Cai Yong is already in his early sixties. Normally, the life span of people in the Han Dynasty is about forty or fifty years old. Therefore, a person of Cai Yong's age is already a long-lived person in the Han Dynasty. This old man with a bright head is very important to Fei.
Qian felt very confused and a little uneasy about how he had been so close to Zuo Ci during this period, so he asked Fei Qian to talk to him.
It's not that Cai Yong has much intention to protect Confucianism, but he doesn't want Fei Qian to be influenced by the so-called crooked ways and do something he shouldn't do.
"And why? And why?"
Cai Yong invited Fei Qian to drink tea, and the two of them sat blankly for a while and watched the swaying bamboo forest. After a while, Cai Yong came up with these two sentences without beginning or end.
Fei Qian put down the tea bowl, was silent for a while, and said: "Confucianism is not Confucianism, Taoism is not Taoism, this is a big disadvantage..."
Cai Yong frowned and said: "According to your opinion, what should Confucianism and Taoism do?"
Fei Qian said: "Confucianism should seek to understand the heavens above and explain the things of the earth below. If you are greedy for power and confuse right and wrong, wouldn't it mean that you are retreating south and north and losing the foundation of Confucianism?"
Confucianism was originally just a religion of knowledge, but it became a religion of power in the Han Dynasty. This has to be said to be an irony of Confucius, or a special inheritance.
Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism has absorbed too many things, sewing an arm into the east and a leg from the west, and finally it became an abomination with three heads and six arms.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Zhou Dynasty in China declined and the princes became powerful. The "Zhou Rites" that maintained the feudal patriarchal hierarchy were greatly damaged. The princes fought for hegemony and the society was in turmoil. At this time, intellectuals sought a way out after the fall of the Zhou Dynasty.
, one after another stepped onto the stage of history and put forward their own ideas and solutions, thus forming the contention of a hundred schools of thought.
What does the future look like?
No one knows.
How to treat the old and how to welcome the new, almost hundreds of schools of thought have opinions. However, the only ones that survived in the Han Dynasty were Taoism and Confucianism. Mohism has basically disappeared, and Legalism has also been eliminated.
Confucianism killed them all, and the remaining sects became useless, and some were simply annexed by Confucianism...
"The foundation of Confucianism?" Cai Yong stroked his beard.
"Exactly." Fei Qian replied, "The meaning of Confucianism lies in teaching. There is teaching without distinction, just like Confucius teaching Gongsun. But now, despicable people pretend to be Confucian and preach benevolence, but they are not scholars.
If you don’t teach, you won’t speak unless you are of high rank. I dare to ask the master, what is the original intention of Confucianism?”
Cai Yong remained silent and sighed.
Strictly speaking, during the Han Dynasty, Confucianism's merits outweighed its faults.
Because in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, as well as in the eras before it, all knowledge was passed down only among the upper class, that is, among the ancient nobles, and was not passed on to ordinary people. Confucius was the first to stand up, not only
It changed the model of "learning from officials" and even claimed that there is no distinction between education and regardless of national boundaries and Chinese and foreign countries. As long as they are interested in learning, they can enroll in school and receive education.
Confucius's disciples came from different countries such as Lu, Qi, Jin, Song, Chen, Cai, Qin, Chu, etc. This not only broke the national boundaries at that time, but also broke the distinction between Yi and Xia at that time. For example, they were regarded as "barbarians" by the Central Plains people.
The Chu people Gongsun Long and Qin Shang of the "Bang" state, etc. Moreover, Confucius also wanted to live in the "Nine Barbarians" to teach, which shows how much Confucius' actions had a great impact and promotion on the education system at that time...
Some of Confucius's disciples came from the aristocratic class, such as Nanguan Jingshu, Sima Niu, and Meng Yizi, but more of them came from civilian families, such as Yan Hui, Zeng Shen, Min Ziqian, Zhong Gong, Zi Lu, Zizhang, Zixia, Gong
Ye Chang, Zigong and so on.
