Chapter 877: Advancing with the Times

Chapter 877: Advancing with the Times

Chapter 877: Advancing with the Times
"What does it mean to keep pace with the times?" Liu Han asked with interest.

"Do you know the shortcomings of Han Confucianism?" Shao Xun asked in return.

Liu Han smiled gently and said, "There is no need to hide this. The theories of the connection between heaven and man and the supernatural are prevalent in the study of classics, which has great drawbacks."

"If we consider the interaction between heaven and man, it is not a big deal." Shao Xun said, "When were the Book of Songs, Book of History, Book of Rites, Book of Changes, Book of Music, and Spring and Autumn Annals completed?"

"In the pre-Qin period, how much did the yield per mu increase? And how much is it now?"

"During the Han Dynasty, millet was still planted, but now we have a system of three crops in two years, and we also have a method of using compost to cultivate the fields."

"How was the ruler and his subjects during the reign of the Zhou Emperor? How is it now?"

"During the Former Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu were ignorant, but one Han could defeat five Hu. How many could they defeat during the Later Han? Now we have high-bridge saddles and double-sided stirrups. How do these Hu cavalry compare to those of the Han Dynasty?"

"During the Han Dynasty, bamboo slips were still used. In the past twenty years, paper has become increasingly cheaper and has become more popular."

At this point, Shao Xun glanced at everyone and said, "The ancients did not accept dispersion, but people today do."

"Everywhere is different, everything is different. From ancient times to the present, the changes have been earth-shaking." He looked at Liu Han again and said, "People today are still reading books written hundreds of years ago. What's more, the events recorded in your book are even older, more than a thousand years ago. Sikong, don't you think it's ridiculous?"

"Let's talk about the shortcomings of Han Confucianism." Shao Xun continued: "After Emperor Wu of Han, Confucian classics became official studies. In the Later Han Dynasty, Buddhist scriptures had to be studied by a lifetime, and commentators had to quote from a wide range of sources. If there was something that didn't make sense, they would make up stories. Why? Because the things recorded in the books are more than a thousand years old, and later generations may not be able to fully understand them."

"Today, people have to quote from the classics when they talk about literature, otherwise they will be looked down upon. Since the Later Han Dynasty, there have been those who have been scheming to become officials by learning the classics, and they have only studied hard and regarded the classics as their guiding principles. As a result, people today read ancient books but have no books. Perhaps, people in a thousand years will still be reading these books, which is even more absurd."

"This is keeping pace with the times." Shao Xun said, "What do you think, Sikong?"

Liu Han was speechless for a moment.

Is there a big difference between now and the time of Emperor Zhou? A lot.

Is a book suitable for that era still suitable for today? He thought about it and found that it was generally suitable, but there were also many inappropriate parts that needed to be improved.

"Today, people interpret the scriptures, perhaps..." he said.

"Packing may be useful, but there will be a day when it is useless." Shao Xun said bluntly: "You are so lacking in ambition that you dare not even write a book?"

Liu Han felt ashamed. It seemed as if he couldn't say the countless words he had prepared before. They were all blocked in his heart.

Shao Xun smiled.

The foundation of the H-6 is just like that. You can come up with more than a dozen models, but the overall framework is there. How much potential can be tapped? It is better to redesign the H-20 and make improvements on this basis in the future.

After talking to Liu Han, Shao Xun looked at everyone and said, "Keeping pace with the times is not only applicable to classics, but in fact it is all-encompassing. For example, in today's world, if a warrior fights hard and saves the world, shouldn't he be rewarded generously?"

After that, he pointed to the distance and said, "Do you see it? Those are the soldiers of Luonan Prefecture. There are more than 2,000 of them who have been awarded the title of Flying Cavalry Captain. They can occupy land according to their official rank and leave it to their descendants. This is what they fought for at the cost of their lives. If it weren't for their fighting, would the scholars be able to survive?"

"When the Heluo Incident occurred, how many scholars died under the blade? How many manors were burned down?"

"The times have changed, so we must keep pace with the times. Since scholars cannot protect themselves and rely on warriors to fight for protection, how can we not give them benefits?" Shao Xun's tone became more and more impolite, and he said: "I will definitely promote the system of honorary officials. Not only Luonan Prefecture soldiers will have honorary officials, but starting next year, Dongping and Gaoping Prefecture soldiers can also be awarded honors based on their merits. In addition, what criteria will be used by the Ministry of Personnel to select officials in the future? I think we should also discuss it."

Wang Yan looked up in surprise. The King of Liang had clearly promised not to interfere with the officials, so why was he now...

But he soon realized that the price was just too high.

Today we say we are discussing the Dao, but in reality we are dividing the spoils.

With tens of thousands of troops arrayed on the side, the scholars were already inferior in momentum, and did not gain much advantage in words, so the general tone had been set.

Yu Chen was also observing quietly.

When Shao Xun stood up and spoke, he knew that this was the final word. If he refuted it at this time, he would lose face.

At this time, he was vaguely worried that another young man would disrupt the situation, so he signaled with his eyes.

Yu Bing, the governor of Luoyang, received the instruction and immediately stood up, bowed and said, "Your Majesty is right. Warriors can fight for the country, so how can scholars fall behind? When we conquer Jiangnan, everyone will fight bravely and compete to get rid of the traitors."

Shao Xun looked at the others again. Most of them were silent and did not reply.

He knew that today's shock was a bit big, and these scholars still needed time to digest it. He was not in a hurry. The discussion of the Dao in Jinyang would not last for a day, but for some time, and there were still many things to do.

When he withdrew his gaze, only Liang Fen, the Minister of Personnel, and Cui Yu, the Minister of Rites, had something to say.

