All Confucian figures who are determined to assist the king in his great cause and achieve great achievements have the grand aspiration of cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. As a Confucian master at the end of the Warring States Period, Xunzi naturally wanted to have this opportunity to be able to settle the affairs of the king and the world and make a name for himself. This is why Xunzi mentioned his own way of self-cultivation in the book "Xunzi·Cultivation of the Self": "Those who are not my teachers are my teachers; those who are my teachers are my friends; those who flatter me are my thieves." Cultivating oneself in this way is actually a metaphor for Xunzi's grand ambition to govern the country and bring peace to the world.
Unfortunately, his political thinking and strategic propositions were far ahead of his time, and ultimately became a utopian blueprint that was unrealistic at the time.
However, Xunzi never gave up. After many years of self-cultivation, he tried to govern the country with his own talents. Chun Shenjun of Chu State took a fancy to his talent and appointed him as Lanling Order. It was a pity that Lord Chun Shen passed away not long after, leaving Xunzi unknown to anyone. He could only stay in his own home and make a living by preaching, teaching and solving doubts.
Some people can't help but ask, if Chun Shenjun had not died, would Xunzi have been able to show his power in Chu?
In fact, due to the interactive use of Qin's "distant diplomacy and close attack" strategy and the strategy of liaison and horizontal cooperation, all countries were passive in diplomacy. The rise of Bai Qi caused the Chu State to fail militarily. Since then, the Chu State has declined from the power of the Warring States Period. After Shang Yang, another political giant appeared in the Qin State - Fan Ju. The power of the Qin State was already unstoppable. Therefore, even if Xunzi was reused in the Chu State, it would only be a temporary glory, because sooner or later the world would belong to the Qin State.
At that time, Fan Ju admired Xunzi's name for a long time, but only out of admiration for his profound knowledge, because Fan Ju was an absolute success in politics. So, after Fan Ju saw Xunzi, he asked in a slightly proud tone: "Excuse me, sir, what did you see when you came to Qin?"
Xunzi knew that this was Fan Ju's demonstration, but Xunzi had the magnanimity of "the sea is open to all rivers, and tolerance is great", so he no longer considered these issues in his mind. Xunzi naturally saw the power of the Qin State. This powerful country that had always been like a tiger in the west was about to emerge from the sky and clean up the world.
Since Shang Yang's reform, King Qin Huiwen also inherited the reform measures of his predecessor Qin Xiaogong, which made Qin continue to become stronger domestically, while Wei continued to lose troops and territory externally. Later, King Wu of Qin was so mediocre that he competed with strong men in strength. He only served as the monarch of Qin for four years, and then the power fell into the hands of Queen Mother Xuan, the mother of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Empress Dowager Xuan listened behind the curtain for 41 years, completely pacifying Yiqu State and stabilizing the Qin State. Wei Ran was also one of the famous generals of the Warring States Period, constantly conquering the east and west, and even discovered the number one master among the generals of the Warring States Period - the God of War Bai Qi. From then on, Qin occupied Shu in the south, attacked South Korea in the north, and attacked Wei and Zhao in the east. It could be said that it was invincible and won many battles. At the same time, the Qin army also united with the armies of the princes to defeat the state of Chu.
In the entire East, the only country in the east that can rival Qin in terms of overall strength is Qi. However, after Fan Ju came to Qin, he brought to Qin not only simple "distance and close attack", but also greatly utilized Qin's advantages: Qin was already in an invincible position without taking any action due to its dangerous fortresses. The Qin State occupied the Guanzhong Plain, which has been an important grain-producing area since ancient times. In addition, Shuzhong was also captured by the Qin State under Sima Cuo's attack, making the Qin State more stable and richer in salt, iron, grain and grass than other countries. ; Due to the strict laws of the Qin State, especially the implementation of the law of sitting together, the Qin State cultivated and carried forward the unpretentious, tough and warlike style of the Qin people; the Qin State paid attention to taste and clothing, with rich and fresh music and elegant and convenient clothing; Qin State The officials of the country are even more serious and cautious, and there is rarely a trend of exaggeration, dishonesty, betrayal, and wastefulness in the officialdom; when this trend comes to the scholar-officials, the scholar-officials are even more serious, and they never deal with it even when doing official business. Private affairs, this allows Qin's government affairs to be handled accurately, correctly and quickly.
