The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 182: Losing in War, Winning in Life

On the steps, the young man walked while observing the reactions of the people below the stage.

When Deng Lingxue advocated killing Gongsun Long, his voice was neither loud nor soft.

The students in the outer circle of Jixia Academy may not be able to hear it, but the scholars in the inner circle will definitely be able to hear it.

The disciples did not respond.

They sat quietly, raised their heads slightly, and saluted the young man.

The boy was a little confused.

[Why didn't the scholars react? Was killing people a common thing in the Jixia Academy?]
Before he could figure out the answer to the question, he had already walked onto the platform and stood in front of Gongsun Long.

[I don’t want to think about it anymore. The most important thing now is Gongsun Long.]
The young man took two quick steps and sat on the straw mat, with only a table between him and Gongsun Long, who was resting with his eyes closed.

Even after observing him so closely, he still couldn't see anything strange about Gongsun Long's appearance.

Not beautiful, not ugly, just ordinary.

But there is a difference between watching on stage and watching from the audience.

The Gongsun Long on the stage looks too old.

The wind is strong on the high platform.

The wind blew from Gongsun Long's back onto Ying Chengjiao's face, and Ying Chengjiao smelled a strange odor.

The young man knew that this was the smell of old age on Gongsun Long.

He had smelled it in his grandfather, Lin Xiangru, Lian Po and others.

"Zou Yan didn't lie to me." The old man in front of him opened his eyes, his eyes as clear as a clear lake: "You are finally here."

"My dear kid, I'm here to meet Gongsun Longzi." The young man bowed and saluted with a smile on his face, but he was secretly complaining in his heart.

[The Yin-Yang theory does have some substance.]
He was going to come to the Jixia Academy, but he never told Zou Yan.

Gongzi Chengjiao's hand hasn't been put down yet, Gongsun Long starts at zero frame:

"Why did you want to kill Lord Pingyuan?"

The speech was very fast and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The young man slowly lowered his hand without responding immediately and without getting into Gongsun Long's rhythm.

This action made Gongsun Long's eyes narrow.

Even among the various philosophers, not all of them understood the importance of the rhythm of debate.

"I didn't kill Lord Pingyuan." Ying Chengjiao said calmly, "Lord Pingyuan died suddenly of a heart attack."

The boy's clear and penetrating voice eased the atmosphere in the venue, and the people in the audience, who had just been tense by Gongsun Long's words, slowly relaxed.

If the water was rushing before, it is now flowing slowly.

Gongsun Long nodded, rather slowly, and took the initiative to follow Ying Chengjiao's conversation rhythm.

He slowed down his speech and said:
"In the seventh year of King Xiaocheng of Zhao, the Qin army besieged Handan.

"In the ninth year of King Xiaocheng of Zhao, Lord Pingyuan led his followers to Chu to seek foreign aid.

"During this trip, Mao Sui, a retainer under Lord Pingyuan, showed his talent and made Chu agree to send troops to rescue, thus realizing the Chu-Zhao alliance.

"Pingyuan Jun sent envoys several times to ask for help from Wei, and asked Xinling Jun to lead his troops to help.

"When Handan was under siege by the Qin army and about to be broken, Lord Pingyuan spent all his wealth to reward the soldiers and recruited 3,000 brave warriors.

"He led his retainer Li Tong to attack the Qin army, forcing them to retreat 30 miles and lifting the siege of Handan.

"Afterwards, Lord Pingyuan refused the reward and was not greedy for fame or money.

"Xunzi commented on Lord Pingyuan, saying that he resolved the country's major problems and eliminated the country's major disasters, and that he achieved this by respecting the monarch and stabilizing the country.

"Do you think so?"

The boy seemed to think for a moment, and finally nodded:
"Of course."

Gongsun Long spoke a little faster and said:

"Pingyuan Jun praised Mao Sui, saying that his three-inch tongue was more powerful than a million soldiers.

"Do you think Mao Sui is a righteous man?

"Can his character and deeds be called a gentleman?"

"He is truly a righteous man and can be called a gentleman." This time the young man answered straightforwardly, as if without thinking.

"Can Lord Pingyuan be considered a gentleman?" Gongsun Long spoke a little faster than before.

