Putting down the letter, Wang Xiaolie shook his head gently. Zhang Jun has many benefits. For example, being smart and knowing one thing. And he learns things quickly, no matter what he does, he learns it quickly. But he is also too smart and likes to make his own decisions and cause trouble. If you behave well in front of Wang Xiaolie, once you leave, you will cause big trouble.
On this trip south, Wang Xiaolie's original intention was to get Zhang Jun to restrain himself and not draw attention to himself. Find out how Tangzhou and Dengzhou are doing now. The market economy, people's lives, especially the armaments of the two states. Who would have thought that when they arrived in Tangzhou, they would first cause a life-threatening lawsuit. Although the current Tangzhou magistrate does not care about it, it is not a good thing after all.
Is this a good subordinate? To be honest, there are many things that can be done easily with people like this around. If you say one, he will know two, and many things have been done in advance. But after all, Zhang Jun is not a person like Wang Zhong, and he still wants to lead the army. Once you take the lead, many things are hard to say.
After coming to Ruzhou for a few months, Wang Xiaolie established messengers in Tangzhou and Dengzhou. It has no other function, it just sends a letter to Ruzhou. The characters are also unremarkable. They are all former military junior high schools who opened small shops in two states. Their identities are not hidden, and the two states certainly don't care.
Good intelligence officers are very rare. You can't just find someone, give him money, tell him what to do, and then you can complete the task. If he really wanted to understand the situation in the two states, Wang Xiaolie would still send Zhang Jun there.
At this moment, Shao Ling came in. Crosshand said: "Zhizhou and all counties have been checked. What the officials said is basically consistent with it."
Wang Xiaolie said: "It's really not easy. In a few days, I killed sixteen people and confiscated their property before these officials could understand. Things in this world are really difficult to do. You should understand early and tell the truth early. , why do so many people have to sacrifice their wealth and lives!"
Shao Ling said: "Old officials are the most slippery in the world! If you want them to do something, you have to be ruthless!"
Wang Xiaolie stood up, smiled, and shook his head slightly.
What is the most slippery old official in the world? Such words cannot be taken seriously. Old officials are human beings too, and most of them are knowledgeable and courteous. Why are they the most slippery? It's just their status, their treatment, and the way they do things that make people feel this way.
In ancient China, or ancient times including much of Europe and Asia, upper-class intellectuals were unfamiliar with grassroots affairs. It's not because of culture, it's not because of geography, or anything else. It’s because that’s how humans have developed.
With the development of society, we must first realize the importance of something, then research and learn, and finally become familiar with it. Once you are familiar with it, you can handle it in an orderly and well-founded way. Step by step, human beings understand more and more about themselves and society, and deal with them more and more skillfully. This is the development of society, the progress of civilization, and the footsteps of mankind moving forward.
In the beginning, human society was simple and governance was not complicated. The upper-level rulers do not need to know the details of social operations, and no one actually cares about the daily affairs of the officials. This phenomenon is caused by unfamiliarity with official affairs and improper management. On the one hand, they are dissatisfied with the operation of society. The upper-level rulers have made demands, but the officials cannot do it or are unwilling to do it. In the end, it was said that old officials are the most slippery. Why slippery? I am dissatisfied with them, but I can't live without them. When you have no choice, you can only say that old officials are the most slippery.
This is a common problem among intellectuals, not just old officials. For example, the Song Dynasty could not defeat Liao, Xixia, and Jin. What did the scholars say? It was said that the military discipline in those places was the strictest, and the Song army was lazy, so a large number of strict military disciplines were enacted. It is said that the people in those places are strong and the people of Song Dynasty are weak, so they cannot defeat them. In fact, it was the soldiers of the Song Dynasty who were taller than them. It is said that in those places, due to poor living conditions, everyone endures hardships and stands hard work. In reality? How many people can endure hardship better than the Han people?
This kind of mistake is not only committed by ancient literati, but also by intellectuals of later generations.
Wang Xiaolie remembered that in his previous life, corporate training, commercial training, and successful learning training were particularly popular. Some teachers often tell a joke. A screw requires three turns and then half a turn. The Germans will seriously twist three and a half turns, but what about the Chinese? Three and a half turns, is that two and a half turns? The results of it? Teachers are often mysterious at this time. Because Chinese culture is not good! You think you are smart, but you are actually just a little smart! Two and a half turns won't work! Even if someone teaches you, you can’t learn it!
Isn’t this nonsense! For an engineering student, of course he knows what it means to twist three turns and half a turn. You know, why do you ask for two and a half turns? This story may have a prototype. Originally, it was about the fact that Chinese engineers had a weak foundation for a period of time. In the words of some people who consider themselves intellectuals, it means that Chinese culture is not good enough.
