It can be seen from the training of the children of the Luo Kingdom that the Luo Kingdom has always cared about the practical ability of its children and believed that the world cannot be governed by sitting in the palace.
Mencius is indeed a genius, but even Luo Hong, who likes his articles very much, thinks he is still too immature.
In the past, Confucius was also famous throughout the Luo Kingdom, but his thoughts truly matured after he traveled around the world and educated countless students.
At that time, Confucius completely returned to his original nature and became the sage.
There is naturally a reason why Mencius wanted to go to the Wei State to preach the doctrine of benevolence and righteousness.
The State of Wei was the first country to reform, but the results of the reform have been lost in the wars of the past dynasties. Therefore, the State of Wei needs a new path to recover from its exhaustion, and Confucianism naturally emphasizes recuperation and recuperation. Of Legalism.
The second is the existence of the Qin State. The Wei people call Qin people tigers and wolves. The continuous defeats make the Wei people fear the Qin people. The Qin State is precisely a country where tyranny is prevalent, so Mencius wants to practice benevolence and righteousness in the Wei State.
However, after staying in the Luo Kingdom for a year, Mencius changed his mind slightly, and he decided to go to the Qi Kingdom first.
Because although Mencius was not the unknown figure he was when he first came to the Luo Kingdom, he was still not a world-famous sage. If he went directly to the Wei Kingdom, the King of Wei would probably not pay attention to him.
But Qi State is different. Although Qi State's office has been secretly trying to get rid of Luo State and go it alone in order to prove themselves, the relationship between the two parties has always been good.
Mencius was the son-in-law of Luo State. If he went to Qi State in this capacity, King Shen of Qi would definitely meet him.
King Shen of Qi was Prince Shen who had defeated the army of Yan State and regained the lost territory of Qi State. His prestige reached its peak after regaining Qi State. In addition, Yan State invaded Qi State, resulting in the death of a large number of nobles. It was much bigger before I got up.
Along with Mencius, in addition to his wife Meng Ji, there was also one of the disciples of Luo Guogong, the young master Qiwen.
Prince Qiwen was Meng Ji's brother. He also liked Mencius's articles very much, so he volunteered to travel with Mencius and record his words, deeds and growth.
There is also a group of guards transferred to protect Luo Qiwen and Meng Ji.
As expected, as Mencius expected, King Shen of Qi entertained them warmly and showed great interest in Mencius being favored by the Luo Kingdom.
No one knows better than Qi Guoguo how difficult it is to marry the legitimate daughter of the Luo Kingdom. After all, there is an unknown amount of Luo's blood flowing in his body.
Even if the Duke of Qi wants to marry the legitimate daughter of Luo State, it still depends on the individual's moral character and talent. If the character is not very good or too incompetent, Luo State will not marry her.
King Qi Shen ordered his maid to bring the wine to Mencius and asked: "Mencius, the Marquis of Luo and the Prince all praised your talents in their letters. Prince Qiwen also praised you full of praise. I think you are a wise man with great talents." .
The six kingdoms conquered Qi, causing Qi to decline. I want to know how to restore Qi to its former strength? "
A smile appeared on Mencius' face, and he said with emotion: "It's very simple, as long as the king treats your people benevolently and righteously."
King Shen of Qi said: "Don't I treat the people of Qi well enough?
The laws in Qi are not as strict as those in Qin and Wei, the nobles in Qi are not as arrogant as those in Chu, and the selection of soldiers is not as harsh as in other countries. Doesn't this count as treating the people benevolently and righteously?
The State of Qi once prospered because of this, as everyone can see. "
There is a huge difference between the Legalists of Qi, who were born in Guan Zhong, and the Legalists of the Three Jin Dynasties, who were born in the art of punishment. Therefore, the State of Qi can indeed be regarded as a relatively mild one in Legalist governance, and the results achieved are not bad. If it were not for the Six Kingdoms' attack on Qi , Qi State really revived its hegemony and became the first among other countries.
But Mencius didn't think so. Mencius, who was good at making up fables, quickly said: "Your Majesty, you think that Qi prospered because of its laws. This may be right.
But let me also tell you a story.
There was a farmer in the Song Dynasty who planted wheat in his first year and got a bumper harvest.
Then the next year when he planted grain, his neighbor said to him: "Growing wheat is different from growing grain. You need to learn new ways of growing." '
But he didn't listen, and continued to sow wheat, and in the end he harvested nothing.
Your Qi State is like this. In the past, Qi State was strong and its people were wealthy, so your laws were not strict and your taxes were not serious.
However, after the war, the lives of the people of Qi have become difficult. Even your palace has areas that have not been repaired. If you use the previous laws at this time, it will make the people of the country feel harsh.
Just like your hand, reaching into cold water may be bitterly cold, but it is still bearable.
But if your hand is first put into hot water and then into cold water, can you still bear it? "
Qi Wangshen shook his head and said: "First soak in hot water, then cold water. This is a punishment only used on prisoners. Naturally, I can't bear it."
