The Western Regions are a shrunken Warring States Period.
Generally speaking, it can be understood this way.
The Warring States Period is a general term for the chaotic situation after the Spring and Autumn Period. It is not really just the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, just like the Western Regions is also a very general name.
The starting point can be from the border of the Han Dynasty; the ending point is not a rigid standard.
Before and after the Han Dynasty, due to underdeveloped transportation, this kind of "international" exchanges was quite limited. In comparison, the Han Dynasty was the closest to the nomadic people in the north, so it was natural that the lids of the pots would touch the pots and spoons, and the pots and spoons would hit each other from time to time.
Fighting, but with these nomadic tribes or countries in the west, it can be said that there was little contact in the early stage, and they were far apart. At first, they were separated by the Huns, so they could not reach each other.
It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that after nearly half a century and five wars, the security risks in the northern border were relatively eliminated within a certain period of time, and the conditions and foundation for opening up the Western Regions were established, and only then did the Han Dynasty successively send envoys
The Western Regions, conducted a thorough investigation of the countries in the Western Regions, and unveiled the mystery of the Western Regions.
At that time, Zhang Qian said that there were thirty-six countries in the Western Regions.
Whether Zhang Qian had really calculated it at that time, or what kind of standard he used as the unit of "state", is no longer testable. In the Western Han Dynasty, it was not easy to refute rumors. Well, it is not easy now. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty thought
It is quite difficult to know whether Zhang Qian is telling the truth.
In fact, history is developing and the situation is changing. The so-called thirty-six countries may only be the conditions of a specific historical period. In fact, the wars between countries in the Western Regions have always been continuous, and the number and territory of countries cannot remain unchanged.
of.
These so-called countries in the Western Regions range from large to small. The large ones are equivalent to provinces or cities in later generations, the small ones are only one township, and some are even equivalent to a village. It is actually Zhang Qian's fault to call them countries.
A bit of an exaggeration...
This was Zhang Qian’s personal information mixed with the articles submitted to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty...
The word "country" in the Western Regions was translated by Zhang Qian. In the translation, the original meaning of the word "private goods" was taken out of context or intercepted and fragmented. Perhaps the term "country" did not exist in the Western Regions. At that time, the Western Regions
It may be called the Federation, it may be called the Alliance, but it may also be called a certain "country", but Zhang Qian changed them all to "country".
Zhang Qian is undoubtedly a smart man.
Emperor Wu of Han was not stupid either.
Therefore, in the term "Thirty-six Kingdoms of the Western Regions", the two sides exchanged opinions in order to achieve the principles and policies that the Han Dynasty should adhere to.
Zhang Qian kowtowed and said firmly, "Your Majesty, there are indeed thirty-six countries in the Western Regions!"
Your Majesty, please stop fighting. Where are the thirty-six countries?
Put your mind at ease and stabilize the country first!
Just ask Your Majesty if you are afraid!
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty nodded, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear! Go down and rest first."
I don’t believe it!
I haven’t played yet, no, I haven’t played enough yet!
Send people out again!
Even if we don't fight, I still want to torment these countries in the Western Regions!
As a result, Cheshi State, which was relatively close to the Han Dynasty, was the first to suffer misfortune. Cheshi State, or Gushi State, was once the vanguard in resisting the Han Dynasty, with the most stubborn stance and the most resolute attitude.
Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty first pointed his finger at the country. He adopted a policy of disintegration and differentiation and supported one dovish regime after another. The hawks in the country lost power and were no longer able to launch an aggressive war against the Han Dynasty.
.
Nowadays, Cheshi Kingdom is divided into four parts: the Kingdom before Cheshi, the Kingdom behind Cheshi, the Duwei Kingdom behind Cheshi, and the Chang Kingdom behind Cheshi...
Then it currently occupies four of the seventeen countries in the Western Regions compiled by Guo Tu.
All right.
Even four.
Wusun, the fifth.
Qiuci, Shanshan, Khotan, Yarkand, Shule, Wulei, Yanqi, Weixu, Dawan and Dawan, Ronglu, and Nuoqiang...
If Zhang Qian’s private goods were intended to make Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty retreat in the face of difficulties, then what was the purpose of Guo Tu’s greatly reduced 17 kingdoms?
Combined with Guo Tu's current situation, we can generally guess...
