Zhu Xiang's proposal was certainly not just about "conferring the gods". He gave a reason that the King of Qin could hardly refuse - to establish the legitimacy of the unification of Qin and achieve ideological unity by conferring the gods.
This matter has been verified many times in later history, and the first person to do it was Qin Shihuang.
In order to achieve true unification, Qin Shi Huang not only standardized the writing system and the wheel gauge, but also toured the country many times and offered sacrifices to the gods of various countries.
He traveled around the world not only to supervise the old nobles of the six countries, nor was he just seeking immortality.
At that time, it was important to "the gods do not accept those who are not of the same kind, and the people do not worship those who are not of the same clan". Qin Shihuang toured Mount Tai in the east and Yunmeng Lake in the south, and offered sacrifices to the main gods of various countries from the Central Plains to Chu. He also stipulated the standard of sacrifice, that is, to recognize the gods worshipped by other countries, to show the idea that "Qin unified the six kingdoms, not destroyed them".
Why is it said that among the four great civilizations, the other three ancient civilizations have disappeared, but only the Chinese civilization has continued to this day despite the change of dynasties? This can be explained by what Qin Shihuang is doing now.
After the invasion, a certain island country clamored that "there is no China after Yashan", and many people followed suit after reading the "historical research" of many island countries. As long as you read a few history books, you will find that whether it is the so-called Five Barbarians' Invasion of China during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, or the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, the unified writing established since the time of Qin Shihuang has always been one of their official writings. Even if they stipulated other official writings, the writing used by officials and the public has not changed.
"Text" is one of the carriers of civilization, and the second carrier is "ancestors" and "gods".
Although later dynasties established different state religions, the process of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors was laid down by Qin Shihuang when he toured the world, and was carried forward and integrated by the Han Dynasty, and has been continued by every dynasty and generation.
As long as writing and sacrifices are not destroyed, civilization will not be destroyed.
This was not only the case in later generations, but also in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and even earlier in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
Zhu Xiang handed the old King of Qin a thick document, which described the gods that the seven countries currently worshipped.
The gods worshipped in the Central Plains were roughly the same, and basically continued from the Zhou Dynasty. The gods worshipped in the Chu State were the most numerous and diverse, and were mainly based on the worship of mountains and rivers.
The Qin State's hard power has now reached the foundation for unifying the world, and all that remains is time.
Soldiers can seize land and population, but to make the people of the six states become Qin citizens, we need to use ideas. "Sacrifice" is the most important tool.
The King of Qin ostensibly "ennobled the gods" in the name of eliminating human sacrifice, but in fact he recognized the gods that were already worshipped in non-Qin areas, allowing the locals to continue their traditional sacrificial beliefs.
What people in that era feared most was not the destruction of the body, but the destruction of the sacrifice.
For the local scholars, the King of Qin gave the indigenous gods they originally worshipped higher sacrificial standards and incorporated them into the official sacrifices of the Qin State. They would have a feeling that "just a new monarch" was chosen.
This is what happened in later generations.
When a dynasty is corrupt, it should be replaced. The wise men of the world will go to a wise ruler, and the people of the world also look forward to a new unified dynasty. Most people will not be averse to changing dynasties, they only care about whether the emperor does a good job.
Zhu Xiang naturally would not say such profound words. He only told the King of Qin to include non-Qin gods into the official sacrificial system, and let the Qin court establish order for the chaotic pantheon, which would be beneficial to Qin's unification of the world.
Moreover, if Qin could accomplish this, not only would it not bring disaster upon itself, but it would become even more powerful. This would prove better than any vision that the King of Qin was the monarch chosen by heaven to unify the world.
Zhu Xiang's memorial was well-written and well-argued, just like his thesis.
While the King of Qin was convinced by Zhu Xiang, he also realized that Zhu Xiang had no reverence for the gods.
Only those who have no reverence for the gods would say things like "The fact that the Qin State was safe and sound after the gods were conferred shows that the Qin State was favored by God."
If it were any other king, they might have wondered whether Zhu Xiang had really learned something from the gods. But the old King of Qin, who already knew Zhu Xiang quite well, could only imagine Zhu Xiang's itchy face as he yelled, "He is ignorant and unconscious, what can he do to me?"