He first got into the boy's rhythm and lowered his vigilance.

After a few words, he gradually led the boy into his own conversation rhythm.

"Pingyuan Jun is certainly a gentleman." The young man replied quickly.

Gongsun Long's heart tensed up a little, but his expression was relaxed, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

He leaned back slightly, slowed down his speech once again, and asked:

"You have been an envoy to Zhao on behalf of Qin, right?"

As soon as Gongsun Long finished speaking, Master Chengjiao immediately replied:

"Of course."

"My son, at the age of seven, showed amazing abilities in the Zhao court and was able to debate with all the ministers. Is that right?" Gongsun Long spoke in a slightly fast pace.

"Indeed." A smile appeared on the young man's face, as if he was happy to be praised.

"I heard that even Mao Sui, whose three-inch tongue was more powerful than a million soldiers, could not defeat you in an argument. Is that true?" Gongsun Long spoke quickly.

"Indeed." The smile on the young man's face became more and more intense.

Gongsun Long looked more and more at ease:

"Mao Sui committed suicide because he could not defeat the prince in an argument. Pingyuan Jun died after debating with the prince, is that right?" He spoke very quickly!
Kong Bin in the audience had an unpleasant look on his face. He wanted to stand up and remind Master Chengjiao loudly that if he answered "Yes" again, he would lose.

"That's right." Young Master Chengjiao also spoke very quickly.

Even faster than Kong Bin's.

While his voice reached every corner of the square, Kong Bin was still sitting quietly on a straw mat in the audience.

Kong Bin's face was as gloomy as water and he felt extremely heavy.

If you answer this, you lose.

They already attach great importance to Gongsun Long.

In order to let Master Chengjiao meet the real Gongsun Long, his brother Kong Chuan was even willing to sacrifice his own reputation and that of the Kong family.

But, Gongsun Long is Gongsun Long, and the words "unparalleled in debate" are not groundless.

The two debates between Gongsun Long and Kong Chuan and Gongzi Chengjiao were of completely different styles, and they were like two different people before and after!
Kong Bin looked at his brother beside him:

"If my brother doesn't go up, Master Chengjiao might have a 10% chance of winning."

In this debate, Master Chengjiao did not perform to his true level as Kong Bin had thought, and was being led by the nose the entire time.

Kong Bin believed that it was because Prince Chengjiao was too impressed by Gongsun Long's debate with his brother Kong Chuan that he suffered a great defeat when facing Gongsun Long, who had a different style.

"Brother, can you still laugh?" Kong Bin was a little annoyed.

In his sight, his brother had a calm smile on his face, and seemed completely unaware that Master Chengjiao had already lost.

Kong Bin didn't understand.

His elder brother's reputation fell, his family's prestige declined, and the highly expected Master Cheng Jiao also lost the reputation of a gentleman.

How could his brother, who had been through thick and thin with him, still laugh?
"The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without contending." Kong Chuan laughed and said, "I can't go up. Facing Gongsun Longzi, Gongzi Chengjiao has no chance of winning. No one in the world can beat Gongsun Longzi."

"What a sophist! You are not worthy of being called my son!" Kong Bin was very emotional when his brother called Gongsun Long "Gongsun Longzi".

"Not entirely." Kong Chuan shook his head. "What is sophistry? An argument that is inconsistent with cognition and common sense, but cannot be refuted? If you think Gongsun Longzi is wrong, you should refute it incisively, instead of disagreeing without reason. Since you can't win the argument, it means that Gongsun Longzi's words are reasonable."

Deng Lingxue, who was on good terms with Kong Chuan, looked at ease and nodded in agreement.

He turned around and said to Kong Bin through Kong Chuan:
"You and I are at odds, but your brother and I are close friends.

"There is a moral difference between Kong Binzi and Kong Chuanzi."

Kong Bin turned his head and ignored Deng Lingxue.

The family rules forbid him to use foul language, otherwise he would definitely curse - what the hell is morality!
What nonsense is this? Can you blame morality for everything?
Confucianism and Mohism are inherently opposed to each other.

There is an independent chapter in the book "Mozi" called "Non-Confucianism", the main content of which is the criticism of Confucianism.

