Chapter Thirty-One: Treacherous Waves, Hidden Currents

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When dawn breaks, the sky lingers in a state of partial light for a while, but the transition from darkness to brightness seems to occur in an instant; now outside, it is already dazzlingly clear. The weather is remarkably crisp, and the morning sunlight, colored and warm, heralds the beginning of a new day.

The room is well-lit, with gentle, non-blinding rays spilling across the floor. Listening to Chief Steward Lin Jian’s words feels like the cruelest of ironies, almost a bitter joke.

The Xiao family has always been a large clan; even in the past, the patriarch’s authority was somewhat restricted—he could not simply do as he pleased. But ever since the era of Xiao Tianzi’s father, Xiao Lin, not only had the family business been revitalized, but power too had become concentrated and unified in his hands.

This is a process experienced by every era—power is always in a constant cycle of decentralization and concentration, seeking balance according to the needs of the time. Whether for a nation, a family, or even a household of three, this holds true.

That is why the Xiao family patriarch now wields absolute authority, a fact evident not only in Lin Jian and Xu Guowei’s attitudes, but also in the way companies like Meihua are controlled.

Xiao Tianzi pondered for a moment, then turned to Tian Ni, saying, “Ni’er, you’ve been up all day and night and haven’t rested properly. Why don’t you get some sleep while I handle these matters? Heh… Don’t worry, I’ll keep my promise to you.”

He then turned to Chief Steward Lin Jian, the only person in the room who truly understood his thoughts, and said, “Chief Steward, I quite liked what you just said: that the Xiao family’s assets and descendants may be ours to do with as we please, but we must never let outsiders take advantage.”

“Let’s go,” he said, turning to leave. Lin Jian and Xu Guowei followed close behind. Although they had all been up for over a day, at such a moment, how could any of them feel even a trace of fatigue? Staring at the now-closed door, Tian Ni silently pondered Xiao Tianzi’s last words…

This was the military district’s guesthouse for important visitors; the entire building was under lockdown, guarded by armed soldiers patrolling as if the place were under siege.

Xiao Tianzi stepped out of the room and glanced out the window. “What about those people from yesterday?” he asked.

Chief Steward Lin Jian replied, “Boss, all those men were professionally trained. Aside from those killed in the fighting, the rest had explosives strapped to them, so there were no prisoners.”

They truly were terrorists, living up to the name. How did it come to this? A vast family, vast assets, and with it, vast troubles—when money is involved, hatreds and conflicts become dangerously exaggerated.

Xu Guowei reported, “Boss, Major General Lü Weiguo stopped by before dawn. He briefed us on the situation and assured you that you can stay here without any concern for your safety.”

“Good, thank the Major General for me. For now, let’s focus on the Meihua situation and the terrorists. We must prioritize.”

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“Yes, sir.”

Wherever the patriarch of the Xiao family goes, communications and the command system follow. In the conference room, Chief Steward Lin Jian was pointing at data projected on the screen.

“According to the latest intelligence and market analysis, in just the past few days, over thirty billion US dollars have been used to acquire Meihua’s shares. The buying continues, though the scale of Meihua makes the adversary cautious—they don’t dare be too blatant, lest they cause a stir.”

Xiao Tianzi, though inexperienced in operations of such magnitude, understood the principle. He nodded, “But with such vast sums, the adversary must know that ordinary shareholders won’t notice, but they certainly can’t escape our scrutiny.”

Xu Guowei analyzed carefully, “Boss, you’re Meihua’s largest shareholder. Combined with the other major shareholders, you control nearly sixty percent. For anyone to dare target Meihua’s stock—they must have not only immense financial backing, but also the support of other shareholders, and…”

Apart from the Xiao family, at least one of the other two major Meihua shareholders—if not both—must be involved.

Chief Steward Lin Jian said, “There’s no shortage of those who want to bring down the Xiao family, especially since our high-tech initiatives have caused many countries to lose lucrative industries, even leading to the collapse of some enterprises and impacting entire national economies. Though, for various reasons, they haven’t been able to touch Meihua all these years, their acts of sabotage and espionage are not few. If this operation has the backing of a foreign government, that would explain the source of their funds.”

Anyone with a modicum of understanding of Meihua and the business world would know this. The so-called developed countries have always imposed restrictions on developing and third-world nations, especially in high technology, to maintain their own dominance.

Even some high-tech consumer goods are prohibited from sale, while outdated technology is sold at exorbitant prices. Meihua broke these monopolies in many fields of civilian technology.

Mentioning this, Xiao Tianzi sighed, “Back then, when we didn’t know the truth, we all thought it was Will. Many of my friends and classmates idolized him, seeing someone from a developed country standing up for the Third World and against the US and other nations. Even I admired him, though there were many things I couldn’t quite make sense of. Only now do I realize it was my father’s doing. If the world knew, he’d have more fans than anyone.”

Lin Jian and Xu Guowei exchanged glances, marveling at how their boss’s mind could leap from one thought to the next.

“So what if a foreign government is involved? If they move openly, the stock price alone will be enough to teach them a lesson. Besides, this hasn’t happened overnight. Xu Guowei, go personally invite Will and the other major shareholders.”