Zhu Xiang, oh Zhu Xiang, no matter how humble he appears, he is still so arrogant in his bones. I'm afraid no one can really make him surrender.
This is the most uncomfortable thing for King Qin.
Zhu Xiang followed proper etiquette: he bowed when he should, knelt when he should, and kowtowed when he should. But when the King of Qin looked at Zhu Xiang kneeling on the ground, he always had the illusion that "this person did not kneel".
"If even the gods cannot make him surrender, then the kings on earth probably cannot do that either." The old King of Qin thought so after reading Zhu Xiang's letter. His resentment towards Zhu Xiang was actually alleviated a lot.
The old King of Qin muttered, "Zhu Xiang is too arrogant," and summoned all the ministers into the palace overnight to work overtime with him.
These ministers will count the main sacrificial gods worshipped by various countries, and then argue for a sacrificial system for the old Qin King that will satisfy him and the world.
The old King of Qin said arrogantly that Qin would offer sacrifices not only to the lands it occupied, but also to the gods of the six countries that it had not conquered.
Let’s start from next year’s official sacrifice!
Xunzi was also summoned into the palace.
His serious old face, which had always had drooping mouth corners, now smiled so hard that the wrinkles on his face blossomed like flowers.
"Your Majesty, is this Zhu Xiang's idea?" Xunzi asked.
The old Qin King nodded: "Yes."
The ministers and officials showed an expression of "it's indeed him".
Prince Zhu, who already knew everything, pretended: "Why would Lord Changping make such a suggestion?"
The old King of Qin made a compassionate expression, sighed, and said, "When Zhu Xiang went to Yunmeng Lake to plant rice, he saw the people of Chu using the blood of an entire village to sacrifice to the gods. Alas, if the court did not manage the folk sacrifices, who knows how many common people would suffer misfortune."
The old King of Qin wiped away the tears from his eyes with great pity for the common people, and almost made the ministers below vomit out of disgust.
I get it, I get it. Zhu Xiang really could have compassion on the common people, but Your Majesty, could you please stop pretending
Xunzi smiled and said, "Since you are going to be the ruler of the world, you must naturally offer sacrifices to the gods of the world. It is not too early to start now."
The old Qin King stopped pretending and stroked his beard, saying, "That's how it should be."
Xunzi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, can you let me take charge of this matter?"
This was the first time that Xunzi took the initiative to take on a task in front of the old King of Qin. The other ministers looked at this Confucian leader with a little surprise.
But there is no one more suitable to do this than Xunzi, because Confucian disciples are the ones who know the official sacrifices best.
"Okay." The old King of Qin immediately appointed Xunzi as the prime minister and granted him the position of ceremonial officer.
If the chief academic officer of the Xianyang Academy was just an "extra-staff guest official", Xunzi was finally incorporated into the official court official system of the Qin State at this time and became a real "Qin civil servant".
Although Xunzi traveled around to study, he did not mind taking up official positions offered by other countries. However, he always stayed away from the courts of various countries. Although he held an official position, he could withdraw at any time.
Everyone thought that Xunzi came to Qin State, just like when he was in Qi State, just to teach students in the academy and spread his thoughts and opinions. Unexpectedly, Xunzi took the initiative to ask the King of Qin for a powerful official position and was willing to work for the King of Qin.
Those who originally did not attach much importance to this sacrifice now perked up and prepared to go back and think carefully about why Zhu Xiang's proposal to sacrifice to the gods of other countries would make this great Confucian change the habit of Confucian disciples not wanting to be officials in the Qin State and take the initiative to assist the old King of Qin, whom Confucian people must dislike very much.
Even the old King Qin himself was a little surprised.
He also thought that even with Zhu Xiang around, the limit for Confucian disciples after entering Qin would be to just hang around in the Xianyang Academy. At most, they could lead some young Confucian disciples to become officials, and those so-called great Confucian scholars would certainly continue to remain reserved.
Xunzi actually became an important official in charge of sacrifices beside him. This was a clear sign that Confucianism supported the Qin State.
The old King of Qin even wanted to wipe his face with his sleeve to see if he was hallucinating.
But now he had to show that everything was under control and treat Xunzi's "surrender" calmly.
