Diqin Designer

Chapter 532 Academic Exchange
It turned out that the Donghu and Yuezhi envoys had angered the Qin emperor, which was why the Qin emperor sent troops to punish them. However, the Qin envoys' account of the events was too brief, and they didn't explain in detail how the Yuezhi were defeated.

Could it be that the Qin people suffered heavy losses and had a very difficult victory, so they were embarrassed to say so?

It is possible that the Yuezhi people were not weak, and that the Qin people had suffered losses at their hands. The Qin people may have paid a heavy price to defeat the Yuezhi people.

There are also some illogical points. If the Qin people defeated the Yuezhi people with great difficulty, it proves that although the Yuezhi people were weaker than the Qin people, the difference was not too great. In that case, the Yuezhi people would not have abandoned their own land and come to them to fight for land. They should have rested and regrouped before fighting the Qin people again.

However, the truth is that the Yuezhi people did not choose to take back their land from the Qin people. Instead, they fled to Qin, preferring to abandon their homeland and go to a foreign land rather than face the Qin people again. They would rather fight against the western states than return to the east to see Qin!

It must have been during that battle with the Qin people that he witnessed their strength and realized that he was no match for them.

A minister asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, what were the casualties in your country's battle with the Yuezhi?"

Wang Ling laughed and said, "If we're talking about casualties, there were indeed some, mainly those who fell ill during the march."

In other words, when the Qin people fought against the Yuezhi and Donghu people, they suffered almost no other casualties.

But how is this possible?

Could it be that the Qin people killed the Yuezhi and Donghu people with arrows from a distance?

Some Bactrian ministers had this idea in mind, but then thought it was impossible. How could there be such powerful bows and arrows in reality that could wipe out the enemy army from a distance?

No, the Qin people had a weapon called "cannon." Bows and arrows were ineffective, but cannons were certainly capable of that.

According to the information they heard, cannons were an extremely powerful weapon, and the main reason why the Yuezhi people were defeated by the Qin people was because of cannons.

Legend has it that the cannons could launch attacks from a great distance, with thunderous roars and flashes of light during the attacks; it's hard to imagine what kind of weapon that was.

Seeing that Wang Ling did not intend to elaborate, Euthydemus I and the others did not ask any further questions, but decided that they must send someone to Qin to gather more information about Qin.

After the exhibition, "Qin delegation", "Qin army" and "Qin soldiers and armor" became the most popular and hottest topics in Bactra.

In the streets and alleys of Bactria, people often debated whether their Bactrian state or the Qin state was more powerful.

Generally, the consensus is that Bactria was more powerful than the Qin state.

The Qin soldiers were better equipped than them, but they had the invincible Macedonian phalanx, which could make up for their lack of armor.

Then someone asked, if the Qin people had also learned the Macedonian phalanx, who would have been more powerful?
This stumped some people, but others felt that the Macedonian phalanx was a creation of the great Alexander the Great, seemingly simple but actually very profound, and that the Qin people could at most learn a little bit of the basics but not the essence.

In the end, Bactria won, outperforming Qin.

When Wang Ling and the others heard about these discussions, they just laughed it off and didn't care. Winning or losing isn't determined by arguments; it depends on real strength.

Two days later, on this day, Wang Ling and Li Shiqi led the scholars in the delegation to the Bactrian Grand Theatre, where they would have an academic exchange with the scholars of Bactria.

Shortly after Wang Ling, Li Shiqi, and others arrived, Euthydemus I also brought a group of ministers to watch the academic exchange.

There weren't as many spectators today. The two sides of scholars sat on either side of the stage, with several translators on each side, somewhat like a debate in later times, only with more people.

The Qin scholars sat on the right side of the stage, while the Bactrian scholars sat on the left. This was a deliberate arrangement, as the right side represents the east, symbolizing that the Qin dynasty came from the east.

At a glance, one can see that the scholars from Bactria are mostly middle-aged and elderly, with few young people, while the scholars from Daqin are mostly young and middle-aged.

This phenomenon occurs because the journey to the diplomatic mission is long, and young and strong men are more likely to endure the long journey. If a group of elderly men were sent on the mission, they might not even reach the destination country and would die along the way.

Seated at the head of the Bactrian scholars' group was an elderly man who smiled and said, "If it is to be an exchange, we should understand each other. If we don't even know what the other has studied or learned, how can we talk about exchanging ideas? May I ask what knowledge you all have?"

First, the Qin scholars will introduce the academic achievements of the Qin Dynasty.

