Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 145 "On the Ferocity of Oppressive Government Compared to a Tiger"

The essay questions for this year's joint examination of the four states were somewhat unexpected for Lu Beigu.

It is a "scripture" that appears infrequently.

The "classical treatise" held a unique position in the policy essays of the Song Dynasty's imperial examinations. Unlike historical treatises, which anyone could ramble on about, or policy essays, which were often written in a state of utter helplessness, the "classical treatise" section allowed everyone to cite classical texts and write something, but the quality of what they produced varied greatly.

In general, the "Classics and Treatises" section places particular emphasis on candidates' in-depth understanding and interpretation of Confucian classics. The questions often extract a sentence or passage from the classics that contains profound meaning, requiring candidates to combine commentaries, integrate various schools of thought, and even connect with current affairs to conduct a detailed and logically rigorous discussion, which best reflects the scholar's foundation in classical studies.

The title consists of only one line and originates from the Book of Rites, Tan Gong II.

Confucius said, “A harsh government is more ferocious than a tiger.” Let us elaborate on its meaning and discuss the principles of governance.

This seemingly simple topic actually points directly to the core of Confucian political philosophy, namely "benevolent governance" and "people-oriented governance".

It requires candidates not only to explain the background and profound meaning of Confucius's words, but also to expand upon them and systematically expound on what constitutes the ideal "way of governance".

This is both a grasp of the original meaning of Confucian classics and an application of the understanding of the practical governance philosophy of the Song Dynasty.

Because everyone was at a similar pace in answering the questions, after a short while, the examination room was filled with the soft sounds of turning over papers and suppressed gasps.

Everyone knows that this question tests real skills, the depth of one's immersion in history and classics, and an understanding of people's lives; it is very difficult to answer.

Zhou Mingyuan, who was sitting in front, had a furrowed brow and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Lu Beigu's mind calmed down instantly.

This quote comes from Confucius's visit to the side of Mount Tai, where he heard a woman weeping as she recounted how her father-in-law, husband, and son—three generations of her family—had all died at the hands of tigers, yet she still refused to leave this land "free from oppressive rule." Confucius used this extreme example to vehemently condemn the harm inflicted on the people by tyrannical and heavy taxes, its cruelty even surpassing that of the most ferocious wild beasts in nature.

The core of this "oppressive rule" lies in the rulers' "inhumanity" towards the people—their practices of imposing exorbitant taxes, abusing the people's labor, and imposing harsh laws and punishments.

The profound meaning of the metaphor "more ferocious than a tiger" lies in the fact that although the harm caused by a tiger is fierce, there are still mountains and forests to avoid it, and one can fight it with courage and strength. Its harm is visible, preventable, and avoidable. However, oppressive government is like an invisible net, with nowhere to escape between heaven and earth. Like a carbuncle that clings to the bone, it is endless and cuts off the people's hope for survival.

Therefore, the core of governance lies in benevolent governance and love for the people. From this, the fundamental way of governance must be to take "benevolence" as the heart and "the people" as the foundation. We should emulate the virtues of the ancient kings, reduce taxes and levies, and cherish the people's strength.

As his thoughts became clearer, Lu Beigu no longer hesitated.

The Book of Changes says: "The greatest virtue of Heaven and Earth is life, and the greatest treasure of the sage is position. How to maintain one's position? By benevolence." When Confucius passed by the south side of Mount Tai, he heard a woman crying at a grave and exclaimed, "Oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger."

The opening quotes a classic text, highlighting that benevolence and virtue are the foundation of maintaining one's position, and then proceeds to anecdotes, making for a balanced and moderate start.

The reason for writing it this way is that Lu Beigu had a judgment about the preferences of the Jiaozhou school officials, which was to avoid making startling remarks at the beginning, but to elaborate on them later.

"The tiger is the most ferocious of all beasts. It seizes and devours people, leaving a trail of blood and flesh; its harm is obvious. Yet, one may escape by fleeing to the mountains and forests; one may resist by wielding a spear or halberd. But the cruelty of oppressive government is like that of a tiger's gluttony, sucking the marrow from bones, leaving households destitute; it is like a tiger's relentless coercion, exhausting able-bodied men and leaving fields barren; it is like a tiger's claws and teeth, meticulously woven, where every action brings punishment. Its harm is inescapable, affecting everyone without end."

