Opening the minds of the people and having them examine in depth the ideas they held in their hearts had a greater effect than imagined. In the space of a single night, all the anti-war voices fell silent. But in this calm, undercurrents were surging.
“Presumptuous! This is far too presumptuous! This is merely a warrior with no attainments in learning, and yet he writes a book advancing his theories. Just who gave him this audacity!? He actually dares to question the millennia-old teachings of Confucius and Mencius!”
“That’s right! We cannot permit such heretical teachings! Everyone, let’s join together and censure the King of Foreign Lands. Once this pig-dog theory gets out and starts taking root, it will poison the land for one thousand years. That youngest son of the Wang Clan wouldn’t even be able to pay for his crimes with one hundred deaths!”
“The three principles and the five virtues1, ruler as ruler, subject as subject, father as father, and son as son—these things are the root of the world, the origin of all things! If all this is destroyed, what will we be left with?!”
In a school in the western part of the capital, ten-some erudite Confucians had gathered together, all of them seething with anger. The ideas in Wang Chong’s book had become so widespread in the capital that even their own students had a copy. The Confucian school emphasized benevolence and righteousness, but now they were studying heretical ideas like the strong eating the weak. It was simply a disgrace.
They had already confiscated these books from their respective schools quite a few times, but their bans proved fruitless.
Finally, an influential Confucian suddenly stood up, his expression agitated.
“Report this matter to the school master! No matter what, we must stop it from continuing to be published!”
Similar scenes were taking place throughout the schools of the capital, and all this news was gathering in the Secretariat Advisor Residence in the western part of the city.
At this moment, all the chairs and tables used in the reception hall for guests had been cleared away.
Li Junxian sat cross-legged in the center of the hall. Around him were piles of letters and petitions from various illustrious Confucians.
Almost all these letters censured Wang Chong and his ‘Might Makes Right’, each letter steeped in wrath. What worried Li Junxian the most was the information inadvertently revealed in these letters.
The ideas in this book were spreading like a plague, gaining more and more influence in the people.
“No matter what, we have to stop this!”
Li Junxian’s eyes had long ago lost their vim and vigor, leaving behind only concern, unease, and determination.
His entire life, and the life of the entire Confucian Sect, had been used to prepare for one thing. At a crucial moment like this, Li Junxian could not permit anyone to ruin his plans.
Anyone who dared to do so was his enemy.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind caused the pages of the many books in front of Li Junxian to stir. If one looked carefully, all of these were copies of ‘Might Makes Right’ that Li Junxian had had his people buy. These formed an arc in front of Li Junxian, and he had long ago memorized their contents.
“Wang Chong, you brought this on yourself!”
Li Junxian raised his head, his eyes shining with sharp and vicious light. At this moment, all that he had learned and all his aspirations gathered in his mind. Raising his brush, he wrote three large words on the paper before him: ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’!
Hwoooo! A gale of wind spread out from Li Junxian’s Secretariat Advisor Residence, spreading over the entire capital.
After Wang Chong’s publishing of ‘Might Makes Right’, another storm began to engulf the capital…
The capital was bound to remain restless, as eight days after Wang Chong had published ‘Might Makes Right’, two more books, called ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’, and ‘Doctrine of Birds and Beasts’, began to sweep through the Great Tang like a hurricane. And the author of these two books was none other than the illustrious Secretariat Advisor Li Junxian, whose silver tongue had caused the surrounding countries to reduce their armies by a total of nearly one million soldiers.
The two books were targeted at Wang Chong’s ‘Might Makes Right’ and criticized every word and sentence of it. One was the Secretariat Advisor while the other was an Advisor-in-Waiting, and both had rendered great service for the Great Tang. The conflict and struggle between the two quickly had all of the Great Tang shaking.
“Shopkeeper, give me a copy!”
“I want one too!”
“It’s not one book, but two! What? Gone so fast?”
The book shops of the capital were thronged with crowds.
In a single day, ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’ and ‘Doctrine of Birds and Beasts’ were both sold out. Even though all the printing shops of the capital were working overtime to print more, they still could not satisfy the demands of the capital’s populace.
This was an unprecedented storm, even surpassing the previous factional dispute. Although no one had said anything, everyone knew that Li Junxian represented the Confucians while Wang Chong represented the militarists. The book ‘Might Makes Right’ had fully described the standpoint of the militarists, and the ideas Wang Chong had espoused had undoubtedly enraged the entire Confucian school.
This was precisely why Li Junxian had written ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’ and ‘Doctrine of Birds and Beasts’.
This clash symbolized a full-on battle between the militarists and Confucians, and was highly likely to decide the future of the entire Great Tang and the Central Plains. Each person and each faction could smell an extreme danger in the air.
“Winds will herald a coming storm. The Great Tang is about to experience a transformation!”
In a massive estate in the western part of the capital, a clan patriarch held ‘Might Makes Right’ in one hand and ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’ in the other, his eyes tinged with deep concern. Even major clans like his felt fear over the conflict taking place in the capital. This was an extremely precarious state, and the slightest lack of caution would send one plunging into the abyss, their body crushed to powder and their bones shattered.
