The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Liu Haoren immediately asked, "Could this be a bait set up by the Russians?"

"That shouldn't be the case. We came back so late just to find out if this is a decoy I set up. We saw a lot of carriages pulling things in today. The laborers had a hard time carrying them down. They must be transporting artillery shells. There were still people there at night. Captain, the Russians are also very nervous right now. Naturally, they are worried about the Japanese attack, so they are resupplying the artillery positions with logistical supplies..."

Listening to the team leader's report and analysis, Liu Haoren had already made up his mind. Hesitation would only lead to chaos. Even if the Russians had laid out a bait, they would just have to wait and see.

After listening to the team leader's report, the comrades have started discussing it.

"It seems that God is helping us! The target of our operation this time is this artillery position. What do you think if we can capture the mountain artillery battalion of the old Russians, and then use the artillery to bombard the Japanese positions, and we send some comrades disguised as Japanese soldiers to attack the old Russian positions, and send comrades disguised as old Russians to attack the Japanese positions. If we combine this with our army's attack on Shenyang, what will the Japanese and the old Russians think?"

"The Japanese will definitely think this is a conspiracy by the Russians, so they will definitely fight back resolutely to avoid being attacked from both sides."

"Yes, the Japanese army had to fight back because no one could figure out whether Shenyang was related to what was happening here. Even if Japan and Russia contacted each other and resolved the confusion on both sides, would the Japanese army really dare to let Changtu's army move south?"

"Yes, a cannon is not a machine gun or a rifle. Even if you're hiding in a trench, if you're hit, you're still dead. Only when people die will Japan and Russia start fighting again."

"So if the Japanese didn't want to be bombed, they had to fight back. Even the infantry couldn't retreat. Dozens of artillery pieces were firing, and the scale of the battle was certainly not small."

"To what extent will our disguised troops attack the Russians?"

"There's no need to advance too deep. The Japanese can just fire back and a fight will ensue. The Russians are furious and they'll definitely vent their anger on the Japanese."

"So if we succeed, there will be at least a division-level conflict between Japan and Russia, which will successfully attract everyone's attention."

.……….

Everyone's eyes lit up when they discussed this, and the captain said directly: "In that case, let's do it."

"Yes, done."

"it is good."

"Xiao Liu, you discovered the Russian artillery position and you know the situation inside best. How many people do you need to capture it, and all the artillery must fire at the Japanese position?"

"One battalion will be enough." Captain Xiao Liu answered affirmatively.

"Then your team will act as guides and take a battalion with you. I will arrange a team to cover your retreat, just in case. Comrades, we will advance deep into the Russian artillery positions with you. Once we capture the Russian artillery positions, we will immediately begin firing. The specific time of retreat is up to you. But you must control the casualties of your comrades and bring them back. Also..."

At this point, Captain Liu Haoren pursed his lips and continued, "Remember, we don't want any prisoners, and we don't want to be captured..."

Chapter 463:

If Zhang Yinghao were here, he would naturally strongly oppose this order. A good death is worse than a miserable life. As long as you are alive, there is hope. Don't take prisoners, and don't let any prisoners yourself. This is a very cruel order. Comrades all know that this sentence means that the last bullet and grenade will be kept for yourself.

However, comrades can understand this. If captured by Japan and Russia, the prisoners will inevitably be subjected to inhuman torture in order to obtain intelligence, and eventually live in darkness and a life worse than death...

Although this was on Chinese soil, if a war was provoked and there was evidence of something wrong, it would inevitably lead to a lot of trouble. Of course, Captain Liu Haoren said this just in case. If any comrades were captured, as long as they were still alive, they would be rescued eventually.

"Yes!" Captain Xiao Liu answered with a firm look.

"Other comrades, follow me and spread out in squads. Remember, don't speak Chinese. Those who know Japanese and Russian can just speak a few words in Japanese and Russian. As soon as Captain Liu's artillery fires, I'll fan the flames between the two positions, forcing them to attack each other and escalate the conflict..."

Perhaps it was because they'd fought a brutal year-long war, but neither the Japanese nor the Russian armies wanted to fight anymore. Perhaps it was because this was their own territory, but after dinner, the Russians, whether artillery or security forces, retreated to their houses or tents, chatting and gossiping, discussing their gains and when they'd retire. Some of them were even seen wandering through entertainment venues, enjoying their nightlife. Many of the women in the houses were captured by the Russians from the vast lands of Northeast China. These beasts would eventually receive their due punishment...