With Xunzi as a professional, the old King of Qin only had to wait.
Xunzi even thoughtfully helped him draft the edict to confer the title of the gods. After the old King of Qin read the edict drafted by Xunzi, which said, "It is difficult for me to do this, but for the sake of the people of the world, I have to do this," he silently tore up his own domineering edict.
He realized that he might have underestimated this Confucian who was always talking about benevolence, righteousness and morality.
Perhaps Confucianism’s “weakness” is not really “weakness” and it also has its merits.
The Qin State has always governed the country according to the Legalist doctrine, but this does not mean that the Qin State excludes doctrines other than the Legalist doctrine.
How could the king of Qin be a supporter of a school of thought? The kings of Qin chose the Legalists simply because they were useful.
If there are other theories that are useful, the King of Qin will accept them.
This is the right way.
From then on, Confucianism officially entered the Qin court.
After returning to the courtyard, Xunzi couldn't help laughing again when he took the handwritten document from Zhu Xiang that the old King of Qin handed to him.
Han Fei asked curiously, "Why is Xunzi so happy?"
Xunzi said: "I used to think that although Zhu Xiang studied Confucianism, he was not a Confucian. But now it seems that if he is not a great Confucian, who else in this world dares to call himself a great Confucian?"
Xunzi handed Zhu Xiang's handwritten document to Han Fei and said, "But you may have other feelings after reading this document."
Han Fei respectfully unfolded the document and read it carefully.
Only after Xunzi drank a cup of water soaked with wolfberries that Zhu Xiang brought from the south did Han Fei put down the document and let out a long sigh, as if Han Fei was too serious when reading and had not dared to breathe properly.
"I thought that using laws to restrain the common people, restrain scholars, and even restrain the nobles and the monarchs was the ultimate ideal of the Legalists." Han Fei smiled bitterly, "I didn't expect that Duke Zhu Xiang would actually ask mortals to make laws to restrain the gods."
Xunzi reminded: "You don't stutter anymore."
Han Fei blushed: "Scared, scared!"
Xunzi laughed and said, "If Zhu Xiang scares you a few more times, you will be able to speak fluently."
Han Fei stammered, "Longevity, life span is also short."
Xunzi laughed again.
After laughing enough, Xunzi said, "Regulating sacrifices has always been what Confucianists have been trying to do, but they have never been able to figure it out. Zhu Xiang opened up my mind. What are immortals and gods? What are demons and monsters? Those who benefit the people are immortals and gods, and those who harm the people are demons and monsters. Since the emperor is appointed by heaven, he naturally has the power to restrain the minor gods on earth. Sacrifice is both a respect for the gods and a restraint on them."
He smiled and sighed, "I hope I can live a few more years to see the completion of the sacrificial system that Confucianism hopes for."
From gods in heaven to gods on earth, from ancestors to sages, all gods should be included in the official sacrificial system of the court.
If this can be achieved, the ideal of the Confucian sages will be achieved one small step further.
"What about you? What do you want to do when you see this document?" Xunzi asked.
Han Fei hesitated for a long time, lowered his head and remained silent.
Xunzi said, "Think about it carefully. I just borrowed Zhu Xiang's documents and will return them to you in a few days. Please help me copy a few copies."
Han Fei said respectfully, "Yes, Xunzi."
He discovered that Xunzi used to call him "King of Qin" in private, but now he called him "Your Majesty".
After Xunzi left, Han Fei looked at Zhu Xiang's documents for a long time without saying a word, and then he held his head and sobbed.
After Han Fei copied a document from Zhu Xiang to the King of Qin, he asked his new friend Li Si to copy a few more copies together and sent them to the Xianyang Academy according to Xunzi's request.
Afterwards, many students rushed to copy Zhu Xiang's letter respectfully requesting the King of Qin to "confer the title to the gods", and paper was in great demand in Xianyang for a time.
The first time Li Si came into contact with Zhu Xiang's calligraphy, he wrapped himself in his quilt at night and burst into tears.
The torture he endured from Han Fei finally paid off!
If he persists for a few more years, he will be able to meet Duke Zhu Xiang in person when Duke Zhu Xiang returns to Xianyang!
