Perhaps except for Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and Zhao Da, no one knows what was written in Xu Du's secret report, but the sentence "ruling the world with scholars" spread throughout the Central Plains for the first time. As soon as this remark came out, some people were amazed, and some people realized it later. Only Cai Ji knew that this sentence should have been proposed by Wen Yanbo, a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty eight hundred years later.

So after learning that Xun Yu told Cao Cao that he would rule the world with the scholars, Cai Ji praised it with mixed feelings, "Xun Wenruo is really worthy of being Wang Zuozhi's talent!" ＂

Cai Ji's admiration resonated with Tian Feng, Cui Yan and others present. It is true that Tian Fengsu has a very high opinion of himself, but he has to admit that Xun Yu's sentence "ruling the world with scholars" is indeed a stroke of genius. And Cui Yan, who is currently in charge of the imperial examination, is even more annoyed and pleads guilty to Cai Ji, "The ministers failed to understand the essence of opening the imperial examination, and it is really against the trust of the lord." ＂

Where would Cai Ji blame Cui Yan and the others for this kind of thing, and hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Mr. Ji Ji doesn't need to blame himself." He was the first to open a science and technology to recruit scholars, and he also failed to propose to rule the world with scholars. And now how can you blame you for this? ＂

Guo Jia keenly heard some extraneous voices from Cai Ji's words, so he clenched his fists and asked, "Hasn't the Lord ever thought of ruling the world with scholars?" ＂

Cai Ji pondered for a moment and pondered, "Don't hide it from you, Gu did think about it, but it was not as clear as Xun Wenruo's. What's more, it is not suitable to rule the world with scholars and doctors as a lonely person. ＂

Cai Ji's answer can be described as a half-truth. With her identity, it is indeed impossible to justifiably declare in the name of the Son of Heaven to rule the world with scholars and doctors like Cao Cao. Compared with Wen Yanbo's "ruling the world with scholars" in history, Xun Yu added the word "Gong" in his words to Cao Cao. This word "Gong" not only carries an aggressive momentum, but also makes it difficult for Cai Ji to emulate. After all, she is still a Hanchen, and as a Hanchen, she announced that she would rule the world "together" with scholars, which is almost equivalent to rebelling against the Han Dynasty and becoming self-reliant in politics. However, what really made Cai Ji miss this political proposition was not her status as a Hanchen, but the second half of the sentence "ruling the world with scholars" "not ruling the world with the people".

In March of the fourth year of Xining in the Song Dynasty (1091), Song Shenzong summoned the ministers of the two governments to discuss matters in the palace of senior management. Wen Yanbo, a veteran of the Three Dynasties and a privy envoy, said to Shenzong: "The ancestral legal system is in place, and there is no need to change it to lose people's hearts." Shenzong said: "Changing the legal system, Dr. Yu is very displeased. But why is it inconvenient for the people? Wen Yanbo's answer was: "To rule the world with scholars, not to rule the world with the people." This famous dialogue in the Song Dynasty about "the emperor and the scholar ruling the world together" was already familiar to Cai Ji in his previous life. Putting aside the historical background of the two Song Dynasty ministers' attempts to balance imperial power, Wen Yanbo's words undoubtedly express the essence of traditional Chinese politics.

The world of those in power. It is not necessarily the world of the people; The interests of those in power are not necessarily the interests of the people. The more ills a country and a dynasty have, the more acute the contradictions between the two. In order to eliminate ills and maintain his rule, a king must choose between the two. In the short term, the former is often more likely to make the emperor a rat trap. Therefore, Wen Yanbo dared to say frankly in front of Emperor Song, "In order to rule the world with scholars, not to rule the world with the people." In the long run, the people are the cornerstone of a nation's survival. As for the later period of Kuomintang rule, even the scholar class was impoverished by inflation. The result, of course, was an unprecedented revolution.

