Zhu Chao accompanied me to watch short videos

Chapter 255: The Weird Duke Xiang of Song

The person is gone, what is the point of having a good reputation? This is for the sake of future generations. A good reputation can offset the benefits and bring you great benefits. Some people often say "love the world and benefit others", which is actually called "reputation".

The purpose of using this "name" is to cover up the real purpose behind it. For example, Song Jiang shouted "doing justice for heaven" every day, but what was the result? In the end, he was still determined to seek amnesty.

So, it still goes like this: If you don’t harm the world, you won’t be provoked; if you don’t harm the world, you won’t feel hurt. What you really want to do is to “value yourself”, respect yourself, and cherish yourself.

At this point, Yang Zhu brought up his third main point: how should people live their lives? This is the third main point of Yang Zhu's thought, which can be summed up in four words: preserve one's nature and maintain one's authenticity. These four words should be separated into two parts.

The whole nature is to follow the nature. In this life, the most fearful thing is to run around for external affairs, for wealth, for fame, for pleasure. In fact, these things are the source of pain in life. For many things, just enough is enough, and greed is not good.

The word "maintaining authenticity" is not easy to understand. In Yang Zhu's words, it means to maintain the true nature given to me by nature, to indulge myself for a while, but not to lose the joy of the past; to act according to my heart, but not to violate what nature likes;

The purpose of doing so is to not be a ghost, not be a human, not be powerful, not be profit-seeking, to maintain and follow the nature, and to control your own destiny.

This may be a little hard to understand, so let's take an example. Do you ever feel anxious?

I just don't want to do anything, no ideas, no desires. I just want to lie here, motionless, and scroll through my phone aimlessly.

The reason for this is that "one indulges oneself for a while and loses the joy of the past", overdrawing the experience of life in advance.

Let me give you another example. How long have you not focused on one thing? Do you have the patience to finish watching a movie? Do you have the patience to finish reading a classic? Some friends may say, "Why bother when you can condense the information?"

But real knowledge requires long-term concentration to acquire, and the same is true for happiness. When you can get happiness through very simple methods, it may be difficult to be happy again in the future.

This is the truth of gambling. When you gain huge wealth through very easy means, you may no longer walk down to earth.

In general, Yang Zhu's thoughts are unique. The reason why a school of thought can become a school of thought is that it must have some shining points. Take its essence and perhaps you can find some answers that belong to you.

[Read the first university in Chinese history in one go, some historical knowledge about Jixia Academy and the Hundred Schools of Thought]

It is the first institution of higher learning in the history of China and even in the world, and is as famous as Plato's Academy in ancient Greece of the same period.

It was also the cultural center of the Warring States Period, creating the golden age of ancient Chinese poets and having a far-reaching influence. In this video, let us learn about the earliest institution of higher learning in China - Jixia Academy.

Simply put, the Jixia Academy was a public university during the Warring States Period.

The Qi State provided direct operating funds for the academy, and recruited high-level scholars from all over the world as teachers, providing them with generous material benefits so that they could study freely. Because it was located near the west gate of Linzi, the capital of Qi State, it was named Jixia Academy.

The Jixia Academy was founded in the early years of King Wei of Qi and was the product of his reforms. The reason for its establishment was not only influenced by Wei Wenhou's respect for etiquette and Zixia's establishment of Xihe School and the opening of channels for public opinion, but also because of his desire to consolidate the rule of the Tian family regime.

The Tian regime chose the Laozi doctrine from the southern Chen State, and at the same time brought out the Yellow Emperor, who was said to be earlier than Yao, Shun, Yu, and Shennong, so they tried their best to promote the Huang-Lao doctrine with the Yellow Emperor and Laozi as the ancestors.

On the one hand, this was used to overwhelm Confucianism, Mohism, Agriculture and other schools of thought. More importantly, Huangdi was regarded as the ancestor of the Tian family, and the Jiang family was a descendant of Yan Emperor. The legend that Huangdi defeated Yan Emperor and ruled the world became the historical basis for the legitimacy of "Tian family replacing Qi".

During the reign of King Xuan of Qi, the Jixia Academy reached its peak and housed almost all the schools of thought at the time.

The schools mainly include Legalism, Confucianism, Military Science, Agriculture, Yin-Yang School, etc., which brought together about a thousand wise men from all over the world. Among them, famous scholars such as Chunyu Kun, Mencius, Zou Yan, Song Yan, Shen Dao and others emerged in large numbers.

Especially Xunzi, who served as the chief academic officer of the Jixia Academy three times, which was equivalent to the principal.

The Jixia Academy implemented the policy of "discussing state affairs without holding office, and discussing without governing", with a strong academic atmosphere, free thinking, and coexistence of various schools of thought. People called the scholars of the Jixia Academy "Jixia Masters", and their disciples were praised as "Jixia Scholars".

