Chapter 4 fourth quarter

Now I will go on. In a village on the border of Chen State, Zilu once asked Confucius, "A gentleman is also poor." Confucius replied: "A gentleman is always poor, but a villain is too poor." This is a very wonderful scene.The next day, Zigong raised enough food for several days, which saved everyone from desperation and tided over the difficulties. Everyone agreed to continue to stay in this village for three or four days, and after taking a full rest and relieving fatigue, they would cross the border, pass through the old land of Cai State, and head for the negative letter of Chu.

When I came to the border of Chen State, I didn't hear any news about the battle situation. Where Wu and Chu armies fought, what the outcome was, and Chen State was caught in the middle, what was the situation? Everything was unknown.We have lived in Chen Guoguo for four years, we have many friends and acquaintances, and we often think about their safety, but now we have no good plan except to hope for an early ceasefire. Besides, after we recovered, we crossed the border from the hilly area of ​​Chen State to a place in the wilderness of Cai State where the Ru River flows across.In fact, this area has neither national-specific facilities nor landmarks, but there is a big market where many farmers do business, and neither the buyers nor the sellers can tell which country they are from.This abnormal lively scene is not found in other places, showing the unique atmosphere of the border area.

Confucius was in the middle, and a group of ten or so of us surrounded him across the border and came to the bank of Rushui, where we slept overnight, and the next day we began to descend along the Rushui to Shangcai, the ancient capital of the Cai Kingdom.From this stand, Chu Jun questioned more and more.We were ordered to come to the inspection station in Shangcai area to be interrogated. Once we told them that we would go to the negative letter, they did not strictly interrogate us. They designated three villages on the way to Xincai for us to stay in, and let us arrive after Xincai. , Go to the Xincai checkpoint to listen to the order on how to go to the negative letter.

When I set foot on the plain where the Ru River meanders, it means that I set foot on the land of my hometown, Cai State. Naturally, I became everyone's guide, and I was the one who dealt with all the interrogations at the checkpoints. However, this is no longer my country, my Cai country.We did not enter Shangcai City, the ruined city and the bustling new market that remains in the memory of our youth. It has become the barracks of the Chu army, and no one is allowed to approach it.Not only the Shangcai area, but also the several villages we passed along the Rushui River, because the residents moved to Shenhan, there were only scattered mud houses left, and the emptiness was frightening.

However, a few villages also have a small market, which is somewhat popular, and the old, weak, sick and disabled who cannot bear the letter live here, and these villages have become lodging places for tourists. With these villages, we don't have to worry about housing and food along the way.However, I also had to listen to the complaints and complaints of the old people; so I was the busiest in the group. Most of the elderly are dissatisfied with the status quo. In fact, if they want to work, they can grow some land; In the past, let’s just say that in the past, life was very comfortable at that time, but now it is almost unbearable.But I think, then again, Cai Guo's entire country has perished, so he has to be patient and make do with it.

Coming here from the border of Chen State, I always felt that Cai State didn't die, but still existed somewhere.This is of course a great illusion.Half of the state of Cai was looted by the state of Wu, and after the remaining half was looted, it was plundered by the state of Chu.Now there is really nothing.I was too broad to think of these. After walking for four days and three nights, I arrived at Xincai. My heart has been immersed in the sorrow of the subjugated people.But in retrospect, in a sense, this trip was another rare and precious trip for me, because every night—actually, it was only three days, after I finished my work, I went to Confucius’ dormitory and sat down. On the threshold of the earthen house, in the melting moonlight, together with Zilu, Zigong and Yanhui, they listened to Confucius telling the history of the Central Plains.

Every time I went in, Confucius always retold what he had said in a nutshell in order to let me listen from the beginning to the end, and then continued.He said: "The state of Chen, where we lived for three years, and the state of Cai, who is now running around on this land, were originally vassal states in the Central Plains under the protection of the Zhou Dynasty. They were once prominent and have a very ancient history. Unfortunately, the times are not right. Declining and dying. The collapse of Chen and Cai is the inevitable result of the times, not because of a tyrant’s evil deeds, nor can it be saved by a bright ruler. In ancient times, the demise of Xia and Yin was also a historical necessity.”