Guo Tu couldn't help but steal a glance at Fei Qian, sweating slightly on his back.
I was thinking in my mind, could it be that I guessed wrong?
How about adding a few more?
Or should there be a few less?
"It should be a few countries, it should be a few countries, don't add or subtract without authorization..." Fei Qian said slowly, as if he knew Guo Tu's thoughts, "The most important thing in translation and compilation is to seek "authenticity"..."
If you can't do it, then that's it..."
Guo Tu trembled and quickly responded, "This subordinate can do it, please rest assured, lord!"
Fei Qian nodded slightly, without comment.
In fact, Fei Qian was not very interested in whether the Western Regions were seventeen or thirty-six countries, because perhaps for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions were the end of the world, but for Fei Qian,
The Western Region is just a transit point.
Therefore, Guo Tu simply failed to understand the current focus of the translation work.
Guo Tu thought Fei Qian was eyeing the Western Region, but Fei Qian had already set his sights further afield...
Compared with Guo Tu's private goods, Fei Qian was more concerned about the translation of some books from Parthia and Daqin.
After all, these are the aspects that Fei Qian needs to focus on, and they are also the main purpose of establishing the Translation Center.
The most fearful thing in life is not having a goal.
Climbing a mountain peak also has the goal of reaching the top, but when you reach the top of the mountain, you often feel that the world is "small", and then you feel that all the mountains are just like this.
As a result, it was discovered in the end that Mount Tai is actually the shortest, and the farther west you go, the higher the peaks become.
Until Everest.
Above Everest, there is space, deep space, the universe...
The Zheng Jing only pulled Confucius down from the throne of sages, but the Zheng Jing...
Zheng Xuan's progress could not satisfy Fei Qian.
Fei Qian walked slowly, passing over a series of scrolls from the Western Regions, parchment scrolls, wooden books, and stone slabs collected by Zhuanyi Xuan.
Guo Tu followed behind, half-bent, and explained to Fei Qian from time to time how much effort and energy he had put into collecting these things, and how reluctant the foreigners were to give them up.
, of course, the most important thing is that the money spent by Fei potential translation center is worth it!
It is also to show that Guo Tu’s own work during this period has been very effective!
Regarding collecting these things, Guo Tu didn't understand Fei Qian's intention at all, but it didn't stop Guo Tu from carrying it out.
Anyway, it was not his own money spent. Guo Tu even wondered whether Fei Qian had any agenda, or whether he had found clues to the Pre-Qin Dynasty in these Western Regions manuscripts?
Or do you want to use your name to fight for hegemony in the next stage?
Fei Qian nodded slightly, seemingly listening to Guo Tu's report and affirming his hard work in collecting documents during this period, but in fact Fei Qian was more focused on looking for some related philosophical things.
A very interesting thing is that when Laozi, Confucius, Mozi, Xunzi and others were blooming in the East, there were also Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. in the West...
It is very difficult to translate these big guys’ articles.
On the one hand, books are difficult to obtain, and on the other hand, their thinking patterns are different.
Why does Fei Qian want to find philosophy first?
Because philosophy is abstract, it does not distinguish between East and West. It studies the origin and truth of the world, and the origin exists simply, and the truth is universally applicable. Therefore, regardless of East or West, the wisdom activities of all wise men will eventually be sublimated into
The pursuit of philosophy.
In this aspect, it is relatively easy to achieve commonality between things.
And things like architecture or arithmetic are not unimportant, but they need to be moved back a little. After all, these highly professional books were very difficult to read in the Han Dynasty, and even in the subsequent feudal dynasties.
It is easy to be swept into the category of "strange and obscene techniques"...
Therefore, only by solving the ideological problem first, other problems will be easier to solve.
Thought is inseparable from philosophy.
A hundred schools of thought contend, Laozi, Confucius, Zhuangzi, Mozi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Guiguzi, etc. Their theories are colorful and different, but one core idea is the same. These hundreds of schools of thought are all trying to understand the origin of the world.
It is a serious analysis of human beings, an exploration of the meaning of life and moral practice, and the most brilliant Eastern philosophy.
This is understandable, but it also brings a rather troublesome problem to China, which is that "idealism" is too prevalent, so that from time to time future generations will hear things like "The bigger the heart, the bigger the stage", "Death and life"
Fate, wealth and honor are in the sky" and other famous sayings.