Perhaps most young scholars have arrogance in their hearts. Zhu Xiang's letter, which was considered unorthodox by many ministers, was recognized and praised by almost all young students in Xianyang.
They buried their heads in the bamboo slips, searching for records from various places about their ancestors' battles with evil gods.
Apart from other things, even the number of evil gods killed by Dayu during his flood control was too numerous to count. It was not the first time that our ancestors had used mortals to rival the gods.
Even the Confucian disciples who claim to be the most weak and timid can bring out the stories of their own sages to prove this point - Tan Tai Mieming, one of the 72 sages of Confucius, crossed the river and killed the dragon. The dragon was the river god.
Disciples from other schools responded with an attitude of "As expected of you".
Why is it not surprising that a Confucian disciple alone with a sword goes to kill an evil god that blocks his way? It is what a Confucian would do!
Li Si listened with great yearning and wondered whether he should abandon Legalism and join Confucianism.
But he looked at his small arms and legs and gave up the idea. He was afraid that he would be ridiculed by Confucian disciples if he did not meet the six standards of a gentleman. He could not win the debate, so forget it.
The Confucian disciples of the Xianyang Academy mentioned Tan Tai Mieming, and Zhu Xiang happened to meet Tan Tai Mieming's disciples.
Although Tan Tai Mieming was from Lu, in order to spread Confucius' teachings, he went to the then barbarian state of Chu to teach, and more than 300 people followed him.
In later generations, Jiangxi became a place with flourishing culture. After the imperial examination was introduced, many successful candidates in the imperial examination emerged in every dynasty. This is the root of the problem.
As Li Mu gained a firm foothold in Eyi, the territory south of the Yangtze River that originally belonged to the State of Chu was gradually encroached upon by the State of Qin, and these Confucian disciples had the opportunity to pay a visit to Zhu Xiang.
They were very curious about Xunzi.
Although Xunzi is the de facto leader of Confucianism today, there are many people who oppose him because he has scolded most of the 72 Confucian sages.
Therefore, the people who were most dissatisfied with Xunzi were not people from other schools of thought, but the Confucians.
Zhu Xiang was a disciple of Xunzi, so naturally they wanted to find trouble with him.
But Zhu Xiang was a well-known sage, and they were embarrassed to find fault with him, so they wanted to communicate with him before deciding what to do next.
As a result, before they got the chance to meet Zhu Xiang, they heard that Zhu Xiang was going to destroy the gods with his sword, put down the chaos of gods in Chu, and establish a complete official sacrificial system.
The Confucian disciples immediately put on their tall Chu crowns and without waiting, came to pay a visit to Zhu Xiang, hoping to follow him.
Zhou Li is the introductory course for Confucian disciples. All Confucian disciples recognize the official sacrifices of the Zhou Dynasty more.
The State of Chu was a place where ghost and god culture flourished, and its sacrificial culture was very different from the Zhou rituals. The Confucian disciples in Southern Chu had long been dissatisfied, but there was nothing they could do.
Now they have a sense of relief that they have a backer and are about to hold their heads high.
Have you finally waited for this day
I heard that their predecessor followed Tan Tai Mieming, one of the 72 sages, and killed any god that stood in his way. It's a pity that their learning is not good enough.
Zhu Xiang's reputation was almost the same as that of the ancestor Tan Tai Mieming whom they had heard of.
Before they met Zhu Xiang, they had imagined many elegant images of him in their minds.
When they got the chance to meet Zhu Xiang, Zhu Xiang was squatting in the field eating noodles.
Next to Zhu Xiang, there was a fat baby wearing fine linen clothes, squatting and eating noodles with Zhu Xiang.
After seeing someone coming, Zhu Xiang said, "Wait, I'll finish it in a few more bites."
The fat baby glanced at them with a dignified look, picked up the bowl and ate it.
The two of them are eating sauerkraut noodles now.
The weather in the south is the best for fermenting sauerkraut, and Yunmeng Lake is also rich in various green vegetables. Zhu Xiang used rice washing water, well salt, pepper and chili to pickle shepherd's purse and kohlrabi. Today, when he felt tired, he took the sauerkraut out of the jar, chopped it up, stir-fried it with lard, poured it into water and ate it with noodles.
