PS: 5,000 words chapter

What exactly is Lao Tzu's "Tao"?

A hundred people can interpret a hundred opinions, but as far as Zhao Wuxian is concerned, he believes that Lao Tzu, as the keeper of the Tibetan history of the Zhou royal family, his duty responsibility is to "remember the success and failure, survival and death, blessings and misfortunes, and the way of ancient and modern times, and then know that Bing must be carried out, clear the void to defend himself, and be humble to be self-assured. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info”

Therefore, looking at the words of Lao Tzu offered by Gu Bu Ziqing, Zhao Wuxian found that Lao Tzu has always been speaking in the tone of a king's teacher. There are more than 20 references to princes, kings, lords, and saints in the book, mainly not to teach the princes how to cultivate themselves, but how to govern the country.

For example: "If the prince can keep it, all things will be self-serving." "Therefore, the river can be the king of a hundred valleys, and it can be the king of a hundred valleys because of its goodness." "But why does the Lord of Ten Thousand Vehicles despise the world? If it is light, it will lose its roots, and if it is rash, it will lose its king. ”

Rulers such as Hou Wang are the ideal readers of Lao Tzu, and yes, he was originally a scholar of the prince's dynasty. How to achieve long-term peace and stability in society, and how to avoid the vicious circle of one rule and one chaos, this is the most concerned issue in Lao Tzu's studies, and those questions that seem to be purely philosophical are actually arguments for his political thoughts...... On the one hand, he formulated the way of life of "small countries and widows" for small countries, and also designed the governance method of "governing a large country like cooking small fresh" for large countries.

Therefore, in later generations, Shen Bu and Han Fei found a basis for the establishment of the Legalist school, and further developed the "Huang Lao's Learning". They all borrowed Lao Tzu's spare cups to pour their own blocks, obviously cultivating Lao Tzu's learning as a study of governing the country rather than a technique of self-cultivation.

After being told by Zhao Wuxian, Lao Tzu did not deny it, but just smiled faintly and said:

"The words that Gu Bu Ziqing remembered were already my thoughts a long time ago, and after traveling west, I saw that no one in the world had ever seen it, and the old and decrepit Tao had changed again, which was quite different from before."

"Oh, I don't know how it makes a difference?"

When Wuxian continued to ask Lao Tzu's enlightenment, he got up and walked out of the house, looked at the clouds in the sky and said slowly:

"I once watched the sunrise and sunset in the nine curves of the river, and I also sat in the quicksand and watched the ruins and broken walls being weathered little by little, and after that, I figured out a truth."

"Heaven and earth are self-inflicted without man, the sun and the moon are self-evident without burning without men, the stars are self-ordered without men, and the birds and beasts are born without man-made beings. And the reason why people are born, so they are not, so they are honored, and why they are humiliated, there are also natural reasons. Follow the principles of nature and follow the way of nature, people will be self-righteous, the country will be autonomous, and the world will be safe. Before the old decay, he was obsessed with the rise and fall of a country and a dynasty, delved into the way to control chaos, and wanted to explore a great truth that could universalize everything, but he fell behind. ”

Lao Tzu turned around and saw that Zhao Wuxian was seriously thinking about his words, so he admonished: "In the same way, the prince deliberately pursues to dominate the world by force, but he ignores the current situation and the wishes of each country. ”

Lao Tzu was noncommittal to Zhao Wuxian's ambition to annex the princes and unify the world, he believed that this was mostly Zhao Wuxian's personal ambitions, and he was more wary of the devastation of life after the failure of Zhao Wuxian's unification......

"I don't think so." Questioned by one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Zao did not waver, but stood side by side with him and expounded his views.

"It is true that man was created by nature, but from the moment man stands between heaven and earth, he is involved in the avenue of nature, and he is limited by the avenue, but he can also affect the avenue, which is impossible for all other things. This is what I once said in the Linzhang School Palace, people can understand nature, adapt to nature, and transform nature......"

"Transforming nature?" Lao Tzu heard this term for the first time, and he was interested.

