Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 2496 The Birth of a Saint
Whether it's a curfew or martial law, people with identities like Xiao Yu and Kong Yingda are naturally not restrained.

It was a cool and refreshing autumn day, and the two met in the gazebo at the back of the academy to enjoy the latest tea on the market.

Kong Yingda took out some snacks from the food box he was carrying, put them on the stone table in the pavilion, and invited Xiao Yu to taste them.

Just as Xiao Yu picked up a piece of pastry, he heard the sound of orderly shouts. He turned his head to look, and saw a row of young people in student attire in a spacious courtyard halfway up the mountain amidst trees. ...

He couldn't help but shook his head, and said: "It's so good to have an academy, which looks like a military camp. It's so nondescript, but His Majesty just let it go. Fang Erlang, a holy family, can be said to be unmatched by anyone in the world!"

There is unavoidable sourness in the words.

Back then when Li Yuan raised troops in Jinyang and Qin Wang Li Shimin led his troops to attack Xue Ju, he came to recruit him and took out Li Yuan's letters. Xiao Yu abandoned Sui and returned to Tang without saying a word. After the "Xuanwumen Incident", all the courtiers of the older generation were wiped out, only Xiao Yu remained active in the center of power.

Even so, Xiao Yu was quite fond of His Majesty Li Er's favor for Fang Jun. How could this be a son-in-law?Even his own son didn't have such trust!
Kong Yingda didn't take it seriously, took a sip of tea, ate a piece of pastry, rubbed the crumbs on his hands, and said: "Raising the sons of the country with Tao is to teach the six arts. The only way to cultivate talents is to practice military equipment."

Xiao Yu looked puzzled: "Since Confucianism became Zhengshuo, Yanwu Xiuwen has become the mainstream. You are an orthodox Confucianist. Now that you say these words, what do the Confucian children all over the world think?"

Kong Yingda was stunned for a moment, and said helplessly: "A good man can teach the people for seven years, and he can be defeated... This is what the master said back then, the descendants are unworthy, and they discard the laws of the ancestors, what do they do?"

Ever since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "abolished all schools of thought and respected only Confucianism", Confucianism advocated Yanwu Xiuwen, but completely forgot that their originator Confucius even regarded the art of archery as important as the education of ritual and music.In the era when Confucius was alive, people regarded the superiority of military skills as a sign of a person's virtuousness.
A person who has no power to restrain a chicken, no matter how outstanding his knowledge is, he can't be called a "virtuous" word!

As a result, in order to suppress the military generals, his disciples and grandchildren raised the status of literati to a supreme position, and even abandoned the ideas of their ancestors like shoes... How can this not embarrass Kong Yingda, who is the Wenzong of the world and the direct descendant of Confucius ?

Xiao Yu laughed, put the pastry into his mouth and chewed, without further words.

It's just the occasional shouting and shouting from the halfway up the mountain, which made him feel uneasy all the time...

After eating cakes and drinking tea, Xiao Yu finally couldn't help asking: "In Fang Erlang's academy, the method of combining civil and martial arts is practiced. While students are learning, they must also practice martial arts and practice archery skills diligently. If things go on like this , Isn’t it a waste of civilization and prosperity of martial arts, and perverting? If the court is full of warriors wearing literati’s clothes, it may not be the blessing of the empire!”

He is a traditional literati after all, and of course he does not reject warriors, but it is absolutely unacceptable if officials above the court will fight with swords and blood splatter five steps in the future.

Warriors can certainly open up territories and pacify the world, but to govern this vast empire, it still requires literati.

This is not Xiao Yu's ignorance, it is because the Central Plains has experienced wars for a long time, and people have lost their lives. Everyone has a preconceived misunderstanding of the warriors, thinking that the reason why the world is in chaos and the flames of war are everywhere is because of the unstoppable troubles caused by the warriors.

If all the scholars in the world are in power, everyone can sit and discuss the truth even if they have different ideas. Why would swordsmen meet and kill Yingye?
After all, people really have lingering fears about the massacres since the Southern and Northern Dynasties...

However, what he didn't know was that after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Great Song Dynasty established itself in the midst of wolves everywhere. It learned the lessons of the past but overcorrected, blindly emphasizing literature and restraining military affairs, and finally developed a group of impassioned and passionate soldiers. The bureaucrats who were useless in the past have blood but no ability to kill the enemy. They can only make the land of Shenzhou sink and the country shatter.