From this point of view, Confucianism was for good in the beginning and was a force that promoted the development of the entire society. However, as time went by and by the Han Dynasty, Confucianism slowly changed its flavor.
Cai Yong certainly knew this.
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, although there was a saying of "deposing hundreds of schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", Confucian scholars did not yet fully control important positions such as the court, military and finance, and still used scholars such as Zhang Tang, Yang Ke, Sang Hongyang, and Shangguan Jie.
A disciple of Legalism who has applied the art of Shang Dynasty for decades. The famous Confucian scholar Yan Yi, who served as the eunuch of Da Nong at that time, was executed for opposing the "Gao Min Order"; Di Shan, a Confucian scholar who opposed war with the Xiongnu and advocated peace talks, was executed by the Han Dynasty
Emperor Wu was sent to the front line and was killed by the Huns...
It can be said that during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was just a tool, and there was no big difference or special care from other laws, Taoism, military and the like.
But later on, Confucianism became dissatisfied with this situation and began to stretch its hands longer, asking for more.
Power is a special thing, and it seems to be an innate belief of the Chinese people. It is the kind of absolute power that is superior to others, the kind of power that a shepherd has over the sheep, the power that the butcher has over the livestock, all moral and
Ethics are all built on it, and it becomes an extremely violent and bloody collection.
Confucianism was too attached to such power, so Confucianism quickly transformed from an original academic sect into a pet lying at the feet of the emperor, showing its claws to all other sects who dared to approach the throne.
Liu Shi, who was still the prince at the time and would become Emperor Yuan of Han Dynasty, once advised his father Liu Xun, Emperor Xuan of Han Dynasty, when he was young: "Your Majesty's punishment is too harsh. It is better to use Confucian scholars."
Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty scolded angrily: "The Han family has its own system, which is originally based on the overlord's way. How can it be purely based on moral education and use Zhou's politics? Moreover, the vulgar Confucianism is not up to date. It seems that it is ancient but not modern, which makes people dazzle in name and reality.
If you don’t know what you are guarding, there is no point in appointing someone!”
And this Liu Shi is the historical supporting role of the famous Wang Zhaojun...
It is strange to say, but when Confucianism is promoted on a large scale, and then Confucianism develops strongly, it corresponds to the decline of the dynasty...
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the State of Lu implemented Confucianism to rule the country. As a result, the country not only failed to become strong, but was quickly destroyed.
Before Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Confucianism was not practiced, but Huang-Lao theory was implemented, and the country gradually developed. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che adopted the method of strengthening centralization in order to deal with the Xiongnu. At this time, Confucianism provided the ideological and theoretical basis for action for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and then
Confucianism gradually flourished, and with the rise of the Confucian gentry group representing the feudal big landlord class, the Han Dynasty also gradually declined, until the current chaos...
Later, in the early Tang Dynasty, the nine-grade system was abolished, the Confucian school was weakened, and the country became strong again.
In the Song Dynasty, because they were worried that the yellow robe would appear again, the suppression of warriors reached a new height. Confucianism took this opportunity to make a comeback. Legalism and military strategists were weakened. The country was extremely weak externally, but internally it tried its best to safeguard the monarchy, suppress the poor, and ignore society.
Reform, inhibiting the development of commerce and trade, and trying to return to the ancient small-scale peasant economy. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Confucianism strengthened, and then there was no more...
The demise of the Song Dynasty can be said to be a classic case of the failure of Confucian state-building. The same was true for the Ming Dynasty. The Confucian school was once again strengthened, so...
As for the Qing Dynasty, Confucianism was even more distorted and distorted in order to cater to the rulers.
Maybe it's all coincidence.
Of course, Confucianism has many passionate people in it, but too much groveling, too much water is too cold, and too many outstanding people who are willing to risk everything for power have created all this in the end.
