Chapter 12 Zhuge Liang was eloquent since he was a child

The learning form of the reading group is unknown who invented it, and no one has applied for a patent.Joining a book group and discussing books of mutual interest can really help.No matter what stage of study Zhuge Liang is in, he likes to discuss, debate and argue with several fellow students. When I was in my hometown in Yangdu, the three children of the Zhuge family, the eldest Zhuge Jin, the cousin Zhuge Dan, and Zhuge Liang often got together to discuss the views in the books.When three people get together, each expresses their views, and sometimes discusses a point of view, and everyone can't stop arguing, and even blush.

Zhuge Liang realized very early that those in power must understand the difficulties of the people. He appreciated the saying "the people are the master of the gods", and believed that this is the true meaning of governing the world.He hopes that the current imperial court can "think about benefiting the people", and believes that "the country will prosper and must listen to the people". Zhuge Jin thought: "The governance of a sage is to live in peace and enjoy his career." Zhuge Dan speaks outspokenly, fiercely, and eloquently. In front of his two cousins, he always talks the most, eloquently, and especially likes to talk about the way of governing the country.He often sighed with emotion. When he heard that a state capital had erected a stone tablet for a local celebrity, he would say that "government is based on peace of the people, not on embellishment".Speaking of the secret of success, he said that "depending on the timing of the sky, local affairs, and people's interests, those who aim at them will be invincible, and those who are attacked will be safe."Let Zhuge Jin nod frequently, admiringly.

Zhuge Liang thinks that Zhuge Dan is a bit exaggerated and playful, so he always has to reason with him.Zhuge Liang insisted: The way to govern the country should undoubtedly be based on the people, but it must pay attention to "rule by virtue and benevolence" and pay attention to the support of the people.He put forward "caress the people, show rituals, be sincere, and impart justice", he cares about Li Shu, works diligently and loves the people. Zhuge Dan emphasized: "The high and the low are disorderly, what is the country? The government is based on the people, and the people listen to the government."

In terms of governance methods, Zhuge Liang advocated that "those who are in power do not reward private labor and do not punish private grievances."He put forward: "The basic principle is the regular law and the essentials of the rules", "those who can conquer the world must use the clear method", "it is not appropriate to be partial and use different laws at home and abroad".He advertised that the rule of governance is "strict science and education, trustworthy in rewards and punishments, no evil without punishment, no good without showing".

Interests and hobbies may be the motivation to achieve geniuses.The field that I loved as a child is likely to be the stage where I will show my talent in the future. The three younger brothers love reading, debating, and even quarreling.However, who knows that quarrels and debates are the beginning of progress; unique insights often come from familiar phenomena. Zhuge Jin is the elder brother, and he presides over the study and discussion of the three of them.Zhuge Jin has a dull appearance, is meticulous in his work, and reads deeply.One day, he asked Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Dan: "You two claim to understand the book "Chunqiu Zuozhuan". Do you know how many people are recorded and how many wars are described in these 180,000 characters?"

When Zhuge Dan heard it, he wanted to talk about it, thinking that he was proficient in the book "Chunqiu Zuozhuan" and knew everything about it.No, this question made him stuck.He never cared about these details.He turned to Zhuge Liang and asked, "Do you know?" Zhuge Liang blinked his big bright eyes, thought for a while, and said uncertainly: "Are there hundreds of times?" Zhuge Jin refused to let go, and asked: "To be more specific, how many times?" Zhuge Liang blinked, and the story of "Chunqiu Zuozhuan" flashed through his mind quickly. He thought for a while and said, "There must be four or five hundred times?"

Zhuge Jin condemned: "Don't ask for a deep understanding. Let me tell you, I counted carefully and recorded more than 480 war operations, of which 14 were relatively large-scale." Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Dan nodded again and again: "I admire my brother, I admire my brother, there is something unique about learning." Zhuge Liang thought in his heart: "I'm afraid I won't be able to learn the strengths of my brother's academic studies. I can't become a scholar who specializes in a book. I still think about how to apply the knowledge I have learned in the book and the thoughts on governing the country. In today's society!"

His father, Zhuge, was very happy to see that the three brothers had read "Chunqiu Zuozhuan", and told them: "The important thing is to learn how to behave from it. Wherever you stand, you must have what kind of virtue. You To be a county magistrate, you must know what kind of morals a county magistrate should have, and when you are an aide, you must understand what the aide should do." Zhuge Liang thought: "Why does the eclipse of the sun and the moon damage the light? What it does good, I will do it; what it does evil, I will change it."As for the style, thinking and behavior of a "gentleman", he believes that it should be: "Never tire of giving alms, never tire of seeking good".

Among the Zhuge brothers, Zhuge Jin is the one who focuses on academic research.When it comes to eloquence debate, Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Dan have a fight.Zhuge Dan likes to recite "Zhu Zhiwu Retires Qin Master" from "Chunqiu Zuozhuan", while Zhuge Liang is willing to talk about "Lu Xiangjue Qin". Zhuge Dan worshiped Zhu Zhiwu, and believed that at the critical moment when soldiers were approaching the city, he responded calmly, neither humble nor overbearing.It seems to be presenting the facts and reasoning, but in fact, it subtly took advantage of the entanglement between Qin and Jin, and finally persuaded Qin to withdraw troops and turned Zheng into peace.