The sauerkraut noodles were sour and delicious, which whetted the appetite of the uncle and nephew, who originally had little appetite. After eating, not only did they replenish the lost salt, but the heat in their bodies also rose as they sweated profusely, making them feel refreshed all over.
"Are you hungry? Do you want to have a bowl?" Zhu Xiang asked.
The neatly dressed Confucian disciple from Nanchu: "..."
If it were someone else, they would have reprimanded him for his improper etiquette. But since the person in front of them was the world-famous Duke Xiang of Zhu, they really didn't know how to respond.
Ying Xiaozheng stretched out his hand: "If they don't want to eat, give me another bowl."
"We'll eat it in the evening." Zhu Xiang said, "It's enough to fill your stomach in the afternoon."
Ying Xiaozheng reached out his hand persistently: "Another bowl."
Zhu Xiang retreated and gave Ying Xiaozheng another small bowl of noodles: "You really don't want to eat?"
According to etiquette, they shouldn't eat it. But this was a delicacy made by Zhu Xianggong himself, and it smelled and looked delicious, so they were really greedy.
Zhu Xiang saw their expressions and said with a smile, "Forget it. You probably can't squat here and eat like me. I'll invite you again tomorrow."
"I, I'll have a bowl!" A big man couldn't help but said, "Haven't we squatted on the roadside to eat when we were on the road?"
The other companions all looked down on this fellow disciple and showed embarrassed expressions towards Zhu Xiang.
Ying Xiaozheng sneered. If you want to eat, just eat. Why are you pretending? Tons, ton, ton.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Xiang had people take out all the noodles, put them in a full bowl, and let them help themselves.
The Confucian disciples immediately became alert.
Dividing rice is roughly equivalent to dividing meat during a sacrifice. This is a test of their knowledge!
They quickly selected the most knowledgeable person to be the one to distribute the noodles in an orderly manner, and then looked at Zhu Xiang with dog eyes.
Zhu Xiang: “?”
Although he didn't know why they were so serious, he could understand the expressions of these students and cooperated, "Well done."
The Confucian disciples of Nanchu smiled as if they were drunk.
Ying Xiaozheng shook his head, sighed, picked up the noodles and continued to eat.
Lard and sauerkraut noodles are really delicious, the more you eat, the more appetizing it becomes.
After everyone finished eating the noodles, Zhu Xiang gave them some coarse tea to rinse their mouths, then he spread some hay mats under the shade of the trees, asked everyone to sit down, and listened to their questions.
After eating, Ying Xiaozheng lay on Zhu Xiang's knees and soon fell asleep.
Zhu Xiang poked his fat nephew's cheek and said, "You feel sleepy after eating. You are not the First Emperor, you are a piglet."
"Duke Zhu Xiang, are you really Duke Zhu Xiang?" asked the leader.
Zhu Xiang laughed: "Do you think I look like an old farmer, not a great scholar? Don't forget, I am a farmer."
The leader awkwardly smoothed the laces of his crown and said, "No, no... I..."
Zhu Xiang said: "The 72 sages of Confucius have different identities and habits, so Confucius scolded all his disciples."
Zhu Xiang blinked at them and said, "But according to the Analects, most of the disciples who were scolded by Confucius did not change after repeated teachings, and they remained the same."
The Confucian disciples of Nanchu were stunned.
They immediately lowered their heads to think about the records about the 72 sages of Confucius in the Confucian classics, and then found to their embarrassment that what Zhu Xianggong said was actually correct.
Confucius scolded his disciples for their bad habits, and they would usually remain like that until they died. Although Confucius was his teacher, his disciples also had their own persistence and character. Although they would not contradict him, they would also sincerely admit their mistakes and would not change despite repeated teachings.
"If I were Confucius to be his teacher, he would probably scold me for not dressing properly every day, but it is more likely that he would not care what I wear at all." Zhu Xiang said, "As long as I can practice what Confucius said about benevolence, then Confucius would recognize me as his disciple. You see, Confucius scolded the 72 sages so harshly, but he did not expel them."
Zhu Xiang said proudly: "So Xunzi will not disown me as his disciple."
The Confucian disciples of Nanchu were in mixed feelings.
