"The appearance of these heroes means that after the founding of the Wu dynasty, the dividends accumulated in a positive direction have been completely squandered by the predecessors."
The autumn wind whistled, and the grassy slope seemed to ripple slightly. The fading of the sunset caused the coolness of the evening to gradually rise, but for the two of them, this was not a problem. After Ning Yi finished speaking, Qin Shaoqian thought for a moment, but muttered softly, "Although I don't quite understand, things like the founding dividends, haven't they been squandered long ago …"
"After squandering them, they began to touch the nation's capital …" Ning Yi smiled. "Does Second Young Master believe in karma?"
"The women around me believe in it, as for me … I don't believe in this thing." Qin Shaoqian picked up the string of beads he wore on his hand and shook it. "I remember that Liheng also doesn't believe in it, right?"
"I believe that everything has a cause and effect, not karma and karma."
"What's the difference?"
"It's a math problem." Ning Yi drank the wine and thought for a moment. In the distance, the barracks and courtyards were gradually lit up, and the traces of people gathered under the dusky sky. After a long time, he continued speaking.
"For each of us, when we do something, there must be karma. Of course, this is not wrong. In the general direction, we killed Zhang Jue, making the Enlightened Lady think that we are cowardly. Thinking that we are cowardly, she will start to beat us. You killed a person, and his family will seek revenge on you. And in the small aspect, what Prime Minister Qin did in the past, what he said in front of Second Young Master, and what you saw caused Second Young Master's current personality. If the Enlightened Lady comes, although you know that you may not be able to defeat her, you will not choose to run … "
"Of course!" Qin Shaoqian smiled.
Ning Yi also smiled. "The appearance of every cause and effect is naturally very complicated to calculate, but every thing we do, even every word and action, will lead to some other things, some effects. Some of these effects are positive, and some are negative. The problem is that the appearance of cause is fixed for everyone, but the arrival of effect is random for everyone. "
Qin Shaoqian frowned, clearly confused.
Ning Yi took a branch and drew a few circles on the ground.
"It's like this. Let's say there are ten people in a society who do both good and bad things. On the same day, each person creates a plus one and a minus one. That's ten of each. But in a society as a whole, every plus one and minus one is random. It's very likely that this person will get two plus ones and none of the minus ones. If he's lucky, the other person will get two minus ones and he'll be unlucky. Perhaps he was wronged by others, or perhaps he was ostracized by others … And if his foundation isn't strong enough, he might even get a negative ten. Those who can't hold on will die. "
Qin Shaoqian thought for a while as he ate. "But this isn't completely random. I killed someone, so his family will definitely seek revenge on me."
"But the calculation of cause and effect isn't as simple as addition and subtraction. At every moment, countless people's causes have to interweave together. This is troublesome." Ning Yi smiled. "You killed this person's father, so he grew up without a father. He was bullied and looked down upon by others. In order to take revenge, he did many bad things. In order to kill you, he first killed many people to practice … But it's also possible that when he was bullied and looked down upon by others, someone took pity on him and gave him a good life, dissolving the hatred in his heart … Everyone's karma is gathered together, and in the end, it will descend upon everyone's head. Putting aside natural disasters, the total amount is basically the same. "
"That seems a little interesting …" Qin Shaoqian said. "Then what does it have to do with dividends?"
"The causes we create and the effects we draw out are, of course, beneficial and harmful to the country. The country is a huge system. Through the operation of this system, it will absorb these causes and effects every day. Through legal means, it will try its best to fall evenly on everyone's head. "
The nearby soldiers lit torches and started a bonfire at the side. Ning Yi knocked on the small circle on the ground.
"At the beginning of the country's establishment, people were positive. And after going through the chaos of war, they knew that peace wasn't easy to come by. They were prepared for danger in times of peace and wouldn't easily create causes that would harm the country — in other words, they wouldn't do bad things that would harm the country. Because the country was also young, all the systems were very sensitive and would react quickly to these things. So in the beginning, the country kept growing stronger. But as time passed, there were always some people who obtained a lot of positive causes. They became landlords, big families, and small circles in the court … "
Before Ning Yi finished, Qin Shaoqian nodded. "I understand now. Next, it's time to fall."
