Three Kingdoms: The Guan Family's Rebellious Son, Long Blessing Jing Xiang

An article called "Snake Catcher's Theory" written by Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty explains that "tyranny is fiercer than a tiger."

But the story Guan Lin told Zuo Ci about "catching snakes" had nothing to do with "tyranny".

Guan Lin, who was wearing a mask, continued to speak.

"The first snake catcher died in the forest because of his abruptness and recklessness, the second snake catcher fell into mental torture because of his hesitation and hesitation, and was in panic between the village and the mountains all day long, while the third snake catcher fell into mental torture because of his hesitation and hesitation. The Snake Man...his ways..."

"He spent a long time thinking about how to find snake dens, catch snakes, and detoxify them. He often asked the villagers for advice, mastered a series of snake catching methods, and made many antidote potions. After a month of preparation, He finally went up the mountain with his tools. Seven days later, everyone thought he was dead, but he... returned to the village carrying a heavy basket. He caught hundreds of snakes and made a lot of money. After that... he also did He started a medicine business and sold medicines to the snake collectors who came over, and became a famous rich man."

Well…

When Guan Lin finished speaking about this, Zuo Ci had some thoughts. He stroked his beard lightly and pondered in his heart.

——"Three people are catching snakes, one acts recklessly without thinking, the other hesitates after thinking about it, and the last one... takes action after careful consideration! This completely different approach destined their fate to be completely different... Aren't all living beings in this world all of these three types of people? Be reckless, hesitant, take action after careful consideration! 』

Zuo Ci thought of this, and Guan Lin's words came out at the right time, "This is the beginning of action. Action is the result of knowledge. Thinking and action have always complemented each other. But for all living beings in this world, people often only realize that everything should be done after careful consideration." Decisions are the best, and actions can be carried out smoothly after repeated consideration. From this... a culture of emphasizing thinking over action is formed. The so-called Ji Wenzi mentioned in the Analects of Confucius 'Think twice before acting.' Zi heard this and said :Again, it’s so cool!'"

"In fact, if you are too cautious and pursue foolproofness, you will spend a lot of time and energy in this infinite contemplation. The more you think about it, the more you feel that you are not fully prepared. The more you think about it, the more you feel that there is a big problem... As I think about it, Ideas that could have been tried have become impossible tasks and ended in vain! Human thinking... often has no boundaries and no upper limit. The more you think about it, the easier it is to deviate from the track and lose the focus... Therefore, I The moral principle proposed this time is only four words - 'unity of knowledge and action'!"

This…

When Guan Lin uttered the last sentence, Zuo Ci couldn't help but be startled, and then...the four bright characters "Unity of Knowledge and Action" seemed to be embedded in his mind all of a sudden.

Yes, based on the last time I heard Taoism, I carried in my heart about "developing conscience", about "settling down one's life", and about whether Taoism can relieve the suffering of ordinary people in this world after it becomes the state religion.

This series of questions made Zuo Ci fall into endless thinking, but...just like what the masked Taoist "Situ Zhong" told today.

The more I think about it, the more I realize there is a big problem;

The more I think about it, the more I feel that the idea that I could have tried eventually becomes an impossible task and ends in vain.

Is this... what Zuo Ci often overlooks - "the unity of knowledge and action"?

"Unity of knowledge and action...unity of knowledge and action..."

Zuo Ci muttered these four words three times. The more experienced a practitioner like him is, the more he can understand the impact and profound meaning of the four words "unity of knowledge and action".

This has surpassed "Confucianism", surpassed "Buddhism", and also surpassed "Tao"...

It should be a new direction that leads him and the world.

but…

Zuo Ci still had a serious question on his mind.

"This fellow Taoist, a poor Taoist, has heard the Tao twice and has a lot of insights. However... there is still something I don't know whether to ask or not."

Zuo Ci no longer concealed anything, stood up as a fellow Taoist, and took the initiative to talk to Guan Lin.

"Fellow Taoist, it's okay to ask!" Guan Lin stretched out his hand to signal Zuo Ci.

