Chapter 108: You Are Plotting Treason?

After the applause faded, a brief silence fell over the venue. Guo Lei smiled faintly, her gaze sweeping slowly across the crowd as she waited for the attendees to speak.

“I’ll speak first on today’s topic,” Professor Wang from the University of Transport and Communications pressed the button to speak. He adjusted his glasses with a smile. “To be honest, the moment I saw the discussion topic, my first reaction was that you’re trying to stage a rebellion.”

Laughter erupted across the room. He waited for it to subside before continuing, “This brings us to the political history of the Han and Tang dynasties. Since ancient times, the Han and Tang were a centralized autocratic state at their core—multi-ethnic yet with highly unified political power and a profound sense of territorial identity.”

“This is fundamentally different from feudal lord systems in other countries, where regions enjoy relative autonomy. Under that premise, I believe it is impossible to establish a completely independent autonomous region within the Han and Tang.”

“Before this discussion, I thought the topic lacked merit; after all, some problems cannot be solved merely by talking about them.”

“But we must keep in mind that the setting is a movie, which gives us room to maneuver. Complete independence is impossible, yet a relatively self-contained operational zone still holds room for discussion.”

His words had barely faded when another hand shot up.

“I’m an associate professor at Zhendan University,” the middle-aged man began. “Personally, I see the goal not as creating a fully independent ‘small state’ inside the Han and Tang, but as carving out a zone with genuine autonomy. Official recognition of its legitimacy is impossible, yet default tolerance can be achieved.”

“Think of the special economic zones and autonomous regions that exist domestically. Macro-political allegiance remains with the state, but within the designated area, a degree of self-operation—though not full autonomy—can be granted. Political resistance would then be greatly reduced.”

A ripple of understanding swept through the audience. The two speakers had effectively bounded the major direction of the debate.

“If that’s the case,” a student interjected, “the possibility of realization is very high. From the theme’s content, the proposed region already includes residential zones, commercial districts, high-tech industrial parks, and supporting facilities such as medical and educational institutions. Any shortages can be met through commercial exchange—this is a fully feasible model.”

“The only major shortfall is defense,” he added, correcting himself, “or rather, a defense force. That is the biggest hurdle.”

On the guest panel, Xiao Kaitian’s eyes lit with interest. The purpose of today’s discussion was to revive the Future Century Project of the Downfall of Tang Dynasty and transform it into his own kingdom.

“Establishing a defense force still requires official recognition,” an online novelist observed, his thoughts branching out. “It’s difficult, but I have a suggestion: the very existence of such a force must be justifiable. How do we make the official accept its presence?”

“Moreover, the martial arts world must be considered. The zone we discuss will operate as a corporate entity, inviting challenges from rival firms. That is the true difficulty.”

“The martial arts realm has endured for centuries, dominated by a handful of major sects. On the defense side, hot weapons pose no great obstacle, but martial cultivators would need to be forged from nothing—creating an entirely new sect, which the martial arts world would view as an unforgivable taboo.”

A veteran security company executive followed, “Martial arts is a closed, self-contained world that runs parallel to the state’s system. Their philosophies are distinct. Suddenly introducing a new sect would shatter the entire balance. Whether it could succeed is one thing; the inevitable resistance from the martial arts world is another.”

“Cultivating martial cultivators is also extremely difficult—one typically requires over a decade of training. From that perspective, grafting martial cultivator elements into the defense force is little more than a fantasy.”

His words resonated with many. A wave of private murmurs rippled through the hall, the scene growing chaotic. Guo Lei’s gaze swept across the room and settled on the calm Xiao Kaitian, who gave a slight nod. She understood the situation.

Up to this point, the discussion had reached reasonable conclusions that identified the core issues. Yet Xiao Kaitian paid them little mind.

“Everyone, quiet down, please,” Guo Lei said with a gentle smile. Her beauty seemed to soothe the restless crowd at once. “This question will be our first key point, to be reported upward. Now assume the problem is resolved and continue with the discussion.”

More whispers followed, but several participants had attended similar sessions and knew the point was not to be limited to a single issue. Soon another hand rose.

“Following the host’s lead, we assume the defense force exists, which raises new problems—namely, the justification for its presence.”

“General residential and commercial districts might only need ordinary security. If a defense force is required, what is its basis?”

Everyone fell into thoughtful silence. A veteran soldier then spoke, “From what I know, to make the above viable, the autonomous zone must contain something the state truly values.”

“Think of massive enterprises like Tencent or Alibaba, whose database centers are guarded by military forces that even martial cultivators are forbidden to approach. Value must exist before defense can be justified.”

“This perspective is excellent,” Professor Wang interjected, “to summarize the overall idea: if the region can generate value acknowledged even by the state, then its independent operation and the establishment of a defense force could be accepted to some degree. The martial arts world’s viewpoint should be examined separately.”

With that, the discussion began to wind down.

Xiao Kaitian was pleased with the meeting. Many of the key issues had been touched upon. Once Guo Lei and the others compiled and screened the notes, he would review the executable plan in detail.

The Future Century Project could finally begin.