"Yes, transform nature. I heard that in ancient times, the population was sparse, there were many birds and beasts, and the people could not resist the invasion of birds, beasts, insects and snakes, and they were miserable. At this time, there was a wise man, who invented the method of building a hut in a tree to avoid the harm of birds and beasts, which is the Youchao clan. ”

"Youchao made it possible for the ancients to live in peace, but at that time, people ate wild melons, fruits and clams, which were rancid and hurtful, and many people died of diseases. At this time, another sage appeared, who invented the method of drilling wood to make a fire to barbecue food and get rid of the smell of fish. Because of this, the people loved him very much, and elected him to govern the tribe, calling him the Suiren clan ......"

The ancient legend has become a theory for Zhao Wuxian to prove his point, and along the passage of time, he has approached the present little by little, and the social organization of human beings has slowly evolved and matured.

"In the Middle Ages, the world was flooded, the people were not able to make a living, Kun and his son Yu were responsible for dredging the river, draining the flood and treating the disaster, so as to win the worship of various states and tribes, become the Xia Hou clan, established the palace, the city, and was worshiped as the lord of the world."

"In ancient times, the reigns of Xia Wei and Yin Xuan were brutal and chaotic, so Shang Tang and King Wu of Zhou raised an army to conquer the world and build a different situation. Since then, these Kyushu have been connected, and the monarch surnamed Ji has brought ritual weapons to rule the Yi people, and different castes have married each other, and exchanges have become more and more frequent. The rhino elephants and beasts of the Central Plains were expelled, the mountains and rivers were also connected by roads and bridges, and as the population grew, the reckless jungle was turned into farmland, and the barren land became a fertile land. ”

All of the above, whether it is nesting, making fire, opening rivers and floods, repairing cities, or opening roads, are all transformations of nature. In the past thousands of years, the impact of man on nature has been more drastic than the natural changes that have occurred in the past tens of thousands of years. ”

"Based on the way of nature, the sudden whims of the saints, and the help of hundreds of millions of people, these things have happened. That's why there is a saying in the "book" that 'the sky listens to itself and the people listen, and the sky sees itself and the people see'. ”

Lao Tzu pondered for a long time, and said with a smile: "It's fresh to understand it in this way, the words of the prince and the marquis are thought-provoking. ”

Zhao Wuxian spread his hands and smiled: "Weng has won the award, Wuxian just thinks that if he arrives in the Xia Dynasty, there are still people who live in the method of having the Chao clan and the Suiren clan, and they will definitely be laughed at by Kun and Yu." If it comes to Yin Zhou, there are still people who regard the affairs of the Xia Dynasty as a priority, and they will definitely be laughed at by Shang Tang and King Wu. Ancient and modern customs are different, and the measures that the prince should adopt are also different. If you want to govern the people in an era of upheaval with leniency and gentleness, it will be like riding a fierce horse without a reins and a whip, and it will cause great harm. ”

"In the same way, if we still follow the ancient pattern of small countries and widows, it is also inappropriate to let the princes split."

"Today's world is very different from hundreds of years ago, the road has connected the countries of Kyushu, and the Zhuxia and the barbarians are clearly distinguished. The scripts and customs of various countries are similar, which is the result of thousands of years of transformation by the Chinese ancestors. However, each country is ruled by different princes, each with their own selfish intentions, in order to seize the position of overlord, in order to increase their own land, almost all year round without fighting. ”

"How do we end this troubled world? Weng must have thought hard about it, so I imagined that if the world was unified again, and the order was unified, then the world would be stable again. ”

Zhao Wuxian began his imagination of the future: "If the kingdoms are unified, the soldiers will be able to return to the fields from the battlefield to cultivate, the merchants will not have to worry about the barriers, the scholars on the seashore can travel to Zhangshui to study, and the soldiers will hide in the treasury to let them grow lice." The government can also spend the money used for the war to improve people's livelihood and repair ditches and river embankments. Therefore, I think that one day, this is not only my personal selfishness, but also the common wish of the people of the world! Unite as one, all mouths are golden! ”

Lao Tzu had already understood Zhao Wuxian's thoughts, and said: "The natural pattern and the wishes of the people are all aligned, so the prince wants to be a saint like the Chao clan, the Suiren clan, the Yu clan, the Tang clan, and the civil and military clans to promote this process?" ”

Zhao Wuxian shook his head and said loudly: "Yes, this is my Zhao Wuxian's avenue!" “

……

When he returned to the room and tasted the freshly brewed tea, Lao Tzu suddenly felt that the taste was very different from what he had tasted when he first came.

