply built by hand.

Because this spell drives the growth of calcium worms without considering the traditional "pillars first, beams later" construction order, it allows all sorts of imaginative architectural designs to grow directly. At a glance, the Watchtower resembled a building from a past life's animated game; some spiraling, openwork stone structures, clearly not for load-bearing purposes but merely for decoration, grew atop this structure.

The entire building is so tall that it seems unreachable, and its most beautiful top may remain untouched for centuries after its completion.

From a physical perspective, to support such a structure, the base is made of solid granite, while the middle section is constructed of "calcium worms," ​​and the calcium worm structure in the middle is dense; while the topmost building material, apart from the smooth outermost layer, is completely hollow inside, like a snail shell.

Recalling his time in Storm City, Xuan Chong realized that the remains of one of the central buildings might look like this.

The walls of the base withstood the horned men's swords and axes, as well as the impact of the battering rams. The remaining middle section, however, could be pierced by a cannonball, while the top four or five meters of the building were smashed to pieces upon impact with the ground.

…words…

A meeting is being held inside the Watchtower. Lurger is already seated, and after he has shared the problems of his city-state with his friends, the King of Hell has decided to personally convene a city-state alliance conference in his honor.

The king of Haile City, located in the southernmost corner of the Feathered People's City-State: "Gentlemen, our kingdom has suffered invasions from foreign tribes to varying degrees over the years. Furthermore, some new forces have also arrived near our territory and established strongholds—"

However, during his impassioned speech at the conference, the king of Hele City was unaware that other city lords had invited the "foreign forces" he was opposing.

Just as the King of Haile City was thinking that everything was ready, the golden bell on the white tower next to him, which was meant to welcome distinguished guests, rang out.

The rules of the game of "collusion" are that when one party decides to "oppose" another through collusion, they also have to face the conspiracy of being "opposed".

When the peacock appeared in the sky, accompanied by a troop of dragon-horse warriors, the meeting was disrupted. Xuan Chong circled three times, and the peacock flapped its wings, filling the entire city with a fragrance.

As everyone in the city learned of the "guest's" arrival, the two southern city-states (Mick and Xunfeier) stepped forward to inform their fellow citizens of their newfound guest.

The kings, who had just completed the unification of the various city-states' external relations, hesitated for a moment when faced with the gentle foreigners who came to their door. However, they eventually voted to bring Xuan Chong in.

Xuan Chong stepped into the courtyard. Under the gaze of the princes, he glanced around and realized there was no seat of honor for him. He knew that a rift had formed between them.

He then raised his hand and activated his mechanical stool. The stool gradually raised its legs to achieve equality, and then spoke to Prince Lurger in the language of the Feather Clan: "May I ask, Your Highness, we have fulfilled our promise and can transfer the city to your family at any time, and you can enter Griffin City at any time; why have you suddenly severed contact with us, leaving your people to suffer in the open?"

Whispers rippled through the kingdom. The meeting of the Feathered Kings was intended to unite them in the face of the invasion by the Horned People and the "Dread Clan" further south, and to negotiate with neutral powers like Da Yao. (The Dread Clan had exaggerated teeth, and Xuan Chong didn't believe his military could project power there; he gave a perfunctory reply and then dropped the matter.)

When Xuan Chong raised the issue of "returning the city" and indicated that he could resolve the matter peacefully with the Griffin Kingdom, then why bother getting involved in this mess?
Lurger gritted his teeth and said, "You have supported your servants to seize the property of my Griffin City."

Xuan Chong looked at him: "Servant?"

He then turned to the many nobles of the Feathered Clan and said, “I have no slaves of the Feathered Clan. As a northerner, I am a businessman. All the agreements I have signed with you Feathered Clan friends are commercial contracts. I am here to meet with you not to interrogate you, nor to argue, but to make friends and exchange goods. After all, I will soon be returning to the north, and from now on I will be dealing with merchants. I hope that you, as hosts, can be fair and honest.”

