Tang Zhe only stayed in the inn for one night. He said he had business and left the next day. Huang Yuanwai saw an opening, how could he hold back? That night, I bought a chicken, a large piece of meat, a gourd of wine, and went to the next night.
Lin Shengyuan looked at it coldly and said nothing. It wasn't until midnight that Huang Yuanwai returned to the room, and Lin Shengyuan didn't bother to ask.
It is already August and the fields are still green. It's just the green middle, mixed with withered yellow leaves, telling people that autumn is approaching.
Wang Xiaolie was riding on his horse, looking at the surrounding scenery with mixed feelings in his heart. A year and a half ago, he set out from Ruzhou and followed Yang Jin south. In this way, they occupied Xiangyang and Dengzhou, a large area of land. The three thousand soldiers and horses under his command quickly expanded to fifty thousand. This speed is so fast that it scares me. Expanding too quickly will lead to unstable military morale, insufficient personnel, and a general feeling of unease.
When Wu Shu came to the west, Wang Xiaolie led an army of 30,000 people to the north and returned to his hometown of Ruzhou again. Setting foot on the land of Ruzhou feels like a world away.
At the intersection at the end of the village, Wang Zhong stretched his neck and looked at the intersection. Since Xiaosheren left Ruzhou and went south, I often hear news about him. I know that the family is not as big as before, and I don't know what Xiaosheren has become.
Wang Qingxiu stood quietly on the roadside, with a calm face but mixed feelings in her heart. I haven't seen my brother in the past two years, and I don't know what he has become. Now that he has tens of thousands of troops, is he still the same as before?
Seeing the crowd waiting at the entrance of the village from a distance, Wang Xiaolie hurriedly dismounted and walked over quickly.
Wang Qingxiu stepped forward and saw his younger brother approaching, and his eyes wet unconsciously.
Wang Xiaolie quickly came up and took his sister's hand, saying, "How have you been doing these past two years?"
Wang Qingxiu nodded: "Okay, everything is fine. You are out alone, thank you for your hard work."
Wang Xiaolie bowed and said: "It's hard work! But now that there are more soldiers and the territory is bigger, I also have a lot of troubles. It's getting late, let's go back and talk."
Wang Zhong came up, bowed and said: "The people of Xiaoshe are still the same as before. I am still worried that in the past two years, the people of Xiaoshe have recruited many soldiers, fought many battles, and won a great reputation. People will change." .It’s still the same as before, good, good!”
Wang Xiaolie met the villagers one by one and returned to the village with his sister.
It was approaching evening, and several tables were set up in the courtyard of the Wang family to invite the villagers to dinner. Big fish, big meat, and good wine brought by Wang Xiaolie were all put on the table for everyone to part ways. When he returned to his hometown this time, Wang Xiaolie also brought some specialties from Xiangyang and ordered his soldiers to distribute them to everyone.
Everyone dispersed and it became dark. A crescent moon hangs in the sky, casting a faint light.
Wang Xiaolie sat by the sweet-scented osmanthus tree in the courtyard, looking at the moon in the sky. Just sitting there quietly, smelling the fragrance of osmanthus beside me, I felt like I was back in my childhood, that carefree age.
After tea was served, Wang Qingxiu sat down on the side. Said: "I have often heard your name in the past two years. I suppressed Yang Jin, and this year I fought two battles with the Jin people, and we won both of them. When the villagers talk about it, they all praise it. But looking at you, But he seems unhappy."
Wang Xiaolie said: "When I left Ruzhou, I just felt that if I had tens of thousands of soldiers in my hands and controlled several states, no power in the world would take it seriously. At that time, the Xingyi Army went north to expel the Jin people and let the people It is very simple to live a happy life. Only when I really have tens of thousands of soldiers do I realize that things in the world are not that simple. There are many things that I cannot think about or ignore, but if I really care about them, I will be upset."
After hearing this, Wang Qingxiu laughed: "Da Lang, you think too much! Who in the world doesn't praise you for your current appearance! As long as you fight a few battles with the Jin soldiers down-to-earth and grow the ambition of the Han people, you will be able to win. Become a great hero who stands tall and strong!"
