Chapter 21 Section five

It gets dark early recently, so speak faster. After issuing the negative letter, I entered Xincai on the fourth day.Stay overnight and go to Shangcai the next day.The team leader told me that if they would like to stay in Xincai, they could arrange it.I declined his kindness and decided to act together with everyone.Xincai is indeed the land where I was born and raised, but now the mountains, rivers, and vegetation are different, and there are no relatives and friends, only Rushui is still there, day and night. After walking along Rushui for four days and three nights, I entered Shangcai.It is true that Cai people lived in this area before, and they had unique customs, but now there is no trace of it.Exactly one month ago, I went from Shangcai to Xincai along Rushui River, and I also passed through this area.It's only been a month, and I think the people here are even colder and more distant.

Shangcai is not allowed to enter the city.A month ago, I passed through the border area. This time even the border area has been mobilized by troops, and we are not allowed to approach.We had no choice but to enter the former land of Chen State from a remote back street.This area is what Confucius called "the field of Chen Cai".We avoided the city, opened a new road, passed through the village in the north, and went straight to the capital of Chen Guo. Every village has a big pond surrounded by big paulownia trees.During the flowering season, it must be prosperous.Every time I go to a village, I think of the scene of Zilu dancing and dancing.

After exiting Shangcai, continue to the east, passing through the capital of Chen Guo, the capital of Song Guo, and Qufu. On the first night, we spent the night in a small village on a tributary of the Ru River.The housing has not been arranged yet, so I went for a walk by the wide river and the earth embankment.Looking at the Rushui, I suddenly feel emotional - the Rushui flows continuously and torrents, life and death, multiplication, the rise and fall of the country, and the laws of history.The waves of Rushui are endless forever.Many tributaries of the Ru River converge into a wide river near Xincai and flow into the Huai River.The Huai River runs straight through the land of China, and how many historical dramas of the rise and fall of countries have been performed on its two banks.That night, except for the old man who arranged to rest, the young people took turns on duty and traveled in the wilderness, everything must be cautious.

The next night, we stayed overnight in a village. Several elderly people were allocated to the village chief's big house, and the others were scattered to various households.After dinner, the villagers sang and danced for us.Unexpectedly, what the villagers sang was actually the song that Zilu sang with the sound of Confucius more than 40 years ago. The singing is immortal.The loneliness of life expressed in this song still exists today.Conscripts who have been displaced in the wilderness are still unabated.This is the common fate of the survivors of the subjugated country. On the third day, I was often questioned by soldiers along the way.When they knew that we were merchants from Chu State, they immediately let us go, as if they were providing convenience for our actions.However, the sudden interrogation was surprising.Most of these soldiers were from the state of Chu, and there were also survivors from countries that died in Chu.

In the evening of that day, we crossed the Yingshui River by boat and stayed overnight in a village half a day away from the capital of Chen Guoguo. In the evening, the leader of the team called a meeting and explained the current situation.He said: "I just got news that Chu State is now engaged in a great battle with Qi State to determine the fate of the country. Qi State is one of the oldest ancient states in the Central Plains. King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed the southern area of ​​Jishui to Yu. The descendants of Qi State were founded. Although it is a small country, it has an ancient history, and it is difficult to judge its strength. Now the 19th generation of Jian Gong, with the backing of a powerful country, dared to compete with our southern barbarian Chu State. Send troops to attack and punish. At present, Qi is the only country at war, but it is difficult to guarantee that other countries will not send troops to rescue.

"The State of Qi is located on the bank of the Yellow River, so the battle line is long and vast. From the Huai River to the Yellow River, the State of Chu will devote all its troops. This is a military operation that will determine the fate of the State of Chu. "In this extraordinary period, we entered Chu State at an inopportune time, but it didn't make it difficult for us to move forward. It's just that Qi State set up its combat command in the capital of Chen State, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter the city, and the trading of supplies and commodities also stopped.

