From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

"That's one reason, but not the only one."

Jiang Liu shook his head, then with a flick of his wrist, produced a bamboo slip and handed it to Xun Ge'er.

The latter was somewhat surprised by this method of conjuring objects out of thin air, but he was not afraid. He boldly took the bamboo slip, unfolded it, and looked at it. However, there was not a single word on it. He couldn't help but wonder: "What does Chairman Jiang mean by giving me a blank bamboo slip?"

"Can you copy the entire Journey to the West onto this blank bamboo slip?"

Jiang Liu asked with a smile.

"how is this possible?"

Xun Ge'er immediately denied it. A bamboo slip can hold at most twenty or thirty characters. This set of bamboo slips has sixty slips. Even if each slip holds thirty characters, it would only be 1,800 characters. The full text of "Journey to the West" has nearly 900,000 characters. How could it be copied onto this bamboo slip?

Even if you write the characters as small as sesame seeds, you still can't copy them all!

Seeing Xun Ge'er getting a little exasperated, Jiang Liu smiled slightly, then made a grabbing motion out of thin air and produced a blank book about one centimeter thick, and asked again, "What if you're copying from this book?"

Xun took the blank book, flipped through it, and said matter-of-factly, "Then of course it can be finished."

That's all.

Xun Ge'er stood there, seemingly understanding Jiang Liu's meaning.

"I think you understand now, sir."

Jiang Liu laughed, “The emperor and his ministers may want to protect their privileges, but they are not fools. They know what works and what doesn’t. The ‘borrowing’ approach you advocate, sir, was something the ancients learned without a teacher.”

Before the invention of paper, ancient people recorded characters by carving them onto stones and animal bones...

I heard that you studied medicine and must have been exposed to traditional Chinese medicine. So you must know that some Chinese medicines in pharmacies that resemble animal bones have patterns engraved on them that look like graffiti.

That is oracle bone script.

This immediately evoked memories of Xun Ge's childhood—

He studied medicine because a quack doctor had killed his father, but later realized that medicine couldn't save the country, so he abandoned it and pursued literature...

Looking back now, it's true what Jiang Liu said: some ingredients in those Chinese medicines and some special animal bones did indeed have something engraved on them that looked like scribbles.

That was actually a kind of writing system?

"Later, the ancients invented bamboo slips, which could be used to write more characters than animal bones. Compared to the scribbled characters of oracle bone script, classical Chinese could express more meanings. And based on a thousand years, the characters of almost every dynasty have been constantly evolving, but they all remain pictographic."

With a flick of his finger, Jiang Liu's light gathered, showcasing the complete evolution of writing from oracle bone script to modern traditional characters to Xun Ge.

Upon seeing this scene, Xun Ge'er focused his attention on the words, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

"The greatest sound is silent, the greatest form is formless."

Jiang Liu laughed and said, "Pictographic characters are the most vivid representation of the way of heaven and earth and nature. If we lose Chinese characters, our culture will be completely cut off. And what those bandits and robbers in the West want to see most is that we abolish Chinese characters."

Perhaps our literacy rate is indeed not high, but that is a problem of the emperor, officials, and the mode of production.

How innocent are words?

In the earliest times, humans ate raw meat and drank blood, and life was extremely difficult. Our ancestors longed to pass on all their experience to their descendants, but they could only record it on animal bones...

Later, with the invention of bamboo slips, these records were kept on bamboo slips...

Then, with the invention of paper, writing was gradually recorded in books.

Now, our Confucian Society's Ministry of Works has established a paper mill. The paper is as white as snow, with low costs and low selling prices. In addition, we have promoted literacy education, so not only in Yuhang, but even residents of nearby villages and towns can recognize some characters and understand newspaper articles.

Xun Ge'er could not refute this, for it was indeed true. The literacy rate in Yuhang, and even the entire Jiangzhe region, far exceeded that of other areas due to the development of the Confucian Association.

But he still believes that only by changing to a different language can China catch up with the world; otherwise, China—

Destiny is inevitable!

“Sir, if China were to lose its Chinese characters, it would have no future.”

After Jiang Liu finished speaking, he asked, "Do you know all the Chinese characters we use today?"

"Of course I recognize it."

Xun Ge'er was confident.

"Then do you recognize all the clerical script characters?"

"this···"

Xun Ge'er fell silent.

Jiang Liu then took the blank notebook, wiped it with his hand, and lines of clerical script appeared on the blank pages, the content of which was "Journey to the West".

