In the spring of the third year, the Zhao envoy Li Wei went to Zhongshan again with a desire to continue the traditional friendship with Zhongshan, and he offered Zhao's sincerity in longing for peace, and bribed various officials, and any request he made was accepted by the local officials. Then after he inspected Zhongshan, he sent an entourage to invite Xingjun Zhao Xing to return to the capital, and he wanted to tell Zhao Xing, the representative of the main battle faction, about what he had seen and heard in Zhongshan.

Zhao Xing returned to the capital as promised, and then sat side by side with Zhao Yong, and Feiyi on the left, Le Yi on the right, and the six doctors of the Three Princes and Nine Qing and the hundred officials below, listening to Li Yan's Zhongshan observations.

The reason why everyone has no objection to Zhao Xing and Zhao Yong sitting side by side is not because of the title, but because after Zhao Xing cedes Daijun and Zhongshan, he will become the monarch of the Tang Kingdom.

Now, in disguise, it is tantamount to Zhao and Tang's joint crusade against Zhongshan.

Zhao Xing sat so willingly, which was the most reassuring for the courtiers of Zhao State. This proves that Zhao Xing accepted this condition with peace of mind.

Li Wei stood in front of his colleagues in the hundred officials, and gave a salute to the king and Tang Hou in a gentle manner, and then said with a smile: "I have no right to evaluate a prince, I will only talk about what I saw and heard in Zhongshan." ”

Zhao Xing smiled and said: "It's good to tell stories, I love to listen to stories, please tell them in detail." ”

Li Wei nodded: "This time, the minister rushed to Zhongshan with the peace sincerity of Zhao State. But it's a pity that the concubine of the king of Zhongshan kept her ministers out and said, 'Zhao and Zhongshan are feuding, and Zhao's book is like waste paper that looks annoying.' So he avoided it. ”

Yu Shi Gong sighed: "King Zhongshan, sober-minded, this does not conform to our plan, Zhongshan, don't be bullied." ”

Liao Chong glanced at him, smiled slightly, and continued his story: "The minister has a heavy responsibility, how dare he not complete the mission, so the minister can only stay in Zhongshan and wait for the opportunity to meet the king of Zhongshan." ”

It's very much in line with storytelling – it's appetizing. Everyone waited attentively for the following.

"But at this time, the minister browsed the capital of Zhongshan, wow, what a prosperous city, its prosperity is no less than Handan."

Everyone frowned.

Handan, in the Warring States can be described as the top ten capitals, if Zhongshan's Lingshou can be compared with Handan, it is indeed not a good thing for Zhao State.

"After Zhongshan fought a fire in the last chaos and burned down most of the houses, the new monarch ascended the throne and took the opportunity to carry out a unified plan and rest for the originally dilapidated capital. Now Lingshou, the streets are neat, the houses are like, the roads are smooth, and the business is prosperous. The most surprising thing is that there are many bookstores along the streets of Zhongshan, as well as neat and tidy wine shops. ”

Zhao Xing smiled: "In Xiadai County, the two major goods exported to Zhongshan every year are books and spirits. You must know that every year from Zhongshan country, I can earn back tens of millions of dollars by relying on these two things, which shows that the prosperity of Zhongshan's literary style has surpassed our Handan. Then he yearned infinitely: "The people are literate and Confucian, which is really enviable." ”

The Ministry of Rites Shangshu couldn't help but worry: "The style of writing is prevalent, it can be seen that Zhongshan is educated, and the people know etiquette and understand literature, and it will be developed." I really didn't expect that Zhongshan would surpass the princes of the Central Plains in terms of literary style, which is amazing. ”

Zhao Xing: "In order for a barbarian nation to integrate into the Central Plains, he must learn the culture of the Central Plains. And they must learn to be more like the Central Plains people than the Central Plains people, only in this way will they not show their flaws and be despised by the Central Plains people. I don't think there's anything strange about such a result. ”

Li Yan said: "Not only that, in order to promote Confucianism and make Zhongshan more centralized, the king of Zhongshan personally toured the poor countryside, and even the caves and villages, looking for the wise men and Confucians, and allowed them to be high-ranking officials and invite them to go out of the mountain. At that time, the king of Zhongshan successively invited 3,000 wise men to be officials, and consulted with the seventy great Confucians. The four national teachers were even awarded the noble ministers, and for a time, Zhongshan's literary style flourished. And those vulgar military generals will be squeezed out, and the style of noble Confucianism and lowly warriors prevails. ”

Le Yi clapped his hands, "In this way, Zhongshan can be cut." ”

Liao Chong glanced at this upstart feudal monarch and said with a smile: "All Confucians can be high-ranking officials, and the soldiers think that they are desperate to make war exploits, and it is better to learn a few words to be more promising." The generals fought hard, and those who knew a few sentences of Analects were more valued by the king. So, now, the samurai of Zhongshan are all engaged in business or enrolled in school. All the generals in Zhongshan think that it is better to fight to the death than to sit and talk, so they all worship under the four national teachers, take the high crown every day, become a disciple of the national teacher and obtain high-ranking officials. Now Zhongshan has become the center of Central Plains culture. ”

Fei Yi clapped his hands: "Zhongshan, there are no warriors who dare to fight to the death, Kehua." ”

But Zhao Yong was worried: "But after three years of depravity, Wen has not completely restrained the generals, and the generals still have a brave legacy, and it is too early to crusade against him." ”

Then he said in frustration: "According to what Dr. Li said, King Zhongshan, this is Corporal Lixian!" How can such a virtuous person attack? It doesn't make sense! ”

Fei Yi stood up and said with a smile: "Zhongshan can be destroyed, and the reason for this is that it is a degree word." Then he stood up and talked eloquently:

Looking at Zhao Yong and the hundred officials who were still confused and ignorant, Fei Yi explained unyieldingly: "If the King of Zhongshan is too elevated to scholars, then the common people will look at it, oh! The monarch attaches so much importance to these Confucian students, good! Follow along, so that the common people will not be satisfied with their duties; In the same way, if a king goes to visit those so-called sages, too much and too much, it will lead to laziness among the peasants and cowardice among the soldiers. A country like this, if it does not perish, who perishes? ”

Zhao Xing explained: "Actually, Confucianism is a good school, but everything has a degree problem. No matter what age we do, we should try our best to grasp this "degree". To put it bluntly, we shouldn't go too far in everything. If it is too much, it will be too much, and it will be counterproductive. What is this? This is also one of the core of Confucianism, "the mean". A truth that we have tried and tested time and again.

You are like Zhongshan Kingdom, originally they advocated Confucianism, respected scholars, and visited sages, these are all good things. However, because the king of Zhongshan has gone too far, the scholar or sage will become famous because of it, and even get it for nothing. In this way, what will the common people think? Naturally, ordinary people will follow suit. This brings up a problem, which is what Dr. Li said, the people do not do their business. Everyone wants to be a scholar, a sage, and earn glory and wealth, so who is willing to put down their hearts to farm and do business? And once the impetuous atmosphere of society is strong, it will inevitably affect the army, and the soldiers will no longer be able to serve in peace and stability, then the combat effectiveness of this army will definitely be weak, and how can such a country not perish? So this is the same: the king of Chu has a thin waist, and many people in the palace are starving to death. It's a truth. It's just that Zhongshan didn't starve to death, but because the king of Zhongshan did too much and didn't follow the golden mean, he killed himself. This is the so-called "Zhongshan died in Chongru". ”