The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 382 King of Debates
Autumn.

This is the harvest season of the year, but also the beheading season.

Many of the judges in the Gao Rou case were to be executed at this time.

Since the Han Dynasty, local officials had to report to the imperial court if they were convicted of murder, and the death penalty could only be carried out after approval by the imperial court.

Of course, the situation was different during the Wei and Jin dynasties, where the problem of indiscriminate killing by local officials was all too common.

The main character is a free and unrestrained person who kills whoever he wants, and his game is to say "I don't eat beef."

After batches of prisoners were executed, the whole Luoyang became much more solemn.

At this moment, Cao Mao was drinking with many famous scholars in the East Hall.

The climate is very suitable, with a cool breeze blowing.

The famous scholars sat in front of Cao Mao with their heads lowered, no longer as unruly as they had been at the beginning.

This was not because Cao Mao's attitude had changed, but because the power in his hands was no longer the same as before. The celebrities were somewhat restrained when facing him, not as blatant as before.

Cao Mao took a sip of tea.

Then he looked at everyone, mainly at the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.

These seven people are the idols of the vast majority of scholars in the entire Wei Dynasty and the objects of their pursuit.

If you want to change the scholars of Wei Dynasty ideologically, you must first change these seven people, let them adjust the ideas in their minds, and stop conveying the kind of negative, escapist and bad values.

Although Cao Mao had begun to work hard to loosen the shackles on scholars, allowing them to speak out without using harsh measures to suppress those who spoke, and even encouraged them to submit petitions to advise and impeach, the transformation of universal values was not that easy.

Cao Mao looked at these people and suddenly asked, "I want to know which one has greater ambitions: the Four Elders of Shangshan or Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Han Xin of the early Han Dynasty?"

Cao Mao had asked here who was stronger, Liu Bang or Shaokang. Now he asked these two groups again, with a strong political flavor.

None of the seven spoke quickly. Ruan Ji looked at them and then said slowly, "Your Majesty, I think the ambitions of the Four Elders of Shangshan are greater."

These four people were four hermits during the Liu Bang period.

Cao Mao smiled and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Your Majesty, the Four Elders of Shangshan were all very prestigious men. They were devoted to the mountains and forests, living like immortals, not pursuing fame, wealth, or status. Therefore, they did not incur the same disasters as Han Xin, nor did they defile themselves like the Marquis of Ying. Didn't the Marquis of Liu eventually retreat to the mountains and forests like them?"

"When Emperor Gao wanted to change the crown prince, they stepped forward in time and reduced the unrest at the time. I believe that their ambitions are higher than those of the three people you mentioned."

Cao Mao had something to say. He shook his head and said, "I don't think so."

"The Four Hermits of Shangshan were all quite old. At the time, the tyrannical Qin State was bullying the world. They hid in the mountains, only thinking about protecting themselves, without thinking about others. Instead, it was Xiao He and the other three who turned the tide, assisted Liu Bang, and pacified the chaotic world. They established great merit, bringing peace to the people and allowing the Four Hermits of Shangshan to rest in the mountains. Doesn't this show that Xiao He and the others had greater ambitions? If it weren't for their ambitions, I'm afraid these four hermits would have been captured and killed by the Qin people sooner or later."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Wang Rong immediately retorted, "Your Majesty, their ambitions are not worldly. They don't care about fame and fortune. They just want to live a quiet and inactive life. Their ambition is to pursue the Great Dao. Xiao He, Han Xin, and Zhang Liang, on the other hand, pursue fame, Han Xin's ambition, and Zhang Liang's desire to restore his country. They all have their own selfish motives. Their ambitions are merely what ordinary people pursue, while the former's ambitions are what only a true person of the Dao can imagine. How can you say that their ambitions surpass those of the Four Haos?"

Cao Mao shook his head, "You are not right."

"To pursue the Great Dao, one must improve one's talents and learn. Confucius, in his pursuit of the Great Dao, traveled extensively and sought knowledge. Lao Tzu, in his pursuit of the Great Dao, studied tirelessly day and night. They retreated into the mountains and forests to escape the chaos of war. They claimed to be pursuing the Great Dao, but what was it they were pursuing? Was it the Great Dao of climbing trees to pick fruit, or hunting and fishing? The so-called Great Dao must be meritorious for the country and beneficial to the world. Only then can it be called the Dao."

"Even Lao Tzu's doctrine of non-action doesn't mean people go into the mountains and imitate monkeys. It means not burdening the people and governing the world by doing what is necessary."

"Those three men's ambitions have been described as those of ordinary people, yet they are truly those seeking the Way. Xiao He's ambition wasn't to seek the Way, but his actions taught those who came after him how to govern the country using the philosophy of inaction. Isn't this in accordance with the Way? Han Xin's ambition wasn't to seek the Way, but the battles he fought inspired others to emulate his methods and defeat their enemies. Isn't this in accordance with the Way? The same is true of Zhang Liang."