From this point of view, the Qin State's strength and prosperity, which can last for several generations without declining, have its institutional roots. Looking at the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, almost every country has its glorious past, but like Qin, since Qin Xiaogong, all the kings of the past dynasties have worked hard to govern, so that the country has not continued to grow stronger.
At this time, Xunzi had already seen the key reason why Qin was superior to the six eastern countries. Qin was strong not because of one person, one or more weapons, nor because of its wise king, but because it established A social system that is far ahead of its time.
Qin took the lead in completing the reform of the feudal system. The advanced system brought more advanced production tools and production efficiency. This efficiency was quickly integrated into the operation of the state machinery and the operation of the war army through the guidance of talents. middle. The mutual coordination between the two made Qin become more powerful. Facing Qin's strong development, the six eastern countries behaved differently: Wei, Chu and other countries trembled; Qi tried to seek skin from the tiger; Zhao wanted to dominate for a while on its own. In an attempt to show off its military strength with Qin.
At that time, the armies of Qin and Zhao had been confronting each other in Changping for two years. Xunzi had already seen the outcome of the war - Zhao would be defeated.
Zhao Xiao became king, but he did not have the same keen vision and concern for the country and the people as Xunzi. He relied on the country built by his ancestors and fathers, regardless of the declining trend of Zhao country, and indulged in an absurd life all day long. among. Little did he know that the changes caused by the ambitious King of Qin, the talented and strategist Fan Ju, and the advanced system under their governance would be earth-shaking. By then, the situation of the entire Warring States Period would have undergone unprecedented changes, and the demise of Zhao State would be a matter of time. But at this time, King Zhao Xiaocheng did not pay attention to the war ahead or the people at present. What's more, he even ignored the restrictions of etiquette and had a close relationship with a man named Jianxinjun.
"Warring States Policy" mentioned Jianxinjun several times: "The reason why Jianxinjun became a king was because of his lust." However, there are no detailed records of his birth and death, birthplace, etc. Perhaps in the eyes of history, this person is just a joke and not worth mentioning at all. What can be guessed is that this Lord Jianxin should be a handsome man, and perhaps the successive falls from favor of Lian Po, Zhao She, Lin Xiangru and others are related to him.
"If we have different ways, we should not conspire against each other." Although Lin Xiangru and others were not arrogant and arrogant people, they looked down upon speculators like Mr. Jianxin. King Zhao Xiaocheng controlled the entire country of Zhao. It was the result of the hard work and painstaking efforts of countless ancestors of Zhao. It included the blood and sweat of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. As ministers of Zhao, they must be loyal to themselves. s country. Even if the country's power is declining, we still have to make our own efforts for it. This may be called: doing something knowing that it cannot be done. This is the obligation that ministers of a country must fulfill.
Xunzi sighed and returned to his country, Zhao. He hoped that through his persuasion, Zhao Guo would be aware of the coming crisis. Xunzi wanted to introduce Qin's advanced system to Zhao. Of course, he could not directly say that Zhao's system was inferior to Qin's, nor would he directly advise King Zhao to reform. Only King Zhao was willing to do these things. , everything can fall into place.
Xunzi believed that as long as the State of Zhao can work together and jointly plan for the development of the country, the State of Zhao is likely to come back to life. Of course, Xunzi’s views are inseparable from his thoughts. Xunzi believed that human power can defeat everything in the world. He believes that humans are gregarious animals, and this gregariousness allows people to rationally distribute production tools and products according to certain standards. If the distribution is reasonable, everyone will be in harmony. "Harmony will naturally lead to unity, unity will naturally lead to multi-strength, multi-strength will naturally lead to strength, and strength will naturally win over things." On the contrary, if the distribution is unreasonable, it will lead to competition, competition will inevitably lead to chaos, chaos will lead to separation, separation will cause weakness, and weakness will not win. He believed that as long as the State of Zhao could make reasonable arrangements, everyone would perform their duties, make the best use of everyone, and make the best use of their talents, and gradually make this phenomenon become an effective system and tradition of the State of Zhao. It must be strong.
