Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 67 (Part )
Based on the shallow knowledge that He Bo had accumulated during his life, he only knew that Mozi was a famous scholar in Chinese history.

Not only wisdom,
He also possessed strong inventive and productive abilities, and had made a large number of tools by hand and put forward many theories.

Therefore, he privately thought that Mozi should be rational and focus on reality.

The foundation of Confucianism is somewhat related to sacrifice, so Confucianism pays special attention to etiquette and rules.

But its founder, Confucius, only believed in "respecting ghosts and gods but keeping them at a distance."

Later, Xunzi believed that "the way of heaven is constant, it does not exist for the sake of Yao, nor does it perish for the sake of Jie."

Although he became a ghost or god, he did not exist since ancient times.

When He Bo was still flowing in the Zhang River, Mo Zi had already put forward this theory.

And in this world, He Bo is the only outlier.

Come to think of it,

Mozi probably has never seen other ghosts and gods.

"Because ghosts and gods are far wiser than humans, Mozi advocates obeying the orders of ghosts and gods to make the world a better place."

"But Mozi has never seen ghosts and gods, so how can he know that ghosts and gods are wiser than humans?"

Sui Chao, who was standing by, could not help but recount his remarks during the debate with Yue Lan, "The wind and rain between heaven and earth change, and yin and yang alternate. If it were not for the power of ghosts and gods, how could there be such changes?"

He Bo told him, "The changes of wind and rain are because the water in the sea rises to the sky, condenses and then falls down again; the alternation of yin and yang is because the earth under our feet is an opaque sphere, and the sun can only shine on one side, making it bright."

Then, he thought of his own situation during the summer flood, and couldn't help but sigh, "Even if ghosts and gods have the ability to control wind and rain, they cannot violate the laws of heaven and earth. They can only try their best to guide them."

Maybe,

Only when he is able to rush into the sea and control the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas in the world, can he truly do whatever he wants.

Anyway, right now, He Bo would be slapped twice if he ran into the arms of the mother river, so he could only look forward to such a scene in his dreams.

Sui Chao couldn't help but ask, "You are not a ghost or god, how do you know that ghosts and gods don't have such abilities?"

"..."

He Bo looked at him with a stubborn look and stared at him without saying a word.

What else could he say?

He Bo just said to Xiang Liqin, "I think in the world, we should still pay attention to the role of people themselves."

“Water and soil are important, but what people do should not be ignored.”

He twirled his beard and said slowly, "If we only know how to obey the will of heaven and pray for the blessings of ghosts and gods, then why did Dayu control the flood? Why did Suiren light a fire to keep warm? Why did Shennong taste herbs to make medicine?"

"God created man for a purpose. How can we ignore ourselves and pursue other things?"

Xiang Liqin nodded and said, "Yes, so Mozi also emphasized 'non-fate', that is, let people do their best and not think that everything is predetermined by fate."

He had traveled to so many places but had never seen real ghosts or gods, and he had some thoughts about Mozi's ideas.

When Mozi was alive, Xiang Liqin also served by his side. He saw that Mozi kept sighing because of the "ghost" and had a troubled and helpless expression on his face.

He then thought about it -

Even with Mozi's wisdom, he could not understand matters concerning ghosts and gods.

Otherwise, we wouldn't emphasize "God's will" on the one hand and demand that people "not obey their fate" on the other.

This is a major drawback in Mohist theory, and it is also a major problem that cannot be explored due to the limitations of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

How does the world work?
If ghosts and gods did not exist, how could so many miraculous phenomena occur?

More importantly, in this era of drastic changes and great social transitions, as a representative of the common people, Mozi needs to think further -

Those princes who made insatiable demands claimed that they had inherited the noble blood of their ancestors and had been appointed by the Zhou emperor. They were natural nobles and should rule the common people.

The unrest caused by the princes is also a blessing given by the nobles to the untouchables. They can only accept it and cannot refuse it.

Is this really the case?
Is it true that some people are born noble and some are born humble?
Mozi did not believe such a thing, but he could not really deny the nobility of the princes.

Hundreds of years of inheritance cannot be broken in an instant.

Dao Zhi, who once rebelled, has also disappeared.

then,

Mozi thought of ghosts and gods.

