SFS Chapter 121 Strategic Essay: "On the Six States"
Chapter 121 Strategic Essay: "On the Six States"
Chapter 121 Strategic Essay: On the Six States
As Zhou Yu's spirit gazed upon this astonishing poem, a look of admiration appeared on his face.
This poem is worlds apart from Xiao Ke's in terms of imagery, emotion, and everything else.
"The second question is a question about the classics. The Three Kingdoms period has produced many heroes. What is a hero?"
Zhou Yu looked at Ye Ru and Xiao Ke. Upon hearing this, Xiao Ke fell into thought. He had always thought that heroes were often lonely, and he really didn't know what a hero was.
Moreover, the Yin-Yang School is declining day by day, and the leader of the Yin-Yang School, Donghuang Taiyi, is missing. Only Hebo, Shao Siming, Da Siming and others are in charge of celestial phenomena and ceremonies. As the hope of the Yin-Yang School, he studied the way of Qimen Dunjia and had never come into contact with the legend of heroes.
"Phew, this question is harder than climbing to heaven."
After a moment of confusion, Xiao Ke sighed, seemingly extremely embarrassed and annoyed.
"And you, back then when Cao Mengde and Liu Bei discussed heroes over green plums and wine, did you know what a hero was?"
Zhou Yu turned to Ye Ru, who was deep in thought, and said.
Ye Ru certainly knew about Cao Cao's discussion of heroes over wine. Back then, Cao Cao invited Liu Bei to a banquet to discuss the heroes of the world. Liu Bei even called Zhuge Liang, who held a large army, a hero, but Cao Cao scoffed at them.
He only said that Liu Bei and himself were heroes, but Liu Bei knew that the other party was jealous of his talent, so he pretended to be weak in order to escape with his life.
"What is a hero? A dragon is comparable to a hero. This is a question about the meaning of a classic text. Naturally, we should think about and analyze it according to the ideas of the classic text. We only need to explain the word 'hero' in our own words."
Ye Ru nodded, his eyes clearing considerably, and then said softly:
"What is a hero? One who can sacrifice himself for righteousness, with a loyal heart and a heart devoted to the greater good of humanity, can be called a dragon among men. A dragon can be large or small, can rise or hide. When it is large, it stirs up clouds and mists; when it is small, it hides its form. When it rises, it soars through the universe; when it hides, it lies dormant within the waves. A hero is one who has lofty ambitions, good strategies, and the ambition to encompass the universe and swallow the heavens and earth. This is what makes a hero."
Upon hearing this, the three of them remained silent for a moment. After Ye Ru finished speaking the last word, the words were actually spat out by the former and then turned into golden light, which swirled around Ye Ru.
"Golden words of wisdom?"
When Zhou Yu saw the words, which resembled gold and jade and were imbued with rich talent, his pupils contracted and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
He studied under Master Shui Jing, and together with Crouching Dragon, Phoenix Chick, and Tomb Tiger, they were known as the Four Heroes of Shui Jing. Master Shui Jing once said that those who speak gold and jade are also dragons among men.
Even Xiao Ke's eyes showed a change, as if he was shocked.
“These are golden words of wisdom. Back then, when I competed with Zhuge Liang, I was indeed a little narrow-minded. I am truly ashamed of the Daoist sage’s principles of following nature and governing by non-action.”
"If I hadn't been driven to my death by Zhuge Liang, the outcome would have been uncertain. By the way, who among the Three Kingdoms reigned supreme?"
Zhou Yu suddenly remembered something and asked.
"None of the three kingdoms could contend for the throne. Cao Cao passed the throne to Cao Pi. After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi replaced the Han Dynasty and established the Wei Dynasty. However, in the end, the Sima family controlled the Wei Kingdom. Eventually, the Sima family became powerful, and Sima Zhao became emperor. As for the Wu Kingdom, Sun Hao inherited the throne, but in the end, it could not escape destruction. From then on, the three kingdoms were united under the Jin Dynasty."
Ye Ru sighed, feeling sorry for the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu, as they ultimately benefited the Sima family.
"So that's how it is. The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite, and after a long period of unity, tends to divide. Since I am already dead, there is no need for me to do so much. All students who attend the council classes, from the time they reach the level of Xiucai (a scholar who has passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), must write a policy essay every three days, and then write a fu (a type of Chinese prose-poem) and a poem every three days. Therefore, this last exam question tests their policy essay skills."
