Summer has passed and the evening wind has become cooler. There were no cicadas on the trees, only one or two birds chirped occasionally, and the night seemed particularly quiet.
A crescent moon hangs in the western sky, accompanied by a few stars around it, looking a little sad.
Wang Xiaolie raised his glass and said, "We have been together for more than two years since we came to Xiangyang Mansion. Today something happened to the cadre of Dezhi's family, and he was implicated and temporarily suspended his duties. As a colleague , invite a few of you to have a drink together and calm down his mood."
Chen Qiudao, Chen Yuyi and Wang Ruohai all had mixed tastes and raised their glasses to drink.
Putting down his wine glass, Wang Xiaolie said: "Some of you may think that the job I keep getting is not something I can say? To be honest, it is really not something I can solve with one word. Today I let go of many things. It’s hard to do.”
Chen Qiudao said: "Jie Shuai, I understand this. Once you have set the rules, you must abide by them."
Wang Xiaolie said: "That's right, but it's still not explained clearly. I have said before that in our Chinese world, the emperor represents the herdsmen, and officials handle court affairs. The key here is, first, the source of power. Heaven. Another thing, apart from the imperial court, officials have unlimited power. Whether they are Buddha or Tao, gods or ghosts, they are all under the control of officials. In other words, officials are originally gods under the way of heaven. Only officials who are gods can There are no taboos, and everything in the world is in charge. Are we gods? We are not. There is no real god to perform these priestly positions. We can only reluctantly put on official uniforms and appear on stage to play the role of this god. Every official position, according to God's standards, is actually There are requirements. It's not that I am the official and I can do whatever I want. If you understand it this way, you can understand that I don't have to abide by the rules if I set them. If I just set the rules, of course I can break them. There are exceptions. But when I took this official position, I was determined to do it well. When I played this god, I was determined to do it well."
I saw three people looking at each other with strange expressions. Wang Xiaolie said: "Do you think that I am just taking off my pants and farting, which is unnecessary? Thinking like this, what is the difference and what is the use? Of course there is a difference and it is useful. Comparing the official position to a god's position, and It does not mean that there must be a god to serve as this official. It means that if these officials want to do well, it is actually beyond the ability of today's people. It is compared to a god, but it is actually empty. It is said that a god should sit in the official position. It is virtual. When we are officials, it is real. How to convert between virtual and real is a person's ability."
Seeing that the three people still didn't understand, Wang Xiaolie said helplessly: "Some people think that emptiness means nothing, that is, non-existence, which is incorrect. Void is emptiness, located between existence and non-existence. Things in the human world often have this. Empty position. If you cannot understand emptiness, many sacred things will become vulgar. If you can do things well, you will not be able to do them well. Officials must know when it is imaginary and when it is real, and the balance between imaginary and real How should we change it? According to me, this rolling world is often like a Taoist temple. Being an official in the yamen is practicing Taoism."
Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie said to Chen Qiudao: "As a Taoist, how can there be smooth sailing and no difficulties? Thinking about it this way, won't you feel better? Being an official is a sacred thing, don't be vulgar. If in this officialdom, in the eyes of the people, Zhang San said that I can do it in that position, and Li Si said that I can do better in that position, then it means that there is something wrong with the officials. Even dogs and cats can do it. Officer, what’s the point of being an official like this? We sit in this position and when the opportunity arises, we have to do things that others can’t do.”
Chen Qiudao raised his glass and said: "Jie Shuai has become an official and practiced Taoism. We are just mortals, how can we do it?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "I am also a mortal. I just occupy Xiangyang and have this power. After thinking about it, I can only do this. There are so many heroes in the past and today, and they have done so many earth-shattering things. But in this world, it is still the same. We have reached the point where we are today. To put it bluntly, we cannot make the Northern Expedition, drive out the Jinlu, and restore the Central Plains. It would be worse than the Jin Dynasty when we marched south in attire! How can we do ordinary things when this is extraordinary! We should believe in ourselves, You can do things that surpass your predecessors. If you want to do things that surpass your predecessors, you must change your thinking."