This Duke Zhu Xiang was completely different from what they had imagined. He didn’t look like a great sage at all, but more like their... senior brother
They looked at Zhu Xiang's face.
Although Zhu Xiang's hair was as white as snow (even though they had never seen snow), his face was very young. When they thought about the rumors about Zhu Xiang again, Zhu Xiang seemed... seemed to be the same age as them.
No, Duke Zhu Xiang is younger than most of us. The Nanchu Confucian disciples suddenly realized this.
They were able to travel when they were already adults, and most of them were approaching 30. Although Zhu Xiang was very famous, he did not seem to be very old.
After realizing this, they felt like they had lived in vain.
Is this a saint
After seeing that this group of Nanchu Confucian disciples were no longer restrained, Zhu Xiang asked them again if they had anything they wanted to learn.
The Confucian disciples of Southern Chu found Zhu Xianggong amiable and amiable and sought advice from him in order of age.
From Confucian classics to historical allusions, to the national policies of the seven countries today, as well as Zhu Xiang's own experience, and the current matter of destroying the gods, they had too many questions to ask Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang answered them one by one.
When Ying Xiaozheng woke up, he rubbed his eyes with his little fists and yawned loudly. Zhu Xiang held the bamboo tube and drank water while he was still replying.
The sun has already set.
The waiter lit up some mosquito repellent incense, and the smoke curled around Zhu Xiang and the surrounding Confucian disciples of Southern Chu.
Ying Xiaozheng still thought he was still dreaming.
He rubbed his eyes with his little fists again, but was stopped by Zhu Xiang.
"Don't rub it with your hands." Zhu Xiang took out a handkerchief, dipped it in water and washed Ying Xiaozheng's face.
Ying Xiaozheng tilted his head back, closed his eyes and asked Zhu Xiang for help.
Zhu Xiang also tidied up Ying Xiaozheng's loose long-sleeved linen clothes and smoothed his hair.
Although cotton is soft, it is still cooler to wear fine linen clothes in summer.
"It's getting late, let's go back first." Zhu Xiang stopped preaching and answering questions today, "I will stay here for a long time, one day is not a big deal."
The Confucian disciples respectfully paid homage to Zhu Xiang as their teacher.
At this moment, they no longer doubted Zhu Xiang's identity as a great sage. They were proud to have the opportunity to listen to Zhu Xiang's teachings.
After that, the images of the teachers worshipped by the Confucianists in Southern Chu were not only Tan Tai Mieming, one of the 72 sages of Confucius, but also the present-day Duke Zhu Xiang.
As for Xunzi, →_→.
Zhu Xiang returned to the courtyard where he was temporarily staying and arranged for the disciples of the Southern Chu Confucian School to live near the disciples of the Xianyang Academy that he had brought with him.
Ying Xiaozheng, who was carried home by Zhu Xiang because of laziness, laughed and said, "Uncle, will they fight tonight?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Not really?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "There will definitely be a quarrel!"
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "That's for sure."
Not to mention that the students at the Xianyang Academy learned from different schools of thought, even if they all came from the same Confucian school, they would definitely quarrel.
He just hoped that they wouldn't draw their swords and engage in a fight, otherwise he would have to punish them by making them work.
"The Confucian disciples in Southern Chu are more free and easy than those in the north." Zhu Xiang said, "Maybe it's because they live together with the southern barbarians."
Ying Xiaozheng slid down from Zhu Xiang's back and yawned, "Uncle, what do you mean by free and easy? Can't you just say that it seems more courageous? The Confucian disciples lived together with the southern barbarians who didn't know etiquette, so they probably had a lot of fights."
Zhu Xiang pinched Ying Xiaozheng's nose and said, "What kind of fight is that? That's called persuasion."
Ying Xiaozheng rolled his eyes at his uncle very impolitely. Persuading with swords and fists is also called persuasion, but persuasion is not such an inconvenient thing, right
Why are the Confucians I met in my dreams all so hypocritical? Not as interesting as the Confucians around Xunzi
Ying Xiaozheng yawned again: "Uncle, I'm hungry again."
