After listening to Fu Youde's words, Cao Mengde decided to scare this corrupt scholar who only knew how to talk about propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame.
Cao Mengde said with a serious expression, "Minister Fu, is it okay for you to say such things while discussing the plans His Majesty has made? Aren't you worried that someone might overhear you and report your words to His Majesty, thus charging you with disrespect?"
Fu Youde broke out in a cold sweat after hearing Cao Mengde's words. He had been too impulsive. As a minister, he needed to be cautious in all matters concerning His Majesty. The slightest mistake could lead to his own death. He had dared to criticize His Majesty's decision in such a presumptuous way. He was truly ignorant of his own limitations.
Fu Youde also realized at this time that he had not considered the consequences of his inappropriate words. If someone really made a big fuss about this matter, then he would definitely be doomed.
Fu Youde took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, then slowly said, "Prime Minister Cao, I don't mean to slander Your Majesty, but this plan is indeed too sinister. If Wei really does this, then Wei's reputation on the Shengwu Continent will definitely be damaged. At that time, other countries on this continent will definitely not continue to cooperate with us.
Our Wei State will become an isolated and helpless nation on the Shengwu Continent. Either situation is extremely unacceptable. As a subject, I naturally hope that Your Majesty can win people over with virtue, rather than using such means to achieve your goals."
As a scholar deeply influenced by Confucianism and a minister of rites, Fu Youde placed great importance on rules and etiquette. Therefore, he instinctively resented any deviation from the norm. In his heart, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and national interests were equally important.
Seeing Fu Youde's nervous expression, Cao Mengde laughed. Chu Anping, a member of the royal family, also laughed at this time, not to mention Mu Yundian and others. Everyone knew that Fu Youde was a corrupt scholar, so it was normal for him to have such thoughts.
Besides, everyone here is in the same interest group, and there is no conflict of interest right now, so why bother to embarrass him? Of course, if there is a conflict of interest in the future, that will be another matter, and then Fu Youde's words can become a handle to attack him.
Cao Mengde smiled and shook his head, saying, "Fu Youde, you are truly too bound by Confucian dogma. You must understand that between nations, strength is the only real hard truth. Once our Wei Kingdom unifies the Shengwu Continent, then the entire continent will only have Wei as the last country. At that time, will anyone still think that our Wei Kingdom's actions are impolite?"
However, if a country is very weak, then even if it has high etiquette and morality, others will find faults and attack them to gain advantages. Minister Fu, you are too obsessed with etiquette and morality, but ignore the cruel reality.
Chu Anping spoke up from the side, "And the question of Wei not having any allies? Didn't His Majesty test it last year? You and I both know the result. When Wei was on the verge of collapse from internal and external troubles, we simply wanted to borrow some grain from them, but they evaded us with every possible means, even taking advantage of our misfortune.
Minister Fu, do you think that as long as you are sufficiently benevolent and righteous, you can win the sincere treatment of other countries? Don't be too naive. In the face of interests, all morality is bullshit. Only absolute strength can give you the most powerful voice in dealing with other countries.
If Wei hadn't seen the true colors of those powers when it was on the verge of collapse, many officials in the Wei court would probably have been like Minister Fu, clinging to unrealistic fantasies. After that incident, especially when some countries took advantage of the situation and forced Wei to pay a heavy price, the court officials and people of Wei had long since lost hope in other countries, leaving only a desire for power and hatred for them.
This is also the reason why the ministers in the court all supported Chu Fan's decision to attack the Huns and Gan Kingdom and even unify the Shengwu Continent.
After hearing what Cao Mengde and Chu Anping said, although Fu Youde still felt a little unwilling in his heart, he nodded helplessly to indicate that he had understood the matter.
Cao Mengde had no intention of exchanging views with Fu Youde, as he knew that Fu Youde had spent his entire life studying Confucianism and had no understanding of the harsh reality of reality. Furthermore, as the Minister of Rites, Fu Youde's voice in the court was limited, and he was unable to influence decisions concerning national interests.
Cao Mengde continued his analysis of Chu Fan's decision to have the royal family hold the martial arts tournament independently. "In fact, this is also a far-reaching consideration for His Majesty to not allow the Wei court to interfere in the royal martial arts tournament. After all, a martial arts tournament held by the royal family is essentially a contest between warriors. If we, the royal family, were to intervene, we would appear out of place and would only arouse more suspicion and dissatisfaction."
Of course, the wars our court is waging against the Xiongnu and the Gan Kingdom are battlefields between ordinary people. According to the agreement on the Shengwu Continent, warriors above the fifth rank are not allowed to participate in battles between ordinary people, so the two are completely different in nature.
The two incidents targeted different individuals, so how can outsiders accuse us of immorality? Furthermore, Your Majesty has never ordered warriors from other countries to participate in our Wei martial arts tournament. If they voluntarily come, they should naturally be prepared to bear the possible risks and consequences.
Chu Anping said, "Your Majesty has a more accurate grasp of human nature. He knows that martial artists from all countries will be dissatisfied when they learn that Wei is going to hold the Wei Kingdom's No. 1 Martial Arts Conference. After all, martial artists are competitive. Why should your Wei Kingdom's sects be the best in the world after a competition?
Therefore, upon hearing the news of the martial arts tournament held by the royal family, the larger sects of various countries would inevitably come to challenge. These people were undoubtedly filled with resentment, wanting to prove through their own strength that they were the true number one martial artist in the world.
At this point, our Wei court can attack other nations with much greater ease. Your Majesty truly is so foresighted. He has carefully considered all the circumstances, capitalizing on the warriors' competitive spirit to create a favorable opportunity for the court's military action. This way, we can not only demonstrate Wei's military might but also weaken the power of other nations' sects—killing two birds with one stone."
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