"That's right." Ning Yi also nodded. "The emergence of an interest group will first protect its own interests. It will do some small good and create some positive numbers, but it will continue to expand itself. Think about it. A high-ranking official's family took the land of a hundred thousand farmers. Even if he collected less rent, the positive numbers created by his family would still be very small. And these hundred thousand households, at the very least, didn't have much to begin with. Who would think that the country had anything to do with them? They may be simple, but they don't have the ability to resist risks. When a few more negative numbers fall on their heads, their families will be ruined. Then, they will become a machine that continuously creates negative numbers, and so on. The country will only go from bad to worse. This is also determined by human nature. "
Ning Yi continued, "In the later stages of a country, there will be more and more negative numbers. The positive numbers that can be beneficial to the country will become fewer and fewer. When the functions of the country are affected, the digestion of negative numbers can't be evenly distributed. Sometimes, a lot of negative karma will suddenly fall on your head. It's a case of injustice, or a big fluctuation that you can't withstand. Those who can't withstand it can only die."
"And when the country collapses, there will be a lot of negative causes accumulated at the level of the whole country. They are historical debts that someone has to pay. How much can one person pay? Even if it's a small part, it has to be paid with human lives. The negative numbers created by the people of a country will have to be paid with the lives of hundreds of thousands, millions, and tens of millions of people. This is … karma that I understand. "
Qin Shaoqian looked at the circles he drew. They flickered in the light of the fire. "That Liheng still said that he doesn't believe in karma?"
"He believes in karma, not retribution." Ning Yi pointed at the circles that represented the ten people. "The probability of each negative number falling on a person is equal. It's the same for you and me. It's just that the ability to bear risk and misfortune is different. In the Wu dynasty, the probability of a hundred million people receiving good and bad luck is equal. But as to how much you'll receive, you'll only know when it falls. But if you can't bear it, you'll die … Each of us can only live one lifetime. If we have ten thousand lifetimes to reincarnate, then we'll truly be completely equal. But if there's no reincarnation, then all that's left is luck and resignation.
"If there's reincarnation, there will be retribution. You create good karma, and good karma will return. But I …" When Ning Yi said this, he clearly paused. Then he said, "But I don't believe in reincarnation, so I don't believe in retribution."
The wind blew across the sky. There were nocturnal birds flying. When the two of them said this, they were silent for a long time. Then, they drank with each other. Although Qin Shaoqian was a martial artist and did things more straightforwardly, it didn't mean that he didn't have intelligence. He thought about Ning Yi's words carefully. In the end, he could still understand them. The result would be too heavy.
"Does Liheng think that our Wu dynasty … has already reached this point?"
"I'm not sure." Ning Yi said, "Perhaps it won't collapse, but the appearance of good karma and evil karma is clearly already uneven. The country is no longer strong enough, so foreign enemies invade. At this time, a large number of lives will be sacrificed. There are also some people, like this country's … immunity. They'll take the initiative to meet the enemy head-on and digest a large number of evil karma. But if they can't bear it, they'll die. These people are the so-called heroes. "
Qin Shaoqian's eyes brightened. He drank a cup of wine. "Then how many lives does Liheng think are needed to be enough?"