Do you recognize it?

Xun Ge'er took it and carefully examined it. If we only consider the characters, he could only barely recognize about 60%. However, if we consider reading, there was no difficulty at all. He even equated the characters he didn't know before with the characters he now knew, and the corresponding pronunciations appeared in his mind.

"Does the gentleman understand?"

Jiang Liu smiled and said, "This is the charm of Chinese characters. The strokes have evolved from round to straight, and then continuously simplified. This is the most powerful evidence of the inheritance of Chinese civilization throughout the ages."

Perhaps pictographs are much more difficult to learn than Western symbols and syllables, but once you learn them, you are a true inheritor of civilization.

And what about those Western symbolic syllables?

Too much focus on sound.

Although easy to learn, did Xun Ge'er ever consider that if such a civilization were to suffer natural disasters or man-made calamities, then these symbols and characters would become truly "ghostly scribbles," their meanings no longer understandable to later generations, and the civilization would be extinguished...

At this point, Jiang Liu asked Xun Ge'er, "May I ask, sir, you have the heart to save the country, but if it comes at the cost of destroying your own Chinese characters, then you might as well just surrender."

after all--

Those Western 'vampires' wouldn't commit inhumane massacres of civilians to plunder land, because it's not cost-effective; they need us to do the work!

We need to create value for them!

A race that loses its own written language is absolutely the most perfect race of slaves!

none of them!

But we—

"I refuse to be a slave!"

Chapter 1299 Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

Not to be a slave—

In an instant.

Xun was horrified and carefully considered the loopholes in Jiang Liu's words, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't find the slightest flaw.

After all, Western writing systems do have the drawback of being easily destroyed. If they suffer from sudden natural disasters or man-made calamities and most intellectuals die, then the writing system will truly become nothing more than scribbles.

And what about Chinese characters?

Because it is pictographic, even if a civilization experiences a break in its continuity, later generations can still infer much of its essence from the imagery, inherit it, and continue to innovate...

Mind this.

Xun Ge'er suddenly realized that he had been led astray by Jiang Liu.

With China beset by internal and external troubles, people are struggling to survive. How can we think so far ahead? We must focus on reality!

However, as soon as this idea came to mind, Xun Ge'er remembered the situation in Yuhang:

The streets are clean, the commerce is thriving, and the people live in peace and contentment. Even beggars are taken away by members of the Confucian Association.

If they are quick and skillful, then teach them a skill and find them a job.

If someone is physically disabled, they are taken to places where disabled people can work, taught to be self-reliant, and the Confucian Association provides them with a monthly allowance.

As long as you don't live extravagantly, you won't starve.

For a time, Xun Ge'er realized that he seemed to be all talk and no action. He had written so many articles, which had awakened many people, but the world had not changed much.

And what about Jiang Liu?

He personally established the Confucian Society to improve Yuhang and even the entire Jiangzhe region. With the establishment of branches of the Confucian Society, the Nadutong branch, and the Primary School, this scope continued to expand outward.

This truly embodies the unity of knowledge and action.

To cultivate the physique of the people and enrich their spirit.

Such a person.

Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!

He truly is a saint descended to earth!

This moment.

Xun Ge'er seems to be able to understand how the ancient people of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods felt when they met Confucius, Lao Tzu and other sages.

saint···

He is a saint!

I can't argue with that.

They are even less likely to win.

And the sage truly was putting his own way into practice.

Without realizing it, Xun Ge'er's eyes welled up with tears.

Before he could speak, Jiang Liu extended an invitation: "Since Xun-ge'er has moved to Yuhang, would you be willing to come to our Mingxin Academy as a Chinese literature teacher? It would be perfect to teach the children to write vernacular Chinese and vernacular poetry."

"It is my wish, and I dare not refuse."

Xun was overjoyed and immediately agreed, fearing that Jiang Liu would change his mind. He even recited classical Chinese, which was quite a contrast.

"Besides that, I also hope that Brother Xun can help me out."

"What kind of favor? Just say it. Do you want me to write an article promoting the Confucian Society? No problem, I can write a hundred today!"

Xun Ge'er was full of confidence.

Jiang Liu made a face that seemed to be both laughing and crying, then laughed and said, "If Xun-ge'er is willing, he can write it, but that's not what I'm asking for."

"what is that?"

Xun was curious—how could he do something that even saints couldn't do?