The companion’s reasoning was well-founded, and it quickly cooled the young man's impulsive temper.
That was true; he didn't consider himself some book-bound nerd. If the other person’s theory sounded grounded, he was capable of reflecting on his own errors. He had a general understanding of the borders between the Shun Dynasty and Roshan. As his companion had noted, since ancient times, the cost for Central Plains dynasties to launch campaigns against the plundering northern barbarians had always far outweighed the gains. In antiquity, the Qin and Han dynasties defended against the Xiongnu; although Emperor Wu shattered and crippled them, he emptied the national treasury in the process, and in his final years, he was forced to issue an imperial edict of self-reproach for various reasons. The Sui campaigned against Goguryeo, the Tang fought the Tibetans, and the Song fended off the Liao and Jin—either millions perished and the nation was draped in mourning, or the dynasties exhausted their vitality, or they were left to cling to a corner of the realm, unable to contend.
Today, our Great Shun surpassed the Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming in territory, maintained a standing army of three million to guard the frontiers, and enjoyed unparalleled prosperity and growth in its economy and livelihood. Yet, the enemy the Shun Dynasty faced in the north was no mere tribal alliance like those of millennia past. Its opponent possessed vast territory, a large population, firearms, and a hostil…
Chapter 156