"Although my mansion is simple, but according to what you said, the residence is prosperous because of virtuous people. Now that you have come to my simple mansion, my simple mansion has become more beautiful because of you."
Ordinary." The old man's courtyard requires a long walk, across the road, through a dense forest, and a dilapidated thatched hut at the foot of the mountain, which is his courtyard. The old man looked at his home proudly, with no trace of sadness on his face.
Uneasy, as if he were living in a royal palace.
"Okay, it's a good house... I also want to own a house like this." Zhao Kuo saw the simple and rough fence around the house, and there were chickens and ducks foraging in the courtyard.
There are vegetable gardens in the front and back, and a tall and tall tree, which is tightly intertwined with the house. Under the dripping rain, it looks even more lush. You can see the endless flow of water from the window. In summer,
Here, sitting under the shade of the trees and looking at the river in the distance must be a unique and elegant experience.
"It's difficult, it's difficult." The old man shook his head and said: "You are different from me... Even if you move into the deep mountains and old forests, you will definitely not be able to achieve peace." The old man took Zhao Kuo in.
When he entered the courtyard, he didn't lock the door. Rain kept dripping from the eaves, and the lush branches were shaking constantly. The rainwater gathered at the tip of the note and then fell. Standing here, far away from the road, there is no smoke in sight.
It does make people feel inexplicably comfortable.
"In the past few decades, I have never seen such a scenery..." Zhao Kuo listened to the music of the wind blowing through the surrounding dense forests, feeling the quietness and peace, and his whole body became much more relaxed, and he breathed
Everything has become smoother.
"It's because you were always on the road but never stopped to watch." The old man stroked his beard, his sleeves were fluttering, and he stood proudly in the courtyard, his eyes extremely deep.
"No, it's probably because I couldn't find such a scenery before. You know, before the One King of the World, there was no such peaceful place. There were wars everywhere, and no one was immune." Zhao Kuo said seriously.
said.
"That's it." The old man glanced at Zhao Kuo and immediately agreed. Zhao Kuo immediately understood that this person also agreed with the theory of one king in the world. Zhao Kuo did not recognize the old man in front of him, but the old man obviously recognized him.
It is rare for Zhao Kuo to meet a friend with whom he can communicate on an equal footing. He does not want the other person to be the kind of pedantic person who hides in the mountains and old forests and firmly believes that the ancient laws are immutable. However, Zhao Kuo feels that the other person is not.
Not that kind of person.
"There are indeed too many people who have died. Now that I can live such a peaceful life, I really have to thank you." The old man took Zhao Kuo and Ge into the house. The old man's inner room was also very beautiful.
It was simple, with only a bed, desks, and some firewood. Although it was simple, it didn't leak. Fortunately, it didn't leak. Ge shook his body, and then lit a fire in the simple fire pit in the old man's inner room to make the room warmer. Zhao Kuo
But he noticed the piles of bamboo slips in the old man's house. He was a little curious and wanted to look through them, so he looked at the old man.
"People with insufficient talents are not stupid people, but people who want to make a fire to warm themselves when facing books." The old man looked at Ge, shook his head and said, and asked Zhao Kuo to open these books at will.
Books. Zhao Kuo picked up the bamboo slips and looked through them. When he saw them, Zhao Kuo became a little fascinated. Zhao Kuo had never seen these bamboo slips. Zhao Kuo had read a lot of books, but he had not read them.
However, it seems that these were written by the old man himself.
Being able to write so many books, this old man is by no means an ordinary person. Zhao Kuo found that his books covered all aspects, including military matters, from marching and fighting to strategy, from strategy to drills, including everything. Zhao Kuo read
He has the most books on the art of war, but he has to admit that the old man's knowledge of military theory is indeed at its peak. Even compared with the domestic Taiwei Wei Liao, he is probably not far behind. In addition to the art of war, there are many other topics about the political field.
's manuscript.
The manuscript explains a lot about the reasons for the chaos in the world, details the shortcomings of the feudal system, analyzes the relationship between productivity and annexation wars, in addition to politics, there are also many philosophical contents, including the meaning of human existence, and the explanation of Laozi's misfortune.
Blessings depend on each other. Zhuangzi's Inner Sage and Outer King talk from nature to human beings, and also establish the philosophical thought based on human beings. He even has works on calendar, astronomy and other aspects.
