Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

The debate lasted from morning till night, and among the seventy-two officials, including Han Rong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, generals, senior officials, doctors, advisors, and scholars, none of them could defeat Zhuge Liang.

"Your Majesty's outstanding disciple is truly amazing."

Watching Zhuge Liang tirelessly debating among the crowd, Xu You couldn't help but clapp his hands and sigh.

Xu You himself was a genius from Nanyang. In his youth, he worked for Yuan Shao, who came from a top aristocratic family. He had met at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, "geniuses".

However, among these geniuses, none were as gifted as Zhuge Liang.

He not only had a broad knowledge of astronomy, geography, the various schools of thought, and the three religions and nine schools of thought, but he was also able to draw inferences from one instance to another and apply his knowledge to other situations, and his thinking was very quick.

An ordinary genius is already quite capable of quickly summarizing and extracting the core of the arguments they hear, but Zhuge Liang was able to analyze and understand them in a short time and give a sharp counterattack.

Moreover, the opponent is not one person, but seventy-two people, all of whom are well-known in their respective fields!

Liu Bei was overjoyed: "Kongming has won a great victory in his debate with the Confucian scholars today, and his materialist philosophy can now be widely promoted in academic circles."

Materialist philosophy can construct a complete cognitive framework, such as the law of unity of opposites in dialectical materialism and the law of social development in historical materialism.

It can systematically explain the essence of natural phenomena, social evolution, and human cognition, with a logical progression and strong self-consistency.

It can also form a closed-loop argument through specific cases, data, and historical facts. For example, Liu Bei's human resource measures for disaster relief are obvious to all.

In contrast, idealist philosophy often separates itself from objective conditions and frequently discusses empty ideas in a way that is detached from reality.

When faced with complex real-world problems, they struggle to come up with feasible solutions or explain things clearly, so they tend to attribute it to fate and use abstruse theological terms like "This is God's arrangement; you don't understand because you disrespect God" to sophistry.

Although Liu Bei was a time traveler, he did not believe in ghosts or gods, nor in fate.

Materialism acknowledges objective existence.

Materialism does not believe in ghosts, gods, or destiny because ghosts, gods, and destiny are not objectively existing things. If the existence of ghosts, gods, and destiny could be proven, then materialism could also believe in ghosts, gods, and destiny.

Liu Bei's time travel is an objective fact, therefore, in Liu Bei's time and space, materialism can also believe in time travel.

As night approached, Liu Bei temporarily suspended the debate between the scholars of Pingguan Pavilion and Zhuge Liang, and told them to go back and prepare for the second debate a month later.

Today's debate with Zhuge Liang caught the scholars off guard. They will certainly not be convinced and will go back to discuss it privately, consult the classics, and prepare their speeches.

Liu Bei was happy with this arrangement.

We must use repeated academic debates to completely shatter the unhealthy academic trend of "no teachings without gods".

While the scholars returned to prepare, Liu Bei was not idle either. Instead, he organized the shorthand notes of the debate between Zhuge Liang and the scholars that day, and while keeping the core viewpoints of the scholars unchanged, he extracted the essence and recorded it as "Ping Le Discussion (Part 1)".

He also ordered the printing workshops in Luoyang to carve woodblocks overnight, print the book, and sell it in the markets of Luoyang.

Firstly, it was to spread materialism quickly, and secondly, it was to make Zhuge Liang famous.

Imagine that seventy-two Confucian scholars, including Han Rong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, spent an entire day debating but could not defeat a fifteen-year-old boy who was using materialism.

Who isn’t curious?

Even those who are deeply convinced of theology and scripture should buy it to see how Zhuge Liang defeated Han Rong and others in debate.

On the last page of "Memorial on the Pingluo Forum (I)," there is a special note that the second debate will take place on November 10th of the fourth year of Zhangwu.

At the same time, the Ping Le Guang (a public viewing platform) is open to the public and allows observers to attend.

In order to ensure that all listeners could hear the specific content of the debate, Liu Bei dispatched a special person to improve and expand the sound amplification facilities at Ping Le Guan.

