warring states careerist

Chapter 231 Spear Penetrating the Five-Step Alliance ([-])

The Chu people withdrew their troops due to defeat, and the city also counterattacked as a matter of routine, until the Chu army held down the ground with archers and elites before returning.

Mozi isolated the top of the city, looking sadly at the corpses and wounded that the Chu people had no time to take away.

He is not afraid of killing, nor is he afraid of death or injury, but he has always wondered why the monarchs of the world insist on launching wars?
According to the sages he mentioned for festivals and funerals, coupled with the familiar Tianzhi machinery and those wonderful crops, 20 years of development and gathering, no matter how you look at it, the benefits of war are higher.

He thought, perhaps, it is really difficult to explain everything in the world with reason.

When the Mohists and the city warriors who fought back under the city returned, the inside of the city also came to bring good news.

"Juzi, Gong Zao Ye and Shi are already preparing the oath of the Song Gong alliance, but they need you to come forward in person. After all, the oath between the monarch and the six ministers always requires a person of sufficient status."

The disciple who reported back had a happy expression on his face, the battle near the palace did not happen, and when they took people to go there, the two sides quickly stopped fighting.

Because the Mohists made it clear that they wanted to help Song Gong, who was weak at the time, and compared to those nobles, the people believed more in the Mohist children who had been quietly influencing the Mohists for several years in Shangqiu.

All kinds of treaties and covenants, those are the contents that Mozi knows, he is not worried about the content, and he should indeed come forward in terms of identity.

Mozi watched the outside of the city for a long time and said, "The people of Chu have retreated in an elite manner. It will take at least another hour to organize another attack on the city. By then it will be too late. The people of Chu cannot attack the city today."

After observing carefully for a while, Mozi told the disciple, "Tell the disciples on the city wall to rest quickly and have a good meal. If they can fall asleep, they can sleep now. Only the inspectors will be left behind."

The disciple didn't ask any other questions, he took the order and went to inform. Mozi took another look at the movement of the Chu people, confirmed his judgment, and went down the tower with several disciples accompanying him.

Outside the palace, preparations for the oath are already underway.

White horses, black cattle and other sacrifices to the Emperor of Heaven were ready, and the people stood around with spears, and the rest of the soldiers were also separated.

Gong Zaoye held his sword and stared vigilantly at the movement around him. He was very disturbed by this bloodless "Tang-Wu Revolution".

Shi had told him before that this was no different from the Tang-Wu revolution, and the reason why there would be no bloodshed at this time was because it was not over yet, and more blood would be shed in the future.

Gong Zaoye didn't know how long after this, so he was worried that these people would repent.

Shi is not worried that these people will go back on their word. While curbing the royal power, they also force the royal power to use civilians to fight against the nobles. For the Song Kingdom, which has no external wars within ten years, it can only be regarded as seemingly peaceful.

Today's covenant is not the end at all, but a ten-year truce.

Ten years later, when all parties know how to fight for their own interests, this covenant will be meaningless, and the real "coup d'état" will be at that time.

As in the past, only nobles and soldiers participated in the coup, which is really changing the soup but not the medicine.

When everything is ready, these people present need to take two oaths.

One was a ten-year agreement with the Mohist as a mediator.

The other time is the interest needs of the people and political change.

Just like the second military elimination meeting, not only the monarch but also the fief officials of various countries participated in the covenant oath. Only those with strength and fiefdom can maintain the stability of the covenant.

Whether the Song State will be destroyed, or whether it can survive in the normal Warring States era, is not a question that should be considered.

The state of Song is too small to shake the world.

But Song State is in the world, with Jin in the north and Chu in the south, Qilu in the east and Zheng Han in the west, but it can easily spread some things to the world.

After Mozi and his attendant disciples arrived, the nobles and the monarch first allyed with Mozi to mediate the three clauses, that within ten years they would not fight again, and they would not harm each other.

The aristocrats of the Song Dynasty were very familiar with this kind of thing. Many coups, co-government by the three surnames, Sicheng appointment office, etc., were basically similar to this incident.

The only difference is that it was just an oath before, and it was supervised by ghosts, gods and emperors.

This time, there was an extra Mohist who belonged to the mediator as a supervisor, and the Mohism guaranteed that no matter who violated the three covenants, they would help those who did not violate the counterattack.

The Mohist can defend the city, and they can also incite the people at this time. As for how strong the Mohist is in field battles, no one knows yet.

Once known, the covenant will be stronger.

These three covenants can be regarded as a compromise, and they can also be regarded as the helplessness of the aristocratic enfeoffment system at that time, and they are also the only conditions acceptable to the three noble families.

More importantly, the power of Emperor Sicheng and Liuqing has not been reduced, and the power of Song Gong has not been strengthened. This strange and stable balance can be maintained after Mo Zhe demonstrates his field combat ability.

If it was for the sake of strengthening the Song Dynasty, Shi would definitely find a way to help Song Gong suppress the nobles, but he has no interest in this and has no obligation to Song Gong, let alone the slightest personal feelings.

