In the golden autumn season, the autumn wind is blowing gently, and a fierce debate competition is taking place on the teaching ground of Jinling Lecture Hall.
The participating parties in the debate competition are the representative teams of Jinling Military Academy, Jinling University Hall, Jinling Normal School, Sichuan Military Academy, Song Dynasty Navy School, and Taixue. Those who entered the finals were undoubtedly dominated by Jinling Lecture Hall and Jinling University Hall.
Taixue is already weak. According to popular rumors, the imperial examination next year may be cancelled. Most of the Taixue students will flock to Jinling University, which will make Jinling University better than other schools.
As for the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, it goes without saying. Elites from all walks of life in the Song Dynasty gathered here. Most of those who are both civil and military are supporters of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall. In the Song Dynasty, when people were traveling from south to north and martial arts spread, more young people chose to attend the Jinling Martial Arts Hall than to enter the official career.
The organizer of this debate was the Song Dynasty court, and the theme of the debate was the debate between true and false Confucianism. The judges included officials from the Song Dynasty court, including Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian masters Zhen Dexiu and Wei Liaoweng, Minister of Punishment Song Ci, Liu Kezhuang and Zeng Ji from the Song Dynasty Propaganda Department, and some teachers from various schools, including Jinling Lecturer on Martial Arts. Including male and female teachers Tian Yi and Xuan Yuehua.
The guests of the competition were headed by Emperor Zhao Hong of the Song Dynasty, as well as official officials, former Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice Ge Hong, Jianghu poets Ye Shaoweng, Dai Fuxu and others.
The bell rang, and Xuan Yuehua, the host and judge, stood up.
"The debate has begun. The first topic is that people can make decisions about it but not know it. Both sides of the debate are asked to explain their respective views."
After Xuan Yuehua finished speaking, he glanced at the spectators under the stage and coughed lightly.
"Quiet! Party A starts first."
All the spectators fell into silence and looked at the stage together.
The people can learn from it, but they cannot learn about it. From "The Analects of Confucius, Tai Bo", the traditional sentence reads: The people can learn from it, but cannot learn about it. However, there are no punctuation marks in the ancient text, and the characters can be interpreted in many ways.
"Dear judges and guests, this passage can be broken down into: the people can make it happen, but they cannot make it known. This passage means that the people can be allowed to do what the court wants, but they cannot be told the reasons for doing so. Zheng Xuan's Commentary on the Analects of Confucius in the Tang Dynasty says: From, to follow. The people are stupid. If you teach them the right way, the people will obey. If you know the root and end of it, then the fool may not do it lightly. This Confucian technique of fooling the people is definitely not advisable. ! This is our Team A’s point of view!”
Li Yungui, a male contestant from the Jinling University Team, spoke confidently and eloquently. He made an impassioned speech. He first bowed in the direction of Zhao Hong, then saluted the judges, and then sat down.
"Dear judges and guests, our team B's point of view is that this paragraph can be interpreted as: if the people can, let it be; if it is not, let the people know. This passage means, "if the people approve it, the court will implement it; if the people don't In recognition of this, the imperial court opened up the people's wisdom and made them understand the confusion. Confucianism has never deceived the people. "There is no education without distinction." This shows that Confucianism puts the people first. My Team B’s point of view is that Confucianism does not lead to stupid people! "
Lu Wenhuan, a male player from the Jinling University Team, sat down. Zhao Hong on the stage followed the crowd and applauded with a smile on his face.
This Lu Wenhuan was the cousin of Lu Wende, the general of the northwest frontier army. He was also a famous surrendered general in the Southern Song Dynasty in history. He defended Xiangyang and was somewhat famous.
The Five Arts of Controlling the People came from Shang Yang of the Qin State. They were different from Confucianism and Mohism who advocated favoring the virtuous. Shang Yang advocated favoring the treacherous. "Shang Jun Shu" says: "If good people rule evil people, the country will be reduced to chaos; if evil people rule good people, the country will be strong."
Evil will lead to bad governance. Shang Yang's political principles include five skills to control the people: weak people, poor people, tired people, humiliating the people, and ignorant people. Every case puts the people first, every case is abusing the people, and every case is a bad government.
