After Hu Zhi left, Chen Mu frowned: "Brother, do you really want to take that child in?"
Liu Bei sighed and said: "The child has no relatives at home and no clan outside. If he is not allowed to be taken in by Hu Zhi, he will starve to death soon. We can't just watch him die."
"But his parents were both killed in the Yiyang fire. Fire attack is our strategy. If this son knew about it, he would definitely regard us as enemies in the future. This is just inviting the wolf into the house. It would be better if we don't cut the grass and root it out.
How can you adopt an enemy?"
Chen Mu's words can be called cold-blooded, but he himself is very selfish. He went to Liu Bei purely to protect himself in this troubled world. He did not want any unstable factors to appear around him.
When Confucius had Shao Zhengmao killed because of an academic dispute, not to mention that the enemy who killed his father and mother was around him. Who can guarantee that one day he would sneak into the camp of Liu, Guan, Zhang and Chen and take advantage of them while they were sleeping?
At that time, Fan Qiang and Zhang Da killed them?
Liu Bei shook his head: "Master once told me that if a person is unkind, what is the courtesy? If a person is unkind, what is happiness? I killed his parents because of our identity opposition. His parents were rebels.
, I am an officer and soldiers, and it is natural and right to kill each other. But he is a child and has no enmity with us. I should support him to fulfill the moral principles of benevolence and righteousness in my heart."
Oh, are you telling me about benevolence, justice and morality?
Chen Mu said coldly: "Zixia asked Confucius: "How do you know if you are the enemy of your parents?" The Confucius said: "If you sleep on the pillow and do not serve, you will not share the world.
Fight." Although Wu Xun was not a rebel, he survived because his parents were thieves. "A son who is not a son is not a son because of his parents' hatred." He is not our enemy, but we are his enemy. Just to fulfill the eldest brother's wish.
But is it true benevolence and righteousness to let a person who may be a threat to us exist by our side? Sima Gong wrote "Historical Records" and once said: "When King Xiang meets people, he is respectful and kind, but his words are disgusting.
When a person is sick, weeps and divides food and drink, and even if the person has meritorious service and becomes a knight, he will not tolerate the evil and cannot bear it. This is the so-called benevolence of a woman." True benevolence and righteousness are selfless qualities. The eldest brother only saw this child.
It's pitiful, but I didn't think about whether he would kill us in the future to fulfill his own filial piety, which probably goes against Confucian benevolence."
Liu Bei was surprised and said: "Is it the Gongyang Jing that the fourth brother is treating?"
"I just learned some."
Chen Mu's face was expressionless. This was actually a matter of principle.
As early as the time of hundreds of schools of thought in the pre-Qin Dynasty, it has been clarified. Confucius said: How to repay kindness with kindness?
From a Confucian perspective, if you kill Confucius' parents, no matter what position you stand on, the only possibility is that Confucius and his three thousand disciples will chase them to the ends of the earth.
Although Confucianism also talks about benevolence, righteousness and forgiveness. But we have to think about the problem from another perspective. For example, if two countries are at war and there is no hatred in themselves, then this is an incorrect war and forgiveness can be made.
If one country harms another country, for example, the king of Ji State caused Qi Duke Ai to be cooked and killed, this is the revenge of the ninth generation, and it can still be repaid. Therefore, Qi State's attack on Ji State is a righteous war.
But the righteous war between national hatreds cannot be forgiven, and the hatred between parents cannot be forgiven either.
Now Liu Bei and Chen Mu, as officers and soldiers, killed Wu Xun's parents. Although there is no enmity between the two, there is righteousness between them. One is the representative of the orthodox and the other is the representative of the rebels.
Even these rebel thieves were people who could not survive and were forced to rebel. But in the world view of people at that time, thieves were thieves and officials were officials.
It is natural for officers and soldiers to kill thieves. It is also natural for a son to avenge his parents.
If you support a person who has the hatred of killing your father, it is like raising a tiger that can bite you at any time and cannot be controlled.
This is obviously contrary to Confucian thought.
Some people may find this concept strange.
But this is ancient times, and the values of later generations cannot be applied to the ancients.
Even if Confucius came, he would not show benevolence and righteousness to the rebels, and would even reprimand them.
Take Robber Zhi, for example. Strictly speaking, Robber Zhi is no different from Zhang Jiao. They are both leaders of the rebel army. But Confucius still didn't think what he did was right, and therefore denied his move.
The ruling class harms the people, but does not allow the people to rise up and resist?
It seems like an incredible thing, but it is undeniable that at least Confucius’ thoughts are like this.
Although Confucius always advocated benevolent government, he believed that there is a prerequisite for a ruler to implement benevolent government towards the people, that is, the people should not rebel against their superiors or become rebels against the ruler.
Confucius once said in "Zi Chan's Theory of Policies on Leniency and Strength": "Government that is tolerant will make the people slow; if it is slow, it will be corrected with violence. If it is tough, the people will be disabled; if it is disabled, it will be treated with leniency."
It means to treat the people with both force and gentleness, holding a knife on one hand and jujube on the other.
We must deal with those rebels with "violence".
So no matter why people who resist the ruler resist, in Confucius' eyes, as long as you become a rebel, you are no longer a human being and must be dealt with.
Chen Mu used Confucian concepts of "parental hatred", "the definition of rebels" and whether Liu Bei's actions really conformed to the principles of "benevolence and righteousness" to counter Liu Bei's understanding of his own "benevolence and righteousness".
This is called using magic to defeat magic.
Aren’t you about benevolence and righteousness?
Then if you are kind and righteous to your enemy's children, does that mean you are cruel to the people around you?
After hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but praise: "My fourth brother is really knowledgeable and talented, I am not as good as him."
Chen Mu didn't have any proud expression, he just said: "I know that my virtue and talent are not enough. I also hope to learn the way of benevolence and righteousness from my elder brother, but I hope that my elder brother should understand that benevolence and righteousness are conditional, and I cannot blindly treat others too much."
Good, otherwise it will become a woman's kindness."
Liu Bei thought deeply: "Although what the fourth brother said makes sense, everyone has their own moral principles in their hearts. Wu Xun's parents died because of me, and it is understandable that he wants me to take revenge. If such a day comes, this will mean that my
Virtue is not enough, and he doesn't understand what is right and wrong, so I will treat him as an enemy, but at least not now. Confucius said: "A man with lofty ideals and a benevolent man will not seek life to harm his benevolence, but will kill himself to achieve benevolence." I pursue it.
Benevolence and righteousness hope that people can live and work in peace and contentment, that there will be no disasters in the world, and that everyone can live a stable and peaceful life. The world is not good now. Today, the identities and positions of the Yellow Turban thieves and I are different, so I will raise my butcher knife to kill them.
But when an innocent person appears, I will still protect them. Even if he has a grudge against me, I will protect him because he is weak until he can survive on his own. This is what I pursue. I am worthy of being worthy of heaven and man.
ah."
Do you think this means you want to sit down and discuss things with me?
Who says Liu Bei doesn't like studying?
He is obviously quite good at reading and knows a lot of truths.
Moreover, the early Liu Bei was so full of idealistic romanticism that Chen Mu even doubted whether he was the person recorded in history books.
However, considering that when Liu Bei was the Prime Minister of Pingyuan, he had almost the same integrity and moral character as Zhao Dun, and was deeply loved by the people. Even assassins could not bear to assassinate him, so we can also get a glimpse of the character of young Liu Bei.
And people's personalities will change. Maybe Liu Bei in his early days did have a benevolent and righteous heart close to the Virgin Mary. But after decades of wandering and being severely beaten by society, he might understand that there are some things he does.
Can't do it.
Chen Mu thought.
"Since I want to look up to you, brother, there are so many children like Wu Xun in the world, why don't we help them all?"
"As long as I see them and have the ability, I will naturally help them."
Liu Bei answered seriously.
Yes, this time it seems to have returned to the original argument that if you are poor, you can benefit yourself, and if you are rich, you can help the world.
really.
One cannot eat too much.
Liu Bei was nothing before, but he could still give some advice.
Now that I have become an official, I have the ability, and I suddenly want to do something.
Chen Mu shook his head and said: "I agree with the eldest brother showing kindness to the son of the rebel, but I don't agree with the way he shows kindness. You can give him some money, or help him find other relatives, give him some land, and let him have his own
To support yourself without being able to support him by your side is a recipe for disaster."
Liu Bei said: "What the fourth brother said is right, but Wu Xun has no relatives inside or outside the clan, and only a fellow villager, Hu Zhi, takes him in. Even if he is given money and land, how can he support himself? I hope to wait for him to come again.
When you are older, you can protect yourself and let him make plans."
"..."
What else could Chen Mu say.
According to the definition of Confucianism at that time, Chen Mu's words were orthodox.
Liu Bei's benevolence is quite reminiscent of the Mohists.
But this is still a matter of definition.
What Chen Mu wanted to express was not that the son of a rebel must be a rebel.
What he wanted to say was that we were Wu Xun's enemies who killed his father and his mother. Even if the officers and soldiers killed the thieves, it was righteous and there was no psychological guilt.
But it is also righteous for me to avenge my parents. I will not feel any psychological guilt because you have supported me.
Therefore, keeping the son of a bandit by your side is not in line with what Mencius said: "Prevent misfortune first and not hurt later. Know and act with caution. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, so how can he take it lightly." This.
theoretical.
After all, no one can tell whether you are raising wolves or sheep.
But Liu Bei was also right.
Are the sons of rebels necessarily bad?
My kindness and righteousness to the son of a traitor is also in line with Mencius: "Everyone has some things that he cannot tolerate, and if he reaches what he can't bear, that is benevolence." This kind of compassion is in a narrower sense.
So this kind of academic dispute is actually meaningless. You talk about Confucius, and I talk about Mencius. I also talk about Mencius, and you talk about Confucius.
After all, no one can convince anyone.
At the end, Liu Bei looked at Chen Mu and said seriously: "Fourth brother, I know that although you may speak righteously, like the third brother, you rarely show kindness to your subordinates and benevolence to the people. But you don't know that "a gentleman"
To be virtuous, a villain is to cherish the land; a gentleman is to cherish punishment, and a villain is to be grateful." If you only think about your own interests all the time without the intention of benefiting from both sides, it is not advisable. Brother Yu sincerely hopes that you will be able to hold an official position in the future.
He is older than his brother, he shows more benevolence and righteousness to the people, and his moral character is nobler than his brother. The sages once said: "Those who are generous to the people and can help everyone must be holy." This is a quality that even Yao and Shun found difficult to achieve.
It is my yearning for virtue. As the saying goes, "If you want to establish yourself, you can establish others; if you want to reach yourself, you can reach others. Being able to draw examples from close friends is the way to be benevolent." So I also hope that when you establish your own heart of benevolence and righteousness, you can also
Help others establish; when thinking about yourself, you can also refer to yourself and others in everything, and think about others."
Good guy, I have been educated myself.
Chen Mu had no choice but to bow his hands and say, "Brother, I have learned a lesson."