Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 345 The power lies in the official uniform

The sun went down the mountain, dyeing a large sunset glow in the sky.In the glow of the sky, the towers on the west side are inlaid with gold.

Wang Xiaolie put down his wine glass, looked at the sunset, and said slowly: "In this world, people live together, unless they are tribes. Every country has a monarch, officials, and servants. I often wonder why there are these people. ?Lao Tzu said that in human life, people should hear the voices of chickens and dogs. Yes, you can get what you want, and there is nothing wrong with reducing the interaction between people."

Having said that, Wang Xiaolie looked at the crowd and asked, "Do you think so?"

The rest shook their heads blankly.Wang Xiaolie's words seem to have a lot to say at first glance, but it may not be so when you think about it carefully.

Wang Xiaolie said: "People live in this world, many times it is not necessary, but has to be like this. Han Fei said that in ancient times, there were few people and many animals. In fact, there are many things besides animals. If the surrounding There are no wild beasts, just killing a deer and catching a fish is enough for a family. Later, when there were more and more people, it was not so easy to eat, and people learned to farm. Later, not only farming There are also all kinds of novelty things. For example, the wine to drink, the incense to smoke, the bed to sleep on, the table to use, and the utensils are getting more and more exquisite. Later, there are the sounds of silk and bamboo, beauties singing and dancing, and many Nice and fun stuff."

Having said that, Wang Xiaolie raised his wine glass and drank it down.Said: "This world is very prosperous, but this world is actually very interesting."

Everyone drank together.Putting down their cups, they all looked at Wang Xiaolie.Everyone felt that what Wang Xiaolie said today was unusual.

Wang Xiaolie said: "These beautiful and fun things, you want to have them, and I want to have them too. But there are not so many? What should I do? Some people talk about getting rid of desires, saying that life is bitter, the root of suffering It is desire. Some people say that those who are capable live there. Others say that those who are virtuous live there. There is a reason for saying this, and there is a reason for saying that. Is there any reason? I say, they all make sense !"

"So what if it makes sense? Just ask me to live like that? Why do you want others to tell me how to live? It won't work!"

Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie pressed the wine glass heavily on the table, looked at the crowd and said: "Most of you have read the books of sages and sages since childhood, and what you have learned is the principles of sages and sages. The books say that we must be gentlemen and good people. If you want to do this, if you want to do that, what can’t be done. Is there any reason? It makes sense. But what if it makes sense? Just ask us to live like that?”

Chen Yuyi was dumbfounded.After a while, he said: "Zhenfu, we read the books of sages, so naturally we should be gentlemen!"

"Why be a gentleman?" Wang Xiaolie shook his head. "If you ask me, a gentleman is like Beichen, high in the sky, guiding a direction, but cannot be picked in the hand. The principles of being a gentleman can guide us how to behave in this world, but it does not make us a gentleman. "

Chen Yuyi and Chen Qiudao looked at each other, feeling extremely shocked.

Wang Xiaolie said: "We Han people have learned Confucianism, so many people want to be gentlemen. And those barbarians who don't understand Confucian principles, so what? There are also Persia in the west and big cannibals. They just want to be gentlemen. I don’t want to be a gentleman. There are also people in the west, I heard that they all want to be a magic stick. So, people live in this world, there are various ways to live, and they don’t have to be gentlemen.”

Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie thought for a while.Dao: "What I mean by saying this is not to deny reading the books of sages, let alone to deny being a gentleman, but to say that there are other ways of living and thinking. Just because they are not like us, it is not right. An official of a regime, There are all kinds of people under the rule. Some pay attention to loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, some worship Buddha and practice Zen, some eat alchemy and cultivate immortality, and some just want to live comfortably. These officials should try their best to let all people live under their own rule Feel free and happy. So these officials have high demands."

Chen Yuyi said: "The Zhenfu said that officials should be selected. Is this what they mean?"

Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "It's not just this meaning, but also other meanings. As I said before, you have your reasons, I have my reasons, and he has his reasons. Many of these reasons are It really makes sense, not a strong argument. For example, Confucian sages, Xunzi said that human nature is inherently evil, and Mencius also said that human nature is inherently good. Is human nature good or evil?"

Chen Qiudao said: "Before this dynasty, there were more people in the world who believed in Xunzi, and more people believed that human nature is inherently evil. In this dynasty, Confucians admired Han Yu, and more people respected Mencius, and they became believers in human nature. more people."

