Chapter 278 You All Must Stand at the Top
Although Champa’s request for them to attack Jiaozhi from both the north and the south might indeed be helpful for them to take Jiaozhi.

However…this time, Zhao Xin still rejected the Champa envoy’s proposal to send troops together.

The reason is, firstly, there was no time left to build the warships in such a hurry.

Second, they have not yet trained a suitable navy.

If we attack Jiaozhi by land, it would certainly be feasible, but there are many dense forests along the way, and the transportation of food would be inconvenient.

If you march in summer, you are likely to be bitten by mosquitoes, which may lead to plague.

Therefore, if you just think about it, if you haven’t made any preparations yet and you say you are going to attack Jiaozhi next year, that will definitely not work.

of course!

Despite this, Zhao Xin already had the idea of ​​forming a navy.

After meeting with the envoys from Champa, he called all his sons over.

Then he said: “I have already told you where humans came from and how the entire human society was constructed step by step.”

“For example, a long, long time ago, there were no officials, no emperors, only tribal leaders.”

“It was the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors who gradually expanded the tribe step by step and promoted grain planting techniques, such as corn planting, which led to the gradual establishment of settlements.”

“With cities, there were eventually countries, and now there are amazingly prosperous cities like Kaifeng Prefecture and Youzhou City.”

“And all kinds of well-dressed people living in this city.”

“Now that you all know how this world came to be, you should ask yourself again.”

“What is your next goal?”

“For example, what kind of person do you want to be, or what kind of thing do you want to accomplish.”

“Zhao Zhe, you are the eldest son, you speak first.”

Prince Zhao Zhe was sitting at the desk. When his father suddenly called his name, he almost didn’t react for a moment.

in fact……

With his current experience, it was impossible for him to say anything. He could only say that he would study hard and learn how to govern the country in the future, which was already good enough.

At least……

He has not yet said that he will lie down and become a foolish prince from now on.

Zhao Zhe thought about it and replied, “Dad, I think my next goal is to get married and have children…”

Zhao Xin asked, “And then?”

Zhao Zhe replied: “Then… be a good prince!”

Zhao Xin then said, “What you said is the same as saying nothing. Besides… the background I gave you is that you already know how this world came about, so what do you want to do?”

“If this is all you answered, then how are you different from the princes in the history books?”

“Those princes in history books don’t have a father like me who can tell you how this world came to be.”

Zhao Zhe also asked: “Dad, I have a question!”

Zhao Xin said, “Ask.”

Zhao Zhe then asked, “Dad, how do you know that humans evolved from monkeys?”

Zhao Xin rolled his eyes at the other person and said, “That’s not a monkey, it’s an orangutan. This is just a hypothesis. Through the study of some skulls of primitive humans that were accidentally preserved intact after death thousands of years ago, we can logically infer that humans evolved from orangutans.”

“Of course, this is just a hypothesis.”

“But… regardless of whether it is an orangutan or not, it is probably a species similar to an orangutan. Just like monkeys, there are many species, including the monkeys in Mount Emei and the golden monkeys in Sichuan. And humans were not very different from orangutans at the beginning. And orangutans can be said to be the smartest animals in the world besides humans.”

Zhao Zhe also asked: “Then why did this gorilla turn into a human?”

Zhao Xin said, “There is a theory in biology called use it or lose it, which means that when something is no longer useful, it will degenerate.”

“In addition, from a medical point of view, there is a phenomenon that some people grow a tail after they are born. In medicine, this is called atavism. It means returning to the shape of one’s ancestors.”

“At the same time, it will be affected by the environment. For example, if leeks are grown in the sun, they are leeks. If they are grown indoors and completely blocked from the sun, they become leeks.”

“From leeks turning into leeks, we can see that once the environment changes, the final appearance of the leeks will also become completely different.”

“As for gorillas, which look like monkeys, their appearance has changed little by little probably because the world’s environment has changed.”

“This period of time may be hundreds of thousands of years, or perhaps millions of years. In any case… eventually, apes gradually evolved into humans.”

“Of course! I must emphasize that this is just a hypothesis. Maybe humans are not orangutans, but something similar to orangutans.”

Zhao Zhe said, “Then I want to be like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, someone who can bring fire and farming techniques to people.”

Zhao Xin also leaned against the chair and touched his beard.

Then he said: “This is a good idea, but… I hope you can be the one who controls the fire and the farming techniques.”

Seeing Zhao Zhe’s face full of doubts.

Zhao Xin also said: “You are the prince, the future emperor, you should stand higher than everyone else. Just like your father, I obviously master the technology of muskets and artillery, but I have choices about who to use and who not to use. This is the way of the emperor. It’s not giving everything to others for free.”

“At the same time, you don’t need to personally deal with things like technology. Even many technologies in ancient times were attributed to ancient sages by later generations. It is actually difficult to say whether these technologies were truly invented by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, or by the people under the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.”

“As the crown prince and future emperor, you only need to know what technologies are available today, pay close attention to them and use them appropriately in the future.”

“I don’t want you to become a craftsman even though you are a prince and an official. You need to understand your true mission.”

Zhao Zhe said, “I understand.”

Zhao Xin: “Then tell me what you understand.”

Zhao Zhe: “…”

“My duty is to be a good prince and a good future official.”

Zhao Xin: “Wrong!”

Zhao Zhe: “?”

Zhao Xin: “Your mission is to stand at the top of the world, and technology is just a stepping stone for you to stand at the top. The same goes for the rest of you. Tell me again, why do you want to stand at the top?”

