Chapter 35: Hundreds of Schools Cultivating Soldiers
In the second year of the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian set out from Chang'an on the order of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. With the Hu man Ganfu as his guide, he led more than 100 people on an envoy to the Western Regions and opened up the north-south road from the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions, which is the famous
"Silk Road".
His mission lasted for thirteen years and went through many hardships.
No matter how you look at it, Zhang Qian is a quite legendary person, who has a great influence on later generations and the development of the entire China.
At the door of Zhang Qian's residence, a plaque hangs high with the brand new words Bowang Houfu written on it.
Huo Qubing became famous in Chang'an, and even the concierge of the Zhang Mansion knew him. Seeing him coming, the concierge hurriedly gave up the person he was receiving to another concierge, and trotted towards him:
"The Marquis asked me to wait for Huo Shizhong here. Please come with me."
"Huo Shizhong."
Not far away, Zhuo Huai also got off a bicycle frame and came closer with brisk steps.
He had actually been waiting outside the mansion for a while. This was a place where the powerful people of Chang'an gathered. He, a businessman, wanted to use Huo Qubing's momentum to enter the mansion together.
Zhang Qian's mansion was given to Zhang Qian by Liu Che in gratitude for his service after he returned. Entering from the gate into the atrium, the large square courtyard is very regular.
The ancient Chinese culture pays attention to the stability of everything and the richness of the land, especially the courtyards of officials.
There are two trees planted on both sides of the courtyard, one is an ancient apricot tree, and the other is not an ancient apricot tree, but a Chinese pine, lush and lush, with tall and straight branches.
At this time, there were many people in the courtyard, mostly merchants.
The status of merchants is not high. Although they are invited, most of them cannot enter the house.
If Zhang Qian hadn't been sent as an envoy to the Western Regions and knew the importance of border trade, few merchants would have been invited to such an occasion.
Under the guidance of the concierge, Huo Qubing walked to the vestibule opposite the courtyard. Zhuo Huai followed him, and he was surrounded by beautiful people along the way. He nodded and saluted with some merchants, and walked into the main hall of the front hall under the envious gazes of many merchants.
The main hall building is also square, and the palace stars are in the north, forming the concept of rules and regulations in the history of architecture.
The main body of the building is made of wood, with bright colors inside and outside. The thick wooden columns, beams, and ingenious mortise and tenon structure are magnificent.
"Go away!"
As soon as Huo Qubing entered the main hall, a young man in colorful clothes greeted him.
This young man gives the impression that he has lively eyebrows and agile movements. He lacks Huo Qubing's heroic spirit and sharpness, but his facial features are clear and his appearance is not bad.
Huo Qubing and this young man have known each other since childhood.
The other party's name is Liu Xiang, and he comes from a royal family. His father is Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, and the half-brother of Emperor Liu Che. He also has a foreign country.
His son Liu Xiang lives in Chang'an and has known Huo Qubing for many years.
Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, was content with enjoying himself and had no pursuits. He had many descendants, more than 120 people.
Liu Xiangzi inherited his father's ambition, he was free and easy, and he did not fight or rob him, because his father had too many heirs, and no matter how much he robbed, he couldn't get his turn.
Liu Xiang has already decided to waste his life at a young age. He spends his days having sex, and it is common for his waistline to be hollowed out.
He regards Huo Qubing as his childhood friend and has always been warm to him.
Seeing Huo Qubing come in, Mr. Liu stood up from his seat in the hall to greet him, his face full of joy:
"I thought you didn't like this kind of occasion and wouldn't come. If I had known you were coming, I would have gone to my house to look for you and come together. How about we share the table?"
Huo Qubing shook his head and didn't want to sit at the same table with this guy because Liu Xiang was a talkative person who boasted of being a social nerd and kept chattering.
Huo Qubing sat down with him and his ears were in trouble.
The arrival of Huo Qubing caused a moment of silence in the entire palace.
Huo Qubing, a new member of the Wei family, was not only favored by the emperor, but also had the general Wei Qing and the queen standing behind him. Today, the Wei family can be said to be the first among relatives, and is unparalleled in dignity.
As soon as he came in, everyone had different looks.
Most people just smile apologetically, and they are so flattering that they dare not look in the mirror.
Huo Qubing walked forward proudly and took a seat on the right side of the room.
After he sat down, his eyes swept across the hall.
As the host, Zhang Qian and several important officials who came first were still gathering in the back house and did not come out.
The hall is filled with the younger generation of the Xungui family of Chang'an, both men and women, and the one with the highest status is none other than the royal family member like Liu Xiang.
Next to Huo Qubing was Liu Xiang, and on the other side of Liu Xiang was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl wearing white Hanfu. She was full of youth, her skin was like a newly peeled willow, and she had a lively temperament.
The girl's name is Liu Xi, and her father is Liu Rui, the King of Jiaoxi. Well, there are a lot of bad things going on in the family, and she is quite old and likes a young man.
Liu Xi was cheerful and kind, and her eyes turned into crescents when she saw Huo Qubing.