Xuan Chong silently thought to himself, "Our military projection capabilities can't reach here right now. In order to stabilize relations, we should seek common ground while reserving differences."

Xuan Chong now understands one thing clearly: before the maritime city-state kingdoms entered the industrial age, it was impossible to manage such dense industrial chains as silk and porcelain. These two industrial chains, from silkworm farmers to clay miners, were not craftsmen that a "city-state" could gather. Instead, they existed in the prosperous towns of the agricultural countryside radiating from large cities, in the water towns of Jiangnan. The winged city-states, constantly facing pirate raids, could not possibly provide such order.

Meanwhile, the many city-states in the south were whispering amongst themselves, having already acquired the goods provided by the merchants from the north.

Helping Luger return home and seize power? The purpose was to jointly resist foreign invasion, but the external forces claim they haven't invaded, so why do it?
Everyone was watching Luger, but Luger was completely unaware of it and showed no willingness to "pay the price."

So? After the alliance incurred costs to help him reclaim Griffin City, they allowed Da Yao's silk and porcelain to be resold through Griffin City. What benefit did these city-states gain from this?!

…empty words, white teeth…

Here, Lurger used the language of the Feathered Clan royal family to seek help from the King of Hele City.

The two made no attempt to hide their conversation, discussing in royal jargon what price the Great Yao Man would have to pay to restore the city.
At this moment, amidst the astonishment of all the winged royals, Xuan Chong interjected in royal coded language: "Your Highness, you and I once formed a military alliance to deal with the horned people. This alliance has always been unilaterally upheld by our side. Are you now unilaterally abandoning this alliance?"

Lurger was stunned for a moment, taken aback by Xuan Chong's familiarity with his kingdom's secret language, and did not refute it.

Then, Xuan Chong addressed the royal family, saying, "You need not worry about our threat to the Feathered Kingdom. Our expedition was originally aimed at the world-influencing Eye in the south, which is also the root cause of your troubles with the Horned People and the Fear People's invasion. Now that the crisis has been resolved, I want to maintain this friendship of fighting side by side with you all."

The Queen of the Emerald Warehouse asked, "Why do you know our divine language?"

This is the core question that many members of the Winged Clan have been asking.

Xuan Chong was now fiddling with the translator he had obtained from the Sky God, watching the chips implanted in the foreheads of these royals as they spoke in different frequencies. For the Feathered Royal Family, this narration was not merely a written description, but also included musical embellishment.

Xuan Chong: "I have also tried your Sky Trial. And I have been recognized for it."

After speaking in a more advanced language, Xuan Chong discovered that the number of the Feathered Human chip had appeared on his translator's interface.

The translator now records far more numbers than the nobles present, and many of these numbers are grayed out, indicating that the users of these numbers have been offline for a long time.

Those numbers that are still in use are the codes implanted in the chips of these Feather Clan royalty. Xuan Chong faced the Queen of the Azure Warehouse and read out her number.

After hearing her "real name," the queen opened her mouth, then Xuan Chong turned to the others and began calling out their names one by one.

In the hall, Lurger felt dazed and confused. The situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse. He was no longer the prince who wanted to "reclaim his homeland," but a coward who could not fulfill his warrior's contract for the "honor of the kingdom."

…May our friendship endure…

In late July of the third year of the Tongzheng calendar, Xuan Chong and many city-state lords reached an agreement. Dingling City made a voyage, thoroughly solidifying the relationship between the two sides through the trade of silk and porcelain.

Xuan Chong adopted a pragmatic diplomatic approach towards the distant southern kingdoms. The cultural differences between the two sides were too great; the Wu family could not, in the short term, arrange marriages between their direct descendants and the local Feathered Clan nobles. As for the future?
Within Dingling City, some noblewomen of the Feathered Clan who had married into other clans had already given birth to a number of children for the expeditionary force. Meanwhile, within Dingling City, Xuan Chong had copied and preserved several more jade slips to preserve the blueprints for the vehicle that would ascend into the sky. However, the various parts for this vehicle needed to be custom-made in Fenxing City further north.

(End of this chapter)