Three Kingdoms

The Western Region is a shrunken Warring States Period.

This can generally be understood.

The Warring States Period is a general term for the chaotic situation after the Spring and Autumn Period. It is not really just the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, just like the Western Regions is also a very general name.

You can start from the border of the Han Dynasty; there is no hard and fast standard for stopping.

Before and after the Han Dynasty, due to underdeveloped transportation, this kind of "international" exchanges was severely limited. Comparatively speaking, the Han Dynasty was closest to the nomadic peoples in the north, so it was inevitable that pot lids would touch pots and spoons, and fights would occur from time to time. However, in the early days, there was little contact with these nomadic tribes or countries in the West, and they were far apart. , separated by the Huns at first, out of reach of each other.

It was not until nearly half a century and five wars during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the security risks in the northern border were relatively eliminated within a certain period of time, and the conditions and foundation for opening up the Western Regions were established, and only then did the Han Dynasty successively send envoys In the Western Regions, a thorough investigation of the countries in the Western Regions was conducted, and the mystery of the Western Regions was unveiled.

At that time, Zhang Qian said that there were thirty-six countries in the Western Regions.

Whether Zhang Qian had really done the calculation at that time, or what kind of standard he used as a "national" unit, is no longer testable. In the Western Han Dynasty, it was not easy to refute rumors. Well, it is not easy now. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty wanted to know whether Zhang Qian was telling the truth. It was quite difficult.

In fact, history is developing and the situation is changing. The so-called thirty-six countries may only be the situation in a specific historical period. In fact, the wars between countries in the Western Regions have always been continuous, and the number and territory of countries cannot remain unchanged.

These so-called countries in the Western Regions range from large to small. The large ones are equivalent to provinces or cities in later generations, while the small ones are only one township or county, and some are even equivalent to a village. It is actually Zhang Qian's fault to call them countries. A bit of an exaggeration...

This was Zhang Qian’s personal information that he mixed into the articles he submitted to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty...

The word "country" in the Western Regions was translated by Zhang Qian. During the translation, the original meaning of the word "private goods" was taken out of context or intercepted and deliberately misinterpreted. Perhaps the Western Region itself did not have the name "country". At that time, the Western Region might have been called the Federation, or it might have been called the Alliance, but it might also have been called a certain "country," but Zhang Qian changed them all to "country."

Zhang Qian is undoubtedly a smart man.

Emperor Wu of Han was not stupid either.

Therefore, in the words "Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions", the two sides exchanged opinions in order to achieve the principles and policies that the Han Dynasty should adhere to.

Zhang Qian kowtowed and said firmly, "Your Majesty, there are indeed thirty-six countries in the Western Regions!" 』

Your Majesty, please stop fighting. There are thirty-six countries!

Retract your mind and stabilize the country first!

Just ask Your Majesty if you are afraid!

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty nodded, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear!" Go down and rest first. 』

I don’t believe it!

I haven’t played yet, no, I haven’t played enough yet!

Send people out again!

Even if we don't fight, I still have to torment these countries in the Western Regions!

As a result, Cheshi Kingdom, which was relatively close to the Han Dynasty, was the first to suffer misfortune. The Cheshi Kingdom, or the Gushi Kingdom, was indeed once the vanguard against the Han Dynasty, with the most stubborn stance and the most resolute attitude.

Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty first pointed his finger at the country. A policy of disintegration and differentiation was adopted against them, and dovish regimes were established one after another. The hawks in the country lost power and were no longer able to launch an aggressive war against the Han Dynasty.

Nowadays, Cheshi Kingdom is divided into four parts: the Kingdom before Cheshi, the Kingdom behind Cheshi, the Duwei Kingdom behind Cheshi, and the Chang Kingdom behind Cheshi...

Then it currently occupies four of the seventeen countries in the Western Regions compiled by Guo Tu.

All right.

Even four.

Wusun, the fifth.

Qiuci, Shanshan, Khotan, Yarkand, Shule, Wulei, Yanqi, Weixu, Daxiawan, Ronglu, and Nuoqiang...

If Zhang Qian’s private goods were to make Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty retreat in the face of difficulties, then what was the purpose of Guo Tu’s greatly reduced 17 countries?

Combined with Guo Tu's current situation, we can generally guess...