"Then is human nature good or evil?" Wang Xiaolie smiled. "If human nature is evil, there is a set of governance methods. If human nature is good, there is another set of governance methods. Is it good or evil? Let me say that there is no human nature at all, let alone inherent goodness. It is evil. People are people, that is, they are born in the womb and live in this world. To say whether human nature is good or evil is just to sell one's own set of theories of governing the country."

The "San Zi Jing" says that at the beginning of human beings, nature is good, nature is similar, habits are far away.This is a view of Confucianism, and there are others.Especially in the Song Dynasty, there was also the theory of temperament, and finally there was Zhu Xi's theory of preserving the principles of nature and eliminating human desires. Scholars conducted many discussions.This question is very important, and it is directly related to scholars' theories of state governance.

People in later generations don't understand much about the historical debates of Chinese scholars, and they don't pay attention to the importance of understanding human nature.In another field, everyone knows that there is a rational person assumption in economics.It is believed that those who participate in economic activities are rational people, and the theory has a basis.This assumption of a rational person is similar to the Confucian understanding of human nature.Starting from whether human nature is good or evil, deduce how to govern the country and the people.

Seeing everyone looking at him suspiciously, Wang Xiaolie waved his hands: "So here we don't have to discuss whether human nature is good or evil, and we don't need to deduce how to govern from it. The essence of government is that so many people gather together and work together. Living and working together requires managing so many people. It doesn’t matter whether people must live together. It doesn’t matter whether people will still live like this in the future. What matters is what we are facing now and how we want to be governed. What does it look like? Should everyone keep their duties, have enough food and clothing, and have no desires, or live a better life every day, and each generation is better than the next generation. The predecessors walked, the current people ride horses, and the future generations ride cars. Future generations will fly in the sky—”

Hearing this, Niu Gao, who had been confused all the time, couldn't help it, and burst into a "puchi" laugh: "The observation is funny, how can people fly in the sky? If they can fly in the sky, wouldn't they become gods?"

Wang Xiaolie smiled and said, "If you can fly a kite into the sky, why can't people fly in the sky?"

Niu Gao couldn't help being stunned when he heard this.After a while, he said: "It's one thing to fly a kite to the sky, but it's another thing to fly a person to the sky."

Wang Xiaolie said: "Maybe one day, it's the same thing? We can't talk about it to death, thinking that it just can't be done. My brain is a very magical thing, and I can think of everything. At first thought When I came out, I thought it was a whimsical idea. One day, it might become commonplace.”

Niu Gao kept silent.Looking at the crowd, I had no choice but to confuse myself there.

Wang Xiaolie said: "I have said so much, and I mean one thing. Governing the country and electing officials should not be restricted by various opinions. Governing the people is actually very simple. It is to make the people's life better and better. Don't worry about it. Worrying. It’s not that this person is a great Confucian, that person is an eminent monk, and so on. They are elected into the government. Instead, each official has a standard. To be an official, what ability and what needs to be done. If you are an official, what can’t be done and what must be done. If you can’t do it, what is the punishment? If you can do it, what is the reward? How much money can you make a month and what kind of benefits do you have if you are an official? .”

Chen Yuyi said: "The governor, the selection of officials is nothing more than selecting talents and appointing talents. We scholars read the books of sages to be gentlemen, and when we enter the court, we will be virtuous ministers. If it is as you said, it is just like businessmen hiring people! "

Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "A lot of times, choosing officials in the imperial court is not as good as hiring people from businessmen. Of course, our officials don't just have such requirements. This is just the minimum requirement, and officials must do it. Officials in the imperial court , as well as the distinction between common officials and attendants. Higher requirements correspond to other ranks."

Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie thought for a while, and said: "Let's say, these officials are like a piece of clothing. Being an official is like wearing this piece of clothing. You have the power of an official and enjoy the power of an official." If you take off your clothes, you will be an ordinary person. The power and treatment of an official is on the official uniform. I don’t advocate private visits in micro-clothes and understanding people’s conditions. Wearing official uniforms, you must understand these contents. Said Understand that these officials are only officials because they wear uniforms. They are not officials because they are this person."

Chen Yuyi frowned when he heard this.

Wang Xiaolie said: "Officials wear official uniforms because they hold this position. In addition, there are people with high morals, people who are selected, that is another system, such as the post of the imperial court. In this way, you You should understand, right?"

Chen Yuyi looked at Chen Qiudao and said, "I understand some things, but I don't understand some things."

Wang Xiaolie said: "I'm speaking simply. The so-called officials are what the government thinks needs to be supervised by the government, what needs to be done, and the right person is selected to wear that official uniform. Ability, officials and clerks get higher treatment if they do their job well. In terms of selection and appointment, it is appointment. There is also morality, which is selection, which is another system.”

(End of this chapter)