When the people's blood and sweat are exhausted, they are forced to wander and migrate, sell their wives and children, and even "exchange children to eat and split bones to cook." Three generations perished at the hands of tigers, yet they still clung to this land, not because they were not afraid of death, but because they feared the oppressive government more than death itself.

The reason Confucius called it "more ferocious than a tiger" is that it refers to the cruelty of its harm and the depth of its poison, so that even if people were to face death, they would not dare to complain. Compared to the obvious harm caused by wild beasts, its cruelty is indeed far greater.

This section is the core of the entire text, dissecting the profound meaning of "oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger" layer by layer.

Lu Beigu used three ingenious metaphors—"taxes and levies are like a gluttonous beast," "corruption is like being driven," and "laws are like claws and teeth"—to concretize and exacerbate the abstract concept of oppressive government, highlighting its terrifying characteristics of being "inescapable" and "unending."

At the same time, by showing the psychology of women who "fear oppressive government more than death," the novel reveals the dual destruction of oppressive government on people's spirit and survival, and powerfully demonstrates its cruel reality that it is "more ferocious than a tiger."

"From this perspective, where does the fundamental principle of governance lie? The Book of Documents says, 'The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace.' Mencius said, 'He who rejoices in the people's joy, the people will also rejoice in his joy; he who grieves in the people's sorrow, the people will also grieve in his sorrow.'"

Therefore, to safeguard one's position and ensure the stability of the nation, one must govern with benevolence: First, nurture the people. Establish stable livelihoods for the people, reduce taxes and corvée labor, ensuring that farmers have food, weavers have clothing, granaries are full, and people know etiquette; Second, educate the people. Establish schools and colleges, clarify human relationships, guide them with virtue, and regulate them with propriety, so that the people have a sense of shame and are upright, far removed from the wrath of punishment; Third, appoint the virtuous. Promote the loyal and good, and dismiss the slanderous and wicked, ensuring that benefits reach the people and that their sentiments are communicated to the emperor, thus preventing the growth of oppressive policies; Fourth, practice frugality. If the ruler personally practices frugality, eliminates extravagance, and cherishes resources, then the people will follow suit, and the people's burdens will naturally be relieved.

This passage naturally transitions from the "harm of oppressive government" to the "foundation of governance," citing the Book of Documents and Mencius to establish the foundation of "people-oriented benevolent governance." It then meticulously proposes four specific benevolent governance measures: "nurturing the people," "educating the people," "appointing the virtuous," and "frugality." The logic is clear, the passage is well-supported by classical texts, and it hits the nail on the head.

It can be said that each point directly addresses the root cause of oppressive policies and provides positive solutions.

"In the past, King Wen treated his people as if they were wounded, and during the reigns of Kings Cheng and Kang, the punishments were relaxed for more than forty years; Kings Wen and Jing allowed the people to rest and recuperate, and as a result, the granaries were overflowing with grain. These are all clear evidence of how benevolent governance led to peace and prosperity."

"Jie and Zhou took pleasure in the torture of burning alive, Qin Shi Huang used harsh laws to intimidate, and Emperor Yang of Sui squandered the empire on his imperial tours. Their short reigns and eventual demise are surely a consequence of the saying 'tyrannical rule is more ferocious than a tiger.'" In the penultimate paragraph, Lu Beigu uses contrasting examples, contrasting the prosperous reigns of King Wen, King Cheng, King Kang, and King Wen and King Jing with the tyrannical rule that led to the downfall of Jie, Zhou, Qin Shi Huang, and Emperor Yang of Sui. He uses historical facts to eloquently demonstrate the ironclad rule that benevolent governance brings prosperity while harsh governance destroys it, highlighting that "harsh governance is more ferocious than a tiger" will ultimately backfire on the rulers themselves, thus enhancing the depth and persuasiveness of his arguments.

