Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 25: On the Country and the People

Since Guo Jia asked this question, it means that he had heard the entire conversation between Liu Xie and Zhang He.

So Liu Xie no longer intends to play dumb.

Because if Guo Jia was really sent by Yuan Shao, then no matter how he struggles now, it will be meaningless and he will die.

"Your Majesty has misunderstood."

Guo Jia took a sip of tea and said, "I am not here on Yuan Shao's orders, and I have never told anyone else about this."

"I came to see Your Majesty today just to ask Your Majesty in person what you meant by that sentence."

Liu Xie was stunned when he heard this: "You didn't tell Yuan Shao?"

Guo Jia asked in return: "Why should I tell Yuan Shao?"

Liu Xie opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

Indeed, Yuan Shao did not value Guo Jia, and Guo Jia also looked down on Yuan Shao. Under such circumstances, there was really no need for Guo Jia to inform Yuan Shao.

So this guy came here today just to ask questions?
As if he had read Liu Xie's mind, Guo Jia put down the teacup in his hand and said, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. Now you are controlled by others and want to seize the opportunity to restore the Han Dynasty. This is a blessing for our Han Dynasty. Although I have not received the salary of the Han Dynasty, I am also a Han Chinese. How could I do such a mean thing as informing on others?"

"I came here today only to satisfy my curiosity."

Guo Jia's idea was indeed very simple.

He was just curious.

An emperor who seemed incompetent and submissive in the eyes of outsiders actually had a brilliant mind and the lofty ambition to restore the Han Dynasty.

Is this the true face of the Han emperor?

Guo Jia found it very interesting.

After hearing these words, Liu Xie finally put aside his worries. A huge rock suddenly fell to the ground and his tense nerves relaxed.

"Did you scare me on purpose?"

Liu Xie was dumbfounded, and after he realized what was happening, he wanted to beat Guo Jia up.

Why does this guy deserve a beating?

Guo Jia smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. What is this?"

Before he could finish his words, he saw Liu Xie throw a black object on the ground. Upon closer inspection, he found it was a dagger.

"Dagger, haven't you seen it before?"

Liu Xie snorted coldly and said expressionlessly, "I almost killed you just now!"

Just a little bit, just a little bit, and he took action.

Guo Jia was stunned for a moment. He looked at the dagger on the ground that was flashing with cold light. He felt a chill in his heart, and then he felt a chill on his spine.

He didn't expect that his attempt would almost cost him his life.

Your Majesty...

Guo Jia looked at Liu Xie deeply and found that he had underestimated the Han emperor. The other party was much more terrifying than he looked.

How insecure would it be to carry a dagger with you?
"Then why didn't Your Majesty take action? In that situation just now, killing me would have been the best option, right?"

Guo Jia raised his own questions.

He thought about it from another perspective. If he were Liu Xie, he would definitely choose to kill or hold the person hostage.

But Liu Xie did not do so, but confronted him instead.

Liu Xie curled his lips and said, "If you were sent by Yuan Shao, what's the point of killing you? I still can't escape from Yecheng."

"Instead of dragging innocent people down with me, it is better to die with dignity and not disgrace my status as the emperor."

In fact, in addition to these two points, there is another point that Liu Xie did not mention.

That's because he couldn't do it.

In this era without guns, killing someone is not as simple as pulling a trigger. Instead, you have to actually stab the knife into someone's heart.

Even if it was for the sake of survival, Liu Xie still couldn't do it. Maybe this is the so-called womanly kindness, but what else can he do? He is just a poor college student who traveled through time and space. He has never killed a chicken, let alone a human.

"Your Majesty, this really surprises me."

Guo Jia sighed. He was certain that the emperor before him was no ordinary person and had been keeping a low profile.

He actually fooled everyone.

"Okay, I don't want to answer any of your questions now. Go away and don't disturb me while I'm fishing."

Liu Xie drove the man away impatiently.

Since Guo Jia has no intention of reporting him, then it's fine. After what happened just now, he has given up the idea of ​​​​subduing Guo Jia.

Because he found that this guy was not only a bit sinister, but also had a weird train of thought. When he heard that he wanted to kill someone, he was not afraid at all and was actually very interested in chatting with him?

"it is good."

Guo Jia was straightforward when he heard this. He stood up and saluted, saying, "I will take my leave now. I will come to see Your Majesty another day."

"you……"

Liu Xie only felt that he was hard and his fists were hard.

Coming here once isn’t enough, you need to come again in the future, right?

So he had to quickly call out to Guo Jia.

"Stay! I'll tell you!"

Out of desperation, Liu Xie had no choice but to compromise with Guo Jia.

He doesn't want to be bothered by this guy every day in the future.

"I am all ears."

Guo Jia stood up straight and spoke seriously, ready to listen carefully.

Liu Xie held the fishing rod in his hand, turned his back to Guo Jia, and said calmly: "Mencius once said: The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important."

"I ask you, what is the country and the people?"

Liu Xie, in turn, asked Guo Jia questions.

This question was too simple, and Guo Jia answered without hesitation: "Jiangshan refers to the country, and Sheji refers to the people's livelihood. This is Jiangshan Sheji."

Liu Xie continued to ask: "So for a king, which is more important, the country or the people?"

Guo Jia frowned. This question was much more difficult than the previous one.

Since ancient times, the country and the people have been put on the same level and are the same concept. It is really difficult to choose which one is more important.

"Your Majesty, please help me solve my doubts."

Liu Xie said: "Since ancient times, those who win the hearts of the people have won the world; those who lose the hearts of the people will perish; King Zhou of Shang and the tyrannical Qin are both precedents."

"The mountains and rivers are everlasting, and time cannot destroy them; but if the country is lost, the state will fall and the dynasty will perish. This is an eternal truth."

“The country and the people have never been two separate things, but countless people throughout history have misunderstood them, thinking that the country is the territory and the dynasty, and the people are the people. This is actually a big mistake.”

"Xunzi once said: Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

"I think this sentence should be interpreted like this: The boat is likened to the ruler, and the water is likened to the common people. The boat uses the power of the water to break through the waves and move forward. Water can exist without the boat, but the boat cannot exist without the water."

"The people are still the people without a king. If a king has no people, how can he be called a king? Even if he has a vast territory, it is nothing but a dead end."

"So the king's real kingdom is the people, not the land!"

Liu Xie quoted from classics and told the story in a leisurely manner.

This essay on the country and the people was a topic his tutor had once assigned him. He spent a long time writing it and had memorized all its contents.

Behind him, Guo Jia had already been stunned.

(End of this chapter)