The Great Qin Empire was so glorious, with great martial arts, but it died in the second generation, which was contrary to the people's hearts. It was the end of either the second or the third generation.
Zhao Hong was meditating, and the next debate topic brought him back to reality.
"...The king is the guide for the ministers, the father is the guide for the son, and the husband is the guide for the wife. These three cardinal principles are that the king is the guide for the ministers, and if the ruler is upright, the ministers will also be upright; the father is the guide for the son, and the father is upright, the son will also be upright; the husband is the guide for the son. The wife must be upright, and if the husband is upright, the wife will also be upright. Therefore, a ruler must upright his body to rule his ministers, a father must upright his body to discipline his children, and a husband must upright his body to lead his wife. In this way, the three cardinal principles are upright. This is My point of view is Team B.”
The views of the male contestants from Jinling’s martial arts team made Zhen Dexiu on the judges’ table nod with satisfaction.
The three cardinal principles and the five constant principles are quite consistent with his theory. He also published it in newspapers more than once to explain his views.
"...the Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Constant Rules. There is nothing wrong with the Five Cardinal Guidelines of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trust, and faith," but the Three Cardinal Guidelines are contrary to the original intention of Confucianism. Confucius said: The king, the king, and the ministers, the father, the son, and the son. Mencius said: The father and the son have relatives, the king and his ministers have righteousness, and the husband and wife have the same relationship. Separation, ordering of elders and younger ones. Did Confucius and Mencius ever speak of the "Three Cardinal Guidelines"?"
Jinling's words about the male players of the Wutang team made Zhen Dexiu's face darken immediately.
Without superiority and inferiority, without hierarchy, wouldn't the entire Song Dynasty be in chaos and without any order?
He carefully looked at Emperor Zhao Hong on the stage, always smiling and listening intently.
Today's freedom of speech in the Song Dynasty is not punished for speech, and there is no such thing as a literary prison. As long as it is not treasonous or vulgar, anyone can speak freely.
"I would like to ask the Jinling Martial Arts Hall team members, what is your explanation for the "Three Cardinal Guidelines"? Is it inappropriate?"
Cao Liqiu, a female player from the Jinling University Team, stood tall in long robes and asked calmly, attracting the attention of many students, especially male students.
Cao Liqiu is Cao Youwen's cousin. Cao Youwen once wanted to match her up with Zhen Zhidao, but Zhen Zhidao and Liu Fanning ended up together. But Cao Liqiu was unyielding and was admitted to Jinling University twice.
"The other player, Han Feizi, said: The ruler is the guideline for his subjects, and if the ruler is not upright, the ministers will defect to other countries; the country is the guideline for the people, and if the country is not upright, the people will rise up and attack. The father is the guideline for the son, and if the father is unkind, the son will run away to another country; the son is the father. Hope, if the son is not upright, the righteousness will destroy the family. The husband is the wife's guide, if the husband is not upright, the wife can remarry; the wife is the helper of the husband, if the wife is not virtuous, the husband will divorce her. I don't know my team's explanation, how can you refute it?"
Lu Wenhuan's point of view from the Jinling Martial Arts Hall team made several judges including Zhen Dexiu shake their heads. Some judges, including Song Ci, lowered their heads in thought. Some young judges such as Xuan Yuehua, a female student from the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, nodded frequently and seemed to be very impressed. Appreciated.
Zhao Hong, who was on the high platform, still looked cheerful and applauded gently.
The art of the emperor is the way to govern the country and the art of governing the world. It relies on the five arts of controlling the people, putting the cart before the horse.
During the pre-Qin period, various schools of thought proposed strategies for governing the country, but the Legalist strategy was the most favored by emperors. Han Feizi, the masterpiece of Legalism, was a must-read for emperors of all dynasties.
As an emperor, there are nothing more than three major problems that he has to face in his rule:
The first is dealing with the people, how to make them rich and obedient;
The second is about officials, how to make them serve the government more effectively;
The third is about oneself, how to consolidate one's power, cultivate one's own virtue, and balance various political forces so as not to be threatened by other political forces.
If the king is not upright and the people do not resist and are indifferent, that is the tragedy of the nation.
"Jinling University Team, how should you explain the ethical code of "king, king, minister, father, father and son"?"