In the bamboo forest, with the gentle breeze, it should have been a clean and relaxing place. However, Cai Yong's current mood does not feel like there is anything relaxing at all...
"I know what you mean..." Cai Yong said halfway, then shook his head and sighed, "Confucian scholars fight for power...but for a way to survive..."
In fact, what Cai Yong said is not wrong. In the early Han Dynasty, when Confucianism had just gained an exclusive reputation and monopoly power in the fields of thought, culture and education, Confucianism was extremely afraid of this kind of influence in people's ideological field.
The arbitrary power in the country would be lost quickly, and they were afraid that a Legalist regime would come back similar to the "tyrannical Qin" that killed them back then. Therefore, Confucian scholars attacked Legalist ideas quite fiercely, and even did not hesitate to fight against them.
Covering other schools of thought...
Those in later generations who constantly clamored to follow other people's paths and leave others with no way to go must have been in line with the concepts of Confucian scholars at this time in the Han Dynasty.
"So you can kill people with pen and ink?" Fei Qian said, "This kind of trick was also taught by Confucius?" Confucius did not use pen and ink, he only used his mouth at most, and using pen and ink to kill people was derived and developed by subsequent Confucian scholars.
of.
Cai Yong is more inclined to ancient classics, so Fei Qian is outspoken. Different from the modern classics who always mix various Tao, Dharma, yin and yang and other schools of thought for their own use, Cai Yong is different from modern classics.
Yong pays more attention to the inheritance and development of the original flavor.
Just like Dong Zhongshu, he responded to Emperor Wu's policy questions three times, used the ideas of yin and yang, five elements, and the unity of nature and man to develop Confucianism, transforming Confucianism into a theological theoretical system with a strong mysterious color, which already combined Taoism and Legalism
, elements of the Yin-Yang family, etc., and then became his family name. This kind of academic goals and methods that focus on theoretical demonstration actually created the academic style and academic attitude of the Jinwen Jing school, and Confucianism became more and more mystical.
and religiousization.
This is exactly what Cai Yong couldn't understand.
Cai Yong could allow the development of Jinwen Jingxue, and he did not object to some interpretations of Jinwen Jingxue, but he always discussed it with his heart, saying that it contained the subtle meaning of Confucius from a random sentence, and then going on to study it word by word.
, this kind of academic attitude disapproved of Cai Yong.
So when Fei Qian said that Confucian scholars nowadays like to use pen and ink to kill people, Cai Yong was speechless.
There are not a few Confucian scholars who do this.
The most famous one is Sima Qian, who denounced Shang Yang in "Historical Records" as "a mean-spirited person... His death was notorious in Qin, and his husband..." Not only that, he also spared no effort to smear Qin Shihuang.
He directly insulted the First Emperor of Qin as a beast, beast, demon and tyrant who was not a human being. "The First Emperor was a human being, and his nature was ruthless and self-indulgent."
For the beginning of the world..."
Sima Qian was like this, and other Confucian believers also scorned and insulted Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che who gave them exclusive control over education and culture. They often used "Qin Emperor and Han Wu" to humiliate and vilify him. It was just because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty gave them these
Confucian students have the right to formulate educational and cultural policies, but they are not given the ability to intervene in politics at all, so they are just holding a grudge.
"...In this case, how will you deal with Confucian people?" Cai Yong said.
"It's just looking back to the origin. Confucianism thrives in teaching, and it is good at teaching. The world's knowledge is like the vast sea of stars, inexhaustible. It is not a Confucian to give up endless knowledge and seek glory that passes the eyes." Fei Qiangong cupped his hands and said, "If you are a Confucian, you will be here.
That is to say, we will have no worries for eternity!"
No matter which dynasty it is, intellectuals who are purely academic will always be highly respected. As long as they do not participate in political competition, they can't wait to hold them up high and set them as a benchmark for the world. Whether they are emperors or
No one will say anything if you kill a hundred or a thousand political competitors, but as long as you kill a scholar who purely studies agriculture and mulberry, everyone will immediately rebel, and even the closest people will regard him as a
A short-sighted and incompetent person is not worth investing in him anymore.