Tension but not relaxation; civil and military power can also.Relax but not stretch;One piece and one relaxation; the way of civil and military affairs.

The old ancestors understood the truth, but these self-proclaimed elites still don't understand...

Kong Yingda laughed, holding a teacup and said to Xiao Yu: "Duke Song probably doesn't know Fang Junzhi's plan, that guy not only wants the students here to study both civil and martial arts, but also wants to build a Gewuyuan... Do you know what this Gewuyuan is for? ?”

It was really the first time Xiao Yu heard about this, and he said strangely: "Extending knowledge lies in investigating things, and knowing things after investigating things. Investigating things is one of the 'three cardinal principles and eight items' advocated by "University", and practicing gewu is what students should have. , why is it surprising?"

"University" said at the beginning: "The way of university lies in Ming Mingde, in being close to the people, and in ending in perfection."

This is the "Three Programs" of "University" advocated by scholars all over the world.

The so-called "bright morality" refers to the bright morality of carrying forward the inherent talents of adults.The so-called "being close to the people" means to make people abandon the old and seek the new, abandon evil and follow good.The "pro" here is the same as "new", which means innovation, abandoning the old and seeking the new.The so-called "stop at the highest goodness" is the requirement to reach the highest goodness state of Confucian feudal ethics and morals.

"Being a king ends with benevolence, being a minister ends with respect, being a son ends with filial piety, being a father ends with kindness, and making friends with fellow countrymen ends with trust."

This is the educational program and training goal put forward by "University", and it has been pursued for generations.

"In ancient times, those who wished to manifest virtue in the world first ruled their country. Those who wanted to rule their country first ordered their families. Those who wanted to order their families first cultivated their bodies. Those who wanted to cultivate their bodies first rectified their hearts. Those who wanted to rectify Those who want to be sincere must first extend their knowledge. Extending knowledge lies in the investigation of things.”

Investigating things, extending knowledge, sincerity, righteousness, self-cultivation, family harmony, state governance, and world peace are the "eight items" of "University", which are the specific steps to realize the "three principles".

The central part of the "Eight Items" is self-cultivation. Investigating things and extending knowledge are the external ways of self-cultivation; "The first article said at the end that "from the emperor to the common people, everything is based on self-cultivation."

This is the essence of the entire Confucian spirit.

Kong Yingda stroked his beard with a smile, and said with a smile: "The boy said that what this Gewuyuan is practicing is the principle of heaven and earth, such as why water flows to high places, such as why fire is extinguished in water, such as why people cannot enter birds. Soaring in the sky like that, such as why the clouds gather to form rain, the sun rises and the moon sets..."

Xiao Yu was dumbfounded.

People go to high places, and water flows to low places. This is the principle of heaven and earth. What is there to study?
Water can restrain fire, and the five elements can restrain each other. What reason does this need?
Why can't people soar like birds... Isn't this nonsense?Are those flying all over the sky human?

Why do clouds gather to form rain, the sun rises and the moon sets... This has been the case since the beginning of Pangu. Who can figure out why?What is the need to figure out why?

Have nothing to do!
Kong Yingda laughed loudly, filled Xiao Yu's tea, panted and said, "When I first heard about it, I was as baffled and at a loss as you. But can you forget that Fang Er once begged for help on Lishan Mountain? When the rain comes, a pile of sand and soil is used to burn crystal and bright glass. The various methods are really unpredictable, and Fang Er once said that all the mystery lies in the way of investigating things. If he understands the principle of gewu, even a three-year-old child can turn clouds into clouds and rain like him, turning stones into gold!"

Xiao Yu became more and more unbelievable, and said in a low voice: "Let's not say that this statement is true or false, even if it is true, how can such unpredictable techniques be shown to others, let alone taught to others?"

Kong Yingda sighed, and said leisurely: "This is what is unusual about Fang Er. He often said that knowledge can only be achieved by one person. It is not advisable to work behind closed doors, but to gather like-minded people In one place, one person counts the short and the other counts the long. Everyone learns from the strong to make up for the short and pick up the omissions, so that we can improve ourselves to a higher level. Back then, the master didn’t ask Li Shu, and there was no distinction in education. How similar? Our disciples cherish our brooms, I hide my knowledge for fear that outsiders will learn it, but a mere ignorant person can have such a heart, this old man is really ashamed."

Xiao Yu was speechless.

If Fang Jun really has such thoughts, he really deserves Kong Yingda's praise.

This is more than just a heart like the sea and a lot of energy?
This is simply a saint!

(End of this chapter)