Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 372 The spring swallows return and build nests in the woods!

"Brother Xia, what does the prince want to do with you?" Lu Cang asked curiously.

Xia Zhibai raised his head, glanced at Lu Cang, and said, "Ask your conscience."

"Ask your conscience." Lu Cang was stunned for a moment and scratched his head. He didn't quite understand what this meant. How could a great prince of the Ming Dynasty also encounter troubles in his daily life? Isn't this the way to get whatever you want?

Who dares to disobey the prince?
Xia Zhibai ignored Lu Cang and said, "Go review your textbook first, I'll explain it to you in person later."

Hear the words.

"Ah?" Lu Cang's face suddenly turned gloomy.

At other times, it was quite fun to follow Xia Zhibai, but once Xia Zhibai criticized him for his mistakes, he would be in trouble, because Xia Zhibai's requirements were obviously higher than those of Jing Man and others, and much higher. He would be scolded every time, and now he almost has a psychological shadow.

"Okay, I'll go right away." Lu Cang walked out with a sad face and a depressed look.

Xia Zhibai shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He was indeed a bit strict with Lu Cang, Aokiji and others, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, they were brought up by him, so they had to be extremely cautious in their words and deeds. Ruining their reputation was a small matter, but if they ruined their character and took advantage of their power to bully others, or took advantage of local people, he would never accept that.

Therefore, their homework needs to be checked every now and then.

I will also give them lectures in person.

However, he also found that he was only suitable for teaching these people some history and literature-related subjects. In other aspects, especially arithmetic and physics, he was a little beyond the scope. Not to mention Lu Cang, even Jing Man, Fang Mo and others could not keep up with his thinking. After he explained it several times, he quickly realized that the system he learned was different from the contemporary thinking system, and there was a big gap in teaching.

Only history and literature have always been connected.

But it’s the thought that counts.

This is the only thing in the world that truly touches the soul.

In just a quarter of an hour or so, Lu Cang had brought in nearly dozens of people.

Some of them were former beggars, some were children of workers in salt factories and coal factories, and when engineers and literati such as Jing Man were free, there would be people to teach them knowledge. However, not all of them lived in the city. Most of them actually stayed in the salt factories outside the city, so it was quite exaggerated that Lu Cang was able to attract so many people so quickly.

But Xia Zhibai also knew some of the reasons.

Some were deliberately placed in the city by the salt and coal workers, who wanted to be close to the city and get the upper hand. They wanted their children to see them more often so that they would remember them and have a better chance of making a name for themselves in the future.

Xia Zhibai knew all these little thoughts.

Jing Man also reminded me.

Xia Zhibai didn't care.

It is normal for people to be selfish.

If people were free of selfishness, the world would lose the motivation for progress.

Just like monetary policy, appropriate inflation is more conducive to economic development. As long as the selfishness is not excessive, it does not matter. Moreover, he is very satisfied with his lectures. He believes that under his influence, no evil people will be cultivated. If such people are really cultivated, they will be punished by law.

He won't be partial to anyone because of this!

soon.

The hall was packed with teenagers in their early teens.

Each of them carried their own small wooden stool and sat obediently in the room. They didn't have many books, but they all held a piece of paper and dipped it in ink in an inkstone. They were very familiar with this set of actions and didn't know how many times they had repeated it.

After a while, Xia Zhibai came.

The already quiet hall was now even quieter.

It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Xia Zhibai walked in, with a stern face and a serious expression, and walked to the front. I don't know what trick Xia Zhibai played, but suddenly a blackboard appeared in front of him, and he held a charcoal pencil and started writing on it.

Lu Cang, Aokiji and others hurriedly took paper and started copying it.

What he is going to talk about today is "Zizhi Tongjian".

Zizhi Tongjian, a chronological historical masterpiece, holds a high position in Xia Zhibai's heart.

In his heart, it is even higher than Records of the Grand Historian.

However, the gap is not that big, and the two books are recognized as the "twin pillars of historiography".

In the six states of Southern Yan, Xu, Yan, Yu, Qing, and Ji, the killing and looting were incalculable; able-bodied men were beheaded, and infants were impaled on spears and made to dance in circles as a sport.

Every county and prefecture he passed through was left with barren land; the spring swallows had returned and were nesting in the trees.

He is naturally an excerpt.

If it were a whole article, it would be too long and not make much sense.

Although his excerpts were a bit cruel, the Ming Dynasty was different from later generations after all. They were aware of the years of cannibalism in the past. Only by deepening the fear of cannibalism can these people's motivation to change be strengthened.

They have also seen bloody rain, unlike the greenhouse flowers in later generations.

If we tell them something like 'the swallows leave, but they will come back; the willows cry, but they will turn green again', it would be like whining without any reason. They subconsciously cannot experience that kind of peaceful scene at all. They are a group of people who have been hiding, displaced, or even homeless. It is difficult for them to empathize with such a scene. Only suffering and the chaos of war are their most personal experiences.

This is a group of miserable people.

He wanted to tell these young people something.

In history books, historians have recorded in detail the rise and fall of dynasties, reproduced the civil and military achievements of emperors and generals, witnessed the joys and sorrows of talented men and beautiful women, and described the vastness and grandeur of mountains, rivers, lakes and seas. However, these words are not what they really want to tell the world. What the historians want to say is often hidden in an inadvertent narration or even in a joke.

They need to learn to see the truth behind it.

Xia Zhibai said slowly: "What I wrote on my board is an excerpt from the Zizhi Tongjian. This happened during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. After the 'Yuanjia Northern Expedition', the Northern Wei Emperor Tuoba Tao was also unwilling to be outdone and fought back. When Tuoba Tao led his army south, the six states of Nanyan, Xu, Yan, Yu, Qing, and Ji in the Song Dynasty all became battlefields and were brutally ravaged by the Northern Wei army."

"But there are two very elegant sentences in it."

"The spring swallows return, nesting in the trees!"

"This sentence is very poetic at first glance. On a sunny spring day, the swallows return and begin to build nests on the green branches. What a beautiful picture."

"But what about the truth?"

“That’s what this class is about.”

“It’s thought-provoking to learn about the real history from books.”

"Please copy down the content first, and then try to understand it yourself. I will then select someone to ask you about your understanding of this sentence."

Xia Zhibai spoke expressionlessly.

But as soon as he said this, dozens of people below instantly looked miserable.

This is what they fear most.

Pick someone up!

Lu Cang and others all involuntarily retracted their necks, fearing that they would be discovered by Xia Zhibai and be questioned.

(End of this chapter)