When Cai Yong heard this, he laughed so much that he burst into tears. Then he shook his head and said, "How easy is it? Well, let you try it..."
Cai Yong didn't believe that Fei Qian could succeed, but it didn't matter much, because Pingyang was now Fei Qian's fiefdom. In other words, as long as the emperor didn't say anything, Fei Qian's words would be the biggest in Pingyang.
So Fei Qian has some wonderful ideas and if he wants to try them, just give them a try.
Moreover, Cai Yong also believed that true Confucianism should focus on learning, and as for official positions and so on, it is all just a cloud...
But if it is to be extended to the whole world, Cai Yong thinks it is unlikely.
A person who has mastered power and tasted sweetness is not so easy to let go.
"However, Mr. Huang cannot be of great use..." Cai Yong stopped smiling, looked at Fei Qian seriously, and said earnestly, " Mr. Huang emphasizes alchemy, uses prophecies to confuse people's hearts, and stirs up noise to create chaos... The way of peace
This serves as a lesson to others and we must be on guard against it..."
To be honest, although Old Man Cai Yong is also interested in how the Confucian Church will develop, it is not the most important thing. The important thing is that Cai Yong is worried that Fei Qian has been brainwashed by Zuo Ci and has been influenced by the so-called gods and ghosts.
, immortality and other things were bewitching him, so when he heard that Fei Qian was going to reuse Zuo Ci, he hurriedly called Fei Qian over...
Naturally, Cai Yong said these words very seriously.
In fact, the Taoist Huang-Lao philosophy, like Confucianism, also degenerated in power. From the Warring States Period to the early Western Han Dynasty, the Taoist Huang-Lao philosophy was originally a philosophy of managing the world, but as time went by, it slowly became
The so-called "natural way of immortality", some alchemists mixed the learning of Huang and Lao with the immortality of immortals, prayers for ghosts and gods, prophecies and talismans, etc., and regarded Huangdi and Laozi as gods, forming primitive Taoism.
Fei Qian nodded and said: "Taoists who are good at ghosts and gods are now good at ghosts and gods... My disciple has ordered Zuo Zhenren to recruit Taoist priests, and he will soon go to Yinshan to preach, and use the gods of China to overthrow the ghosts of the barbarians...
…It lasts for three months, and we will wait and see the effects…”
Cai Yong looked at Fei Qian and saw that his words were not perfunctory. Moreover, this did not allow Zuo Ci and others to enter the political circle and preach to the barbarians. This was not a big deal, so he nodded.
After a moment of silence, he then said: "That's fine... I listen to your wishes. If you want to use Confucianism or Taoism... could it be that if you want to use soldiers, you are a man of law?"
Since Fei Qian was not seduced by Zuo Ci, Cai Yong was relieved. However, looking at Fei Qian's attitude, it seemed that he did not want Confucian scholars to take power and did not use Huang Lao's people, so only military strategists and lawmen were left.
However, military strategists and legalists also proved that there were relatively big drawbacks. If Fei Qian had such thoughts, Cai Yong also felt that he needed to correct Fei Qian.
Unexpectedly, he heard Fei Qian say: "A military man is naturally good at conquering and plundering the land, but he is useless for managing civil affairs... Legalists are most useful when they have clear laws and clear rules, and are well-connected from top to bottom."
, but it is also easy to fall into harsh government and cannot be flexible. It can be used for a while but not for a lifetime..."
"This...you don't need Confucianism, Taoism, or military skills...this..." Cai Yong was completely confused. He looked at Fei Qian and asked, "this...managing agriculture and mulberry cultivation requires subordinate officials. Such personnel
, and where did it come from? It should be noted that most of the powerful people in the countryside are Confucian..."