This is not good for culture, and that is not good for culture. All you have to do is learn a few sentences in foreign language. The comprador thought that is carried out to the end has become the spiritual support for these people who think they are superior. For things in this world, you must first do it down-to-earth, and you will gain something if you do it.
People often say that there were great masters in the Republic of China, but why are they gone now? What kind of master was the master of the Republic of China? During the Republic of China, most of those who wore this title either learned some methods from the West or were thorough critics of Chinese culture. Are these criticisms similar to the analysis of military affairs by these intellectuals in the Song Dynasty?
is that useful? Of course it works. Because when it’s really bad, you have to be the first to criticize. In criticism, something is sublated, something learned, and something inherited. Finally, you will become familiar with these things and find out the correct methods in practice. Only by going step by step in this way can civilization advance and culture develop. The purpose of criticism is to learn and improve, not to abandon.
It is not easy to go from being high and talking to being down to earth. Even in the 21st century, there are actually only a handful of civilizations and countries that have truly achieved this. In most countries, elites have studied in Europe and the United States since childhood. What don’t they know? But once he returned to his own country, he felt superior. This thing has to be done this way, that thing has to be done that way, and the last thing is a piece of cake.
Wang Xiaolie remembered watching a movie called "White Tiger". It tells the story of a low-caste man in a rural area in India, who was severely beaten by society, and finally killed his master, robbed money, and became a successful person. The story itself is nothing, what’s interesting is the person’s thoughts. He believed that the caste system was the root cause of India's backwardness, and especially compared it with China. When the Chinese Prime Minister visits India, write a letter asking whether China has a caste system. It seems that asking this question is a particularly remarkable thing.
The caste system disappeared in China a thousand or two thousand years ago. Princes, generals and prime ministers, would you rather have the seed? Not only has the caste system been abolished long ago, but there is also the concept of equal wealth and equal wealth. is that useful? Before the founding of New China, China was not as developed as India.
Is India less developed than China because of the caste system? In the past, South Africa still practiced apartheid. Was South Africa's development poor at that time? It’s just that the results belong to white people and have nothing to do with black people. The United States also developed from a colony. The fruits of development were all due to immigrants, and the natives were actually trapped. How much difference is there?
It is a leap for a civilization to go from the intellectuals standing high to the time when they bend down and penetrate into all aspects of society. The great masters of the Republic of China stood high and talked eloquently; the generals of the Republic of China scolded Fang Qiu and were high-spirited. However, the people at the bottom of society have a hard time making a living, and the army will collapse at the drop of a hat whenever it fights foreign countries. is that useful?
Human society always has to go from being enlightened when hearing some names, concepts, theories, doctrines, etc., to truly realizing its own backwardness and learning and improving step by step. It takes time and growth. This is not just true for society, but also for people.
Wang Xiaolie remembered that when he was a child, he would feel enlightened when he heard those made-up stories and those novel terms. When people say that the Germans are rigorous and the Japanese are sophisticated, I will think that they are very powerful but the Chinese are not. As you grow older, you will also hear that Americans are good at innovation, the French are romantic, and so on. All developed countries have a characteristic of criticizing Chinese culture. As I grew older, I gradually realized that these statements were nothing more than idle chatter, and there were serious problems.
When you fall behind and need to wake up, you need to hear these stories. It’s not that these stories are correct, it’s that you realize your own backwardness. It’s not that these characteristics are real, it’s that these characteristics can be learned by oneself. There is nothing you can do if you fall behind.
When you realize that you are falling behind and truly reform your thinking, these arguments will no longer be necessary. If you say this again, you will only become the object of ridicule. These may not be myths, and may have some basis, but they really cannot be called culture.
There is a sentence in Lu Xun's "Diary of a Madman": "I opened the history and looked it up. This history has no chronology, and the four words 'benevolence, justice and morality' are written on each crooked page. I couldn't sleep anyway, so I read carefully for half the night. Only then did I see the words between the words, and there were two words written all over the book: 'Eating people'!" This sentence is very famous, and it is Lu Xun's profound indictment of feudal ethics.
But are Chinese history books really all about "benevolence, justice and morality"? Is Chinese history really all about "cannibalism"? If you really think like this, you can live up to the title of Lu Xun's novel, He is a Madman. Such criticism was what Chinese society needed in Lu Xun's era. But after that era, it seemed ridiculous to say so. If China's history is like this, then this world still has history?
The May 4th Movement was the enlightenment of China’s new society and new ideas. There are two contents: one is the criticism of old China, and the other is the yearning for Mr. De and Mr. Sai. The criticism of the old country was even worse. Not enough was done to introduce Mr. De and Mr. Sai. But some Chinese intellectuals were stuck in the May Fourth Movement and couldn't get out. Especially that kind of criticism fascinates some people.
The New Culture Movement's criticism of the old culture was hysterical and merciless, and many of them were actually wrong. This does not affect the greatness of the New Culture Movement, because it indeed inspired new ideas and ushered in a new China. But the New Culture Movement a hundred years ago has long passed. Such criticism is also inappropriate.
