stonecrandall Chapter 791 Young Master Gao is worried about the importance of Gao Yao!
Chapter 791 Young Master Gao is worried about the importance of Gao Yao!
They knew which local families were trustworthy, which local tyrants needed to be guarded against, which ditches were related to the harvest, and which customs could not be violated. They were far more effective in promoting new policies, explaining the king's orders, and appeasing the people than a "new official" with a foreign accent and no knowledge of the local area. Their presence was the key lubricant that allowed the regime to quickly take root and resume operation in unfamiliar lands.
This is by no means a result of the people in a certain place being "savage" or the officials being "incompetent", but a cognitive gap caused by a lack of knowledge and a narrow vision. Without the continuous impact of external forces, this kind of regional conservatism is extremely difficult to change spontaneously. This is why knowledge is regarded as the cornerstone of promoting social progress - it broadens the boundaries of cognition.
Throughout history, whether it was the Mongol Yuan Dynasty that swept across Europe and Asia or the Qing Dynasty that ruled the Central Plains, they ultimately had to rely on a large number of Han officials and local gentry to maintain their rule. The reason is simple: without these local forces who are familiar with the local language, culture, and human networks, even the most powerful conquerors could not really reach the grassroots, and could not effectively communicate, manage, and extract resources.
The ultimate goal of war - population, land, wealth - especially the huge and silent population, if you can't make them loyal and productive, then conquest loses its meaning. Gao Yao is well aware of this. His low-key march and pragmatic use of people are the embodiment of this profound understanding - the real ruling power does not lie in the ostentatious entry into the city, but in whether you can control the land and the people living on it most accurately at the lowest cost.
The wheels rolled over the loess, raising dust that lingered for a long time. For seven consecutive days, this silent and huge team meandered along the official road, getting closer and closer to its destination, Nanjun. The air seemed to become more stagnant as the destination approached, especially in Gongzi Gao's gorgeous carriage, which was at the core of the army and was strictly "guarded".
Young Master Gao Duan sat in the middle, his body under the brocade robe tense as a bowstring. His fingers unconsciously stroked the smooth jade disk, his eyes glanced blankly through the slits of the car window at the armor of the soldiers marching neatly outside, but he could see nothing. Every mile that shortened the road was like an invisible file, grinding deeper into his tense nerves.
He knew that his trip was called "moving the capital" but was actually a journey to his death. Gao Yao's seemingly calm but unquestionable declaration was like a cold shackle that had already been put around his neck. What made him even more heartbroken was that all his family members - wives, concubines, children, and even the old servants in the mansion - were left in Nanjun, becoming the most effective pledge in Gao Yao's hands.
This made him not even dare to have the slightest delusion of risking everything. The lives of his family weighed more heavily on his mind than his own life.
The seven-day journey was strangely peaceful. The army marched, set up camp, and set off again according to the rules. His diet and daily life were as exquisite and thoughtful as before, and even the soldiers who were guarding him still maintained superficial respect for him. There was no difficulty as imagined, no secret coercion, and not even a trace of panic. This excessive "normality" was like a layer of sweet honey, gradually wrapping up the frightened heart, breeding a lucky, self-paralyzed illusion.
"Could it be... I am overthinking?" Gongzi Gao would sometimes wonder vaguely, "Could it be that Gao Yao is planning to take action in the court after arriving in Xianyang? Or... has he changed his mind?"
This thought is like a tiny glimmer of light in the darkness. Although we know it is illusory, we can't help but want to grasp it. This is what human fear is like. What tortures people the most is often not death itself, but the sharp blade hanging over their heads, clearly visible but unknown when it will fall. The long countdown to death, which is counting every second, is enough to grind the most tenacious will into dust. Just like the patients who are diagnosed with terminal illness in later generations, they may be able to live as usual when they don't know the condition, but once they know the deadline, every moment of the countdown becomes torment, and the mental pressure may even accelerate the collapse of the body.
At this moment, Master Gao was deeply trapped in the purgatory of "foreknowledge of death". And this "foreknowledge" was given by Gao Yao himself.
This was by no means a cruel joke or bad taste on Gao Yao's part. On the contrary, it was a coldly calculated political necessity: to maintain superficial fairness and order: Gao Yao needed the "cooperation" of Gongzi Gao, a prince of the previous dynasty. In the transitional period of completely mastering power, he could not simply and brutally slaughter the bloodline of the Qin royal family.
Prince Gao needs to play the role of "knowing the current situation" and "actively cooperating" to appease the descendants of the Ying clan who are also under surveillance and in a state of panic. Gao needs time to digest the fruits of victory, and he also needs these people to exist "stable" temporarily as a symbol of a smooth transition of power. Direct purges can easily trigger uncontrollable chain reactions.
Avoid internal turmoil: Gao Yao's subordinates are not monolithic. There are his old team from Pei County, the old subordinates from the six kingdoms who later joined the army, and a large number of surrendered soldiers, generals and officials who once served the Qin Dynasty! These people have more or less old feelings or inertial respect for the Qin imperial family.
If Gao Yao suddenly raised the butcher knife against the Ying family, the means were too cruel, and it was hard to guarantee that it would not sow the seeds of suspicion, fear and even rebellion in the hearts of these people. Once the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan, who was hiding in the dark and waiting for an opportunity, seized this rift and fanned the flames, detonating civil strife, the consequences would be disastrous. Gao Yao knew the truth that "a single move can affect the whole body".
Letting Prince Gao know the date of his death and "cooperate" is the key to Gao's blocking of potential risks. If the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan wants to take advantage of the situation and incite the descendants of the Ying family to revolt, a sober and "cooperative" Prince Gao will be more likely to disintegrate his conspiracy than a Prince Gao who is ignorant or desperate to resist. In order to protect his family, Prince Gao will actively or passively suppress the restlessness within the clan.
Even without the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan, the children of the Ying family who were imprisoned and monitored were themselves a huge destabilizing factor. In desperation, it is hard to guarantee that no one would take risks. Gongzi Gao knew the outcome in advance and "accepted his fate", which could, to a certain extent, convey a sense of despair of "powerlessness to reverse the situation", suppress the restlessness within the clan, and reduce the possibility of them planning risks on their own.
Even though Gao Yao had a plan, he was well aware of the truth that "a thief can be thieves for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days." No matter how tight the surveillance network is, it is inevitable that there will be a loophole. Instead of spending huge energy to prevent countless possible outbreaks, it is better to remove the firewood from the bottom and let the most influential Gongzi Gao "take the initiative" to become a stabilizer, reducing the probability and intensity of risk outbreaks from the source. This is much more labor-saving and safer than remediating after the fact.
Therefore, every moment of anxiety, every lucky fantasy, and every struggle to comfort oneself during Gongzi Gao's seemingly peaceful journey of seven days were all expected by Gao Yao's cold political chessboard.
This "notice" is a shackle and a death warrant, but it is also a key and cruel chess piece used by Gao Yao to maintain overall stability and eliminate potential storms. Prince Gao's fear is one of the nutrients needed for Gao Yao to consolidate his power.