Zuo Ci narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly: "Two days ago, I heard a fellow Taoist talk about 'Towards Conscience'. However, everyone has conscience, and everyone is self-sufficient. It is an inner strength that does not rely on external forces... But to truly achieve conscience is... There are all kinds of difficulties, such as Cao Cao, who was called a traitor and a great evil in Jingzhou, but when he was young, he served as a captain in the north of Luoyang and beat the powerful with five-colored sticks. When he was appointed as the Prime Minister of Jinan, he destroyed evil temples. He once had this so-called conscience... But in the end, this conscience was changed and swallowed up by the outside world... This is how the legend in the world is now. 'Those who hold the emperor hostage', 'those who are extremely evil'..."

At this point, Zuo Ci paused, "Then the world is like Cao Cao. Everyone has a conscience, but in order to survive in this troubled world, we must abandon our conscience... Otherwise, we can't stand, so how can we talk about it? Live in peace! For example, in the Central Plains... there was a seventy-five-year-old old man who reported to the county magistrate. But he just reported it yesterday, and today... the county government forwarded the report to the county magistrate, and the next day... the old man was arrested Arrested by the county magistrate and imprisoned? Accumulated guilt! Since ancient times, there is nothing wrong with officials protecting each other, but this is definitely contrary to conscience. Even if we have conscience? What should we do? Our conscience... can exchange for this seventy-five years old Is the old man innocent?"

Zuo Ci used a specific example to tell that in this world, it is easy for everyone to sweep away the troubles in front of everyone. If you want to "meddle in other people's business" under the persuasion of your conscience... Haha, how difficult is it?

At first, when he saw this incident with his own eyes, Zuo Ci was confused and didn't know for a moment... what should he and his Taoism do?

At this moment, he wanted to use this example to ask "Situ Zhong" in front of him, hoping to get his advice and answer the doubts in his heart.

This…

After hearing this incident, Guan Lin paused.

But soon, he thought of something, and immediately narrowed his eyes and said seriously, "Hibiscus comes out of clear water, and it is naturally carved... Conscience comes from the heart, and the heart is the reason. If there is no selfishness, it is reasonable and not in line with etiquette. It’s just selfishness…”

After making such mysterious words, Guan Lin looked at Zuo Ci with burning eyes and his tone became more serious.

"As you said, this world is not beautiful, and many dark and evil aspects are corroding the conscience of all living beings in the world all the time? But...these consciences are only corroded, not disappeared! Isn't the meaning of our Taoist existence not Should it be to cleanse the hearts of the world and reawaken their conscience? It is difficult to restore the innocence of a seventy-five-year-old man... It is difficult for a certain person, and even difficult for a certain Taoist, but... if it is for all living beings in the world What? If everyone's conscience is awakened and they no longer 'sweep away the snow in front of everyone', but stand up with a righteous speech, will their voices still be drowned?"

"Of course, this is difficult! Someone needs to take the lead, someone needs to guide, but is it not difficult? Why should Taoism do it? As the so-called 'unity of knowledge and action', Taoism wants to surpass the illusions and conceptions of Buddhism, and surpass the inheritance and inheritance of Confucianism. Etiquette has become the true orthodoxy of the dynasty. This weight... must be withstood! This public opinion must be led by them! Only the most sincerity in the world can establish the foundation of the world... Wherever sincerity is achieved, gold and stone will be opened!"

When Guan Lin said this...

For Zuo Ci, it can be described as four words - inspiring!

To "cultivating conscience", to "unity of knowledge and action", to "settling down one's life", to the development and prosperity of Taoism...

It was as if he had a new understanding and cognition.

He didn't speak again or ask any more questions.

Instead, he solemnly put his hands together to perform the most solemn "Tao" salute to Guan Lin.

At this moment, he completely realized it!

It turns out that this is the so-called conscience, the so-called unity of knowledge and action, and the so-called sincerity and secret of the development of Taoism!

...

...

Luoyang, deep inside the palace.

Cao Cao sat on a brocade cushion, his eyes narrowed, and his fingers gently held a small hammer to strike on the chimes.

Every contact between the hammer and the chime is extremely powerful, as if it carries an unquestionable decision.

The chime made a deep and melodious sound, like an ancient call, echoing in every corner of the palace.

At the beginning, it was like the morning breeze, soft and fresh, carrying the warmth and hope of the rising sun.

Gradually, the tune began to become more powerful, like a war drum on the battlefield, inspiring people's fighting spirit and making people's blood boil.

The small hammer in Cao Cao's finger jumped rapidly on the chime, and his expression became more focused and devoted.

This majestic melody made Cheng Yu, who had just stepped into the palace, feel startled...

It seemed that through this music, he could feel Cao Cao's state of mind.