At that time, all scholars and literati who came to the Jixia Academy, regardless of their academic school, ideological viewpoints, political inclinations, nationality, age, qualifications, etc., could freely express their academic opinions, making the Jixia Academy a center for exchanges among various schools of thought at that time.

In the thousands of years of Chinese history, the Jixia Academy is unique in its strong academic atmosphere, free thinking, and fruitful achievements.

Although the Jixia Academy brought many talents to the State of Qi and made the State of Qi powerful for a time, due to the large number of schools, the State of Qi placed many talents in high positions but did not make use of them.

Coupled with the diplomatic policy mistakes of Qi's top leaders, Qi was besieged by the alliance of Qin, Yan, Han, Zhao and Wei and almost destroyed. This is the famous "Five Kingdoms Attack Qi" in history, also known as "Lie Yi Defeats Qi".

This war caused the once powerful Qi State to decline in an instant, and this war was also a heavy blow to the Jixia Academy. The Jixia Academy gradually declined, and the descendants of the Jixia Huang-Lao School also gradually dispersed.

At that time, Qin Prime Minister Lü Buwei vigorously recruited his followers, and they all came to Lü Buwei and became his advisers and assistants. They played a very important role in the compilation of "Lüshi Chunqiu".

Soon, the Qin State began to sweep across the world and unified the six kingdoms. With the demise of Qi State, the Jixia Academy also disappeared.

From its opening to its closure, the Jixia Academy lasted for about 150 years.

During this hundred years, the Jixia Academy was once a place where the thoughts of various schools of thought collided, leaving behind countless ideas and works, which have continued to influence the development of Chinese culture for thousands of years.

[Understand the little historical knowledge of the benevolent and righteous overlord Duke Xiang of Song in one breath - Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period]

He was called a "stupid pig" for his adherence to benevolence and righteousness. He was one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, but was ridiculed and mocked by later generations. Was he aristocratic or pedantic? In this video, let's talk about the "benevolent and righteous hegemon", Duke Xiang of Song.

Duke Xiang of Song, whose surname was Gongzi and whose name was Zifu, was a descendant of the Shang Dynasty and had the same surname as Confucius, so the two were considered to be from the same family. Duke Xiang of Song was listed as one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Although there are many different versions of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, the more widely circulated versions are Ban Gu's "Book of Han: Table of Princes and Kings" and Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian".

There are four common candidates in both versions: Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Mu of Qin, and Duke Xiang of Song.

But among these four people, Duke Xiang of Song was the weakest. Nowadays, he is often questioned by people: How can a person who is called a "stupid pig" become a hegemon? Obviously, this is a modern way of understanding the word "hegemon".

Modern people use the word "霸" to form words, usually including "霸占", "霸权", "霸道", "霸王", etc. Combining the meanings revealed by these words, anyone who claims to be a king must be a tyrannical and tyrannical person.

If we look up the dictionary, "霸" refers to a person or group that relies on power or force to oppress others. But in ancient times, the word "霸" is actually a homophone of the word "伯". What does it mean?

Ban Gu's Baihutong explains it very clearly: "According to the age of the time, Haoyue is Bo, Zhong, Shu and Ji. Bo means the eldest, Zhong means the middle, Shu means the youngest and Ji means the third."

Bo, Zhong, Shu, and Ji are the ancient rankings of brothers: Bo is first, Zhong is second, Shu is third, and Ji is fourth. In other words, "Ba" means "big brother". The "Ba" in the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period refers to the "big brother" among the princes in the Spring and Autumn Period.

What are the criteria for a hegemon? Ban Gu's "Bai Hu Tong" makes it clear: "A hegemon is a duke who follows the rules of a duke, has the right to conquer and pay homage to the emperor, and does not lose the will of a minister. Therefore, the sage gives him this title."

This means that to become a "Fangbo" or a hegemon, one must do the following three things: first, "destroy the princes", that is, have the appeal to the princes to form an alliance; second, "serve the emperor", that is, help the emperor to resolve the princes' disputes; third, "respect the emperor, uphold Zhou rituals, and practice benevolence and righteousness". So how did Duke Xiang of Song do?

Standard 1: Alliance with the princes

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Xiang of Song hosted three alliances, namely the Caonan Alliance, the Lubei Alliance, and the Yudi Alliance. In the alliances and campaigns during these years, the book "Spring and Autumn Annals" named Duke Xiang of Song as the leader.

During the meeting, Duke Xiang of Song followed the rules and went alone. However, King Cheng of Chu, who considered himself a barbarian, was unfaithful and secretly ambushed his soldiers, taking the opportunity to imprison Duke Xiang of Song.