“They do not have the ambition to pursue the Great Dao, but the result of their ambition is that their actions are in accordance with the Dao, they preach the Dao, and they teach the Dao.”

"How can you say that the ambitions of four people who imitated apes surpass those of these three?"

Wang Rong was startled, then glanced at Xiang Xiu, who was standing nearby. Xiang Xiu was also a great sage, but not very articulate. He hesitantly replied, "Your Majesty, you weren't asking about their actions, but about their aspirations. But considering their aspirations, isn't Xun Dao's aspiration higher?"

"You're not right."

"Ambition isn't something you say; it's something you do. Can ambition just be called ambition? You summarized the ambitions of these four people and told me they were pursuing the great Dao, but looking at their actions, I don't see any way to pursue that. Even when you said they intervened on behalf of the Crown Prince, wasn't that also because of Marquis Liu?! Empty talk without action, can that still be called ambition? It seems those three individuals have even greater ambitions!"

At this moment, Xiang Xiu was speechless.

He looked to his side.

The pressure came to Shan Tao. He was silent for a while before saying, "Your Majesty is right."

Cao Mao burst into laughter and immediately asked again: "Compared with the contributions of these four people and those of the three people, whose contribution is greater?"

At this moment, no one dared to speak rashly.

Ruan Ji said again, "Your Majesty, if we look at it from the perspective of that time, then of course Xiao He and the others made greater contributions. However, if we look at it from the perspective of today, the noble conduct and behavior of the Four Haos benefited many scholars and helped them comprehend the profound truth. This contribution cannot be said to be insignificant."

"You're not right."

Cao Mao said, "In my opinion, they are completely incomparable. The contributions of Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Han Xin, whether then, now, or in the future, are beyond the reach of the Four Haos, let alone their comparison."

"They are not pursuing a noble life. If they were, they should be like Zhang Liang, who, after fulfilling his ambitions, supporting the country, and doing everything he could, retreated to the mountains and forests. Those who, like them, hid away during wars, made no contribution to the country or the people, and simply claimed to have behaved in a noble manner, how could their achievements compare with theirs?"

Ruan Xian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, if we talk about their contributions to the Former Han Dynasty, those three men should be superior. But when it comes to their contributions to the world, those four men are still the most respected. The Former Han Dynasty was destroyed, and no matter how great their contributions to the Former Han Dynasty were, they were useless. However, the ambitions and integrity of those four men have influenced the Later Han Dynasty and even the scholars of today. How can Your Majesty say that they are incomparable?"

"You're not right."

"When the Former Han Dynasty fell, didn't the Later Han Dynasty inherit its legacy? When the Later Han Dynasty fell, didn't the Wei Dynasty abdicate and succeed to the throne?!"

"Besides, isn't the land of the Former Han Dynasty also the land of the Great Wei? Don't the people of the Former Han Dynasty have anything to do with the people of the Great Wei?"

"If those three hadn't been able to govern the country well and bring peace and prosperity to the world, would there be a Great Wei today? Would we still be alive here?"

Zhang Hua stood excitedly not far away. As the descendant of Marquis Liu, he was very interested in this topic. Every time he heard His Majesty praising Zhang Liang, he felt extremely excited.

Now, the people in the bamboo forest were speechless.

Liu Ling said, "Your Majesty, Lü Buwei and Li Si also helped Qin quell the war. Could it be that their contributions surpass those of these four virtuous men?"

Cao Mao asked, "When you were young, were you enlightened by the Cangjie poems, or by imitating monkeys in the mountains and forests?"

"I can understand why the Four Haos were unwilling to serve the tyrant during the Qin Dynasty and hid in the mountains. However, during the Han Dynasty, when everything was in ruins and talent was needed, they hid away and refused to serve. They even claimed that they had lofty ambitions and were unwilling to engage in worldly affairs. This is what I cannot understand. Lü Buwei wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, and Li Si wrote the Cangjie Pian. They also made contributions to quelling wars, but these four people in hiding cannot compare to their achievements."

Ruan Xian spoke again, "During the Former Han Dynasty, the country was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt. However, the emperor looked down on virtuous people. How could anyone with true virtue assist him?"

Cao Mao narrowed his eyes immediately.

"Could it be that my ancestor, the Marquis of Pingyang, Prime Minister Cao, was a man without virtue?"

At this moment, Ruan Xian was sweating profusely. Even though he was a bohemian man, he was really panicked at this moment.

Isn't this a debate? How can this be done?!

This is a bit bullying!!
Ruan Ji hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, my son is young and ignorant, and I did not mean to say that."

Cao Mao asked again: "So, do you think what I said is right?"

Ji Kang then stood up and said, "Your Majesty, after discussing this, we find that what you said makes a lot of sense. Whether it's ambition, achievements, or how they conduct themselves, Xiao He, Han Xin, and Zhang Liang are far superior to the Four Haos of Shangshan!"

(End of this chapter)