“Invite them here, boss?”

“No, not here… Invite them to Las Vegas. Book the most luxurious hotel and have them settle in. I’ll be there soon.”

“Yes, sir.” With that, Xu Guowei stood and left to carry out the order.

Once Xu Guowei had gone, Xiao Tianzi stroked his stubbled chin, deep in thought, then looked up at Chief Steward Lin Jian. “How long do you think I should keep them waiting? By the way, tell me the details about the terrorists. Those bastards need to be dealt with first.”

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(This section is optional reading. It just so happens that issues of power and unification were mentioned, reminding me of content I wrote in “The Rise of the Chinese Dragon” as well as ideas from other works. Provided here for interested readers.)

“Grand unification and centralized authority refers to the phenomenon wherein, within a single cultural sphere, nearly all regions fall under a highly centralized regime, or where the cultural influence extends to regions all ruled by such a regime. The ancient saying ‘All under heaven belongs to the emperor; all who dwell upon the land are his subjects’ captures this idea. In modern terms, ‘heaven’ refers to a cultural sphere—such as Western, Islamic, or Sino-civilization—not the entire world, which is indisputable. The Roman Empire in Europe, the Arab Caliphate in the Middle East, and unified China from the Qin Emperor onward are all archetypes of such grand centralized structures. Among them, the Chinese model has lasted the longest, reached the highest level of development, and created the most sophisticated organization and deeply rooted centralization in the world’s history. Though Chinese history saw periods of division—such as the Spring and Autumn era, the Three Kingdoms period, the Sixteen Kingdoms, and the North–South Dynasties—they all, driven by a mysterious force, ultimately returned to a highly unified, centralized system. This is a truly remarkable phenomenon.

Centralized power refers to a system where the central government wields unified authority, the opposite of local autonomy. In such a system, local governments act under strict central control, managed either by centrally-appointed officials or locally elected officials representing the central government; local residents have no autonomy, or only tightly regulated self-government. From the late 15th to early 16th century, many European countries established centralized systems. As free-market capitalism evolved into monopoly capitalism, capital concentration demanded further political centralization. Most capitalist countries with a unitary system practice centralization; even in federations, where local governments have considerable power, real authority remains at the center.

Since the Qin emperor unified the feudal state over two thousand years ago, this system has been perpetuated. Today, the system of people’s congresses under democratic centralism combines central authority and local autonomy, ensuring unified leadership to handle national matters while encouraging local initiative and granting a degree of self-rule.

In the most prosperous, reform-driven region of China, the population structure is astonishing. In a region of over seven million square kilometers, there are four million permanent residents—but only 250,000 have local residency status; the other four million are migrants, allowed to work but barred from settling, and denied equal rights with locals. Such phenomena are widespread—provinces are so large that each feels like a collection of independent, feudal mini-states. More than twenty years ago, when the EU was drafting its constitution, over twenty countries united to create a common legal framework. Yet, in our unified country, traveling internally can sometimes be harder than going abroad, which is an abnormal state of affairs.

Why do European nations seek union, forming a community and drafting a constitution that supersedes national laws? There is only one answer: people seek greater economic and social benefits beyond their own borders. We say all actions are for the people’s welfare, for the strength of our nation. But if our own citizens cannot move freely or make a living within their own country, how can we claim to serve their welfare?

A simple fact: industrialization and technological progress have given humanity rapid transportation—distance and space no longer block movement. Economic, commercial, and cultural activities are no longer confined to national borders, but have expanded globally. Even now, despite rivalries between the world’s great powers, the same is true within our own China Alliance.

Thus, the scale and space of the old nation-states can no longer meet the demands of modern science, technology, and economic development. Humanity needs larger spaces for activity and life, so borders are increasingly broken down, and old, ethnically defined small states are evolving into new, multi-ethnic great nations. This is the root cause of European union, and the founding purpose of the China Alliance: to maximize welfare and provide broader developmental space for our people.

Naturally, a multinational union requires new, unified standards and rules. The EU constitution emerged to meet this need. In the process of European integration, nations steadily relinquish sovereignty and autonomy, adopting new rules as a community. Small states’ sovereignty transforms into collective rights, and as unification progresses, local autonomy diminishes, and centralization intensifies. This is a necessity of the times—society advances and compels us onward.

Looking back at China, though it grows stronger and more developed, internally it remains fragmented, like a collection of small, disunited states. Citizens do not enjoy equal rights or treatment. Sometimes, traveling within one’s own country is harder than going abroad. This is not normal. All our people are children of China and should not be subject to such restrictions.

The first step is to ensure nationwide freedom of movement. Only when people can move freely will development be balanced. People pursue profit and opportunity, moving wherever prospects are best. When a region becomes saturated and profits fall, people will naturally leave in search of new opportunities. Therefore, I propose abolishing the distinction between urban and rural residents, and adopting a unified national ID system. There should be no more urban–rural divide: if you have the ability to survive somewhere, you should be free to choose your place of residence according to your own will.”

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