Guo Tu couldn't help but glance at Fei Qian, sweating slightly on his back.

I was thinking in my mind, could it be that I guessed wrong?

How about adding a few more?

Or should there be a few less?

"It should be a few countries, it should be a few countries, don't add or subtract without authorization..." Fei Qian said slowly, as if he knew Guo Tu's thoughts, "The most important thing in translation and compilation is to seek "authenticity"..." If you can't do it, then that's it..."

Guo Tu trembled and quickly responded, "This subordinate can do it, please don't worry, my lord!" 』

Fei Qian nodded slightly, noncommittal.

In fact, Fei Qian was not very interested in whether the Western Regions were seventeen or thirty-six kingdoms, because perhaps to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions were the end of the world, but for Fei Qian, The Western Region is just a transit point.

Therefore, Guo Tu simply failed to understand the current focus of the translation work.

Guo Tu thought Fei Qian was eyeing the Western Region, but Fei Qian had already set his sights further afield...

Compared to Guo Tu's private goods, Fei Qian was more concerned about the translation of some books from Parthia and Qin.

After all, these are the aspects that Fei Qian needs to focus on, and they are also the main purpose of establishing the Translation Center.

The most fearful thing in life is not having a goal.

When climbing a mountain, there is also a goal of reaching the top, but when you reach the top of the mountain, you often feel that the world is "small", and then you feel that all the mountains are just like this.

In the end, I discovered that Mount Tai is actually the shortest. The farther west you go, the higher the peaks become.

Until Everest.

Above Everest, there is space, deep space, the universe...

The orthodox scripture only pulled Confucius down from the throne of sages, while the orthodox solution...

Zheng Xuan's progress could not satisfy Fei Qian.

Fei Qian walked slowly, skimming over a series of scrolls from the Western Regions, parchment scrolls, wooden books, and stone slabs collected by Zhuanyi Xuan.

Guo Tu followed him with his back half bent, and from time to time he would explain to Fei Qian how much effort and energy he had put into collecting these things, and how reluctant the foreign barbarians were to give them up. , of course, the most important thing is that the money spent by Fei potential translation center is worth it!

It is also to show that Guo Tu’s own work during this period of time has been fruitful!

Regarding collecting these things, Guo Tu did not understand Fei Qian's intention at all, but it did not prevent Guo Tu from executing it.

It's not your money that's spent anyway. Guo Tu even suspected that Fei Qian had some conspiracy, or could he find clues to the Pre-Qin Dynasty in these Western Regions manuscripts?

Or do you want to use the name to compete for hegemony in the next stage?

Fei Qian nodded slightly, seemingly listening to Guo Tu's report and affirming his hard work in collecting documents during this period, but in fact Fei Qian was more focused on finding some related philosophical things.

A very interesting thing is that when Laozi, Confucius, Mozi, Xunzi and others were blooming in the East, there were also Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. in the West...

It is very difficult to translate the articles of these big guys.

On the one hand, books are difficult to obtain, and on the other hand, the thinking mode is different.

Why does Fei Qian want to find philosophy first?

Because philosophy is abstract, it does not distinguish between East and West. It studies the origin and truth of the world, and the origin exists simply, and the truth is universally applicable. Therefore, regardless of East or West, the intellectual activities of all wise men will eventually be sublimated into The pursuit of philosophy.

In this aspect, it is relatively easy to achieve commonality between the East and the West.

And things like architecture or arithmetic are not unimportant, but they need to be moved back a little. After all, these highly professional books were very difficult to read in the Han Dynasty, and even in the subsequent feudal dynasties. It is easy to be swept into the category of "strange and obscene techniques"...

Therefore, only by solving the ideological problems first, other problems will be easier to solve.

Thought is inseparable from philosophy.

A hundred schools of thought contend, including Laozi, Confucius, Zhuangzi, Mozi, Xunzi, Hanfeizi, Guiguzi, etc. Their theories are colorful and different, but one core idea is the same. These hundreds of schools of thought are all trying to understand the origin of the world. It is a serious analysis of human beings, an exploration of the meaning of life and moral practice, and the most brilliant Eastern philosophy.

This is understandable, but it also brings a rather troublesome problem to China, which is that "idealism" is too prevalent, so that from time to time future generations will hear things like "The bigger the heart, the bigger the stage", "Death and life" Fate, wealth lies in heaven" and other famous sayings.

