NCCnovel #540 - Goodbye Chen Sanliang
#540 - Goodbye Chen Sanliang
Chapter 537: Seeing Chen Sanliang Again
Unity of knowledge and action, enlightenment of mind and seeing nature!
Zhang Chen seemed to realize that his true nature was awakening. The various shackles of the past were being broken bit by bit, and even the deformed concepts brought to him by the 21st century seemed to be constantly breaking down. The dross of Confucianism was being cleared away one by one.
While his family was repairing things, Zhang Chen directly used earth遁術 to enter the neighboring city. Walking in the city, Zhang Chen looked at the mental outlook of the people on the street, and couldn't help but feel a burst of emotion in his heart.
Although the people in the city were still living in dire straits, and their eyes were full of numbness, at least everyone's spirit was peaceful, and not as panic-stricken as in the Pingbian King's territory.
Zhang Chen walked on the street, looking at the people coming and going, looking for a place to buy and sell maps. However, Zhang Chen walked through more than a dozen streets, but he didn't find the map he wanted.
He had misunderstood. Maps were rare in this era, and they were absolute strategic materials. Who would take them out to sell?
Especially in this era without map navigation, mastering a map and becoming a guide was a lucrative profession, enough to eat for several lifetimes.
"This is troublesome. Could it be that I have to steal a map? But now that I have decided to enlighten my mind and see my nature, how can I do things that violate the law and commit crimes?" Zhang Chen stood blankly on the street, his eyes looking around. Just when he was at a loss, his eyes suddenly stopped and he saw a figure sitting by the window in a restaurant not far away. The most important thing was that he was very familiar with that figure.
"Why is he here?" After Zhang Chen saw that figure, his pupils shrank involuntarily, and a look of disbelief appeared in his eyes.
Who did he see?
A person who should never appear in the Northern Land!
Chen Sanliang!
"Shouldn't Mr. Chen be preaching in the Northern Land, preparing for the opportunity to prove the Dao? Why would he appear in this city?" Zhang Chen's eyes were full of disbelief, and an ominous premonition began to rise in his heart.
Opposite Chen Sanliang, sat a tall figure, but because of the line of sight, Zhang Chen couldn't see the other person's face clearly. The two of them were talking and laughing and exchanging cups, obviously having a very lively conversation.
At this moment, Chen Sanliang seemed to notice Zhang Chen's gaze, turned his head to look at the street, and saw Zhang Chen standing in the center of the street. After the two looked at each other, Chen Sanliang was stunned, then said a few words to the person opposite him, and then saw that person bid farewell and leave. Then, Chen Sanliang turned around and waved to Zhang Chen outside the street.
Zhang Chen walked towards the restaurant with an uncertain expression. After arriving at the private room where Chen Sanliang was, he took a deep breath and his expression returned to calm. He pushed open the door and walked in, only to see Chen Sanliang sitting in front of the table, unhurriedly drinking wine.
Compared to when they parted a year ago, Chen Sanliang's temperament had changed drastically at this time. He no longer had the haggard image of the past. His whole body was well-proportioned and his face was radiant. Even the gray hair on his head had turned completely black, and he looked as if he had returned to the high-spirited age of his thirties.
The clothes on his body had also changed drastically. He was wearing luxurious brocade clothes, looking like a young master from a wealthy family.
"You're too slow. We've been separated for a year. How did you only leave the Pingbian King's territory now?" Chen Sanliang's voice was gentle, gesturing for Zhang Chen to sit opposite him. He also ordered the waiter to remove the leftovers and replace them with three dishes and a soup, as well as new wine.
"I have family with me, so I can't use any means. I can only walk step by step." Zhang Chen looked at Chen Sanliang. The other party's hair was meticulously styled, looking quite dignified.
Chen Sanliang was stunned when he heard this. He poured a glass of wine for Zhang Chen, then put down the wine pot. After clinking glasses with Zhang Chen and drinking it all in one gulp, he put down the empty cup and picked up the wine pot again to add wine for Zhang Chen. Then, he said to Zhang Chen: "Before, I heard the news that Jin Dou was defeated by a human, which led to Hupo Pass being broken by refugees, and hundreds of thousands of refugees escaped. I was still wondering how there could be such a master in the Northern Land who could make Jin Dou stumble. But now that I see you, and then calculate your itinerary, the one who took action at Hupo Pass should be you, right?"