"Jinling Wutang Lecture Team, although Confucius once said "the king, the king, the ministers, the fathers, the sons, the sons", but what he said was "the king envoys the ministers with courtesy, and the ministers serve the king with loyalty", the two are related to each other. Mencius once said : If the king treats his ministers like his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart; if the king regards his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as a fellow countryman; if his ministers regard his ministers as earth and mustard, then his ministers will regard him as a bandit. What is more, mutual courtesy between the king and his ministers is It’s a relationship of mutual equality.”
"Jinling University Team, according to your statement, if the king loses his virtue, the ministers can leave the king? In the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu Zixu fled thousands of miles, dug up graves and whipped corpses. Aren't these actions a treacherous minister and traitor?"
"The opponent's player asked Wu Zixu to die in luxury. How can he be like an ant? Abandoning small righteousness is a great shame, and his name will be lost to future generations. Sad husband! This is what Tai Shigong said. Wu Zixu's father and brother died tragically, and what he did was excusable. It’s what a man does, what’s wrong with it?”
The Jinling University Team had a sharp point of view and pointed directly at "monarchy". Zhen Dexiu was frightened and looked at Zhao Hong, but the old god was still there, calm and calm.
"Opposing player, according to what you said, I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, killed the national traitors Shi Miyuan, Hu Ju and others, and their descendants assassinated me, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. Is this what a man did? Is it a rightful act for justice?"
The debate contestants of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall team were red-faced and angry.
"The other party, you are making a fallacy! I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, punished the traitors of the country because what they did not only did not conform to the "Emperor should serve his ministers", but also violated the "Five Constant Rules". If everyone finds and punishes traitors, how can they be punished? Is it a righteous act? Is it righteous?"
The debaters came and went and had fierce exchanges. Zhao Hong was happy and nodded lightly.
The core of the European Renaissance from the 14th to 16th centuries was the liberation of human nature. The core of the humanistic spirit is to put people as the center instead of God as the center, and to affirm the value and dignity of human beings. One of the great contributions of the Renaissance was the restoration of Western society's interest in learning and the birth of the Age of Discovery.
I hope that Confucianism in China will be more open and inclusive, and will no longer be so hierarchical and repressive. What's more important is that the dross in fake Confucianism is slowly disappearing.
China's economy and culture are at the pinnacle of the world, and he is just adding fuel to the fire, spreading China's power and cultural influence to every corner of the world.
As for the "divine right of kings" that might affect him, he didn't care. With his current status in the hearts of the people of the Song Dynasty, especially the soldiers of the Song Dynasty, who can do anything to get him?
Warm applause rang out. It turned out that the afternoon debate competition was over. Zhao Hong stood up and applauded. Looking at the youthful faces below, his smile became even more cordial.
"Students, everyone, today's debate is very exciting. There is a famous saying of the sages, the people are the most important, the country is second, the king is the most important. I always keep it in mind. If the king loves the people, the people will love the king; if you abuse the people, the people will love you. Get rid of it. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. As long as we in the Song Dynasty advocate martial arts and enrich the country and strengthen the army, the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties will surely reappear, and our Song Dynasty will also be convinced by all the barbarians and all nations will come to court. Thank you Great performance everyone!”
If you are less than a hundred years old, you will often worry about ninety-nine. The people are the country. As for whether his descendants can secure the country, it depends on their own conscience and performance.
The audience continued to applaud, and someone suddenly stood up and shouted suddenly.
"Long live!"
The whole audience was stunned, and then many people stood up and started shouting. Finally, everyone stood up, waved their fists, and shouted in unison.
"Long live Long live Long live!"
Zhen Dexiu and others stood up, everyone was solemn.
The emperor's reputation was so great that everyone in the world loved him, and no one could match him in ancient and modern times. Even if there is no "divine right of kings", what is there to fear?
After the debate ended, Zhao Hong returned to Shouzhuoyuan, only to find that his father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law Zhou Ping, and two strange young men were all waiting in the room, with sad faces on their faces.
"Brother-in-law, why are you here together?"
Zhao Hong's heart sank subconsciously.
"Your Majesty, you have to make the decision for me!"
Mrs. Zhou Gao knelt down and kowtowed, and tears flowed down her face.