And his opinion of Zhao Wuxian is also much deeper than before, although this son regards himself as a sage who promotes the Great Dao, and has some arrogance, but looking at everything he has done in the past twenty years, he does have his proud capital.

This son looks like a corporal of Lixian, but in fact, his heart is so arrogant that he can't do it, he has a delusion, thinking that he can really look at five hundred years before and three thousand years later?

Zhao Wuxian didn't know that he had unconsciously revealed his temperament, and was marked with a "proud" symbol by Lao Tzu, and asked again: "If Weng thinks that Fang Cai's words have some truth, what can he teach me?" ”

Lao Tzu said: "The old man said a thousand things, after all, there is no evidence, the prince has Ji Ran and others to assist, why bother to talk too much?" ”

Zhao Wuxian said frankly: "Although I am the Hou Uncle of Zhuxia, but people are not saints and sages, I will have greed, hesitation, hesitation, just a moment with Weng, I am a lot clearer about what I want to do, if there is anything wrong, I hope Weng can point it out for me." ”

"Okay."

Lao Tzu pondered for a long time and said: "The prince and the marquis talked about the past and the present, but there is one point that is ignored. To gain the world, we must not only rely on force, but also follow the way of heaven and the people's hearts, otherwise even if we take the world and rule it forcefully against the will and nature of the people of the nations, this kind of unification will definitely not be able to ...... for long."

This makes sense, Qin's unification and rapid demise have always been pierced in Zhao Wuxian's heart like a thorn, and it is not easy to achieve this goal in the spring and autumn when the conditions are more immature, two hundred years ahead of schedule. Therefore, it is not possible to use pure force, and it is precisely because of this that he needs to listen to the opinion of the old man in front of him.

Lao Tzu pointed to the Ding on the table and said: "It's like cooking Xiaoxian, the heat should be just right, the fire is fierce, the soup will boil dry, and if the fire is weak, it will not be cooked for a long time." The prince is not afraid of being late now, but he is afraid that he will not be able to bear it, and the heat will be too fierce......"

Zhao Wuxian smiled: "After going around, what Weng wants to say is still to dissuade me from taking Jizhou Ding?" ”

"The old man has always had a saying, what is it, the prince can understand it." Lao Tzu didn't break it, and asked Zhao Wuxian to think about it by himself with a smile.

After chatting for a while, he was already a little tired on his face, after all, he was an old man in his nineties, so he asked for his leave.

Zhao Wuxian has the intention to stay: "What are Weng's plans in the future, is he staying in Chengzhou for a long time, or returning to Chen Guo's hometown?" ”

"The old man has no relatives and no reason in Chen Guo, and there is nothing to worry about......"

He stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Ten years after leaving the Central Plains, the old decay is really about to be abandoned by the world, what the prince said today, there are many people who don't understand it, I want to go to the Linzhang School Palace in Zhao State to take a walk, to listen to how the scholars there talk about 'transforming nature', can the prince borrow me a car and a half horse, go to Yecheng?" ”

"It's as good as you want! Linzhang School Palace can get Lao Tzu's visit, it is really a great blessing for Zhao Guoshi! Zhao Wuxian was overjoyed, and immediately asked people to find a good carriage and give it to Lao Tzu.

Before Lao Tzu left, he thought about it, turned back again, and solemnly saluted Zhao Wuxian, leaving a few words.

"The prince wants to do the things of the ancient sages and open up a business that has not been done for three generations, and this ambition is great. Remember, however, that if you love much, you will spend a lot, and if you hide too much, you will die. ”

Excessive covetousness will cause greater ruins, and the more you store it, the more it will inevitably be lost. The meaning of this sentence is that what you want to get, you have to pay a certain price......

If what he wants to get is something as heavy as Jiuding, the supreme position in the world, what will he give?

"At the cost?"

Many pictures suddenly appeared in front of Zhao Wuxian's eyes, the break between him and Confucius after being friends and enemies, the death of his brother Bolu, the early death of Zhao Ying, his repeated destruction of Han's promises, the destruction of the families of Qi and Wei people in the war, Wu Jing, Thief, Yu Xi, those generals and soldiers who died in battle for his cause, and the thin figure of his sister who was alone in northern Xinjiang......

Along the way, he did pay a lot of price, looking down, above the thorns, there were already white bones, who said that the emperor was easy to do?

