It was precisely because they had grown accustomed to underhanded political tactics—and politics was not reform, but compromise—that even now, the Empire remained a mountain pressing down upon their heads.
That was also why the Church had never taken them seriously from beginning to end. This group that fancied themselves clever was, in truth, nothing more than a motley rabble.
Once an outside force entered the picture, their so-called political tactics immediately became the greatest deadweight holding them back.
The root cause of the First Northern Expedition's failure was their self-proclaimed cleverness, which allowed Ye Rong to find an opening and strike true with a single blow.
On his journey south, Chen Cheng had now reached the Southern Barbarians. The farther south he traveled, the hotter it became, and the more undeveloped primeval forests filled the landscape.
The heat, combined with the moisture trapped by the forests, made the entire air oppressively muggy.
The farther south he went, the fewer towns he saw. In contrast, the savage tribes he had encountered before became increasingly common.
After crossing that primeval forest stretching for thousands of miles, Chen Cheng could clearly sense the dividing line between city-state civilization and tribal civilization.
Here, nearly every tribe had its own culture and language. No matter how close neighboring tribes were, the cultural differences born from differing Faiths were still plain to see.
These tribal people were also different from the savage tribes Chen Cheng had encountered inland. The tribes here were not so hostile toward outsiders. When they saw Chen Cheng passing through and realized he was merely a traveler, they showed no intent to attack.
Watching the tribal families below rise with the sun and rest at sunset, Chen Cheng was reminded of an idea proposed by a Great Sage in the ancient