Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 40: The Secret Canon of Gongshu (Seeking Follow-up Reading)

"So that's how it is. I didn't expect that we would be bullied by the Tartars thousands of miles away overseas. Brother Lu has lived overseas since he was a child. Could he have read Chinese books?" Zhang Yunxiu asked curiously again.

Lu Jin was willing to talk to her and explained immediately.

“It is indeed difficult to find Chinese books overseas, but my family has collected some manuscripts here and there. I have read the history books of various dynasties. Although I can’t remember many details, I know the historical context, the changes of dynasties, and the sages of the past dynasties.

“I have read a little bit of Confucian classics, but I am not good at poetry. What’s more, I mainly studied Gongshu’s school of thought. My family has a set of Gongshu Secret Classics handed down from our ancestors, which consists of ten volumes.

"The first volume, Gongshuzi, is a biography of my ancestor, recording his life and his thoughts and learning. The two chapters, Materialism and Methodology, are classics.

"The descendants of Gongshu took these two chapters as the classics and the Gongshu Suanjing as the basis, absorbing the teachings of Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, Agriculture, Medicine, Military, Management, Teaching, Taoism, Yin-Yang, and Diplomacy, integrating them, bringing forth new ideas, and writing nine books, collectively known as the Secret Classics!

"It covers everything, including astronomy and geography, military tactics, business to make money, music theory, the laws of nature, information from institutions, and calculations of all things. It covers everything."

Zhang Yunxiu's eyes lit up when she heard this and she admired Lu Jin very much.

"I didn't expect Gongshujia to be so knowledgeable. Can Brother Lu help me solve my doubts? What is the difference between Gongshujia's knowledge and Confucianism?"

Lu Jin immediately said again.

"My ancestor Gongshu Ban was originally from Lu, that's why he was called Lu Ban, did you know that?"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded, and Lu Jin continued.

"My ancestor and Confucius were from the same hometown, so he also studied Confucianism, but he thought Confucianism was pedantic, especially Confucius. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, rituals and music were in disarray, and people's hearts were no longer the same. At that time, he was still trying to revive the Zhou rituals, so he abandoned Confucianism and studied Mohism.

"Later, I felt that the Mohist school was nothing special, so I created my own school, absorbing the ideas of hundreds of other schools and forming a unique school."

Zhang Yunxiu was suddenly puzzled when she heard this. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were constant disputes among the nations, the princes fought against each other, and the people were living in misery. All the philosophers wanted to come up with new theories to pacify the Nine Provinces and end the disputes. They advocated that the princes restore the ancient rituals and stop attacking, which was also a way of thinking. How could it be considered pedantic? She was immediately puzzled.

"Brother Lu, please explain clearly why you say that reviving Zhou rituals is pedantic."

Lu Jin could only cite extensive evidence and explain again.

“Because Han Feizi said that things are constantly developing and changing, you cannot use past experience and rules to deal with new problems you encounter now, because some experience may no longer be appropriate.

"Confucius wanted to stop the disputes among the nations, and his original intention was good, but he chose to use ancient rituals to build high dams to restrain the princes who were like floods. Little did he know that King Yu thousands of years ago understood that flood control can only be achieved by draining, not blocking."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded, then asked in confusion, "My younger sister has little education and has never read Han Feizi, but isn't he a Legalist? How could he have said such a thing?"

"The article "Five Vermin" in Han Feizi talks about the changing times and the changing world. The governance of the country must also be adjusted according to the different environments of different eras and cannot be blindly conservative," Lu Jin added.

Zhang Yunxiu frowned. "But the five pests, judging by the name, they should be five kinds of pests, right?"

This can only mean that Han Feizi's article on the five vermin is a bit clickbait.

Han Fei was a stutterer, but he was very good at writing books. He also liked to use events to illustrate things and explain the principles of doing things through storytelling.

The opening of "Five Vermin" says that in ancient times, people ate raw food and drank blood, and suffered from diarrhea, so Suiren lit a fire. People all thought he was a god and made him the leader of the tribe. Can you become a prince by lighting a fire now?