Although Chen Sanliang had not witnessed Zhang Chen's personal action, he believed that Zhang Chen was by no means an ordinary person. Could a person who was constantly worried about by a great immortal named Hu Li, who did not dare to face him directly, and even did not hesitate to bestow the Soul-Depriving Bell to deal with him, be an ordinary person?
"It's me!" Zhang Chen nodded without denying it. There was no need to deny it now. He had already mastered the ninth-level skill, and he had some confidence, so he was not too afraid to expose himself.
"Mr. Chen seems to be having a good time recently?" Zhang Chen looked Chen Sanliang up and down.
"You also know that the demon clan has entered Guanbei, and countless powerful families have defected to the demon clan. Witches, doctors, musicians, and craftsmen have all been captured by the demon clan. In this way, naturally someone will weave silk for me, and someone will build palaces for me, serve my food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and help me make delicious food. Of course, my complexion is good." Chen Sanliang said with a smile.
Chen Sanliang was smiling, but Zhang Chen didn't smile, because he couldn't laugh. All of this came at the cost of bloody flesh and bones.
"Are you blaming me? Do you think that everything I am enjoying now is built on a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood?" Chen Sanliang asked rhetorically.
Zhang Chen sighed faintly, picked up the wine and drank it all in one gulp. Although he did not directly answer Chen Sanliang's question, he had already explained everything with his own attitude.
"You, ah, your vision is still too narrow." Chen Sanliang laughed.
"I would like to hear Mr. Chen's opinion." Zhang Chen put down his wine cup and looked at Chen Sanliang.
"The so-called battle of great powers, the struggle between the human race and the demon race, is just a struggle between the powerful, a redistribution of interests. You see, in the Pingbian King's territory, the local families have defected to the demon race, and they are still doing well. Only the common people are suffering. What does this illustrate?" Chen Sanliang asked.
Zhang Chen was stunned when he heard this, shaking his head in astonishment: "What does it represent? I don't know! Please enlighten me, Mr. Chen."
"The powerful have no national boundaries or races. In their eyes, there is only profit. As long as the benefits are sufficient, they can be demons today, and they can be humans tomorrow. What they care about is not their identity or status, but only their own interests. Their identity and status change with their interests." Chen Sanliang said with a smile.
"Today, I will teach you the most important lesson your master taught you: The people can be made to follow, but not to know. The so-called loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, defending the country, is used to brainwash you ordinary people, to make you grow up under the brainwashing of this kind of education, and become puppets in information cocoons." Chen Sanliang said: "Han Suzhen only taught you the superficial layer of knowledge, only taught you the things that the rich and powerful use to brainwash people, but did not impart the true high-level essence to you."
Chen Sanliang's expression became serious at this time:
"Think about it, what is the essence of war?"
Zhang Chen looked at Chen Sanliang blankly, his mind flashing with thousands of thoughts? For plunder? For money? For expanding territory and establishing meritorious service? But he always felt that these answers were wrong, as if they were a little short.
"Heh heh, why?" Chen Sanliang asked with a smile.
Zhang Chen shook his head: "For profit!"
"For whose benefit?" Chen Sanliang asked.
"Of course, for the benefit of the general public." Zhang Chen replied to Chen Sanliang without even thinking.
"Wrong! Completely wrong! Terribly wrong!" Chen Sanliang waved his hand to interrupt Zhang Chen: "This is the brainwashed thinking you formed after accepting the indoctrination of those corrupt scholars. War is for the benefit of the powerful."
"What? Sir, your words are pure heresy. Does the invasion of the demon race also benefit the powerful?" Zhang Chen retorted.
"Ah, you! You really have been brainwashed. Let me ask you, the King of Pingbian owns the entire northern territory and summons the people of the entire northern territory to form an army to fight against the demon race. Whose interests are they protecting?" Chen Sanliang asked.
Zhang Chen was silent at this time, countless thoughts flashing in his mind. After a long while, he said helplessly: "Student… student… Please enlighten me, sir."
Chen Sanliang nodded after seeing Zhang Chen's performance: "It seems you haven't been brainwashed too deeply, otherwise I wouldn't say another word to you. The King of Pingbian and the countless nobles of the northern territory are only protecting the interests of the nobles."
Fearing that Zhang Chen would not understand, Chen Sanliang began to explain in detail: "What do the common people have? Two acres of thin land? Add to that the taxes, and how much can they save at the end of the year? It's barely enough to eat their fill. And what about those nobles? They own the right to use and occupy this land. This land is their asset. The common people can run away, but these nobles can't!"
