The Great Han Dynasty: From Feng Lang Juxu to the Eternal Emperor

Chapter 101: Theory of Statecraft!

Wei Ning invited Dong Zhongshu to sit down and poured him tea and water, neither humble nor overbearing, as he treated an ordinary guest.

He did not act cautious because of Dong Zhongshu's identity.

Being able to get along equally with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there is no one in the world who can make Wei Ning nervous.

Although neither humble nor arrogant, he did not lose due etiquette. During these days, Wei Ning read a lot of books, including the Encyclopedia of Miscellaneous Family Encyclopedia, Zhou Rites and Etiquette, etc.

Dong Zhongshu nodded calmly. The calm temperament with which Weining treated guests made him satisfied.

At least it was better than Huo Qubing. Dong Zhongshu had a headache when he mentioned Huo Qubing.

Fool!

Of course, Huo Qubing was not a reckless man, he just had a more domineering personality. Compared to Weining's reserved and polite nature, Dong Zhongshu naturally appreciated Weining's qualities more.

Wei Ning held the tea, bowed his hands in respect to Dong Zhongshu, and said, "Mr. Dong came to see me so late. What's the matter?"

Dong Zhongshu thought about his words for a while.

What's the matter? You can't say that I was ordered to come here to inspect you, right?
I don’t even know why I want to examine you or what I want to examine you for, and His Majesty didn’t say it clearly. Moreover, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is listening outside, so naturally he can’t say anything wrong.

He smiled and said: "I heard that Chief Wei had done a great job in rescuing the enemy, so I came here to ask Chief Wei about the origin of the assassin. Do you have any opinions?"

Use this cue to jump into the conversation.

Wei Ning couldn't figure out the reason and shook his head to express that he didn't know.

Dong Zhongshu said oh, he didn't care about this at all, and thought to himself: "Nowadays, there are many schools of thought in the Han Dynasty. Mohism, Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism and other hundreds of schools of thought are all here in the Han Dynasty. After you sing, I will appear on the stage. Each theory pursues different ideas. They are all different, and even in a country of ten thousand chariots, the thoughts are complex, and it is normal for some people to be unable to figure out the assassin."

With different ideas, there are bound to be people who will not regard the Emperor as the common master of the world. This is a very terrible phenomenon.

Dong Zhongshu looked at Wei Ning and suddenly said: "Chief Wei, what do you think the Han Dynasty needs now to ensure long-term peace and order?"

He introduced the topic from the assassination, and then moved on to the ideological debate. The starting point was so natural that Wei Ning did not notice anything wrong.

Dong Zhongshu is a smart man with high intelligence, and he can handle Weining naturally.

From the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Western Han Dynasty, the current ideological situation is that a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend.

This is certainly a good thing for the development of human thought, but everything must be viewed dialectically. It is a good thing for the development of human thought, but not a good thing for the rule of monarchy.

When human thoughts become complex, it is a disaster for rulers.

Before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the idea pursued by the rulers of the entire Western Han Dynasty was Laozi's rule of inaction, but this was not what Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty wanted.

The Mohist philosophy of universal love and non-aggression was not in line with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's policy and goals of governing the country.

Depending on the class you are in, the issues you consider are naturally different. There is no such thing as who is good or who is bad. Everything is driven by interests.

Weining has read a lot of books, and his horizons have broadened through repeated experiences. Many things that he couldn't understand before can be understood quickly after acquiring knowledge.

He was a smart man, but he had never had access to education and books, which were expensive for ordinary people.

Therefore, in ancient times, there was a saying of foolish people.

Don’t try to use the thoughts of later generations to view society that has existed for thousands of years, just like don’t use the thinking of adults to view the thinking of young people.

Adults think about houses, cars, and money; young people think about hairstyles, showing off, looking cool, and picking up girls. The principle is the same.

Wei Ning's face became serious. He also had his own ideas, so he said to Dong Zhongshu: "Since Master Dong asked, I will tell you my opinion."

"This is my recent reading experience. As a family, please don't laugh at Mr. Dong." Dong Zhongshu did not regard Weining as a child, and responded solemnly, saying seriously: "Okay!"

Wei Ning's words were not shocking and he said: "Let's unify our minds!"

Dong Zhongshu was stunned for a moment and said: "What is the meaning of the words? What is the unification of ideas?"

Weining said: "If I were to consider this issue from the perspective of all people, I would naturally not think about unifying ideas. There are good and bad among hundreds of schools of thought. Taking the essence and discarding the dross can make the social science and technology economy develop rapidly. Development is understandable.”

"But this will also breed various camps with different ideas. When they develop and grow, they will threaten the country's rule."

Dong Zhongshu thought deeply and said, "Then you still talk about unifying thoughts?"

Wei Ning said: "But when I look at it from the perspective of a ruler, from the perspective of a court governing the country, I think it is imperative to unify our thoughts."

In fact, throughout the thousand-year history of China, China has been doing the same thing in any era. It is to unify our thoughts and work hard in one place. Only with faith can we develop and grow.

The army needs to have faith. After they have faith, they will know why they are fighting, for the land, for liberation, for the interests of workers and peasants, for themselves, for the country, etc. These are all beliefs, so they can fight without danger.

The team needs to have faith in order to govern and strengthen the country.

An army without faith is destined to fail.A court without faith is destined to perish.

What do the soldiers of the Han Dynasty believe in now?Get promoted and make a fortune, fight for your own interests, reach the pinnacle of glory, and change your class.

Why were the soldiers of the Song Dynasty weak in combat effectiveness?They have no faith because the current social situation is doomed for warriors to have no way out.

What does the imperial team believe in?I don’t know, I’m still looking.

The Qin Dynasty did not find it. It relied on Qin Shihuang's kingly way to rule, and the country had long-term peace and stability. But Qin Shihuang had a kingly way, but did subsequent rulers have it?No.

When the Qin Dynasty collapsed, you could no longer see loyal and patriotic people fighting to maintain the rule of the country.

Dong Zhongshu stared at Weining: "What kind of unification of ideas?"

Wei Ning: "Find, find an idea suitable for ruling."

Dong Zhongshu breathed quickly: "What is it?"

Wei Ning: "Confucianism."

"What does Confucianism stand for? Benevolent government, filial piety, kings and ministers, education without distinction."

Among the hundreds of scholars, there is no theory that can better support Confucianism’s interests for rulers.

It was not Confucianism who chose the emperor, but the emperor who chose Confucianism.

Any dynasty needs this kind of thinking to ensure that its subjects have absolute loyalty and belief in the emperor and will not betray it.

Confucianism is in line with the fundamental interests of the current rulers, so whether it is Wei Ning who proposes this policy of governing the country or not, Confucianism will eventually be chosen by the ruling class.

None of the ideas propagated by the various schools of thought are as in line with the interests of the rulers as Confucianism.

Therefore, Confucius was pushed to the altar. This was a choice of the times and an inevitable result. It cannot be changed by anyone's will!
When Wei Ning told Dong Zhongshu his opinions and ideas bit by bit.

Dong Zhongshu froze on the spot in astonishment, the tea he was holding suspended in mid-air for a long time.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who had been listening outside the door, felt a sudden tremor all over his body, and the spiritual platform suddenly became clear, as if he had caught something, and he looked extremely excited!
This is exactly what he is looking for, what he pursues, and what he urgently needs!

(End of this chapter)