"Great hero?" Wang Xiaolie was stunned for a while and shook his head. "If you just become a great hero, I'm afraid you won't be able to fulfill my wishes!"
Wang Qingxiu couldn't help being stunned after hearing this. Turning back to look at his younger brother, he suddenly realized that this was no longer the boy he remembered. A few years ago, my father and brother joined the army and left their hometown. When my brother accompanied him, he was just a young boy with hair on his breasts. After a few years of fighting on the battlefield, my brother quickly matured. Now, my brother has his own ideas when doing things, unlike before.
Looking up at the crescent moon in the sky, Wang Xiaoxian said: "The Jin army broke through Kaifeng Mansion, and the two emperors hunted in the north. To say it is shocking is actually not without precedent in history. In the pre-Tang Dynasty, how many times did aliens invade Chang'an? ? Burning, killing and looting, the people suffered. However, the two emperors were killed in one pot and most of the clan was taken away, which was rare in the previous life. In the eyes of many people, the aliens were not used to the Central Plains and would eventually return. After the country was renovated, it was restored It is not difficult to restore the rivers and mountains. But I know that this time is different from before, and it is really difficult."
The Song Dynasty was the first Central Plains dynasty to be completely wiped out by foreigners. The impact of this incident on China was far greater than expected. Although the Ming Dynasty later reorganized the country, it never reached the peak of the Han and Tang Dynasties. More importantly, the Mongols have been in control of the Central Plains for a hundred years, and their politics, economy, thought, and culture have had a profound impact on the Han people. Then the Manchu Qing invaded the Central Plains, and all aspects of the Central Plains were affected.
The simplest example is that in Wang Xiaolie's previous life, among all the dynasties, the Tang Dynasty was the most respected. In particular, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was revered as the Khan of Heaven. Many people talked about it and yearned for it, thinking it was the highlight moment of the Central Plains Dynasty. In fact, for the emperor of the Central Plains and the Tian Khan of the northern nomads, it was a compromise for the nomads. Tiankhan is not just a name, but also means that there are two political systems in the territory. The nomads practice their political system and culture. The Tang Dynasty was inherited from the Sui Dynasty. In addition to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Central Plains dynasties who also held the title of Tian Khan or similar positions also included the later Yuan and Qing dynasties. To a certain extent, holding the title of Sky Khan at the same time shows that the empire is dualistic.
The emperor is supreme, and any part-time job is condescending to the emperor. The Khan who is also a nomad only shows one thing, that is, he pays special attention to the nomads and gives them preferential political treatment. In fact, in the Tang Dynasty, after the Anshi Rebellion, the emperor himself canceled the title of Tian Khan. In the context of traditional Chinese culture, Li Shimin was revered as the Khan of Heaven, which was not the highlight of the Central Plains Dynasty, but only showed that the northern nomads accepted Li Shimin's rule. This is different from Western culture. Western culture likes a long list of names, but Chinese culture does not have such a habit.
Another word is Tianjiao. Traditionally, Tianjiao is the self-titled title of the ruler of the northern nomadic people, roughly analogous to the Emperor of the Central Plains. But in Wang Xiaolie's previous life, outstanding people liked to be called geniuses. Some people don't understand it, and although some people understand it, they feel that this word is particularly powerful. In film and television works, in China, all outstanding figures are called geniuses.
The Song Dynasty was destroyed by the Mongols, and later the Ming Dynasty rose again. One of the slogans was that the sun and moon would reopen the Song Dynasty. But in the end, the Ming Dynasty did not destroy Mongolia in the north. In the end, the Manchu ruler who also served as the Mongol Khan took control of the Central Plains and destroyed the Ming Dynasty. In this sense, the Mongol khans lasted longer than the Ming emperors.
The destruction of the Song Dynasty profoundly affected Chinese history, as well as the culture and thought of the Han people. As for later generations, some people even think that the Song Dynasty was not a unified dynasty. The Northern Song Dynasty was the three kingdoms of Song, Liao, and Xixia, and the Southern Song Dynasty was the Southern and Northern Dynasties. This further illustrates the loss of the Han people's own ideological and culture. Of course the Song Dynasty was weak, but for the Han people, where did the Three Kingdoms come from?