"Therefore, we decided that all the staff will leave the capital of Chen State tomorrow and go to the State of Song. Once you enter the capital of Song State, there are many acquaintances there, the situation is familiar, and it is convenient to work. It's just that the journey of three or four days on the road is relatively hard. This area is very fast. It is about to become a battlefield, even if it is not a battlefield, it is also a combat zone. Starting tomorrow, a soldier will accompany us to the Song Kingdom to ensure safety on the road, please be sure to obey the command in all actions."

Early the next morning, we headed east along the main street and went straight to the Song Kingdom.The streets are full of soldiers, sharp and handsome, with high morale. They are all the regular army of Chu State. They are completely different from the soldiers they saw yesterday. In the afternoon of the third day, we waded across the tributary of the Huai River to the east bank, that is, from the state of Chen to the state of Song.In the evening, I took a boat to cross a big river whose name I don't know.On the boat, the soldier who accompanied us said: "This river dives into the ground not too far down the river. The upstream is very beautiful. Both sides are surrounded by huge rocks and rocks. The forest is dense and the scenery is picturesque. It is a famous valley.

"The state of Qi is just upstream of this river, and it is now fighting fiercely with the expeditionary force of the state of Chu. The two sides of the river have become battlegrounds." With mixed feelings, I stared motionlessly at the river in front of me. In this area, the army can be seen to move frequently.On the embankment, soldiers came and went; on the plain, several troops marched north.These soldiers are all Chu people, and only they can go to the front line at the critical moment that determines the fate of the country.This is the characteristic of Chu State.If Confucius was still alive and saw this scene, he would definitely say that it was "just what I want".

After crossing two unnamed Fuliu Rivers, he was supposed to go straight to the capital of the Song Dynasty, but suddenly changed his plan, went down the river, entered a village, and spent the night scattered in farmhouses.I think it may be affected by Chu Qi's battle. Still remained in the village the next day.In the evening, it was reported that Qicheng was on fire, and the officials had abandoned the city to flee for their lives and scattered in all directions. I couldn't fall asleep, so I got up in the middle of the night, walked to the river beach, and saw the upper reaches of the river, the sky to the north was burning red.Some people also ran to the river beach to wait and see. Everyone commented that the Chu army must have set fire to Qicheng.