Zhuge Liang's fame soared overnight, and his materialist theory in "The Memorial to the Throne at Ping Le (Part 1)" became widely known.

However, this aroused dissatisfaction among officials and Confucian scholars in various prefectures and counties, who flocked to Luoyang.

Therefore, the second debate was not just about Zhuge Liang alone. Liu Bei also transferred Fa Zheng and Zhou Yu back to Luoyang to team up with Zhuge Liang and Liu Ba.

Of the seventy-two scholars, one hundred and eight were released. Among the remaining seventy-two were not only renowned scholars who were well-versed in theology and classics, but also officials from Luoyang who had originally been watching the play.

Even Wang Yun, who was in Dongguan, couldn't help but participate in the debate.

However, Liu Bei rejected Wang Yun's request. "You're an old man who wrote books at Dongguan and had prior knowledge of materialism. What are you arguing about with a few teenagers?"
Not only Wang Yun, but also Cai Yong, Lu Zhi, Ma Ridi, Huang Wan, and Yang Biao were not allowed to participate in the debate.

Liu Bei's purpose was to provide fertile ground for the growth of materialism, not to have these six people disrupt it.

If Wang Yun and the other six were to participate, Zhuge Liang and his three companions alone would not be qualified. Liu Bei would have to personally intervene to win the debate, which is not what Liu Bei wanted to see.

From October of the fourth year of Zhangwu to September of the fifth year of Zhangwu.

Liu Bei held twelve sessions of the Ping Le Discussion, ranging from a one-day time limit in the first session to a five-day time limit in the last session. He provided materialist explanations for everything from major issues like rites and punishments to minor matters like meals, and he emphasized materialist viewpoints such as "the unity of opposites" and "practice makes perfect."

Liu Bei published twelve issues of "Ping Le Yi Zou" and then unified them under the name "Ping Le Tong Yi" to contrast with "Bai Hu Tong Yi".

However, Liu Bei did not destroy the "Baihu Tongyi" but instead had it printed as a book.

In academic circles, astronomy, geography, the various schools of thought, and the three religions and nine streams of thought should all exist rather than be destroyed. Acknowledging the objective existence of the "Baihu Tongyi" is also a basic idea of ​​materialism.

In the *Ping Le Tong Yi*, Liu Bei gave imperial power a new definition:
Imperial power is not "given by the mandate of heaven or divine will," but rather "a public power formed by the collective strength of the people to meet the needs of farming and sericulture and to ensure the stability of the state. Its existence, abolition, rise and fall depend on the strength of the people, resources, and merits and demerits, rather than on the will of heaven or divine revelation."

They used social phenomena to argue that the rise of imperial power was due to "the gathering of the people's strength to accomplish all things," such as the need for water conservancy for farming and weaving, the need for border defense to prevent bandits, and the need for grain requisition in years of disaster.

If the people act selfishly and their strength is not combined, then the fields will be abandoned, bandits will run rampant, and people will have no means of livelihood. Therefore, when there are countries under heaven, they must elect virtuous and capable people to take charge of all affairs: to mobilize the people's strength to build canals and roads, to gather grain and fodder to relieve famine, and to prepare armor and weapons to defend the territory.

The Pingluo Tongyi argues that this power did not come from heaven, but rather arose from "the industry of farming and sericulture and the needs of the people." Without the importance of agriculture and the necessity of water conservancy, there would be no power to govern; without the urgency of defending the borders and the pressing need for disaster relief, there would be no reason for centralized power.

Just as county officials were appointed to "govern the people and manage the affairs of a county," imperial power was merely the overarching authority to "unify the people and manage the affairs of the world," both due to "necessity of the matter" rather than "special mandate."

The Pingluo Tongyi also put forward the argument that "the legitimacy of imperial power is determined by the merits and demerits of the people, not by bloodline."

