Chapter 3 third quarter

When Chen Guo ushered in the second spring, I also began to think, how long will Confucius live in this country?This is already the third year. Not long after Zilu entered this weak country that was in danger of perishing at any time, he asserted somewhat gloatingly that Confucius could not get out of Chen State, and he was now in a dilemma.It seems that Zilu's judgment is not unreasonable. In contrast, Zi Gong could understand Confucius' mood.He said: "Confucius wishes to have an audience with King Zhao of Chu. Now he is quietly and patiently waiting for the opportunity, and plans to wait for a while."

This is also a kind of opinion. If Confucius pinned everything on King Chu Zhao, the king of the Central Plains, then it is not surprising how he stayed in Chen State. Yan Hui believed that although everyone's opinions had their own reasons, in the final analysis Confucius liked Chen Guo, and there was no other explanation.Although this statement is full of loopholes and a bit unreasonable, it cannot be completely denied. Perhaps Yan Hui's view is the most appropriate.In the third year Confucius lived in Chen State, he gathered the young officials of this country, explained to them the rules and ceremonies of rites and music, or held various gatherings to talk to ordinary people, showing extra enthusiasm.It would be perfectly appropriate to explain all this as Confucius liked Chen Guo and the people of Chen Guo.

At various gatherings held by the Confucius Mansion, I heard Confucius' speeches several times, some of which are still fresh in my memory after more than 40 years.For example, the discussion on "faith" is one of them.He said: "People cannot lie. Tell the truth and tell the truth. This is the restriction and tacit understanding between people that are necessary for life on this earth. Only when everyone trusts each other can social order be maintained." "In this way, you can't deceive yourself and others when you say something. It must be 'believe the other party' and 'make the other party believe in yourself'. Therefore, the word 'faith' is composed of the characters 'human' and 'words'. Five or six hundred years ago , the Yin Dynasty (1600-1028 BC), which created a high level of culture, had already engraved it on oracle bones."

This passage of Confucius touches on the huge flaw of the Chen country. Take the Chen country's bad habit of loving witchcraft as an example, the people of the Chen country often cannot sincerely trust others.Chen Guo's suffering experience is not unrelated to this.It can also be said that Chen Guo himself attracted the fratricide of the same clan and the continuous foreign invasion. Not only Chen Guo, but also my motherland Cai Guo.The main reason why Cai Guo is so miserable is that the entire country does not trust each other. In addition, no matter what issue Confucius talked about, it must involve "benevolence".

The word "benevolence" means "two" next to a single person. Whether it is a father and son, a master and a slave, or a stranger on a journey, as long as two people know each other, there will be a moral code that the two must follow each other. It is 'benevolence'. In other words, it is 'forgiveness', putting yourself in the shoes of others, and being considerate of others. The word 'benevolence' was also created in the Yin Dynasty." Confucius believed that in order to restore order to the extremely chaotic world, it is necessary to rectify the source and rectify the most essential things that constitute this society, so he raised the issues of "faith" and "benevolence".

The current situation in the Central Plains is indeed extremely chaotic, and no political force can do anything about it. It has reached the point where it has to be rectified from the most fundamental attitude towards life.I am sure that Confucius advocated "benevolence" and "faithfulness" from this point of view, and he happened to live in the country of Chen, so he planned to practice his ideas from this small country. In his later years, Confucius set up a lecture hall in the capital of the state of Lu where there were many famous people from all over the world. Sometimes he also discussed "benevolence" and "faith", but I always feel that he was speaking in Chen State with great emotion and great power to strongly infect the hearts of the audience.Now thinking of the crisis situation of Chen Guo, which was sandwiched between Chu and Wu and suffered oppression and aggression, I feel that Confucius’ eloquent and outspoken words in Chen Guo are like standing on a battlefield full of flames. Listeners all have a sense of urgency and danger.

Especially with regard to "benevolence", I had the opportunity to listen to the discussions of Confucius and his many high-level disciples several times later, and each time the discussion became more and more in-depth.The content is deep and difficult to understand, and it is difficult for people like me to deal with it.Because of this, I cherish very much the speech of Confucius on the "benevolence" of the moral norms between two people in Chen Guo, and I take it as the standard in everything, and I have practiced it to this day.Although it is not satisfactory, but still do their best.