In this way, the once prominent Qi State in the Central Plains, together with its proud fortified city, was destroyed by the Southern Man Chu State. Qi State is the oldest country in the Central Plains and also the smallest country in the Central Plains. Its rulers have extraordinary self-esteem, which made me care about it very much and have a heart of awe since I was a child. Although Cai Guo and other Central Plains vassal states have self-esteem, they are not in the same breath as Qi Guo.From the time of King Wu of Zhou, from the founding of the country by Yu's descendants to today's nineteenth generation of Duke Jian, the history of Qi State came to an end.Since then, the state of Chu has stepped onto the big stage of the Central Plains with its strong national power.Although the state of Chu has destroyed Chen and Cai and put them under its own umbrella, it is a strong country destroying a weak country, which is not justified and cannot be used as a banner to enter the Central Plains with dignity.This time, the crusade against the State of Qi accomplished a great event that no one else in the Central Plains could do. It breathed a new era into the Central Plains and opened the way for the Chu State to enter the Central Plains. We spent two nights in the village, and on the day we arrived at the capital of Song State, news came that the Chu army had entered the capital of Qi State, and I was very happy. In fact, this matter should be completed by King Chu Zhao, but God thought that the time was not yet ripe and left it to King Hui to accomplish this great cause.King Hui's great success is accomplished, and he can also be called the master of enlightenment. After staying in the country of Song for half a month, several businessmen decided to go to the capital of the country of Lu, but the date of departure could not be fixed, so they had to postpone it.At this moment, it was heard that Chu and Qin were negotiating peace.If the rumors are true, the cooperation between these two emerging powers will definitely change the entire pattern of the Central Plains.Although they don't know when, where, and in what form Chu and Qin negotiated peace, many outsiders who came to the capital of Song State said this with one voice, which seems to be undoubtedly true. After entering the capital of Lu State, I acted alone. As a "Cai Guoren", now it seems that only Lu State accepts me.An old friend who had taken care of me before arranged my board and lodging again this time. The first thing I have to do is to report to Confucius what I have seen and heard during the three-month travel.Most of these things are very relaxed and pleasant, and Confucius must have been in a good mood after hearing this. I stayed in Lu Guoguo for three days. One day I went to visit the tomb of Confucius near Surabaya in the north of the city, and the other day I went to Confucius’ lecture hall. Missing.I wanted to visit the Confucius Research Association as well, but I wandered around the Lecture Hall, feeling happy and satisfied, so I plan to find opportunities to visit you again in the future.Lu Guoguo is the most prestigious school in the Central Plains.The foundation laid by Confucius has not been damaged for decades, and it has become a holy place for Confucius to give lectures. This is entirely the result of your protection. On the fourth day, I was already returning home, so I hurried back to this cold village. I set off from the capital of the state of Lu in the afternoon, and I ran into a few acquaintances on the road. We chatted, and the time passed unconsciously, and it was dusk when we arrived at the mountain pass.When I came up along the valley, I met a few villagers, and I simply said "How is your summer this year? Let's talk slowly later" and hurried back. During this trip, I received a lot of gifts, most of which were placed in the homes of friends in the capital of Lu, but I brought back quite a few. I divided them into two bags and carried them on my shoulders, feeling that the more I walked, the heavier they became.When I was about to reach the top of the slope, I heard someone behind me say, "Old man, let me carry your luggage for you." Looking back, it was a young man from the village, who looked a little familiar. I handed the luggage to him: "I'm sorry." Over the hill, we stopped to rest for a while.I saw a few stars of lights flickering in the villages in the basin, and then, little by little, they all lit up. "Ah, I'm back!" A surge of passion suddenly hit my heart, flowing all over my body, and I couldn't help but burst into tears. "You are so old, where have you been?" "Don't worry about it." I looked at the village where I lived. Five or six of the fifty or sixty households were brightly lit, and there were more and more lights.About one-third, or one-fourth of the street has been lit up, and people from several nearby houses swarm towards the lit street like flying insects to the fire. "Let's go," said the young man. "What's the hurry?! Let's take a break." I fell into deep thought: "Oh, my hometown is now brightly lit." However, I immediately realized that this is not my hometown, I was neither born nor raised here. "However, you can also say hometown. Because for me, there is no place that can be called hometown except here." It has been thirty-two or three years since I lived in this mountain village, and the young couple who took care of me like a father are now middle-aged.They lost their own daughters and were in great pain. Later, they adopted many refugee children and rediscovered the meaning of life. A few refugees were touched by their spirit and stayed in the village to work with them.During the slack season, I sometimes visit them.Therefore, we are like relatives, and they often come to my house to take care of me. After much deliberation, my hometown is here.Xincai, who gave birth to me and raised me, has disappeared from the ground. "We should go." "Wait a while. Rest a little longer." I fell into thought again. Now, I would like to report to you my feelings at that time. In the evening, I looked at the lights in my hometown, and thought that the folks had worked hard all day, and now they were going to rest.It is also a rare happiness to be able to look at the lights of my hometown like this.This kind