Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

The video didn't stop; the rousing background music continued.

Confucius said: "A gentleman who is not dignified will not command respect."

Confucius said: "A gentleman must act decisively; otherwise, he cannot establish authority!"

Upon seeing this sentence, Ying Zheng's eyes brightened slightly, and memories of the past flooded his mind.

Looking back on the year he was crowned and assumed power, the Qin court was surrounded by wolves.

Internally, Lao Ai was corrupting the harem and harboring assassins with the intention of rebellion; externally, Lü Buwei was wielding absolute power, with three thousand retainers controlling the court.

The imperial relatives and nobles all harbored ulterior motives, and the six states of Shandong were eyeing them covetously.

How did Qin Shi Huang take control of the court?

It all comes down to using heavy-handed methods!

Lao Ai was torn apart by chariots, and his entire clan was exterminated! Lü Buwei was forced to commit suicide, and his retainers were exiled!

If we had been too lenient back then, there would be no Qin Empire today.

Only swords can teach those treacherous and wicked officials a lesson.

After regaining his senses, Ying Zheng's tone was full of excitement: "Chunyu Yue, you Confucianists have such a good thing, why didn't you bring it out sooner?"

"If it had been brought out earlier, I wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble."

"From this day forward, you shall teach Fusu the 'Lunyu' (a type of classical Chinese prose), so that he may understand the meaning of 'A gentleman who is not dignified will not command respect.'"

Upon hearing this, Chunyu Yue felt his vision go black.

The Analects says, "A gentleman who is not dignified will not command respect." This means that a gentleman must be solemn in order to inspire awe.

How did it come to be interpreted in later generations as "beating someone to death"?

Chunyu Yue wanted to argue, but when he saw Ying Zheng's murderous gaze, he shivered.

He felt that if he dared to say no, he would most likely be killed on the spot by Ying Zheng.

Chunyu Yue swallowed hard. A wise man knows when to yield, so he immediately chose to play dead.

Not only did he use harsh methods, but he also had a solution for dealing with those who were blind to his faults.

Confucius said: "Since you have come, make the best of it."

Since you've come, then bury you here!

Hearing this, some elderly scholars found it hard to accept.

They were trembling with anger, and just as they were about to point at the sky and start cursing, they suddenly couldn't catch their breath.

Its head tilted to the side, and then it became completely still.

That afternoon, white tents were set up in the village, and a banquet was served.

Several teenagers sat around the octagonal table, gnawing on braised pork knuckles, their mouths dripping with oil.

The child looked at his parents with a face full of innocence and asked, "Dad, Mom, can we have feasts every day?"

Both parents were a little embarrassed and slapped their son on the back of the head.

"Eat your meat and shut up!"

Several villagers covered their mouths and chuckled, but no one took the old man's death too seriously.

Confucius was practicing his swordplay at that moment.

The sword flashed, bringing with it gusts of wind and swirling up fallen leaves.

After completing a set of sword techniques, Confucius sheathed his sword without exhaling a breath or changing his expression.

Confucius watched the verses displayed on the sky with great interest and fell into deep thought.

He did say those things, but did he mean it that way?

However, Confucius was not angry; on the contrary, he found these young men quite interesting.

"Yan Hui, what do you think of how later generations have deconstructed your teacher's words?"

Yan Hui stepped forward, handed over the cloth, and bowed respectfully.

"Master, the language of later generations is crude and blunt, and does not conform to elegant language."

"But upon closer examination, it does have some similarities to the Master's usual teachings, though they are not quite the same."

Upon hearing this, Confucius laughed heartily, "Seemingly true but actually false, that's a good word."

"However, later generations weren't wrong. If one doesn't even know swordsmanship, how can one promote benevolence?"

Confucius casually tossed the sword, and it clattered into its scabbard on the weapon rack.

He scooped up some cool water from the well and drank it all in one gulp, then announced loudly, "Starting tomorrow, I will add half an hour of sword practice to my daily lessons."

"Since Tianmu has spoken, we cannot allow future generations to look down on us."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud bang was heard.

The thick, solid wood gate of the courtyard was forcibly smashed open from the outside.

A burly man, as tall as an iron tower, strode in, carrying half a door panel on his back.

Zilu, his face beaming with excitement, threw the door panel to the ground, causing the ground to shake violently.