Today's scholars in the late Han Dynasty are still just an emerging class, far less angry and resentful than aristocratic families. However, Cai Ji knew that once the scholar class entered the stage of history with the help of the imperial examination, it would quickly replace the aristocracy and become a new family. However, the new family has shown far less discipline than the old family in the previous national crises. With the help of the power of scholars, the world is the deer. It is also feared that this force will one day become a stumbling block to social development. This understanding of historical trends has caused Cai Ji to have contradictions in his heart. It was this contradiction that made her miss the opportunity to propose "ruling the world with scholars".

However, Cai Ji did not tell the staff present what he really thought in his heart. Because whether it is Tian Feng, Cui Yan, or Guo Jia, Jia Xu, they can all be classified as scholars. In a sense, Cai Ji, like Song Shenzong more than 800 years later, relied on the scholar class to rule the world. The difference is only that this force was not yet mature in the late Han Dynasty, while it was deeply entrenched in the Northern Song Dynasty. This is not to say that Cai Ji doubts the loyalty of his advisors, but that once something is spoken, it will sow the seeds of suspicion among the monarch and the minister.

The staff present did not know that the short sentence "ruling the world with scholars" brought many contradictions in Cai Ji's heart. But most people accepted her explanation. Only Guo Jia secretly observed that a trace of hesitation flashed in Cai Ji's eyes just now. But he didn't wear it in public. Instead, he coughed lightly and turned the topic back to the imperial examination itself, "Lord, Prime Minister Cao Cheng has set the preliminary examination in Yecheng for February next year, can the preliminary examination in Longkou be postponed?" ＂

Guo Jia's remarks reminded Cai Ji that the Yecheng imperial examination was nominally a national audition. If Longkou precedes the examination in Yecheng, it will inevitably be criticized for competing with the imperial court for the Magi. Therefore, Cai Jidang nodded decisively, "Then postpone the preliminary examination to March next year." ＂

With a wave of Cai Jisu's hand, many scholars who came to take the exam had to stay in Longkou for the New Year. Sun Quan is one of them. Pinching his fingers, Sun Quan has been studying in Longkou for more than three months as Sun Yafu. During this period, Sun Quan went to the lecture hall on time every day to learn miscellaneous studies from Xu Yue, and in his spare time, he either went to the Zun Jing Pavilion to help copy books, or worked in the workshop. For the first time in his life, Sun Quan discovered that learning could be so interesting. And his cheerful personality also allowed him to meet many young scholars from Qing, Xu, and Jizhou in Longkou. So Sun Quan at this time didn't mind staying in Longkou for a few more months.

It's just that Sun Quan is happy to think about "Wu" in Longkou, but Lu Su, who accompanied him to investigate, didn't want to stay in Donglai. No, seeing that Sun Quan was planning to spend the New Year in Longkou, Lu Su hurriedly persuaded him, "Gongzi Mingjian, Cao Cao and Cai Ji have been resting for more than half a year, and it is difficult to distinguish between the lord and Liu Bei in Liling during this half year. If Cao Cao waved his army south at this time, Yangzhou would be in danger. Therefore, I thought that we should quickly go south and inform the lord of the situation in the northland. ＂

Sun Quan couldn't help frowning when he saw Lu Su bring out his eldest brother Sun Ce. In fact, when he was lecturing on martial arts, he had also heard people analyze the current situation between the north and the south. Some people believe that the southern princes made a big move around Changsha, and it is very likely that Cao Cao in the north will stage a scene of sandpiper and clam competing for fishermen's profits. Lu Su probably heard similar rumors, which is why he was so anxious to return to Soochow. However, in Sun Quan's opinion, although Cao Cao is powerful, his eldest brother is by no means an ordinary person. What's more, the eldest brother is also assisted by Zhou Gongjin. So compared with Lu Sulai, Sun Quan's mentality is more optimistic.

After weighing the pros and cons, Sun Quan immediately made a decision. "Then Zi Jing will go south first to resume his life. ＂

"Where's Childe? Lu Su asked.

