NOVEL NEXT Chapter 171.2: Means
The previous him had never delved deep into understanding these matters. He had always believed that humans were evil, pests, a poison to the Snake-People.
In Mo Ba Si’s eyes, all humans were the same, all deserving death.
The details of events, the truth behind them, were all inconsequential to him.
But now, as he genuinely took the time to understand these matters and contemplate these questions, Mo Ba Si suddenly realized.
His past self was so foolish.
At this moment, Xiao Li spoke again.
“Tribe Leader Mo, do you know why other Tribe Leaders, including Yue Mei, support me?”
Upon hearing Xiao Li’s question, Mo Ba Si tightly furrowed his brow.
[Because they are a bunch of soft-hearted fools who have forgotten the blood feud of the Snake-People.]
If it were before, Mo Ba Si would have answered like this.
But after genuine contemplation, he couldn’t utter those words anymore.
Seeing Mo Ba Si silent, Xiao Li smiled slightly.
“Tribe Leader Mo, actually, the other Tribe Leaders, including you, all dislike humans. Even Yue Mei, who is on good terms with me, only acknowledges me as an individual, not my entire group.”
“Their reason for supporting me is only one: reconciliation with humans will allow the Snake-People to leave this barbaric land.”
“Tribe Leader Mo, do you think this is a good thing for the Snake-People?”
Mo Ba Si didn’t answer immediately; after a long while, he spoke in a low voice.
“It is a good thing.”
On this point, Mo Ba Si couldn’t deny it.
The Snake-People had survived in the depths of the Tager Desert for nearly a hundred years, and this place could be considered their homeland.
But that didn’t mean they liked it here.
With scarce resources, harsh environments, and the constant risk of death and insufficient food, even now, there were occasional cases of newborns not adapting to the environment and perishing among the eight major tribes.
If they could leave, why would the Snake-People want to stay here?
Xiao Li continued.
“This is a mutual need.”
“The Snake-People need my help to leave the desert, and I need the Snake-People’s help to eliminate the estrangement with humans.”
“Do you know why I established a trading post in Rock Desert City?”
“It’s to allow more and more Snake-People to obtain desired goods through trade, gradually making them realize that the resources outside are much richer than those in the desert. As time goes on, the desire to leave the desert will slowly emerge.”
“Gradually, more and more Snake-People will contemplate why they can’t leave the desert because of their desires.”
“The ultimate conclusion will be only one: because the Snake-People and humans are mutually antagonistic.”
“At that point, there are only two choices before them.”
“One is to invade the Jia Ma Empire, annihilate all humans, and occupy the fertile land of the Jia Ma Empire.”
“But obviously, that is impossible. If it were possible, the Snake-People, who have hated humans for hundreds of years, would have done it long ago.”
“Since that’s the case, there’s only the second choice: reconciliation with humans.”
“As long as they don’t reconcile with humans for a day, they won’t be able to leave the desert for a day.”
“In other words, I am using this method, indirectly forcing the Snake-People to strengthen their desire for reconciliation with humans.”
“The people at the top may consider more things, but the people below always think about one thing: how to make their lives better without violating their moral principles. This is not much different for any ethnic group.”
“And the people below are always the majority. When all the Snake-People below support reconciliation with humans, even if all the people at the top of the Snake-People oppose it, it won’t matter unless they want to lose the trust of their people.”
“If those in power cannot seek a better life for their people, who would want to support them?”
Xiao Li’s explanation left Crown Princess Yao Ye wide-eyed.
This… this method is really frightening…
Yao Ye, who received royal education from a young age, sincerely felt that Xiao Li was wasting her talents by being just the captain of a mercenary group!
The method that she came up with is simply unstoppable; who wouldn’t want to live a better life?
With Xiao Li’s approach, when the majority of the Snake-People agree with her, even if all eight Tribe Leaders, including the queen, oppose it, reconciliation with humans will become inevitable.
Violating the will of a few tribal members is not a problem, but if it’s the will of the majority, it will be a big problem.
According to Xiao Li’s method, as long as there is no interference from a third party, reconciliation between the Snake-People and humans is just a matter of time!
Yao Ye originally thought that Xiao Li was just someone acting on fervor without much consideration. But now, Yao Ye’s impression of her has completely changed. Xiao Li’s methods were enough to make Yao Ye admire her!
However, compared to Yao Ye’s deep admiration, Mo Ba Si sneered with disdain.
“Hmph! The Mo Snake Tribe will never be tempted by those material goods!”
Mo Ba Si’s tone exuded extreme confidence.
To this, Xiao Li lightly chuckled.
“It seems you have great confidence in your people.”
“Tribe Leader Mo, Let’s create a scenario.”
“Suppose all the other seven major tribes, excluding the Mo Snake Tribe, come to trade with me, allowing their tribes to live a good life. Meanwhile, you, with the reasons of hating humans, don’t allow your people to trade with me, causing your tribe’s life to be far worse than the other seven tribes.”
“Now, do you think your people will endure and firmly follow you, or gradually flow to the other seven tribes?”
“This…”
Xiao Li’s words left Mo Ba Si momentarily speechless.
Isn’t this obvious? It’s definitely the latter!
If everyone is suffering together, they might endure it. But if they see the living standards of their fellow tribes improving while their own tribe remains the same, even if they can endure it, it’s only for a short time, they won’t endure it for long!
“But even if my Mo Snake Tribe trades with you, they will never agree to reconcile with humans!”
Mo Ba Si still unwillingly retorted.
Xiao Li continued and provided an example.
“Again, let’s create a situation similar to before.”
“All other seven tribes have agreed to reconcile with humans, leave this desert, and go to a more fertile place. They’ve established their societies anew without harsh environments, without worrying about food shortages, and with significantly fewer deaths among newborn Snake-People. Resources are far more abundant than trading in the desert.”
“Meanwhile, your Mo Snake Tribe remains here. Apart from trading with me, they continue to live in harsh conditions, facing imminent dangers, worrying about food shortages, and still experiencing high infant mortality rates.”
“In such a situation, how long do you think your people can endure without reconciling with humans?”
Xiao Li spoke like this, and points of light twinkled in her eyes as she looked at Mo Ba Si, who had nothing more to say.
She revealed a gentle yet cunning smile.
“I’m not as upright as my brother. His integrity is something few people can achieve.”
“Perhaps you think what I did was manipulative and despicable.”
“But for me, as long as my direction is good and right, no matter how people label these methods as despicable, I will still use them.”
“This is the path I firmly believe in.”