Ranmaru listened intently, straining his ears to catch every word.
"Satisfaction breeds lustful desires, but the state's resources are limited. If you take more, others will inevitably get less. And if everyone adopts this mindset, a real war will break out because the distribution of spoils will be unfair, and interests will not be satisfied."
"Therefore, to prevent this chaos, the people must be 'humiliated' and 'impoverished.'
Increase taxes and tighten their lives, so they live in misery with no ability to challenge the ruler.
"At the same time, for survival, these people will be busy toiling and working, leaving them no time to think about other matters. As they say, poverty suppresses ambition."
"Of course, during this process, you must be cautious and control the 'limit,' my son."
A look of confusion appeared on Ranmaru's face as he asked, "What do you mean by controlling the limit?"
Kōda Jin laughed and said, "Everything, when it exceeds the limit, turns against itself. If the pressure is too great, people will lose hope in life and turn against the ruler. History has provided us with enough bloody lessons."
"There's a saying: 'Boil the frog in lukewarm water.' If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out immediately. But if you put it in cold water and slowly heat it, it won't notice the danger until it dies."
"To effectively 'boil' the 'people' like a frog, we can't use boiling water; we need to use lukewarm water. We must keep the people in a state of subsistence, with just enough to survive, barely maintaining their lives."
"As long as they don't starve to death, most people will choose to adapt to the situation. If they can eat, the average citizen won't choose to do anything that threatens their life."
After hearing this, Ranmaru immediately said, "Listening to my father opens the mind and clears away confusion."
Kōda Jin smiled slightly and said, "Do you think it ends here? Not yet."
Ranmaru eagerly asked, "I would like to hear more."
Kōda Jin nodded and continued, "What I mentioned earlier is only the initial stage. This is enough to prevent most people from thinking of rebellion, but it doesn't create psychological respect for the ruler."
"On the contrary, some may harbor resentment towards the wealthy, always plotting to harm us nobles and steal the money that doesn't belong to them."
"Therefore, to gain their respect from the depths of their hearts, it becomes important to create a sense of insecurity. Only through fear can respect be born."
"And the best way to create this sense of insecurity is war."
"In the event of failure in war, the fate of submission to another country would be miserable. At this moment, the ruler steps forward 'voluntarily' to form an army to resist the foreign invasion."
"During this process, the protected people will feel the warmth and greatness of the ruler, becoming loyal to him and serving him without question, reaching the level of blind loyalty."
"And this will achieve several benefits."
"First: It confirms the ruler's legitimacy and reasonableness."
"Second: The ruler can seize the opportunity to gather massive funds, as war requires significant financing. And where do these funds come from? From the people, of course, who have no right to object; otherwise, they will be accused of disloyalty to the country."
"This way, we can eliminate the opposition, and all we pay in return is the lives of a few poor people. What's the problem with that?"
"Of course, this isn't enough. We also need to build a theological theory and spread it widely."
"For example: when the ruler was born, there were rainbow clouds, or he had the features of an emperor. The stranger the stories, the better. There is no cost to lying, and a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth."
"Then these people will believe that we were born exceptional, that we became rulers not only because of our contributions to defending the nation but because we are the chosen sons of heaven, rulers of the earth."
.....
Prince Kōda Jin explained to his son in detail how to rule the people, and Ranmaru was impressed by his father's political wisdom. At the same time, he felt a deep sense of fear. Had he not been born into a noble family, he would have lived his entire life in misery, perhaps exploited and deprived of his rights, and yet, he would still have been grateful to the nobles and praised them.
As for the thought of feeling empathy for the people, that was just a ridiculous joke. The idea of developing empathy for the people? That was pure nonsense.
His father had made it very clear that the world's resources and positions are limited. Without the peasants working themselves to the bone, how could the nobles enjoy their luxury and wealth? He was a beneficiary, and it would be foolish to develop empathy.
These people were merely the cattle and horses for the nobles to enjoy and use at their whim.
"Listening to my father opens the mind and clears the fog," young Ranmaru thought. Though still young, he harbored a cunning mind and had a question: "With your political wisdom, Father, how can you accept being second to anyone..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but the implication was clear—why not replace the Fire Daimyō, who in his eyes was nothing more than a pig who only knew how to eat and drink, with a fraction of his father's wisdom?
Kōda Jin smiled and shook his head.
"Father, why are you laughing?"
"I'm laughing at your youth; you think too simply."
"???"
"Right now, I already hold significant power, with authority in my hands. The Daimyō is just a name, an empty title."
"I wouldn't gain anything substantial from taking his place. On the contrary, I would expose myself completely. One must be cautious and clear-headed, Ranmaru. This move, if done well, won't add any points, but if done poorly, it will deduct points."
"Sometimes, it's not so bad being second. As the saying goes, if the sky falls, there will always be someone taller to hold it up. And who that tall person is, I don't need to tell you."
After a brief pause, Kōda Jin continued with a smile, "Do you understand now why I should stay in the background?"
"Now I see, as expected from you, Father, your plans are meticulous, and your vision is clear."
Ranmaru looked at his father with admiration, but he began to feel a bit tired. "Father, when you mentioned that if the sky falls, there will be someone to hold it up, what did you mean? Is there really something that could threaten you in this world?"
"Prince Kōda Jin sighed with a hint of exasperation: "I just told you, to make the state strong, the people must be weak. But among the people, there is a group that keeps me awake at night."
"A group?"
With a serious expression, Prince Kōda Jin mentioned the term "shinobi" once again.
When Ranmaru heard his father mention the ninja again, he felt that his father was overestimating them. After all, in his eyes, ninja were just servants for the nobles, so why be so wary of them?
Like a teacher speaking to a student who hasn't grasped the lesson, Prince Kōda Jin raised his voice slightly, "Ranmaru, in our previous conversation, I emphasized repeatedly that for the noble state to be strong, the people must be weak, but the ninja are far from weak. On the contrary, they are very strong.
"They are a relatively affluent group, and they wield great power. Some ninja don't even respect the nobles or the Daimyō; their loyalty is only to their village. If one day, these ninja decide to rebel, they won't consult you first, and at that moment, we nobles will have no means of resistance. The wealth we've accumulated over the years will become the property of these peasants. Are you okay with that?"
Kōda Jin remained silent for a while before slowly speaking: "Therefore, we must constantly wage wars, employing these ninja, under the guise of protecting the nation, but in reality, sowing seeds of hatred among them so they destroy each other."
(End of Chapter)
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