“Tax them, and they die later. Don’t tax them, and the state collapses at once! Once taxes rise, they only keep rising. Where can it possibly stop? Brother Wang’s idea of easing labor obligations and lowering taxes is a fine vision, but—” He shook his head.

Everyone listened and also felt this was a dead knot.

The state treasury was empty, so taxes were levied. The common people were squeezed past endurance, so they rebelled. Suppressing rebellions costs money. Once too much money was spent, taxes had to be raised again. When taxes grew too harsh, the people rebelled again…

It was an endless death spiral.

He Lingchuan looked at Gao Jilin. “What does Brother Gao think?”

“I think we still have to identify where the roots of these troubles lie.” Gao Jilin said slowly, “Disasters have struck the state one after another because origin energy is thin and cannot nourish all regions. That shows the state’s strength is already weak to begin with. First, one has to see where the illness lies. Is it the ruler’s arrogance, stubbornness, and love of grand achievements? Is it treacherous ministers holding power? Or is it reckless governance and tyranny? Only then can the right medicine be prescribed.”

The students all nodded. “Brother Gao speaks well. Only by finding the pulse can one know the disease.”

“Enough with those useless words!” A voice suddenly rose from nearby, drowning out the...