There are records that King Zhao Xiaocheng at that time was also full of hope for Xunzi's arrival. The most important problem he needed to solve at that time was to make the Zhao army invincible and defeat the Qin army. Therefore, when King Zhao Xiaocheng saw Xunzi, he first asked: "Excuse me, sir, how to use troops to make the Zhao army a magic weapon that can win every battle?"
Lord Linwu, who was beside Xunzi, spoke first. Regarding Linwu Lord, there is very little introduction to him in history. For marching and fighting, Linwu Jun was far inferior to Zhao Kuo, who later became infamous. But when it comes to talking on paper, he is not inferior at all. After hearing King Zhao's question, Lord Linwu quickly said: "Get the right time from above, get the right location from below, watch the enemy's changes, attack later, and arrive first. This is the requirement for using troops."
Xunzi couldn't help but shook his head when he heard this. If these words had come from the mouths of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, Xunzi would have thought that they were vain, but these words were spoken by the little-known Lord Linwu. This statement seems reasonable, but in fact it is full of loopholes.
Xunzi believed that Lord Linwu's statement was absurd. According to the ancient military tactics, the fundamental lies in whether it can win the hearts and minds of the people, so that the army and the people can be integrated and the top and bottom can work together. For example, if the coordination of the bow and arrows was not good, Hou Yi would not be able to hit a small target even with his natural power. Thinking back to the beginning, both scholars and people were close to and submitted to Shang Tang, so the Shang Dynasty finally defeated the tyrannical Xia Jie Dynasty; the harmony between soldiers and people made Xiqi's troops invincible, and finally defeated the unjust King Zhou. From this point of view, everything becomes clear: Only those who are good at appeasing the people are truly good at using troops; only when the ruler can make the army and the people unite and unite can they truly win the war. In reality, how could Qin be so powerful militarily? It is because the kings of Qin in the past dynasties were well versed in the means of appeasing the people, so the people of Qin rushed to make contributions and serve the king of Qin to the death.
At this time, Lord Linwu heard that Xunzi meant that King Zhao should rule the country according to Qin's way. If King Zhao really followed Xunzi's advice, wouldn't it mean that people like Lord Linwu, who relied on words but had no practical talents, would have no place to stand? So Lord Linwu immediately jumped out and opposed Xunzi's view.
Of course, Lord Linwu also had his own reasons: "Xunzi's things are all unfounded and cannot have any practical effect. The king of Zhao disdains to do illusory things. When the Zhao State uses troops, it should pay more attention to the strength of the army. There is a saying in the art of war: Soldiers are deceitful. The key to an army's victory is deceit. What is a person who is good at using troops? He is required to deploy quickly and make a mysterious plan. No one knows where he started from. When the army suddenly arrives, , others can only lament that the magic soldiers came from the sky. In the past, famous generals such as Sun Wu and Wu Qi used this method of military use to become invincible in the world. Who has ever heard of relying on the people to win the war? That is just It’s just a slogan shouted by ignorant rulers.”
Untimely military thinking
From this point of view, the strategic thoughts of Linwu Jun and Xunzi are essentially different. Xunzi focused on grasping the war at a macro level, rather than on the gains and losses of one city or one place; while Lord Linwu attributed the key to the victory or defeat of the war to cunning military tactics and generals who were proficient in war. Perhaps people can imagine that if Bai Qi is placed in the Zhao Kingdom, regardless of whether he can conquer all directions, it is unpredictable whether he can make a difference in the Zhao Kingdom and be appreciated and reused by the King of Zhao.
