To expand on my point, we got a relatively unbiassed look at the Bai/Sun schism from Han Jian way back in Forge. The Bai are ruthless, proud, and sadistic; but their response to a vassal being attacked was 'Take a 100,000 men and slaughter the barbarians to your heart's content, just don't over-extend.'
The Hui's response to their entire province being attacked was literally nothing. Twice.
The Bai are the horrible people you can actually count on. The Hui are terrible people who might technically be responsible for less suffering, but are absolutely useless to an infuriating degree.
100% this.
You can ask this question: "Why should we obey you?"
-Bai: Because I'm the baddest motherfucker around, and I will shatter all who challenge us, work for me and nobody else can fuck with you, and I have this list of limits on how I can't fuck with you.
In serving the Bai, you give up some rights to them for security against everyone else. Their flaw is that these rights were established back in the Bronze Age and utterly insufficient to modern needs.
They've been making it work by force, but in recent times they're rather lacking in force, and reforms must begin to be allowed.
-Xuan: Because you live on my Ancestor's back. He will provide for all your needs, whether food or safety.
In serving the Xuan you are pretty much either the landowner, the landowner's bro, or the guy living on his lawn. Its not equal and is unlikely to ever be, because the only path to status is to have a turtle bro.
Its kinda like communism except the state is a giant magic turtle that actually DOES make sure everyone has food and housing.
-Jin: Because I bring in riches from beyond. Just do your job, and you'll get your share of the loot.
The Jin are like Age of Sail colonial powers. Great prosperity at home, funded by the pillaging of weaker foreigners, powered by their founder inventing and monopolizing blue water exploration. This funds a lot of freedoms at home, as the lords can be generous with looted wealth.
Some day their dominance at sea will be challenged and then it will suck ass. But that is not this day.
-Mu: Because we are part of the machinery of state. Every part will do its part, from farmer to crown.
Less specific to the Mu and more to the Celestial Peaks proper, they're close to an arcology-state, everyone does their job and has freedoms within those rules.
Under those principles you have stability. Instability arises when important elements do not do their job(time period prior to Mu An) or has disputes about who should have what job(Strife of Twin Emperors).
-Zheng: You're free to do whatever, as long as you don't try to become the boss.
Great freedom, but life under the Zheng isn't stable. Sure, when a monster, pestilence or famine shows up, they'd come around to fix things eventually, but thats cold comfort to the victims before then.
The destroyed hometown hero backstory kinda sucks for said hometown.
-Sun: I protect you from the jungle, I protect you from the Bai. Think you're hard enough?
Western Territories/Red Garden as a first generation province is appropriately primitive in principle. Sun Shao rules because the alternative is destruction...and at the same time that also means he simply doesn't need to enforce his rule.
-Hui(circa the rebellion): Obey me, because I dictate reality around here.
The neat part is they don't.
But enough of the Hui think they do.
Reality keeps intruding on the dream like a persistent alarm clock that just keeps getting knocked under the bed.
They offer no protection, no services, no common identity.
They're bluffing with an empty hand.
