Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4995: Confucian Skin and Dharma Bone
Everyone says that Confucianism is conservative and self-satisfied, but only Confucians themselves know that there is no other doctrine in the world that knows how to keep pace with the times and adapt flexibly. Otherwise, why has Confucianism been the only one to be passed down and prosper for thousands of years, while the rest have been lost in the tide of the times and buried in the wastelands of troubled times?

We must meet the king's needs and do what the king wants, only in this way can we last forever and be passed on from generation to generation.

When one day Confucianism becomes deeply rooted in people's hearts and takes root throughout the world, it will backfire on the imperial power and create the new world.

The whole world is a Confucian, and Confucianism is the world.

……

At some point, the biting cold wind weakened slightly, and snow began to fall from the sky. The snow was as heavy as goose feathers, and the mountains and gullies were vast.

When it snows, it's not so cold...

Kong Yingda drank his hot tea, a little puzzled: "Why are you so impatient?"

Yan Shigu sighed: "Time waits for no one!"

Without waiting for Kong Yingda to ask, he took the initiative to explain: "In today's world, Your Majesty has the heart to inspire, but not the power to defy heaven, and the imperial power is bound to fall. The Tang Dynasty has millions of troops stationed on the border, and is constantly expanding its territory on land and sea. The population is surging, and money is flowing in. It seems to be a prosperous and flourishing era, but in fact, people's hearts are floating, and the mud and sand are mixed. The previous social structure may be difficult to adapt to the changes in the current situation. If we cannot prepare in time, I am afraid that the foundation will be shaken, and we will either advance or retreat!"

In the past, Confucian scholars avoided the barren and dangerous sea as much as possible. In order to consolidate their own development and eliminate the hidden dangers of heresy, they spared no effort to promote the core doctrines of the land, bound people's thoughts to the land, and built the foundation of Confucianism.

But now the vast and surging ocean not only brings countless wealth that attracts the whole country, but also brings foreign thoughts and academics, which have dealt a fierce blow to the complacent Confucianists.

Kong Yingda seemed to be thinking about something.

It's not that he hasn't felt this impact, but he has always been at the center, with a high vantage point, and has a natural protective barrier around him, so he didn't feel it so clearly and deeply. Now, through Yan Shigu's reminder, he also realized the seriousness of the problem.

What is the core of Confucianism? It is "rulers rule, subjects serve, fathers are fathers, sons are sons" and "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness".

However, as the empire's territory continues to expand and people on the sea continue to gather, an idea of ​​"putting courtesy first" begins to impact people who are imprisoned by Confucianism. Confucianism says "the gentleman is concerned with righteousness, while the villain is concerned with profit." Now the "villain" is using massive wealth to tell the world that "profit" is important.

After all, wealth is the foundation of everything in the world. What's wrong with pursuing wealth and benefits?
Confucianism is facing severe challenges.

Kong Yingda stroked his beard, looked through the top of the curtain at the distant mountains and the heavy snow, and said slowly: "In this case, Fang Jun is the biggest enemy of my Confucianism."

Yan Shigu fully agrees: "Since the chaotic times of the Warring States Period and the contention of a hundred schools of thought, this is the greatest enemy ever encountered!"

Kong Yingda sighed and said, "I have also heard about what the navy and merchants did in foreign countries. Within the control area of ​​the navy, although Confucianism is vigorously promoted, the policies followed are those of the Legalists. The 'righteousness of a gentleman' is disdained, and 'a promise is worth a thousand gold' is not advocated. Everything must be signed and bound by a contract. Intrigue and deception are considered natural, and being honest and trustworthy is easy to suffer losses... Everything is bound by the provisions of the law. Saying 'anything is allowed unless prohibited by law' is simply heresy."

Yan Shigu poured out the tea leaves in the teapot and replaced them with new ones, while shaking his head and saying, "We can't blame them. After all, the foreign countries are all barbarians. Talking to them about 'benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness' is like talking to a cow. We can only restrict their behavior within rules and regulations and tell them clearly what they can and cannot do."

He poured the boiling water back into the teapot and brewed tea into the cup: "The barbarians fear power but not virtue. There is nothing wrong with governing in this way."

True Confucians will never show sympathy to barbarians. They claim to be righteous and repay evil with kindness, but in fact they are self-centered and vindictive. In their hearts, Chinese culture is supreme and all barbarians should bow down to them and be driven by them.

Those who cannot distinguish between slogans and core, and those who clamor to "measure China's material resources to win the country's favor", are just fake Confucians.

I have never understood the Confucian classics at all.

Kong Yingda nodded and said, "Governing by law is understandable, but it is contrary to the Confucian thought."

"That's right. Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are tangerines. Their leaves are similar, but their flavors are different. Why is that? Because the climate and soil are different. Confucianism is very popular in China and is regarded as a standard, but it is not suitable for foreign countries. Therefore, Confucianism must change and take the initiative to adapt to the development of the situation. It must not be arrogant, nor can it be complacent."

“How can we change it?”

"Govern people with the Confucian principles of 'benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness', and govern affairs with the Legalist principles of 'law, tactics and power'. Confucianism combines the two to make up for the shortcomings."

Kong Yingda frowned and thought for a long time before he sighed, "What do you mean by learning from each other's strengths and making up for one's weaknesses? It's nothing but a Confucian appearance and a legalistic body."