The state of mind that if you don't get "Xuchang", you will be destroyed;

The state of mind that vowed to win the battle when facing Guan Yu;

In the process of setting sail for Wei Wu's hegemony, people killed people and Buddhas killed Buddhas.

Finally, with a prolonged sound of "焄...焄"...

The whole song comes to an end.

Cao Cao seemed to have noticed the visitor. He still turned his back to Cheng Yu and asked, "Zhongde, tell me..."

"Your Majesty..."

Cheng Yu bowed his hands and saluted, "The Prince Consort Ma Jun has returned to the workshop. It seems that the king's words have had an effect. Ma Jun said... within a month, he is sure that the number of Wei's flying balls will double."

"Doubled?" Cheng Yu's words made Cao Cao open his eyes in vain, "So, everything is ready to burn Xuchang City into ruins, the only thing missing is the white phosphorus in Jingzhou!"

Speaking of white phosphorus…

Cheng Yu quickly reported: "Your Majesty, just now... Jiangxia Zuo Ci also sent a message, saying that..." Cheng Yu narrated the news from Zuo Ci to Cao Cao, including that Sifang Mountain was tightly guarded and there was no chance. , including having no choice but to give up, including Zuo Ci and these Taoists, including... just when they were about to give up, they actually became connected with a series of Jiangdong's powerful families.

What surprised Cao Cao most was that these Jiangdong rich people actually showed a strong intention to "surrender" and even wanted to help Cao Cao transport the "white phosphorus" stored in Sifang Mountain to Luoyang.

As Cao Cao was suspicious by nature, these "deliberate" things... inevitably made his doubts rise rapidly.

The whole incident was a bit too coincidental and too deliberate.

But this idea only existed for a few breaths.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…"

Cao Cao suddenly laughed heartily, as if he suddenly understood something.

"Why is the king laughing?" Cheng Yu was confused by Cao Cao's laughter and asked quickly...

Cao Cao stood up slowly, turned around, his laughter did not subside, but in this laughter he sighed: "I am thinking of Guo Fengxiao..."

"Filial piety..."

"Exactly!" Cao Cao continued while stroking his short beard, "In the past, Gu wanted to fight Yuan Shao in the decisive battle at Guandu. At that time, he had four concerns. One was the heroes in Guanzhong after Li Jue and Guo Si, and the other was the elbow and armpit. Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu of the local area, the third one is Liu Biao who is good friends with Yuan Shao, and the last one is Sun Bofu, the little overlord of Jiangdong..."

Speaking of this, Cao Cao's eyes seemed to flash back to the fourth year of Jian'an... Wei Wu's hegemony was still on the way, and Cao Cao was also in his prime, scolding Fang Qiu.

This…

Cheng Yu raised his eyes slightly, as if he had anticipated what Cao Cao was going to say.

Sure enough, Cao Cao's words confirmed Cheng Yu's conjecture.

"Although the Battle of Guandu was about to happen at that time, Gu's Central Plains was besieged on all sides, but he was not afraid of the heroes of Guanzhong, Zhang Xiu, or Liu Biao. The one he was most worried about was Xuzhou, the little overlord of Jiangdong. Bo Fu led his army up, took Xuzhou, and cut off one of Gu's arms... For this reason, Gu hesitated again and again, and for a long time could not make up his mind to fight Yuan Shao in Guandu!"

"But the situation is unpredictable and the situation is unpredictable. The more Gu hesitates, the closer Yuan Shao gets. When Gu is thinking deeply... he can't help but have a headache and a splitting headache. It is said in the world that Gu's headache is Chen Linna. He was cured by a "Message to the Thief", but he didn't know that without Guo Fengxiao's heartfelt words to me, I would have recovered from my headache, but my heart would also be uneasy..."

Speaking of which…

Cheng Yu also recalled the scene at that time, and he said with emotion: "Yes, the king is most worried about Sun Ce going north, but Feng Xiao has a sharp eye and can see at a glance... Sun Ce dominates Jiangdong and is an enemy of the local wealthy people. Suppression and massacre... In this way, he will definitely die at the hands of a common man, and sure enough... At that time, Sun Ce died in the hands of Xu Gong's three disciples, so... what the king means..."