The words "faith" and "benevolence" were created by the Yin people and engraved on oracle bones. Confucius' words are still the same as the first time I heard them.As I said, the blood of the Yin people may flow in my veins, so I think it is no accident that I can serve Confucius who spoke highly of the culture of the Yin Dynasty. In the third year Confucius lived in Chen State, many local people came and went in and out of his mansion, and there were often three or four guests from afar staying overnight. It was like a hotel with a thriving business. Almost all of these guests were from Weiguo, and every afternoon, Confucius' mansion would be bustling for a while.

After Confucius left the state of Lu and embarked on a journey of exile and lobbying, the first stop was the state of Wei, and he lived there for four years before rushing to the state of Chen. Therefore, these visitors from afar who came to Chen Guoguo to visit Confucius were all people who had received Confucius’ kind teachings in Weiguo. They waited for a long time for Confucius to return, so they traveled long distances to listen to Confucius’ teachings. Also, I found that Confucius had many disciples like Zilu, Zigong, and Yanhui, most of whom seemed to live in the state of Lu, and were looking forward to Confucius' return day and night.

In the early autumn of this year, a man came from the State of Lu, who seemed to represent the disciples of the State of Lu. He was about thirty years old, and treated people with gentleness, dignity, courtesy, not inferior to Yan Hui.He was Ran Qiu who later had a close relationship with me in the State of Lu. At the beginning of Confucius' exile, Ran Qiu drove Confucius from the state of Lu to the state of Wei, so Confucius always called him "Qiu Ye" with a unique kindness. Ran Qiu stayed in Chen Guo for a short time, but he stayed with Confucius as much as possible, and asked the teacher for advice one by one on the problems that had piled up in the past few years.