"Zheng'er is growing up, he gets hungry quickly." Zhu Xiang touched Ying Xiaozheng's belly, and it was indeed flat again. He shook his head and went to cook for the fat nephew who had eaten his uncle's house out of money.
The visit of Confucian disciples from Southern Chu to Zhu Xiang indeed sparked a chaotic debate with the disciples of the Xianyang Academy.
According to the report from Meng Wu who went to see the excitement, the scene where the academy disciples and the Nanchu Confucian disciples were arguing included sword dancing and archery, and the scene became intense.
Meng Wu: "I think they can all become brave generals after they enter the military camp."
Zhu Xiang held his forehead with his hand.
However, there is no acquaintance without fighting. After several debates, the disciples of the Confucian school in Southern Chu claimed that they had accepted the teachings of Duke Zhu Xiang and were considered disciples of the Xianyang Academy, and joined the students of the Xianyang Academy.
When they learned that Zhu Xiang stayed here to help farmers reclaim wasteland, these Confucian disciples immediately took off their tall Chu crowns and wide Chu robes, wrapped their hair with headscarves, changed into short brown clothes with narrow sleeves, and walked in the fields with the disciples of the academy.
Zhu Xiang was very surprised.
The Confucian disciples of Southern Chu laughed and said, "Encouraging people to farm and weave is also a part of education. When Master Tan Tai led his three hundred disciples to travel around Southern Chu, in addition to lecturing, he also encouraged people to be diligent in farming and weaving."
After hearing this, Zhu Xiang felt that Confucianism has gradually been integrated into the doctrines of other schools.
Confucians believed that the small peasant economy in which men farmed and women weaved was also part of good customs. They also accepted Guan Zhong's idea that one must first have enough food and clothing before learning etiquette, so they attached great importance to agriculture and sericulture.
Due to geographical reasons, most common people in Chu State did not cultivate their own fields carefully.
When Tan Tai Mieming entered Southern Chu, it was an even more desolate place, and some small tribal states even made a living by fishing and hunting.
Therefore, when the Confucian disciples who followed Tan Tai Mieming traveled around, they did not just talk and give lectures, but more importantly, they persuaded farmers to reclaim wasteland, cultivate and weave, and settle down in villages.
Only in this way can they spread their ideas.
Ideas have always been inseparable from economy.
Although the Confucian disciples in the north were in the midst of war, they were still considered a "civilized society", unlike the Confucian disciples in the south who needed to "reclaim wasteland". Therefore, the Confucian disciples in the south acted more freely and bravely.
With the help of this group of Nanchu Confucian disciples who were very familiar with the local natives, Zhu Xiang's work efficiency improved a lot, and he finally had the opportunity to write novels.
He didn't want to build a mythology system of his own.
Myths must be rooted in generations, so compared to people of later generations like me who have too many fantasy novels in their heads, people of this era can rate and classify the gods they worship.
Zhu Xiang guessed that Xunzi might be able to help.
Confucianism places the greatest emphasis on sacrifices. Seeing that he has messed up, Xunzi should be able to clean up this mess for himself, right
When Zhu Xiang thought of this, he couldn't help but shrink his neck.
He had already anticipated how he would be beaten when he returned to Xianyang.
Xunzi's ruler really hurts.
After Zhu Xiang handed over the sacrificial ceremony to the King of Qin, he did not plan to take care of it. He only did what he was good at, such as writing fantasy novels.
He had been baptized by so many fantasy novels, so it was easy for him to write a legend about a mortal slaying an evil god.
Whenever Zhu Xiang was writing novels by lamplight, Ying Xiaozheng would sit on a high chair, his chin supported by his hands, his little feet dangling, waiting for Zhu Xiang to finish a section and then tell him the story.
My uncle always has a lot of interesting stories, and these interesting stories can give him some insight into the principles of governing a country and its people.
However, my uncle himself probably didn't realize this. He just wanted to write a story about how one man can triumph over nature.
After he wrote a small book about Zhu Xiang's story, novelists from Chu came to him on their own initiative.
However, before they could make any effort, the Confucian disciples of Xianyang Academy and Southern Chu had already brought out their own expanded stories from the classics.