The belief that "royal power is ordained by Heaven" is a grave fallacy. The true legitimacy of imperial power lies in its ability to "ensure the well-being of the people and accomplish great things."
He was able to reduce taxes and levies, enabling the common people to "cultivate their own land and weave their own silk," ensuring that granaries were full and that they had enough to eat and wear; he was able to develop water conservancy projects and regulate the canal transport system, ensuring that "there was no worry about drought or flood and that grain and fodder could be transported freely"; he was able to pacify the region and protect the people, and resist foreign aggression, ensuring that "neighbors lived in peace and the four borders were undisturbed."

Conversely, if excessive taxes and levies are imposed, causing people to lose their land and go hungry; or if water conservancy is neglected and disasters are ignored, causing people to be displaced; or if military campaigns are waged and the people's strength is exhausted, then the "people's foundation" will be lost, and the imperial power will have no legitimacy.

The common people drove them away, and the world changed hands. This was not a "transfer of destiny," but rather a result of "the people's strength being exhausted and affairs being neglected," which naturally led to the change of imperial power.

The Ping Le Tong Yi further proposed that "the essence of imperial power is to govern all affairs, not to be a tool for private enjoyment."

The emperor was not the "Son of Heaven," but the "General Administrator of the World," responsible for the "gathering of the people's strength" above and for the "overall coordination of all affairs" below. His power could not be used for private purposes.

The system of land use must be in accordance with the needs of farming and weaving; the collection of taxes and corvée labor must be based on the actual strength of the people; and the establishment of laws and regulations must protect the safety of the people.

Just as the prime minister and the prefect each have their own duties, the ruler's duty is to "ensure that the people's strength is not scattered, resources are not scarce, and affairs are not neglected."

If an emperor abuses his power, seizes people's land and houses, neglects water conservancy, and mistreats the common people, he is "derelict in his duty" and is no different from a corrupt official.

People all over the world are pursuing it!

"Removing those who have failed in their duties and appointing those who are capable" is not "going against the will of Heaven," but rather "following the principles of the people's affairs."

The Pingluo Tongyi also believes that "the fall of imperial power is due to the loss of its foundation, while the rise of imperial power is due to the adherence to its principles."

A change of dynasty is not a change of "divine mandate," but rather a change of "old power losing its foundation and new power conforming to reason."

The Qin dynasty perished not because it was abandoned by Heaven, but because its harsh policies exhausted the people's strength and ruined their livelihoods, making farming and weaving impossible and leaving the common people with nothing to live on.
The rise of the Han Dynasty was not a gift from heaven, but rather a result of the establishment of three laws and the reduction of taxes and levies, which enabled the people to cultivate the land and weave, and to carry out their work. This led to the gathering of the people's strength and the people's hearts being with the Han.

Therefore, the replacement of imperial power lies in "meeting the needs of the people's strength and accomplishing the tasks of the people's affairs"; the demise of imperial power lies in "going against the nature of the people's strength and abandoning the essentials of the people's affairs".

At the time of change, the people's aspirations are not based on "destiny," but on "livelihood"; and the world's allegiance is not based on "bloodline," but on "those who can accomplish tasks."

Based on "people's strength, farming and weaving, and affairs," without involving "divine mandate or divine revelation," all of these were things that could be seen and felt in the Han Dynasty; "fields, water conservancy, border defense, and disaster relief" were all daily affairs of the common people, and also the basis for the existence and abolition of imperial power.

The Pingluo Tongyi also proposed that "everyone has a position, every task has a duty, there is no kneeling or slavery, and the noble and the lowly cooperate with each other," rather than "the ruler is superior to the subject, and superiors and inferiors serve each other."

If it were a different emperor, these arguments would seem hypocritical.

Liu Bei, however, was different.

Even after becoming emperor, Liu Bei remained dedicated to improving people's lives, and often went to the fields to chat with peddlers, farmers, and fishermen to learn about their lives.

The Lingyan Army, founded by Liu Bei, has always adhered to the principle of "rather freeze to death than dismantle houses, rather starve to death than plunder" for many years, using high-class tastes to cover up low-class tastes, and gradually achieving a "close relationship between the army and the people".

Liu Bei, as the founding emperor, set an example.

As for whether these arguments will be recognized and accepted by the world, Liu Bei was not in a hurry.

