Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 737 Master-disciple conversation ()

Fusu could understand the truth behind what Gu Xun said, but it all rushed into his little head at once, leaving him extremely confused and unable to figure out what was what.

"Teacher, according to you, is the rule of Legalism more important?"

"Huh..." Seeing Fusu's confused look, Gu Xun couldn't help laughing and shook his head, then took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

A hundred schools of thought contend and each pursues his or her own path, which has its advantages and disadvantages.

In terms of ideology, although hundreds of schools of thought can be said to be blooming and each has its own strengths, in actual use, it can only be either/or, rather than integrating the strengths of each school.

On the one hand, this is influenced by hundreds of years of deep-rooted concepts. You can and can only choose one. Just like Fusu's idea, his idea is always to make the only choice.

On the other hand, this is also inevitable due to the general trend of the world's feuding princes.

The princes and countries have the right to choose their own ideals of governing the country, and the various schools of thought also have the right to choose the country they like.

To put it in layman's terms... I don't want to leave you here, I have my own place to stay.

But this power of choice is fundamentally a companion to the general trend of the world. When the general trend changes, it will naturally change.

"I just said that whether it is Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, or other schools of thought, in the final analysis it is the way to be a minister, not the way to be a king."

"Fusu, even though you are still young, I think you should have some understanding of your father's ambitions."

"Zhou lost its deer, and the world chased it away. It has been troubled for five hundred years. It is time for the world to be reunited again."

"Nowadays, the six kingdoms of Shandong are weak due to accumulated shortcomings and their leaders are mediocre and sycophantic. However, the remaining heroes of your father's sixth generation, Fen Qin, will definitely be able to clarify the world and rebuild the world."

"So, what finally falls into your hands is not the eight hundred miles of Qinchuan, but the thousands of miles of China, a unified and complete dynasty."

"This is why I want to tell you this."

"Teacher, I..." Fusu was a little absent-minded and muttered slightly unconsciously.

A son is better than his father, and the other way around can also be true.

Fusu was certainly aware of his father's ambition, but to him now, the unification of the world... was just a word.

He couldn't really understand what kind of world it was, and what kind of country Qin would be at that time. Naturally, he couldn't understand the meaning of Gu Xun's words.

"Haha... It's okay if you don't understand. Let me explain to you." Gu Xun smiled gently, soothing his student's restless heart.

"The world is unified, and all the seven kingdoms are under one king. When you ascend the throne, you will not only rule the people of Guanzhong, but also the people of the Three Jins, Jingchu, Qilu, Yanzhao, and even more distant places."

"Different regions have different customs, different environments, different habits, different thoughts, etc... Under such circumstances, do you think it is feasible to rule by just one law?"

Without much thought, Fusu subconsciously wanted to shake his head, but then nodded hesitantly, "Teacher, the seven countries are certainly different, but shouldn't the needs of the people be similar?"

"Since the laws of our country of Qin can make millions of people in Guanzhong safe, wouldn't it be the same with the six countries of Shandong?"

Gu Xun shook his head with a smile and said, "I just said that the idea is not as simple as one plus one to get two." "This is also the case for governing the people. It is not a simple calculation problem that can be added together. "

"The Legalist approach strengthens the country but does not enrich the people. It fundamentally strengthens the monarch's ability to rule and concentrates the power of the country into the hands of one person. For the people, it is good, but not good enough."

"In fact, Qin is the strongest country among the seven kingdoms in the world, but the people of Qin are not the richest among the people of the seven kingdoms."

"It's just that for the common people, the rule of Qin can at least prevent them from precarious wars and prevent the country from being destroyed."

"When just surviving becomes a luxury, harsh punishments, unreasonableness, corvee taxes, etc. are all acceptable shortcomings."

"Do you understand this?"

Fusu nodded thoughtfully, "Students can roughly understand it."

Of course, Fusu only vaguely understood it. As a Qin prince who had grown up in the palace, he had no intuitive feeling about the suffering of the people in Gu Xun's words.

"When the world is unified and wars cease, the shortcomings of the Legalists, who are cruel and stubborn in nature, will be revealed, causing many hidden dangers."

"Then... if Legalism doesn't work, what if we switch to Confucian governance?" Fusu asked.

Gu Xunyi shrugged, "Confucianism goes too far. It only emphasizes etiquette, law, benevolence and righteousness, and governs the country purely based on human nature. It also has many disadvantages."

Then, without waiting for Fusu to ask again, Gu Xun also mentioned the Daoist and Mohist families, "The Mohist school emphasizes the integration of knowledge and action, not relying on books, but focusing more on experience. This idea is very good, but it is a pity that it is done in this way. If you want to cultivate a It is too difficult for a truly qualified Mohist, and the idea of ​​​​loving everything but not attacking is also too ideal."

"As for Taoism... Taoism follows nature and the unity of nature and man. Taoism can be said to be the most widely applicable concept. Although it is enough to stabilize the people, it is not enough to strengthen the country. Unless it returns to the ancient small country with few people and the people The situation of being separated from each other until old age and death, otherwise the limitations will be equally serious.”

Fusu was incomprehensible and said in surprise, "But... if this happens, wouldn't it be impossible to govern the country?"

"No, no, no." Gu Xun raised a finger and shook it, "The way to govern the country lies within it."

"I said, it's not the what you need to know, but the why."

"Why can Legalism play a better role in this situation, and why is Confucianism stronger than Legalism in another situation."

"According to the circumstances of the time, the circumstances of the situation, the circumstances of the situation, the circumstances of the place, using different methods to deal with different situations, in order to achieve the best results, this is the way to be a king."

"Ministers govern the country, and kings govern their ministers."

"What you need to do is make accurate judgments and choose the most suitable person to solve the problem, rather than figuring out the solution yourself."

"This..." Fusu understood the logic. Although he had never thought of doing this before, it sounded very reasonable.

The question is how to do it?
  For hundreds of years, the Qin State has always been governed by law, and it is the place with the strongest Legalist influence among the seven countries. Therefore, the leaders of the three schools of Confucianism, Mohism and Taoism do not even bother to meet the King of Qin, unless the King of Qin himself shows his intention to change his ways. .

In Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism and Taoism, it is an axiom that various schools of thought cannot coexist, and there has never been an exception.

"Teacher, this method is simply impossible to achieve!"

(End of this chapter)