I always feel that what Confucius said on the first night was comforting me, a native of Cai. On the second night, Confucius talked about the culture of the Central Plains.He said: "Xia, Yin, and Zhou all created high-level cultures with their own characteristics, but if I had to choose one of the three, I would choose the Zhou culture that is based on the cultures of the Xia and Yin dynasties and integrated at a higher level. Dynasty culture. The culture of the early and heyday of the Zhou Dynasty was truly splendid.” Confucius paused for a moment, as if summarizing, and then said firmly:

"Zhou was supervised in the second generation, and he was so melancholy! I follow Zhou." "Gloomy and Wenzai" probably means that the Western Zhou Dynasty's national fortune was prosperous, its culture was prosperous, and it was thriving.Bei gave us a detailed introduction to the rich and colorful culture of the Western Zhou Dynasty. After listening to it, Zilu couldn't help repeating Confucius' "Zhou Jian Yu the second generation..." Then, Zi Gong and Yan Hui also repeated it several times. We were deeply moved by how charming this sentence praising the Western Zhou culture.

On the third night, Confucius talked about the people who created this splendid Western Zhou culture.Say: "It is none other than Zhou Gongdan, a figure from 500 years ago. Duke Zhou assisted his elder brother King Wu to discuss Yin. After the death of King Wu, he consolidated the Zhou family and became an outstanding statesman, military strategist, and philosopher. I started from a young age. Since childhood, he began to worship Zhou Gongdan, knew his great historical role, and often sneaked into his inner world to think about his great achievements. Zhou Gong was the first to put forward the political idea of ​​using ritual as the social foundation of governing the world and replacing the Yin Dynasty's divine government. His politicians are truly unprecedented and unprecedented.”