Late in the night, all was quiet. Aside from the scattered patrolmen, there wasn't a single Russian soldier standing around the vast artillery position. A battalion of special forces soldiers, knives in hand, crept forward, stealthily sneaking up on the Russian artillery position like ghosts. Captain Xiao Liu pounced on a passing patrolman, slashing his throat with his knife while covering the Russian soldier's mouth with his other hand to prevent the patrolman from making any sound. The Russian soldier collapsed to the ground with an expression of disbelief, his eyes wide open. The other comrades also succeeded, and the entire patrol team went straight to see their god...

These comrades were specially trained killing machines. They knew the most vulnerable parts of the human body and had learned through countless trials and tribulations how to kill scientifically. They knew how to strike the enemy's vital points with a single blow, killing them instantly.

In an era without the concept of special operations, these Tsarist Russian patrolmen didn't even have a chance to resist the special forces. One by one, they were sent to the arms of their God...

Then, ghost-like special forces soldiers, bayonets and daggers in hand, crept into the tents and began their hunting spree. Facing the sleeping Russian soldiers, how could they resist? They were stabbed to death one after another. The remaining soldiers also separated and began to knock on the door of the house. Soon, hundreds of old Russians lay in a pool of blood, and the air was soon filled with the smell of blood...

"Bang!"

Finally, a gunshot was heard from far away, and the sneak attack was finally exposed, but it was too late.

Captain Xiao Liu didn't intend to remain hidden anymore and shouted, "Kill them!" The comrades also stopped hiding and started shouting. Some shouted "Kill them!", some shouted "Get on board!", and some even shouted "-ku-yi-ku" and "Ya-die". It was a mess, and I didn't know where the comrades learned this from...

However, there are indeed Japanese prostitutes in Northeast China. I wonder if any of them went there to bring glory to their country...

Back on the battlefield, the soldiers now chose to open fire. Suddenly, gunshots rang out, quickly expanding the occupied area and providing ample time for the next action.

At this point, the comrades who had been clearing the area emerged one after another, each carrying three or four rifles slung over their shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. The comrades knew their own side was short of guns and artillery, so they naturally didn't want to give up these Russian guns and ammunition. With these captured guns and ammunition, this operation would be a huge win...

Looking at the cannons on the battlefield, Xiao Liu smiled faintly, shook the blood off his knife and said, "Each team immediately act according to the plan. Those who know how to fire the cannons, go to the cannons and prepare. The others start carrying the shells. The remaining three people will be on guard around the position. If you encounter the enemy, fight back resolutely. Don't let the Russians surround us, otherwise we will lose people here... You have two minutes to check the cannons and load the shells. In five minutes, all the cannons will fire at the Japanese positions and barracks. No one will stop without orders. Fire until the barrels are red and useless."

The comrades of the special forces were elite, aces, and still practically omnipotent. They weren't required to fire with high precision, so naturally, they fired with incredible speed. When the time came, the whistling sound of shells streaking through the sky resounded through the night sky. Before the Japanese could even grasp the source of the sound, the shells had already exploded inside their positions. Subsequently, more and more shells flew towards the Japanese positions. Since there were no mandatory targets, many comrades fired their artillery from a distance to avoid being hit by shells in the dark. Many shells, by chance, landed directly inside the Japanese barracks, causing casualties and the camps to ignite, blazing fiercely...

Meanwhile, the Japanese frontline headquarters had just received news of a mysterious attack on Shenyang, and chaos ensued. Needless to say, the Japanese thought the Russians, unwilling to accept defeat, were making a comeback. They hadn't yet realized that a Chinese army was already eyeing them, baring its fangs against the Japanese and Russian powers...

The Japanese positions were covered in artillery fire, and the lurking special forces also opened fire. Especially the sharpshooters and snipers, they hit the target with every shot. Seeing soldiers falling around them, and the constant sound of artillery shells exploding in their ears, the Japanese soldiers guarding the frontline positions immediately opened fire and fought back desperately...

Under the cover of night, neither the Japanese nor the Russians could see who was on the other side, and they started fighting in confusion.