He nodded, letting them speak. "Your Majesty's words about 'keeping pace with the times' really woke me up." Liang Fen said, "In the past, the Later Han divided the tribes into Zhenghu and Zahu, but did not impose many restrictions. At that time, the Xiongnu had just been defeated and their morale was low, so they were content for a while. During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, the country's power declined and its deterrence was greatly reduced. After years of recuperation, the Xiongnu gradually regained their strength, their ambitions grew, and they continued to expand their territory."

"During the Cao Wei era, the only policy to deal with the Xiongnu was to contain them. As a result, the imperial court was unable to control them and caused a terrible disaster. If we could keep up with the times and continue to control them with new laws, things might be different."

At the end, Liang Fen sighed and said, "Now we have to face it. Your Majesty's 'barbarian and Chinese are at peace' is the fundamental method at this time, which can be said to be 'keeping pace with the times'. I think that if the sons of the Hu chieftains in Guanxi come to surrender, the Ministry of Personnel may assess the family status of the Hu chieftains according to their place of origin, instead of waiting for their entire family to surrender. In this way, when we send troops to Guanxi in the future, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"This is a brilliant strategy," Shao Xun said, "After assessing the family background, we can appoint officials according to their abilities and use them as role models."

"Your Majesty is wise." Liang Fen praised.

"Your Majesty." After Liang Fen finished speaking, Cui Yu continued, "Some people specialize in Huang-Lao doctrines and regard ruling by inaction as the foundation of their lives. However, they do not know that times have changed. This is a big mistake. During the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty, it was possible to rule by inaction, but during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, this was not possible. Different times have different policies. Different times and different strategies have different approaches. We must not stick to the old ways. This is called 'keeping pace with the times'."

"Hebei is peaceful now, but with Yuwen and Murong by our side, it is not the time to rest and recuperate. Talk of militarism is absurd. Those villains must be pacified by a respectable army, so that the world can be at peace."

"Good." Shao Xun smiled.

The scholars in Guanxi and Hebei did not oppose the war because they were deeply saddened and worried, which was different from the scholars in Henan.

"You should discuss and consider the matter we discussed today." After saying this, Shao Xun stood up and went to change his clothes.

******
As the sun sets, the Fen River is dyed a deep red.

It was rare for Wang Yan and Yu Chen to get together to discuss matters.

"Zimei, how many people do you think will respond to the issue of building a manor in Jiangnan?" Wang Yan asked.

"Jiangnan is still in the hands of the King of Langya, it is too early to talk about this." Yu Chen said: "It is really difficult for the king to come up with this plan."

Wang Yan laughed and said, "In fact, under the general trend, many people just want a reason to convince themselves. The more meritorious officials there are, the more farmland they need, and sooner or later they will ask for land from scholars. If Your Majesty does not take advantage of the situation and fight hard, it may not be impossible to suppress it, but it will only lead to endless unrest and the good situation will be ruined. It will also lose countless money, food, and people, which will only make relatives sad and enemies happy. It is not worth it."

"This is a true insight." Yu Chen smiled and said, "This is also what I admire most about the king. He would never resort to force until the last moment, but would persuade people with reason, move them with emotion, and lure them with benefits. This kind of mind is worthy of democracy."

Wang Yan sighed with mixed emotions and said, "In the next few days, I will visit scholars in Qingxu and tell them about the situation in Jiangnan. In fact, if the land of Wuyue is properly managed, it can also be a land of fish and rice."

"Didn't that guy from Lanling Xiao family come back? Maybe we can ask him to be our entrustment..." Yu Chen said.

"No." Wang Yan waved his hand and said, "He suffered in Piling before, I'm afraid he will scare away a lot of people."

Yu Chen couldn't help laughing.

"Your High Priest Bian Zhongren is the one who came back from Jingzhou, right?"

"Bian Zhongren is fine." Wang Yan said, "In fact, many scholars have returned to the north in recent years. If we ask more about the situation in Jiangnan, we will definitely know. Zimei, did the king say anything else?"

"Indeed." Yu Chen said, "The king once said that Jiangnan is rich in products, but most of them are not picked, which is a pity. He cited the example of ramie cloth, which is very comfortable to wear in summer. It is expensive in the north and can only be enjoyed by the rich. If it can be widely planted and transported to the northern counties by large ships, the price will drop greatly, and ordinary people will also benefit from it."

"Isn't it difficult to harvest kudzu?" Wang Yan asked.

"Young girls from the south of the Yangtze River often cut this plant, and sometimes they cut their hands. It's really not easy." Yu Chen said, "When the king talked about this, he said that if a manor planted half of its land to grow grain and the other half to grow kudzu, and traded with the north, the benefits would be great. And it's not just kudzu, you can also build a tea garden. But now tea is mostly enjoyed by officials and scholars, and peddlers and hawkers have no chance to taste it, which is also a pity. In addition to kudzu and tea, the king also mentioned lacquer gardens, medicinal gardens, etc...."

"Are there so many people?" Wang Yan couldn't help but ask.

"We will cut down the mountains and destroy the villages, and capture the natives, that's all." Yu Chen said.

"Can it be sold?" Wang Yan asked again.

"With more soldiers and their followers, we should be able to buy more people." Yu Chen said, "This is not something that can be done overnight."

Wang Yan nodded slightly.

If King Liang succeeded in this, the world would be completely changed.

He was a little bewildered.

"It is hard for us to guess what will happen in the future, and I guess King Liang doesn't understand it either." Yu Chen sighed and said, "Anyway, having this thought in mind should be able to appease many people. We'll talk about the future later."

"That's right." Wang Yan was heavy-hearted.

He could see that King Liang wanted to change the world, but he didn't know what means he wanted to use to do so.

(End of this chapter)