At that time, Chu was despised by the princes of the Central Plains because it was not trustworthy and bullied the courteous Duke Xiang of Song. The princes of the Central Plains sympathized with and praised Duke Xiang of Song, but as descendants, we are biased to ridicule him for keeping his word.

Standard 2: Emperor

Duke Huan of Qi was incompetent in his later years and favored villains such as Shu Diao, Yi Ya, and Kai Fang, which led to civil strife in Qi. The princes killed each other for the throne, and the hegemon Duke Huan of Qi was starved to death in the civil strife, and no one collected his body.

Therefore, the story of "leaving corpses unattended and attacking each other with armor and books" was left behind. Duke Huan of Qi once entrusted Duke Xiang of Song to lend a helping hand when Qi was in trouble. Prince Zhao of Qi could not gain a foothold in the country, so he had to flee to Song for help.

Duke Xiang of Song led the princes to fight and quell the civil strife in Qi, and helped Prince Zhao inherit the throne of Qi, becoming Duke Xiao of Qi. This also reflects the trustworthiness of Duke Xiang of Song.

Standard 3: Do not lose the intention of the minister

As a duchy, Song was one of the only three duchies, and it was not supposed to treat the Zhou emperor as a subject, but as a guest. However, Duke Xiang of Song was able to do his best to uphold Zhou rituals and practice benevolence and righteousness.

Most of the ridicule of Duke Xiang of Song by later generations came from his failure to attack the enemy halfway across the river in the Battle of Hongshui. His strict adherence to benevolence and righteousness ultimately led to his defeat and led to widespread ridicule. However, little did they know that in the Spring and Autumn Period, both sides also needed to observe the military etiquette in the Zhou Li when fighting.

Military etiquette is one of the "four rites" in "major state affairs", along with auspicious rites, ominous rites, and guest rites. Whether it is the Zhou emperor or the princes who decide to start a war, there are military etiquettes that must be observed during the period from the arrival of the army to the battlefield to the moment before the two armies engage in battle.

A large part of military ceremonies in the pre-Qin period was not for achieving victory in war, but rather a form of elegance and etiquette.

The content and importance of military ceremony are far more important than the outcome of a war. With the development of the times, military ceremony gradually became less important, while the importance of war was constantly increasing. However, Duke Xiang of Song followed the Zhou ritual and waited until the Chu army crossed the river before starting the duel.

This is the noble demeanor of Duke Xiang of Song. Duke Xiang of Song, who followed the rules, was inevitably defeated in the battle with the Chu army known as the "Southern Barbarians", and was therefore ridiculed by later generations.

But at that time, he won the respect of people. Sima Qian was very sorry for the defeat of Duke Xiang of Song, saying: "After Duke Xiang was defeated at Hong, some gentlemen thought that it was a great loss to China because of its lack of courtesy and righteousness. This is a praise for Duke Xiang of Song because he was courteous and yielding."

Therefore, Duke Xiang of Song was not as pedantic as we think now, simply because he strictly abided by the etiquette rules of the time.

Mencius said that "there were no righteous wars in the Spring and Autumn Period" because rituals and music were broken. Confucius said, "When the world is ruled by virtue, rituals, music, wars and conquests are decided by the emperor; when the world is ruled by no virtue, rituals, music, wars and conquests are decided by the princes." This also proves this point.

Duke Xiang of Song's behavior is exactly the concentrated expression of "not losing the will of a minister". Therefore, it is quite reasonable to include Duke Xiang of Song among the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Some people commented that he was a "stupid-like benevolent and righteous person", which was also limited by the special period. Facing the invasion of the enemy, benevolence and righteousness to the enemy is naturally not applicable.

Many opinions today about Duke Xiang of Song always say how stupid and pedantic he was, but they fail to see that his talk of benevolence and righteousness was not just empty talk, but he actually put the concept of benevolence and righteousness into actual action.

We should not just laugh at Duke Xiang of Song. Duke Xiang of Song was laughed at because later generations believed that he failed because he adhered to traditional war etiquette in a pedantic way.

Nowadays we like to judge everything by victory or defeat, but there are many factors that determine the outcome of a war. Duke Xiang of Song’s defeat in the Battle of Hongshui was not necessarily caused by his adherence to traditional war etiquette.

Duke Xiang of Song's emphasis on courtesy and trustworthiness should not be denied, and his divorce was not unreasonable in the Spring and Autumn Period. Duke Xiang of Song was able to dominate because he simply adhered to the Chinese people's war outlook and value traditions in the Spring and Autumn Period.

The thinking of the Spring and Autumn Period cannot be summed up in one breath. People would think about morality before doing things, and trustworthiness has always been the tradition of the Chinese people. Today, we are smarter and more pragmatic, but also more utilitarian and less moral.

It is also worth thinking about why this tradition of emphasizing gifts and giving lectures would be shattered like a glass.