If they act in this way, what connection can there be between the Confucius family, who are the fundamental inheritors of Confucianism, and the Mohists?

Among the Kong family, Kong Chuan was the only famous person who was on good terms with the Mohists.

Three small theaters for philosophers and a big stage for all philosophers.

When they heard Prince Chengjiao's "Yes", most of the scholars were disappointed and sighed.

Although they were disappointed that Master Chengjiao was defeated so easily, they did have some hope for him.

If we don't expect to win, at least we should have an exciting performance, right?
I sighed that Gongsun Long was worthy of being Gongsun Long. With just a few words, he made the famous Master Cheng Jiao lose his composure and be defeated quickly.

After a while, the disciples looked at each other and smiled at those they knew and were friends with, feeling relieved.

Zhuangzi, Zouzi, Kong Chuanzi... so many people were defeated by Gongsun Long.

It is not surprising that a child who has just turned eight years old according to the Qin calendar would behave like this.

Below the stage, in the eyes of the scholars, the outcome of this debate had already been decided. On the stage, the debate had also come to an end.

Gongsun Long's true intentions were exposed, and he said in a deep voice:
"You didn't kill Mao Sui and Lord Pingyuan, but they died because of you.

"How can a man who killed two gentlemen because of one person be called a gentleman?"

Gongzi Chengjiao hesitated for a while, thought seriously, and then admitted dejectedly:

"Yes, I'm not a gentleman." There was a hint of dejection in the young man's voice.

"You are not a gentleman, but you have been slandering yourself as a gentleman and acting like a gentleman among the nations. This is a deception!" Gongsun Long's voice was firm and very contagious.

"Yes...it's cheating," the boy repeated, confusion evident in his sharp voice.

Gongsun Long breathed a sigh of relief, everything was over.

He broke Prince Chengjiao's golden body and exposed Prince Chengjiao's gentlemanly disguise, thus repaying Lord Pingyuan's kindness.

The old man hunched over and looked like a piece of dead wood.

His eyes became cloudy, his voice was not as strong, and his words were trembling:

"You are obviously not a gentleman, and you have deceived the world.

"I really can't understand why you dare to come to the Jixia Academy to meet me?"

The young man was silent for a moment and said:

“I can’t refute what the public said, but I don’t agree with it.

"In my heart, I have always held myself to the standards of a gentleman and have never thought of deceiving the world.

"The Jixia Academy is a sacred place for students all over the world. It is my wish to meet and discuss with all the scholars."

Gongsun Long was shocked.

Kong also said something similar when he went down... He understood, he understood everything.

It was just that he was so focused on winning the debate that he ignored the...

offstage.

Kong Bin was shocked and muttered to himself:

"Winning is winning, losing is also winning..."

Kong Chuan's smile remained calm, this was the only way to win.

He went on stage not to force out the real Gongsun Long to show Prince Chengjiao, but to show a Gongsun Long with unparalleled sophistry to all the other scholars!
What Prince Chengjiao wanted to win over were all the other scholars, not just Gongsun Long.

Gongsun Long said that a white horse is not a horse, a chicken has three legs, and a human has three ears.

Can you believe that Master Chengjiao is not a gentleman and is deceiving the world?

The scholars talked and laughed, some shook their heads, and did not believe what Gongsun Long said.

She nodded, and her favorability towards the boy increased slightly.

Who doesn't like to hear flattery?

It would sound even better if these flattering words were uttered by a young gentleman who was famous all over the world.

They admitted that Gongsun Long's words were indeed sharp, which made a child who became famous at a young age become complacent and speechless.

No one is better than Gongsun Long in the art of sophistry!
The students of Jixia Academy discussed with each other, smiled and felt that this young gentleman was not as wise as rumored.

On the high platform, Gongsun Long's mouth corners twitched slightly and moved again and again.

He raised his head and laughed heartily, his laughter full of sadness and frustration.

He won this debate.

But Prince Chengjiao's reputation as a gentleman was lost only by Gongsun Long.

But among the philosophers and in the world, it still shines.

The old man laughed until tears came out, and his old voice echoed throughout the audience:
“No one believes in academic research.

