ALL NOVEL
Chapter 43: The Han Revolution
As someone from the modern world, Shu Yichao wasn’t sensitive to the different levels of civilization development in the Middle Ages.
The Central Plains was actually one of the more matured civilizations in that era, especially in the field of governance.
A long time ago, the many civilizations living in the Central Plains fought in an endless battle royale. All participants, regardless of their locations, languages, or religions, used everything at their disposal to rise above the others.
Losing was not just a big deal either—it was just extinction.
And the final survivor was the one with the strongest fist.
To deal with the natural calamities and the frequent outbreaks of war in the Central Plains, the culture of collectivism was propagated, where the nation’s needs were put above the needs of individuals.
There were complaints, but most people knew this was necessary for their survival.
That was what happened in the Shang Dynasty, evident from its archaeological site.
Women and children lived together, while men lived in military barracks. They were constantly preparing themselves to deal with the threat of war. While their freedom was restricted, their efficiency in mobilizing their massive army was so tremendous that the Sparta would have peed themselves facing them.
Of course, there were downsides to this too.
The rulers of such countries wielded greater power in their hands, but that translated to greater responsibility too. The individuals were only willing to tolerate suffering because they believed that their ruler was wise and could safeguard their interest.
If the ruler gave them any reason to believe otherwise, the people might seek to dethrone him.
Shu Yichao had no interest in such matters, but Constantin XI was fascinated in them. He could see the advantages in it.
“Is this why the Khitans are so strong?” Constantin XI wondered.
Reading about how the Khitans governed themselves, as detailed in the book Shu Yichao tossed away, he realized that the Eastern Romain Empire’s way of governance was an utter mess.
There were many overlapping official positions and nobles. No lines drawn to segregate the military, administrative, and legal functions. Looking at them left Constantin XI with a headache.
Not only was it inefficient, but the nobles were also powerful enough to stage a revolt when things weren’t going their way. This status quo was slowly shaped and reinforced over the years, so it was not easy to change it.
Stripped to bare bones, the Romain emperor was really just the leader of the military.
Had Shu Yichao’s books not opened Constantin XI’s eyes about different styles of governance, he would have thought that the Romain’s system was not bad. It was much better than the other barbaric Western nations, where the kings and nobles were often at loggerheads, and being able to write some words made one an intellectual.
But after seeing how the Khitans operated, he realized that he was the barbarian here!
I didn’t know noble positions can be non-hereditary or demoted upon being inherited! Official positions also don’t have to be passed down through the line but instead appointed via rigorous tests.
Officials are expected to treat their people like their parents, and they will be relieved of their positions if they fail the inspection? And the emperor will demote even a chief supervisor if the people aren’t happy with him?
Just what kind of magical place do the Khitans live in?
We need to have a revolution! We absolutely need to enact some changes!
I might not be able to develop an entire system of governance by myself, but surely I can copy the work of others?
Constantin XI was already imagining the meteoric rise of the Eastern Romain Empire should he succeed in enacting those changes.
Their farmers would become their most stalwart soldiers. Anyone who dared to infringe on Romain territory would suffer the most vicious backlash.
The empire would invest in public education to nurture talents, and only those who had cleared the imperial exams could join the core of the imperial court. This would greatly weaken the influence of the nobles and the church.
There would be periodic inspections to remove unqualified officials who hogged their positions without fulfilling the responsibilities expected of them.
They would focus their money and policies on building water pipes, fixing the roads, constructing transportation canals, expanding agriculture production, and encouraging commerce.
Constantin XI didn’t dream of reaching the heights of Khitans; he would be glad to reach a quarter of what they had achieved. That would be enough for him to round up the barbarians around him and pummel them in place!
I mean, just look at Shu Yichao’s army! His troops are strong, highly mobile, and disciplined. The thousand of them can easily rival tens of thousands of soldiers!
The emperor, who had gotten carried away, forgot that there would always be a gap between what was on paper and in real life. He figured that there was no better way to learn from the Khitans than having a Khitan mentor.
Thus, Constantin XI approached Shu Yichao to implore him to guide the Eastern Romain Empire’s revolution.
Both Constantin XI and Madam Marti were smart people, evident from how they used the dictionary and its pronunciations to relay their intention.
Shu Yichao was shocked when they expressed the reason behind their visit.
“Holy shit! The developers went all out here. The player gets to dabble in the internal governance of the Eastern Roman Empire too? I have long heard that the NPCs in solid games act almost like real people, but I didn’t expect this mod to pull it off too!
“To propagate a cultural change via war; this is also in-line with what happened in history…”
While Shu Yichao was being awed by how well developed the mod was…
“…” Shu Yichao fell silent.
Metal Fortress. Isn’t that the super heavy infantry that’s armed from head to toe, with only their eyes exposed?
He glanced at the stats.
The answer to the question was a resounding yes.
All right, I should stop staring, or else it’ll be too rude.
The highest armor stat Shu Yichao had ever seen on any NPC troops prior to this was 60, but the Metal Fortress had reached an astonishing 140?
Desire blazed in Shu Yichao’s eyes.
He was familiar with what Constantin XI had said—the latter just wanted to create an army of farmer militia and introduce state examinations. As a dragon’s descendant, these things were practically carved into his bones!
He had a strong passion for governance too, being an internet forum frequenter. Countless hours he had spent online arguing with other netizens, so it excited him to be able to put his precious work experience into practice.
Actually, I don’t care that much about the Metal Fortress. I just want to try my hand at governance.
Anxious to push for a revolution, Constantin XI was willing to resort to extreme means if that was what was needed to push for swift changes. He wanted to make Romie prosperous and strong as soon as possible.
He was a radical.
“We shall learn the Khitans’ speech, the Khitans’ words, the Khitans’ military, and the Khitans’ way of governance. This is all to revitalize the Eastern Romain Empire!” Constantin XI shouted while waving his hands fanatically, his saliva flying everywhere. “Let the revolution begin today!”
“Hm?” Shu Yichao was taken aback. “What did I do to suddenly level up?”
He scratched his head. “Jade Emperor, Goddess of Mercy, Supreme God of Virtue, Buddha Sakyamuni, Sage that Rivals the Heavens… I don’t know who’s listening, but please bless me again.”
He tapped on ‘Accept’.
“…Why does a governance talent have such an imposing name?” Shu Yichao was baffled.
—
Starve’s Translation Trivia:
Mobilization of the Imperial Army is a parody of a Meng Zi’s words:
‘Should feudal kings fail to respond to the emperor’s summon three times, the armies ought to be mobilized to eradicate them’.
That’s why Shu Yichao said that it’s imposing.