"May I ask you the essentials of using soldiers."

Lin Wujun raised his head and said: "First obtain favorable climatic conditions for offensive warfare, then obtain a geographically advantageous position, observe the enemy's movements, and move behind the enemy but arrive before the enemy, this is the essence of using troops." ”

Xunzi shook his head and said with a smile, "That's not right. ”

"I've heard that the real way to use the military is to unite the people with themselves. If the bow and arrow are not coordinated, then Hou Yi cannot use it to shoot at small targets, if the six horses are not coordinated, then the Father cannot rely on them to reach far places, and if the people do not get close to the monarch, then Shang Tang and King Wu of Zhou will not be able to win the battle. ”

"Therefore the one who can bring the people to his part is the one who is good at using soldiers. Therefore, the key to the use of troops is to be good at making the people come to themselves. Xunzi said, looked at King Zhao, and said: "If the emperor can reduce the banquet like this now, give the grain hidden in the palace to the people, distribute the horses you use to drive to the generals, take care of your people, trust your generals, and go to the battlefield together, then you will definitely be able to defeat a strong enemy." ”

King Zhao was thoughtful, but Lin Wujun was a little anxious, and hurriedly said, "That's not right! What is important in the use of troops is that the situation is favorable, and what is carried out is deceit. The best men in the use of soldiers are elusive, and no one knows where they came from. Sun Wuwu used such a method, so he was invincible in the world. Where is it necessary to rely on the means of bringing the people together? ”

Xunzi didn't even glance at Lin Wujun, he just looked at King Zhao in front of him, and continued: "No, what I said is the army of the benevolent people, between the benevolent people, the generals are united, the three armies work together, the courtiers are to the monarch, the subordinates are to the superiors, just like the son serves the father, and the younger brother serves the elder brother, just like the arm defends the head and eyes, and protects the chest and abdomen." ”

"Moreover, if a virtuous person governs a country within a radius of ten miles, he will understand the situation within a radius of a hundred miles, and if he governs a country within a radius of a hundred miles, he will understand the situation within a radius of a thousand miles, and if he governs a country within a radius of a thousand miles, he will understand the situation of the world. A virtuous man does not sit in the palace and observe the condition of the people in the country, reward meritorious soldiers, and help the poor and hungry. ”

"Therefore when a virtuous man is in power, and the country is prosperous day by day, the princes who go first to submit will be at peace, and those who are late will be in danger, and those who want to oppose him will be weakened, and those who betray him will perish."

After Zhao Kuo and a few others left, King Zhao really asked Lin Wujun and Xunzi about the war, Xunzi seriously said his views on the war, Lin Wujun refuted from time to time, the ministers present listened to it very obsessively, Zhao Hui hurriedly woke up, hurriedly picked up the bamboo slip, took out the pen and ink, according to his own memories, hurriedly picked up the pen and wrote: "Wang said: May I ask the soldiers?" Lin Wujun said: When you go to the sky, you have the right place, watch the changes of the enemy, the later hair, the first to come, this is the key to the use of soldiers. ”

Xunzi advocates righteous warfare, with "the soldier of benevolence, the will of the king" to unify the country, so that the four seas are like a family, is his lifelong pursuit and ideal, and Linwujun is different, Xunzi believes that the use of soldiers is to prohibit violence and eliminate harm, to give the people a more comfortable and orderly life, rather than for their own selfish desires to fight to the death, it is precisely because of this ideal, Xunzi hates fraud during the war, and hates the wanton slaughter of human life like a mustard.

This is because of a person who is accompanied by pain by a distant dream.

Xunzi said faster and faster, his words became more and more intense, he stood up and commented on the armies of the countries, the army of Qi was worthless by him, and the army of Wei was said to be an army that endangered the safety of the country, but he did not scold the army of Qin, but scolded the king of Qin! Yushi's hand also became faster and faster, and soon, a whole bamboo slip was written, and Yushi changed another book of bamboo slips to continue.

King Zhao listened with relish, but Lin Wujun had some disdain in his eyes, he didn't believe in the invincibility of the army of benevolence and righteousness, marching and fighting was meant to be unscrupulous, and the two sides killed each other, how could they talk about benevolence and righteousness? If someone like Xunzi is allowed to serve as a general, the whole army will be in danger.

"Sir, the widow has never forgotten to sacrifice to the gods, and every time he sacrifices, he is also very pious, but the heavens have repeatedly sent disasters to the widows, what is the reason?" , King Zhao asked again.

"The god has no feelings, and it does not change anything because of your respect or slander. It has its own laws, which we cannot understand and cannot change. ”

King Zhao was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "How can the widow avoid these disasters?" ”

"You can't avoid disasters by praying to the gods, but you can avoid them by yourself, if you can dig channels, if you can avoid droughts, if you can build dikes, if you can avoid floods, if you can treat the people well, if you govern the country diligently, and if others don't dare to invade Zhao again, you can also avoid military disasters." , Xunzi replied.

King Zhao nodded, and then asked, "I heard that you said that anyone can be sanctified, is that true?" ”

"That's right, saints and ordinary people, gentlemen and villains, when they are just born, their nature is bad, the reason why a saint is a saint is only that he has accumulated a lot of knowledge through his own efforts and has done a lot of meritorious things, no matter what kind of person he is, he can become a saint through learning." As soon as Xunzi said this, the hall was shocked, and the most difficult to accept was probably Lin Wujun.

Saints are different from ordinary people, but all great characters can always cause some strange climates when they are born, and most of the fathers are not mortals, how can it be said that all people are the same and can become saints? In the state of Chu, this division is the most obvious, Lin Wujun is a noble person by birth, so naturally he can't agree with Xunzi's theory.

He asked with some malice: "Could it be that Xunzi is already a saint?" ”

Xunzi shook his head and said: "Although I have been studying all kinds of truths all my life, learning knowledge, and urging myself to do benevolent and righteous things, but until now, I have never been able to do what a saint should do, I have no merit, and I am still far from the road to becoming a saint." ”

"If people like you don't become saints, then what kind of people can become saints?"

"A person who can scatter all his family property to support the villagers, who can bow his head and beg for food for the people, who can accept criticism from others in person, who can summon up courage even if he is afraid, who can treat anyone kindly, and who can help strangers he meets on the road, such a person must be able to become a saint."

"Hahahaha~~~", Lin Wujun laughed, he shook his head and said, "Where can there be such a person?" ”

Xunzi also laughed, and he said, "Yes." ”

The banquet continued, Lin Xiangru and others also left one by one, Xunzi was still left by King Zhao, King Zhao attached great importance to Xunzi, it seems that he wanted Xunzi to stay in Zhao and hold an official position. The weather became colder and colder, and when Lin Xiangru walked out of the palace, the pilot's face was frozen red. When he returned to his mansion, Lin Xiangru, who was still reminiscing about Xunzi's words, saw the familiar young man, the young man standing at the door of the mansion, he took off his fur and draped it over a smooth child.

The child raised his head with some trepidation, and the young man smiled, dressed in thin clothes, stood in the wind, stretched out his hand, and rubbed the child's head.

Lin Xiangru's eyes lit up, and he immediately clapped his hands and shouted: "Yes! ”