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

Chapter 137 The teachings of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty!

There is always an essential difference between looking at a problem from your own perspective and looking at a problem from someone else's perspective.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty glanced at Weining and said with a smile: "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. These two sentences of yours express the essence of dynastic rule."

"But it's not the most important thing."

what?
Wei Ning looked at Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty with some confusion and asked humbly: "Why?"

"Is there anything more important than this?"

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took a sip of wine and took a bite of vegetables before he said to Wei Ning in a serious voice: "Let me ask you, why did farmers like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang not win in the end?"

"Why did it finally turn into a conflict between Xiang Yu and Gaozu between Chu and Han?"

Wei Ning was thinking, but for a long time he couldn't figure out what Emperor Wu of Han wanted to say.

In fact, Weining was already very good, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very satisfied. He did not follow the script and gave his own understanding, which was much better than Liu Huan.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty said slowly: "The centralization of power is not enough, and the emperor's control over the local areas is weak. In the end, he will be too powerful, leading to local rebellions and the situation cannot be handled."

"To ensure the long-term peace and stability of the country, the emperor needs to have keen insight, the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and the means to control his subordinates."

"The essential factor here is not the people, but the king."

"The monarch must work hard to govern, develop internal affairs, economy, and culture, unify his thinking, and change the thinking of the people... just like you proposed to respect Confucianism alone."

"In this unified country, the will of the monarch and the people will be unified, so that the people, officials and other people from all walks of life can engrav the thoughts of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism in their bones and pass them on from generation to generation."

To put it bluntly, it is instilling the ideology of monarchy supremacy in people from all walks of life in the entire country, so that they dare not rebel in their bones.

"To do this, the emperor needs to have extremely strong political skills."

"I ask you, how many people can I control? In a country of ten thousand chariots, can I personally manage the people in every place?"

"No."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty glanced at Wei Ning, who was thoughtful, and said with a smile: "Boy, everyone I can contact is in Weiyang Palace."

"The officials at the central government are within the scope of my jurisdiction, and through them, I transmit my will to various grassroots places."

"In the late Qin II period, the monarch's will could no longer be transmitted to the local area, and his authority was firmly controlled by Zhao Gao. The monarch was like a puppet and lost all power."

"Under this situation, the demise of the Qin Dynasty is an inevitable outcome."

"I have told you before that the essence of governing a country is to govern the people, but this is the final form. To achieve this situation, there is still the most critical link."

Wei Ning blurted out: "Managing officials?"

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty smiled and said, "You're a good boy."

"It's an official."

"I'm asking you, are there good or bad officials?"

Wei Ning said: "Point."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty shook his head: "Among the people and in the eyes of scholar-bureaucrats, officials may be divided into good and bad, but this should not be the case in the eyes of the monarch."

"There are no honest ministers, no treacherous ministers, as long as there are loyal ministers who are loyal to the monarch, the dirty water of the Yellow River can irrigate the farmland on both sides, and the same can be said for the clear water of the Yangtze River."

Wei Ning looked at Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in shock.

These words gave Wei Ningru a wake-up call. His previous understanding was still a little immature in front of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

"Don't think too much, you are right, it's just that our perspectives are different."

"I will let you step into my role now and let you experience how to be a qualified monarch."

Wei Ning hurriedly said: "I don't dare." Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ignored his fear and said to himself: "Who should you use, in what position, and for what tasks? As long as they are obedient and can instill your will and implement your policies." place."

"You can spread your ideas of governing the country to the whole country without having to do everything personally. In this way, the monarch's power will be firmly in his own hands."

"From the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the present, all dynasties in the past have been doing the same thing, rebelling and preventing rebellion."

These topics about Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty have become more and more profound. They are about the royal way of governing the country and maintaining stability. Generally speaking, the emperor will not tell others his thoughts.

Not to mention telling outsiders.

Wei Ning naturally had this doubt as well, and he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I dare not listen any more."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, I trust you."

No matter how trusting you are, you can’t do this, right?You have taught me everything. How will you respond if I rebel against you in the future?

"You said before that water can carry a boat or capsize it. The people are important, but they are not important either. The best managed people in all dynasties are the people. They keep to themselves."

"The most difficult thing to do is to be an official. They are ambitious and always want to share your power. Once their desires expand, the consequences will be disastrous."

"A qualified monarch must be a domineering monarch. He must have strong self-confidence and superb means to suppress all his officials."

"Only in this way, with power in your hands, can you maintain the rule of the country."

"Qin II could not suppress Zhao Gao, his power was lost, and the country was destroyed. This is the reason."

"External factors can be changed, such as strict laws, etc., but once no one listens to your will and your power falls, how long can the country maintain its rule?"

After hearing this, Wei Ning digested Emperor Wu of Han's thoughts for a while and looked extremely serious.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was indeed a talented and strategic monarch, and his understanding of power and strategy had reached its peak.

But Weining still felt that his words were inappropriate, so he asked: "If an incompetent monarch ascends the throne, wouldn't all your Majesty's words be in vain?"

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty laughed loudly: "Then do you know why I haven't established a heirloom until now?"

"The capital of the country is as great as the sky! It is self-evident that it is important to the Han Dynasty, so I need to find someone who is at least as good as me to support him in inheriting everything from the Han Dynasty!"

Weining nodded.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty said again: "When you can be dictatorial, you are a qualified monarch, but you are not a good monarch."

Wei Ning asked suspiciously: "Is there more?"

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty said: "Yes, while doing all the above, he can also make the people live a better life and make the country's culture, economy, and military stronger. This kind of monarch is the direction I aspire to work towards."

This is the case with Qin Shihuang. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has always been on the same page as Qin Shihuang. He hopes that future generations will refer to him and Qin Shihuang in parallel when referring to the history of the previous dynasty.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took the opportunity today and began to slowly plant the seeds in Wei Ning's heart.

He couldn't be too hasty. He had said before that he would personally teach Weining. Now it was just the first lesson, but it was a crucial lesson.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has been looking for a suitable opportunity to teach Weining the principles of the Way of the King. As for how much he can understand and how much he can listen to...

At least now Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty believed that Weining understood and listened.

After three rounds of wine, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also got up after eating and drinking.

"I send you off to Your Majesty," Wei Ning said hurriedly.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty glanced at him and said calmly: "I have nothing to do tomorrow. I will sleep with you tonight."

Wei Ning: "Huh?"

(End of this chapter)