Zhou Yu pondered for a moment, then spoke to Ye Ru.
"Governor Zhou, please set the question."
"The reasons for the demise of the six Warring States before the Qin Dynasty."
Zhou Yu looked at Ye Ru meaningfully, as if he had nothing to do with Xiao Ke beside him anymore.
"Before the Qin state, there were the states of Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei. What were the reasons for the demise of these six states?"
Ye Ru knew that at that time, the six states were powerful, while Qin's strength was only average. Su Qin and Zhang Yi used the strategy of alliance and diplomacy to unite the six states against Qin, in order to make the six states cede land and sue for peace. In addition, the political situation of the six states was in decline at that time, which led to the decline of the national strength of the six Warring States and their eventual annexation by Qin.
Ye Ru pondered for a moment, thinking of Qin Shi Huang, then faced the Xuan paper in front of him, picked up the wolf-hair brush, and began to write:
"The destruction of the six states was not due to inferior military strength or poor strategy, but rather to their bribery of Qin. Bribing Qin weakened their power, which led to their downfall. Some may ask: Did the six states perish because they all bribed Qin? The answer is: Those who did not bribe Qin perished because of those who did, for they lost strong allies and could not survive on their own. Therefore, it is said that the problem lay in bribing Qin."
This article, titled "On the Six States," is a representative work of Su Xun's political essays from the Northern Song Dynasty. In it, the author puts forward and argues that the downfall of the six states was due to their bribery of Qin. By "using the past to satirize the present," he criticizes the Song Dynasty's humiliating policies toward the Liao and Western Xia dynasties and warns the rulers of the Northern Song Dynasty to learn from the lessons of the six states' demise so as not to repeat the same mistakes.
Su Xun was the father of Su Shi and Su Zhe. His family was full of talented people and were later known as the Three Sus.
After Ye Ru finished writing the first paragraph, the mercury river suddenly churned, and then the mercury began to automatically transform into silver flowers, which dripped down from the sky.
The strange phenomenon in the sky caused Zhou Yu's expression to change slightly, and then he exclaimed in surprise:
"A dazzling display of talent?"
Ye Ru seemed not to have heard anything and continued writing.
"Besides conquering, Qin gained small towns and large cities. Compared to what Qin gained through conquest, what it gained through victory was actually a hundred times greater; and what the other states lost, what they lost through defeat was also a hundred times greater..."
As this second paragraph was written, the sound of "On the Six States" suddenly began to echo across the land, reverberating endlessly.
"A second strange phenomenon? The lingering sound echoed for three days?"
Not only Zhou Yu, but even Xiao Ke's pupils shrank, and his face became extremely shocked.
"The people of Qi never bribed Qin, yet they ultimately followed the other five states in their demise. Why? Because they allied with Qin but did not aid the other five states. Once the other five states were destroyed, Qi could not escape its fate either. The rulers of Yan and Zhao, on the other hand, had far-sighted strategies from the beginning, were able to defend their territories, and refused to bribe Qin out of righteousness. Therefore, although Yan was a small state, it perished later. This is the effect of their military prowess..."
Ye Ru listened to the echoing sound in the sky and continued writing, but his thoughts were gradually being consumed by writing "On the Six States".
After all, the "Six States Treatise" is too obscure, and even a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) probably cannot understand it.
"The six states and Qin were all feudal lords. Their power was weaker than Qin's, but they still had the potential to defeat Qin without bribery. If, given the vastness of the world, we were to follow the path of the six states' destruction, we would be even inferior to the six states."
"A policy essay has three extraordinary features: it is 'flowery and dazzling,' 'it lingers in the air,' and 'it is written with the words of a dragon.' Only when all three features are present can it be called a peerless policy essay. It is a pity that it could be further improved and placed in the Temple of Gods for the people of the world to admire."
Zhou Yu looked at the strategy essay and saw that only the second anomaly had appeared, with no third one, and a hint of regret flashed across his eyes.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Ye Ru slowly uttered his last word. Suddenly, a golden light burst forth from the Xuan paper, and the characters in "On the Six States" all emerged from the paper, finally appearing like swimming dragons. This caused the regret on Zhou Yu's face to freeze little by little, and his heart to be filled with turbulent waves!
"The third anomaly? The words are from Jackie Chan!"