At this point, Confucius' tone changed: "During the trip between Chen and Cai, there were two major events for me. One was that I was starving at the border of Chen, and the other was that I hadn't dreamed of Duke Zhou for a long time. These two things It can be said that it is a major event in my life.” Confucius stood up, paced back and forth, then stopped, and said: "About the Duke of Zhou, I can probably use this sentence to express my feelings-'It's too late for me to decline. It's been a long time, and I no longer dream of Duke Zhou!'" He said that he was already an octogenarian, and he hadn't met Duke Zhou in his dream for a long time.Confucius was sixty-three years old that year. "Even my decline..." Confucius' disciples repeated this sentence. Then, there was a moment of silence, only to see Yan Hui spread his hands, lying on the ground like a bat. It was only later that I learned that at that time Yan Hui understood what admiration was from Confucius' narration, and was shocked by his sternness, as if he had touched his own shallowness sharply and felt ashamed, so he lay on the ground like a bat. Today, I am here to tell you young people about the past. I am already very old. Reflecting on myself, it is really "I am too old. After a long time, I will no longer dream of Confucius!" It has been a long time since I dreamed of my predecessor Confucius.How lonely and melancholy! Although I reminded myself several times that the state of Cai was destroyed, and I saw and experienced it with my own eyes during the four-day and three-night journey, but how sad people are, once I come to the Xincai area where I was born and raised , always excited. After walking for four days, I left Rushui and turned on the road to Xincai City.As soon as we entered the village, the checkpoint questioned Confucius about his identity, experience, and the purpose of the letter, etc., and asked us to go to the designated village to wait for the notice. The place they designated was the scattered villages along the Rushui River. In my memory, this area is full of lush trees, flowing canals, and the natural scenery is beautiful and peaceful, but now it has also become a shelter for the elderly, weak, sick and disabled.Other villages can no longer be called villages, but a mess of graves. The empty earthen houses are like tombs. The wind howls all day long and the dust is flying, like chirping ghosts crying, which is frightening. Like Shangcai, the old city of Xincai and its surroundings are stationed by the Chu army, and no one is allowed to approach. Counting it, it has been four years since Cai Guo was forced to move his capital to the state.How bustling and lively the royal palace market was back then. From morning to night, men, women and children of all nationalities came and went, carefree and living in harmony. No matter how strong or weak their country was, everyone worked hard for their lives.Where is this bright, cheerful, prosperous market now?Was the past but a dream? ! After I arrived in Xincai, I was busy all day long, and I couldn't spare time to listen to Confucius's high-level talks.Every night, I have to go to several houses, visit the sick, accompany the lonely elderly, some are my distant relatives, some are acquaintances of my acquaintances, and I have to visit them every night. Six days later, we were summoned by the checkpoint, and I went to have a look. The checkpoint informed that the local governor, Ye Gong, was ready to welcome us. Perhaps Sicheng Zhenzi of Chen State had already sent someone to report to Ye Gong. Ye Gong, who knew nothing about Confucius' four years in Chen, seemed to have understood something. It takes four days and three nights to travel from Xincai to Neghan. Everywhere we go, someone has already arranged accommodation for us. Confucius and his entourage crossed the Ru River by boat and set foot on the endless plain. The sky is boundless and there are several pure white clouds flying. Confucius and his party, besides Zilu, Zigong, Yan Hui, and me, there are three older hired workers.They were hired by us when we set off from Chen Guo, and they suffered from fatigue and hunger along the way, but they did not leave in the end. The arrangement of fate made them have no choice but to continue to follow us. After crossing Rushui, we walked for another half a day and crossed the border of Cai and Chu.There are several large and small lakes scattered in this area. It has been said since ancient times that connecting these lakes with a straight line is the border between Cai and Chu.Of course, this kind of legend was originally fabricated by Chu State at will. As soon as you enter the state of Chu, you will be greeted by verdant and verdant fields, vast and endless, green to the end of the world, and the villages shaded by trees are well-decorated.It's been a long time since I saw this fertile agricultural land. We hired a carriage for Confucius in the village.We found that the drivers here sat on their knees and drove, which felt very fresh. The driver raised his whip and set off on the road, and we followed closely behind us on the vast plain all the way south.In the evening, a tributary of the Huai River blocked the way, and there were several villages scattered on the opposite bank. We planned to spend the night there tonight. However, whether to cross the river from the upstream ferry or the downstream ferry, I couldn't decide for a while, so everyone had to rest where they were and planned to ask the locals. Not far from the river bank, two farmers were working in the fields, so Zilu and I went over to inquire.Walking up to them, Zilu asked for directions, but a farmer didn't answer, but asked instead: "Who is that holding the reins?" It turned out that at this time Confucius had already got off the chariot, held the reins in his hand, and planned to caress the horse that was running all the way. "Teacher Kong Qiu." Zilu replied. "Is it Confucius from the State of Lu?" "yes." "Then he should know where the ferry is." It seemed that this man was having a hard time talking, so Zilu turned to another farmer who was plowing the ground. "Who are you?" the man asked back.That tone probably means that if you ask for directions, you must at least give your name first. "My name is Zhong You." "Is he a disciple of Confucius from the state of Lu?" "yes." "The world is a torrential river, rushing and rushing, its momentum is unstoppable, and its direction cannot be changed. What good is it for you to follow that small person who picks and chooses among the rulers of the country, running in all directions, and moving around, it is better to follow us who are not good Those who ask about worldly affairs should farm together.” After speaking, one person sowed the seed—I don't know what kind of seed it was, and the other sprinkled fine soil and started working again. Zilu returned helplessly and told Confucius exactly what he had just said. Confucius said: "You can't see this chaotic society, and you can't escape this crowded and noisy world. If you don't live with your peers who are called humans, what else can you coexist with? We can't live with birds and beasts. group!" Zilu thought these two farmers were hermits, and Confucius probably thought so too, but in my opinion, these two people are both from the state of Cai. From their accents, it can be heard that they are from the southern area of ​​the state of Cai. Cai Guo still has a considerable status, and now he doesn't bother to send