The Japanese army naturally began to attack the Russian positions. At the same time, the Japanese commander had ordered his artillery to start retaliatory shelling against the Russian army.

After the Japanese and Russian artillery began to exchange bombardments and infantry began to shoot at each other, the PLA soldiers naturally knew that they had to leave. If they became the target of the Japanese and Russian attacks, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses...

Comrade Xiao Liu quickly arranged for the soldiers to booby-trap all the remaining artillery shells, ensuring that the artillery would be destroyed. He also ordered his comrades to set fires everywhere, burning the Russian army's supplies. Then he led his comrades away, disappearing into the night...

Just as the comrades had predicted, after the comrades retreated, neither the Japanese nor the Russians allowed the conflict to cease. Instead, it intensified.

The Russian commander, who didn't know why his artillery position suddenly opened fire, didn't care about anything else and immediately ordered several surrounding artillery positions to fire at the Japanese army.

The Japanese army also wanted to avenge their comrades, so these artillery units immediately joined the battle and bombarded the exposed artillery positions. The two sides officially started an artillery battle again.

Soon, the news that the Japanese artillery suffered heavy losses and the front-line defenders also suffered heavy losses under the Russian artillery fire was delivered to the Japanese division commander.

As the attacking force, how could the division commander just watch his troops being crushed? With preconceived notions in his mind, he ordered all artillery units into battle without a second thought and sent four divisions to reinforce the battlefield.

The Russian army had already developed a certain level of Japanophobia after the Russo-Japanese War, but the fighting had also stopped for quite some time, and now they were both simmering with resentment, unwilling to yield. As more and more Japanese troops joined the battlefield, the Russian army, unwilling to fall behind, directly joined the battle with a large number of artillery, and quickly deployed three infantry divisions...

The Russian government, driven by rising revolutionary activity within Russia and widespread discontent with the war following the naval defeat, demanded that Kuropatkin defeat the Japanese army to restore the empire's "honor" and elevate the tsarist government's devastated position. Consequently, the Russian army hoped to reverse its defeat and humiliation through a massive counterattack.

Kuropatkin declared, "I would rather die than retreat from Siping." He decided to rely on his frontier fortifications to resist and tire out the attacking Japanese army, then launch a counterattack to drive the Japanese out of Northeast China, allowing Tsarist Russia to recapture Port Arthur and gain a warm, unfrozen seaport.

This muddled, exaggerated battle continued unabated. By this time, both Japan and Russia had made considerable preparations in Changtu and Siping, stockpiling vast quantities of war supplies. Both sides felt the situation was favorable, having gathered their strength for a long time, and the power they unleashed was astonishing.

Chapter 464:

The war had broken out in Northeast China, but it hadn't yet affected Zhang Yinghao in Sichuan. After sending a telegram, Zhang Yinghao even seemed a bit indifferent. He had already taught his comrades the basic principles and even drafted the plan himself. The rest lay in the comrades' own experience, the process of integrating and understanding. Zhang Yinghao didn't intend to be a babysitter. Furthermore, it was a bit out of his reach to handle Northeast China.

At this time, Zhang Yinghao was teaching a course he had written called "Religion and Politics" while also pondering a very "profound" religious question. This kind of practical teaching and thinking allowed him to better understand himself and the world at large. At the same time, in between his wandering thoughts, he could completely relax his nerves...

Then I heard Zhang Yinghao say: "What is a person's final destination? For humans, a higher animal, there are two kinds of destinations: one is the destination of the body, and the other is the destination of the soul. There is no need to doubt it, and there is no need to speculate. Sooner or later, everyone's final destination will be death. Death is like the extinguishing of a light. In the end, everything will turn into a pile of yellow earth, that's all.

Everything is moving. Nothing tangible in the world can stop the passage of time. What can a person really leave behind in the world in just a few decades or hundreds of years? Fame, wealth and honor are all in vain, just a few sunsets.

Therefore, in the vast river of time, a person's life, from birth to death, is actually a process, a series of experiences, a continuous process of experience, nothing more. Religions, especially Buddhism, understand this point clearly, with the saying "Lay down the butcher knife and you will instantly become a Buddha." Is becoming a Buddha easy? Simply let go. So, does one need to understand the Buddhist scriptures to become a Buddha? In fact, there is no need to understand the Buddhist principles at all. All those who dream of becoming a "Buddha" are not truly "Buddhas." All those who worship "Buddhas" will never truly become "Buddhas"...

