A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 203 Death Fight
To exacerbate the conflict.

Confucianism is always adept at binding others to its own cause.

If the Legalists are recognized as the pillars that restore order to a chaotic world, then the Mohists uphold another line of defense for humanity.

The world's simple moral standards.

To "promote the benefits of the world and eliminate its ills," what must be eradicated is all evil and cruelty.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, those rulers and ministers who sought to reform and strengthen their states were all among those targeted by the Mohists for punishing tyranny.

Even if it was for the sake of national prosperity and strength, the Mohists would intervene whenever evil and brutality appeared among the states.

For example, the reforms of Li Kui and Wu Qi failed amidst the bloodshed of evil. The reforms of Shen Buhai in Han, King Qi Wei in Qi, and Wei Yang in Qin were all filled with killing, and the Mohists intervened in all of them.

In the Mohist moral view, it is certainly not acceptable for the world to be without reform, but it is even more unacceptable to be without a thunderous force to suppress the tyranny of reform, otherwise it will only allow tyrants and cruel officials to run rampant.

Many times, the Mohists' attempts to punish tyranny failed, but it was precisely their unwavering attitude and fearless determination that made the hegemons, powerful rulers, and ministers who brought about change in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods wary of them.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the Mohists have lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, and their acts of punishing tyranny have greatly decreased, with very few successes. The officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family of both the Chinese and foreign dynasties have forgotten the power of the Mohists and other schools of thought in eradicating tyranny.

The demise of the Confucian family, a family of supreme sages, served as a stark warning to all princes and nobles.

In this world, having a sword but not using it, and not having a sword to use, are two different things.

Clearly, the Mohists and other schools of thought still wielded the "sword"!
At this moment, most of the court officials in the Xuan Shi Hall had come from the reign of His Majesty. During that period of cruel officials, most of them found it difficult to serve as officials with a broad mind that loved all under heaven and strived to bring peace and prosperity to the world. Not to mention the bloody atrocities during the reign of Emperor, few of them were gentle and self-respecting. Calling them "tyrannical officials" is not an exaggeration at all.

Now, the Mohists and other schools of thought have begun to kill and punish the tyrannical. Even if they do not take action against others, it cannot help but serve as a warning to the officials of both dynasties.

Although the words of the scholar Chu Da were tinged with personal motives, shouldn't the court punish such brutal private punishment?

The atmosphere in the main hall changed noticeably, but due to the emperor's ambiguous attitude towards the various schools of thought, no one dared to speak.

The whispered conversation was directed at Suo Lu Can, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the next generation leader of the Mohist school, who stood among the court officials in the outer court and had lived in the Qingmiao Temple for generations.

Suo Lucan, befitting his Mohist identity and spirit, stepped forward and asked, "Grand Master and Doctor of Classics, in your opinion, what should the court do?"

After Chu Da came to the rescue, Zhong Dafu Erkuan also calmed down and said without hiding his hatred, "Only by tracing the source of the prohibited weapons and confiscating and destroying them can the world be at peace!"

Whether it was the system of shared merit or the massacre of the sage families, the Mohists played a significant role. It can be said that the Mohists were the ones who organized and guided the attacks of the Hundred Schools of Thought against the Confucianists.

The Confucian school was wary of the Mohists for two reasons: first, their organizational skills; and second, their strange and powerful weapons.

Needless to say, the members of other schools of thought, including Confucianism, were like loosely organized alliances with a collective understanding, while the members of Mohism were like tightly constructed objects, united in purpose and mind, as if they were a single entity.

As for weaponry achievements, none were more significant than those made during the Warring States period when the State of Chu intended to attack the State of Song. Upon learning this, Mozi led his disciples on a whirlwind journey to the State of Song to teach them the art of city defense and to create various defensive siege weapons.

Faced with the powerful military force of the State of Chu, Mozi, with his superb defensive strategies and weaponry, successfully thwarted Chu's attack and saved the State of Song from invasion.

The principle of using weakness to defend strength is the foundation of the Mohist school, and it is also the reason why the Confucian school has never dared to push the Mohists too hard before, and can only weaken them little by little through various strategies.

This is how Confucianism is now: as long as it exists, it doesn't matter. If you destroy my holy capital and holy clan, I will attack your very foundation. Next time we fight, we can fight to the death.

Just then, Imperial Censor Zhang Tang rose from his embroidered stool, bowed to the throne, and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to ban the use of weapons and crossbows among the people!" The Legalists struck at the opportune moment.

Suo Lucan's face darkened. When Confucianism was strong, it was the common enemy of Mohism and Legalism. When Confucianism declined, Mohism immediately became the enemy of Legalism, and its attacks were ruthless and deadly.

“Your Majesty, ten thieves drawing their bows and loading their crossbows can deter hundreds of officials from advancing. Therefore, I request that an edict be issued prohibiting the common people from carrying or possessing bows and crossbows, so as to benefit the governance of the region,” Zhang Tang said respectfully.

The lethality of bows and crossbows is not proportional to their limitations, and people are easily swayed by emotions, leading to vigilante killings.

Most importantly, the fact that the various schools of thought and ordinary people privately possessed bows and crossbows would increase the difficulty for local officials and soldiers to capture them if they became outlaws.

Possessing a sharp weapon naturally breeds murderous intent; this is nothing more than that.

"Imperial Censor, I think this is inappropriate."

Suo Lucan objected, saying, "The ancient sages created weapons for the people to use for self-defense, not for mutual attack and killing, but to stop violence and punish evil."

When the Qin Dynasty unified the country, it destroyed weapons and armor and broke swords. Later, the common people attacked each other with hoes, clubs and other weapons. The number of criminals increased day by day, and thieves were impossible to guard against. In the end, the Qin Dynasty perished due to the great chaos.

Therefore, wise rulers govern the world by practicing benevolent policies and do not reduce precautions and prohibitions, because they know that these are unreliable.

Wise rulers use archery rituals to educate the people; there is no record of prohibiting the carrying of bows and arrows.

Moreover, the reason for prohibiting the use of crossbows is to prevent thieves from using them to attack and plunder.

Attacking and plundering are capital offenses, yet they cannot be completely eradicated, which shows that those who are extremely wicked and evil do not shy away from the law.

If the imperial court prohibits ordinary people from possessing bows and crossbows, it cannot prevent thieves from obtaining them. In this way, not only will it not reduce the difficulty for local officials and soldiers to capture thieves, but it will also deprive the law-abiding people of our Great Han Dynasty of their ability to resist thieves.

Your Majesty, I believe that the prohibition of bows and crossbows should be carried out with utmost caution.

These words were not spoken to Zhang Tang, but entirely to Liu Shuo.

The Qin Dynasty destroyed all the weapons in the country and cast twelve bronze statues, but it still could not avoid the demise of the dynasty after only two generations. The chaos of a country does not lie in the weapons, but in the hearts of the people.

Liu Ju looked at the seemingly asleep Prime Minister Gongsun Hong, "Old Prime Minister?"

"Your subject is here," Gongsun Hong replied immediately.

"What do you think?"

"I believe that what the ministers have said makes sense," Gongsun Hong replied.

Soldiers are people's courage and fighting spirit. The prohibition of weapons is not about prohibiting weapons, but about prohibiting the fighting spirit of the people. How to choose between "national stability" and "national fighting spirit" is something even the old prime minister does not know.

Seeing that Zhang Tang, Er Kuan, and the others were still hesitant, Liu Ju shook his head and laughed, "Since even the old prime minister doesn't know, then let the 'martial artists' make the decision."

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out from outside the hall: "The leader of the Mohist school has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)