My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Chen Mo stood up, his eyes shining brightly.

"We have just acknowledged the universality of contradictions, so the next step is to distinguish between principal and secondary contradictions."

"Primary contradiction? Secondary contradiction?"

Chen Mo smiled as he looked at the puzzled crowd.

"It's like treating an illness. You have to find the root cause to cure it. Otherwise, if you only treat the symptoms and not the root cause, you'll never know what caused it."

Chen Mo thought for a moment and looked at Li Shimin.

"Take you, Lao Li, as an example."

"Take me as an example?"

A hint of interest appeared on Li Shimin's face.

"Then tell me, what are my primary and secondary contradictions?"

"The primary and secondary contradictions are different at each stage."

Chen Mo organized his thoughts.

"For example, when you, Old Li, first ascended the throne, the Turks were at the gates of the city."

"At this time, the Tang Dynasty was still unstable, with internal unrest and foreign invasion. The nation's survival was at stake. Would you have cared about the conflict between the powerful families and the emperor?"

Li Shimin remained silent.

Chen Mo continued.

"Internal power struggles, personal honor and disgrace, and even your dignity as emperor, all become secondary issues in the face of the threat of national collapse and family destruction."

"The main challenge at the time was to stabilize the foundation of the country; if not handled properly, it would lead to major chaos."

"So you endured humiliation and hardship, sacrificing your white horse to sign the Wei River Alliance to buy time."

Li Shimin nodded.

Chen Mo continued.

"After the situation stabilized and people recuperated for several years, the contradictions transformed."

"The country gradually stabilized internally and its national strength recovered to some extent, but the Turkic people began to split."

"At this time, completely eliminating the northern border troubles and laying the foundation for the Tang Dynasty's golden age became the primary contradiction."

"Therefore, you no longer held back and decisively dispatched General Li Jing on a northern expedition!"

"One battle decides the fate of the world, we capture Jieli, and wipe out the Turks!"

"This is how the core strategic direction of the Tang Dynasty was adjusted according to the change of the principal contradiction, and then the contradiction was used to achieve the desired goal."

"For example..."

Chen Mo looked at Zhu Biao.

"What were the contradictions facing the Ming Dynasty in its early years?"

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment.

"It is a conflict between the Ming Dynasty and the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty."

Chen Mo nodded approvingly and continued to ask.

"But what will you become after you take over, Brother Biao?"

Zhu Biao remained silent for a long time, finally frowning.

"It's turning into... a conflict between me and the feudal lord?"

"good!"

Chen Mo nodded.

"If the problem of the vassal kings isn't resolved, you'll probably feel uneasy. But what if the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty in the north attack again?"

"Then... it became the Ming and Yuan dynasties again!"

Zhu Biao seemed to have grasped something and suddenly realized something.

Chen Mo smiled.

Therefore, contradictions are constantly changing.

"There was a balance between you civil and military officials. Originally, as the emperor, you should have taken advantage of the conflict between the two. But unfortunately, the Tumu Crisis caused too many military officers to die, which directly disrupted the balance. So the conflict then became between the emperor and the civil officials."

"Only by grasping the contradictions can we use them to achieve our goals."

"After grasping the principal contradiction, we must also analyze the principal aspect of the contradiction."

"This determines the nature of things."

"Whether it's a conflict between a ruler and his ministers, it's a clash of governing philosophies based on a wise ruler and virtuous ministers, or a sign of national ruin caused by a foolish ruler and treacherous ministers. The nature of these conflicts is completely different, and the solutions are also worlds apart."

Chen Mo looked at the thoughtful group of people and spoke.

"How do we find the contradictions? That brings us back to our previous investigation."

"Without investigation, you can't find the real contradictions, you can't distinguish between primary and secondary issues, you can't see the essence, and your remarks will naturally be aimless."

"The unity of knowledge and action means putting your understanding of contradictions gained through investigation and analysis into action to resolve those contradictions, and then testing and revising your understanding in the process. Only by repeating this cycle can you continuously approach the truth and solve problems."

Chen Mo looked at the group of people whose gazes were becoming increasingly complicated.

"This method can be used to solve all problems."

"When applied to governing a country, it can help identify the direction and grasp the key points."

"It can be used to understand the ways of the world and reduce bias in interpersonal relationships."

"The core principle is to analyze specific problems in specific ways, and to adapt everything to the time, place, and conditions."

As Chen Mo finished speaking, the entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Only Little Sizi blinked her bright eyes, looked at the few people around her who were deep in thought, rubbed her bulging little belly, and bit her finger.

"So, can this method be used to satisfy a rhinoceros's hunger too?"

Chen Mo was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then couldn't help but chuckle.

He squatted down and said with a smile.

"Of course! Our Sizi is so clever, she immediately thought of putting her knowledge to use!"

After saying that, he stretched out his finger and, mimicking what he had done before, began to analyze the situation in a serious manner.

"Look, for a hungry rumbling tummy, that's the main problem!"

Little Sizi nodded vigorously, clutching his little belly, completely agreeing.

"So how do we resolve this primary contradiction?"

Chen Mo guided him.

"We have two options. One is to eat a small snack right away."

As he spoke, Chen Mo magically pulled a bag of biscuits out of his pocket.

Little Sizi's eyes immediately glued to it.

"Cookies!"

She stretched out her little hand.

"I want!"

Chen Mo smiled and changed the subject.

"What if I also get some late-night snacks later?"

"For example, order some barbecue."

"barbecue!"

Little Sizi immediately became hungry.

I just had hot pot not long ago, but I still want to eat it!

Chen Mo smiled.

"If you eat cookies now, you won't be able to eat anything later!"

Chen Mo patted Sizi's little head.

"Therefore, the clever rhinoceros must analyze it!"

"Is it more important to be extremely hungry right now, or to wait and eat more delicious food later?"

"If we're just a little hungry, we can use some methods, like drinking some water or playing a game to distract ourselves, and persevere until we have a late-night snack. That way, we can eliminate the main problem of 'hunger' and enjoy the most delicious barbecue!"

"That's what you call analyzing specific problems in specific contexts!"

Little Sizi seemed to understand but not quite, but he could understand the meaning of silence.

She glanced at the cookies, then imagined the scene of having a late-night snack later, and decisively chose strategic patience.

Little Sizi puffed out her little chest.

"Sizi understands! Sizi wants to wait for the barbecue! This is... this is a 'main bite' contradiction!"

"puff--"

Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh when he saw her like that.

Li Shimin sat to the side watching him and the laughing little Sizi, and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

This kid is really good at coaxing children!

He carefully considered what Chen Mo had just said, and combined it with his own lifelong experience in warfare and governance.

Many things that were originally vague and confusing suddenly became clear.

Li Shimin looked at Chen Mo again, his eyes now filled with deep admiration.

This kid has more to say than he imagined!

It seems that Gao Ming can't go back immediately even after his leg heals.

I need to stay here and learn more!

I originally thought that following the Confucian classics would be enough, but now it seems that the ideas here are simpler and more to the point.

Li Lizhi stood behind Li Shimin, her eyes sparkling as she watched Chen Mo making the little ox giggle.

Suddenly, Li Shimin seemed to remember something.

"Young Chen, you previously said that the conflict in the Ming Dynasty was between the emperor and the civil officials. Didn't aristocratic families exist back then?"