If a monk grew up in a temple, became nervous around people, and even stuttered, without having experienced the mundane world, could he become a highly accomplished monk? Perhaps he could memorize the Buddhist scriptures by heart, but he would never become a highly accomplished monk. Without experience, without having ever held a butcher's knife, how could he ever put it down? If this monk cannot empathize with the suffering of sentient beings, how can he save them?

No matter how glorious a person's life is, only he or she knows the pain he or she suffers. No matter how good the food is, it only satisfies the appetite. No matter how nice the bed is, it only covers that eight-foot space... The five colors blind the eyes, the five sounds deafen the ears, the five flavors refresh the mouth, the pursuit of the wild and the wild makes the heart mad, and the rare goods make one wary... However, glory is always washed away by the wind and rain. All of this cannot be brought into this world and cannot be taken away from this world. In the end, it all turns to dust, leaving nothing behind. Therefore, life is meaningless to the individual, so why bother clinging to it..."

Listening to Zhang Yinghao's words, many comrades were stunned. If everything were to vanish as Zhang Yinghao said, then what would be the meaning of all their struggles?

However, Zhang Yinghao didn't care what his comrades were thinking and continued, "What is the fundamental reason why religion has been able to exist for thousands of years and will continue to exist?"

Zhang Yinghao closed his mouth after he finished speaking. Seeing that his comrades were all thinking, Zhang Yinghao turned around and wrote two words before saying: "The fundamental reason why religion can exist is because religion is "saving people". Religion not only saves people's bodies, but also saves people's souls. If it deviates from the point of "saving people", religion will inevitably die out.

In human society, what can truly endure? Naturally, it's things that are helpful to people; the more helpful, the longer they endure. What does it mean to endure? What constitutes longevity? Zhuang Zhou's "Xiaoyaoyou" says: "...South of Chu there is a spirit called Mingling, who considers five hundred years as spring and five hundred years as autumn. In ancient times there was a tree called Dachun, which considered eight thousand years as spring and eight thousand years as autumn... And yet Peng Zu is now renowned for his longevity, and many others are trying to match him. Isn't it tragic...?"

Do these count as longevity? Actually, not really. In this world, only those who achieve immortality after death can be considered truly long-lived. That's why there's a saying that a book can leave its name for eternity. But how many people in history have lived to great heights? Therefore, people like Sakyamuni, Jesus, Muhammad, Confucius, Laozi, and Sun Tzu are considered truly long-lived. They truly live on in people's hearts, forever...

Chapter 465:

Zhang Yinghao spoke eloquently on the podium, and his speech even contained many logical errors. However, Zhang Yinghao was not afraid of misleading the students, and he continued to speak with relish and never tired of it.

Many less educated comrades listened with bewilderment, having no idea what Zhang Yinghao was talking about. However, many others understood, their eyes brightening with each passing moment, for Zhang Yinghao's lectures resolved all their long-held confusions and puzzlements. With their doubts freed, they naturally felt like a clean, flawless mirror, their minds as clear as a mirror washed with water.

Shakyamuni was an Indian prince, living a life of wealth and luxury in the royal palace. What could he not have? Was there anything he lacked? Money and beautiful women? It was precisely because he did not abstain from meat and porridge, but instead experienced the suffering of all living beings, discovering that everyone suffers from the four afflictions of birth, old age, sickness, and death. He also witnessed the cruel scenes of fighting and cannibalism in the world of living beings. Thus, he arose the desire to seek the truth of freedom from suffering and happiness, and to find a way to live in peace for humanity and all living beings. He abandoned his comfortable life in the royal palace and traveled extensively in search of teachers and the truth. Finally, he achieved self-enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. He then used his wisdom to bring universal and equal relief to the human world, hoping that people would find peace of mind and a place to rest, and to guide them out of the sea of ​​suffering caused by greed, resentment, fear, and other afflictions.

......So, what is "Buddha"? What is the mission of "Buddha"? It is to save all living beings, to save people from suffering, and to save people from the sea of ​​suffering. It is to save people not only their bodies, but also their souls.