“In terms of governance, few people are useful.

“Follow you, no need to keep me.

"It is so desolate when this life on earth comes to an end."

Ying Chengjiao sat back a little to prevent the old man from suddenly attacking him.

Although it seems that the old man is about to die, and according to his own account he is about to die, it is best to take someone with you as a scapegoat when he is dying!
Gongsun Long's emotions were fluctuating greatly and he didn't notice the boy's little movements.

He raised his eyes and looked around.

The crowd below the stage was dark, and the sky above the stage was white.

He left Zhao State and left Pingyuan Jun, and came to the Jixia Academy.

There are at least a hundred other disciples among the other disciples.

Only he, including the disciples who followed him all the way from Zhao State, had dozens of people under his command.

He never lost a debate.

He single-handedly restored the reputation of the debater, forcing the princes of various countries to see the word "debater".

He can convince everyone, but he cannot convince many people.

When Kong Chuan arrived in Zhao, he never talked about him.

On the second day, Lord Pingyuan came to him and said:

"Don't argue with Kong Chuanzi anymore.

"Kong Chuanzi's ideas are better than his words, and your words are better than his ideas.

“He who speaks more than reason may win the argument, but he will surely lose in the end.”

He was hurt by these words and left, and Pingyuan Jun did not try to keep him.

At his deathbed, he still fulfilled his duties as a retainer and was determined to avenge Lord Pingyuan. In the end, Lord Pingyuan's words came true.

This final debate in his life, which he chose on his own initiative, was the same as what Pingyuan Jun said.

In terms of victory, life is a failure.

He looked at the young man who was like the rising sun, no longer pursuing any rhythm, and spoke in the old man's usual calm tone and slow pace:
“I was originally going to say that you shouldn’t have stopped Deng Lingxue when you were down there.

"Letting Deng Lingxue kill me is your only chance to keep your reputation as a gentleman.

"Oh... I see, you never intended to defeat me.

"I have seen the ability of Kong Chuan. Is this Confucianism?
“I could have told him, and no one believed me.

“He can’t beat me, and everyone believes him.

“You go down.

"I don't have the power to kill you, and I don't want to see you before I die."

The young man knew why the other disciples did not stop Deng Ling from learning.

Gongsun Long had a last burst of energy, and he would die if he was not killed.

"I don't want to leave yet." Gongzi Chengjiao folded his hands and said, "I want to ask Gongsun Longzi about this: a white horse is not a horse!"

On stage and off stage.

It's all silent.

Then.

The noise roared up and reached the sky.

　I know you guys are anxious, but please don't be anxious.

　　In the next chapter, I will tell you brothers what these chapters are about.

　　Simply winning or losing has never been a problem I consider. The plot of pretending to be cool and then getting slapped in the face is not that interesting.

　　I have said before that this volume is to lead the brothers to meet the philosophers.

　　The image of Gongsun Long is a restoration of history, not a fantasy.

　　I will make slight adjustments to make the plot more exciting, but they will only be very small, and the overall story will still be based on history.

　　I have read the comments of my brothers, and I want to say that the real philosophers and the philosophers I wrote about are more powerful than you brothers imagined.

　　Don't mention the word "big style" to you, because mentioning the word "big style" will make you lose your style.

　　He is indeed awesome, so just describe him truthfully, there is no need to exaggerate.

　　A brother suggested that it would be better to let Gongsun Long say that the scholars of the Jixia Academy only studied and did not care about government affairs, just like a chicken has three legs and a person has three ears, to explain those who talk big, so that Gongsun Long will not look like a clown now.

　　This... the idea is good, but the book cannot be written like this. This kind of writing style is more suitable for completely fictional stories.

　　This writing style completely subverts history.

　　Among the various schools of thought, only the famous ones were least involved in political affairs, while all the others were more concerned with government affairs than academic research.

　　The starting point of all the doctrines of Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism and Taoism summarized by later generations is almost for governing the country rather than for education.

　　And Gongsun Long is not a clown either. We are standing on the shoulders of giants, and Gongsun Long is that giant.

　　Stop nagging, it’s clear.

　　If you brothers still think there are problems with these chapters, that’s my problem.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)