"I'll go south after I finish the exam. Sun Quan said without thinking.

Hearing that Sun Quan planned to continue to stay in Longkou, Lu Su shook his head again and again, "No." How can Su leave his son alone in Donglai. ＂

"How can you be alone, not Sun Shou. Wood. Sun Quan was ashamed to carry out two personal guards. But Lu Su, who was sitting opposite him, still looked like he didn't eat oil and salt. In desperation, Sun Quan had no choice but to explain to Lu Su, "I came to Longkou this time to investigate and open a branch to get scholars. Now that Longkou has not yet opened the exam, how can I give up halfway. What's more, we haven't discovered the secret technique of boiling salt in Donglai. ＂

Speaking of the secret technique of boiling salt, Lu Su's expression finally shook a little. As Sun Quan said, they have two major tasks in Donglai this time. The first is to investigate how Donglai opens a science and technology, and the second is to explore Donglai's secret skills of boiling salt. For Lu Su, reaching the second article is far more important than the first. But the current situation is that neither has been achieved. The salt works in Donglai are all remotely located and heavily guarded. Ordinary people and others can't approach it at all, let alone infiltrate the inside of the salt works to find out the news. In fact, Lu Su had also pretended to be a salt merchant before, intending to enter the salt factory by taking the opportunity of inspecting the goods. As a result, the salt official of Donglai really let him visit a salt factory. It's a pity that the scale of this salt farm is not large. The method of boiling salt is also different from that of Soochow. It's obviously a cover for spies from all sides. To say that it is indeed a bit unwilling, to go home empty-handed. Thinking about this, Lu Su finally couldn't help but sigh and said, "The Qi army is very close to the salt farm!" Even if Childe stays for another half a year, it won't help. ＂

"Zijing doesn't need to be discouraged. Sun Quan waved his hand. "The Marquis of Qi has ordered the opening of additional salt farms in Jizhou. At that time, we may still have the opportunity to explore the secret art of boiling salt. ＂

Speaking of this, Lu Su knew that Sun Quan had eaten the scales this time and was determined to stay in Longkou, so he had to smile bitterly, "It seems that the son will not take the first name this time, and he will not return." ＂

"There are dragons and tigers lurking in Longkou City, how dare you hold on to power. Although Sun Quan said that he was humble in his mouth, the expression on his face clearly read the four big words "Ambition must be achieved". It turned out that this time Cao Cao and Cai Ji opened a branch at the same time. Although both were great princes of the Northland, Cao Cao represented the imperial court and the Son of Heaven. Therefore, many well-known talents in the north have chosen to go to Yecheng to take the exam. The candidates on Longkou's side are both in terms of reputation. is still far inferior to Yecheng in terms of quantity. Sun Quan is also from a filial piety background, and in the face of many unfamous scholars, it is not enough to have a sense of superiority.

However, Lu Su knew that the reason why Sun Quan was able to be investigated as filial piety and honesty at the age of fifteen was not because he really had five cars to learn and wealth, but because he had a brother named Sun Bofu. Sun Quan's knowledge may be stronger than that of ordinary poor disciples, but there are not no talented people in Longkou City. In order to avoid the greater Sun Xiaolian's expectations in front of him, the greater the disappointment, Lu Su decided to be a villain, "If you talk about the hidden dragon and the tiger, Uncle He Ping of the Zunjing Pavilion is one." ＂

Sure enough, as soon as he heard Lu Su mention He Yan (Uncle He Ping), Sun Quan's momentum immediately weakened a little. After all, He Yan's literary name has already spread all over Qingxu and Xuzhou, and there is a great tendency to develop in Hebei. In fact, not only He Yan, but even Cao Pi, who was only 14 years old, had already made a name for himself in Qingxu Rulin. As soon as he remembered the expressions of these two people in the poetry meeting last time, Sun Quan couldn't help but talk humbly, "Uncle Ping has already made it clear that he will not take the imperial examination for this year. What's more, what Qi Hou wants is the talent of the world, so what is the use of knowing poetry and songs. Qi Hou is not good at poetry, good at miscellaneous learning, and can still compete for the next big business as a woman. It can be seen that poetry is only a pastime, and miscellaneous learning is the study of the world. ＂

"It seems that Gongzi admires Qi Hou very much. Lu Su glanced at Sun Quan meaningfully.

