Zhou Ziren shrugged helplessly and continued, "Private interests and public interests have always been at odds with each other. We can barely balance them out, but we can't get the best of both worlds. Xiang Province's power isn't enough to decide which country it belongs to. Therefore, if it belongs to Gyeongo, we have to support Gyeongo on the surface at least. If it belongs to Jingguo, we also have to support Jingguo on the surface at least. However, no matter which country we support, we must have one prerequisite, and that is fairness! "
"Let me give you a simple example. As Jingguo people, we obtain the greatest fairness in the imperial examinations. This is also the main reason why many people in Xiang Province prefer Jingguo. Even if we were Gyeongo people a few years ago, even if we didn't have fairness in the imperial examinations, we could at least eat our fill and wear warm clothes. Our status was only slightly lower than Gyeongo people, so at least we obtained a great deal of fairness. However, if one day our Xiang Province is occupied by the demon barbarians, what will happen to us? "
Some of the young scholars shuddered. In the demon world, humans were known as human slaves.
Zhou Ziren continued, "I'm sure everyone knows that those who aren't of our race will have different intentions! In the Saint Origin World, whether it was a war between the Southerners and the Northerners, or a war between different races, no matter who won or lost, everyone had the same blood flowing in their veins, the same culture, the same festivals, and the same appearance. No matter what, the victorious side will at least treat us as humans and won't guard against us like we're enemies. However, the demon barbarians won't. They won't even give us the basic fairness of eating our fill, wearing warm clothes, and going to school. In the hearts of the golden-furred lion demons and the green-eyed tiger barbarians, we'll always be humans, far from demon barbarians. Therefore, I will never support the demon barbarians. I'd rather fight with my life than become a human slave! In a world ruled by a foreign race, it's no longer a matter of whether the passage is smooth or not, but whether we can protect our status! "
Many of the scholars nodded vigorously.
"The reason why the demon world needs humans and why humans can live a good life is because their distant relatives, the human race in Saint Origin World, haven't been destroyed by the demon barbarians. They're still a threat to their position as the master of the myriad worlds! Once the human race is officially defeated by the Demon Realm, then there will only be human slaves in the myriad of worlds, no more humans. Therefore, I have always believed that humans who seek refuge with the Barbarian Demons are not stupid, nor are humans who seek refuge with the Barbarian Demons because of internal persecution. However, those who seek refuge with the Barbarian Demons think that they can break through the gap between their bloodline, race, and culture and become the superior human race of the Demon Realm. They think that the Barbarian Demons are noble enough to give the resources for becoming a Saint to the human race instead of the Barbarian Demons' descendants. In my opinion, such people are terrifyingly stupid. This kind of person is not only stupid, but also thinks that the Demon Barbarians are stupid. If the Demon Barbarians had really given their power to the other races instead of their own descendants, then the current Master of All Realms would definitely not be the Demon Barbarians! "
"So, no matter what day it is, you must remember one thing. Even if you are rebels, you must remember that the Barbarian Demons will definitely say that the reason why they became the Master of All Realms is because of their hard work, because every Barbarian Demon is free, because their customs are good, because they are more noble, sincere, and kind. But I can tell you that they are bullshitting. The Dragons enslaved all races, so why did only the Ancient Demons rise? The Ancient Demons controlled thousands of races, so why did only the Barbarian Demons rise? There is no other reason. The Ancient Demons were the luckiest race among the thousands of races, and the Barbarian Demons were also the luckiest race among the thousands of races. This is because they controlled the most powerful power of All Realms at that time! That is all! It is precisely because they controlled such great power that they had better customs and had more time to be free and content. "
"Everyone must remember that the Barbarian Demons will never give their power to become the Master of All Realms to the human race, even if it is the most loyal human slave or rebel."
Many students originally had doubts about Zhou Ziren's attitude, but after hearing these words, everyone was relieved. From now on, no matter whether Zhou Ziren chose Jingguo or Gyeongo, no one would blame him.
"Brother Zhou's words have enlightened me!" A scholar bowed to Zhou Ziren, and the rest followed suit.
After a few breaths, Zhou Ziren smiled and said, "Three months ago, someone from the Punishment Hall made a joke during the ranking meeting. I don't know if you remember. The Punishment Hall caught a rebel, but they couldn't talk about the specifics. However, they summarized the rebel's words as follows: 'Ever since Fang Yun appeared in the human race, the rebels have been cheering because they can sell the human race at a higher price.' "
Many people laughed. This statement hit the nail on the head, but at the same time, it also made the human race more confident. It was precisely because the human race was constantly getting stronger that the Barbarian Demons were afraid of them that such a situation occurred.
No one would restrain, attack, slander, or obstruct an insignificant race.
Zhou Ziren changed the topic and said, "Next, we will talk about the problem of 'bias' and 'loyalty' that I mentioned. As people of Xiangzhou, what should we do? We shouldn't completely lean towards either Jingguo or Gyeongo, nor should we completely break away from the other. What we need is a balance. We need to be prepared for Jingguo to soar to the heavens and be completely loyal. We also need to be prepared for Jingguo to be swallowed up by Gyeongo and become a citizen of Gyeongo once again. At the same time, we need to avoid angering Gyeongo and Jingguo. We need to prevent the conflict in Xiangzhou from intensifying and breaking this hard-won balance. "
"What we people of Xiangzhou need is a balance between Gyeongo and Jingguo. Only when one country has the absolute power to occupy Xiangzhou without losing it will we decide which country to be loyal to. Everyone can see that we people of Xiangzhou are actually very sad. Only Jingguo and Gyeongo can decide our allegiance. We can't decide which country we belong to. It is precisely because of this that we need a balance. We need a balance that will allow us to live peacefully in the future until the dust settles. "
The students below the stage all had different expressions. Some felt that Zhou Ziren's words were too utilitarian, while others felt that his words were very reasonable and that it was the true way of life.
Zhou Ziren's expression darkened. He said, "Originally, Xiangzhou had already achieved the balance that we needed the most. We had a balance between Gyeongo and Jingguo. However, the Qing officials are trying to break this balance. They are sacrificing the stability of the people as the price to create conflict and anger Jingguo, which is growing stronger. This will cause the entire Xiangzhou to fall into an abyss of suffering. The reason why I called on everyone to take action tonight is to warn those merchants that they can choose not to lean towards Jingguo, but to lean towards Gyeongo completely is the most foolish action. "
The auditorium of the Academy was silent. Many people had complicated expressions.
Most of the scholars here were hot-blooded and believed that leaning towards Jingguo was the way of a gentleman. This was what scholars should do. However, after listening to Zhou Ziren's words, they suddenly felt that to the people of Xiangzhou, balancing the status quo was the best choice. Any extreme actions could lead to unpredictable events.
Zhou Ziren said slowly, "Our enemy is neither Jingguo nor Gyeongo. To say something disheartening, we don't deserve to be the enemy of the two countries. Only people like Fang Xusheng can be the enemy of one country. Our enemy is the idiots in Xiangzhou. They are the ambitious people who want to sacrifice the lives of the people in vain! "
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