But that was all expected, and he was also mentally prepared to continue to sacrifice, and today, Zhao Wuxian's heart was as cold as iron, and it was difficult to have any more flaws.

"I understand." In the face of Lao Tzu's kind reminder, he responded proudly.

Lao Tzu stared at Zhao Wuxian's eyes for a long time, knowing that he was in the prime of spring and autumn, and some things could not be understood as thoroughly as him, so he didn't think so. Lao Tzu shook his head and sighed: "Junhou, you still don't understand, how heavy the price is......"

After saying goodbye, he turned to leave, and a song that seemed to exhort the world came slowly from the carriage in which he was riding:

"Who is the name and the body? What do you have to do with your goods? To get or to die? I know that if you love a lot, you will have a lot of money, and if you hide too much, you will die. Contentment is not humiliating, knowing that it will not die, and it can be ...... for a long time"

"Sure enough, his knowledge is profound and unfathomable, and his ambition is high but difficult to know, and he can often see the head of it, but he doesn't know the end...... Like a dragon. Zhao Wuxian looked at Lao Tzu's distant back, and commented so, and then asked Zhao Jun in the palace to stop carrying Jizhou Ding and restore it to its original position.

"When the widow sweeps the world, then move Jiuding back to Yecheng together!"

He himself returned to Yecheng first, but ordered Zhao Jia's 30,000 troops to go to Hujiao Pass and Yuyuan Pass to garrison.

At the end of January, just as Zhao Wuxian had just returned to Yecheng, Chu Long, the envoy he had sent to Wu, also returned......

……

In line with the principle that the enemy of the future enemy is a friend, under the mediation of Qu Ao, Zhao and Wu secretly formed an alliance, and in recent years, Wu was able to survive under the Chu and Yue traps, and Zhao's containment in Huaibei and money and food assistance from time to time were important factors.

It was also thanks to the fact that Fu Cha dragged the energy of the Chu State that Zhao Wuxian was able to implement the plan of chasing the Central Plains in an orderly manner.

"What is the situation in the state of Wu?" Zhao Hou asked.

Chu Long bowed down on the shore, and then boarded the boat and said in Zhao Wuxian's ear: "Prince, when the minister left, Wucheng was surrounded by the Vietnamese army, but I am afraid that it will not last for this month......

"Is the husband alright?" Zhao Wuxian is very concerned about his old rival.

Chu Long was a little afraid to say it, and under Zhao Wuxian's repeated questioning, he said: "The husband also knows that he is powerless to return to the sky, and when the minister greets him on behalf of the king, his face is like ashes, and he describes it as withered, saying, 'The widow has no virtue and cannot prosper the country, but Zhao Hou doesn't have to pretend to worry about the widow, if you want to laugh, just laugh!" ’。 ”

"Hahahaha." Zhao Wuxian laughed, this is the character of the husband, it seems that he still has a little spirit: "The mallard duck in Jiangdong is dying and has a hard mouth." ”

Chu Long took out the things in his arms and offered them: "The husband also gave the minister a box of pearls, and asked the minister something. ”

"What?"

"The husband said that those who are about to drown will force laughter, and the widow will ask you, why did Tai Shimo become a gentleman? How could he predict the demise of Wu forty years ago? ”

Zhao Wuxian pondered for a long time, Tai Shimo's prophecy was miraculous, he had predicted many years ago, when the Wu Kingdom was still in its heyday and the Yue Kingdom was still unknown, he prophesied: In less than forty years, the Yue Kingdom will probably occupy the Wu Kingdom!

Now Shi Mo has been dead for many years, but his prophecy is about to come true......

Thinking of this, Zhao Wuxian suddenly felt a little bored, if on the day of his "Great Dao", looking around, there was no commendable opponent to witness this scene, it would also be a kind of loneliness.

Historically, Fu Cha Goujian may be the top figure of this era. But Fucha, perhaps for him, dying with the country is the best ending......

Chu Long said again: "The prince's friend came north with his ministers and wanted to ask the king to rescue Wu Guo. ”

"The widow did not intend to save him, nor could he save him."

Zhao Wuxian turned his head and ordered Yousi next to him: "After returning to Yecheng, I will lower the widow's diet, which can be regarded as my last sacrifice to my husband...... And pay respect......"