Although during the time of various schools of thought, many people had some expositions on the opposition between idealism and materialism, it is a pity that most of them tended to favor idealism.
For example, Confucius said, "Those who are born knowing are the best; those who know through learning are the next." He believed that sages like Laozi were "born knowing" and could understand everything without having to learn anything in the world.
, but at the same time, he also thinks that he is not that powerful and needs to learn to know, so he has to hear and think more about external things, so as not to "learn without thinking, you will be in vain, think without learning, you will be in danger", it can be said that he is the most
A contradictory idealist. However, most Confucian scholars in later generations said, Mr. Kong, you are humble, you just know everything, you can guide everything, and you are just talking about everything...
Mencius went a step further and believed that people should "seek others from themselves", that is, explore their own inner world to expand their inherent conscience and talents, so as to achieve the level of sage who "knows without worrying and can do without learning".
Pious idealism. When the guys who followed Mencius in later generations saw this, they threw the book down and said, oh my god, what a nonsense I saw. My heart knows everything and understands everything. I understand this too well. As for
If you encounter a problem, please go to my Secretary of State...
Laozi, who was highly praised by Confucius, advocated abandoning knowledge and wisdom, using the method of "quiet observation and mysterious reading" to experience the invisible and nameless Tao, so as to reach the same mysterious realm as the Tao of Heaven, and then "know the world without leaving home";
"Knowing the way of heaven without peeking through the cracks" is the most mysterious idealism.
As for Zhuang Zhou, who couldn't tell whether he was a butterfly or Zhuang Zhou, he fell directly into skepticism and agnosticism, completely denying objectivity, which can be described as the most thorough idealism...
Is there materialism among hundreds of schools of thought?
There are also some.
Mozi, Xunzi.
But it is a pity that Mozi, needless to say, was suppressed too hard, and Xunzi's theory was contrary to Dong Zhongshu's "Induction between Heaven and Man"...
"The movement of heaven is constant. It does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie."
With just such a sentence, Xunzi stood tall. He put forward the brilliant idea of "controlling the destiny of heaven and using it". He believed that instead of seeing the way of heaven as very great and admiring it, it is better to treat it as a kind of thing and raise it.
, control it. Instead of obeying nature and praising nature, why not master and control the changing laws of nature to make use of it?
If he looks up to the heavens and waits for its gifts, why not adapt to the current conditions and make the heavens serve him, strengthen himself, and defeat nature?
The "Emperor" took a look at it, is this really a big deal?
It is precisely because of this that Xunzi's status has never been very high in the feudal dynasty. At the same time, his remarks have been tampered with and revised to make them meet the ruling needs of the feudal dynasty.
We should fear the way of heaven, but we should not be blindly afraid; we should strive for self-improvement, but we should not be blindly arrogant.
This is what Fei Qian thinks a scholar should possess, rather than a one-sided emphasis on idealism.
Under the guidance of this epistemology, Fei Qian repeatedly scrutinized and thought about the history he knew. Fei Qian found that since the Western Han Dynasty, the progress of Chinese civilization has slowed down significantly, especially the development of science.
, even affected the subsequent feudal dynasties, showing a rather slow, even stagnant state. This must be a big problem at some point in the Western Han Dynasty.
The point of this big problem is Dong Zhongshu.
The so-called "depose hundreds of schools of thought and respect only Confucianism" is an academic exclusion, a political imprisonment, and a philosophical murder. In the name of Confucius and Mencius, the murder of Mo Xun. Since then, the mainstream of Chinese scholars Confucianism has entered the
In the complete idealistic stage, there are occasional materialistic shouts, but it cannot stir up too much waves.
"Induction between heaven and man" has consolidated the supremacy of "heaven". From then on, the Chinese people also closed their curiosity about heaven and earth. Instead, they pursued the words of the sage, focusing on nothing but the mind, and opening up to their own inner world.
Explore and expand the inherent conscience and good ability in your heart. Perhaps one day, you will understand the way of heaven, and then you can understand all the mysteries in the world, see through all disguises, understand all knowledge, and control everything in the world...
Just like most policies, laws and regulations have limitations and need to be revised and adjusted from time to time, Dong Zhongshu may not have had thousands of years of evil intentions when formulating those theories, but the things he proposed should indeed be adjusted.