Chen Qiudao and the other two nodded, confused and unable to understand for a moment.
Putting down his wine glass and looking at the stars in the sky, Wang Xiaolie said: "Without the status I have today, I wouldn't think so about many things. Now that I have the status I have today, I have to think this way. I have learned a lot of truths and know a lot of knowledge. I have seen successes and failures in ancient and modern times, but I still can’t figure it out. Why has it reached this point today? Emperor Daojun and Emperor Yuan were at fault. They lost the capital and have nothing to say. But who are the people of the world to blame? After several years of war, the most prosperous The Central Plains has almost become a white land. How many people died unjustly, and how many wives were separated? What did they do wrong? If the Daojun Emperor failed to manage the government well, wouldn't the Jurchens now be even worse? Is there justice in this world? ?”
Wang Ruohai said: "The Jurchens came from the poor mountains and rivers, and they are vicious and brave by nature. The people of the Central Plains have been at peace for a long time, and they are weak by nature. How can they be their opponents? Only the imperial court can reorganize the government, treat the people well, and slowly make plans."
"Cowardly by nature? What do you believe?" Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but shake his head. "Look at the streets, where the government doesn't care and bullies run rampant. Where can you see cowardice? When the Jin soldiers came, these people changed their identities and joined the Jin soldiers. They still dominate and do good things. What is cowardly by nature? It's just that they can't think of things. I understand, it’s just a casual comment. Why, I think, is not that simple.”
Wang Ruohai said: "Then according to Yijieshuai, what is the reason?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "I haven't thought about it enough, so I can't explain it clearly at once. But I think the reasons for this kind of thing happening are complicated and cannot be summarized in a simple sentence. The matter is so serious that even if the Jin people are Get rid of it, and we have to figure out the reason. Otherwise, this kind of thing will happen again and again. If you escape once, escape twice, can you escape every time?"
Chen Yuyi said: "Manpower is sometimes poor. Not everything in the world can be explained clearly. So what if it is unclear? As long as politicians treat the people well and work hard in government affairs, this kind of thing will never happen again."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head and said: "Counsellor, things are not that simple. If you don't explain it clearly, someone will always jump out and say that they have figured it out. Because of this and that, it creates confusion in the mind."
Chen Yuyi and Wang Ruohai looked at each other, shook their heads slightly, and did not answer.
In the history books of previous lives, people today discuss various theories as to why the Song Dynasty was so defeated. These statements sounded reasonable, but Wang Xiaolie felt that they still did not address the fundamental issue.
No matter how corrupt the Song Dynasty was, it was still much stronger than the Jin Dynasty. How come the Jin army broke through Kaifeng Mansion? No matter how acute the class conflicts were in the Song Dynasty, they were much smaller than those in the Jin Dynasty. Farmers in the Song Dynasty were poor, and most farmers in the Jin Dynasty were worse off than dead. Why did the Jin Dynasty attack everywhere and the Song Dynasty retreat everywhere?
The Song Dynasty’s army couldn’t fight. Why couldn’t they fight? There is no need to discuss the joke of emphasizing literature over martial arts. Even if the Song Dynasty's army could not fight, it still had a vast territory and people who supported the Song Dynasty. The army is exhausted and can be rebuilt quickly. Why can't the rebuilt army still defeat the Jin Army? If it weren't for people like Yue Fei, the Song Dynasty might not even be able to negotiate the conditions for peace with the Jin Dynasty in history.
What was the reason that made a powerful country like the Song Dynasty unable to fight back against the newly rising Jin Dynasty? And not only did they have no power to fight back against the Jurchens, but when the Mongols destroyed the Jin Kingdom, they still had no power to fight back against the Mongols? Looking back, why was the Ming Dynasty that expelled the Mongols also at a disadvantage in the face of the rising Hou Jin Dynasty in its last years?