Although at the time of the Hundred Schools of Thought, many people had some expositions on the opposition between idealism and materialism, it is a pity that most of them tended to favor idealism.

For example, Confucius said, "Those who are born knowing are the best; those who know by learning are the next." He believed that sages like Laozi were "born knowing" and could understand everything without having to learn anything in the world. , but at the same time, he also thinks that he is not that powerful and needs to learn to know, so he has to hear and think more about external things to avoid "learning without thinking will lead to waste, and thinking without learning will lead to danger". It can be said that he is the most Contradictory idealism. However, most Confucian scholars in later generations said that Mr. Kong, you are humble, you know everything, you can guide everything, and you are just a small talk...

Mencius went a step further and believed that people should "reverse to others", that is, explore their own inner world in order to expand their inherent conscience and talents, so as to achieve the level of sage who "knows without worrying and can do without learning", which is the ultimate level. Pious idealism. When the guys who followed Mencius in later generations saw this, they threw the book down and said, oh my god, what a nonsense! I know everything in my heart and understand everything. I understand this very well. As for what to do when I encounter problems. Yes, please go to my Secretary of State...

Laozi, who was highly praised by Confucius, advocated abandoning knowledge and wisdom, and using the methods of "quiet contemplation and metaphysical reading" to experience the invisible and nameless Tao, so as to reach the same mysterious realm as the Tao of Heaven, and then "know the world without leaving home;" If you don't peek into the window, you know the way of heaven. This is the most mysterious idealist.

As for Zhuang Zhou, who couldn't tell whether he was a butterfly or Zhuang Zhou, he fell directly into skepticism and agnosticism, completely denying objectivity, which can be described as the most thorough idealism...

Is there materialism among hundreds of schools of thought?

There are also some.

Mozi, Xunzi.

But it is a pity that Mozi, needless to say, was suppressed too hard, and Xunzi's theory is contrary to Dong Zhongshu's "Induction between Heaven and Man"...

"The course of heaven is constant. It does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie." 』

With just such a sentence, Xunzi stood tall. He put forward the brilliant idea of ​​"controlling the destiny of heaven and using it". He believed that instead of seeing the way of heaven as very great and admiring it, it is better to treat it as a kind of thing and raise it. , control it. Instead of obeying nature and praising it, why not take advantage of it by mastering and controlling its changing laws?

If he looks up to the heavens and waits for its gifts, why not adapt to the current conditions and make the heavens serve him, strengthen himself, and defeat nature?

The "Emperor" took a look, is this really a big deal?

It is precisely because of this that Xunzi's status has not been very high in the feudal dynasty. At the same time, his remarks have been tampered with and revised to make them meet the ruling needs of the feudal dynasty.

We should fear the way of heaven, but we should not be blindly afraid. We should strive for self-improvement, but we should not be blindly arrogant.

This is what Fei Qian thinks a scholar should have, rather than a one-sided emphasis on idealism.

Under the guidance of this epistemology, Fei Qian repeatedly scrutinized and thought about the history he knew. Fei Qian found that since the Western Han Dynasty, the progress of Chinese civilization has slowed down significantly, especially the development of science. , and even affected the subsequent feudal dynasties, showing a rather slow, even stagnant state. This must be a big problem at some point in the Western Han Dynasty.

The point of this big problem is Dong Zhongshu.

The so-called "destroying hundreds of schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" is academic exclusion, political imprisonment, and even philosophical murder, murdering Mo Xun and others in the name of Confucius and Mencius. Since then, the mainstream of Chinese scholars and Confucian scholars has entered a thorough idealist stage. There are occasional materialistic calls, but they cannot stir up too much waves.

"Induction between heaven and man" has consolidated the supremacy of "heaven". From then on, the Chinese people also closed their curiosity about heaven and earth, and instead pursued the words of the saint. Explore and expand the inherent conscience and good ability in your heart. Perhaps one day, you will understand the way of heaven, and then you can understand all the mysteries in the world, see through all disguises, understand all knowledge, and control everything in the world...

Just like most policies, laws and regulations have limitations and need to be revised and adjusted from time to time, Dong Zhongshu may not have had thousands of years of evil intentions when formulating those theories, but the things he proposed should indeed be adjusted.

