Mythical Three Kingdoms

However, when Liu Ba saw the detailed information on Liu Bei's side, he calmed down completely. The disparity seemed significant; first, Cao Cao was very short of money, while Liu Bei was extremely wealthy.

The more important point is that after learning about the real situation on Liu Bei's side, Liu Ba was utterly stunned. This wasn't something that could be explained away by cleverly named loans; the Money Exchange was terrifying, but even more frightening were the people using it!

Raising an army is incredibly expensive—armor costs money, weapons cost money, provisions cost money, and stipends also require money. All of these need funding, and not only does Liu Bei maintain an army, but he also invests in education. Even more startling is that he provides free education to children of appropriate age.

The statistics on Cao Cao's side indicate that Liu Bei invests billions in education annually, which would be more than enough to support tens of thousands of cavalry...

This insane level of investment made it understandable why the aristocratic families under heaven once thought Liu Bei would be overwhelmed, but looking at his current situation, he seems unconcerned about this annual multi-billion investment. Incidentally, it should be noted that textbooks and venues in the first year were even more expensive…

Moreover, it seems that on Liu Bei's side, there are scholarships for outstanding students, which gave Liu Ba a major headache. Liu Bei's annual investment in education and soldiers' welfare could support a military twice the current size, a figure that is truly alarming to Liu Ba.

Additionally, the intelligence detailed the opulence of Liu Bei's residence, which can only be described as resplendent. Carpets made from the wool of a hundred thousand sheep, and furniture and decorations costing tens of thousands, with the building materials alone costing in the billions!

This residence, which was unparalleled except for being slightly less than the Han Dynasty's Weiyang Palace, was abandoned by Liu Bei after living there for just over a year. It is said that Chen Xi planned to build a new one in Ye City, but it was rejected by Liu Bei!

All of these are expenses, and the spending is so extravagant that it blinds people; this cannot simply be described as luxury! However, along with the dazzling manor, Chen Xi's statement also circulated—it's not the extravagance of feudal lords that leads to chaos under heaven. If a nation cannot be prosperous and its people wealthy, government officials should be out!

After that, Liu Bei's abandoned residence became a counterexample for mocking a monarch's luxury. Just look at how extravagant Liu Bei was, yet the prosperity of his governance leaves people astounded, highlighting how the disorder under heaven is not solely the emperor's fault but also due to the incompetence of many of you!

This statement had Liu Ba thinking for a long time until he realized he had no way to refute it. What Chen Xi said seemed very reasonable, and if there's a fault, it lies with everyone. If only you had Chen Xi's abilities to enrich the country and strengthen its people by throwing money at problems, a little extravagance would seem trivial…

"Are you sure that what is recorded in this material is about the sage Chen Zichuan acclaimed under heaven?" Liu Ba felt as though his entire worldview was being shattered by the contents of the material.

Sima Lang smiled and pointed at Chen Qun and Fan Qin, "One is a family brother, the other an uncle; you can ask them."

"There's also a stack of materials for you," Fan Qin said with a smile. They had collected plenty of intelligence on Chen Xi. The more one reads, the more one's worldview crumbles—the thinking of the other party was not entirely focused on governance.

"Talking as if your Boda isn't from my family," Chen Qun said with a smile, not giving Liu Ba a definitive answer, and Liu Ba's worldview was thoroughly shattered.

Looking at the sage in the materials, there was not the slightest hint of the so-called noble poverty.

Picky about food and drink, being very particular about leisure; over seventy percent of the current dishes in the world came from the Chen family's household, and the most popular operas were brought in by Chen Xi for his entertainment.

Looking at such a person, he seemed like a playboy of an aristocratic family. The Chen family certainly belonged to the aristocratic class, but Chen Xi wasn't part of it. Liu Ba asked Chen Qun, "Has your household always been so extravagant?" which Chen Qun awkwardly explained to Liu Ba.

Chen Xi was not the top talent hidden by the Chen family, and the Chen family had never been so extravagant; it was simply the meticulous Chen Xi, not the Chen family.

However, this playboy, who was particular about food and drink, displayed talents that silenced all sages under heaven.

No one surpassed him in governance. His talent exempted him from all calamities, enriching the country and empowering the people seemed like his instinct; Ju Shou's past flattery seemed to have been taken by Chen Xi, who then showed even greater excellence than Ju Shou could imagine...

The playboy nature displayed in such a person could only elicit a laugh from everyone—it just goes to show that no one is perfect.

Besides, isn't it just food and entertainment? The man resolved the people's livelihood, so can't he be allowed a few hobbies? Although these hobbies are quite something, even Confucius once said, "If the meat is not cut properly, I do not eat." The man is just particular, and financial problems can always be solved with money, right!

Although in this era, many shy away from discussing money, the issue is, without money, a country cannot accomplish many things: raising an army requires money, enriching the people requires money, governance requires money, and development requires money. How can you advance without discussing money?

Noblemen speaking of benevolence and righteousness were not uncommon in this era, but even a nobleman couldn't endure constant poverty. People like Yann Hui have always been rare in the world, let alone ordinary people; moving people with emotion, persuading them with reason, and tempting them with benefits is the best approach.

The world has many ordinary people, and even Confucius said that the standard of morality shouldn't be raised infinitely because an infinite elevation of moral standards would only lead to the moral decay of the entire group.

For the people at the bottom, they can't foresee far ahead or see much; the simplest method is to entice them with small benefits to follow the paths that the rulers want them to take.

As the Han Dynasty emphasized agriculture over commerce, they could not change the people's pursuit of profit, and Chen Xi's governance policies clearly intended to benefit the people.

"Truly a remarkable person," Liu Ba said with a bitter smile after reading. Suddenly, he felt that the opponent had defied the odds. From the current situation, it was clear that the other party wasn't trying their best.

If someone has already given their all, they wouldn't have time for anything else. Yet, Chen Xi has plenty of time to indulge in food and entertainment. This casual demeanor clearly stated one fact—he wasn't exerting himself.

"As only one household exists in all under heaven, should they desire, even if the Central Plains were entirely destroyed, they could rebuild it. Even if the world fell into chaos three times, they could establish a new kingdom," Liu Ba whispered, "And now, they had their authority unexpectedly pilfered while in merriment."

Then Liu Ba spoke earnestly, "However, while a thief of hooks is punished, the one who steals a nation becomes a marquis. Chen Zichuan, your greatest achievement is stealing the greatest power under heaven!"

[However, you have also taught me what I should do. Very well, very well, let me also take action against the one and only entity under heaven—'the aristocratic family'. Your governance theories can also be emulated. Let me personally experience this authority!](To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)