Is it difficult to "save people"? It's incredibly difficult. Those with different ideologies cannot work together, and those who don't agree on anything can't talk much. The only person who can convince oneself is oneself, which is why Buddhism says: "Buddha saves those with whom one has a connection." For those without a connection, for those one cannot see through, saving them is useless. Trying to force someone to save you isn't saving them, it's forcing them. Is forcing someone to be saved still saving them? That's not it...

So, was Buddhism created by Sakyamuni? No, Sakyamuni simply used his actions to save people and develop a group of followers. Later generations thought this was a good way to save people, so they founded Buddhism, believing that this would help all sentient beings.

How has Buddhism been able to endure for millennia? Where does its power come from? Buddhism's driving force lies in its aspirations. For example, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vowed not to attain Buddhahood until hell is empty. Avalokitesvara, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and others all made aspirations, and then acted upon them, saving as many lives as possible. Everything else seemed illusory to them; wealth, fame, and delicacies were but fleeting clouds. For those who wield aspirations and resolutely act upon them, external things are no more than shackles. Their hearts are filled with pure joy, a steadfast, single-minded commitment that generates a constant source of motivation. They are free from fear, free from delusion, and ultimately attain nirvana...

Therefore, people with firm beliefs are the most indestructible and the most terrifying. Note that it is belief, not faith.

If we simply explain it based on the theory of the five major human needs, this is the need for self-realization. Their hearts are as solid as a rock, and they have spiritually reached the highest state of life where truth, goodness, and beauty are unified, a state free from all suffering and yet truly authentic...

What does it mean to truly see through something? This isn't about feigning sorrow for the sake of new words, or pretending to understand something when you don't. It's about understanding the true meaning of something. After seeing through everything, one naturally realizes that all the joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness, love, hate, and vengeance in the world are illusory. It's not that illusions don't exist, but that even after a lifetime of struggle and hard work, one still can't escape the consequences of karma, reincarnation, and retribution...

The Heart Sutra says that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when practicing profound Prajnaparamita, illuminated the emptiness of the five aggregates and transcended all suffering... Why is she called Avalokitesvara? What does "Avalokitesvara" mean? What does "worldly sound" refer to? The human world is inseparable from joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Living requires eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, sleeping, and struggling with the outside world, and exercising to expend energy. Therefore, all living beings suffer. Since Avalokitesvara is meant to save people, it's natural that she would place greater emphasis on "observing" the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death...

The Tao Te Ching states: "The sage has no fixed mind, but takes the people's heart as his own." A person's true value isn't reflected in how good a life he leads, but in how many people he serves, how many people he changes, and even how many people he saves.

So, how many truly enlightened monks are there in this world? How many can truly be called "Buddhas"? In fact, there are very few. How do we put down the butcher knife? Having experienced, possessed, and seen through it all, it seems that letting go will come naturally. But this is not the case. That's why Master Shenxiu said: "The body is the Bodhi tree, the mind is like a mirror, constantly wipe it, and avoid letting it accumulate dust." The world is full of temptations, and we need to be constantly vigilant and avoid letting our hearts be clouded by dust.

In reality, it's simply a lack of determination in one's goals, the need to cling to certain things, and the limitations of one's inner self. Sixth Group Huineng, however, is even more advanced. He believes that external things are unnecessary, only one's inner self is sufficient. My heart embraces everything external, encompassing everything, so naturally, there's no need to erase it...

Chapter 466:

When Zhang Yinghao got to this point, he suddenly thought of a question, and his expression changed. Zhang Yinghao knew that he had made progress again, because he knew that he had figured out a problem that had puzzled him for a long time.

At this time, every time Zhang Yinghao gained something from his thinking, he would be overjoyed and happy. These things may not be of much use in improving life, but they are related to the destination of the soul. It is useless, but it is also useful!

Of course, if Zhang Yinghao were an uncultured person, the principles he understood might only be useful to himself and would not affect others. However, as the most powerful person in the liberated area, his every word and action is bound to affect countless people...

Zhang Yinghao paused, slowly picking up his water cup and preparing to take a sip. He was actually buying time to organize his thoughts. Theory should be integrated with practice. If his ideas can't be connected to reality, they're just empty talk. They look good, but they're practically useless. Only when they can guide practice can they truly realize their true value. Zhang Yinghao naturally understood this...

