Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 508: The Wei River Debate! The Dispute between the New and the Old!
A month passed in a flash.
In compliance with the order of Emperor Liu Xie, the debate on the dispute between the new and the old was held as scheduled, but the venue of this meeting was not in the imperial palace like the Shiquge meeting and the Baihuguan meeting, but in the suburbs of Chang'an.

The purpose of doing this is to ensure fairness and openness. In addition to the candidates participating in the debate, all scholars and even common people can watch the debate.

In other words, this is an open debate open to everyone.

The imperial court marked out an open space about fifteen miles outside the city of Chang'an, on the banks of the Wei River, as a venue for mutual debate.

What no one knows now is that in the near future this debate, known as the "Wei River Debate", will shake the world, and this open space will become a holy place for countless future generations of students to admire and worship.

But at present, this place is just a desolate empty space.

In order to prevent people from suffering from heatstroke due to the extremely hot weather, the imperial court set up a shed here early to provide shade, and many peddlers also came here early to sell tea, wine and food.

In addition to these peddlers and some common people who came for fun, there were many more scholars from Chang'an and even from all over the world.

After all, ordinary people don’t understand the significance of this debate, and they won’t understand it even if they come.

Although the venue was desolate and the sun was scorching, the scholars who came to participate in the debate were very excited and their mood was even hotter than the sun.

Because the debate was still some time away from starting, many people spread straw mats on the ground and sat on them to discuss the debate with their companions.

Among these people were scholars from prominent families, famous people from all over the country, common people in the opposition, and even quite a few officials of the imperial court.

Yes, this debate did not prohibit officials from coming to watch, so many people came to join in the fun.

"Wow, isn't that the famous Yuan Sikong?"

"It's really Yuan Sikong! He is a role model of loyalty and righteousness, a model for the world. I didn't expect him to come too."

"And there is Yang Dezu! The Qilin son of the Hongnong Yang family!"

"Zhongshu Ling Sima Zhongda is here too...but why does he look so tired? He has dark circles under his eyes, as if he hasn't woken up yet?"

"After all, he holds an important position and has to devote himself to the Han Dynasty. I heard that Sima Zhongshu works day and night for government affairs. He is really diligent for the people."

"Huh? Why is there a military commander? Isn't that General Lu Bu?"

"What? General Lu Bu? Why is he here?"

"Why did the general come over to join in the fun?"

"Isn't that Cui Lin? He's here too."

"Cui Lin? The one who was sent as an envoy to Goguryeo, who faced the oppression of the Goguryeo king without fear and promoted the prestige of our Han Dynasty? Where is he?"

"Those two over there, the brothers Cui Yan and Cui Lin, the uglier one."

"Hiss, Jia Wen and that poisoner are here too."

……

Looking at a group of famous officials of the current dynasty, the surrounding scholars could not help but exclaim in surprise, especially when they saw Jia Xu show up, the group of scholars became a little agitated.

After hearing this, some scholars from other remote places asked curiously, "Isn't Jia Xu one of the Sima and three ministers of the current dynasty? Why are you so afraid of him?"

Hearing this man's words, a person nearby looked at him strangely and said, "You haven't heard of the reputation of the poisoner Jia Wenhe?"

"Uh... please let me know."

The poor scholar said with embarrassment that he came from a remote little place and didn't know much about state affairs.

The man looked at Guo Youzhi for a few seconds, then glanced at Jia Xu who had already walked over, and explained in a low voice: "The Embroidered Uniform Envoy is a spy agency directly under the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. It has the power to monitor all officials and execute first and report later.

"And Jia Wenhe is the actual controller of the Embroidered Uniform Envoys. He is the only one besides the emperor who can command the group of Embroidered Uniform Envoys. He is the highest-ranking official among the ministers. His status is not lower than Guo Fengxiao. He is the emperor's confidant."

"The Embroidered Uniform Envoys are all ruthless people, and Jia Wenhe is the worst of them. According to rumors that have been circulating recently, many people were arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Envoys and taken to the Southern Court for interrogation."

After hearing this, Guo Youzhi looked surprised.

He only knew that Jia Xu had a great reputation and a high status, ranking third in the Lingyan Pavilion, but he did not know that his power was so great.

This can truly be described as being second to none.

Moreover, the reputation of the Embroidered Clothes Envoy is not good.

During the reign of Emperor Wu, the Xiuyi directly pointed out that Jiang Chong was responsible for the witchcraft scandal and the death of the crown prince, so the Xiuyi caused the entire organization to fall into silence.

I didn't expect it to be activated again now.