Li Shiqi, seated at the head of the Qin scholars' group, replied, "The learning of our Great Qin studies the heavens above, the earth below, and humanity in between; it can cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, and bring peace to the world. Since you have asked me what knowledge Great Qin possesses, I will now explain a few points to you!"

"Our Great Qin has a hundred schools of thought, each of whom is a sage. The hundred schools are schools of thought founded by these philosophers to spread their ideas and doctrines. I, for example, come from the Confucian school among the hundred schools."

The scholars from the Bactrian delegation listened attentively without asking any questions. There would be plenty of time for questions and discussions later; for now, they would listen to the Qin people first.

Li Shiqi continued, “Confucianism was founded by Confucius among the philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Our Confucian school emphasizes ‘benevolence,’ ‘righteousness,’ ‘propriety,’ ‘wisdom,’ and ‘trustworthiness.’”

"Ren means benevolence, righteousness, morality, and ethics. What makes humans human and not beasts is their 'benevolence'. To grieve for the misfortunes of others, to feel compassion for a disaster in a certain place, and to rejoice in beautiful things are all manifestations of 'benevolence'."

"Righteousness is the same as 'appropriateness'. The reason why people exist in the world is because their thoughts and actions are in accordance with the world. Righteousness is also the most correct and appropriate behavior that people should practice in the world, that is, what people can do and what they cannot do."

The Confucian concept of "righteousness" is not as simple as "loyalty" or "justice".

When Li Shiqi spoke these words, the translators were at a loss as to how to translate them. They could only understand elegant language and had not studied Confucianism in depth, so they listened in a daze and could only translate according to their own understanding.

"Ritual is the rules and regulations for people in the world. In the Confucian classic Mencius, it is said, 'Even with the keen eyesight of Li Lou and the skillful craftsmanship of Gongshu Ban, without the rules and regulations, they could not make squares and circles.' You can understand this as: if a person does not have rules and regulations, he cannot become a true human being. If a person acts arbitrarily without the restraint of rules and regulations, how is he different from a beast?"

"From a family to a nation, everything exists because of rules and regulations."

Confucianism contains elements of "law," which may explain why some Legalist scholars come from Confucian backgrounds. However, the part of Confucianism that is close to "law" is ultimately different from "law."

Confucianism emphasizes rule by virtue and advocates for minimal punishment, while Legalism champions rule of law and emphasizes strict laws and severe penalties. Of course, Legalism's "rule of law" is not the same as modern "rule of law." Some people in later generations, upon hearing the term "Legalist," may mistakenly assume that Legalism is the same as modern rule of law.

The Confucian concept of "rites" is not the rule of law; it is mainly about morality, that is, it stipulates what people can and cannot do in terms of morality and ethics, rather than laws.

"Just as a tree cannot grow crooked during its growth if it is to grow straight and tall, a person must also follow the rules if he wants to grow into a true human being."

Some scholars in the Bactrian scholar group understood some of what was being said and developed a strong interest. The Confucianism of the Qin state seemed to make some sense; it taught people what it means to be human and how to become a qualified person.

If everyone could grow into a decent person and not go astray, the world would be incredibly beautiful, free from war and conflict.

These scholars were unaware that the ideal world they envisioned was known as the "Great Harmony" in Confucianism.

Li Shiqi continued, “Wisdom is intelligence and cognition. When we are born, we know nothing about the world. We gradually come to understand and recognize the world as we grow up. This is cognition. When we encounter problems in the world, we think about them and come up with solutions. This is wisdom.”

"No one is born with knowledge; one must be taught by others, learn by oneself, and think for oneself to acquire knowledge. Therefore, on the path to knowledge, one should choose what is beneficial and knowable, and discard what is harmful."

"Furthermore, we must not only know what it is, but also why it is so. That is, we must know not only what a thing is like, but also why it is like that."

Many scholars in the Bactrian scholar group nodded in agreement. "The Qin scholar is right," they said. "We cannot only see the outward appearance of things, but also understand the underlying causes."

"Trust means honesty and integrity, as well as consistency between words and deeds. It means that one's actions are what one thinks, and one's thoughts will lead to actions. One's thoughts and actions should be consistent, rather than having one set of thoughts and another set of actions."

Many Confucian scholars of this era did indeed practice this approach; if they wanted to do something, they would do it without fear of death, such as Chunyu Yue.

Li Shiqi did not elaborate further. Confucianism is profound and complex, and if he were to delve into it, most of these Bactrian scholars would not understand. Questions such as "the distinction between righteousness and profit," "the relationship between righteousness and propriety," "the relationship between righteousness and benevolence," and "why one should sacrifice one's life for righteousness" were likely to be misunderstood.

