Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 53: The Ideal Community
Starting with the capture of River Bend City, at this moment, the entire north is under our control.

There is much work to be done after capturing River Bend City.

For example, dealing with the former lord's cronies and associates, purging the city's nobles, taking over city management, and preventing leaks of information, etc.

Initially, after learning of the change of lord, some nobles and landowners wanted to pledge allegiance and show their loyalty. They sent their subordinates to negotiate, attempting to continue their privileged status by ceding some of their wealth and power to the new lord.

This is something these people are already very familiar with.

It was common for lords to change, but the nobles remained the same nobles, and the landowners remained the same landowners.

A new lord always needs to maintain order, always needs his own local staff, and always needs someone to manage the lowly people below him.
Killing one or two nobles is enough as a token gesture; if they push their luck...

There's really nothing we can do about it.

When the army arrived at their doorstep, these privileged classes finally realized that the new lord had no intention of sparing any of them and was determined to exterminate them all.

"A madman, an absolutely brutal madman!"

Some nobles cursed angrily and hurriedly packed up their wealth, trying to escape and spread the news of what had happened.

But this move was doomed to fail, as River Bend City was already surrounded.

The surrounding villages and towns are no longer what they used to know.

All roads in all directions were completely blocked off.

At this moment, the desperate nobles suddenly remembered their former lord.

In comparison, he was a truly kind-hearted person who always left himself an out. Even if someone clashed with him, they wouldn't lose their life; at most, they would just lose some supplies.

People in the circle say he has a strong sense of "chivalry".

But, should we leave a way out?
This term no longer applies to Wang Ji.

There will be no ships carrying these people in the New World.

Doing things half-heartedly is the same as doing nothing at all.

This principle has long been engraved in the relevant guidelines for handling new territories.

The capital city remained calm and peaceful, appearing prosperous and bustling.

The four towers of wonder stood there, completely still.

However, the surrounding movements were quite significant.

River Bay City is undergoing dramatic changes.

After clearing away all obstacles, Ian and Ryder took over the management of the place with a large team. They worked together to supervise and transform it, educate the residents on new concepts, and improve their lifestyles, helping them adapt through a combination of theory and practice.

Compared to the previous villages and towns, River Bay City is much larger in both population and area, so transforming it is not an easy task.

This is a huge challenge for the team, but having gone through so many ups and downs, the corresponding process system is already mature, and all that's needed is time.

As another winter arrives, and the river freezes over, River Bend City is completely unrecognizable from its former self.

The large pit at the site of the lord's mansion has been repaved with stone bricks, and a large central garden has been built on top of it, planted with flowers, trees and shrubs, and a large fountain has been added for people to relax and enjoy themselves.

In the past, this city had a system where people and areas were divided into different classes.

Closer to the inner city is the Paradise District, reserved for the wealthy and nobles. The houses are tall and spacious, and various guilds gather there, with guards patrolling around the clock.

The outer city was known as the slums, a place synonymous with chaos, poverty, and darkness, where people had to rely on their own abilities to survive, and death, violence, and fraud were commonplace.

But now, all those differences have disappeared.

Whether in the inner or outer city, there are now warm and clean houses, and the streets are clean and bright, no longer full of filth. Day or night, the warm yellow lanterns on the streets will be lit continuously, and the steel giants created by the lord will patrol along fixed routes without stopping.

Compared to the guards of the past, these giants seem rigid and dull, but they would never oppress or extort civilians, embezzle anything, or be bribed.

They are absolutely fair.

Night roads are no longer scary. As people get used to these things, the nights are no longer so quiet. People who can't sleep will get up and walk around the square, occasionally stopping to look up at the stars and contemplate life.

A life like a dream.

Who says a farmer's child can't achieve great things?

Occasionally, you can hear people discussing it.

"I heard that the kid of old John next door recently passed the exam and became an architect. Look at the square in the center of the city, I heard that he was in charge of part of it. I have to go and take a walk around it when I have time."

"And the new head of the shipyard and the manager of the dock, I heard that their ancestors were just boatmen and farmers, none of them had noble blood."

“I don’t think those nobles are anything special. They used to say that they were born noble, smarter than commoners, and more suitable to be leaders, but now look, it’s better without them.”

"Isn't that obvious? Anyone who's taken the class knows these principles."

"Life is getting better and better. It's amazing how my temper has improved since I was able to have enough to eat and a place to live."

Reflecting on everything that had happened recently, and what he had learned in class, the person speaking suddenly sighed:

"If it weren't for the arrival of the Wise King, I'd still be wallowing in a cesspool right now..."

Knowledge is no longer tightly controlled and circulated only among the upper class; it is now open to everyone.

As the university's learning and reform progressed, people's wisdom was gradually developed and put to use.

