Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 98 Wei Yang
"Zheng State was destroyed?"

He Bo was bored of traveling, so he took a nap on Tu Bo's throne. Then he heard Xilai report that the number of new ghosts admitted into the underworld had increased sharply again recently.

immediately,

The ghosts and gods then knew about the incident of "Han destroying Zheng".

He couldn't help but sigh, "The little tyrant of the Spring and Autumn Period can't even protect his own ancestral temple now..."

Zheng Guo,

It was a country established by Ji You, the son of King Li and brother of King Xuan.

It was also the first country to dominate after the demise of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period.

During the reign of Duke Zhuang of Zheng, he first seized the grain of King Huan of Zhou, then fought with King Huan, and finally, on the battlefield, in full view of everyone, he shot King Huan down with one arrow, officially announcing the arrival of the era of "the collapse of rituals and music."

When he was at his peak, it was said that "all the princes in the world are members of Zheng's party."

if we assume,
The arrow that shot King Huan of Zhou turned him into an extraordinary sacrifice in the "struggle among princes for hegemony".

Then now,
The ancestral temple of the first hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period collapsed, and the country no longer existed, making it a heavyweight sacrifice in this chaotic era.

But no matter what,
King Huan of Zhou must be smiling happily in heaven.

"But in this case, other small countries should be even more panicked, right?"

Among small countries, Zheng State’s foundation is considered rich, after all, its ancestors were once glorious.

Even a few years ago, it besieged the capital of Han, Yangdi, forcing Han to ask Wei for help.

Now that it has been destroyed, the other small countries will be scared to death!
Thinking of the possible unrest that might happen in the future, the many ghost officials under the command of ghosts and gods couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted.

They were all human beings in their lifetime.
Nowadays, the world is becoming more and more violent, and there are more and more bloody wars. How can they not feel sad when they see this?

However, ghosts and gods do not have much motivation to interfere in the human world and use their extraordinary power to suppress such chaotic events.

After all, in addition to Ximen Bao's advice, the ghosts and gods also expressed their opinions to the Mohists:
world,

It is up to people to determine the direction.

Rise and fall, order and chaos,

It is both the way of humanity and the way of heaven.

It is impossible for ghosts and gods, who are lazy by nature, to take care of all matters for people and raise them like children!

Maybe,

Can this barely be considered a characteristic passed down by the mother Yellow River to her child, the Zhang River?
He Bo thought secretly, then lowered his head and went to sleep.

Ugh,
There are wars outside every day.

Even the leisure time for He Bo to lie in the water and take a nap in the sun has become increasingly rare.

It would be better to stay in the underworld as a decoration.

……

"Damn it!"

"How could Weiguo become like this?"

Emperor Hill of Wei State,

Gongsun Yang, who had grown into a teenager, angrily threw the letter in the room, his words filled with grief and dissatisfaction.

“Why not change the law?”

"Does the king want Wei to become the next Zheng?"

The annexation of Zheng State by Han State,
By this time, the news had spread all over the world, causing an uproar.

The neighboring Wei State was even more terrified.

Today, Korea can destroy Zheng.

Will other big countries come to destroy Wei in the future?

It was under such a sense of crisis that Gongsun Yang asked to see Duke Xun of Wei.

Duke Xun of Wei was also quite curious about this disciple of the royal family who was known as a "genius", and hoped to seek from him a way to preserve the state of Wei.

Duke Xun of Wei and Gongsun Yang knelt facing each other and asked Gongsun Yang first, "Gongsun Yang, what do you think of the current situation in Wei?"

Gongsun Yang told him with certainty, "Wei State is too weak!"

"There are more and more wars among the princes to destroy the ancestral temples of the countries. If no additional measures are taken, the ancestral temples of the Wei State will also be overturned!"

Wei Gongxun nodded beside him, "Yes, yes, that's what I want to ask!"

Then he heard Gongsun Yang's passionate voice, "So, Wei should follow the example of Wei and Chu and seek wise men like Li Kui and Wu Qi to carry out a reform!"

Wei Gongxun was startled by the noise he made when he mentioned "reform" and shrank his neck and said, "Ah? Reform?"

"This... is difficult, right?"

The matter of reform,
At this time, with Wei and Chu taking the lead, many princes have realized:
"I want to change the law, too!"