There are too many stories of mortals slaying gods in the classics. First of all, for example, the Battle of Zhulu, isn’t this a battle between gods
Even in the local mythology of the Chu State, which worshipped ghosts and gods, there are stories about ghosts and gods that went too far and were killed by Chu warriors.
Chu people: Do you think I don’t kill gods
All the people in the seven countries are the same, so no one should laugh at anyone else. Who hasn't killed a god
Because Li Mu is now only clearing the former Southern Chu land south of Eyi that has not yet surrendered to Qin. This area was abandoned when the King of Chu and the nobles gave up Eyi, so the King of Chu and the great nobles of Chu are now very relaxed.
The King of Chu had a new hobby of collecting novels, especially those written by Duke Zhu Xiang, which he liked the most.
Chunshen Jun also had an additional job of discussing novels with the King of Chu every day. The two of them would get together and talk about things, just like those middle school students in later generations who would read novels all night long.
The King of Chu finished reading another story and said to Chunshen Jun: "I should also confer a title on the gods!"
Chunshen Jun bowed and said, "Your Majesty is right!"
The King of Chu summoned all the great nobles to a banquet and mentioned the matter of conferring an imperial decree on the gods.
This time all the great nobles attended the banquet and agreed to the King of Chu's proposal.
They also read Zhu Xianggong's novel. If their ancestors could kill gods, what would it matter if they, the descendants, conferred a deity? Besides, they were only stipulating the level of sacrifice, which was not an act of usurpation.
They heard that the King of Qin wanted to confer titles on all the gods in the world. They were not so arrogant. Wasn't it possible for him to confer titles on his own country's gods
Not only the King of Chu, the rulers of the other five countries also thought so.
After suffering multiple blows, King Zhao sat up in shock from his dying illness and asked the very old Lord Pingyuan about the enthronement of the gods.
Most of the gods in the Central Plains are in the Three Jins. The Zhao State should pay the most attention to the matter of worshiping the gods and should not let the Qin State take the lead.
The most important things for a country are sacrifices and wars. Although Pingyuan Jun was already ill, he got up from his sickbed and prepared for this.
As he was working, he found it difficult to find colleagues to help him.
In the past, Lord Pingyuan only needed to recommend talents to King Zhao, and he would have his own talents to help him do things. Now he looked around at a loss and found that he could only rely on himself and a few royal family members who were not confused.
When did Zhao State suffer from such a decline in talent
Pingyuan Jun wiped away his tears twice, gritted his teeth and supported his sick body to continue processing documents.
As Zhao exerted its strength, other Central Plains states did not want to be outdone. They summoned their officials and formulated strategies for official sacrifices.
Although they did not all use the term "conferring the gods", their methods were similar. Zhu Xiang's letter to the King of Qin was taken from the Xianyang Academy to all parts of the six kingdoms and copied by people.
The news of Zhu Xiang's attack on the gods in Yunmeng Lake spread, and kings of various countries followed suit, cutting down mountains and destroying temples to show that their thrones were recognized by the gods.
Later feudal dynasties continued this tradition, and there were even movements to destroy Buddhism, Taoism and foreign religions.
Some people say that Zhu Xiang was trying to break feudal superstition, while others say that Zhu Xiang violated freedom of belief. Each has its own reason, and no one can convince the other.
However, the debate about whether some of Zhu Xiang's actions were right or wrong has become a separate discipline. The Chinese have been arguing about this for two thousand years and still haven't figured it out, so this is not a big deal.
With many more helpers and Li Mu and Meng Wu constantly sending prisoners of war to reclaim wasteland and kill snails, Zhu Xiang was busy for half a year. Finally, he could hand over the follow-up matters to others and took Ying Xiaozheng to Eyi to rest.
Li Bing has returned to Shu County, Zhang Ruo has taken off his armor and returned to being the county magistrate, and Meng Wu continues to guard Yunmengze.
Li Mu prepared a large mansion in Eyi, and also dug a small river for Ying Xiaozheng using running water filtered through stones and sand, saying that he wanted to teach Ying Xiaozheng how to fight on water.
In his spare time, Zhu Xiang would wander the streets pretending to be a storyteller, while Li Mu would hold Ying Xiaozheng in his arms and stand in the audience to cheer him up and give him tips.
And so it’s time for autumn harvest again.
(End of this chapter)