The Mohist School's Eight Great Ideas (continued)

On the second day after Si Ming and the others were imprisoned on Thousand Leaves Island, although the weather had cleared up, the Mu Family Army (a name Si Ming made up on the spur of the moment) did not take any action and continued to rest on the island, seemingly waiting for some kind of news.

However, that evening, the atmosphere on the island became noticeably tense. Every soldier was repeatedly checking their weapons and rations, creating a sense of impending doom.

Despite their nervousness, they showed no fear; instead, they displayed a suppressed excitement and confidence in their future actions.

Murong Qing guessed that the operation would take place tomorrow, and in fact, she was right.

On the morning of the third day, the wind was calm and the sky was clear.

At Mu Wu's command, the entire army set sail, and Si Ming and the others had no choice but to accompany the army. Fortunately, Mu Qingfeng kept them entertained with questions along the way, so they didn't find it boring.

As a father, Mu Wu knew that his son had almost been kidnapped, but he did not take any precautions. He allowed Mu Qingfeng to contact Si Ming and others, and did not even take away He Qichang and Si Ming Murong Qing's weapons.

According to what he conveyed, this is to guard against petty people, not honest people.

However, Si Ming felt that it was probably his own fault, because even with just his bare hands, he could easily kidnap Mu Qingfeng. Whether the others had weapons or not was irrelevant, since he couldn't defend against them anyway, so he might as well do them a favor.

But it must be said that young people are particularly susceptible to this approach. Not to mention a righteous devil like Murong Qing, even He Qichang is someone who responds better to gentleness than force. He treats others with respect and never tries to manipulate them when they trust him.

"Of the original ten ten principles of the Mohist School, the principle of frugal funerals has now been incorporated into the principle of frugality, and it is rarely mentioned anymore. This is because in the past, death was a major event, and a funeral would consume most of an ordinary family's savings, which is why it was listed as a separate principle. Nowadays, although burial is still a major event, the proportion of a family's savings consumed is far lower than in the past, so it has gradually become less important. Later, at the suggestion of the previous Grandmaster, frugal funerals were incorporated into frugality and were no longer listed as a separate principle, basically on the same level as opposing extravagance and waste," Si Ming said eloquently.

While taking notes, Mu Qingfeng asked, "So, now the Mohist School only has nine major schools of thought left?"

Si Ming, "Only eight kinds remain. Feiyue was also removed at the suggestion of the former Grandmaster. In the past, we opposed the constraints of ritual and music and abolished the cumbersome and extravagant manufacture and performance of chime bells because in ancient times, holding a large-scale music concert was time-consuming, costly, and of no benefit to the country. Although it provided spiritual encouragement, only the upper class could enjoy it, and the lower class had no chance to share it. In the end, it was still the private power of the ruling class, so it was naturally opposed by the Mohist School."

However, after the Industrial Revolution, with the rapid development of productivity, the situation changed. Ordinary people had the time and money to enjoy music after work, and even tickets to large concerts were affordable if they gritted their teeth. The Mohist School always considered issues from the perspective of the common people, and since this matter benefited them, there was naturally no reason to oppose it.

Mu Qingfeng sighed, "Whether the doctrines of universal love, non-aggression, meritocracy, conformity, the will of Heaven, belief in ghosts, rejection of fatalism, and frugality are correct or not, just the fact that the Mohist School dared to reduce the rules established by Mozi is admirable. In comparison, our Confucian School is truly profound and subtle; let alone reducing its doctrines, we can't even change a single word! The words of Confucius and Mencius are absolutely correct. If you think they are wrong, it's because you misunderstood them, or your understanding is inadequate. If you dare to say a word against them, the spittle of scholars will drown you."

Si Ming comforted him, saying, "Conservative forces exist everywhere. Even Mohist School went to great lengths to achieve 'merging one and deleting one.' Before the first two Grand Grandmaster, some Grandmaster had already proposed changes, but each time they were opposed by the elders and were delayed until recently when the country's strength increased significantly and the people's lives improved markedly. This led to spontaneous demands and formed public opinion, which finally allowed it to be passed. Some have estimated that if 'merging one and deleting one' had been agreed to from the beginning, it could have advanced the Su State by at least ten years."