Dayu's achievements in flood control were enough to enable his son Qi to establish the Xia Dynasty. Can you still become the emperor by controlling the flood now?

A farmer in the State of Song picked up a rabbit in the field, and then waited there every day hoping that another rabbit would hit it and kill it. Isn't this pedantic and old-fashioned?

The first part of the Five Pests expresses only one idea: Sir, times have changed. Then at the end, I will give you a sentence: What are the five kinds of pests that harm the country?
"Dynasties change, the world changes, and rivers flow into the sea, and it is impossible for them to flow back. The environment during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was very different from when the Zhou Dynasty was founded. Confucius hoped to restrain the princes by restoring the ancient rituals. He was blindly conservative and ignored the changes in the environment. Isn't that pedantic?"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded after listening to this. According to Han Fei's theory, it was indeed true, but she was still puzzled.

"But Brother Lu, weren't all Confucianists in the pre-Qin period conservative?"

"Of course." Lu Jin said again.

"Han Feizi once said that Confucianism is divided into eight schools. Confucianism has long been fragmented. There is Gongyang Confucianism, which advocates the theory of great revenge; there is Xunzi, who advocates the use of both rites and laws; there is Mencius, who advocates benevolence and love for the people, and that the people are the most important, the country is second, and the monarch is the least important.

"Confucianism was also developing. Han Feizi's teacher Xunzi later noticed this problem. He believed that 'ritual' alone could no longer restrain the world, so he advocated the use of both ritual and law. In the end, he produced Li Si and Han Feizi, two great Legalist giants."

Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but chuckle when she heard this. She wondered what the great scholar Xunzi would think about the fact that she had taught two great Legalist masters.

Then she looked at Lu Jin with admiration. This was the first time she met a man of the same age who was so knowledgeable, tall, handsome, well-versed in academics, and had his own opinions. She immediately asked again.

"Brother Lu seems to like the Legalists very much?"

Lu Jin shook his head, "Not really, take Han Fei for example, I only like his "Five Vermin" and "The Expedition to Destruction", I don't agree with the others.

"In fact, Han Fei himself said that times have changed. His ideas may have been useful in the pre-Qin period, but now it is the Yuan Dynasty, a thousand years have passed. If we still use the Legalist approach, wouldn't we be like the person who waits for rabbits by the tree as Han Fei said?

"I am neither a Confucian nor a legalist. I have read a little bit of everything from various schools of thought and my knowledge is very diverse." Zhang Yunxiu nodded, and got to know this Brother Lu a little better. Then she asked again.

"Brother Lu just said that Confucianism is pedantic, why did our ancestor Gongshu look down on Mohism?"

Lu Jin explained, "I only want to say one thing. The Mohist school advocates universal love and non-aggression. Yes, you can love the world and all people, but can you make everyone in the world love you?"

Mohism is not a currency, so why should others love you?
I'm eyeing your land, and I want to attack you. You said you won't let me attack, so I won't let me attack? Can you stop the trend of the world?

"For the so-called universal love and non-aggression, for the so-called righteousness, he did not hesitate to bring countless Mohists to help defend the city, even if they all died. He refused to turn back. This is not wisdom, this is stupidity! This is what our ancestors called 'Confucianism and stupidity'."

Hearing Lu Jin's evaluation of the Mohist rookie, Zhang Yunxiu burst out laughing and then asked.

"Then what does our ancestor Gongshu think of the disputes among nations?"

Lu Jin answered again.

"My ancestor Gongshu Ban advocated great unification. Instead of letting the princes fight each other, it would be better to find a hegemon to unify the nine provinces. If everyone becomes one family, there will be no more disputes, right?

"At that time, Qin was located in a remote area, and only Chu was the most powerful. It happened that King Hui of Chu had great ambitions and invited my ancestor to serve Chu. My ancestor then helped Chu pacify the Baiyue and attack Song.

"It was just that when we were attacking Song, we were blocked by Mozi. In addition, King Hui of Chu had lost his ambition at that time. My ancestor also realized that although unifying the world was the only way to end the disputes, the Spring and Autumn Period was not the later Warring States Period. The time was not yet ripe, so he retired and devoted himself to studying.