The Qinglong Temple's great treatise is serious first and then correct. Many characters take turns to take the stage, paving the way step by step. In the end, they will overthrow the "White Tiger View" and break the "imprisonment" brought by Dong Zhongshu!

But this adjustment does not mean that Fei Qian has the final say alone.

History has inertia.

Most of the people in the Han Dynasty were still illiterate, and most of the gentry and Confucian disciples who had mastered knowledge came from several generations. More than ten generations followed the crooked path pointed out by Dong Zhongshu. Now if Fei Qian yells When I say that you are all on the wrong track, do these people believe in their fathers and ancestors, or do they believe in Fei Qian?

Therefore, there must be an "enemy".

The reason why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came to Dong Zhongshu back then was because at that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had feuding feudal lords who were causing divisions within his family, and the Xiongnu were fighting against the autumn wind outside. Now, it is actually similar.

There are many princes all over the country. In the outside world, although the Northern and Western Regions have been beaten almost completely by Fei Qian, there are still the west of the Western Regions, the south of the Southern Border, and the cold desert in the north...

"How many people are there?" Fei Qian's eyes rested on a parchment scroll. There is a note attached to the parchment, which is a preliminary translation and a summary of its key points.

The foreign documents collected in the first two batches are very messy, and it is not sure what their value is. They may even be someone's account book or a record of a certain place, or a leisure story, something like that. Thousand and One Nights or something...

Although Fei Qian has been taught by later generations to "wash in the gutter", although the current foreign characters look a bit like ABC, they are actually not. There are even characters that look like earthworms crawling. Maybe they are Arabic characters? Fei Qian doesn’t quite understand either.

But Fei Qian knew the names of people, so after selecting several similar parchments with Fanbang characters, he seemed to have an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he saw this "Colossal Person"...

Then, Fei Qian picked it up.

Han Li writing is dignified and elegant, with clear pen and ink. Of course, the more important thing is that the "mark" on the outside of the sheepskin scroll says, "Received from Hu merchants in the Western Regions for twenty gold." It is recorded by a famous person from the West, whose name is unknown. The sound is similar to "Ke Duo", so it is recorded as "Ke Duo Zhi". The categories of his words are "famous studies" and "bianxue", which may be seen at a glance. 』

"How many people are there?" Fei Qian murmured in a low voice. What brand of drink does it look like? Or is it the banner of a jet fast food restaurant?

Guo Tu on the side had bright eyebrows. Seeing that Fei Qian seemed to be more interested in this "many man", he quickly stepped forward and said, "I heard what Fan Hu said, this volume is "can't be pointed out, can't be reached." The meaning of "Jue" is also the art of analogy and name debate..."

"Call the barbarians who understand this text..." Fei Qian opened the parchment. The crooked fonts inside looked familiar, but in fact they were put together and he didn't recognize them at all. Presumably, Bangzi and Chaizi had almost the same mood when they saw Chinese characters.

Not long after, a bearded barbarian came and wanted to kiss Fei Qian's boots. Guo Tu's eyebrows jumped as he watched. He didn't know whether he felt that he really couldn't bear to do such a thing, or why he didn't come to kiss Guo Tu's boots when he recruited this bearded man...

"A lot of people?" Fei Qian confirmed.

"\u0026amp; @%￥..." The barbarian rolled his tongue and muttered, and then explained in awkward Chinese.

The Hu people are obviously not very good at Chinese. Every time they say a word, they seem to get stuck, and the tone is weird, which makes people feel like they are saying "One car come, One car go, Two car pengpeng" Uncomfortable.

But Fei lurked among them and heard a familiar syllable. He asked again and whispered to himself for a long time. He was slightly stunned and confirmed again, but couldn't help but twitching his eyebrows.

This is still a problem caused by Chinese habits.

A Chinese name consists of two characters, followed by an additional character. This is not the case for the children of the noble clan, so it is natural to think that the person who wrote the book is also a noble clan, of course, it is just two syllables.

But actually, it's a polysyllabic name.

If Fei Qian guessed correctly, the person Guo Tu and others thought was called "Keduo" should actually be called "Aristotle". As for why he became the seemingly unrelated "Keduo" many"……

Who knows.

But Fei Qian knew that he had found the guy who could mix in private goods.