The influence of this cultural thought is far more profound than people think. Until the founding of New China, more than 70 years after the founding of the country, the culture of the Han nationality was still suppressed. Ideologically, it is said that it is to revive traditional Chinese culture, and a large number of literati have begun to study Wang Yangming. Before Wang Yangming, there were very few people doing research. It is said that Confucianism is being revived, and the most popular works are the "Three Character Classic" and "Disciple Regulations", which are not considered excellent among elementary school textbooks. Not many people think about true Confucianism and true traditional Chinese culture.
The popularity of Wang Yangming is not unrelated to the popularity of his ideas in Japan. In modern China, some literati looked around and suddenly discovered that Yangming's philosophy of mind, which had not been particularly influential in China, was particularly respected in Japan. There is even a widely circulated joke that the famous Japanese general Togo Heihachiro has a belt with a sentence on it that reads "I will bow my head and worship Yomei for the rest of my life." It is ridiculous and sad to say it. Some people even lamented that Yangming’s theory of mind was not taken seriously in China, but it blossomed in Japan and completed the modernization reform. If the Chinese value Yangming’s philosophy of mind, how come they lag behind Japan? Liang Qichao even made an astonishing statement, saying that there were two and a half saints in Chinese history, one was Confucius, the other was Wang Yangming, and the other was half Zeng Guofan. In such a vast China, with thousands of years of civilization, there are only two semi-saints like this? Confucius here is probably involved because of his historical status. There is also a Zhejiang compatriot of Wang Yangming, who is regarded as the president of a party and the leader of a country, and he highly respects Wang Yangming.
China's glorious history and splendid civilization, in the end, the literati could not even explain it. Why has China not entered an industrial society? This question is called the Needham question, and it was asked by foreigners. Can the Chinese answer that? The fact is it can't. Although many people claim to have found the answer, in fact most of the answers are not as deep as foreigners asking this question.
To be honest, China's culture has regressed since the Song Dynasty. Even though many great thinkers appeared in the Ming Dynasty and put forward many theoretical ideas, they had little actual impact on Chinese culture. When the Ming Dynasty fell and the Manchus entered the Central Plains, the suppression of thoughts became even more severe. After the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China was still plagued by frequent wars. In New China, whether it is the Sinicization of Marxism-Leninism or the revival of traditional culture, there are really no capable people to achieve dazzling results.
Faced with the differences between ancient and modern cultures, Wang Xiaolie often asks himself. Why are obvious misunderstandings like Tian Khan and Tianjiao so popular in China? It’s not that no one understands it, nor can we blame users and readers for their lack of knowledge, but it’s the overall consciousness of a society. This general consciousness does not care about what traditional China is like. What they care about is whether they are happy when they read it. There is nothing wrong with thinking this way. People have the right to use the language they like. The question is, how is this overall social consciousness formed?
At the end of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the powerful ships and cannons of the West opened the door to the country, and Chinese literati finally saw the outside world. In the past two hundred years, they haven't seen enough of the outside world, they haven't lost their sense of novelty, and they're still full of yearning. As for the motherland behind them, they have no interest in what the culture is like, how brilliant and glorious it is, how it falls behind, and what is needed for its rejuvenation.
When talking about how to prevent China from falling behind in modern times, some people propose that Confucianism should be abolished, and many even say that Confucianism should be abolished. If Confucianism is not abolished, China will inevitably fall behind. If you ask why, there are many standard answers. Suppressing ideas, suppressing industry and commerce, suppressing capitalism, there are many names. Completely regardless of whether these statements are correct or not.
This is the childish disease of literati. Even though he doesn't know, he obviously can't make sense, yet he likes to ramble on and on, spouting out a lot of incomprehensible things. China was rubbed against the ground by the West during the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty was not at fault, it was all the fault of its historical ancestors. Are these statements funny? The growth of culture is really more difficult than national strength.
Wang Xiaolie's memory reliably told him how to build a powerful army. When it comes to cultural ideas, you can only have a headache.
Historical facts tell me that in this era, if we cannot rise up, drive out the Jin Army, and restore the Central Plains, our culture will perish. But I do not have enough knowledge to be able to clearly clarify cultural and ideological issues. I can’t tell myself the memories of my past life.
