Master Kong Zhongni

Chapter 23 Wu is a Barbarian?

"Envoys from the State of Wu are visiting? Are they here to seek an alliance with our State of Lu?"

"The people of Wu have black teeth, tattoos on their hair, they are barbarians. How can we form an alliance with the people of Wu?"

Hearing that the envoy from the Kingdom of Wu was about to visit, the disciples immediately exploded.

Some were guessing the purpose of the envoy's visit, and some despised the Wu people as a group of southern barbarians.

There was a lot of noise in the academy, but in the end it was Confucius who quelled the discussions among his disciples.

Confucius said: "The State of Wu was established by Taibo. Taibo is the brother of King Wen's father and uncle of King Wu. He was born in the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty, and he has the same surname as Lu State. So how can Wu State be called What about barbarians?"

As soon as Confucius finished speaking, an unremarkable disciple stood out from the crowd.

"Master, I disagree with you."

Zai Yu turned his head to look, and couldn't help shaking his head.

It's over, every time I bring up the etiquette, this guy can argue better than me, and today is endless.

The bull spirit in Zaiyu's mouth is called Wumashi, and its word is Ziqi.

This person's insistence on etiquette can be said to be one of the best among Confucians.

Zilu used to go out to collect firewood with him, and happened to pass by a wealthy family, the house was extremely luxurious.

Zilu then joked with Wumashi, "If you give up the knowledge and virtue you learned from the master, you can get such a fortune, why don't you do it?"
As a result, Zilu's words completely angered Wuma Shi, he thought that Zilu had really insulted him.

Not only did he answer that he was unwilling, but he also scolded Zilu who had always had a bad temper.

Among the disciples of Confucianism, there is only one who dares to scold Zilu like a grandson.

Wumashi got up and asked: "But after the Taibo and his descendants were entrusted to the land of Wu, they not only failed to promote the etiquette education in the local area, but followed the local customs, cutting their hair short, dyeing their teeth black, and using tree sap on their bodies. Prick the pattern.

Can they still be considered as a country in the Central Plains for their actions? "

When Confucius heard this, he just shook his head slightly: "Ziqi, you can't understand this matter like this."

"Why not?"

This time, before Confucius could answer, another small man with a smile on his face stood out from the disciples in the back row.

"Master, let me answer this question for you."

Confucius searched for a long time before he found the disciple who spoke.

It's not that Confucius has bad eyesight, but that this disciple is really too short, only less than five feet tall.

If it weren't for his old-fashioned appearance, if a stranger saw him, he would think it was a child from some family who ran out.

This short student was named Gao Chai, and his style name was Zigao.

Although Gao Chai was not selected among the ten sages of Confucianism in the selection by later generations, he also entered the ranks of the 72 sages of Confucianism, and he was also an extremely talented disciple.

When Confucius saw him, he also nodded in relief and said, "Alright, Chai, I'll let you answer."

Gao Chai bowed his hands to Wuma Shi first, and then said: "The reason why Taibo left Zhu Xia and went deep into the barbaric lands of the Southern Wilderness was to give the throne to Zhou Taiwang Ji Li.

He knew that his younger brother Ji Li was filial, and if he didn't run away, Ji Li would definitely lose his throne, so he had no choice but to make such a bad move.

It is precisely because the Taibo abdicated that the Taiwang was able to inherit the throne. The Taiwang passed the throne to the Wen Wang, and the Wen Wang passed the throne to the Wu Wang, and the Wu Wang defeated the Shang Dynasty.

If it weren't for Taibo, we are still ruled by the Shang Dynasty, how can we not thank him for his kindness?
Moreover, the situation of governing the country is complicated. Tai Bo felt that it would be easier to manage it than to let the people of Wu change their customs.

Ordinary people think that Taibo's act of cutting off his tattoo shows that even the wisdom of a sage sometimes doesn't work.

But smart people can understand that the sage adopts contingency measures to adapt to actual changes. This is the real wisdom! "

After hearing this, Wumashi seriously retorted: "If Taibo wants to give way to Ji Li, how many methods can he adopt? Why should he abandon the etiquette education of the Central Plains and use barbarian customs to defile himself?" Woolen cloth?

If he can do this kind of behavior, it means that he is not a saint with wisdom.As for sayings such as contingencies, they are just sophistry words used by the villain to cover up his despicable behavior! "

Wu Mashi spoke violently, and even started to directly name Gao Chai, calling him a villain.

Zai Yu usually has a good relationship with Gao Chai, but now that Wu Mashi names his buddies by name, he can't sit still.

Zaiyu stood up and asked, "Ziqi, the Taibo established the state of Wu. If he can't be considered a saint, then what kind of monarch do you think can be called a saint?"

Hearing the question, Wu Mashi just wanted to give a few examples.

But when he saw that it was Zaiyu who stood up, he stopped talking immediately, and gave an answer after thinking twice, for fear that Zaiyu would use too many examples to refute him.

Wuma Shi said: "Among the monarchs who established the country, only Xia Yu and Shang Tang can be counted as saints!"

Zai Yu smiled slightly.

Tiny!I knew you would fall for it.

He said: "In order to gain the support of the Tushan tribe, Dayu catered to their customs and participated in their ceremony naked, and finally won the favor of the princess of the Tushan tribe and successfully married her.

According to what you said, you can't be considered a saint if you do as the Romans do.Then are you going to use your argument to criticize Dayu who divided Kyushu, quelled the ancient flood, and made great achievements! "

Wu Mashi pointed at Jai Yu, speechless for a long time: "My son, you...I...you can't compare like that."

Dayu was recognized as a saint by the people of the world, so Wumashi could not deny Dayu's status as a saint, of course he couldn't do it.

Everyone present also had a steelyard in their hearts. Everyone knew that Jae Yu had completely won this debate.

Wu Mashi just couldn't save face, so he didn't want to admit it.

Seeing this, Confucius came up to smooth things over with a smile: "Okay. You guys have your own opinions, and each has its own truth. But I still agree with Ah Yu and Ah Chai more!"

Hearing this, Wumashi bowed down and saluted dejectedly, "The student understands."

Before Wumashi could sit down, a cold snort suddenly resounded through the audience.

"You guys are so brave!"

A short-haired man in a black-striped Chinese dress led a group of people into the academy.

"Although our country of Wu is in the southern wilderness, we have always longed for the etiquette education of the Central Plains.

The widow has always believed that the state of Lu obeys Zhou rituals, and even among the Xias in the Central Plains, it is a rare country of gentlemen.

But I didn't expect it!Not long after I arrived in the State of Lu, I heard speeches slandering our country in Qufu.

Taibo, the ancestor of our country, also came from the royal family of Zhou, which is the same country with the surname of Ji as the state of Lu.

The gentlemen of the Lu Kingdom, don’t they just hide in a dark corner and slander the country of brothers with the same surname instead of doing business every day! "

Yang Hu also followed behind in a panic and broke into the school club.

Hearing the short-haired man's speech, he hastily apologized: "The envoy calms down. These are just a few jokes, so don't take it to heart."

The envoy of Wu Guo put his hands behind his back, snorted, and did not buy Yang Hu's account at all.

"Since Yangzi thinks this is a joke, I don't mind saying a few jokes in the widow's ear after returning home. It's just that the widow has a bad temper and is not as well-bred as the gentlemen of Lu.

If he were to find out about this, he might have to turn the troops that were originally aimed at Chu State at Lu State instead.

Until then, Yoko, what do you plan to do with yourself? "

　I like you, but don't bother me, be quiet, just ask for a ticket.

　　——Excerpt from "Zaiyu's Diary"

　　
　
(End of this chapter)