a letter to others to ask for a living. During the trip, such a thing also encountered once. It was the afternoon of the second day. We crossed the Huai River and entered a large village.The two sides of the Huai River used to be a small independent country—Xi Kingdom, but later became a victim of the Northern Expedition of the Chu State and was swallowed by the Chu State. We spent the night at a wealthy farmer’s house that day. All the board and lodging had been arranged. Before it was dark, we all sat in twos and threes in the large yard to enjoy the unique summer evening scenery in this area. It is reflected by the water light of the Huaishui River. After taking a nap, I went to the Confucius dormitory next to the courtyard with two or three young people from the village to prepare our packing for tomorrow. At this time, I suddenly heard someone singing loudly outside the window: "Feng Xi! Feng Xi!" I opened the window and heard a voice calling this way from the path among the sparse trees. "Feng Xi! Feng Xi!" "Azui Bird, who only appeared in the peaceful and prosperous age, why is he wandering here?! Why did he become like this?! "Don't remonstrate with those who go, but chase after those who come!" After a pause, he sang again: "Don't meddle in politics, your life is in danger! Since you have come to such a remote Chu country, hurry up and end your wandering life." At this time, Confucius said: "Call him, I have something to say to him." Confucius probably wanted to persuade him.I ran to the door immediately, and Confucius followed closely. I saw him running far away, leaving only a back, which disappeared very quickly. As the news spread, everyone chatted about it—"Another hermit!" I don't think he's a brilliant hermit.The person who sang "Feng Xi Feng Xi" is also a survivor of Cai Guo. He must have a lonely and eccentric personality. We will arrive in Negative Letter in a day or two, how many such sad recluses of Cai who look like hermits should be there!They looked down upon the world and looked at it coldly.But on the contrary, there are also many people who are blindly close to Chu and close to Chu. Everything is good for Chu, and they completely forget the heart of Cai Guo, the country of their parents.I was mentally prepared to enter this settlement where the survivors of the Cai Kingdom lived together, although I was still a little uneasy. Having said that, these two "hermit incidents" show that the name of Teacher Confucius has spread to such a remote place. Although only a few people know about it, it also makes me very excited and deepens my admiration for the teacher. On the fourth day after leaving Xincai, we arrived at the outskirts of Nenghan, where we were arranged to live in a rather dignified house with a dining hall and a place for gatherings. Everyone lived in a single household, and the facilities and conditions were roughly the same as those in Chen Guoshi.We have been living here during the period of residence in the negative letter. On this day, after the room was settled, it was still very bright, so Zilu immediately reported to the checkpoint.At night, when Confucius, Zi Gong, Yan Hui and I were chatting in the corridor facing the courtyard, Zi Lu hurried back. He said that he met Ye Gong in the negative letter. Ye Gong asked what kind of person Confucius was, but he couldn't answer. When someone like Ye Gong suddenly raised this question, Zilu probably didn't think about it, and didn't know how to answer it.He said: "I still don't know how to answer it." Zi Gong and Yan Hui bowed their heads in silence, they were all thinking about how to answer if they met, but they couldn't think of a suitable answer right away.At this time, Confucius said to Zilu: "Zilu, why didn't you say that? Just answer like this." His face softened slightly: "As a human being, he forgets food when he is angry, forgets worries when he is happy, and does not know that old age is coming." Confucius paused and continued: "I am just such a person, neither above these nor below this. Isn't it like this?! I always forget food and worry when I am angry, and I am leisurely and contented, and I don't know how old I am." There was a brief—perhaps not brief—silence. "Heh!" Zilu sighed from the bottom of his heart, and then Zigong and Yan Hui couldn't help but "heh", I wanted to get close, but I held back. I don't know how long it took before everyone realized that Confucius had got up and went back to the house.Zilu, Zigong, and Yan Hui repeated these words of Confucius as if they had just woken up, and I echoed them in a low voice. Then, everyone discussed that the "anger" of this "anger" should be anger at deviating from the way of being a human being, and the "joy" of "joy to forget worries" should refer to everything that makes people's hearts peaceful, warm, cheerful, and comfortable.Such a word by word comprehension, appropriate to explain. The oldest Zilu presided over the discussion, and he summed it up properly.While listening to their heated discussions, while looking up at the starry night sky, I once again deeply felt that the people who can talk about the most beautiful things in the world are not these people? The next morning, which was also our first morning in the negative letter, Confucius saw me and said: "Today is up to you to arrange yourself. There are many acquaintances, friends, and relatives here. If you walk around the street, you will definitely meet them." "OK." However, most of my relatives and acquaintances moved to the state, and almost no one had a letter.If there are any acquaintances you can meet here, and talk about the feelings of farewell, it is probably the friends you made in the palace market, or the partners who worked together. On this day, I walked around the new city of Chenghan as Confucius said.Chu State was able to drive all those people who were unwilling to move to the state and cling to Cai Guo to the negative letter. can be expanded. New City - a new city that lives up to its name.The streets are new, the houses lined up on both sides of the street are new, the alleys between the houses are new, and the people who come and go in the streets and alleys are also new—I think that apart from calling them new people , there is no more appropriate title for him. Indeed, they used to be from Cai, but now they have completely changed. They were born and grew up in Cai, but they have completely forgotten their hometown. They have become new residents of this new city. Walking on the streets of Xincheng, looking at the endless stream of people, I always feel that these streets and these people have nothing to do with Cai State, nor Chu State.Maybe it actually has nothing to do with it. I was walking on the street, and suddenly thought that Zhoulai City, which was born three years earlier than Negative Letter, was probably similar to this place. The demise of the country is really sad.It seems that the subjugation of a country can also be divided into several stages. A complete country is first enclosed into a few small cities such as Zhoulai and Shenhan, and then it is cut down and smaller, and finally disappears completely. Before Cai's demise, many countries had already suffered this catastrophe, and after it, there will be many countries that cannot escape the doom of destruction. Even in troubled times, people should not be discouraged, they must have confidence, and what Confucius thought about day and night is how to turn the tide and save people's hearts.