Any idea needs time to be verified and perfected.

Just like theology and scripture, it took hundreds of years of development and the patronage of emperors throughout the ages for academic thought to evolve to the extreme of "no scripture without a god".

With the spread of "Ping Le Tong Yi", which is rich in materialist ideas, it was also printed and disseminated in large quantities in the Central Plains, directly causing a huge uproar in the prefectures and counties of the Han Dynasty.

"Imperial power is not determined by the Mandate of Heaven but by the will of the people. If imperial power loses its foundation, the people can overthrow it. Does that mean that as long as there is the will of the people, anyone can become emperor?"

"Imperial power is a divinely ordained authority; how can it be questioned based on 'the people's labor' and 'farming and weaving'? Without the Mandate of Heaven and the established order, how can ministers serve their ruler, and how can the people live in peace? Liu Bei is trying to overturn the very foundation of these social order!"

"Everyone has their place, every task has its duty, there is no kneeling or slavery, and the noble and the lowly are in harmony? This is simply going against the will of Heaven! How can the hierarchy of superiors and inferiors be abandoned?"

"The fall of Qin and the rise of Han were not due to fate, but rather the difference between the exhaustion of the people's strength and the reunification of their strength! The emperor... is he the supreme ruler of the entire country? Our livelihood from farming is actually the foundation of imperial power?"

"."

Liu Bei didn't mince words when it came to the opinions of various prefectures and counties; he extracted the core points and published them in a question-and-answer format as a book.

Examples include "Twenty Questions Answered by Liu Bei for the People in December of the Fifth Year of Zhangwu", "Ten Questions Answered by Liu Bei for the People in January of the Sixth Year of Zhangwu", and "Thirty Questions Answered by Liu Bei for the People in February of the Sixth Year of Zhangwu", etc.

It was sold in various counties as a monthly publication.

Nanpi.

Having just returned from his campaign against the Xianbei, Yuan Shao frowned as he looked at the "Ping Le Tong Yi" and "Ten Questions Answered by Liu Bei for the People in July of the Sixth Year of Zhang Wu".

What Yuan Shao couldn't understand was that "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" was shouted by Chen Sheng during his rebellion, while "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; the year is Jiazi, the great plan for the world" was shouted by Zhang Jiao during his rebellion.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, directly redefined the emperor, stripping him of the divine mandate and divine revelation.

Yuan Shao was furious: I worked so hard to become emperor, with auspicious omens and prophecies, and before I could even settle in, you tell me, "If the imperial power loses its foundation, the people can overthrow it."
Are you about to shout "Is the emperor born with a special destiny?" and rebel against yourself?
"It must be because Liu Bei's son was too young, and he was worried that the imperial power would fall into the wrong hands after his death. His son would not be able to control the ministers and would become a puppet, so he deliberately created a public opinion."

"In this way, if Liu Bei's son does not have the ability to be emperor, the minister who wants to usurp the throne can become emperor smoothly without having to fabricate auspicious omens and prophecies."

"You despicable Liu Bei! Your son has no talent to be emperor, but my son does!"

Yuan Shao couldn't understand "Ping Le Tong Yi" and "Liu Bei's Answers to Questions," and subconsciously thought that Liu Bei was trying to revive the abdication of Yao and Shun, deliberately creating some inexplicable public opinion theories.

However, what alarmed Yuan Shao was that many Confucian scholars in Hebei actually supported Liu Bei's theory of popular opinion, including many from prominent families.

Yuan Shao knew very well that the reason this group of people accepted Liu Bei's theory of popular opinion was because they believed in the saying, "Is the emperor born with a special destiny?"

In this way, after Yuan Shao's death, the emperor could take turns being the next one!

In the south.

Similarly, many Confucian scholars from prominent families also supported Liu Bei's theory of popular opinion.

These people shared similar ideas: as long as they supported the theory of popular will, the emperor could take turns ruling after Yuan Shu's death!

Destiny?

Shit is not!

He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world; he who has the will of the people becomes emperor! (End of Chapter)