"Master, why must you personally handle such a menial task as teaching swordsmanship? Leave it to me, Zilu!"

"I'll supervise those junior brothers; I guarantee they'll be screaming with excitement after training!"

Confucius's eyelids twitched as he looked at the shattered gate on the ground and raised an eyebrow.

He glanced sideways at Zilu, his smile forced and insincere.

"Zilu, since you're so energetic, you can practice with me."

"And this other door, you'll get it from your jerky next month."

Confucius moved his wrists, and his knuckles cracked like popping beans.

Zilu's smile vanished.

Zilu looked at Confucius's imposing figure. Even a strong man like him seemed as small as a child in front of Confucius.

Zilu swallowed hard, his legs feeling weak.

If he had known it would turn out like this, he wouldn't have come back!

Some people may wonder why the image of Confucius has changed so much?

Is it just because modern people are bored and make things up for fun?

No, no, no. If you take a little look at the travel conditions in ancient times, you'll understand just how difficult it was for Confucius to travel around the states.

This video will discuss just how dangerous it was to go out in ancient times.

Upon seeing this, Lu Li scratched his butt.

As for his impressions of ancient people's travels, they are all gleaned from various martial arts TV dramas.

The chivalrous hero, riding a swift horse, his white robes fluttering, wanders the world.

Occasionally, I would come across a run-down little shop on the street, go in, slam my hand on the table, and throw down a few taels of silver.

Or it could be a historical drama, where the emperor and his ministers ride in sedan chairs and carriages, swaying leisurely along the official road.

Speaking of danger...

It seems I'm not really sure what the danger is.

Are there many wild animals? Or many bandits?

Lu Li glanced at the time; it was just past midnight, still quite early.

"Alright, let's take a look."

Why did people in the past often say that even innocent people like drivers, boatmen, shopkeepers, and peddlers should be killed?

How difficult was it for people in ancient times to go out?

Many people overlook a crucial issue: social order in ancient times.

Today, our society is stable, and if we want to travel, we can get there directly by high-speed rail or plane.

The only danger is probably that your destination is northern Myanmar, then Barbie Q will be there.

However, even in ancient times, during periods of peace and prosperity, the risks of going out were still quite high.

Is it dangerous to go out?

Liu Che put down the memorial in his hand, somewhat puzzled.

It's not like he's never been on a long trip before.

When the Yellow River breached its banks, he personally went to Huzi to plug the breach and ate dry biscuits on the riverbank for several days.

Strangely enough, after racking his brains, Liu Che couldn't recall any dangers along the way.

Aside from the roads being a bit rough and the sandstorms being a bit strong, what serious dangers could one possibly encounter?

Liu Che was skeptical, but decided to continue reading.

"Traveling is indeed very troublesome for ordinary people."

When it came to going out, Emperor Kangxi, who hadn't shown his face in a long time, suddenly became interested.

Although he wasn't born into a family of scholars, he was definitely an expert when it came to traveling.

They were naturally well aware of the dangers of traveling.

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen (Emperor Yongzheng) couldn't help but ask a question.

"Father, it's just a trip out of the house, how difficult could it be?"

"Your Majesty, I have observed that although your journeys have been arduous and tiring, they have all been relatively smooth."

Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"That's because I am the Emperor, and with the Imperial Guards clearing the way, who would dare to cause me trouble?"

Emperor Kangxi had no intention of missing the opportunity to educate his son, so he simply pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Fourth brother, if you were an ordinary citizen wanting to travel from the capital to Jiangnan, guess what you'd need to do first before setting off?"

Yinzhen pondered for a moment, then answered seriously, "Prepare dry rations."

Kangxi shook his head.

Yinzhen thought for a moment: "Travel expenses?"

Kangxi shook his head again.

"Looking for fellow caravans?"

Kangxi shook his head for the third time, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"First, go to the yamen to get a travel permit. Without the official seal, you can't even leave the city."

Yinzhen scratched his head, looking ashamed; he had indeed forgotten about it.

He has never experienced what a travel permit feels like since he was born.

Looking at Yinzhen's expression, Kangxi's smile deepened.

"The travel permit is just the first step; the real trouble is yet to come."

"Otherwise, how could later generations have assumed that Confucius must have been a burly man, nine feet tall and capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards, to travel safely with his students?"