Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 369 Li Xin and Li Ling

"We're getting more and more books, and more and more people are coming to visit us..."

"I'm really worried that one day the Emperor of Han will be unhappy with our lively atmosphere and come to question us."

Before this,

In order to ensure the successful completion of their book-writing project, the two envoys not only requested favors from Emperor Wu of Han and received many precious books, but also...
They even posted notices, soliciting classics and wisdom from the public.

Confucius said, "When the rites are lost, seek them in the countryside."

During the transition from the Qin to the Han dynasties, the world was naturally in great chaos.

After Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, burned down Xianyang, he destroyed countless precious records and books.

Even after the Han Dynasty was established,

In order to spread education widely and show his benevolence, he also redeemed and sought out the classics left behind by the people, and achieved great results.

But firstly,
The Qin-Xia envoys did not believe that all the privately held books had been transferred to the royal archives.

Secondly,

Decades have passed since that great search and quest, and the wisdom of the people must have been updated. How can we be obsessed with old books and ignore the changes in reality?

Although the Qin and Xia states have achieved political stability and continued national development, Confucianism has also become widely prevalent among them.
However, it is impossible for some rigid and pedantic scholars to "revere the past and reject the present."

Therefore,
They followed the example of the Han emperors of decades ago, offering large sums of money and posting their demands.

quickly,

As in the previous example,
They reaped many rewards.

Many people suddenly appeared, bringing books, articles, and even some practical tools, and gradually took away the messenger's bounty, which he thought was enough and might even be more than enough.

At the back,

The messenger almost lost all his money on his journey home, and in a panic, he had no choice but to secretly take down the notice in the middle of the night.

When others came later,

The messengers then said that they had collected enough information and would devote their remaining energy to organizing and compiling it.

"It's alright, we can help with these things too!"

The old man who came to the door just stroked his beard and smiled, saying that he had a wide network of connections and could find more people to repair their books.

The two messengers assumed the old man was joking.

The exchange of bounties for books is like a business transaction; once the deal is done, the transaction is over.

However, the task of compiling the book cannot be accomplished overnight.

Aside from royalty and powerful families, very few people in the world could achieve this.

Unfortunately, the other party kept their word and actually brought in many scholars with extraordinary temperament, eloquent speech, and profound strategic thinking to the embassy.

Their gathering here was even more lively than when the emperor issued an edict ordering local officials to recommend virtuous and talented people.

As the host, the envoy was momentarily at a loss for where to sit.

When the ruler of Weiyang Palace heard about this, he was completely bewildered:
"Didn't my grandfather collect all the books back then?"

He sent someone to the embassy to investigate, and they retrieved some books to read. Finally, he exclaimed in amazement:
"Why are there so many more articles in 'Miscellaneous Essays' now?"

The emperor had read this strange book, which was so peculiar that it was unclear which school it belonged to.

Because it contains diverse viewpoints.
The articles read like the authors were arguing remotely.
This pleased the emperor, who was naturally unrestrained and loved new things.

He thought he was already very familiar with the book.

Who knew that looking back now, there are still many things I didn't understand?

As for why we don’t suspect it’s a forgery by later generations trying to claim credit with their predecessors?
That can only be said,

Those extra articles are indeed related to the previous "staying true to our original aspirations" posts.

"They're still arguing? Could this book be the work of a deity?"

After reading the latest chapter of "Miscellaneous Sayings," the emperor couldn't help but mutter to himself, then chuckled to himself, "If that's really the case, then these immortals arguing and debating every day must be incredibly boring!"

"Your Majesty, the envoys' quarters of both countries are now bustling with activity. Shouldn't we be warned?"

When scholars gather, they often urge others to speak out and criticize the government.

The emperor greatly disliked this.

But when I think about the relationship between the three kingdoms...
Furthermore, although the Han Dynasty exclusively promoted Confucianism, it did not have any literary inquisitions.

The emperor could only wave his hand and say:
"Ignore them!"

"Since I have already agreed to their request to compile the letter, how can I impose any further restrictions?"

"As long as nothing serious happens, let them be!"

"I now need to focus my energy on military affairs!"

immediately,

His general and the champion are coming back!

The emperor has no intention of wasting his energy on outsiders!

then,

The lively atmosphere in the embassy was tacitly approved by the emperor.

Many people who are quite interested in it can also openly come and join this book party among scholars.

Sima Qian, a historian who was no longer young, was one of them.

He inherited the ambition of his ancestors and wanted to compile a history book that spanned the past and present and drew on the wisdom of various schools of thought through his own efforts.

Before this,

He had the idea of ​​visiting the envoys from Qin and Xia to inquire about the experiences of the two countries.

The embassy now has people and items.
This was an irresistible temptation for him.