The speaker comforted him, "Brother, don't worry too much. Although Jia Wenhe is cruel, he is still a loyal minister."

"It was he who fought the defense of Chang'an before, and saved Chang'an from Ma Chao's attack."

Guo Youzhi then breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "That's great... By the way, I forgot to introduce myself, how rude."

"My name is Guo Youzhi, courtesy name Yanchang, and I am from Jingzhou. May I ask what your name is?"

The other party bowed and smiled, "My name is Fei Yi, courtesy name Wenwei, from Jiangxia, nice to meet you."

"It's Brother Fei. Please sit with me."

Guo Youzhi returned the greeting with a bow, moved his seat to make room for half of the straw mat and invited Fei Yi to sit with him. Then he asked, "Brother Fei, do you support the new school or the old school?"

People from all walks of life, both in the government and the opposition, called this debate a battle between the new and the old, a dispute between reformists and conservatives.

"I naturally support the Imperial College,"

Fei Yi said without hesitation: "For people like us who come from humble backgrounds, it is undoubtedly difficult to be recommended. The Imperial College is the only way out."

"Moreover, the new school of the Imperial College is not like the Hongdumen School, which teaches useless skills such as calligraphy, painting and writing. The four new schools of the Imperial College are all beneficial to the country and go straight to the root of state governance. I came to Chang'an this time just to study in the Imperial College."

Guo Youzhi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said happily: "I didn't expect that Brother Wenwei and I have the same opinion. I also plan to study in the Imperial Academy this time."

"I just heard that the entrance exam is quite difficult, and I don't know if I can pass it."

Fei Yi smiled and said, "Just do your best. Since you and I both plan to study at the Imperial Academy, why don't we be companions?"

"good!"

Guo Youzhi readily agreed, and then asked, "Brother Wenwei, who do you think will win this debate?"

Fei Yi thought about it and said, "It's hard to say. Each has its own advantages. It's hard to make a conclusion now."

"But I think... the Imperial College has a greater chance of winning."

Although he was educated in Confucianism since childhood, he also knew that traditional Confucianism had its limitations.

There is no problem in using it to educate the world and persuade people to be good, but what the emperor wants today is a strong country, and Confucianism cannot do that.

What's more, the winner of this debate will eventually become the mainstream doctrine that teaches countless students. This is the foundation for all ages, so of course we must be more cautious.

"Why did Brother Wenwei say that?"

After hearing Fei Yi's words, Guo Youzhi asked.

Fei Yi was not vague and said directly: "The Emperor of the Han Dynasty is a monarch who attaches great importance to practical work."

"The Jian'an locomotive, the Jian'an plow, the Iron and Steel Bureau, and the Imperial College all demonstrate this point. Otherwise, this dispute between the old and the new would not be possible."

"With your Majesty's support behind us, our chances of winning are great." To be fair, the emperor never mentioned which school of thought he preferred, but his various actions in recent years have all shown that he pays more attention to practical action rather than empty talk.

"Of course, Confucianism is not necessarily the loser. After all, people have been leaning towards it for so many years... and it also involves a lot."

"In short, let's see who is better at the debate."

Fei Yi made a summary.

When Guo Youzhi heard this, he seemed to be thinking about something.

At this moment, there was a commotion among the crowd around them, and some shouts of surprise.

"Here they come! Guo Jijiu and Zhuge Zhongshu are here!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Youzhi and Fei Yi raised their heads and looked in the direction where the commotion came from. Then they saw four scholars coming towards the debate arena under the protection of soldiers who were there to maintain order.

The two leading men looked young, but both had very distinguished demeanors. One of them even held a feather fan in his hand, looking very dashing.

Of the two men behind, one was thin and capable, and although he wore a long gown, he could not hide his chivalrous temperament; the other was extremely ugly, with an arrogant look.

These four people are Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and Pang Tong!
"That's Guo Fengxiao? Lingyun Pavilion's most meritorious official, the head of the cabinet's grand council, one of the Three Dukes, the Imperial College's chief academic officer... and he's so young!"

Guo Youzhi exclaimed, his eyes full of admiration and yearning.

Guo Jia's deeds can be said to be quite legendary. He got to know the emperor in times of adversity, secretly helped the emperor break free from Yuan Shao's control, and ultimately turned the situation around, defeating Yuan Shao and unifying the north.

However, after going through so many things and becoming the number one civil official, looking back, he was only in his early thirties.

This is truly a role model for these poor scholars.

Guo Jia's arrival caused a great sensation, and many scholars stood up to salute him.