No change,
If the country continues to weaken, it will become like the last monarch of Jiang Qi, Duke Kang, who died miserably on an island and the ancestral temple sacrifices were cut off.

But if we really want to change the law,
That will inevitably cause huge waves in the country.

After the Chu State Mourning Rebellion occurred, many monarchs could not help but wonder, "If King Chu Mourning had not died early, would he have been surrounded and killed in the palace by his ministers?"

Facing the reform,

Some princes were determined not to fear difficulties.

Some princes chose to "ignore the flood after death" and continued to sing, dance, feast and enjoy the beauty of life.

And Wei Gongxun is precisely the best among the latter.

Before Gongsun Yang could explain to him what the reform required, Wei Gongxun interrupted him and asked, "Why do we have to reform?"

"If we use treasures to bribe powerful countries, it should be possible to prevent them from bullying us, right?"

Gongsun Yang was young and hot-tempered, and was very angry at Duke Xun of Wei's reaction, "How can the king be so weak?"

"Our Wei State was first established by King Wu's younger brother Kang Shu, and has been passed down to this day for hundreds of years!"

"Can the king bear to let the state of Wei be taken away by others?"

Wei Gongxun waved his hand indifferently, "Why is it so?"

"I can just hand over the treasure to them and they won't tear down the ancestral temple of Wei State!"

Gongsun Yang clenched his fist in anger. "Even if the king can keep the ancestral temple, what if the country's land is occupied by other countries and the people are taken away by other countries?"

Wei Gongxun waved his hands again, not caring anymore, "What does a lowly person have to do with me?"

"You are a member of the royal family of Wei State. Just eat and drink well. Why do you have to think about these things every day?"

Wei Gongxun tried to appease Gongsun Yang, who was about to explode with anger, and then said:
"It is very difficult for me to change the law!"

"I have been thinking about which powerful country I should rely on these days. If I give this country but not that country when offering treasures, will it anger the other powerful country?"

"Yang, you are so smart, you should be able to tell me who I would be better as a vassal of, right?"

Gongsun Yang was so angry that he couldn't speak, and finally left in anger.

After returning, Gongsun Yang cried out in grief in his room.

Then, he realized a new truth:

The ignorant people in this world who need to be guided by the strong with whips are not only the common people who have never read books, but also some noble monarchs who need to be beaten with whips and wooden boards!
Subsequently,

Gongsun Yang attempted to take to the streets of Wei State to explain to the people the importance of reform and strengthening the country.

As a result, the people of Weiguo didn't really understand what he was saying.

Because compared with other countries, Weiguo is a little too stable.

Although very weak,
But the Wei State would always use its own weakness to please the powerful countries, and after winning the favor of the powerful countries, it would ask the other party to shield itself from the flames of war.

From top to bottom,

I've gotten used to this way of life.

Why bother to change the law?
The purpose of the reform was to preserve the ancestral temple.
But this kind of thing can also be achieved by relying on a powerful country!
Didn’t the State of Wei come to rescue them before?
then,

Gongsun Yang's plan to unite others and persuade Duke Xun of Wei to carry out reforms failed.

When his father heard about this, he came to scold him again, "You bastard, what are you messing with!"

Gongsun Yang felt aggrieved, "I want to reform the state of Wei and become stronger!"

His father scolded, "You know nothing!"

Gongsun Yang blamed himself, "Yes, I don't understand!"

His father was stunned by these words, and then began to reflect on whether he had scolded him too harshly.

How could he make his stubborn son cry in such pain?
Then he heard Gongsun Yang say, "I wanted to force others to do what I wanted before I even had the whip and the board in my hands. This is my fault!"

"When I gain power, I will severely punish those lazy guys and force them to move in the direction I direct!"

As for whether there will be any problems with the direction he chooses?
Gongsun Yang felt that
I am so smart,

There will definitely be no problem!
"..."

The father was silent for a moment, then looked at his son helplessly, "I don't really understand your thoughts."

"But if you really want to understand the principles of reform, I can send you to Wei to study."

On the Wei side,

There was Li Kui's reform,

There is also the Hexi School,

Whether it is learning the wisdom of the ancients or experiencing examples of reform, it can be done.

"Weiguo is not the country of your dreams, and it is time for you to leave home and expand your wings."

The father sighed and called the servants again, "Prepare things for Gongsun."

"Let him go!"

Soon after,

Gongsun Yang carried his bag.

(End of this chapter)