The internal competition in the Jixia Academy was very serious. Each school of thought wanted to make big news every day. If it was not a big deal, it would be difficult to attract other people's attention.
It is precisely because of this internal circulation that the Hundred Schools of Thought are particularly intense.
Even the most inconspicuous school of thought is thinking about doing something every day.
Although Mohism, as a prominent school of thought in the time, was not recognized by the princes, it has always been popular among the people.
Today, the Mohists in the Jixia Academy continue to delve into various academic fields, and have even gradually forgotten their political ideas.
This is also normal.
After all, Mohism’s political propositions have never been recognized.
In this era of moral decay and social disarray.
Confucius believed that everything should follow the Zhou rituals and advocated returning to the intact feudal system of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Lao Tzu advocated returning to an earlier period, the clan society of "small country with few people".
The Mohists, on the other hand, represented the interests of manual workers and advocated entering an era of industrial and commercial civilization.
Compared with other saints, Mozi's ideas are indeed somewhat out of touch with the times and too advanced.
That sounds like a good idea.
But sometimes, this is not a good thing.
If society's productivity cannot keep up and it enters the era of industrial and commercial civilization too early, it will aggravate social collapse and lead to the complete division of society.
Su Che deduced this scenario in "Mo Tian Xia".
Similarly, in "New Ink", he elaborated on the concept of productivity.
What is productivity?
Productivity is social productivity, also known as "material productivity".
It is the final result of people's practical ability and an aspect of the mode of production.
It is the foundation for the existence and development of human society, and it is also the decisive force driving the progress of history!
Why can't an era of free trade between handicraft merchants emerge?
Because productivity is not enough!
If business is excessively promoted, it will inevitably lead to a decrease in grain production and serious land abandonment, thus causing a food crisis in the country.
If a disaster occurs at that time , the country will inevitably be destroyed and people will die.
There was such a precedent in the Spring and Autumn Period.
And there are quite a few.
Many powerful strategists like to use business trade to achieve victory without fighting.
in short.
Without business, people will not starve to death.
Without agriculture, people would literally starve to death.
This is also the reason why many emperors in all dynasties liked to emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce.
When the Qin State implemented the "Shang Yang Reforms", it explicitly proposed the idea of ​​emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce: "In a rich country, food must be expensive in the territory, and non-agricultural taxes must be high, and market rents must be heavy... then the people will have no choice but to give up their merchants and skills and take advantage of the location. Therefore, the people's strength depends entirely on the location."
Liu Bang also put forward the idea of ​​discrimination against merchants: "Merchants are not allowed to wear brocade, embroidery, silk, grain, gauze, linen, or fur, or to train soldiers or ride horses."
Does “promoting agriculture and suppressing commerce” simply mean looking down on the benefits that the commodity economy can bring?
Of course not.
As Shang Yang said: "Farmers work the hardest but make the least profit, they are not as good as merchants and skilled people."
This obviously shows that they clearly know the huge benefits that the commodity economy can bring.
However, Shang Yang still pursued the idea of ​​emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce.
Because the foundation of commodity economy is natural economy.
The essence of all this is still insufficient productivity.
In his article "New Mohism", Su Che described the relationship in detail and reconstructed the political propositions of Mohism.
This article is truly a bombshell.
The natural sciences studied by Mohist scholars cannot be understood without a certain foundation. Even if they are studied, they need to be taken seriously in order to play a role, otherwise it will be useless!
In the eyes of other schools, these Mohists have reached a dead end.
But now, Su Che has reconstructed the political propositions of Mohism and even the new rules of Mohism!
The original Mohist school.
The sect's rules are notoriously strict, and the moral requirements for disciples are particularly high.
As a disciple of Mohism, one must have a strong spirit of dedication and must accept a hard and simple life.
If there is one such person, he can be called a moral role model, but the Mohist school requires all his disciples to meet these requirements.
Although frugality has always been a virtue in China, the Confucian concept of frugality is "thrifty but not stingy", which means not spending money that should not be spent, and not saving money that should be spent.
The Mohists were more extreme. They "wore fur and brown clothes as clothes, and walked on tiptoe day and night without rest." "As for clothes, those that make things warm in winter and cool in summer, all other things should be discarded."
This is no longer frugality, it is completely an ascetic approach.
People's life needs can be divided into material and spiritual. Confucianism attaches great importance to the role of art in spiritual life, believing that art can not only cultivate sentiments, but also educate the people.
The Mohists were rather disgusted with most art forms, did not recognize the social value of art, and believed that people should focus on promoting benefits and eliminating disadvantages, and should not enjoy the beauty of art. They believed that the pursuit of art would lead to "gentlemen not thinking about state affairs" and "depriving the people of their food, clothing and wealth", which was something "a benevolent person would not do".