Now it is only for a balance, a balance between the monarch, the nobles, and the common people. Once this balance is established, some of the downcast class in the Song Dynasty will not only be attached to the nobles and the monarch because they have another way to rise.

As for the other oath with the people, it is reasonable, but unexpected.

People in the capital have the right to participate in politics, at least they used to have it.

Back then when Wu State ruled hegemony, he convened a meeting of princes from various countries. Marquis Wei waited and watched the situation, and did not go to the meeting until Wu State's hegemony was irreversible.

The Dazai Pi, who had accepted bribes and offered slander to let Gou Jian go and force Wu Zixu, asked why Marquis Wei was late, and even planned to detain Marquis Wei.

But Marquis Wei's reason is: "For the sake of the crowd, whether the crowd wants it or not, it's time to come."That is to say, he asked the people of the capital for their opinions on whether to come. It's useless, and it will only arouse the rebellious hearts of the people of the defending country.

This reason persuaded Dazai Pi to give up the idea of ​​detaining Marquis Wei.

However, before the alliance between Shangqiu and Shangqiu today, even if people in the capital could participate in politics, the content of their participation in politics was limited.

Basically only three points can be involved.

Fight and form alliances, move the capital, and give up the throne to the rest of the princes.

Apart from these three points, there seems to be no precedent for participating in politics, especially such things as making laws and reducing taxes.

However, because of the previous three points, it is reasonable to participate in politics itself, but the content of the discussion of politics does not conform to past conventions.

After all, it is not a precedent in form, but a precedent in content, and there are not many unacceptable voices of opposition.

The representatives of the people who were pushed out, with a bit of excitement and anxiety, with the help of the Mohists who are familiar with the oath process, completed the oath with the monarch and nobles at the next head, and formed an alliance with the Emperor of Heaven.

Shi and others are not qualified to participate in this oath, and stand behind.

Gong Zaoye asked in a low voice, "Is this the end?"

Shaking his head with a smile, he said softly, "This is just the beginning. How to collect taxes? How to implement taxes? How to make laws? This is the end."

"But, how much tax is collected? How much tax is paid? What kind of law is made? This is where the real interests lie."

"Where's the end? It's just the beginning. Once the siege is over, the troubles are yet to come."

Gong Zaoye nodded, and asked in a low voice: "The people are naturally unwilling to tax more, and the monarch must want to tax more. Is the noble's fief taxed? All these things, isn't it true that no matter how much you discuss, there is no result?"

Shi smiled and said: "It's better to have results. If there is no result, then it's just to see who has more strength. Does the monarch have strength? I don't think so."

Gong Zaoye said: "That's what I'm worried about. When we were discussing before, we said that we should agree on how to collect taxes, so that the princes and nobles will not recognize it once the siege is over."

Shi quietly pointed at those people and said: "Even if it is agreed in advance, once the siege is over, they should deny it or not. Could it be that it was agreed in advance, the oath is made, and the ghosts, gods and heavenly emperors supervise, so they will not violate it?"

"Besides, there are so many things, how can it be so easy to agree on them? The people should gradually understand what they want, so that they will know how precious what they have won, and will spend their energy to protect it."

Gong Zaoye thought for a while and asked, "For example, people by the river don't cherish water. People in mountains and forests don't cherish wood. But people who dig wells hundreds of feet away in dry land will always cherish water; People in cities without firewood will always cherish firewood. Is it the same reason?"

Shi nodded and shook his head, only said that it was about the same, and Gong Zaoye didn't ask any more questions.

Looking at the open space again, the people are already making an oath with the monarch and nobles. As long as the monarch does not violate these conditions, they will firmly support Song Gong at this time.

Conversely, that is to say, if Song Gong does not abide by these oaths, then it will be nothing more than another coup like today, and change to a monarch who can abide by it.

Even though according to the established custom, the people are not qualified to get involved in the throne, the Mohists' theory of choosing the emperor has not yet prevailed in the world.However, it is still possible to choose a suitable successor from the public office.

Even if countries want to interfere, they have no excuses, and they have to be afraid that this is a matter of "conspiracy", so they will probably not send troops.

It's not that the Song Dynasty has never changed its monarch. As long as it is in the official office, basically all major countries recognize it.

Originally, if the six ministers of the nobles got involved, they might be attacked by various countries to maintain Zhou etiquette.But now there is a trick of dividing the princes of the three families in the largest country of the Jin Dynasty. In fact, the rituals of Zhou have been broken, and the nobles of the Song Dynasty also have a chance to climb to the throne.

The so-called selection of the Son of Heaven by the Mohists does not sound like too many people would object at this time, because the aristocrats monopolize culture and knowledge at this time, so wise men must be nobles, and those who can be selected as the Son of Heaven seem to be saying Everyone in the world has a chance, in fact, it is within the nobles and the public, so there is no big disturbance.

After these people have finished their vows, the seemingly simple and bloodless reform has been completed, but in fact this is just the beginning.

Shi Shi understands that more blood and greater chaos are the follow-up of this seemingly bloodless change, and this is just the beginning, not the end.

(End of this chapter)