"Haha..." Cao Cao laughed, his eyes opened, and he released a flash of brilliant light, "I heard that Guan Lin is now promoting the sharing of land into acres in Jiangdong, redistributing acres of land, and It is to let the tenant farmers regain their freedom, and so on...it is the interests of the big families that are affected! He is even worse than Sun Ce in the past. I wonder if Fengxiao Youzai will do it again. Gui Mou predicted that Guan Lin will also die at the hands of these powerful clans?"

call…

Following Cao Cao's words, Cheng Yu understood.

Even though...the surrender of the big clans like Jiangdong at this time seemed a bit coincidental and tacit, the king decided to accept them.

"Your Majesty..."

Cheng Yu was about to open his mouth and continue talking about this topic in depth.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao spoke first, and he changed the subject, as if the topic of the surrender of the "Jiangdong clan" had been stopped abruptly by him.

He asked: "How is Zihuan? I heard that he is taking the road back from Jingzhou..."

This…

Cheng Yu paused for a moment and mentioned Cao Pi. He suddenly choked up and then said truthfully: "Recently, there has been information about Master Zihuan. He has arrived at Anlu City in Jiangxia. It seems that... he is also interested in the Guanlin Quartet." I am very interested in the white phosphorus extracted in the mountains. I don’t understand. Now that I have escaped, why not go back to Luoyang? Why... take risks in Sifang Mountain? "

Well…

Cao Pi's movements still surprised Cao Cao slightly.

His expression became solemn and his tone became darker.

"Zhongde, you don't understand Zihuan's adventure in Sifang Mountain, but you alone do -"

Just when Cao Cao was sighing...

"Your Majesty..." Xu Chu broke into the palace and reported: "There is an urgent message from Hanzhong..."

"Hmm" Cao Cao groaned, then received the letter from Xu Chu, he slowly unfolded it, his eyes focused on the words on it.

But it was better not to read the text. When he saw it, Cao Cao was furious and cursed loudly.

"Big-eared thief... This big-eared thief bullied me too much!"

Cheng Yu quickly asked: "Your Majesty, this is..."

"Hmph..." Cao Cao snorted coldly, and then he said with disdain and anger: "Liu Bei actually sent his fake Liu Feng to raid Gu Yangping Pass, and actually destroyed three military strongholds outside Gu Yangping Pass in one night. The fake boy can actually force me to this point, and I want to call my own Huang Xuer to fight!"

The urgent message from Hanzhong is just one thing.

Liu Bei sent his adopted son Liu Feng to attack Yangping Pass. Liu Feng used the "elk" to break up several Cao camps outside Yangping Pass and inside the pass, and captured them overnight... taking the lead.

Seeing Liu Bei's adopted son like this, Cao Cao could not help but think of his son, Cao Pi, who was defeated in Jiangdong. Cao Zhi had not made any achievements in military strategy. The only son who could fight was still conquering the Xianbei Hulu in the north!

Cao Cao watched helplessly as a "defeated general" like Liu Bei grew up step by step to the point where he could now compete with him.

He didn't want to admit Liu Bei's ability, just like he didn't want to admit the fact that Liu Bei's pretender was better than his son...

But just when...Cao Cao was about to recruit Cao Zhang.

"Your Majesty..." Cheng Yu reminded, "Counting the days, three days ago... Wen He (Jia Xu) had already arrived in Hanzhong... He went with the King's holiday. Under Xia Houyuan, he could mobilize all the troops... He was there If so, how could Yangping Pass cause such a catastrophe?"

Well…

The moment Cheng Yu chanted Jia Xu's name, all Cao Cao's anger seemed to have subsided in an instant.

His tiger eyes narrowed, as if...in an instant, he thought of more and more profound things.

——"If Wen He was there, this battle..."

"Hahahahaha..."

Cao Cao suddenly laughed again, his laughter refreshing.

Cheng Yu didn't understand again, and asked again: "Why did the king... laugh again this time!"

"Gu Xiao, the big-eared thief, is taking it too much for granted..." Cao Cao laughed and said, "Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, is this old man secretive? I'm afraid his big-eared thief's pretense will not last long!"

Although Cao Cao's voice was not strong, his words were as sharp as a blade...

It was as if he was already certain that Liu Feng would die tragically due to Jia Xu's conspiracy!

"Hahahaha...hahahaha..." Cao Cao's laughter continued. As he laughed, he roared loudly, "With Xiahou Miaocai and Jia Wenhe here, Hanzhong will be worry-free——"

...

…(End of chapter)