"The current Holy Emperor is on the throne, his benevolence and virtue are widespread, and he is diligent in governing, which is truly a blessing for all the people of the world. However, the lessons of the past are not far off, in the time of the Xia Dynasty. Those who govern should deeply understand Confucius's warning that 'oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger,' always be vigilant and fearful, keep benevolence in their hearts, and keep the people in mind. If the fierce tiger hides in the mountains and forests, and the winds of benevolence blow through the villages, then the foundation of the nation will be forever solid, and a prosperous age can be expected! This is my humble opinion."

The ending echoes reality, praising the benevolence of the current officials, while also warning against the past by emphasizing the need to always remember Confucius's admonitions, remain vigilant, and promote benevolent governance.

The final line concludes with a stark contrast between "the fierce tiger disappearing" and "the benevolent wind blowing freely," expressing the beautiful vision of "a solid foundation for the nation and a prosperous era to look forward to," thus elevating the theme and leaving a lingering impression.

As he finished writing, Lu Beigu's mind became clear.

The essence of classical texts lies not in their ornate language, but in their clear and insightful reasoning.

From Confucius's lament of compassion to his concrete condemnation of oppressive government, then to the exposition of the four cardinal principles of benevolent governance and the historical evidence of rise and fall, and finally to his expectations for the present world, the structure is rigorous, progressive, and the principles are thorough.

This time, his discourse on the classics not only utilized the experience gained from the gathering, but also incorporated the depth of the classics taught by Mr. Baisha and his own observations of Song society. He felt that his discourse was more concise, profound, and comprehensive than that night's discourse at Guanlan Society.

He has poured all his knowledge and thoughts into this essay, "On the Ferocity of Oppressive Government."

Lu Beigu checked all his papers thoroughly and made a mental assessment.

He will definitely get full marks in the calligraphy exam; in the essay section, he may have made some mistakes in answering one or two extremely difficult analytical questions, but he will still get high marks; in the poetry section, whether it is "Ode to 'The Gentleman Strives for Self-Improvement'" or "Ode to Yu the Great Cherishing Every Moment", it can be said that from the perspective of the imperial examination poetry section, they are all excellent works; in the policy essay section, which is his strongest point, he performed perfectly this time!

It is no exaggeration to say that after a month of special training from Mr. Baisha, and with his extraordinary comprehension and hard work, his current strength is definitely a level higher than when he took the branch exam a month ago!
This rapid pace of progress has given Lu Beigu confidence in this year's state examination.

State schools are indeed different from county schools, where most students are just coasting along.

The state school is composed of the best students from each county over the years, and can be said to be a gathering of the state's geniuses.

But even geniuses vary in quality!

For a super genius like Lu Beigu, who is talented, experienced, and hardworking, it's not just every month, but every day, every second, that he is constantly training, absorbing, and evolving!
Therefore, those top students in the state school might be able to temporarily rank higher than him based on their years of experience.

But this is only temporary!

As long as Lu Beigu has sufficient educational resources, it's only a matter of time before he surpasses them.

It doesn't even take a long time; every ten or twenty days, Lu Beigu can advance to a new level.

Therefore, after intensive training, and another month later, when he takes the state exam on August 15th, his strength is destined to improve further.

What next?

Even Lu Beigu himself found it hard to imagine how terrifyingly advanced he would become if he studied from August of this year until February of next year after finishing the state examination, given his rate of progress.

Lu Beigu shook his head; he really couldn't imagine it.

After all, it only took him a little over three months to go from being at the bottom of the county school to being among the top schools in the prefecture.

However, there is no doubt that as long as the educational resources are adequate, six months is enough time for him to progress from the level of a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) to the level of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the metropolitan civil service examination).

However, he doesn't yet have any way of accessing the best educational resources.

Lu Beigu straightened his back and pondered quietly, waiting for the final gong to sound.

"clang--!"

As the gong sounded, the cicadas outside the window seemed to wisely quiet down.

The four-state joint examination has now come to a close.

(End of this chapter)