Wang Xuan did not keep them guessing and instead said bluntly, "Actually, I've always been rather opposed to large-scale human sacrifice."
"What the hell, dead is dead. Do you really expect them to go off to the underworld, summon their old comrades, and lead a hundred thousand banners to slay Yama?"
"Especially Qin Shi Huang. I heard he even built an enormous underground palace and collected bronze and iron from across the land to make some kind of bronze men. What the hell, did he really think the world's precious metals were inexhaustible? He must have had something wrong with his head."
"The key issue is that if you offer a little for burial and he offers a little for burial, everyone will follow suit. Given enough time, all this stuff will end up buried. Can someone tell me what use it has after being buried? The living won't have anything left to use, while everything is reserved for the dead."
"There's nothing wrong with offering sacrifices to one's ancestors, and burial goods are fine too. But we need to make clear what can be used as burial goods and what can't. Find a way to give Li Jue and Guo Si a hint in private. There are many large tombs in the Guanzhong area. Have the two of them dig them up. Gold, silver, copper, jade, and the like can all be exchanged for food and supplies. As long as they work hard, supporting themselves won't be a problem, and they might even be able to launch a counterattack against Western Liang."
"If they stay in the Central Plains, the two of them have no chance of surviving. But if they keep heading west and fight their way beyond the borders of the Great Han, they should be fine."