Xunzi foresaw this, so he didn't pay much attention to the general himself. He believed that only when the monarch has great talents and strategies can the country prosper; on the contrary, if the monarch of a country is mediocre and immoral, then the country will not be able to maintain long-term peace and stability. Only by advocating etiquette and justice can a country have a solid foundation; otherwise, the country will be in chaos. Therefore, Xunzi came to a conclusion: Only by relying on the rule of courtesy can a country continue to be strong, otherwise, the country will become increasingly weak.
Xunzi discussed his thoughts on governing the country from two aspects:
First of all, we have to talk about Xunzi’s relationship between people and things. In Xunzi’s values, people can defeat all things, and the key to people’s victory over things lies in the reasonable distribution of products. However, the reality shows that there is a strict hierarchy between the noble and the humble, and there are also obvious differences between the elderly and the young. Therefore, it is a matter of course that noble people should be allocated more than lowly people, and old people should be allocated more than young people.
This situation is called Li (propriety and justice) in Xunzi's theoretical concept, and the emperor is not restricted by the ritual system, because it is the sage who formulates these rituals and justice. Those who need to follow etiquette and justice are the princes, nobles and scholar-bureaucrats. The emperor is a supreme and noble being, and he only needs to enjoy the peace and stability brought by the ritual system. Etiquette should be integrated into people's every move, and salaries must be distributed according to etiquette and justice. Because the common people do not know etiquette and justice, they can only use criminal laws to restrict their behavior and make them work hard and serve the ruling class.
The essence of Xunzi's thought is that the existence of hierarchy is reasonable. The scholar-bureaucrats who formulate and implement etiquette and justice are the ones who feed the common people. This is different from the common view that common people support the ruling class. Therefore, Xunzi’s definition of etiquette is “nurturing” (The Treatise on Rites says “ritual means nourishment”). Mencius said, "Those who govern others eat others, and those who govern others eat others." This means that the scholar-bureaucrats and other classes have different divisions of labor, but because they are also working, they can share the food. Xunzi did not think so. He believed that governing people fed the common people. It can be seen that his thoughts have actually shifted from attaching importance to people's livelihood to maintaining the status of the ruler.
Secondly, Xunzi starts from human nature and believes that human nature is inherently evil. He believes that people have desires, and as long as desires are not satisfied, conflicts will occur. Of course, Xunzi’s so-called theory of evil nature is not generalized. He believed that the good and evil of human nature can be changed through the day after tomorrow, and only the princes, nobles and scholar-bureaucrats have the conditions for such change. However, because ordinary people do not have the conditions to learn etiquette, they can only continue to be evil. When dealing with the scholar-bureaucrats who understand etiquette, we should use friendly behavior to win them over; while when dealing with the common people who do not understand etiquette and justice, we need to use punishment to strictly control them.
This dichotomous view was Xunzi's early thought. Later, after careful analysis, Xunzi divided people into three types, namely, the sage, the golden mean, and the original evil. The first type of people can create etiquette and justice, and once their behavior is deviant, they can automatically correct their behavior without the reminder and control of others; while the second type of people only know how to passively accept etiquette and justice, and once they understand etiquette and justice, They can also restrain themselves; the third type of people are common people. They are not educated by etiquette and justice, so they are barbaric and have bad character. Of course, they are not unable to change. If the descendants of common people can learn etiquette and justice, they can also be classified into the scholar-bureaucrat class.
On this point, Xunzi and Mencius also have different views. Mencius is good at using the principles of the ruling class to prove that human nature is inherently good; terrible. Xunzi believed that only by learning etiquette and justice can one change human nature and change classes.
Xunzi's methods are inherited from Mencius, but he also knew the difficulties that Mencius encountered. Therefore, Xunzi believed that these methods should be used by the queen and the king. History has become the past. Although the laws in the past were good, they could only be suitable for the society at that time. If ancient laws are blindly used, the current social system will be destroyed. Therefore, today's great Confucianists should follow the etiquette system, despise ordinary poems and books, and finally achieve true governance of the country and the world after cultivating their moral integrity and harmonizing their families. Once upon a time, Confucius and Mencius were very popular, but their Confucianism did not play its due role at that time.