Zhao Kuo took off his coat, sat in the warm room, and watched quietly for a whole day. During this period, the old man was also silent, just watching Zhao Kuo read. Most people who like reading have this kind of thing.
The problem is that when he is reading, he is fascinated by it and completely forgets the passage of time. The most difficult thing is Ge. He sat helplessly indoors. He went out to feed the horses several times, but when he came back, he found that Zhao Kuo was still studying.
Zhao Kuo's memory is still good. He reads quickly, remembers clearly, and can accept all kinds of books. It can be said that he welcomes all who come. Until nightfall, Ge has laid down and fell asleep, and Zhao Kuo put down his hand.
Although he was wearing bamboo slips, he was not tired at all and looked at the old man in front of him with great energy. From what a person writes, you can basically tell what he is like.
If the book is written rigorously, then he must be a strict and old-fashioned person on weekdays; if the book is written humorously, then he must be an interesting person on weekdays; and if the book is written in a heart-wrenching and sad way, then he is probably not a normal person on weekdays.
A very happy person. Nowadays, one can see a person's core ideas from his books, and thus identify what school the other person belongs to. Zhao Kuo looked at these books, but he couldn't tell the difference.
He should belong to Taoism. After all, his philosophical theories are all about studying Lao Zhuang and Zhuangzi, emphasizing self-cultivation, harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and his political views are all about self-cultivation and rule by inaction. But he is also very proficient in military theory.
Can you imagine a Taoist scholar leading an army to fight? Confucianism can do it, Legalism can do it, Mohism can do it, but Taoism is the only one. Thinking about Lao Tzu riding an ox and leading an army to charge, there is a different sense of violation.
And the purpose in his books is very strong, with practical ideas, including health preservation, alchemy, mathematics, art of war, strategy, etc., which are very purposeful and operational... There is something in his doctrine
Zhao Kuo suddenly became aware of the shadows of Confucianism, Mohism, and even Legalism. Could it be that this person belonged to Huang Lao Taoism?
"Your books include all things. You have such a talent, but why do you want to live in the wild and refuse to help people in the world?" Zhao Kuo frowned and looked a little angry. Zhao Kuo was really angry.
, This person has made good achievements in politics and other fields, and his view of self-cultivation is also very consistent with the post-war world, but why is he unwilling to contribute, and why is he hiding so selfishly?
What about deep in the mountains?
The old man shook his head and sighed: "It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't..." The old man raised his head, his eyes full of helplessness. He said: "In the previous troubled times, countries fought against each other. It was inevitable. Who can
Are you willing to implement such a policy to appease the people? Nowadays, the world is unified, but Qin's system is harsh. Is it possible for Qin to relax its local management and let the emperor rule by doing nothing? "
"Although I have never met the current emperor, I can tell from his actions what kind of person he is. He will never be willing..." the old man said, but there was no trace of fear in his eyes.
Disappointed, he has a lot of talent and knowledge, but it is not the right time. In today's era, his knowledge has no use. Fortunately, the old man was not angry. He said: "However, this is a good thing.
bad thing."
"Although I am not as busy for the world as you are now, I am living a very comfortable life. I am free every day. There are no enemies trying to kill me, and there are no complicated things to bother me. Besides, I will die myself, but I
The things I study will not disappear. One day, someone will pick up my books and govern the world. By that time, I will be able to do something for the world. The only difference is that it will be later than you.
"
When Zhao Kuo heard this, he suddenly admired the other party's open-mindedness in his heart. He was worthy of being a person who studied Lao Zhuang. If other people encountered such a thing, they would just drink to relieve their sorrows every day and write countless poems that were not reused.
, but this old man is not like this. He enjoys his life in the mountains and forests every day, thinking about philosophy, writing wonderful articles, and wants to leave something to the world. If it cannot be used now, it may not be used in the future.
Such a mentality indeed crushed some unsuccessful literati in later generations. This man was also a wonderful man. Zhao Kuo was no longer obsessed with whether he would become an official, because he was right and asked Qin not to interfere with the normal life of the people.
, it is already difficult. It is probably not feasible for them to let the people develop freely. Legalism is the mainstream in the Qin State, and they will not allow it. Besides, the character of the First Emperor is not a person who can rule by doing nothing.