Many people came to today's debate just for Guo Jiacai, just to admire the demeanor of this head of the cabinet's ministers.

Guo Jia kept smiling and greeting the scholars on both sides, then led Zhuge Liang and others through the crowd to meet Jia Xu and others.

"As expected of you, you are the head of the civil officials. We cannot envy your majesty and pomp."

Jia Xu spoke in his usual sarcastic tone, and Lu Su, Fa Zheng and others behind him couldn't help laughing when they heard it.

Guo Jia's popularity was indeed ridiculous, but he was, after all, a representative of someone who had risen from a poor family to the pinnacle, so it was normal for him to be welcomed and admired by scholars.

"Mr. Zheng and the others haven't arrived yet?"

Guo Jia was already accustomed to Jia Xu's ambiguity, so he didn't feel anything at all and just asked.

The venue on Zheng Xuan's side is still empty.

However, Cui Yan and the heads of various noble families had already arrived and were waiting there, looking at this side.

Seeing Guo Jia looking at them, they all withdrew their gazes.

Fa Zheng said, "It's probably almost time, so just wait a little longer... But then again, there are so many people here today."

“I have never seen such a grand gathering in the literary world.”

Looking around, there are probably no less than two thousand scholars and literati gathered here. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a sea of ​​people.

From ancient times to the present, there has almost never been such a lively scene in the literary world!
This debate will surely go down in history.

Guo Jia smiled bitterly and said, "The more this happens, the more pressure I feel. I really can't afford to lose in front of the world's scholars."

This debate was actually a huge gamble for both parties, because it was so grand and had a huge impact, and the outcome would ultimately determine the mainstream doctrine in the future.

Before anyone else could say anything, Lu Bu shouted, "Why are you saying such depressing words? You have accompanied His Majesty all the way here, and there are so many people watching. Be alert and don't lose face."

"If you really can't win the argument, just smash the cup and I'll go up and chop off that old thief."

"What rank do you have to dare to oppose His Majesty—Hmm!"

Before Lu Bu could finish his words, Chen Gong came forward with a dark face, covered his mouth, and cursed: "Shut up!"

Military generals are not well-received to begin with, so it's ok that they come to participate in such a literary event, but they even dare to speak nonsense. Are they afraid of not attracting hatred?

Guo Jia burst out laughing when he saw this. After Lu Bu's joke, the pressure in his heart was relieved a lot.

"It's just a mere argument, what's the point of talking about it?"

"Just wait and see how I perform!"

Pang Tong said this with a haughty look on his face, not taking the other party seriously at all - he has always been this kind of arrogant person.

Sima Yi glanced at him and said calmly, "You are not afraid of your tongue being blown away by the wind. I really don't know why His Majesty allowed you to participate in the debate."

He did not like Pang Tong. He had had some unpleasant experiences with Pang Tong when he went to Jingzhou to provide assistance. He could not stand Pang Tong's arrogant attitude the most.

"Your Majesty has a keen eye, how can you understand that? Why did Your Majesty choose me and not you? Do you really have no idea?"

Pang Tong retorted directly, and did not show any intention of backing down because of Sima Yi's identity.

Sima Yi's expression froze and he remained silent.

After hearing that Zhuge Liang was attending the debate, he wanted to apply to the emperor for permission to participate, but his family strongly opposed it.

The Sima family is also a powerful family, and it will be of no benefit for them to stand on the side of the Imperial College.

Besides, the emperor had no intention of choosing him, so he did not apply actively.

"Shi Yuan!"

Xu Shu pulled Pang Tong's sleeve, feeling very worried. After all, Sima Yi was an important official in the court and one of the cabinet ministers.

When the two of them first entered the court, although they were appreciated by the emperor, they had no foundation. They offended Sima Yi and would have a hard time in the court in the future.

Pang Tong also knew when to stop and didn't continue to speak foul language.

At this moment, there was another commotion in the crowd. Everyone looked over and saw four old men in Confucian robes walking towards the center of the debate arena.

These four people were followed by many Confucian scholars. When the Confucian scholars in the debate arena saw them, they also became excited.

"It's Mr. Zheng Kangcheng!"

"And Mr. Hua, Mr. Bing, and Mr. Wang!"

“They are all great scholars of the time!”

"Why is Guan Youan not here? Isn't he good friends with Hua Ziyu and Bing Genju, and they are called Yilong?"

"I don't know. I heard that Mr. Guan supports the new learning of the Imperial College, so he refused to participate in this debate."

"That's fine. With these four great scholars, we will definitely win this time!"

All the Confucian scholars were talking about it.

(End of this chapter)