Different from Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Cai Ji, Jiangdong Sun was born in a "lonely" poor family, that is, a non-Confucian poor family, and has always been rejected by Confucianism. Sun Quan's father, Sun Jian, had a difficult career in his early years because he had no family background, and at the age of seventeen, he took the risk of attacking the pirate Hu Yu alone. After that, Sun Jian relied on martial arts and extraordinary courage to accumulate military merits step by step, and finally became a general who broke the captives. But Rao is such a big and rough Sun Jian is still contemptuously called a "cunning man" by Confucianism. Sun Quan's elder brother Sun Ce has received a bit of Confucian enlightenment compared to his father, and he also has the heart to accept scholars. However, Jiangdong Rulin's response to Sun Ce was still humiliating. And this humiliation eventually led to the tragedy of Sun Ce's killing of Gao Dai.

It is said that Gao Dai is a famous person in Jiangdong and lives in seclusion in Yuyao. Sun Ce heard that Gao Dai was smart and knowledgeable, valued wealth and righteousness, and was proficient in "Zuo Chuan", so he asked him to send someone to invite him out of the mountain, and he himself read "Zuo Chuan" in advance, wanting to talk to Gao Dai. Who knew that someone took the opportunity to separate the two, and first said to Sun Ce: "Gao Dai is a general but heroic, and has no literary talent. Then he ran to Gao Dai and said, "General Sun is a man, and he who is evil over himself, if he asks every question, he should not know what he says, but he agrees." Sun Ce and Gao Dai both believed it. As a result, after Sun Ce and Gao Dai met, Sun Ce really talked about "Zuo Chuan", but Gao Dai replied again and again that he didn't know and didn't understand. Sun Ce was furious, thinking that Gao Dai relied on his talent and despised himself and locked him up. When he heard that Gao Dai was imprisoned, his friends and many others at the time staged a sit-in in the open air, begging Sun Ce to release him. Sun Ce had no intention of killing Gao Dai, but when he climbed the tall building, he saw several miles away, full of petitioners. Sun Ce hated that Gao Dai could win the hearts of everyone and ordered him to be killed.

Sun Ce's killing of Gao Dai was certainly related to the provocation of others, but the fundamental reason was that Jiangdong Rulin's long-term rejection of the Sun family caused Sun Ce to have inferiority and suspicion. And Gao Dai's death made Sun Ce more and more notorious among Confucianism. In fact, Zhang Zhaoti yì Sun Ce opened a branch in Eastern Wu in order to ease the relationship between Sun Ce and Jiangdong Rulin.

Compared with his father and brother, although Sun Quan has a complete Confucian education, he can only barely be regarded as a humble figure. The humble characters of this era are obviously different from the children of the same family in terms of learning style and personality. The most direct manifestation is that they do not concentrate on Confucianism culturally and attach importance to practicality; In terms of behavior, he does not abide by the Confucian norms of benevolence and filial piety, and sometimes has laissez-faire and informality. Lu Su is also a humble figure, so it is not surprising that Sun Quan is keen on Donglai miscellaneous studies. However, as a staff member of Eastern Wu, Lu Su had to worry about Sun Quan's advocacy of miscellaneous learning. After all, Cao Cao had already made a promise to the world in Yecheng to "rule the world with scholars". If the Sun brothers despise Confucianism, it will inevitably deepen the contradiction with Jiangdong Confucianism.

However, at this time, Sun Quan didn't notice Lu Su's worries at all, so he nodded with interest, "Of course, I also want to promote Donglai miscellaneous studies to Dongwu one day." ”