Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen Is Life Stronger Than Nucleons

When Marlowe was reviewing the official documents, his expression was tired and his feet kept dawdling.After two years as mayor, he had grown more cultivated, kinder, more patient—yet he had never liked the bureaucratic tone of the official papers. "How many ships did they capture?" Gar'ank asked. "Four ships were finished before they were in the air, two did not report back, and the rest were reported as safe." Marlowe murmured, "It should be better. It's just scratching the itch." Suppose Marlowe looked up at the answer and asked, "Is there anything that worries you?"

"If only Shahoran came here." The answer was almost irrelevant. "Oh, yes, it's good to be scolded at my own door." "That's the case," Ga'anke blurted out, "You are too stubborn, Marlowe. You may know everything about the situation abroad, but you don't care about what happened on your home planet." "Hey, isn't that your business? Otherwise, what are you doing as the Minister of Education and Propaganda?" "Everything big and small is on my shoulders, obviously to send me to die early. Last year I spoke out to you, the danger of the rise of Shahoran and his religious party, if Shahoran forces a temporary re-election, throw you out, What's the use of your plan?"

"It's of no use at all, I admit." "And your speech last night was tantamount to offering the mayor's throne to Shahoren with both hands, and you were all smiles. Is it necessary to be so frank?" "Doesn't it look like it's the first to steal the spotlight from Sha Horun?" "Yeah," Ga'anke said angrily, "but your statement is wrong. You claim to predict everything, but you don't explain why you have maintained trade with Gao Rui for three years, so that they can obtain exclusive benefits; your only battle plan is to stay away; You have renounced all dealings in the vicinity of Gori; you have publicly declared a standoff, pledged no attack, and will do so in the future. Galaxy, Marlowe, what do you expect me to do with such a mess?"

"Lack of charm?" "Lack of emotional appeal from the masses." "It's the same." "Marlowe, wake up. You have two paths: either show the people a tough foreign policy, whatever your plans may be, or make some kind of compromise with Shahoren." Marlowe said, "Well, if the first way doesn't work, let's try the second way. Shahoran is here." Marlowe and Shahoran hadn't met in private since the big trial two years ago.Neither of them noticed any changes in the other, except that the subtle atmosphere between the host and the guest clearly pointed out that today's offense and defense have changed.

Shahoran sat down abruptly without shaking hands. Marlow handed over the cigar and said, "Do you mind if Lao Jia stays? He is very eager for us to reconcile; if the scene is hot, he can be a peacemaker." Shahoran shrugged: "A settlement is good for you. There was a time when I asked you to make a condition, and now I think the situation has been reversed." "You're right." "Then here are my conditions. You must abandon the frivolous economic bribery policy, stop selling those little messy things, and restore the tried and tested foreign policy of the previous generation."

"You mean conquest by religion?" "very true." "Can't you reconcile without this?" "That's right." "Well, hum." Marlowe lit the cigar slowly, took a deep puff, and made the end of the cigarette glow red: "In the era of Handing, when religion conquered the new trend and was radical, people like you also opposed it. Now after Tested, tried, sacrosanct—even you Shahoren can see that. But tell me, how are you going to get us out of this mess?" "That's your mess, and it has nothing to do with me." "Just modify the question to suit you."

"To make a strong statement about the offensive, the current stalemate is fatal, but you seem to be satisfied. That is tantamount to showing weakness to all the planets in the border area, and showing strength is the most important; because among the vultures around you, there is no One who would hate to eat the fat of a dead man. You should know that, aren't you from Smyrra?" Marlowe left his Pili Yangqiu and said, "Even if you defeat Gao Rui, what about the empire? That is the real enemy." The corner of Shahoran's mouth with a slight smile suddenly moved: "Oh, no, the record of your visit to Silvany clearly shows that the Governor of Norman Province intends to create differences in the border area for his own benefit, but it is only a side issue to him. Little things. He wouldn't risk his life to the edge of the galaxy with dozens of nearby enemies and an Emperor who might rise to power. That's in your own words."

"Oh, he will, Old Sha, if he thinks we are too strong to be a danger. And if we use the main force to defeat Gao Rui head-on, he will definitely think so. We must do it quite cleverly." "For example—" Marlow leaned back in his chair; "Old Sha, I'll give you a chance. I don't need you, but I can use you; so I'll tell you the whole story, and then you can decide whether to join me and form a coalition cabinet , or play the role of a martyr and live maggots in prison." "You said it once before you cheated last time." "It won't be hard, man. The right time just came. Listen." Marlowe narrowed his eyes.

