如若不听 那就是乱臣贼子
“If they refuse to comply, they will be treated as treacherous rebels”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
那陛下就让他们拱卫楚都 但要听从朝廷的调遣
“Your Majesty can let them do so, but they must follow the deployments of the imperial court.”
如若不听 那就 是 乱臣贼子
“If they refuse to comply, they will be treated as treacherous rebels”
人人得而诛之
“whom anyone has the right to execute.”
“This will box them into a corner: obey our orders, or give us a legitimate excuse to destroy them.”
In traditional statecraft, military action requires 'mingzheng yanshun' (proper title and legitimate pretext); labeling enemies as 'luanchen zeizi' provides absolute justification to destroy them.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
if / in the event that
A formal hypothetical conjunction synonymous with '如果'.
traitors and usurpers / rebel scoundrels
A classic idiom from historical literature used to designate disloyal subjects deserving severe punishment.