Zhuge Liang liked "Lu Xiangjue Qin", saying that it was an ultimatum to break off diplomatic relations with Qin.Lu Xiangli cited the facts and reprimanded Qin for injustice; his sentences were sonorous, powerful, and reasonable, beneficial and restrained, so that Qin had no words to refute. Zhuge Liang talked about his feelings: such rhetoric of swaying and swaying has actually set a precedent for the lobbying atmosphere of Su (Qin) and Zhang (Yi) in the Warring States Period.The princes communicate with each other, and no one is willing to be inferior. If the envoy who represents the image of a country is not good at eloquence, it will bring humiliation to the country.As Confucius said: "Words are not written, but actions are not far away."

In order to exercise his eloquence and reaction ability, Zhuge Liang deliberately found fault with Zhuge Dan, and they inevitably quarreled and argued endlessly together.At the end of the argument between the two, Zhuge Jin was still called to judge for them.Zhuge Jin said: "My brother is dull, and his speech is slow. And "The Analects of Confucius? Liren" said: "A gentleman wants to be slow in words but quick in action." He is ugly and dull, but his rhetoric is magnificent." None of the three brothers was willing to be inferior. The three teenagers of Zhuge's family will serve as important ministers in the three regimes of Wei, Shu and Wu in the future.Some people say: The Kingdom of Shu has a "dragon" (Zhuge Liang), the Kingdom of Wei has a "tiger" (Zhuge Dan), and the Kingdom of Wu has a "dog" (Zhuge Jin).The dog has the ability to watch the house, insinuating that when Zhuge Jin was young, he helped the nanny with housework, and when he went out to work in Soochow, he was also a minister in charge of internal affairs. In the rare and peaceful days in Yangdu City, the Zhuge Courtyard was full of books.The Zhuge brothers followed the teachings of the sages that "a gentleman has four seasons: he listens to politics in the morning, visits in the daytime, revises orders in the evening, and settles down in the night". They study and cultivate themselves tirelessly. After Zhuge Liang went to Jingzhou with his uncle to join Liu Biao, Zhuge Liang entered the most famous Jingsheng Academy in Xiangyang, which was run by Liu Biao.After a period of time, although Zhuge Liang was dissatisfied with studying in the academy due to various reasons, the only thing that interested Zhuge Liang in the academy was that when he got together with his classmates, someone always asked one or two questions. Everyone join the discussion.The students agree with this form very much, and think that this method is good. Through discussion, the correct answer can be found, and at the same time, it can deepen the impression and remember it firmly. On this day, Zhuge Liang asked his classmates: "The ancients said that before the soldiers and horses move, the food and grass go first. Why?" "The defender doesn't have to go ahead with food and grass." Someone immediately retorted: "If the defender is not ready to let the soldiers and horses move, naturally there is no way to talk about food and grass first. Your question is not the answer." Some people disagree with this point of view: "If the defensive side is ready to fight, they must also prepare food and grass in advance. Otherwise, if they run out of ammunition and food, wouldn't they just sit and wait for death?" Zhuge Liang took out a book from his bosom, saying that he had borrowed it from a friend. He had some feelings and would like to share it with everyone.After finishing speaking, I will read it to everyone: "Every teacher's travel is because of the enemy's food. Dry food, one salary per person, can last eighteen days once you go: six buckets of rice, two liters per day for human food. Two people eat it, and it will be exhausted in eighteen days. If you plan to return, you can only enter nine days. If you send a hundred thousand troops, One of the thirds of the luggage is only 70,000 soldiers stationed in battle, and 300,000 people have been used to transport food, and it is difficult to add more. Sending back to the transporter, there must be reinforcements. The method of transporting food is six buckets per person. This is also based on the total number. During the period, the captain does not bear the burden, the woodcutters are halved, and the rest are shared by all husbands. There are even deaths and diseases, and the rice burdened is equalized. The burden of each person is often no less than six buckets Therefore, redundant food is not allowed in the army. If one man has redundant food, two or three people will be paid. It may not be enough. If it is transported by livestock, the camel will carry three stones, the horse and mule will carry five buckets of stone, and the donkey will carry one stone. If there are many but few expenses, but if the grazing is not done from time to time, the animals will become too thin and die. If one animal dies, it will be carried and discarded. Compared with the loss of human beings, the benefits and harms are half the same." After reading this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Listen, people are learning, applying what they have learned, and penetrating into it. I'm sure that the person who wrote this article did not work behind closed doors, but through field investigations and careful calculations. I just got it. If a general reads this article, he must think that this book is a reference book, a book that can be used in actual combat. Then he will always take it with him for reference at any time." Some people have different opinions about Zhuge Liang's obsession with military formations: "We are still young. For young students, we still have to obey the teacher's teaching and read according to the teacher's requirements. It is better to read less for those that the teacher has not taught, or for extracurricular idle books. it is good." Someone nodded and said: "How much energy does a person have to read so many books? If you read like this, you will be exhausted. In my opinion, it is better to follow the teacher's request and read the required books carefully. , read it thoroughly, it is enough. You can’t chew as much as you want!” Zhuge Liang disagrees with this statement: "The more books you read, the better. If you want to read more books in a limited time, the key is the method. If the method is right, you can get twice the result with half the effort. For example, some books are just for entertainment, so you can read ten lines at a glance and watch the excitement The goal is achieved. Some books have little to do with our main studies, so it is enough to read a rough idea and know the outline. If we really don’t understand, we have to read it repeatedly, and ask the teacher for guidance when necessary For some questions in the book, the predecessors already have the answer, or know where the answer is, so when you need it, can't you just flip through it? Why waste time on a book?" Zhuge Liang talked freely, and everyone also expressed their opinions.In such a learning atmosphere, Zhuge Liang believed that learning from each other's strengths would be of great benefit to him, which is actually the case.It is precisely because of Zhuge Liang's debating ability that he cultivated since he was a child that he behaved lightly and casually when he was fighting against the Confucians in Jiangdong.