"If I use the demon race as an analogy, you might not see the trick. Then I'll assume that the King of Pingbian leads an army to attack Marquis Pingbei. Whose assets is Marquis Pingbei protecting? This land is the land of the nobles, the land of the powerful. The common people are just cattle and horses living on this land. Even if the King of Pingbian conquers this land and eliminates Marquis Pingbei, for the ordinary people, it's just a change of masters. Those beauties, money, and power, they still can't enjoy it. But under the righteous ideology of Marquis Pingbei, countless people raise their flags and enthusiastically join the army to fight against the King of Pingbian, using their own lives to fight the King of Pingbian, while those great nobles hide behind and never appear on the battlefield. It's always the common people who die. The real nobles never go to the battlefield. When the time comes for defeat, they can simply change their allegiance. What loss is there for them? It's just changing from relying on Marquis Pingbei to relying on the King of Pingbian. What impact does it have on them?" Chen Sanliang said with a serious expression: "Boy, remember this, this is the last lesson I'll teach you: 'The people can be made to follow, but not to understand.' The people can be brainwashed with countless reasons. Over generations, righteousness forms inherent views. When the time comes, they will naturally maintain and follow them, becoming an information cocoon that their descendants will never be able to break free from."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen felt as if struck by lightning. He sat there woodenly, his entire way of thinking overturned by Chen Sanliang's words.
Yes, whose world is this?
This is the world of the rich! This is the world of the powerful! It can be anyone's world, but it is definitely not the world of ordinary people.
They enjoy everything, possess billions in assets, but hide behind the scenes to manipulate the ignorant, ordering the penniless people to rush out to fight for themselves and protect their own property.
For ordinary people, what difference does it make if the world changes? Aren't they still exploited? From the Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, isn't it still the same? The powerful hide behind, and the common people rush to the front, using various ideas of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism to brainwash the people, so that the people use their cheap lives to protect their property?
When the world is won, the common people are still the common people, and the powerful still use various ideas such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness to brainwash the people, making them work as cattle and horses while also being warriors who shed blood for themselves.
Zhang Chen felt that what he said made sense. For example, if you lengthen the timeline and compare the Tang Dynasty with the Sui Dynasty, what impact does the fighting to the death have on ordinary people? The common people die in vain. They shed blood and sweat only to protect the wealth of the powerful behind them.
But the next moment, Zhang Chen came to his senses. After all, he was a person from later generations, and his thinking changed quickly: "No! What you said is wrong! The demon race is different. The demon race implements a policy of killing all the people. If the ordinary people don't resist, they will die! Sir, you are changing the concept. You are confusing me!"
This era is ultimately different from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of his previous life. This era has demon races! The demon race implements a policy of genocide against the human race.
"I want to establish a demon kingdom and recreate the world. With the wisdom of our human race, how can those demon races compare? As long as you are willing to come and help me, we can build a human kingdom within the demon race. With our human methods and talents, we can turn the tables and make all the demon races serve us, make all the demon races slaves to our human race, and become our human race's food. Humans are born with different classes, and exploitation exists. To eliminate this exploitation, we must make everyone privileged, everyone an exploiter. This goal was originally impossible to achieve, but now I have found a way. The demon race is the goal I have chosen. As long as the human race can enslave the demon race, then the entire human race will naturally be powerful, everyone will be a master!" Chen Sanliang looked at Zhang Chen with burning eyes:
"There may be deaths and injuries in this process, there may be bloodshed and sacrifice, but it is all worth it! As long as we can recreate the world, we can create a supreme race where only our human race is the highest and all other races are slaves. At that time, there will be no more exploitation in the human race. This is the true golden age of our human race."
Hearing Chen Sanliang's words, a look of horror appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes. He stared at Chen Sanliang, and a thought涌涌 in his heart: "Madman! He's a genius, but even more so a madman!"
"Destroy the human race, integrate into the demon race, and then rise above the demon race."
Zhang Chen felt that Chen Sanliang's brain was probably broken. According to Chen Sanliang's logic, it would be equivalent to saying to all countries in later generations: Surrender to the United States, integrate into it, and then rely on five thousand years of experience in power struggles to turn the tables and become the leader of that country. Is all of this possible?
If Zhang Chen didn't have the experience of two worlds, he would probably be fooled by Chen Sanliang at this time, and he would be completely crippled.
The other party's ideas and inspiration are indeed grand, but there is no actual operability. This is just a daydream. If he really believed the other party's words, the human race might never be able to turn over.
A lamb confined by wolves can never turn over.