"My ancestors and Mozi were both enemies, teachers and friends. Mozi learned the mechanical art from Gongshujia, and Gongshujia also learned the "Heavenly Will Chapter" of the Mohist Canon.

"Our ancestors studied the nature of things and entered the Dao, and also absorbed the techniques of alchemists in refining medicine. They derived the two disciplines of 'physics' and 'chemistry' from the Mohist Classic - Tianzhi Chapter, laying the foundation for the formation of the secret book later."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded repeatedly after listening and couldn't help but praise.

"According to later history, the great unification of our ancestor Gongshu was the best strategy for pacifying the world. Although there were dynasties changing and foreign enemies in the future, as long as a new dynasty could unify the world, the people would have peace again. Our ancestor Gongshu was able to figure out this principle in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was indeed a great sage.

"It's just that I haven't read much. What on earth is the Mozi Tianzhi Chapter talking about? Why did it make our ancestor Gongshu so obsessed with it and even comprehend two branches of knowledge from it?"

Lu Jin introduced again.

"The Tianzhi chapter of Mozi mainly talks about the principles of heaven and earth. Mozi said that everything in the world can be divided infinitely. When it is impossible to divide it, the essence of everything in the world is actually the same substance. I, Gongshu, have studied this deeply and called it molecules, atoms, and electrons.

"Mozi also proposed the theory of specimens and the principle of levers, which are the basis of mechanics, but he failed to make further progress.

"There is also the pinhole imaging proposed by Mozi, which is the basis of optics. However, Mozi knew the fact but not the reason. All his discoveries only recorded the phenomenon but did not study the underlying principle. This is really a waste of natural resources.

"My ancestor Gongshu Ban created 'materialism' and 'methodology' to study Mozi's wonderful article, which provided a theoretical basis and method for studying the principles of all things in nature. Later generations followed these two articles and continued to improve, which led to the current achievements."

Zhang Wen was almost falling asleep while listening to what was said. Zhang Yunxiu was also staring at him stupidly with a pair of cute big eyes. She could still understand when Lu Jin talked about history and Confucianism before.

But talking about Mozi? Talking about molecules, atoms, electrons, mechanics, optics, what the hell is that? Why can't I understand it?
Zhang Wen finally couldn't help but speak out, "Little sister, Brother Lu, you two get along so well, why don't you marry him? I've already thought about it. Brother Lu's name is Jin, and you'll be named Xiu. Jinxiu, Jinxiu, how wonderful! In the future, if we have two more children, one will be named Shan and the other will be named He, and together they will be Jinxiu Shanhe, hahahaha."

"Brother! What are you talking about?"

Zhang Yunxiu glared at Zhang Wen, twisted his arm, glanced at Lu Jin secretly, and ran away with a red face.

Lu Jin quickly shouted to her, "Sister, I'll help you beat him up."

Then he stretched out his arms, put them around Zhang Wen's neck, held him to the side, and started to touch him all over.

"Hey, Brother Lu, stop it, stop it, I won't say anything, don't do it."

Lu Jin didn't listen, and still held his neck and said, "Are you strong enough, kid? Can you take a beating?"

"Ah? You're really going to hit me?" Zhang Wen immediately begged for mercy.

"Stop joking. I'm talking to you seriously. Can you take a beating? How about performing a self-torture trick with me?" Lu Jin said in a low voice.

"Business?" Zhang Wen asked doubtfully.

"Nonsense, of course we are talking about business. You, me, and Zhu Shou, the three of us brothers have worked hard to build our current foundation. You don't want that evil guy Zhao Pusheng to come to Luzhou City to pick peaches, do you? Luzhou was conquered by us." Lu Jin explained.

"Of course we can't let him come over, Brother Lu, what should we do?"

"Have you ever heard of Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai?"

"No, did Zhou Yu ever beat Huang Gai?"

Well, maybe Luo Guanzhong made it up, as Romance of the Three Kingdoms had not been written yet.
(End of this chapter)