"When I first landed in Gaorui," he said, "I used the gadgets and gadgets in the inventory of ordinary merchants to bribe the general. From now on, the intention is only to let us sneak into the steel factory, and there is no further progress And I succeeded, and I saw what I wanted to see. It wasn’t until I returned from my visits to the Empire that I first really understood how trade could be a weapon.” "We are facing the Sheldon crisis, Lao Sha, the resolution of the Sheldon crisis. It must rely on the strength of history, not individual heroes. When Sheldon calculates the future path of our history, the brilliant and dazzling heroes are not in consideration. Among them, it is a torrent of socio-economic forces. So each different crisis must be resolved by the forces available to us at the time."

"This time - trade!" Shahoran raised his eyebrows suspiciously, and took advantage of Marlowe's pause to interject: "I hope I'm not so imbecile and ignorant, but in fact, your vague and general speech is not very thought-provoking." "It's about to start to understand," Marlowe said, "Just imagine, until now, the power of trade has been underestimated; the consistent view is that the introduction of churches controlled by us through trade, and religion, is a powerful weapon. Not now, and this is my contribution to the situation in the galaxy. Trade without priests! Pure trade! That's strong enough. Be clear and specific; Gori is now at war with our country, and trade between the two countries has thus ceased , however - please note that I am simplifying the matter as much as possible - for the past three years, Gao Rui's economy has become more and more dependent day by day on nuclear energy technology imported by us, and only we can continue to supply these technologies. Wait until one day The little nuclear power generator fails, and the little daily necessities fail one by one, and they are finished. What do you think will happen?

