Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 127 Debate (Part )

When Mencius came to the dreamland specially created by ghosts and gods,
Shang Yang and his men had been waiting for a long time.

Zhuangzi was lying on the ground and snoring. It was time to sleep at night anyway, so he didn't care whether he was dreaming or not.

Hui Shi was discussing official matters with Shang Yang.

Although the other party was the culprit that caused the chaos in Wei State, since it was a dream, he put aside personal grudges and discussed the matter at hand. Hui Shi still admired Shang Yang's ability to govern.

From the reform to now,
Shang Yang can indeed be regarded as the man who changed the Qin State.

In such troubled times,
How to continue the country and society is what needs people's most attention.

"Okay!"

"Please sit down!"

He Bo waved his hand and invited everyone to take a seat.

Then, due to coincidence, a sermon and debate that was used by ghosts and gods began.

But the rules are different from those of the Jixia Academy.

The ghost god with superb chess skills directly transformed a huge Liubo chessboard in the center of the four people, and four chess pieces representing Shang, Meng, Zhuang and Hui were placed at the starting point.

Hui Shi, who loved fun and had a wealthy family, saw the deep meaning at a glance, "Whoever speaks well will move forward a few steps?"

"That's right!" He Bo applauded affirmatively.

Hui Shi asked again, "Are you the one who will judge?"

Ghosts and gods are fair and just,

But it is different from the thought life of ordinary people.

Can it really be judged accurately?

"No."

He Bo waved his sleeves and dragged the referee he had prepared onto the stage. "They will be the judges!"

“I’m only responsible for recording!”

The joy of the common people,

Ji Wu of Daozhi,
Wei Ji, who was once a king,

Suddenly I fell from the sky above the dream, fell on my butt, and lay on the ground in a daze.

Especially Wei Ji.

After hearing the news in the underworld that his son was going to become king, he sulked at home.

Back then, I conquered all of the Three Jins, but I didn't dare to claim the title of king.

Now his son is about to become king, how can Wei Ji not be annoyed?

So when Wei Ji heard that these people gathered in Daliang because of Wei's claim to the throne, he immediately became interested, "Are they criticizing Wei Ying?"

That kid is not just unfilial.
It must be severely condemned!

He Bo asked him curiously, "Why should I make such a fuss about the affairs of Wei?"

"We have finally gathered together, so naturally we have to discuss the major events in the world!"

He turned around and said to his four sons, "Since King Ping moved east, the world has been in turmoil for more than four hundred years."

"Housekeepers replaced scholars; scholars replaced ministers; ministers replaced princes..."

"Now the princes are about to replace the King of Zhou, and the ritual and music system has completely collapsed."

"But I heard that the development of things always follows the principle of prosperity followed by decline and adversity followed by good times."

"The grass sprouts in the spring, grows in the summer, dies in the fall, withers completely when the winter snow falls, and then new sprouts are born when the spring breeze blows."

"Now that Wei has claimed the throne, it is like snow in winter. The old system has been destroyed and disappeared, while the new system is still under the snow and has not yet sprouted."

"You two are the wise men of the time. How do you think we can stop the heavy snow and welcome spring soon?"

"Those sitting here listening to your speech include nobles who rule a country, common people, and rebels who despise tyranny. Can you convince them?"

After all,

Ghosts and several judges of different identities sat on the clouds, overlooking the chessboard and debaters below.

He waved his sleeves again, and a small clock appeared at his hand.

The ghosts and gods knocked on it and set the agenda.

That is: "How to rule the world?"

As for what kind of scenery the world will have after unification?
That is a question that people a hundred years from now will have to consider.

A sign also appeared in the hands of Wei Ji and other dead ghosts, which allowed them to give a score from negative ten to positive ten according to the degree of their agreement with the four men's opinions, thus affecting who could go further.

The four of them looked at each other for a while.

Although the ghosts and gods had said long ago that there was no reward for this debate.

But having said that, it is already a battle for the great truth, so why bother about whether there is a reward or not?

Because Shang Yang was the oldest, he spoke first, "If we want to end the chaos, we must resolve the disputes among the princes!"

"So, I started the reform in Qin State, hoping that Qin State would defeat other princes and make the world just one country!"

Then, he began to describe his reforms:
The wisdom of the people makes the superiors and subordinates united;
One law, so that the ruler and the people may be governed by the same system;

One measure makes it easy to transport goods evenly;

One place, to bring order to the country.

After hearing this, Wei Ji was about to give Shang Yang the lowest score on the spot.

joke,

After the rise of Qin, who would be beaten first? Didn’t Wei Ji know it?

He Bo quickly added, "You just need to put yourself in the shoes of the monarch he assisted, don't just think of the Wei Kingdom!"

Wei Ji then endured it, put himself in the position of the King of Qin, and thought about what Shang Yang advocated...

He raised his hand and gave the highest score.

Although other countries must be suffering,

But if he were the monarch of Shang Yang, he would be well-received of his ideas.

Thinking of this, Wei Ji felt sad that Wei had lost such a talented person.

Since I can’t beat the unfilial son now, I’ll go back and beat Gong Shuzao up again!
Ji Wu got the lowest score.

"When the monarch whips the whole world, and the common people are severely disciplined, who benefits the most?"

"The princes regarded the country as their own private property and the common people as domesticated cattle and horses. They only cared about their own wealth and fame, and never cared whether the cattle and horses were tired. Once the common people fell down from exhaustion, they would be whipped."

"I think that the common people are also human beings, and should enjoy the benefits that people are born with, instead of sacrificing their own flesh and blood to support the fat nobles!"

Xi is in a dilemma.

As a commoner, he really doesn't like the country's excessive oppression.

But in troubled times, if you don't use all your means, you will face destruction.

When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?

So he thought for a long time and asked Shang Yang, "Shang Jun, you said that the law should change with the passage of time. What we are doing now is just to unify the world as soon as possible so that future generations will no longer suffer from the pain of disputes. It is worth suffering for this generation."

"After unifying the world, what will happen if the monarch cannot allow the common people to breathe and recover?"

Shang Yang said, "My laws are suitable for troubled times."

"After unification, we should reform again!"

"If the monarch still uses the harsh laws of the chaotic times to govern a stable country, then he will be overthrown and his ancestral temple will be cut off. I can only say that he has a good death!"

"Oh."

So Xi nodded and gave a moderate score.

The chess piece representing Shang Yang happily moved forward five squares.

Subsequently,

It’s Mencius.

He said, "People have too many selfish desires, which is the root cause of unrest."

"The makers of laws are the nobles who govern the country."

“Could it be that the national conditions in their eyes are the same as the national conditions in the eyes of ordinary people?”

"So if we want the country to be stable and the ruler and the people to enjoy peace and prosperity together, we must rebuild morality, cultivate benevolence and righteousness in people's hearts, and eliminate the terrible selfish desires that are influenced by the environment."

“The monarch knows what he does for the benefit of the people, and the people know what they do for the benefit of the country. Inner recognition is more effective and long-lasting than forcing people by law.”

“Therefore, benevolence and righteousness can unite the upper and lower classes and be passed down from ancient times.”

Wei Ji said, "How long will it take for your benevolence and justice to strengthen the country?"

"It takes me twenty years to become strong when I promote benevolence and justice, but others can achieve results in five years when they implement laws and regulations."

"If the country is destroyed during this period, can benevolence and righteousness still be maintained?"

Therefore, Wei Ji gave negative points.

Mencius was not surprised at all.

Because since he started teaching, he has met many monarchs, and their attitude was the same.

(End of this chapter)