Mencius smiled and said: "It is obviously the same basin of cold water, why is there such a big difference?
It's because the temperature of your hands is different.
The same is true for the people of Qi. Their situation has changed, but you are still using the old laws. Is this appropriate?
If you treat your people more benevolently now, reduce their taxes and labor, let them farm freely and leave surplus food, then you can feed your family.
The elderly can survive, the young children can be supported, and the whole family can live a normal life, instead of being forced to live a normal life by the officials.
If you could do this, wouldn't anyone be grateful for your kindness?
If you can do what Luo did, what if Qi doesn't have a strong army for the time being?
You'll have millions of soldiers willing to fight for you, and you'll have a wealthy nation to back you up.
Stabilizing a country never relies on rugged mountains, rivers and fortified cities, but on the support of the people.
This is what Su Wang said: Those who have gained the Tao will have many help, while those who have lost the Tao will have few. "
Regarding King Shen of Qi, Mencius did not preach the king's way from the beginning, but first openly praised and secretly criticized the Qi Legalists, saying that they were no longer suitable for Qi and should be abandoned.
As for how to do it, listen to me, follow the royal road like Luo Guo, and have a good rest. Don't go down there to collect taxes every day. The property of the people in the country will not be enough to pay taxes. When the time comes, you will have money and food. The people of the country will be grateful to you. With kindness, there is no need to worry about other countries.
It sounds okay, but the key is time.
The cultivation of people's hearts is measured in ten years, and the reduction of tax revenue can be seen at that time. More than ten years are enough for the Legalists to complete the accumulation of reforms to build a powerful country, and the kingly way has just begun.
King Shen of Qi secretly thought: This is a wise man similar to Confucius. No wonder the Luo Kingdom values him, but the way of benevolence and righteousness is not suitable for Qi.
King Shen of Qi did not adopt Mencius's political views. He still harbored the dream of hegemony in his heart. Although Mencius was a little depressed in his heart, it did not show on his face.
Mencius lectured in Qi State and debated with Qi Legalists and Qi Mo. Although Qi Mo specialized in debating, Mencius was an extremely rare debating genius. He was good at using various metaphors to prove his ideological propositions, and he The writing is very beautiful, and he often uses Fu Bixing techniques from the Book of Songs to enhance his persuasiveness.
In just a few months, Qi Mo, who specializes in debate, was defeated, and Qi Fajia, who specializes in practice, was even worse.
The cartloads of letters written by people from the Luo Kingdom who followed Meng Ke finally came into use, and they began to record, and then they were immediately sent back to the Luo Kingdom.
Mencius also said to Luo Qiwen privately: "The relationship between Qi Mo and Luo Mo is like a firefly and a bright moon. These people have basically lost all the good aspects of the Mo family.
Qi Mo's extravagance and waste in funerals are too shocking, completely deviating from the Mohist family's funeral rituals. He has the name of Mohist family but no real Mohist family. He is not as good as Chu Mo who fights and kills all day long. At least Chu Mo still sympathizes with the poor common people. . "
Luo Qiwen was amused when he heard this. Confucian disciples despised the funerals of Mohist disciples as too wasteful. This could be included in a comedy collection, but it is a pity that he is not from the Song Dynasty.
Based on Mencius's fighting power, excluding Luo Mo, it is estimated that only the resurrected Mo Zhai from the past can compete with Mencius, and most likely the second-generation giant Yang Shengzi will not be able to compete with him.
When Mencius and Luo Qiwen left Qi, Meng Ke, who was already well-known in Qi, naturally came to see him off in person, saying, "Mencius has a great talent, but I can't use it. It's my fault."
When the nobles of Qi State left, Luo Qiwen smiled and asked Mencius beside him: "Ke, you clearly have the talent to help the country, but you are hit a wall in Qi State. How do you feel?
I see you speaking freely in front of the King of Qi and debating among the people of Qi. You are not one of those pedantic Confucian scholars. You are well-versed in affairs.
Don’t you feel regretful if you don’t use these things in practice but just make royal statements? "
Luo Qiwen followed Mencius throughout the whole journey. Neither he nor Mencius cared about whether they could hold high positions among the countries and gain wealth and glory.
Luo married his legitimate daughter to him so that he would not give up his persistence for gold, silver and wealth.
For Luo, the essence of wisdom bursting out of Mencius' mind was the most important.
For Mencius, practicing his ideals is the most important thing.
Mencius smiled casually and said: "With benevolence and righteousness in your heart, what else in the world is worth caring about?
In the past, Confucius had the ability to be a tomb keeper, but he traveled to various countries and failed to succeed. However, some of his students became prime ministers.
Does this mean that Confucius' knowledge is inferior to that of his students? It's just seven words: 'I follow the way of King Su'.
Today, the failure to achieve what I wanted in Qi is just because I followed the way of Luo and did not submit to the king. "
Luo Qiwen laughed loudly, "Okay, that's how it should be.
If you don't have such courage, how can you become a sage? "
(End of chapter)