Even the Taoist Zhuangzi couldn't help but oppose this point.
Zhuangzi said: Huangdi had the music of "Xianchi", Yao had the music of "Dazhang", Shun had the music of "Dashao", Yu had the music of "Daxia", Tang had the music of "Dafu", King Wen had the music of "Biyong", and King Wu and Duke Zhou composed "Wu".
In ancient times, funeral rites had different rituals for the noble and the humble, and different levels of hierarchy. The emperor’s coffin had seven layers, princes had five layers, officials had three layers, and scholars had two layers.
Now Mozi never sang when he was alive, and never submitted to death. He made a three-inch thick paulownia coffin without an outer coffin, and took it as a model. If you teach others this way, I am afraid you will not love them; if you practice this way yourself, you will certainly not love yourself.
In the end, Mozi said, "Although, singing is not singing, crying is not crying, and being happy is not being happy, are they really similar?"
He is diligent when he is alive, and lightly when he dies. His path is changeable. He makes people worry and sad. His actions are difficult to follow. I am afraid that he cannot follow the path of a sage. He goes against the will of the world, and the world cannot bear it.
Although Mozi is the only one who can take charge, what can he do for the world? Being separated from the world, he is far from being a king!
Zhuangzi’s point of view is very simple. No matter are, if they cannot make people in the world accept them willingly, they are far from the kingly way!
Su Che thought the same.
Even saints have worldly preferences and desires, let alone ordinary people in the secular world?
In "New Mohism", Su Che recast a new Mohist school based on the original Mohist ideas.
This is absolutely unacceptable to many Mohist conservatives.
These people firmly believed that it was definitely Xunzi who sent his disciples to harm the Mohist school!
Xunzi once described the Mohists as "deceiving and misleading the ignorant masses", believing that the Mohists' advocacy of "anti-music" would lead to "chaos in the world", and that the Mohists' promotion of "thrift" would make the "world poor".
Now, Xunzi's disciples have only studied Mohism for a few years, but right from the start they want to subvert Mohism's political ideas and various rules, and even create a new Mohist school. How can a teenager accomplish these things on his own?
If you say there is no shadow of Xunzi behind this, who would believe it?
Mohism and Confucianism have always been at odds with each other. It is natural that a follower of Xunzi like Su Che would not be accepted by the conservative Mohist faction.
No matter how good his articles are!
It is normal for these conservatives to think this way.
They have suffered for decades, and they have been caught in the rain themselves, but they don’t want others to hold an umbrella for them! You, the new disciples of the Mohist School, must also suffer the same hardships that I have suffered!
But this is different for those Mohist students.
These students saw hope and the dawn!
These people even hope that Su Che can become a leader of the Mohist school and be the leader of the Mohist school!
These things caused a lot of disturbance and also reached the ears of Xunzi.
Xunzi neither supported nor opposed it, he just felt that Su Che was indeed interesting and he had not misjudged him!
…
Su Che did not back down just because of the opposition from the conservative Mohists. He actually united those Mohist students and formed a new Mohist school!
Since these old bastards are unwilling to keep up with the times, just abandon them!
A few years ago, a new textile machine was manufactured. Su Che had a part of the original shares and made a lot of money over the years, so he is not short of money now. What he lacks is fame and influence.
So, it's time to expand your influence.
If we wait any longer, Ying Zheng would have ascended the throne!
When Su Che took charge of these things personally.
There were many people who laughed at him.
After all, he is too young.
Some things cannot be accomplished just by having money and ideas.
It is really naive to rush into creating a new Mohist school!
However... these people really underestimated Su Che's abilities.
Not to mention a small Mohist organization, he can even govern the entire world.
It is extremely easy to organize a new Mohist school.
Several years passed in the blink of an eye, and the influence of the New Mohist School gradually expanded.
The original Mohist school was divided into three parts: one part was students who tended to be neo-Mohist, one part was scholars who focused on academic studies, and the last part was the conservatives who adhered to the Mohist political propositions.
These conservatives were not accepted by the princes, and their influence was limited to the grassroots level.
However, when the political ideas of the Neo-Mohists were accepted by the princes, the gap between them gradually widened.
Over time, the gap has widened.
During this period, there were also some unconvinced Mohist swordsmen who thought Su Che had blasphemed Mozi's teachings, so they came to assassinate Su Che!
There are simply too many chivalrous and righteous men in this era.
For the sake of their ideals and even dignity, they are willing to die.
These people are simple-minded to begin with, and they will go crazy if they are provoked a little.