"So, the reason why saints are saints is that they always consider others," He Bo said with emotion. "If you lose sight of the main point and confuse right and wrong, and only know how to fear ghosts and gods but are unwilling to fight for yourself, you are going against the wishes of the saints."

Use ghosts and gods to restrain meat eaters,
This was an attempt made by Mozi in this era of moral decline and the collapse of rituals and music.

Its essence is similar to the "harmony between heaven and man" proposed by Dong Zhongshu in later generations.

There is nothing left in the world that can restrain the monarch.
Then pray to God for supervision!

Sui Chao was dissatisfied with this and interrupted, "What you mean is very similar to what the Confucian scholar said."

"Are you a Confucian?"

He Bo stroked his beard and smiled, "I do know a Confucian disciple." Sui Chao then said, "Then your debate with the great master is the same as my debate with Yue Lan."

"Since we each have our own opinions, why don't you and I have a duel to see who can convince the other!"

He drew his sword, intending to use force to destroy He Bo's path.

He Bo rejected him directly, "No!"

"Will a gentleman shrink back when faced with doubts and provocations from others?"

"I don't know about this. After all, I'm not a gentleman!"

Ignoring the angry Sui Chao, He Bo said to Xiang Liqin, "The power of ghosts and gods can only be adjusted to a certain extent while following the laws of heaven and earth."

“Just like water, no matter where it flows, it always flows from high to low.”

“It’s okay to help a group of people occasionally, but if you keep helping them, that toddler will never be able to run.”

Ximen Bao had advised He Bo many times, asking him not to interfere too much in human affairs.

It is OK to divert some water for irrigation.
It's okay to save some people's lives.

But if it is always like this, then people will do nothing but pray to ghosts and gods.

"Heaven moves in good health, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement."

"This is the truth of the saints, and it is also an eternal truth."

"Mozi's intentions were good, and his wisdom was profound, but each life has its own circumstances, and even ghosts and gods cannot transcend them, let alone him?"

He Bo took out the bag of refined salt again and handed it to Xiang Liqin.

"It is thanks to you that I can know Mozi's ambition today."

"Please accept this as a reward."

Xiang Liqin sighed and accepted it.

Sui Chao looked up at He Bo, frowning, "You are neither a ghost nor a famous sage. How can you say that Mozi's wisdom is not enough to transcend this world?"

He Bo stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked down at him. "When wisdom is revealed, it is natural for people to evaluate it. If you are not a ghost or a sage, can you not evaluate Mozi?"

"Aren't you afraid that your evaluation may be biased?"

"There are deviations, there are deviations. Do I look like a very wise person?"

"If it is the Great Dao, then even after thousands of years, it will not change. What can a momentary evaluation affect?"

He Bo spread his hands and waved.

"I still can't agree with you!" Sui Chao said, and wanted to challenge He Bo to a fight again.

You can't convince with words.
Then use your fists to convince,
This was a common practice among scholars in this era.

So, although Suichao did not jump onto the boulder, he tried to stand beside it, bend down to grab He Bo's feet, pull him down and beat him up.

He Bo moved flexibly on the boulder, running around Xiang Liqin in small steps, just to prevent Sui Chao from catching him.

Other Mohist disciples also rushed forward, either trying to stop the fight or taking the opportunity to grab He Bo and beat him up.

Since he was evaluating his master's theory in front of his disciples,

Then you should be prepared to be beaten!

Because of the chaos on the boulder, Xiang Liqin couldn't even stand up. He could only stretch out his hand and yell at his disciples to retreat.

Sui Chao couldn't catch anyone and was so anxious that he was almost out of breath.

He Bo laughed at him, "If you want to catch me, why don't you practice with Gongzi Chao first!"

"His movements are more agile than a dog in the mountains!"

And He Bo's flexibility is far superior to Gongzi Chao!

finished,

He Bo jumped off the boulder directly and jumped in the direction where there were no Mohist disciples waiting because it faced the flowing water.

Plop,
Then he disappeared without a trace.

Just right,

His progress bar has been completed.
It’s time to do what ghosts and gods should do!

Xiang Liqin and others were shocked when they saw this scene!

They lay on the boulders, looked into the water, and waded through it, but found no clues except for stirring up a lot of muddy water.

Xiang Liqin was dumbfounded for a long time, then fell silent, tears streaming down his face.

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(End of this chapter)