Mu Qingfeng said enviously, "But you succeeded in the end, while we Confucian School will probably never see this day. In the past, some people even shouted the slogan 'One Analects can govern the world.' If you dare to say which sentence in the Analects should be deleted, you will be met with verbal attacks and written criticism. From the emperor to a scholar without any official rank, everyone will be your enemy."

Murong Qing, "I have studied the history of the Mohists and Confucians. The Mohist School can change, but the Confucian School cannot. This is probably because the Confucian School lack a leader like the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster is a leader recognized by all Mohist. His Nine Ding. This has been passed down from the first Mozi to the present day. Therefore, in terms of legal principles, he has the basis to overturn the statements of his predecessors."

But Confucian School is different. If two great Confucian scholars emerge in the same era, they inevitably clash, each believing their interpretation is orthodox and all others to be fallacies. Neither will concede to the other. Ostensibly, they are engaging in academic discussions, but in reality, they are vying for the right to speak, thereby placing themselves on the moral and political high ground. Whether their interpretations are right or wrong, or whether they conform to Kongzi's original intention, is completely unimportant, and Confucius himself doesn't care. The Analects is merely a stepping stone to help him reach a high position.

Mu Qingfeng couldn't help but ask, "Then how can we change this situation?"

Murong Qing paused for a moment before speaking, "Only by completely destroying the existing Confucian School order and carrying out a major purge can we rebuild from the ashes. For example, we could enact laws to cut off the channels for Confucian scholars to rise in rank, or change the content of the imperial examinations, completely removing anything related to Confucian School and only testing subjects such as mathematics, physics, and politics, so that Confucian School classics become pure scholarship."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingfeng's mouth dropped open, unsure of what to say. Finally, he sighed deeply, "To break through to this point, it would probably require the destruction of the entire country."

Si Ming recalled the China history he had read in his previous life. Even after the fall of dynasties, Confucian School culture was passed down from generation to generation, and even assimilated foreign ethnic groups, demonstrating the powerful vitality of spiritual culture. It was not until the turbulent modern era that it was overthrown by an unparalleled great man with a different and even greater ideology.

"The fall of the nation is not an option; we must break the backbone of Confucian scholars and reduce Confucianism to a lowly doctrine before we can break free of its shackles."

If it weren't for that century of humiliation, the constant reflection of countless patriots, and the arduous exploration in the darkness that led the Chinese people to completely lose faith in Confucianism, it would not have been an easy task for foreign powers to replace Confucianism, which has been rooted in the land for over two thousand years.

Mu Qingfeng's expression changed drastically; he was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He wanted to refute, but he also vaguely felt that what the other party said was true.

General Ji Da, the bearded man standing beside him, couldn't help but say, "Hey, we asked you to chat with our young marshal, not to spread alarmist rumors. What are you talking about? You even mentioned the fall of a nation! I, Old Ji, was shocked. Who are you Curse? Even if your Su State falls, our Li State will not!"

Mu Qingfeng quickly said, "Uncle Ji, it's not what you think. We're discussing academic matters."

Ji Da said nonchalantly, "I don't understand academic stuff, and I don't care about what you're saying about turning Confucianism into a lowly doctrine, since I'm not Confucian School disciple anyway. But I just don't like the way you're showing off. So tell me, what exactly do your eight ideas from the Mohist School mean?"

Si Ming smiled and said, "There are eight kinds of thought. The first is universal love, which means loving everyone in the world without distinction of rank, distance, or kinship."

Secondly, it advocates non-aggression, that is, opposing unjust wars and maintaining world peace;

Thirdly, it emphasizes meritocracy, meaning recommending, selecting, and employing people with both virtue and talent regardless of social status.