Although I was not sensitive, I finally learned that Confucius had many students, not only from Lu and Wei, but also from all over the Central Plains.I think that the worship of Confucius is forming an invisible giant net covering the land north and south of the Yellow River. However, Confucius himself took care of himself, detached himself, and still lived in the world in his own way.Since entering the country of Chen, he has been unable to get out and has been living a tense and happy life with young people every day. Confucius hated and was angry with social injustice. When he met a mother with a sick daughter, he didn't necessarily respect ghosts and gods, but prayed to the gods with her on the side of the road.Whenever he has free time, he thinks together with young people and seriously explores how life should be spent, and every evening, in the twilight, he goes to the nearby tung forest for a walk alone with his head bowed. I, like Zilu, Zigong, and Yan Hui, cannot do without Confucius at this time no matter what. It has been the sixth year of Duke Ai of Lu and the thirteenth year of Duke Chen Min.From last summer to this spring, news full of gunpowder such as Qi's attack on Song Dynasty and Jin Wei's battle with the Yellow River has been circulating in Chen State.In the early summer of this year, a war suddenly struck Chen Guo from the front. One late night, Sadako Sicheng came to visit in a hurry, and the atmosphere in the whole mansion immediately became tense.Sicheng Zhenzi said to Confucius: "Wu State dispatched all the troops to attack our country from all directions. Our country has asked for help from the ally Chu State. This time Wu Wang Fu sent troops to attack Chen State. King Zhao of the Kingdom of China and King Zhao of Chu are fighting to the death. King Zhao of Chu is now leading the whole army to Chengfu, the largest stronghold in the east of our country. "Our country will become a battleground for Wu and Chu to decide the outcome. Although we are reluctant, but things are up to now, there is nothing we can do. "The situation is urgent and there is no need to delay. Please leave Chen State tomorrow and avoid to Chu. I think Chu is the safest. Chu is vast. I think it would be better to build a new city for the survivors of Cai. Stationed in Chu Mr. Ye is a well-known doctor in the state of Chu, and he can be trusted. Please take refuge there for a while. "As for which way to go to the letter, I really can't give any advice, and the safety on the road is also difficult to guarantee. It is very likely that we will encounter the Chu army, and even bump into the Wu army camp. Now that the Wu army has started to move, it means that they are ready." Sicheng Sadako rearranged her clothes, stood in front of Confucius, and continued: "During your residence in Chen Guo, I didn't take good care of you, and I apologize for encountering such an unforeseen situation. Please take care of yourself and win strong support to achieve great ambitions and save the people from suffering and disaster. suffering." After speaking, Sadako Sicheng immediately took her leave and returned.He is indeed a rare outstanding figure in Chen Guo. The next morning, several carriages and more than a dozen attendants gathered in front of the Confucius mansion. These carriages and attendants were all raised overnight by Zigong. During his residence in Chen State, Zi Gong often acted alone, going back and forth between the Wei and Song Dynasties, mysteriously, but at this critical moment, he was the only one who became the backbone of everyone. For those who have taken care of him in normal times, Zigong has arranged everything thoughtfully, meticulously and in an orderly manner. Confucius entered the palace and announced his farewell to Min.As soon as the twenty or so of us waited for him to come back, we bid farewell to Chen Guo and headed west. Out of the capital of Chen Kingdom, there is a vast plain.That night, we spent the night in a small village in the wilderness.All the villages I passed by that day were deserted. I don’t know if they were ordered to evacuate by the superiors, or they fled their homes by themselves. Depart at dawn the next day and arrive at the shore of the Yingshui tributary in the evening.In the past two days, we basically walked according to the plan formulated by Zigong, and then we will enter the river zone. The tributaries of Yingshui and Rushui lie in front of us one after another, and the great flood that has not been encountered in decades is coming. Flooding flooded all the roads, making it difficult for us to advance or retreat. That night, we spent the night on the shore of a tributary of the Yingshui River.The next day, one of the oldest attendants who was familiar with the terrain in this area led us up the river, walked for half a day, and waded across the river.After staying overnight in the wild, and then walked for another seven or eight days, although there were some detours, I finally arrived at Shangcai, the ancient capital of Caiguo.When I was twelve or thirteen years old, I visited Shangcai once. This time I revisited Shangcai with Confucius, and I couldn’t help feeling sad when I saw the desolation of the ancient capital. That night, we were camping in the wilderness. Unexpectedly, we were attacked by a group of Wu's defeated army, who looted the carriage, food, and even the few clothes and quilts we had. In order to cheer up everyone's spirits, Confucius played the piano.Everyone listened to the piano in silence. I don't know who sang with the sound of the piano in a deep voice.An unspeakable sorrow tore the hearts of the exhausted group. I only heard Confucius say: "The Wu army has robbed us of all our things. Now we sing their sorrow. They were drafted into the army, driven to the battlefield, defeated and fled, hungry and helpless, so they robbed us. They went to the mainland of Chen to fight in this way, can they go back to the motherland alive and well?" As soon as Confucius finished speaking, Zilu sang again. After singing, Zilu said, "Just now I sang about our sorrow. We are neither wild oxen nor tigers. Why are we wandering in the wilderness like this, homeless?" Yes, this is exactly our sorrow.As the lyrics say, we are neither bison nor tigers, but we have been wandering in the wilderness for three days. Thinking about it later, our wanderings in the wilderness still had a sense of spiritual well-being. The next day, all the attendants went out separately