He had no objection to this.

However, the formation of Confucianism was by no means achieved overnight. It required long-term sedimentation and accumulation, and more importantly, the grasp of timing. It is even more difficult to add to and change it today, which cannot be accomplished overnight.

Fortunately, they are plentiful in the world.

As long as Confucianism is guided to embark on such a journey, its powerful integration nature will form a rigorous and thorough theory...

*****
Nowadays, most of the mountains, forests and gullies on the west slope of Mount Li are under the name of "Fang Family Farm". It is Fang Jun's territory, so he naturally knew about the sudden appearance of two "hooligans" on his territory and wandering around all day.

After all, the reputation of these two "hooligans" is too big. He specifically ordered everyone in the farm to act according to their own convenience, not to disobey any request, and to ensure their safety. If these two even stumbled in his territory, he might become the enemy of the entire Confucianism...

When he got off duty and came to Mount Li, he walked into this small pavilion in the mountain stream. He listened to the two Confucian masters talking about "inner sage and outer king" and "Confucian skin and legal bones", but he felt a little regretful.

In the greenhouse that the two men had just entered on their way here, there were corn seedlings being grown. However, the two most famous, highest-ranking, and most knowledgeable "intellectuals" of the time were still unable to realize the groundbreaking significance of the corn that the navy ships had brought back from America after crossing the ocean at the cost of life and death.

Seeing Fang Jun's disapproving expression, Yan Shigu felt that his knowledge was being looked down upon, and said with a glare, "The Grand Commandant is a master of poetry and lyrics, and is known as the most talented scholar in the world. But do you have a different opinion on my actions? If so, please feel free to enlighten me."

Fang Jun said helplessly, "I don't care about Confucianism or Legalism. Even though Mohism is taking shelter from me now, I don't have much hope for it. Every doctrine has its own soil suitable for its growth. Whether it thrives or dies, it's just the survival of the fittest. Instead of paying attention to 'inner sage and outer king' or 'Confucian skin and legalist bones', it's better to invest limited energy in the selection and cultivation of rice and corn. In my opinion, cultivating high-yield food and feeding more people is far more important than so-called political theories."

Whether it is Confucianism or Legalism, they are ultimately used to "govern people". If there are no people in the world, what is the point?
Let more people survive, make the nation's foundation more solid, and have greater ability to resist risks, this is what he should do and what he can do well.

When the life and death of hundreds of millions of people in the huge empire are no longer in the hands of one man, when people's wisdom is awakened and natural science is no longer suppressed by ignorance, he can retire after accomplishing his mission.

As for whether the method used to govern the country is Confucianism or Legalism, what does it matter?
Confucianism is like a little girl, who will embellish herself in various ways to cater to the needs of the times. Legalism is also a chameleon, who will hide in the bushes of Confucianism and lie dormant until the internal organs of Confucianism are hollowed out and filled with its own doctrines...

Kong Yingda asked: "In my opinion, you firmly believe in the power of Legalism and have even mastered it thoroughly. You can be regarded as the best Legalist of the time. You really won't resist the reform of Confucianism?"

Fang Jun drank a sip of tea, and said sincerely in a small pavilion under the heavy snow: "Nothing in the world is absolute. There has never been a perfect system or a perfect doctrine in the world. Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, and even the Hundred Schools of Thought all have their shortcomings, but they also have their merits. How to continuously blend them in the process of governing the world, taking the essence and discarding the dross, is the responsibility of you great Confucian scholars. My responsibility is to ensure that more people have enough food, to make the swords of the Tang Dynasty sharper and the cities stronger, to make the muskets more powerful and the artillery more far-reaching. We each perform our duties and show our strengths. Why worry that we cannot create an immortal grand plan and hegemony?"

His plan required the cooperation of Confucianism. After all, Confucianism had already penetrated the empire from top to bottom and was attached to the flesh and blood of the empire. Without the cooperation of Confucianism, it would be impossible to accomplish great things.

If one wants to break free from the restrictions and shackles of Confucianism, one must launch a massive people's war from the bottom up... This is absolutely impossible in the Tang Dynasty.

So he seized the opportunity today to express his intention to cooperate closely with Confucianism in exchange for Confucianism's support.

Yan Shigu looked at Kong Yingda and said with a wry smile: "This kid is very cunning. He said many good things, but I feel uneasy and dare not believe it."

Kong Yingda also had a hard time deciding: "The world is changing so fast, and I often feel out of date. Young people are so amazing."

Fang Jun smiled and said, "You two don't need to be so cautious. How about sending us a letter of surrender?"

The two great scholars were excited, and Yan Shigu couldn't wait to ask, "I would like to hear more about it!"

Fang Jun poured tea for the two of them and said, "Imperial Examination!"

Kong and Yan looked at each other, and the former said in dissatisfaction: "The imperial examination is a national policy, what does it have to do with us?"

The imperial examination is a national policy and must be firmly controlled by the emperor. How can it be granted to anyone easily?
Fang Jun said calmly: "The selection of candidates for the imperial examination is naturally decided by Your Majesty, but if the test questions are all from Confucian classics, why should we care about who is selected?"

It is Your Majesty's sole decision as to who to choose, and no one else can interfere.

But if the test questions are all from Confucian classics, the candidates selected will naturally be Confucian disciples. Why should we care about who is selected?
We are all Confucianists anyway.