Fourthly, it promotes uniformity, namely, centralized power, standardized writing, standardized cart tracks, and "selecting the most virtuous and capable person in the land to be the emperor";

Fifthly, it emphasizes thrift, opposing extravagance and waste, and advocating diligence and frugality.

The sixth is anti-fatalism, which means opposing the concept of fate and advocating that human will can overcome destiny;

The seventh is the will of Heaven, which is the clear law of the world. The world is governed by law, and everyone must abide by it, regardless of rank or status. Those who disobey will be punished.

The eighth is "Ming Gui" (明鬼), which uses the concept of ghosts and spirits to explain the way of promoting good and punishing evil, emphasizing that "there are gods watching from above, and good and evil will ultimately be rewarded."

Ji Da stroked his beard and pondered for a while, then said, "Some of these things sound reasonable, while others are just nonsense. The idea that good and evil will eventually be rewarded is just empty talk. I've only heard the sayings 'Murderers and arsonists wear golden belts, while those who repair bridges and roads have no remains,' and 'Good people don't live long, but evil ones live for a thousand years.' We, who risk our lives, only believe in the knife in our hands, not in ghosts or gods."

Si Ming smiled but did not explain. The opening of the "Ming Gui Pian" is about punishing evil and promoting good, but in reality, it is not like that at all. Half of the content is used to scare the rulers, saying that if they do bad things, they will definitely be punished. It also gives one example after another, all of which are about a certain lord who did bad things and then died inexplicably, and then attributed everything to ghosts and gods.

For example, in the chapter "Ming Gui" (明鬼篇), Mozi uses Du Bo as an example, saying that King Xuan of Zhou killed his minister Du Bo, who was innocent and was wrongfully killed. So, three years after Du Bo's death, King Xuan of Zhou gathered the feudal lords to hunt in Putian. Hundreds of hunting chariots and thousands of followers filled the mountains and fields. At midday, Du Bo, riding in a plain white chariot drawn by white horses, dressed in red, and carrying a red bow, chased after King Xuan of Zhou. He shot an arrow from the chariot, hitting King Xuan of Zhou in the heart, breaking his spine, and causing him to fall dead on his bow. All of King Xuan of Zhou's followers witnessed this event.

Mozi then cited Zhuang Ziyi as an example, saying that Duke Jian of Yan killed his minister Zhuang Ziyi innocent. So, the year after Zhuang Ziyi's death, Duke Jian of Yan was on his way to Juze when Zhuang Ziyi, carrying a red wooden staff, struck him and killed him on the chariot.

Finally, Mozi concluded that anyone who kills an innocent person will inevitably suffer ominous consequences; the punishment from ghosts and gods is just as painful and swift.

This style of speaking is like a mother telling her child, "There was a child who didn't listen to his mother, and then he died," which is practically pointing a finger at the other person and saying, "If you dare to do something bad, God will kill you."

The Mohist School's stance on which side they're on is crystal clear.

The reason for using the concept of ghosts and gods is that in that era, there were no laws that could govern the upper class. When the rulers did bad things, ordinary people could not seek justice for themselves and could only place their hopes on ghosts and gods.

The Mohist Religion has three main deities, symbolizing compassion, wisdom, and justice, which correspond to the main tenets of the Mohist School.

Ji Da wanted to say a few more words, but suddenly he saw a dark shape appear on the distant horizon and exclaimed happily, "We've reached the shore!"

Before long, the ship docked, and everyone carried their luggage and disembarked one after another. Si Ming happened to notice a burly man in the crowd carrying a large machine that looked a bit like a telegraph machine, which made him feel a little awkward.

It's clearly an ancient army, yet they're using modern machinery, giving one a sense of temporal displacement.

After landing, the group began a rapid march. Although it was an infantry force with no one on horseback, everyone in the group was an elite soldier. The lowest level of Internal Cultivation was level five. After activating their lightness skills, they might not be as good as real cavalry in terms of endurance, but they were not inferior in terms of speed in a short time, just like a marathon race with thousands of participants.