When Sima Qian tidied himself up and arrived, filled with anticipation...
The scholars who had peeked out from the public at the embassy were arguing again over something. The two envoys sat in the courtyard, their faces cupped in their hands, looking much like when they were idly sitting as ornaments before they decided to compile the book.

After all, with the help of this group of kind-hearted people who wish to remain anonymous,
The envoys have lost all their functions except for nominal appointment and funding.

Seeing this, Sima Qian knew that the two were not in a good mood, so he did not disturb them directly.

He found a middle-aged man who was carrying books nearby and asked him about the reason for the argument.

"It must be something important, otherwise why would they be arguing so heatedly?"

“Oh, it’s nothing really,” the strong man said. “They’re noisy like this every day.”

"These old devils often argue over the smallest things. They'll stop arguing once they're tired of it!"

"If you want to read a book, you can ask me, and I'll find it for you."

Sima Qian did not delve into the deeper meaning of the other party's words, but was simply grateful for his help.

"Thank you!"

He bowed respectfully and asked, "May I ask your name?"

"My surname is Li," the other person replied calmly.

Are you from Longxi?

Nowadays, most people with the surname Li come from Longxi, and it has not yet spread to the point where it can be found everywhere.

"Yes."

Sima Qian then smiled and said, "That would be wonderful!"

“My friend is from the Li family of Longxi. His name is Li Ling, and he is the grandson of General Li Guang.”

"That's great!" Upon hearing this, the other person smiled, their eyes crinkling, and they became more willing to talk to Sima Qian.

He enthusiastically told Sima Qian where the categorized books were piled up, and, ignoring the scholars who were still arguing, offered to personally take him there.

This friendly exchange was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a young man.

The man found Sima Qian and cried out, "Zichang, my grandfather has died!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Qian's expression became moved.

The young man continued, "The general humiliated my grandfather because he got lost and missed his appointed time, causing him to die with resentment!"

"I really want to avenge him!"

The burly man beside him frowned and interrupted his sobbing, "If someone dies, they die. As the saying goes, military orders are absolute!"

"He made a mistake; who can save him?"

"As a descendant of the Li family, how can you cry and whine like this?"

"Who are you?" Li Ling looked at him, quite dissatisfied with the sense of entitlement in his tone.

“You don’t need to worry about me!” The other person shook his head without answering, only saying to Li Ling, “You just need to know that, when it comes to enemies, it should be the Xiongnu, not the current general!”

"If your grandfather had even a fraction of Wei Qing's skill, how could he have gotten lost?"

Wei Qing was a famous general who could command a large army to pursue the Xiongnu on the vast grasslands!
How could Li Guang compare to him!

Upon hearing this, Li Ling's face flushed with anger, and he wanted to rush over and fight with him to avenge his grandfather.

Sima Qian was too late to stop him and could only watch helplessly as Li Ling roared and charged forward, only to be easily subdued by his own clansmen and punched three times.

"Li Li Li!"

"With a personality like yours, you don't even deserve the surname Li?!"

After finishing the beating, the man left behind these humiliating words to Li Ling, and then turned and left.

……

"Li Xin!"

"Does it feel good to personally discipline your good-for-nothing children?"

As soon as the man was out of Sima Qian and Li Ling's sight, someone quietly approached him and spoke to him.

"If it's not satisfying, I won't even bother fighting!"

Li Xin, a famous general of the Qin Dynasty who once helped the First Emperor conquer Zhao, Yan, and Qi, snorted.

"Don't be upset!"

His friend said, "How many ghosts in the underworld want to beat their own descendants but can't?"

"Don't try to act innocent after getting the benefit!"

"Looking at the way they are, I only regret that His Majesty did not take me with him on his western tour!"

When the First Emperor and other Qin rulers left the Central Plains for Western Qin, he selected several trusted confidants to accompany him.

Unlike veterans like Wang Jian, Li Xin died of illness while still in his prime.

Therefore, I still have high expectations for things outside the borders.

But the First Emperor did not choose him.

This left Li Xin feeling quite regretful.

of course,

What Li Xin couldn't let go of even more
It was as if the gods and spirits had discovered Wei Qing's extraordinary talent, but when they were looking for famous generals to guide him, they did not seek him out!
Now, Wei Qing is destined to be remembered in history for his achievements.

His descendant, Li Guang, missed a major battle because of something as trivial as getting lost. He felt insulted by being held accountable afterwards and committed suicide out of shame and indignation.

This made Li Xin so angry that he couldn't even eat the offerings in the underworld.

otherwise,
As a military general, he wouldn't be so bored as to help a group of scholars organize books.

Isn't it just that you want to find something more painful to distract yourself?

(End of this chapter)