Chapter 1937 - 1937: 1937

The bodyguard was driving the RV, and the speed wasn't very fast.

Qian Xuan's luxury RV was very steady, hardly any jolting; it was very comfortable to sit in.

Liu Zhizhong and Qian Xuan sat in the vehicle, brewing tea, smoking and eating, watching the scenery and chatting along the way; it was truly carefree.

To be honest, Qian Xuan really envied Liu Zhizhong's current state, though keeping this secret was also crucial—he himself knew exactly what to do.

Qian Xuan said, "Brother, a few years apart and the mortal world has really changed beyond recognition! You're still not too clear about the situation back home, right?"

Liu Zhizhong smiled faintly, took a sip of tea. "Brother Xuan, you look down on Valle's intelligence system that much?"

"Uh… hehe… Brother, impressive!" Qian Xuan gave him a thumbs-up, nodding, his face full of admiration.

Liu Zhizhong said, "Right now at home, Gu Changsha has risen to the top, and the intention to hold on alone to the end is very obvious. Among the top ranks, the Northern Faction and Tiandu Family elements are far, far too many. The Southern and the Southwest, by comparison, have been weakened far too much."

"The Southern can only serve as a leveling-up ground for the Northern and Tiandu. Now the Southwest is the same. When conservative forces are on the rise, the overall situation inevitably regresses; it's bad for the economy and people's livelihood."

"Amid the changing world situation, the Great East Pot's position carries a lot of influence. But inside the Great East Pot, now that Gu Changsha's iron-blooded methods are in play, he really is going at it ruthlessly. Isn't everyone feeling insecure?"

Qian Xuan gave a speechless smile and said, "You're absolutely right, the Northern and Tiandu now stand alone. Local Powerful People, the related bigwigs, have all been suppressed and squeezed out in recent years; quite a few have even gone to prison. Now we can only curl up and defend. And in terms of economic interests, our commercial turf is being further squeezed. After the new top boss came to power, too many related interest groups have been expanding their turf, nibbling away at us. Damn, sometimes when I think about it, it's really suffocating!"

Liu Zhizhong nodded, quite in agreement. "The Southern's contribution to the whole Great East Pot is immeasurably huge, but trying to expand the Southern system and mindset nationwide, to roll it out fully, would be like taking someone's lifeblood—just won't work. The weakening of you people over these years fits certain people's interests perfectly."

"Actually, I'm quite grateful to Tang Zhi. If he hadn't made that blunder and 'killed' me off, my political halo would probably be much dimmer now. If things really blew up, competing with the political rising stars from the North and Tiandu, the pressure I'd face would be anything but small."

"If after all that I crashed one day, that'd turn into a colossal joke and disappoint everyone. Fortunately, I'm still okay now, and in a few years, not even forty, I'll be retired."

"Once I retire, haha, traveling the world, going fishing or something—that's really something I look forward to!"

Qian Xuan chuckled. "You, chasing freedom, not clinging to power, that's really something. But I'm afraid that even after you retire you won't be able to idle around. Like, put out some books, make some royalties? Or go teach at a university, teach political science or something?"

"I'll definitely publish books; as for royalties, I can donate them. I don't cling to power, and I don't cling to money either. Freedom is enough!"

Qian Xuan was deeply moved. "If everyone under heaven were like you, the Dadong would truly become developed and strong! It's just that now, looking at the economy in this sorry state, and at the power landscape in this state—it's hard… But it's been like this for the past hundred years; what more can you expect? Change?"

Liu Zhizhong's eyes lit up, but he turned his head to look out the RV window, shook his head. "Change? How? The Great East Pot isn't Valle! Valle is very small; changing it is easy, though still quite tough. The Great East Pot is too big; for thousands of years, it's been like this. Now the classes are even more solidified, fighting to the death to protect their own interests and ignoring everything else. If you want change, you're bound for big trouble—unless… hehe…"

Liu Zhizhong waved his hand and picked up his tea. "Let's not talk about this, it's not worth a damn. You local Powerful People, without a fire poker in your hands, are useless. To be fair, when they set up the system at the beginning, letting the men of merit choose voluntarily—local Powerful People all went back home to start businesses; you were allowed guns for self-defense but no other power—looking back, that design was actually quite wise, quite on point, hehe…"

Qian Xuan was also a bit regretful and nodded. "Yeah, having the military power taken away—looking at it now, that's a major sore spot. In the future, life will only get harder. Tell me, will the Southern and Southwest gradually become someone else's turf one day?"

"Sooner or later. Of course, you can still retain aristocratic treatment; it's just that there'll be less and less benefit. As long as you don't stir up trouble or indulge in wild fantasies, generations of glory won't be a problem—just remember to mind your knees."

"Knees?"

Qian Xuan was stunned.

"If your knees can't stay straight, they have to bend, have to kneel. Kneel properly and you won't get beaten."

"Hahaha…"

Qian Xuan burst out laughing, feeling that this was spot on. He shook his head helplessly, and after laughing said, "Fuck, right now the Southern and Southwest are basically already kneeling. Especially after you left, it's been very hard for us to push anyone forward; it's like we're short on talent. There are some promising seedlings, but it's not easy to lift them up. Hamuer is good—he's learned a lot from you. If he follows Tang Zhi, he might develop somewhat."

Liu Zhizhong said, "I still have a few years; I'll try my best to help Hamuer and some other seedlings advance. The most important thing is still that thing—it must be controlled, then there's a chance, then you'll have a voice."

"That thing is the hard part, hehe…"

"We'll take it one step at a time; who knows, maybe a chance will come…"

"Do you… have some kind of plan?"

"No, no…"

"..."

Yet, after this trip revisiting the Great East Pot, are you saying Liu Zhizhong had no ideas?

It's impossible he had no ideas.

This is his own homeland…

Seeing it sick, seriously sick, how could Liu Zhizhong's patriot's heart not flare up?

He did have ideas—ideas as big as the sky!

It's just that this idea is still very rudimentary; he doesn't even know whether his political think tank will approve it.

If they don't approve it, then even as president, he has no power to implement it.

This is what checks and balances on power are for: to prevent, as much as possible, one man's dominance and arbitrary rule!

By the time they reached the provincial capital's lights, the lamps were just coming on, a scene of brilliance.

Looking at the lights outside the window, Qian Xuan said, "So the old city remains, nothing has changed. The lights are still bright, but behind the brightness is a decline that can't be hidden! Brother, are we going to my home, or to your godfather's home? Or going back to your home? Your home has always been kept cleaned and maintained by your godfather; it's just like it used to be. Speaking of that smiling tiger Third Master Zheng, that little old man really loves you. When you died, his hair practically turned white overnight…"

Hearing this, Liu Zhizhong felt a tug inside…