“To not know of propriety, to not understand benevolence… if everyone respects only strength, then how are men any different from birds or beasts!?”
______________
1. The three principles are that ruler should guide subject, father guide son, and husband guide wife. The five virtues are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust.↩
Chapter 1295 - Shaking the World (IV)
Chapter 1295: Shaking the World (IV)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“To not know of propriety, to not understand benevolence… if everyone respects only strength, then how are men any different from birds or beasts?”
“A good saying! What is this ‘might makes right’? A crooked way, a wicked path! Someone should have stood up a long time ago to teach him a lesson!”
In the southern part of the capital was a bamboo forest. Here was a small bridge crossing a gurgling stream, and many illustrious Confucian scholars had gathered in this forest.
They held the two books Li Junxian had published, ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’, and ‘Doctrine of Birds and Beasts’, their expressions brimming with excitement.
They had waited for so long, but the Confucian counterattack was finally here. It came fast, vicious, and sharp beyond compare.
“Who cares about the King of Foreign Lands!? What can he do, even if he’s the Son of Heaven’s disciple? Anyone who dares to espouse such heresy must have their reputation ruined and be disdained by all!”
“Let’s use this ‘Might Makes Right’ as a chance for all of us to join together and make sure he doesn’t get out of this in one piece!” several Confucians excitedly said.
At the same time, elsewhere in
the capital, a general who had taken off his armor walked into a restaurant. There, another general wearing civilian clothes was waiting for him.
“This conflict is a chance. The matter of Khorasan from before was one thing, but this time, we must help the King of Foreign Lands no matter what!”
“That’s right! We generals have always been quick to act but slow to speak, causing us to be constantly suppressed by the Confucians. Now that the King of Foreign Lands has published a book and spoken up for the militarists, we have to support him. Helping him is helping ourselves!”
The two of them stared at each other across the table, both of them seeing the same resolve in each other’s eyes. Since ancient times, the number of militarists who had been able to write a book espousing their theories was far too small. What authors there were would normally write about the art of war, which nobody other than generals would read.
As for things like ‘the strong eat the weak’, ‘survival of the fittest’, ‘law of the jungle’, and ‘the dark forest1’, these were things that no one had ever mentioned before.
Not even the most formidable War Gods and generals in history had ever used this method to distill the essence of militarist thought, expounding upon it in such a deep and open manner that even the common people could accept it.
“The Confucians have already begun their counterattack. ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’ and ‘Doctrine of Birds and Beasts’ are only the beginning, and there will probably be even more actions taken soon. We have to think of a way to embed the theories of the King of Foreign Lands deep in the minds of the people and spread them as much as possible!”
“Mm!”
The two of them shared a glance, clinked cups, and a few moments later, they left the restaurant.
……
Whoosh!
Countless birds were flying out of the capital at every moment, headed in all directions. From the moment Li Junxian had published his two books, two streams of thought had begun to fiercely clash in the capital. The storm they created earned them the attention of the rulers of all the surrounding countries.
Ü-Tsang, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, Goguryeo, Mengshe Zhao, Arabia, the Xi, the Khitans… the entire world was watching this clash of ideologies taking place in the center of the Great Tang.
“This storm in the Great Tang no longer concerns only itself. Our Goguryeo and all the other countries bordering the Great Tang are now involved. Send King Gogugwon2 over with one million taels of gold. Have him purchase as many copies as he can of Li Junxian’s ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’ and ‘Doctrine of Birds and Beasts’ from the book merchants and get them into the hands of every Tang person as quickly and as cheaply as possible. I want all the Tang to be able to buy these books for cheaper than it costs to print them!
“If the King of Foreign Lands and his ‘Might Makes Right’ are allowed to win in this war, not only will our entire Goguryeo be invaded by the Great Tang, the entire empire might never be able to recover again!”
Yeon Gaesomun stood on the high walls of Bisa, his six sabers on his back, his warrior aura unsurpassed by any other expert. He gazed toward the distant Central Plains with a look of unprecedented solemnity on his face. He had taken part in many wars, exchanged blows with Zhang Shougui many times, and defeated countless famed Tang generals.
But none of these wars had felt more dangerous to him than this clash of ideologies taking place in the capital of the Great Tang. The unseen blade… was often the fastest and sharpest!
Gallop!
With Yeon Gaesomun’s order, several hours later, a force of several hundred soldiers carrying massive quantities of gold quietly departed the Goguryeo Empire. Youzhou had been sealed off by Zhang Shougui and his Andong Protectorate army, making it almost impossible for the Goguryeons to get through.
But there was still a road called the ‘water road’. If one set out from Hwando and the wind was favorable, one could quickly get around Youzhou and reach the interior.
……
At the same time, on the distant Tibetan Plateau, the winds were howling as a vulture flew out of the clouds and landed in the royal capital.
“The Confucians… finally made a move! In order to deal with the Tang, we have to use the Tang!”