.
Ying Zheng is very different from what he was in history. He no longer killed the kings of various countries, nor did he humiliate them. He did not treat the people of the six countries as conquered, and he did not behave as recklessly as in history.
He chose to semi-compromise with Confucianism, did not burn books, and did not use people from all over the country to do big projects... Even so, some things in Yingzheng's bones have not changed. Governance by doing nothing? Doesn't exist!
If Fusu ascends the throne, all of this may come true. Fusu is utilitarian, or not so obsessed with achievements. He hopes to see the world prosperous and the people happy. In that case, he chose Huang Lao.
It is not strange for Zhao Kuo to use doctrine to restore people's power. Zhao Kuo extended the topic from the old man himself to his doctrine. When talking about doctrine and viewpoints, the old man became a little excited.
The old man's teachings and Zhao Kuo's teachings both overlap and conflict. When it comes to letting the people rest, giving them enough time to cultivate, reducing taxes and corvee, the two are like brothers.
, wishing to hold each other's hand, a confidant is hard to find, but when they talked about treating each other by doing nothing, the two had big differences.
"The people cannot manage themselves. If the people can manage themselves, what is the use of temples? Temples serve the people, build roads, and build large-scale water conservancy projects. These organizations and management are the powers that temples have. According to
According to your statement, if the people in the world are busy with their own affairs, only farming and weaving, how can society still develop? If there are no temples to perform their functions, how can the people live a good life?!"
"There is a doctrine in Taoism, which I call no-temple doctrine. It is very dangerous and wrong!" Zhao Kuo said seriously, pointing to the old man in front of him.
"The promotion of society depends on people themselves, not temples. People's own development can also drive the development of society. Without too much interference, when people become rich, they will naturally want to live a better life. As for
As for the functions of the temple you mentioned, I can only say that doing nothing does not mean not doing anything, it just means not interfering too much, such as corvee work, taxes, war, engineering, etc... You are changing the concept and calling reducing interference as non-action.
Interference, your own argument is wrong!"
"Okay, since you mentioned the issue of argument, to what extent do you mean reducing interference? According to what you just said, the state does not interfere with local governments, which will lead to insufficient centralization of power and lead to
Local rebellion will trigger the Seven Kings... Ahem, the local strength will exceed that of the temple, and it is easy to form local powerful clans, the legal system will be chaotic, and the national prestige will be lacking!"
"If you continue to implement your rule of inaction like this, let me tell you what will happen!!" Zhao Kuo stood up and said seriously: "There will be powerful enemies abroad, and they will take advantage of the dynasty's military
Decline in strength, constant harassment, and even trigger a bigger war! According to your proposed enfeoffment, the local princes will become rich and powerful, appoint and remove their own officials, and have their own army! Sooner or later, this will cause domestic problems
The rebellion!"
"If there are no restrictions at the local level and powerful men appear to oppress the people, do you think the restrictions in the temple are protecting the people or harming them?!"
"That's not right!" The old man stood up angrily and said: "The basis of rule by inaction is based on the cessation of war. The country retains a strong standing army. How can the local government surpass the temple? How dare foreign enemies dare?
Invading the border? As for the problem of powerful people you mentioned, on the basis of reducing land rent and easing corvee taxes, the common people can live a relatively prosperous life. Even if a few wealthy households appear, it will not have a big impact on the common people.
danger..."
"Oh, it won't cause much harm???" Zhao Kuo sneered and reprimanded: "What you said is ridiculous! Since you are familiar with Lao Zhuang, how could you not know that contradiction is the foundation of society, and if there is contradiction, it will
There will be wars. I hate wars, but there is no way to stop all wars. The system you mentioned can only be implemented within thirty years after the war. After that, it must be abolished, otherwise it will cause the country to be weak!
"
"Besides, even if it is to be implemented, changes must be made!"
The two old men quarreled all night, and Ge woke up several times. He was very afraid that the old man would kick him and Junhou out. But at dawn, the two fell asleep. When they got up, they were completely different from yesterday.
While quarreling, they ate with a smile and talked about some interesting stories. When it got dark, the two of them sat down in their seats seriously and started quarreling again.