However, the Qinglong Temple's great treatise is serious first and then correct. Many characters take turns to take the stage, paving the way step by step. In the end, they will overthrow the "White Tiger View" and break the "imprisonment" brought by Dong Zhongshu!
But this adjustment does not mean that Fei Qian has the final say alone.
History has inertia.
Most of the people in the Han Dynasty were still illiterate, and most of the gentry children and Confucian disciples who had mastered knowledge came from several generations, more than ten generations, along the crooked path pointed out by Dong Zhongshu. Now if Fei Qian yells
When I say that you are all on the wrong track, do these people believe in their fathers and ancestors, or do they believe in Fei Qian?
Therefore, there must be an "enemy".
The reason why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sought Dong Zhongshu back then was because at that time Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had feuding feudal lords who were causing divisions and the Huns outside were fighting against the autumn wind. Now, it is actually similar.
There are many princes in various places. In the outside world, although the northern and western regions have been beaten by Fei Qian, there are still the west of the western regions, the south of the southern Xinjiang, and the cold desert in the north...
"How many people can there be?" Fei Qian's eyes rested on a scroll. There was a note on the scroll, which was a preliminary translation and summary of its key points.
The foreign literature collected in the first two batches is very messy, and it is not sure what its value is. It may even be someone's account book, a record of a certain place, or a leisure story, something like that.
Thousand and One Nights or something...
Although Feiqian has been taught by later generations to "wash in the gutter", the current foreign characters look a bit like ABC, but in fact they are not. There are even characters that look like earthworms crawling, maybe Arabic characters? Feiqian
Qian doesn’t really understand either.
But Fei Qian knew the names of the people, so after selecting several similar parchments with Fanbang characters, he saw this "Colossal Person" and seemed to have an inexplicable sense of familiarity...
Then, Fei Qian picked it up.
The Han official writing is dignified and elegant, with clear pen and ink. Of course, what is more important is the "mark" on the outside of the parchment, which says, "Received from Hu merchants in the Western Regions for twenty gold. This is recorded by famous people in the West.
, whose name is unknown, the pronunciation category is "Keduo", so it is recorded as "Keduo Shishi". Its speech category is "famous science", "bianxue", maybe it can be seen."
"A lot of people?" Fei Qian murmured in a low voice. Why does it look like the brand of a drink? Or is it the banner of a fast food restaurant?
Guo Tu on the side had bright eyebrows. Seeing that Fei Qian seemed to be more interested in this "many man", he quickly stepped forward and said: "I heard what Fan Hu said, this volume is "can't be pointed out, can't be reached".
The meaning of "Jue" is also the art of analogy and name debate..."
"Call the barbarians who understand this text..." Fei Qian opened the parchment and saw the crooked fonts inside. They looked familiar, but in fact they were put together and they were completely unfamiliar. I must have seen the Chinese characters when Bangzi and El Chapo saw them.
, I felt almost the same way.
Not long after, a bearded barbarian came and wanted to kiss Fei Qian's boots. Guo Tu's eyebrows jumped as he looked at him, not knowing that he felt that he really couldn't hold back his face. Doing such a thing, I still feel why I didn’t come to kiss Guo Tu’s own boots when I recruited this bearded man...
"For many people?" Fei Qian confirmed.
"&@%￥..." The foreigner rolled his tongue and muttered, and then explained in awkward Chinese.
The Hu people are obviously not very good at Chinese. Every time they say a word, they seem to get stuck, and the tone is weird, which makes people feel like they are saying "One car come, One car go, Two car pengpeng" Uncomfortable.
But Fei lurked among them and heard a familiar syllable. He asked again and whispered to himself for a long time. He was slightly stunned and confirmed again, but couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows.
This is still a problem caused by Chinese habits.
The name of the Han Dynasty consists of two characters, and then an additional character. This is not the case for the children of the noble family, so it is natural to think that the person who wrote the book is also a noble family, and of course it is the syllables of the two characters.
But actually, it's a polysyllabic name.
If Fei Qian guessed correctly, the person Guo Tu and others thought was called "Keduo" should actually be called "Aristotle". As for why he became the seemingly unrelated "Keduo" many"……
The devil knows.
But Fei Qian knew that the guy who could mix in private goods had been found.