He then spoke of other aspects of Confucianism: “All my Confucian disciples should study the Six Arts in order to become gentlemen.”

At this point, Li Shiqi felt that these foreign scholars might not understand what a "gentleman" was, so he simply explained: "You can think of a gentleman as the true person in my Confucian doctrine."

The Bactrian scholars nodded. They understood. He was the perfect person.

"The Six Arts are 'rites,' 'music,' 'archery,' 'charioteering,' 'writing,' and 'mathematics.' 'Rites' refers to etiquette and rules, 'music' refers to music and dance, 'archery' can be considered as shooting arrows, 'charioteering' is driving a chariot, 'writing' refers to recognizing characters, writing, and composing articles, and 'mathematics' is arithmetic."

The Confucian school of thought in the Qin state taught a lot, including not only reading and writing, but also music, archery, and chariot driving.

This Confucian scholar was proficient in both literature and martial arts; he was not merely someone who knew how to read and write and pursue scholarship.

Could it be that all the scholars of the Hundred Schools of Thought in Qin were of this kind? Wouldn't that mean that all the scholars in Qin were skilled in both literature and martial arts?

A country with many scholars, who are also skilled in both literature and martial arts, is terrifying to even think about.

No wonder the Qin emperor wanted all Qin people to be scholars, turning Qin into a nation of scholars; it turns out that's exactly what kind of nation of scholars it was.

From now on, the Qin people will surpass others not only in knowledge but also in martial arts: If you all cannot understand my reasoning, I am also somewhat skilled in martial arts!
For the entire nation to be literate and possess the knowledge of scholars, the Qin state would have to be extremely powerful. In any case, Bactria could not and would not do such a thing.

With so many schools of thought and so many scholars in Qin, the academic atmosphere must have been very strong. There must have been research there that far surpassed what they had done. Some Bactrian scholars felt compelled to visit Qin.

This was one of the reasons why Li Nian had the Qin delegation bring a group of scholars with them when they set off.

This was intended both to spread Qin culture to other states and to cultivate the idea that "Qin is a sacred place of learning" in the minds of scholars from those states, thereby attracting outstanding scholars from other countries to travel thousands of miles to Qin to learn from its teachings.

The center of the world is in Qin, where there is the most wise king, the most prosperous city, the most advanced knowledge, and the best environment for scholars. It is a place to go!
Li Shiqi continued, “My Confucian disciples must study the Four Books and Five Classics. The Four Books are the *Great Learning*, *Doctrine of the Mean*, *Analects*, and *Mencius*; the Five Classics are the *Classic of Poetry*, *Classic of History*, *Classic of Rites*, *Classic of Changes*, and *Spring and Autumn Annals*!”

Of course, all of that is in the past. Nowadays, Confucianism has evolved with the times under Li Nian's influence. It is not enough to just learn these things; one must also learn subjects such as the investigation of things and geography.

Other schools of thought are similar, all transforming into comprehensive schools, but they all maintain the fundamental ideas of their respective schools. These cannot be changed; if they were, they would no longer be called Confucianism or Mohism.

This is also necessary for the development of the times. If one does not adapt to the changes of the times and remains stubborn, one will be abandoned by the times. The various schools of thought in this era are not stupid; on the contrary, they know how to follow the times.

Li Nian did not stop the self-reform of the various schools of thought; on the contrary, she was quite looking forward to seeing what these schools of thought would become.

"In Confucianism, one should first cultivate oneself before bringing peace to the world; this is precisely the principle of 'cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.'"

Listening to the translator's words, some Bactrian scholars felt that this made a lot of sense. If a person wants to serve his country and do something for it, he must first do a good job himself. The Confucianism of the Qin state is really good.

Although they also had scholars who reflected on the individual and the nation, and explored aspects of human nature, morality, and ethics, they were not as prominent as the Confucian school of thought in the Qin state.

Confucianism has not yet reached its peak. If Confucianism reaches its peak in the future, it will make them realize the true value of "dismissing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism".

Confucianism was more advanced than Western learning in later times, let alone in this era. It's not just a matter of superiority, but also a battle of firepower against cold weapons.

Li Shiqi said: "Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, the three most famous Confucian scholars are Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. They are the most renowned sages of Confucianism among the Hundred Schools of Thought."

There were also Zengzi, Yanzi, and others, but Li Shiqi did not list them.

Li Shiqi decided to set a trap for these Bactrian scholars. He laughed and said, "Mencius, a Confucian scholar, advocated that human nature is inherently good, while Xunzi believed that human nature is inherently evil. What do you all think?"

(End of this chapter)