Zhang Xiaoyuan, the eldest grandson of the former Taichang Zhang Dangju, Zhou Yanshun, nephew of the current Taichang Zhou Ping, and other descendants of civil servants formed another small circle.
The leader is a fresh-faced young man, with a straight body, serious eyes, and eyebrows as thick as heavy ink.
This young man with crowned hair, high spirits, and a gray-brown Hanfu was sitting safely behind a seat, opposite Huo Qubing.
Huo Qubing came in, and all the military generals seemed to have found a backbone. They all sat near him and looked at each other from a distance with the civilian officials opposite.
The two groups looked like fighting animals in a cage, full of gunpowder.
"Before you came, those people across from you showed off their knowledge, lectured on ancient scriptures, discussed success or failure, and even conducted a military strategy deduction."
Huo Qubing didn't need to ask, but Liu Xiang started pouring beans through a bamboo tube and explained the reason for the opposition between the two parties.
The so-called military strategy deduction is the norm in Chang'an.
You must know that since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, in the land of China, war has always been the most important matter for the country, a matter of life and death, and survival.
"Soldiers" is one of the hundreds of schools, but all schools of military training.
All the schools of spiritual practice, the three religions and the nine streams, cannot avoid the military strategist.
Among the nobles in Chang'an, they all liked to discuss military strategies. Later generations would just write poems and songs when they had nothing to do. This did not exist at this time. Now that Confucianism is emerging, poetry and songs do not yet occupy an absolutely dominant position.
On the contrary, because of the wars from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the situation has changed over the past few hundred years, and famous generals have emerged one after another, shining brightly. Discussions on military affairs are the mainstream, and almost every family will participate.
Moreover, the discussion of military affairs here is not the pure paper talk of later generations.
Sun Tzu once introduced in The Art of War that military discussions are also called temple calculations, that is, in the temple, based on the objective conditions of the warring parties, the possibility of victory or defeat in the war is estimated and a battle plan is formulated.
It talks about strategic planning, decisive victory over thousands of miles, and deduction based on paper strength.
What's more, they will use spiritual practice to transform their energy and compete with each other.
Confucianists want to overwhelm military strategists and take charge of temples, and they also have a lot of research on military strategists. When it comes to deducing military strategies on paper, they will not lose at all when competing with real military strategists. Therefore, whenever there is a gathering, it is normal for the two sides to argue. p>
Confucianists are all like cockfighting, boasting and sharp words, and enjoy suppressing military strategists.
"Who do you think the young man leading the opposite side is?"
Liu Xiang asked enthusiastically.
After saying this, he saw that Huo Qubing was not even interested in raising his head to look up. He muttered to himself: "You have been like this since you were a child, can you give me some response?
The young man opposite has a lot of background, don’t underestimate him."
Seeing Huo Qubing, he remained indifferent, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Liu Xiang looked defeated and continued: "That man is Dong Zhongshu's disciple of Master Dong."
Huo Qubing said "Oh" and had no other reaction.
Dong Zhongshu is indeed an extraordinary person, a representative of Confucianism.
When Huo Qubing was five or six years old, Liu Che issued an edict to seek strategies for governing the country. Dong Zhongshu combined Confucianism with the social needs of the time in the famous "Countermeasures for Promoting Virtue and Virtue", and absorbed the theories of other schools to create a Confucian-centered political system.
The new system was highly praised by Liu Che.
Not only was Liu Che deeply influenced by it, but later Confucianism became the orthodox thought of Chinese society, with an influence that lasted for more than two thousand years, and was directly related to Dong Zhongshu.
According to the level of Confucian cultivation, there are very few people in the past who can be called masters. They are almost semi-saints and have reached the altar.
The greater the influence of later generations, the more Confucianism is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the higher his status will be.
He also proposed the theory of "great unification" and the propositions of "deposing hundreds of schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone."
Even if Dong Zhongshu later resigned and returned home, Liu Che would often think of this learned man and send people to inquire about national policies, which shows his status.
At this time, Zhang Xiaoyuan was whispering next to Dong Zhongshu's disciple.
The young man looked at Huo Qubing from afar. After a moment, he made eye contact with Zhang Xiaoyuan and nodded slightly.
Zhang Xiaoyuan straightened his clothes and said loudly: "Shizhong Huo, I have heard for a long time that you are proficient in the art of war. Before you came, we discussed military strategies..."
Before he finished speaking, another group of people walked in from outside the door, but it was Liu Qian, the eldest son of the King of Huainan, and his sister Liu Ling beside him.
There are also four or five attendants.
Liu Qian came over, and the effect was even more sensational than Huo Qubing. After all, he was a relative of the Liu family and the heir apparent, who would inherit the throne in the future.
Zhang Qian held a banquet, the reason why so many people were willing to come.
One of the main reasons was the game between the Han and the Xiongnu, and the Western Regions were a top priority, so Zhang Qian, who knew the Western Regions best, also became popular.
Liu Qian's seat was just above Huo Qubing's.
When he passed by the low seat where Huo Qubing was sitting, he stopped to take a look and raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Shizhong Huo!"