When Fan Ziyuan led the Huangzhou officials into the school again, he had a strange feeling, because their identities were different, from officials to students again.
A statue of Confucius was erected in the courtyard. When passing by, a group of people bowed and saluted before moving forward. Their mentality also quietly changed, from visitors to scholars.
The classroom is large, with many wooden desks neatly placed. After everyone sits down in their seats, the entire classroom becomes more solemn. A black wooden board is placed in front of them, and there is a wooden desk next to it.
Box of plaster.
Du Fuzi was the first to walk in. He was a famous educator in the northwest. Countless students entered all walks of life in Ganliang under his guidance, and even became the magistrate of the county. It is said that even many officials in Liangzhou Prefecture have heard of it.
I am filled with emotion every time I mention his class.
Following Du Fuzi came Wen Tong, who came after Weng Weng of the Han Dynasty. Wen Tong was famous for his knowledge of objects and his elegant rhyme. He called himself Mr. Xiaoxiao, but most literati in Ganliang called him "Mr. Shishi".
", probably because he was the first person to live in a brick, stone and cement house.
He was originally famous for his four unique skills: poetry, poetry, painting, and cursive calligraphy, but now he has added another one, Gewu. What this person is best at is combining the study of Gewu with Confucianism, and he often makes surprising remarks.
Master Du didn't say much after he stepped onto the three-foot podium, but looked at the crowd and said: "You are all officials, and your parents are officials in Huangzhou. You should understand why you came to study at Liangzhou Prefecture University today.
Don’t underestimate the importance of studying. I’m afraid you will never forget this day from now on.”
After saying that, he picked up the plaster in the box and wrote something on the blackboard behind him: "Be kind, strict, brave, dare to be the first in the world!"
Du Fuzi threw the plaster in his hand into the box and said: "When you are officials, the people you rule are like the descendants of your family. Because you treat them with kindness and think more about the people, the people will naturally support you, but if you want to let others
It is not enough for the people to be in awe. Kindness alone is not enough. You also need to have the strictness of a father! Use the law as a framework to restrain the people. Mistakes must be punished and guilty must be punished. Only in this way can we rule. As for courage, needless to say, bandits
What should we do if rogue bandits plunder the people under your rule?"
"Hit it hard!"
Everyone looked for a voice and saw a strong man responding loudly. Instead of being angry, Master Du smiled and asked, "Who are you?"
The strong man's face turned red and he whispered: "Xia Zhenyang, the lieutenant of Tongyuan County in Huangzhou."
Du Fuzi twirled his beard and smiled: "Okay, okay, you are right! What I said about bravery is what a parent-official must possess! But bravery is not about beating the bad guys, but to protect the people under your rule.
Struggle, all this can be called courage! If there is a bad government that harms the people, you are brave if you can argue with reason! If there is a harsh government and it is suppressed, you are brave if you can refute it!"
Although Du Fuzi said it with a smile, everyone present felt chills running down their spines when they heard it. What do you mean by bad government or tyrannical government? These words barely mentioned the word tyranny! After all, they were in the political environment of the Song Dynasty.
After serving as an official for many years, Huangzhou officials still felt like they were fighting each other after hearing these words, and almost wanted to run away...
"Mr. Du, Lao Tzu said, I have three treasures, hold on to them: the first is compassion, the second is frugality, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world. Compassion, so one can be brave; frugality, so one can be broad; not daring to be the first in the world.
, so he can become a leader. Why did he become a leader in the world when he came here?"
"Haha, that's good!" Du Fuzi glanced at Wen Tong beside him and said: "Did you see that someone has already refuted your point of view, why don't you stand up and say it now?"
"This is the time I have been waiting for!"
Wen Tong smiled slightly. Although he was a scholar, he slowly walked up to the podium like a sharp sword unsheathed and looked at Fan Ziyuan. He said: "I don't dare to be the first in the world, so I can become a leader. The weapon is a sacred weapon, the foundation of the country, and the country.
