Chapter 97: Chapter Ninety-Seven: Discussion with Li Si
Chapter 97 Chapter Ninety-seven: Discussing with Li Si
"Prime Minister, how do you think this matter should be handled?" Fusu asked.
"My lord, I think that letting Confucian scholars help govern the country will do more harm than good. The lord made a decision in the court that day, and I can only fully support the lord. In fact, I still have some objections to Confucian scholars governing the country. I remember that the late emperor made a decision to burn the country.
I also agree with the policy of "study and engraving Confucianism". I really don't understand the young master's plan to establish the Imperial Academy and let Confucian scholars participate in the governance of the country. I would like to ask the young master to explain it clearly."
"Since Shang Yang's reform, our country in the Qin Dynasty has been focusing on farming and warfare. The late emperor also regarded Legalism as the basis for our country's legal system. In fact, this is not the case. Legalism, Mohism, Confucianism, and military are not static. Which theory should be used for government?
It depends on the strength of our country, the Qin Dynasty. Now that our country, the Qin Dynasty, has wiped out the six kingdoms, it is somewhat out of date to use Legalist theory to govern the country, and the same goes for the 'military knighthood' system."
Only then did Li Si understand Fusu's intention, but he still had questions.
"My lord, I understand what your lord means. Now, which family should we govern the Qin Dynasty?"
"I think that when Taixue chooses Confucian students, it should not stick to the talents of one family. All schools of law, Mohism, Confucianism, and military can be disciples of Taixue. Each of the hundreds of schools of thought has its own strengths and weaknesses.
The shortcoming is to let hundreds of schools of thought criticize and argue with each other in order to arrive at a great university that is inclusive of all schools of thought. This is my purpose."
(In the late Qin Dynasty, all scholars were called Confucian scholars, and Confucian disciples were not specifically referred to.)
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che followed Dong Zhongshu's advice and deposed all schools of thought and only respected Confucianism. Although this move provided convenience for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to govern the country, it deeply imprinted servility into the soul of the nation and castrated the blood of the nation.
The martial spirit of monks cannot be evaded if we talk about the contribution of Confucianism. The reason why five thousand years of civilization has not been eradicated is due to Confucianism.
Fusu thought that in addition to Shangshan Sihao, Ying Yao and others in Taixue, he also planned to invite great sages who were proficient in other schools of thought to teach in Taixue, and let them debate scriptures and Taoism in Taixue, forming a
A perfect doctrine that is inclusive and free of slavishness laid the cultural foundation for the Qin Dynasty and even later generations. Fusu would not tell Li Si this.
Although Fusu said a lot, he still didn't get to the crux of why Li Si came to him, and he still didn't give a clear solution to the issue of the troops making trouble.
"Sir, I understand what you mean. How should we calm down the anger of the people in the army now?" Li Si asked eagerly, saying that no matter how far-reaching the plan is, the commotion of the people in the army is the most urgent right now.
This is the first problem that Fusu needs to solve.
"Prime Minister, if our country, Da Qin, implements two talent selection systems, namely, the 'military merit award' and the 'Tai Xue recommendation' system, and the number of knights and commissions is equal to half from the ranks and half from Confucian scholars, will the current matter be solved?"
Li Si had no idea that Fusu would come up with such a solution, which not only satisfied the wishes of the Confucian scholars, but also solved the problem of conferring titles and commissions for those who served in the army. However, it was not easy to implement.
"My lord, although this is feasible, it is not easy! People who serve in the military and Confucian scholars have always been at odds with each other. Letting them work together in government may cause resentment."
"The soldiers lack political skills, and the Confucian scholars are too cowardly. It is a good thing to put the two together. There will be some discord at first, but in the long run it is not a bad thing." Fusu made it clear to Li Si.
expressed his attitude.
Literary men are disdainful of military strategy, while military men disdain benevolence and righteousness. Confucius once said: "Soldiers are deadly weapons, and sages use them as a last resort." It can be seen that Confucians are not happy with attacks, and this is actually a shortcoming caused by Confucianism.
It is not impossible to govern a country with benevolence, righteousness and morality, but this benevolence, righteousness and morality also need to be protected by force. Benevolence and righteousness can only be protected by soldiers, and the holy religion still needs to be defended by troops.
It's not that Fusu didn't like the words of Confucius and Mencius, but that Confucius and Mencius' way of governing the country was too idealistic and divorced from reality.
It is impossible to put military servicemen and Confucian scholars together without causing discord. If one chooses to escape just for the sake of temporary comfort, the disadvantages of neglecting each other in civil and military affairs will become more and more serious.
The dispute between Confucian scholars and soldiers was the source of the mutual neglect of civil and military forces in later generations. This time, Fusu did not let the Confucian family monopolize the Imperial Academy, because he wanted the masculinity of military strategists and Legalists to dispel the servility of Confucianism.
Putting civil and military people together, maybe Fusu would be troubled by the conflict between the military and Confucian scholars during his time in power, but he never thought of avoiding it. If he avoided it, future generations would have to face this problem, and they
The conflict between them will become more serious. Letting Xingwu and Confucian scholars integrate and understand each other is not something he can accomplish this time, but he is willing to do his best to resolve the matter.
After listening to Fusu's opinion, Li Si said nothing more, but turned around and left Shanglinyuan, because he believed in Fusu's arrangement, and he believed that Fusu's vision was longer than his own.