Chapter 1948: Third Type of People

War is complex, and human nature is unpredictable; if we become complacent, many boundaries will be crossed.

He Lingchuan then motioned for him to sit down, and addressed everyone: "Don't think I'm making a big deal out of nothing. The Shanjing Plains are vast; taking them successfully isn't as simple as conquering cities and seizing territory. What does 'pacification' truly mean? After pacifying, the crucial part is the 'stability' that follows. Otherwise, all your efforts will be for naught, merely benefiting others! In the past eight hundred years, how many powerful figures who waged war on the Shanjing Plains haven't met a bleak end?"

The generals listened intently, all understanding that He Lingchuan's public reprimand of Peng Youfu and Tao Ran was a clear warning to everyone present.

"Most of you received your missions through swift messages, understanding my orders without knowing the underlying reasons," he stated. "When orchestrating such a grand campaign stretching across vast distances, it was impossible for me to brief every general in advance. Today's gathering is a rare opportunity, so I will explain the strategic thinking behind the Dragon God War."

"Since we aim for complete control of Shanjing, we must effectively categorize and treat its people differently," He Lingchuan said, leaning back. "I ask you, into how many categories can the people of Shanjing be divided?"

The generals exchanged glances, remaining silent. They knew that the Great Emperor Jiuyou was asking them to consider this from a strategic warfare perspective.

"Weng Su?"

When his name was called, Weng Su started and immediately stood up. "Good people, bad people, uh... bad people must be fought, and good people must be helped..."

"And what else?"

"Else?" Weng Su looked down and saw his younger brother winking at him.

What did that mean? He scratched the back of his head, failing to understand.

Even between close brothers, there isn't always perfect understanding.

Weng Xing had to speak up: "And those who are neither good nor bad."

A faint smile appeared in He Lingchuan's eyes. "Oh? The 'neither good nor bad' ones, how would you treat them?"

Weng Xing hesitated for a moment. "The majority of people in the world are neither good nor bad. We neither attack them nor offend them."

He Lingchuan gestured with his palm towards Weng Su: "Sit down."

"People are divided into groups. From a strategic perspective, we broadly divide the people of Shanjing into three categories. One category consists of commoners and the poor, who sell their labor, either relying on nature for survival or living by serving others. Without question, these are the people we must protect and win over. As long as their hearts are with us, even if ill-intentioned individuals try to stir up trouble, they will not blindly follow."

The generals nodded, understanding that while the poor and commoners could be further subdivided due to the diversity of human nature, for the purposes of grand strategy, they were all grouped into one category.

"Another category consists of tyrants and vicious bandits. In the past, the Great Emperor Jiuyou and the Black Armored Army aimed to eliminate them; some were even recruited and pacified, and you have such individuals in your ranks. However, the current target list also includes despots, corrupt officials, and cruel bureaucrats."

"Then there is a third category, the most complex in nature: local officials, aristocratic families, wealthy merchants, and gentry. They not only often collude with each other, but their identities are also intertwined. For example, officials' families may produce wealthy merchants, aristocratic families also engage in business, retired officials become gentry, and wealthy merchants can become officials through donations or by joining the bureaucracy. I call this group the local elites."

He then asked Weng Xing: "How did you deal with this type of person before?"

Weng Xing replied without hesitation: "Rob the rich to help the poor."

Neither they nor the common people had any liking for this group. When he and his brother ran out of money, they would "borrow" some from these people and incidentally aid the poor, which made them feel quite good.

"First, let's say they may have committed wrongs, but they are not truly evil or deserving of death; otherwise, they would fall into the previous category," He Lingchuan said seriously. "In the past, heroes and powerful figures who aspired to unify Shanjing, no matter how well they started, ultimately failed. A crucial reason was their mishandling of this group of people!"

"In small states like Yaoguo or Pengguo, eliminating this group would be fine. Distributing wealth and land to the poor would quickly win over popular support. After all, small territories are easier to govern."

"But the Shanjing Plains are too vast, with a territory even larger than Beijia," He Lingchuan exhaled. "And their complexity in terms of geography, economy, customs, beliefs, clans, and social structures far exceeds that of Muguo. This third group of people are the crucial joints of the Shanjing Plains. Bureaucrats govern local areas, merchants lubricate the economy, aristocratic families foster knowledge, and gentry serve as intermediaries. For hundreds of years, they have been deeply embedded in the social system. If you forcibly remove all of them, leaving only the vast common populace—"

He gestured towards the ceiling. "—it's like suddenly removing the pillars and beams from this house; it would collapse from top to bottom. Even if the Yangshan Merchant Guild's influence is vast, its scale compared to Shanjing is merely one pillar in the house. If the other pillars and beams are gone, Yangshan alone cannot support it."

Shanjing's structure would immediately collapse.

"At such a time, with the front lines raging with war, but the rear's system and economy collapsing on a large scale, how could it not descend into chaos?"

Even Weng Su understood, slowly nodding.

"Furthermore, they are not only a powerful core force but also a powerful resistance," He Lingchuan continued. "If truly cornered, they will not simply wait for death. At that point, they become local magnates with wealth and knowledge, capable of organizing people and raising armies. While you fight desperately on the front lines, they will cut off your lifelines from behind, putting you in a bind. A promising situation could thus collapse."

"Therefore, during the war, our strategy towards this group must primarily be 'stability.' We must not only appease them and maintain stability, but also strive to win them over. After all, they are the most wary of us and most prone to reacting negatively, so we must devise practical and effective strategies to placate them."

He Lingchuan took a shallow breath. "I know many of you come from a background of wandering knights, with a clear sense of 'right and wrong' in your hearts. But the world isn't just about right and wrong, nor is it black and white. To win such a vast war on the Shanjing Plains, we must unite the majority and defeat the extreme minority."

Means serve the end. Most people living on the Shanjing Plains are very pragmatic.

"And this third type of person is by no means a tiny minority."

After speaking, He Lingchuan dipped his finger in some tea and drew three circles on the table, writing "Commoners," "Elites," and "Enemies" inside each respectively.

Then, beneath the circles, he wrote three more words:

Draw in, Stabilize, Strike.

He Lingchuan said slowly, word for word: "Towards these three categories of people, our war strategy is to draw in one faction, stabilize one faction, and strike one faction!"

Commoners must be drawn in;Local elites must be appeased and kept stable;Enemies must be severely struck down.

"Only in this way can we minimize wartime resistance from the rear." He looked at Tao Ran. "Now do you understand why I punished you and Peng Youfu?"