of happiness has nothing to do with high or low status. As long as it is a kind of peaceful happiness that people should enjoy, it is a joy that nothing can replace. It does not require any effort on my part. , I just watched and enjoyed one of the most extravagant human emotions.Is it not?Parents, grandfathers, grandmothers, siblings, uncles, aunts, neighbors, living and dead, streets, rivers, forests, everything, came out to meet me.When I stare at the lights of my hometown, I can enjoy the most extravagant emotion in the world.This is something that people are born with and belongs to themselves for life, and it is the most basic right that cannot be deprived by any political power. Confucius said many times that since people are born, no matter how chaotic the world is, they must ensure their minimum happiness, so that they feel that "it is still happy to come to this world." I keep in mind the teachings of Confucius.If I were to put it another way, I would say: "No matter what happens, the enjoyment of the peaceful mood of 'Oh, my hometown is now brightly lit' cannot be taken away from the human heart." Or: "No matter how chaotic the world is, Homeland cannot be taken away from people's hearts. If homeland is taken away, there must be something to make it up. This is politics." Confucius must have thought the same way, so he was very concerned about the negative letter built by Ye Gong, because Ye Gong rebuilt the hometown for many people who lost their hometown. Now that negative letter has become an important military base, this is quite different from Ye Gong's original intention, but the unique peaceful atmosphere of this city at dusk will always remain in the hearts of many people who have lost their motherland and regard negative letter as their hometown. This is the end of the report on negative travel.It's still bright outside, so let's get back to the original topic. If you have any questions about Confucius, please ask them. ——As a supervisor, I would like to say a few words.Now the state capital of Lu is planning to hold the first International Confucius Research Conference, and the theme of the conference must be decided as soon as possible.Several of our convenors discussed and planned to decide on Confucius' thoughts in his later years and how Confucius understood the future of people as the theme.In this way, it is necessary to find the part that expresses his thoughts in his later years from a large number of Confucius' speeches.Please, Mr. Yan Jiang, talk about his views on the topic selection. At the gathering in early summer, I once argued about the phrase "if the phoenix and the bird don't come, if the river doesn't come out of the map, I'm dead."Some people think that this is a manifestation of Confucius' despair of the times in his later years.I think Confucius would never despair of society, nor would he say this sentence, otherwise, it would confuse many of his disciples who taught him.If this sentence really came from the mouth of Confucius, it is also his joke. Confucius has always taken an optimistic attitude towards the future of mankind.Man is not stupid enough to destroy his own race.It is a pity that I could not see a bright human society, peaceful national relations, and a beautiful world based on this during my lifetime, but I firmly believe that this era will surely come after my death.This is the basic thought of Confucius, and it is also my thought. For me, Confucius is absolute.Confucius could not be wrong.Confucius will never abandon people.A typical example is the Kuiqiu meeting.The Kuiqiu Covenant is still the golden rule that all countries in the Central Plains must follow.Without these vows, the countries on both sides of the Yellow River flowing through the Central Plains would not be what they are now, and countless people would suffer misfortune and die in the belly of fish. In the history created by man, there are still some remnants of faith.In order to teach his disciples, Confucius took them to the top of Kuiqiu, and I also followed Confucius from that time on. The Kuiqiu meeting decided not to use the water of the Yellow River for combat, and it was a peace meeting.However, in the past two hundred years, peace has not been achieved in the Central Plains area. Wars continue frequently and wars are raging.In the early Zhou Dynasty, there were more than a thousand vassal states in the Central Plains, but now there are only more than a hundred.When I was young, they were known as the "Fourteen Great Powers", namely Qin, Jin, Qi, Chu, Lu, Wei, Yan, Cao, Song, Chen, Cai, Zheng, Wu, Yue, and now Cao, Chen, Cai The four major kingdoms of Wu and Wu no longer exist.Many small states in the past, such as Huang, Liang, Xing, Jiang, Liu, Liao, Yong, Shu, Xiao, Fei, Zhou, Xu, and Qi, some with one city and one country, disappeared unconsciously. Several small countries, such as Liang, Hou, and Xie, after moving their capitals to prefectures, used various methods, such as through the hats, shoes, bamboo cages, cloth and other local products of girls and old people to show their motherland that once existed. I miss my homeland.The country is destroyed, but the people still live on.They lost the foundation of their lives, their wives were separated, and the entire Central Plains felt like a major earthquake. However, for two hundred years, the agreement of the Kuiqiu Conference has not been broken.Why can't human beings create a happy, stable, and beautiful society and country?Why can't a peaceful state relationship be established?Why can't we create such an era? Oh, it's raining outside.Just now I saw lightning in the distance.Please come in, this shabby house cannot keep out the wind and rain.It seems to be raining heavily, please come in and close the windows.A big thunderstorm.The real autumn has come. This reminds me of the scene of Confucius standing still in the face of the storm, thunder and lightning in the empty farm house on the outskirts of the capital of Song Dynasty.Now I, like Confucius, let the "thunder and strong wind" wash my soul, and wait for the heart of heaven and earth to calm down. rainstorm!Thunder!lightning!Let us just sit like this, calm our hearts, listen to the voice of the world, and wait for the world to appease its anger and restore calm.