Xunzi knew that it would be difficult for his views and political opinions to be recognized by the rulers and implemented. Therefore, he could only settle for the next best thing and discuss the military strength of various countries that Zhao Guo was most concerned about. From west to east, what Zhao needs to face most is the armies of Qin, Wei and Qi.
The first is Qin. When the Qin State raised its people, it adopted a very "poor" strategy and brutally enslaved them. The rulers of the Qin State used four methods - force, poverty, rewards, and punishment to make their people obey the state. 's rule.
Force can be used to intimidate the people, poverty can be used to endanger the people, rewards can be used to confuse the people, and punishment can be used to trample the people. If you want to get ahead, be a superior person, and demand benefits from the superiors, you can go to war. It became its only feasible and reliable way out. The people of Qin were very poor, so the ruler was able to take the opportunity to enslave the people. Once he had merit, the country would reward him. Merits and rewards complement each other and are almost directly proportional: if you can behead 5 enemy soldiers wearing armor, you can capture 5 families and enslave them when you come back. Although this seems cruel, it was a very effective method at the time. While firmly controlling the people, it could also prevent tax evasion, ensure the normal operation of the national economy, and thus provide reliable strategic reserves for war. . From this point of view, it is not without reason that Qin has repeatedly won victories in foreign wars since Qin Xiaogong. This contains profound secrets of governing the country and the army.
From the Qin State to the east, the first one to bear the brunt was the Wei State. Since the emergence of a genius like Wu Qi in Wei, the reputation of Wei soldiers has gradually become famous all over the world. Once, even the powerful Qin State in the west and the unruly Chu State in the south could only retreat when they encountered Wei Wuzu. This shows how powerful Wei Wuzu is. The important characteristics of Wei soldiers are strong strength and good endurance. The standard is that they can carry dozens of arrows on their backs and handle heavy bows. Every time they go out to march and fight, they must put a spear in their bag and carry it with them. With three days of food rations, he could travel two hundred miles a day. The armor worn is also divided into three types: upper body, middle body and lower body. Of course, as long as they can be selected by the country, they will have benefits that ordinary people do not have, such as being exempted from labor service, taxes, etc. However, this approach actually reduces the country's tax revenue. The more soldiers there are, the poorer the country becomes.
Looking at the Qi State in the east of Zhao State, they also have their own methods for running the army. They pay special attention to the individual soldier skills and reward system for the army's bravery to kill. As long as they capture an enemy's head, they will award a large amount of bonuses and pardon them. Guilt. It's a pity that all of this is determined based on people's likes and dislikes, and there are no clear institutional regulations on the amount of rewards. In small-scale battles in a short period, it may be able to play some role, but if it is a large-scale and long-term war, Qi will face great danger.
Combining the advantages and disadvantages of the armies of the above countries, we can draw the conclusion: Qin's elite divisions will definitely be able to sweep away Wei's bulky soldiers; while Wei's soldiers, although not defeated by the Qin army, can quickly defeat Qi sergeant. From this point of view, it seems that the soldiers of Qin State should be the most powerful. In fact, this is not the case. In addition to the sharp soldiers of Qin State, there are also the iron-clad discipline of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, and the etiquette and justice of King Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou. Something a thousand times more powerful than the Qin army. Because although the Qin army is the most powerful, it still cannot get rid of the low-level pursuit of rewards and benefits. In fact, this is just a relationship of employment and business. If it can be transformed into a rationality that respects the superiors, abides by the rule of law, and is committed to moral integrity, so that soldiers can use moral integrity to restrain themselves, then "if you don't fight, you will do it, but if you fight, you will win", and the day when the world will be unified is not far away.
Perhaps Xunzi's view could be implemented in later generations, but it was inappropriate during the Warring States Period. Not only was Zhao unable to complete such a reform, but even Qin was unable to make every soldier self-disciplined. Therefore, the State of Zhao abandoned his idea without hesitation. Just like the general trend of the Warring States Period, the decline of the State of Zhao and the rise of the State of Qin were irresistible.
