So I was rereading Gaimou’s fight with Shin, and Gaimou’s view of what war is really stood out to me this time. Gaimou describes war as “a slaughterhouse for the strong to butcher the weak, however they please”, and he describes “dreams” and such as being honeyed words to lure in the ignorant. And honestly, is he wrong?
Kings like King Shou and Sei who fight wars in the name of unification are rare. The vast majority of Kings and rulers we’ve seen in Kingdom fight wars for no such purpose.
Look at the Chu for example with Shunshinkun and Kouretsu. These guys didn’t expand Chu for any kind of nobler purpose like a dream of one day ending the wars, these guys expanded Chu for the sole aim of territorial expansion, because a larger and more powerful Chu benefited them personally.
Look at the state of Zhao. You mean to tell me that the damn clowns in the Zhao Royal court ordered the battles they ordered for a nobler purpose? I think not lol.
And then of course there was the state of Qin after King Shou and before Sei, the regimes ran by Sei’s father and by Ryofui. Ryofui himself outright did not believe unification was possible, Ryofui was only interested in advancing his own power and wealth. Sei’s father is largely unknown to us but from what we do know, he seemed to be another self-interested schemer like Ryofui.
These are examples of ruling bodies who ordered wars be fought for their own self-interests, probably using the propaganda of greater purpose and righteousness to lure in casualties by the hundreds of thousands. Honestly when it comes to regimes like these, Gaimou’s assessment of war is 100% correct.
And then you have kings like Shou and Sei who genuinely do believe in the causes and dreams for which they fight wars. Even these kings can be viewed as self-interested liars by the general population of China. When Hakuki buried 400,000 Zhao men alive, did King Shou punish him? No lol, King Shou probably didn’t approve but he also didn’t punish Hakuki. When Kanki beheaded 100,000 Zhao, did Sei punish him? Not at all. Sure he almost did but that’s no consolation to the families of the dead. So even to the people of China, Sei and Shou can be viewed as propagandistic warmongers who don’t actually believe in the dreams they claim to believe in.
I think history will prove Sei/Shin/Ouki and the like correct, but honestly can Gaimou be blamed for thinking this way? Honestly rereading this Gaimou struck me as based and woke, even as someone who wants to see China unified.
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