Facing the assassin, Su Che suddenly lifted up the cauldron used for cooking meat and smashed it directly, killing the Mohist swordsman on the spot!
The moment the huge tripod smashed down upon him, the Mohist swordsman Jin Yi felt extremely complicated!
Where is the little one who is still wet behind the ears?
Such a big tripod, can it be lifted up just like that? Can it be smashed down just like that?!
Jin Yi originally wanted to hear what else this young boy had to say. He wanted to see if his words before his death could convince him. If what he said really made sense, he could not kill him!
But if he can't explain the details and can't convince himself, then I must kill him with my sword!
If he is really the new saint of Mohism and he convinces me with his words, then it is not a bad idea to follow him!!
In this era, many righteous swordsmen do this.
If this kind of thing gets out, it will be a good story!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could have both fame and fortune?
This Mohist swordsman Jin Yi is not a simple-minded person. He has his own little thoughts.
But he didn't expect that just as he drew his sword and was about to ask questions, he saw a large tripod coming towards him! !
"I……!!"
Jin Yi's eyes widened, filled with fear and despair.
Then he was smashed into meat paste!
"What did he want to say just now?" Su Che clapped his hands and asked curiously.
The Mohist disciples nearby almost dropped their eyes when they saw this scene.
Many people couldn't even hold back and vomited out all the food they had eaten in the morning.
The scene is too bloody.
Some of them are not suitable for children.
Since this incident happened, those Mohist knights who were planning to assassinate Su Che turned around and left one by one, completely giving up the idea.
Who could have imagined that a follower of Xunzi, who was well-read in poetry and books, would actually be such a fierce man who could hit people with a huge tripod?
This is too outrageous!
As word of this spread.
Even the current King of Qi couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh: "This man is truly a warrior!"
The current King of Qi is King Jian of Qi, who is also the last monarch of Qi.
This person is not a bad person. His only shortcoming is that he is too naive.
As a prince, this is extremely fatal.
During the Battle of Changping, Zhao asked Qi for grain due to food shortage. However, King Jian of Qi was unwilling to lend the grain because he was afraid of offending Qin.
Because of the shortage of food and the pressure of attack, Zhao State was forced to temporarily change its generals and replaced them with Zhao Kuo, who was good at talking but not good at it. In the end, the Zhao army was almost wiped out.
You must know that at that time only Zhao could directly confront Qin. Once Zhao failed, it would not be of any benefit to the six states in Shandong.
After that.
Under the deception of Qin's policy of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones, King Jian of Qi and Qin had always been very close.
When Qin conquered the six kingdoms, it deceived King Jian of Qi, saying that as long as Qi did not interfere, it would divide the world equally with Qi.
Who would have thought that King Jian of Qi actually believed it.
When the Qin State destroyed other countries, the Qi State just stood by and watched.
When only Qi was left, Qin said that if you surrender, I will give you 500 miles of fiefdom. As a result, King Jian of Qi really couldn't resist and surrendered.
After King Jian of Qi surrendered, he was arranged by Ying Zheng to live in the remote Gongdi. Because he was not given food, he eventually starved to death.
And now, this naive King Qi highly values ​​Su Che's new Mohist school.
As for why it is so important, the reason is very simple.
In "New Ink", Su Che analyzed in detail the importance of productivity and its influence on society.
Based on this foundation, Su Che established the new Mohist proposition - to develop the country through science and education!
He believes that science and technology will inevitably become the primary productive forces. If a country adheres to science and technology, as well as educational inheritance, and places these in the most important position and continues to develop, it will inevitably become strong and powerful rapidly.
Based on this theory, Su Che led a group of Mohist scholars to put many theories into practice.
He was the first to completely perfect the structure of the straight-beam plow, and also developed a groundbreaking agricultural tool - the curved-beam plow!
The curved plow was invented during the Sui and Tang dynasties.
The application and promotion of the curved plow has greatly improved labor productivity and the quality of cultivated land.
The invention of the curved plow opened a new chapter in the history of traditional agricultural tools, marking the entry of the development of the plow into a mature stage.
Since then, the curved plow has become the mainstream plow type.
Once this powerful weapon came out, farming became easier, the burden on farmers was reduced, more land could be reclaimed and it was more refined, so there would inevitably be more grain.
With more food, the future of Qi will undoubtedly become stronger!
After seeing these tangible benefits, how could King Jian of Qi not pay attention to this new Mohist school?
No matter what the various schools of thought say, if it doesn’t bring any benefit, it’s meaningless!
at the same time.
The distant Qin State.
King Ying Zheng of Qin, who had just gained power, also saw the curved plow that he had bought at a huge price!