to collect food. In the evening, only three of them brought back some, and the others all dragged their tired bodies and returned empty-handed.The villages in this area are all left as empty shells. At night, everyone sits in a circle.After dinner, some people sang again. The young people took turns singing and dancing in twos and threes. Most of them had been soldiers, and their songs sang about their painful feelings. After one night, I got up the next day and saw that except for three or four elderly attendants, the others had disappeared without a trace, and escaped halfway. "The young men have all run away." A follower who did not leave said that they heard that Chen Guo's army was everywhere ahead, and they were afraid of arresting Ding, so they ran away overnight. Confucius and his party suddenly fell cold and lost their anger.We trudged west across the riverlands.Going west, going west, but trapped in Chen Guo, how can you go west smoothly! I can't get a grain of food, and I occasionally pass through one or two deserted villages, rummaging through boxes and cabinets, and even if I can find food, it is very limited. Everyone has one share and distributes it equally.Such a little thing is naturally a drop in the bucket, and it doesn't help. In this half-starved and dazed state, we moved step by step to the west, and from time to time we met the Chen Guo army. Some of them overtook and overtook us from behind; some of them came face to face with us. Passed by. Two or three times they really couldn't stand it anymore, so they gave us some food, but they had their own difficulties, and they didn't have this kind of mentality. Some troops still had many wounded soldiers on their chariots. We moved like this, about eight or nine days after leaving Chen Guoguo, we arrived at a village staggeringly, and everyone couldn't hold on anymore, and they all fell down and couldn't move. This village is still very clearly in my memory.It was a small village in the border area of ​​Chen State adjacent to Cai State. When Confucius and his party arrived here, they were exhausted by hunger and fatigue.The village was empty, and we sat by a pond, and we all gathered together involuntarily.There are a few wild ducks swimming in the pond. We lay on our backs, and found that the top of our heads was covered with huge tung tree branches, covered with light purple flowers, which seemed so grotesque, unreal and gorgeous to us exiles. I don't remember whether it was the day I arrived at the village or the evening of the next day. The sun had already set, and the afterglow was still rippling around.I was lying under the tree of tung blossoms, and Zilu, Zigong, and Yan Hui were all sitting or lying down by the pool not far from the tung tree.Confucius was also sitting under the tung tree, and someone found him a piece of fur as a bedding. At this time, suddenly——this is how I feel, Zilu stood up and walked to Confucius staggeringly.Confucius was playing a plucked instrument with his fingernails, and the sound of the piano was melodious. "A gentleman is also poor?" Zilu shook his head angrily, as if he was angry, maybe he was really angry.If everyone starves to death here without knowing why, then what have we done before?Zilu must have lost his temper.Moreover, the starvation of people like Confucius made him feel sad and angry anyway. "A gentleman is also poor?" Zilu asked again. Confucius stopped playing the qin, turned his face to Zilu, and said: "A gentleman is always poor." His voice was loud and strong, and his tone was firm, which surprised everyone.He went on to say: "The villain is too poor!" This sentence means that when the villain is poor, he will be disordered and cannot restrain himself, but the gentleman will not be disordered. It is awe-inspiring.I stood up and sat up again.Zigong also stood up, walked up to me, sat upright, and let out a low "ah". I think this is an admiration and admiration for Confucius. After listening to Confucius' words, I get the greatest satisfaction. I no longer have any fear of starvation and death. This moved me. How could Zigong and Zilu not be deeply moved?Zilu bowed his head deeply to Confucius, then twisted his body vigorously, opened his hands, and began to swing slowly and rhythmically. At that time, Zilu probably cried. "A gentleman is always poor, but a villain is too poor!" Thinking of the teacher's words, what is hunger? !What is it to starve to death? !Zilu felt happy—or rather, he was deeply moved, and couldn't help but dance with his hands and feet. Zigong must have been so excited that he wanted to sing and dance, but seeing Zilu dancing there, he had to lower his head, trying to suppress the surging emotion in his heart. He couldn't find Yan Hui, so he was also very excited.It turned out that he didn't stand up, but curled up into a ball, thinking that in this way, life and death could be ignored, and hunger and death could be ignored.It is precisely because I was suffering from hunger and hunger that I heard such profound and thorough remarks from the teacher, and I am satisfied.Yan Hui was also trying his best to suppress his excitement. Once again, I felt that I could never live without my teacher.Regarding hunger, even when he was exhausted from hunger, the awe-inspiring attitude Confucius showed was magnificent and fascinating. The next day, Zigong managed to raise food for several days, and everyone survived starvation. Later, Confucius and his entourage headed for the negative letter.That's all for today, and next time I'll talk about some things about Confucius in the negative letter.You are probably tired too. What did you say?In your collection of Confucian sayings, there is the sentence "Those who follow me from Chen Cai are not as good as the door"? !That is to say, none of the people who were in trouble with Confucius and Chen Cai could stand out. When, where, and to whom did Confucius say this?Oh, you don't know either. But how earnestly it was said!Indeed, the disciples of Confucius who have endured untold hardships in the wilderness of Chencai have nothing to do with getting ahead and making a fortune.During the internal strife in Wei, Zilu firmly tied his crown and died fighting for righteousness; Yan Hui died early and lived in poverty all his life.However, in another sense, they are the luckiest disciples who can directly feel the strictness and benevolence of Confucius, and have lived and died with Confucius for several days. Let's call it a day.