Everyone was confused.

Zhao Xin said, “If you don’t want to be at the top, then do you want to be like ordinary people, working the land before dawn? The reason why you can have food and drink today is all because of your father, I, who happens to be at the top of this world.”

“Of course, I’m not discriminating against ordinary people, but as a father, I hope that you and your descendants can live a good life.”

“You probably don’t want your descendants to have to sell their children and eat tree bark to survive, right?”

“Even you yourselves are not doing well, and your life is tight, right?”

“Parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run. You have too little experience and live too comfortably, so you may not be able to understand what I am talking about today.”

“In nature, there is a saying that goes, ‘survival of the fittest.'”

While saying this, Zhao Xin also wrote out these eight big words.

Show them all. “Only when you stand at the top of this world will you not be easily eliminated or destroyed by others.”

“Moreover… ever since the emergence of nations, the human world has become a pyramid.”

“Remember the pyramid I made for you guys to play games with when I was a kid?”

“If you are not standing at the top of the pyramid, then you are destined to become the base of the pyramid under the feet of others.”

“As you go up the pyramid, the living environment becomes vastly different.”

“The bottom layer has the largest number of people, and most of them may starve to death at any time, while the top layer is the government, who controls the entire world.”

“Would you rather be the one at the bottom or the one at the top?”

“Of course, there are people in between.”

“For example, princes and scholars.”

“This was during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.”

“Now, he is the Minister of the Secretariat, and we will be ranked down according to the official rank.”

“Other fathers may never say such things to you in their entire lives. They may never set such ambitious goals for you.”

“For example, if a commoner who works on the land has a son, his greatest wish for his son is probably for him to marry, have children, and build a bigger house.”

“However, this may be the peak of this family in a few decades.”

“Why do scholars and officials try their best to let their sons study and take the imperial examinations?”

“This is actually because they have a much longer-term vision than ordinary people from the beginning.”

“You, as my sons, naturally, your goals cannot be too bad.”

“Otherwise…if you do nothing, your descendants will gradually become scholars and officials, then become common people working for them, and then become common people farming.”

“Of course! I’m not saying that since there is only one at the top, should I kill the crown prince and other princes like those princes who fought for the throne in history books?”

“You must know that if a family can unite and have common interests, then the entire family will stand at the top of the world.”

“Besides…if there is a problem on your side, I can help you solve it if I have the ability to solve it.”

“The world is actually very big.”

“Each of you can get a piece of land.”

“It’s just like when we played together as kids.”

“Now… to the south of the Song Dynasty, there is a piece of land called Jiaozhi, which was the homeland during the Han and Tang dynasties.”

“After your father conquers the country, he plans to let one of the princes take over the throne. If we follow the order, the eldest son who is not the eldest son should take over first.”

“It’s just… after all, there are some people in this world who don’t like to stand at the top. They just want to eat and wait for death.”

“If you can really do this, not caring too much about fame and fortune, and just eating, drinking and having fun, then it doesn’t really matter. I, your father, am not saying that everyone must be at the top.”

“So…your father and I are going to let you do what you want. If you want to go, then sign up yourself.”

“But I must say that life in Jiaozhi is definitely not as good as in Kaifeng Prefecture and Youzhou City. But if you can become the ruler of a country, I think it should not be too bad.”

“So…if Jiaozhi is really taken down by your father, who among you is willing to go to Jiaozhi and be the top leader there?”

then……

The eldest son, who was not the legitimate son, immediately raised his hand.

Zhao Xin also said: “Since Zhao Hong raised his hand, then according to the order, you will go. First of all, you have to get married and have children, then build warships, then train the navy, and then conquer Jiaozhi.”

Zhao Hong frowned and asked, “Dad, do you still want me to fight by myself?”

Zhao Xin said, “The land you conquered yourself gives you a greater sense of accomplishment and you will know how to cherish it. If I, your father, gave it to you directly, how could you understand the hardships of starting a business? This will be somewhat dangerous. Do you still want to go?”

Zhao Hong: “Uh…”

After a pause…

As if after careful consideration, Zhao Hong said again: “I am willing!”

At worst, it’s just death!

Not being able to stand at the top of the pyramid is what makes him more likely to regret.

Next…

Zhao Xin found people for him and provided him with various supplies.

As for what kind of wife to marry.

this……

In fact, the feeling doesn’t matter anymore.

Anyway…

As long as she is not the kind of woman who holds things back and can give birth to a son, that’s fine.

Just find a scholar-official family and marry someone with a gentle personality.

After the eldest illegitimate son set Jiaozhi as his target, the others naturally also set their sights on Zhao Xin.

Zhao Xin wondered if Xingqing Prefecture in Western Xia was possible.

But after thinking about it…

forget it!
It’s better to focus on Japan!

only……

To date, Goryeo has not been conquered by him yet.

Unless Gao Li takes over for them.

Zhao Xin thought that he could follow the example of the Han Dynasty and first send an envoy, pick a death row prisoner, give him an official position, and go to Japan to stir up trouble. After the trouble was done, Zhao Xin would send troops to attack Japan, and then ask Goryeo for permission to pass through. However, Goryeo would definitely not lend the money for the sake of its national security.

If I borrow it, won’t I become the target of attack from both sides?

then……

Zhao Xin can then find an excuse to take over Goryeo first.

This plan can only be described as perfect!
Then…

Zhao Xin actually did so.

of course!

First send people to familiarize themselves with the situation by sea. Once they are familiar with the situation, there will be no rush to cause trouble.

(End of this chapter)