A generation has a generation's mission.
Li Buyan believed that his generation's mission was to leave a stronger nation for future generations, one capable of at least rebuilding the world order.
Clearly—
Their mission was complete.
Li Buyan also believed that Chen Jin Zhao's generation's mission was to create a new world order. He sighed, "I understand Xu Han Chen's ideas, but he is too idealistic. He can be an absolute idealist, but can he guarantee that everyone will be like him? If not, his ideas will sooner or later lead us back into a vicious cycle."
"I personally believe that what we need to do is to go out, tear down the blockade chain that the enemy has set up on our borders, and truly head towards the world, towards the sea of stars."
"As a soldier of Hua Guo, do you not have the aspiration to seal the Xiongnu at Mount Yanran, to perform sacrifices at Mount Guyan, and to drink horse's blood from the Han Sea?"
Facing Li Buyan's inquiry, Chen Jin Zhao finally understood why Li Tian Ce thought that way. It turned out that the Li family patriarch was the true ambitious one.
With such a grandfather, it was natural to nurture a similar grandson.
"This will be a disaster, with livelihoods destroyed at every turn. If we fail, we will return to the state of a hundred years ago." Chen Jin Zhao was not swayed by Li Buyan's words. Li Buyan heard this and shook his head, chuckling, "No wonder Xu Han Chen values you so much; it turns out you are an idealist like him. Our national strength is indeed on the rise, but will the current number one power sit idly by while the number two ranked country continues to grow stronger? Once we affect their status, they will engage in extremely frenzied pursuit and interdiction against us. If we do not act, we may well be struck first."
"In recent years, you have been carrying out missions on the border, and you should be able to feel that world peace is no longer the theme. Fierce struggles are occurring everywhere. Only by holding the initiative in our hands can we break through in this changing landscape and establish a new world order on the ruins."
"You can continue to harbor hopes for peace, but you cannot afford to be unprepared for offense."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Li Buyan rarely spoke so much to a junior. This showed how highly he valued Chen Jin Zhao, urgently wanting to win him over to his side.
Chen Jin Zhao listened patiently to Li Buyan's explanation and fell into silence.
Undeniably, what Li Buyan said made a lot of sense.
This also placed Chen Jin Zhao in a state of internal conflict. On one side was idealism, on the other, reality. He felt as if he were standing at a crossroads, unsure of where to go next.
Li Buyan seemed not to notice Chen Jin Zhao's conflicted expression and continued, "It can be foreseen that within the next ten years, wars will ignite all over the world. If we were absolutely powerful, we could naturally remain aloof, but no one wants to see us as the fisherman, and likewise, we do not wish for anyone to be the fisherman. The ultimate result will be the ignition of even more terrifying fires. Your generation must be prepared."
"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Li," Chen Jin Zhao said.
Li Buyan chuckled, "Still calling me Elder Li? I won't stop your relationship with Meng Zhi. Before long, you'll have to call me grandfather."
Chen Jin Zhao still couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Let's not talk about such heavy matters. I will give you time to think. I hope you will consider it carefully." Li Buyan said.
In fact, Chen Jin Zhao had a vague feeling that Li Buyan's words were very reasonable. Taking his own experience as an example, he never feared others causing him trouble, but he lacked the conviction to proactively attack. This always led to enemies making the first move before Chen Jin Zhao could, forcing him to respond and putting him in an extremely passive situation every time.
Especially the incident involving Meng Xin Ran, which had a profound impact on Chen Jin Zhao's heart.
The same applied between nations.
"Elder Li, everything we do is for this nation, isn't it?" Chen Jin Zhao's eyes were lost. Hearing his question, Li Buyan showed a look of relief and nodded, "Indeed, the sins of the present will be the merits of future generations."
Chen Jin Zhao became even more bewildered.
He hesitated, "Then, are we not going to deal with these noble families and powerful clans anymore?"
After asking this question, Chen Jin Zhao realized he had spoken out of turn. The Li Buyan before him was not Xu Han Chen, but someone at the apex of these noble families and powerful clans.
Li Buyan's gaze also sharpened, causing Chen Jin Zhao to feel immense pressure.
Even so, Chen Jin Zhao did not back down, maintaining eye contact with Li Buyan. Li Buyan suddenly laughed, "Ultimately, you still want to establish an absolutely ideal society, but such a society only exists in fantasy. It's fine if you want to act against the noble families and powerful clans, but you must have absolute strength and authority. Where does strength and authority come from?"
"Fight for it!" Chen Jin Zhao answered.
Li Buyan burst into laughter, "It seems you understand this well. When you become the number one under heaven, everyone will have to live in your shadow. Who would dare to say a word against you?"
This was a two-step strategy.
However, Chen Jin Zhao still had a question: why not resolve internal issues first, then consider external matters?
"Time waits for no one," Li Buyan sighed.
If the world were still characterized by peace, he could naturally spare time to resolve internal matters. But that was clearly not the case now; otherwise, those potential enemies would be overjoyed. This was because the noble families and powerful clans occupied half the country. Once they smelled danger, it was unpredictable what they might do, colluding with both sides.
Chen Jin Zhao suddenly understood, increasingly feeling that Li Buyan's words held much truth.
With this in mind, he took a deep breath, believing that he should calm down first, not make decisions impulsively, but rather carefully consider them after calming down.
Seeing this, Li Buyan became even more satisfied with his future grandson-in-law.
He smiled, "Young man, I have high hopes for you. If there are no accidents, your future achievements will surpass Tian Ce's, and that Qin Feng Wu will be no match for you."
"Let's not talk about that anymore. You need time to think carefully. If you have any doubts in the future, you can contact me anytime." Li Buyan also told Chen Jin Zhao that what he was doing was remarkably similar to Xu Han Chen's philosophy—both were for the future of this nation, and neither was right nor wrong.
But those noble families and powerful clans were indeed like tumors.
"Let's talk about something pleasant," Li Buyan said with a smile.
"I have high hopes for you and my granddaughter's future. You should also pick a time to start a family soon, as you are not young anymore."
Chen Jin Zhao replied, "How can I start a family before my career is established?"
Li Buyan shook his head, "This way of thinking of yours is not necessarily correct. Young people should know how to cherish the present. If you make her wait for you for too long, do you think that's appropriate?"
"Besides—"
"You should have a child while you're young. If you die on the battlefield in the future, at least you can leave a memento for Meng Zhi."
"Think about it carefully."