This era no longer values ​​birth or background, nor does it care about money or appearance.

All the old rules have been overturned, and now only those who are truly talented and make contributions will be valued and respected.

Of course, this is not a rule that can be changed with just a few words or empty promises, but rather a result driven by a variety of real-world factors and material foundations.

"We're not really under the rule of the empire anymore; this is a completely new country and system."

Some people saw through the current situation at a glance.

Does this new country have a name?

He wasn't the only one thinking about this. By now, the combined area of ​​all of Wang Ji's territories was already enormous, large enough to rank among the largest in the entire imperial archives' records of national history.

However, it does not yet have a unified name. When it comes to affiliation, each region still loosely identifies itself by its own territory name, or simply says in general that it is a subject of the wise king.

Anyway, no one considers themselves to be under the rule of the empire. Anyone who has joined the royal territory, as long as they are of sound mind and are not some kind of noble who has been beaten, does not miss the past.

"How about the 'new empire'?"

Ryder was clearly one of the people who cared most about this issue.

In private, he and Ian would occasionally discuss things.

During this period, Ryder conducted a lot of research and solicited opinions. The name 'New Empire' was not his own personal idea that came to mind on a whim, but rather it was recognized by many people.

"Overthrow the old empire and establish a new, prosperous empire to distinguish it from the past."

However, Ian did not quite agree with this title, saying:
"The very term 'empire' implies a rule by a monarch with absolute privileges, which contradicts the current situation."

"If you ask me, we could call it a 'Republic.' You may not have heard of this name. It comes from a type of 'city-state' that existed in history, consisting of multiple scattered city-states of varying sizes, and it advocated equality. Don't you think it's similar to the current situation?"

"That makes sense, but..."

The two discussed and each said quite a bit.

Perhaps because so many people were discussing it, this matter was eventually put on the agenda and became a necessary matter, rather than just something to talk about after dinner.

-

"A form of address?"

Wang Ji also noticed this.

As the territory continues to develop, education progresses, and knowledge becomes more accessible, people are increasingly aware that the land they inhabit is no longer under the control of the empire; it is a separate system distinct from the empire.

However, the vast territory to which this system belongs does not yet have a name, or even a formal designation.

This is not a trivial issue.

A shared symbol can unite people's spirits, give them a sense of anchoring, and foster a shared sense of self-awareness and identity.

From the establishment of his first territory to today, in just over two years, witnessing the transformation of many of his people and experiencing their most basic emotions—good and evil, desires and inner feelings—Wang Ji's mindset has gradually changed.

At this point, the purpose of establishing and expanding territories is no longer just to overthrow empires, nor is it simply to ensure that everyone is well-fed and clothed, or to unify the world and establish some new free nation.

Rather, it's for a new life for everyone.

Alternatively, one could remove the embellishment of "greater meaning".

It's all to realize the world that Wang Ji wants to see.

He made up his mind.

"The ultimate goal has long since changed."

"We aspire to a harmonious, just, free, prosperous, and meaningful collective life."

"Perhaps this is not done perfectly now, but it is a common desire that calls people together and an ultimate ideal that concerns the future of civilization."

"We have come together here to form a community."

A specific idea was born.

"No one is a king, but everyone is a foundation."

"No one is a tool; everyone is an end."

"No one needs to kneel and look up to others; everyone can touch the sky."

Today, the Ideal Community is hereby established.

On this day, many towns and settlements came to share a common name.

It felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from people's hearts, calming the restless waves.

The world's first collective entity since the beginning of history, which does not identify itself by any geography, ethnicity, system, or even as a 'nation,' was thus born.

It brings people together with a common concept.

However, in reality, when an ideal community is established, most people just feel strange and find it abrupt.

Because it doesn't sound like the name of a country, it's a bit hard to understand from the perspective of this era.

This concept was so advanced for people who were still under imperial rule a few years ago that it seemed out of place.

Some knowledgeable people began to try to analyze this term, but the more they analyzed it, the more they felt a cognitive shock.

The term "community" itself implies that it is not limited to a region, a nation, or even a country; it can infinitely encompass everything, the entire civilization, and even things outside of civilization.

This naturally includes empires.

Only one of the empire and the ideal community can exist.

This refers not just to two forces or two countries, but to two systems and two ideologies.

They are incompatible with each other and are extremely opposed.

There is no possibility of compromise or coexistence between the two; only if one is completely destroyed can the other continue to exist.

Many factors determine which species can continue to exist.

In terms of appeal, the ideal community undoubtedly has a huge advantage, but in terms of power, the Empire still holds the upper hand.

The imperial high command wields extremely overwhelming power.

But this is not without a solution.

(End of this chapter)