What does it mean to have a good society? It is a pity to see how many countries have been in the past dynasties. How can the so-called Zhou Dynasty be seen today? I dare not stick to the unchanging law for the sake of the world. Under the unification of the country and the unified government, there is a wise king who governs the country. It is so natural.
It is the most reasonable thing to do, but unfortunately things change from time to time. Everything in the world will change, let alone the governance of a country?!"
Fan Ziyuan and a group of Huangzhou officials looked shocked, as if they had seen a ghost. Isn't this the idea of the Guochao Reform Party?
But who knew that Wen Tong continued: "Everything in the world is subject to the word "change". There are four seasons of change in a year, not to mention people, animals, and vegetation? Not to mention that the country has not changed. This will happen next time in class.
For discussion, let’s talk about the state capital today.”
Wen Tong paused for a moment and looked at Mr. Du beside him. Mr. Du smiled slightly and turned around to leave. Wen Tong was the speaker today.
"Huangzhou is under your rule. Let alone ten years, has there been any change between three years ago and now?"
Without waiting for Fan Ziyuan's reply, Huangzhou general magistrate Zhan Zhishan said: "Of course there are. People in Huangzhou tend to be sweet and cool, which has become the norm. The boundary stones are constantly moving south. Most of the people focus on work. Farmers originally
We mainly focus on grain, but now we are also growing cotton and other crops.”
Wen Tong nodded, and then said: "In that case, can the taxes on cotton and grain be the same?"
Zhan Zhishan frowned slightly and said: "Grain belongs to the country, but cotton is a commodity. However, there is no subdivision between the country and the dynasty. They all levy summer and autumn taxes. The farmers complain that they pay too much."
"This is natural! How much does wheat weigh? How much does cotton weigh? A thousand pounds of wheat is no more than a cart, but a thousand pounds of cotton is as big as a hill! Farmers can harvest a lot from cotton! If there is no change, the good governance of the two taxes will become harmful to the people.
How can we change our bad policies?"
Zhan Zhishan said thoughtfully: "Is this what Mr. Dare to be the first in the world means?"
Wen Tong said of course: "Of course it is! Respond to the changes in the current situation, adopt corresponding strategies, and develop methods that benefit the country and the people. This is how you dare to be the first in the world!"
This truth is extremely simple, even a little crude. Everyone knows it, but no one dares to answer it. In the eyes of officials of this era, such a dare to be the first for the world is seeking death...
The "ancestral law" of the Song Dynasty was a kind of political correctness. Who dared to change it easily? Even the emperor had to think twice before acting, but in Wen Tong's case, it was as simple as eating and drinking.
Seeing the nervousness on everyone's faces, Wen Tong couldn't help but sneered: "You are still worried about the laws of the country. Mr. Wen really feels sad for you! Can you turn a blind eye to the decline of the country? Is it possible that the country is exhausted?
Haven't you heard? The three redundancies and three costs are so huge that the already suppressed country can't breathe. Even the officials are thinking about reform. What's more, our northwest has given priority to autonomy, and we still think that the country will punish the crime and will punish the country.
Removing you? The sky is high! Even if it collapses, you don’t need to hold it up! Under such circumstances, we don’t even have the courage to change, so how can we talk about being in charge of one party and governing another? To benefit the people?!"
Wen Tong spoke passionately, and the Huangzhou officials listened emotionally. Most of the officials were civil servants. Their greatest ideal and ambition as literati was to use their knowledge to create a better world. This was the result of years of education in Confucianism.
Wen Tong's entry point is very good. Although he did not say it clearly, he forced out the stubbornness of the literati. Although it was very obscure, Fan Ziyuan heard Mencius's sentence from his words: "The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the most important."
To be light”.
Looking back at Ye An, who was sitting at the end, and then looking at the excited expressions of everyone in the classroom, Fan Ziyuan could only sigh with a wry smile at the brilliance of such techniques.