Zhang Yinghao understood and sorted out his thoughts. He immediately put down his water cup and said, "Buddhism obtains infinite spiritual power through making great aspirations, which generates sufficient spiritual motivation to enable the body to take action, abandon the self, save all living beings, and relieve suffering. Through this spiritual pursuit, the mind is sublimated and reaches the paradise. Other religions operate in the same way..."

We can say that the emergence of any religion is closely linked to the productivity of the time. We can even say that the emergence of religion is, to a certain extent, the adjustment of production relations. In times of underdeveloped productivity, religion constrained people through various rules and regulations. We all know that before the Industrial Revolution, the grain produced by local people might barely provide enough food and clothing for the local population, or even just enough to sustain survival. Just like in China today, if all the grain produced is distributed equally, it might only be enough to feed the entire Chinese people.

Because of the gap between the rich and the poor, the struggle will only become more intense. In order to ease the contradictions and protect their interests, religion was born. From this, we can see that religion may have originally been intended to save the people, but it was able to grow and develop because it reflects the needs of the ruling class. It fools the people, numbs the people, and makes them unable to resist. It can help the ruling class maintain its rule and is a spiritual force for the ruling class to restrain the ruled class.

In an era of underdeveloped productivity, if, for example, Buddhists all became vegetarians, could some people then eat more meat? Therefore, religion ultimately became a tool to control the people, forcing them to submit to fate and self-restraint, turning them into a silent majority...

After Zhang Yinghao finished criticizing religion, he paused before saying, "We know from studying history that, according to previous historical perspectives, whenever China faced a major disaster, there would be saviors who could give the people spiritual strength, allowing them to unite around them and fight together, allowing the Chinese nation to continue to this day. However, we say that history is created by the people, not by emperors, generals, princes, or nobles. Therefore, these saviors are not saviors. They were merely leaders at the time, leading the people to do something.

Religion is a kind of thought, and it's also a guiding light for people's actions. Whether it's heaven or paradise, regardless of whether the final destination is correct or not, this statement is generally correct...

If religious thought serves the ruling class, then what about Marxism? What is the aspiration of the proletariat? Yes, it is this: Only by liberating all mankind can the proletariat liberate itself...

Such a grand ambition can motivate all those with lofty ideals to dedicate their lives to the people's well-being, and unite even more people in this struggle. Therefore, the purpose of all our actions is to liberate more people, so that we can ultimately achieve complete liberation ourselves..."

Zhang Yinghao concluded his speech by saying, "...is this really the case with humans? Obviously not. While the human body will have a final destination upon death, humans are thinking animals, so the human soul also needs a final destination, where it can await death peacefully without hesitation or confusion..."

In reality, everyone is searching for something from birth to death, yet countless people never find anything, spending their lives in vain, wasting their years, not knowing why. These people simply have no place to go. To put it more bluntly, they haven't accepted their fate and don't understand the meaning of life...

From this perspective, a person's life is simply a matter of existence, struggle, and unwavering pursuit of their ideals, with no regrets until death. Everyone is an independent individual, so success and failure are unimportant.

As the old saying goes, unremitting efforts lead to a brilliant life. What's most important for a person is what they ultimately pursue, what they experience in their life, and whether they give their all to achieve it, leaving no regrets. Whether a person's life is brilliant or not depends on whether they burn themselves out throughout their life...

Chapter 467:

After Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, he suddenly remembered a passage he had read in the Book of Rites: The Great Learning: "Those who wished to manifest illuminating virtue throughout the world first governed their state; those who wished to govern their state first put their family in order; those who wished to put their family in order first cultivated themselves; those who wished to cultivate themselves first rectified their hearts; those who wished to rectify their hearts first made their intentions sincere; those who wished to make their intentions sincere first attained knowledge. To attain knowledge lies in investigating things. After investigating things, knowledge is attained; after attaining knowledge, intentions are sincere; after intentions are sincere, hearts are rectified; after hearts are rectified, bodies are cultivated; after bodies are cultivated, families are in order; after families are in order, the state is governed; after the state is governed, the world is at peace..."