When we grow up, we are always surrounded by such sayings, that saying, and countless sayings. Some make sense, some don't make sense, some make sense at a certain time and under special conditions, and some make sense no matter when. A person's growth, whether he can clearly distinguish these learned sayings and principles, is his own learning achievement.
Why is China lagging behind? In other words, why did China fall behind in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China? There are many opinions. Some statements have a purpose, some are purely academic, and some are purely human imagination. After hearing such talk many times, many people think that they have many solutions.
If you traveled back to ancient times, how would you make China strong? The answers are really numerous.
Some people will wave their hands. Since ancient times, China has emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce. As long as it emphasizes commerce and develops commerce, it can become strong and prosperous.
Some people are heartbroken. China does not attach importance to craftsmen and technology, resulting in slow technological development. Technology should be rewarded and even patent laws should be established as in historical Britain.
Some people will say that China's unification has suppressed people's thoughts and the flow of technology. To divide the country like Europe did. As we become smaller countries one by one, technology will develop.
Others say that in Chinese history, the emperor and officials had the final say, and the status of businessmen was too low. Industrial and commercial owners should be allowed to come to power, seize state power, and enter capitalism in advance.
Others say that those who hold power in China are intellectuals and literati. We should kill all the civil servants and let soldiers, businessmen, and factory owners take charge, and we will naturally be undefeated.
Some people say that China is a Confucian civilization. In the end, it fell behind, and Confucianism was an unpardonable sin. Confucianism should be criticized, abolished, and even all Confucian intellectuals should be killed. Starting with the Confucian saint Confucius, we must first knock him to the ground. Once we dig out the roots of this culture, it will be fine.
They imagine that China will become strong and powerful because of one or more of these methods. After becoming strong, the white Europeans took the road ahead of time. Colonize here, colonize there. Let there be only one country on this earth.
After dinner, a few of us sat and chatted and told these stories, of course. If you really take these things seriously and think you can do them, you would be totally wrong.
What does a person learn in decades? There are more than two hundred countries in the world, many of them very populous. The elites of these countries have been educated in Europe and the United States since childhood. In fact, China is similar. Elites like to send their children to study abroad. How does the knowledge you have learned over the past few decades compare with that of these people? How many of these well-educated people have changed their motherland?
From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China to the next hundred years or so, how many Chinese people went to study in Europe and the United States? Many of them also have excellent academic performance. Have these elites found a way to change China's destiny? No.
The person who really changed China did not study abroad. Of course he has learned new knowledge and been exposed to new ideas, but he has never been conquered by these new knowledge and new ideas.
If you fall behind, you will be criticized, and if you fall behind, you will learn from it. Being behind is itself a mistake. There is no doubt about it. But how to change the backward situation is a big question. This knowledge, let alone from school textbooks, let alone the works of great men, even if you study all human knowledge, you may not be able to find the answer.
Why is China lagging behind? Especially falling behind in science and technology? This question is also known as the Needham question. However, even if China slowly develops, there is still no answer to this question.
Why is there no answer? Because the modernization and modernization of the world started in Europe. Human civilization has been deeply marked by white Europeans. A lot of the truth is actually still hidden in this layer of imprinting, making it difficult to see clearly. China is a different civilization. How can we find the answer to China’s backwardness through the eyes of white Europeans?
Not only technology, but also thought, culture, society, economy, philosophy, history, etc. all bear the mark of white civilization. Under this imprint, many things cannot be seen clearly. As a Chinese, we should have this kind of consciousness.
From the development of science and technology, to capitalism, to later socialism, everything is stamped with the imprint of white civilization. People's minds are still unable to break free and truly see their own world clearly. This is a fact, there is no way around it.
After traveling through thousands of years, Wang Xiaolie certainly knows many of China's shortcomings as well as many of China's strengths. The most important thing is that there are two magic weapons in thinking. One is the theory of contradiction and the other is the theory of practice.
The theory of contradiction is not mature or complete, so let’s put it aside for now. Practice theory is a methodology and a way of understanding the world.
Why learn about the world through practice? How to understand the world in practice? How to use practice to transform the world? The first point is that things need to be done and practiced. The large-scale transformation of Ruzhou's public officials is Wang Xiaolie's practice of world politics, and it has just begun.
What Shao Ling said is that old officials are the most slippery, which is completely different from Wang Xiaolie's idea.
Such a violent method was used because there were indeed many officials committing crimes, and more importantly, Wang Xiaolie had no time. The purpose of dealing with officials is not to take away their money or their positions, but to change their minds.
Ideological transformation is the most difficult, and it cannot be done once and for all. Sometimes it’s urgent, sometimes it’s slow. Only if you keep doing it for a long time can you gain something.