"Small household appliances first. After half a year of stalemate that you hate, the woman's nuclear knife is reimbursed, the stove is out of order, the washing machine can't do anything, and the temperature and humidity in the house are regulated. Not listening in the hot summer It's called. What should I do? He paused to wait for an answer, Shahorun said calmly; "It's nothing. The people in wartime are very patient." "Yes, indeed. They will send countless sons to battle, to die in wrecked horrors. They will cheer themselves up under enemy fire, even if they must live in a cave half a mile deep on dirty water and rotten bread. But it's hard to patriotically convince people to put up with many small inconveniences when there's no danger in sight. No casualties, no bombing, no fighting, as long as the confrontation lasts. "It's just that the knives can't cut, the stove can't cook, and the house is as cold as an icehouse in winter. These things are annoying, and people will complain." Shahorun opened his mouth slowly, full of doubts; "This is what you're counting on, man? What are you expecting? A housewife revolution? Or a store owner and a grocer who will riot with a kitchen knife and a rolling pin, shouting: 'Still Our super-clear automatic nuclear-powered washing machine!'?" "No, sir," said Marlowe impatiently, "I don't think so. What I expect is that there will be general resentment and disapproval from the ensuing events of greater importance." "What's more important?" "It's the manufacturing industry, the industrialists and the shareholders. After two years of confrontation, the machines in the factories will be dead one by one. These industries, which have been utterly transformed by our new nuclear tools, will be wiped out in an instant. Heavy industries will be in the blink of an eye. Destroyed all at once, and the empty shareholders had to sell the machine for scrap." "These industries were doing well before you got there, Marlowe." "Well, man, that's right - but only one-twentieth the profit, not to mention how much it would cost to convert back to the original non-nuclear equipment. When industry, capitalists and the general public are all against it, How long can the commander-in-chief last?" "As long as he wants, get new generators from the Empire." Ma Yan laughed loudly: "You are wrong, man, as wrong as the Grand Commander. You see everything wrong and don't understand everything. Listen, man, the Empire can't help anything. The Empire has always been a Colossal, massive; everything they have is designed to be installed on planets, galaxies, and entire galaxies. Their generators are gigantic, because big is their style. "And we're not—we, a small base, a lone star with almost no metal resources—and the economy is ruthless. Our generators must be the size of a thumb, because that's all we can afford. We have to Developing new technologies, new methods - these are things that the Empire cannot learn, because they have declined, retired from the galactic stage, and can no longer make truly vibrant scientific progress. "Their nuclear shields are big enough to protect ships, cities, and even entire planets, but it is impossible to build a device that can protect a single person. To supply light and heat to the city, they have to build a six-story building. — I’ve seen it with my own eyes — and we’re less than one room away. When I told one of their nuclear experts that there was a nuclear generator in a lead box the size of a walnut, he nearly choked to death on the spot. "Well, they don't even understand the behemoth they own anymore. The machines run automatically from generation to generation, and the people who take care of them are the privileged class of hereditary positions. Even if it is just a D-tube burned, they can only look at the vast machine. The structure is helpless. "The whole war is a competition between two different systems; the empire versus the base, the big versus the small. In order to consolidate power and open up strong lands, they build huge ships to fight, but there is no economic benefit at all; while we are the opposite, making A little thing, useless for war, but extremely important for prosperity and profit. "Kings, or grand masters, choose ships and even wage wars. Despots rule everywhere in history. Sacrifice the well-being of their people for the dignity, glory, and conquest they have in mind, but these little things in life matter And Gao Yabo is absolutely unable to fight against the economic downturn that will sweep Gao Rui down in two or three years." Shahoran stood at the window with his back to Marlowe and Gaank.Just at nightfall, a few stars twinkle slightly in this extreme part of the Milky Way, competing with the prism-like misty and slender stars of the Milky Way; the still vast remnant part of the distant empire is stretching out its magic palm to challenge them. Sha Horun said, "No, you are not this kind of person." "you do not believe me?" "I mean, I don't trust you. You have a smooth tongue. When you first went to Gory, I thought you were locked up, but you fooled me completely; Put you on a blind spot, but you slipped away, and incited the masses to occupy the mayor's seat. You are not upright at all, always hiding a knife in your smile and saying something. If you are a traitor, if you go to the empire and get funding And with the promise of power, your actions can explain everything. After you joined the enemy, you launched a war, forced the base to fight, and then explained it with many rhetoric, so that everyone would be convinced." "You mean uncompromising?" Marlowe said. "I mean get out. Resign yourself, or we'll see." "I warn you, the only way to go is cooperation." Shahoran blushed suddenly and filled with indignation: "I warn you, Marlow the Smeral! If you dare to arrest me, you will have no mercy. My people will reveal your truth everywhere , the common people of the base will unite against foreign rulers. They have a sense of fate that the Smailans cannot perceive--a sense that will kill you!" Mag calmly said to the two guards who entered the door: "Take him away and lock him up." Sha Horun said: "Last chance!" Marlowe put out his cigar without looking up. Five minutes later, Gar'anke moved his body and said worriedly: "Well, you just created a martyr who died for his faith. What's the next step?" Marlowe stopped fiddling with the cigarette ash, looked up and said, "That's not the Shahoren I used to know, that's a bull whose eyes were blinded by blood. Hey, Yinhe, he hates me." "That would only be more dangerous." "Dangerous? Nonsense! He has completely lost his judgment." Gaanke said viciously: "You are too confident, Marlowe, completely ignoring the possibility of people's riots." Marlowe raised his head with fierce eyes: "I just want to say this once, man, there is absolutely no possibility of people rioting." "So confident!" "I believe in the Sheldon crisis and its correct solution, whether it's external or internal. There are some things I didn't say to Shahoren just now. When he used religious power to control the outer planets, he tried to control the base At that point, he failed—the clearest sign of Sheldon's plan that religion was done. "Economic control is quite different. To paraphrase your Han Ding famous quote, a small nuclear gun cannot be pointed at both sides at the same time. But if Gao Rui will prosper because of trade, so will our country; Suspended and closed, and the prosperity of the outer planets shattered by the severance of transactions, it must eventually drag down our own factories and the entire economy. "And there is no factory, trading center, or freight route that is not under my control; as long as Su Huolun wants to instigate a rebellion, I can definitely extinguish it completely. As long as Shahorun succeeds, or just looks like it will succeed, anywhere, I'll just let that place go down. When he fails, it'll come back up, because my factories will be running at full capacity. "By the same reasoning, I believe that the people of Gori will rebel in order for the economy to prosper, while our people will not rebel and cause the economy to slump. The game goes on." "So," Jia'anke said, "you are building a rich and rich politics, planning to create a paradise for merchants and business tycoons. Then what will you do in the future?" Marlow raised his gloomy face, and threatened viciously: "What the hell does it matter to me in the future? No doubt Sheldon has foreseen it and arranged countermeasures. When the power of money is as outdated as today's religion, a new crisis will come again." Arrive in time. Let my children and grandchildren solve those new problems; I have solved today's." Gao Rui—— ...So after the three-year war that was the most useless in history, the Gaorui Republic declared its unconditional surrender.In the minds of the base people, after Sheldon and Handing, Marlowe also has a place.