People love the saying, "Manage your family, govern your country, and bring peace to the world." But it's actually pretty meaningless. The most important part is the following: "Seek knowledge, investigate things," and "seek knowledge through investigation." If we use "seeking knowledge" and "seeking knowledge" as metaphors for studying scientific principles and seeking truth from facts, then this saying makes perfect sense. The meaning is simple: if we act according to scientific principles, manage our family, govern our country, and bring peace to the world, we will naturally be successful.

Zhang Yinghao then continued, "When do we feel powerless while doing things? It's when our goals are inconsistent, and we doubt ourselves, leading to a lack of energy and motivation. How can we solve this problem? In the Guiguzi Classic, it says: If you have a desire, be determined and think about it. Will is the servant of desire. If desires are strong, will will be scattered. If the mind is scattered, will weaken. If will weaken, thinking will not be clear. Therefore, if the mind is unified, desires will not wander. If desires are not wandering, will will not weaken. If will strengthen, thinking will be clear..."

Therefore, if a person or a group of people focus on one thing, as we have already said in the article "Born in Worry, Die in Comfort," I will not repeat it here. As long as we focus on it, work hard, follow scientific principles, constantly learn, and deny, deny, and deny again, we will eventually succeed..."

a…"

After Zhang Yinghao finished his lesson plan, he asked, "Does anyone have any questions?"

Seeing the comrades raise their hands one by one, Zhang Yinghao called out the name of a comrade. The comrade stood up and asked, "Chairman, among the several major religions in the world, which one do you think is the most powerful?"

Hearing this question, Zhang Yinghao smiled faintly and asked, "Comrades, which one do you think is more powerful, the visible God or the invisible God?"

Hearing this inexplicable question, the comrades did not understand Zhang Yinghao's meaning for a moment and did not know how to answer. Zhang Yinghao did not allow the comrades to answer, but directly said: "From a religious perspective, God Jehovah and Allah are omniscient and omnipotent, indescribable, and omnipresent... All things in the world, including the heavens and the earth, were created by them.

So, can those stone and mud statues in temples compare to Allah and Jehovah? Religions like Islam are vehemently opposed to idolatry; anything tangible can be destroyed. For example, believers in tree gods, no matter how tall a tree grows, will eventually age, get sick, and die; it cannot withstand a fire or an axe. Believers in fire cannot withstand water; when the fuel is exhausted, the fire goes out. For Buddhists, every Buddha statue in a temple can be destroyed; can the Buddha statues do anything to stop it? Furthermore, these gods and Buddha statues are human-made, and for people to worship something man-made is simply absurd...

In ancient times, people worshipped the sun god and the moon god. But who created the sun and the moon? The sky was filled with murderous intent, and the stars shifted. The earth was filled with murderous intent, and dragons and snakes emerged from the land. When people were filled with murderous intent, heaven and earth would turn around.

Everything in the world has its own laws. Who is in control? Before learning about the law of universal gravitation, people naturally believe that an invisible hand controls everything. The supreme, most powerful, and most just of all is naturally God, Jehovah, and Allah, the Creator of all things. We say that the world can be understood, but we still don't fully understand it, and even our understanding is only superficial. Humanity is still very ignorant.

So, from this perspective, believing in God Jehovah and Allah is the most likely to bring liberation, because believing in God Jehovah and Allah, from a certain perspective, can still allow us to conduct scientific research, develop production, understand the world, and even transform the world.

Therefore, the most powerful religion actually comes down to which religion is most easily secularized and most easily integrated with the secular world. Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are all ineffective because they don't emphasize developing production, but rather emphasize morality, benevolence, righteousness, and propriety—things that adjust social relations. They prioritize righteousness over profit, and are completely useless in promoting production.

We all know from physics that mass multiplied by half the square of velocity equals the kinetic energy of a substance. The strength of religious power is also determined by this formula. We say that the military is the most violent apparatus of state rule. Whichever religion possesses an army and integrates politics and religion is naturally the most powerful. Aside from brief periods of semi-Buddhist states and Buddhist armies in China, and with the exception of a few places like Tibet and Mongolia, Buddhism has always resided in the deep mountains and forests, saving those destined for it. Several anti-Buddhist campaigns severed the possibility of integrating politics and religion in China, separating religion from the secular regime. Chinese religions all practice internal cultivation, and belief is entirely up to the individual; there is no forced conversion.