"I know you want to, but human lives aren't enough." Ning Yi patted his shoulder. "Don't forget, this country owes a debt. What's important is that before people die, they can repay the debt. If they can't repay the debt, when everyone dies, at most, they'll turn the negative number into zero and start all over again. "
He paused. "So in theory, the only way to repay the debt is to have a lot of people still alive and continuously produce this positive number. They have to find a way to produce positive numbers and continuously offset those negative numbers. One person can't offset it. Ten thousand people, a hundred thousand people, a million people, when a million people become a whole, they can evenly digest a large number. "
"Throughout the dynasties, the so-called innovators have always created a new system, allowing the people of a dynasty to use new methods to produce more positive numbers. But … although a system can evenly digest those large negative numbers, in reality, there are always more and less. So, some innovators fail, and their families are ruined. Some innovators succeed, and they extend the lifespan of a country, but at the same time, their families are ruined. Because that's not karma that a person can bear alone. "
Ning Yi smiled. "So, although I admire the chivalrous people in front of me and let them speak when they tell stories, I don't like this kind of thing. A country is like a dam of a thousand miles. People create good and evil causes in it, just like ants. There are repairs, and there are also moths. But many people spend most of their time destroying a country. When Wu Qimai made the oath, Xu Zerun scolded Wu Qimai. It was said that he died very generously. He had thousands of acres of fertile land in his hometown, and he bullied people. There were even a few unjust cases that were blamed on him. Many people say that when foreign races attack, they swear to fight them, as if this is a great virtue, or something like patriotism. In fact, it's not. Those who say 'at least I don't lose my virtue' can't be trusted. If people are good people and don't be corrupt officials, that is patriotism. If the country didn't collapse because of these negative numbers and lose its strength, why would foreign races invade? Why would they need the appearance of these heroes … "
The night was hazy, and the stars were in the sky. The voices fell silent. Qin Shaoqian drank and laughed. As the bonfire burned, his field of vision was a brightly lit courtyard, a brightly lit barracks, a brightly lit Dongping Prefecture, fields, villages, and waterways far and near. Before long, they changed the topic and talked about the problem of fortifying the walls and clearing the fields, the opinions of the nobility, and other practical matters. It wasn't until the two of them got up from the hillside and prepared to go down that Ning Yi sighed and patted Qin Shaoqian's shoulder.
"Second Young Master, I've talked so much nonsense. I know you know what to do about the war. It's hard to say what will happen to the Wu dynasty, but people who do practical things sometimes can't be too stubborn. "
Qin Shaoqian reeked of alcohol and gave a long burp. A moment later, he looked at Ning Yi. "I know what you mean, Liheng. But if I retreat now, how different will I be from those people I look down on? Liheng, I am a son of the Qin family. My father is in the court, and there are so many people watching him. If I don't fight back, how many attacks will my father suffer? Liheng, you are knowledgeable. If you really have the right way, why don't you tell me? "
His last words were said with some sarcasm. The Enlightened Lady was already in front of him at such a speed. It would be a joke to say he could win if he fought back. He had fifty thousand soldiers and the other one hundred thousand. He had only been in command of the Wu Rui Battalion for a year, and the highest rank above him was a civil official. On the other hand, Medicine Master Guo had managed Yanjing for several years. Not only did the court not control him, but the six states of Yan and Yun had given him their blood. In addition, the Enlightened Lady's battle record when she destroyed Liao. Compared to the strength of the Wu Rui Battalion, even if Xiang Yu the Overlord, Lu Bu the God of War, and Chen Qing the White Horse were reincarnated, it would be hard for them to win. But how many choices did he have?
People in the circle could more or less see these things.
If you don't go, you'll be no different from those people. If you go, you'll lose soldiers and give others a chance to defeat you one by one. It's the same for me to strengthen the defense and clear the field. It's likely that because of this migration, more people will starve to death than those killed by the Enlightened Lady. But I still have to do what I have to do. You asked me what I should do with you, Second Young Master. I'll only say two things. If you can do either of them, you can do whatever you want. "
Ning Yi waved his hand drunkenly. "First! You can kill half of them. Second! You can delay the Enlightened Lady army for ten days to half a month. If you can do either of these two things, Second Young Master, I'll have to trouble you to die there. If you can't do it, I'll think you're a coward! "
He sighed. "I respect Old Qian from Hangzhou and Zhou Dong. But Old Qian is a scholar and a practical man. Zhou Dong is a man of his own. Second Young Master, you're a general. You have to endure humiliation and live. Like I said, what's important isn't human life or zero. You have to create a positive number in order to help people pay back their debts. "
Qin Shaoqian's expression turned serious. He gazed at the army camp in the distance, then at the sky. He didn't say anything. Ning Yi's words were probably different from his original plan.
Then, in the early hours of the next day, Wu Rui's army broke camp and turned in the direction of Shouzhang County, preparing to intercept Wanyan Zongwang's Western Army.
Ning Yi stood on a grassy slope and watched as more than fifty thousand soldiers marched forward. He didn't know how many of them would come back.
At this time, there was a serious problem in front of him. It had to do with the official work of strengthening the defense and clearing the field.
When the Enlightened Lady army invaded the south, some people fled in panic while others went against the current. But soon after, they discovered that they were all about to be swept away by the rumbling torrent …
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