In the examination hall, Chen Xu contemplated for a quarter of an hour before picking up the pen to answer.

The boy with small eyes across from him didn't notice that Chen Xu had spread a new sheet of paper and was already writing fluently.

The question: "There's a perilous place called Langxi, with thousands of ravines and rebellious mountain people, who often raid villages due to hunger. Officials go to suppress..."

In essence, Langxi is a treacherous place, the mountain people are unruly, often descending to plunder the people when food is scarce.

If the government intervenes, the mountain people will bring their elders and children, kneeling and sobbing at the mountain pass, claiming they were forced by circumstances.

If they do not descend for a way out, the elderly and children would freeze or starve to death.

The test asks: "To slaughter them all risks harming benevolent governance, to appease them risks fostering evil.

Now, the strategy for you: Should we focus on suppression or appeasement?"

What a question: "Should we focus on suppression or appeasement?"!

No wonder the examinees gasped when they first opened the test paper.

If not for the rules against noise in the examination hall, they might have cursed out loud.

This question is so difficult, it's even more treacherous than the mountain people in the question for the examinees at this time.

If you focus on "suppression," it obviously suggests a heavy-handed approach, too rash, not in line with Confucianism's emphasis on "benevolent governance."

But if you only use appeasement, it would inevitably be too weak, fostering evil. Such essays, even if written, are at best a "poor" strategy.

What to do?

Chen Xu answered: The student has read in the "Security Strategy": "Cold and hunger are the people's skin and bone; to wish their end without rebellion is impossible." This is the root cause of the mountain people's gatherings and raids.

Although they are outsiders, they are still children at heart. If they emulate Bai Qi's burial of soldiers or Xiang Yu's massacre of cities, ultimately "those who rely on force will perish"...

At this point, Chen Xu recalled various anecdotes of this world.

Speaking of it, although this world is not like any dynasty Chen Xu knew in his previous life, its cultural ties are inherited from Blue Star China.

Many histories seem ambiguous; many famous figures and classics have similar points.

The biggest turning point was during the Wei and Jin dynasties.

That chaotic era left a mark in some history books: "Reversed and frenzied, gods and men conflicted, no longer existed."

Afterwards, it was the Grand Ancestor of Great Li who unified the six directions, swept across the eight wilderness, and established the country until now.

When studying at the County School, although the history before Wei and Jin was not very clear, there was a general outline.

The history after Wei and Jin, especially the history of the current dynasty, was seldom discussed by the Masters, and even when mentioned, it was little known.

Thus, Chen Xu always felt that this world was very mysterious.

It was only recently, when Magistrate Feng lectured him about history, that he gradually saw a richer aspect of this world.

The veils are peeled one layer at a time, but each layer peeled back often reveals many more layers beneath.

Chen Xu began by using allusions and then tied it to the topic with wise sayings of the ancients.

His writing flowed like the wind, and he completed it in one stroke.

First, he pointed out that the fundamental reason for the mountain people's gatherings and raids was poverty and hunger.

This is the great desire for survival; if this basic problem cannot be solved, all subsequent strategies will be nothing but illusionary.

This is what is called tackling the symptoms but not the root, quenching thirst with poison.

So, can all the mountain people be killed to permanently eliminate future problems?

Ha, to do that, one would not be governing a country or its people but behaving like tyrants Jie and Zhou. How different is that?

Moreover, "a tree ten full measurement round began as a sprout"; "the constant in governing a country is to benefit the people."

Not all mountain people are wicked; there are also the old, weak, women, and children.

"So, is leniency acceptable?"

Han Feizi said: "The power of authority can prohibit violence, but the depth of virtue is insufficient to stop chaos."

"If the bandits are not punished, the good will be wronged!"

Therefore, the law is sacred and inviolable; otherwise, how can the wronged spirits be comforted?

Chen Xu wrote: "Now the law should be clarified: Anyone who kills or robs, even if elderly, must be executed."

...

By this point, though the essay was based on historical references, expressing ideas clearly and with literary elegance,

It still merely unfolded the topic without addressing the root of the problem.

Of course, ordinary students reaching this level could usually expect a decent score.

Continuing further would just mean a mixture of suppression and appeasement.

Perhaps each could have its focus, but it would be hard to find novelty.

Chen Xu further wrote: "For long-term peace and stability, it must be guided by benefit."

Then he hit the topic, explaining how to solve the root problem of "poverty and hunger, the great desire for survival."

"Guanzi" said: "When the people benefit, they come; when harmed, they leave."

How can rebellious mountain people be made obedient, turned into compliant citizens? What other way is there?

Of course, it's to let them eat their fill and dress warmly, to give them benefit.

Chen Xu also wrote: "However, benefits cannot be given lightly!"

Casually and directly giving them is certainly not permitted.

So it requires utilizing the characteristics of the mountains, opening trading fields on essential mountain paths, gathering merchants to form markets.

Let merchants exchange things like salt, tea, cloth, and grain with mountain people for various mountain products.

Chen Xu also mentioned that establishing markets is merely a beginning.

After having a market, prices must be controlled, establishing a "price stabilization law," making mountain treasures play their true value, preventing merchants from driving prices due to profit.

Following this, another key point for "long-term peace and stability" comes.

Chen Xu wrote: "It is advisable to encourage the first batch of profiting people to expose brigands within their own village, with rewards like granting land and tax exemption for capturing bandit leaders; those who conceal and fail to report will have their mountains confiscated in joint punishment..."

Using their own spear to pierce their own shield.

First guide with benefit, then divide with benefit.

In so doing, "willingly winning the enemy without battle" is the highest virtue of strategy!

As the ink settled, Chen Xu's emotions fluctuated slightly.

This piece of strategic essay can be called "good" or "toxic," both a good strategy and a sinister plan.

If this strategy were truly used to pacify an area of mountain people, it might provoke many bloody storms and turn friends against each other.

However, "to govern with benevolence is not to control an army," if truly in such a situation, what other choice is there?

If leniency is overdone, it would be too forgiving of the mountain bandits.

But how then to justify to the other innocent villagers who were plundered?

In this world, the arrival of any peace often requires cruel battles.

Among them, there might be those "those who kill are often killed," but it inevitably includes some innocent suffering.

But some things must be done.

I am not a virtuous person, only striving to be true to my own conscience.

Chen Xu laid down his pen, a slight tremor in his heart, suddenly realizing that the flow of Innate Qi in his Dantian had subtly accelerated.

Yet under the overall suppression of the Heaven-Equalizing Bell, this sudden acceleration was restrained, reserved, and suppressed...

Then, it seemed something peculiar wanted to grow, leap, and sprout from this restraint.

Chen Xu half-closed his eyes, waiting for the ink on the test paper to dry.

At this moment, he seemed to possess the greatest patience of his life.

The scorching sun was in the sky, and at some point, the intense sunlight poured down, casting scattered light spots.

Some fell on Chen Xu's face, others on the smoothly written test paper in front of him, reflecting the entire paper as if smoke was rising.

At the front of the examination hall, the chief examiner Su Quan suddenly felt his heart skip a beat and opened his eyes.

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