After reading the letter, Dalon Trinling breathed a sigh of relief.
“Tell the Eastern and Western Turks to start playing their arts! In the name of our three countries, we will inform the Great Tang that the King of Foreign Lands is a constant threat to the surrounding countries. If they can successfully deal with the King of Foreign Lands and minimize the influence of this affair, Ü-Tsang and the Eastern and Western Turks will become allies of the Great Tang. If Arabia attacks, our three countries are willing to aid the Great Tang in fighting against Arabia!”
“Imperial Minister, are we really becoming allies with the Great Tang?” a general responsible for taking notes said, his expression frozen in shock.
“Hmph!”
Dalon Trinling said nothing, only shot a cold glare at the general. The general trembled and his body paled. He immediately lowered his head and continued writing.
“The only person now who can deal with the King of Foreign Lands is that little Confucian. I trust that he will know what to do once he sees this letter!”
With these words, Dalon Trinling left the hall.
______________
1. The only reference I can find to the ‘dark forest’ is Liu Cixin’s science fiction trilogy, ‘Remembrance of Earth’s Past’. The ‘dark forest theory’ is founded on two axioms. The first is that the primary need of every civilization is to survive. The second is that while all civilizations grow and expand, the amount of resources in the universe is finite. This makes every other civilization a potential threat. In addition, because of the vast distances separating alien civilizations, communication takes immense amounts of time, building distrust and suspicion. As a result, each civilization is a silent hunter in a dark forest. Obviously, the latter point about vast distances hindering communication does not exactly apply to this setting. Wang Chong more likely emphasized finiteness of resources.↩
2. Gogugwon was historically the sixteenth King of Goguryeo.↩
Chapter 1296 - Wang Chong's Counterattack!
Chapter 1296: Wang Chong’s Counterattack!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The capital of the Great Tang.
Flap flap! Countless messenger birds flew over the high walls of the Wang Family Residence and into its courtyard. Thump! A few moments later, Su Shixuan and Xu Keyi ran into Wang Chong’s study as if they were on fire.
“Milord, it’s bad!”
“The situation has worsened! Li Junxian of the Confucian Sect has written two books, one ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’ and one ‘Doctrine of Birds and Beasts’, both of them targeted at us. The entire capital is agitated, and all the Confucians have joined together to oppose us.”
Xu Keyi and Su Shixuan panted for breath, their faces red and uneasy.
Wang Chong’s book ‘Might Makes Right’ had created a far greater stir in the capital than they had imagined. The tens of thousands of words within it had stimulated all the illustrious Confucians of the capital into fierce opposition.
Countless Confucians had joined together to rebuke Wang Chong, and many of them had imitated Li Junxian by writing their own tracts critical of his ideas. Wang Chong was now the target of the entire capital, and countless storms and gales were making their way to the Wang Clan and Wang Chong, making the two of them extremely worried.
Public opinion was powerful enough to melt metal, and accumulated slander could wear away at the bones. There had never been a militarist who had offended the entire Confucian school like Wang Chong. The sheer power of their verbal and written rebukes could make anyone tremble in fear. Su Shixuan and Xu Keyi couldn’t help but be worried about this!
“I understand!”
Wang Chong’s indifferent voice rang out in their ears as he sat behind his desk, his expression calm. This voice was infused with some inexplicable power that immediately caused Su Shixuan and Xu Keyi to calm. Both of them stared in a daze at the seated Wang Chong.
“I expected the Confucian school to respond sooner or later. There’s no need to worry about it!” Wang Chong nonchalantly said as he moved his brush across the paper on his desk. A few moments later, he had finished writing the last words and placed the brush back on the rack.
“Since I’ve written ‘Might Makes Right’, I might as well publish this ‘Doctrine of War’ as well. Make arrangements to have this book sent to print as quickly as possible!”
Ten-some papers were stacked together on the desk. It was not as thick as ‘Might Makes Right’, but it wasn’t a thin book either.
The two of them lowered their heads and respectfully replied, “Yes, Your Highness!”
“Mm.”
Wang Chong nodded. This ‘Doctrine of War’ was an elaboration of the ‘intercountry relations’ discussed in ‘Might Makes Right’ and extended the discussion to ‘methods of war’, and ‘the purpose of war’. The one billion taels of gold Wang Chong had demanded from the Arabs in the Battle of Khorasan had caused a stir throughout the empire.
This was a brand-new method that was unprecedented in history. Even Gao Xianzhi had been greatly shocked by it.
There was no need to occupy enemy territory or kill even more enemy soldiers. By relying on negotiation and threats, one could reap enormous rewards and enrich the country. This was a breath of fresh air to all the generals!
Wars were fought in service to the empire. This was a simple principle. But in this era, in this world, not many people understood. Wang Chong had already had the idea of writing a book so that he could try and alter how the people of this era thought about war.
Given the stir he had already created, he decided that there was no better time than now to write it.
“…In addition, Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, have you prepared the things I asked you about?”
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 815
