Chapter 22 Nineteen, debut

Confucius was a commoner, but his first appointment as the governor of Zhongdu and Da Sikou showed his extraordinary talent in managing the world and helping the country. In early spring, it was warm and cold. Yesterday was sunny, but today it was snowing. Confucius, Zi Gong, Zi Lu, Yan Hui, Min Ziqian, Ran Geng, and Zeng Xi six disciples drove to Zhongdu in two carriages. Zhongdu is ninety miles away from Qufu, and it is a medium-sized city. Confucius was appointed as the governor of Zhongdu by Lu Dinggong on the recommendation of Meng Yizi and Nanguan Jingshu because of his excellent warehouse management.Confucius, who was fifty years old, was very excited, and his disciples were also very happy. They sang songs all the way, and the smug Confucius inevitably played the piano again.

When he arrived in the city of Zhongdu, Confucius looked out from the curtain of the car and saw many beggars and idlers wandering in the street. Confucius said to the students: "These people will be turned into labor force in the future." Confucius looked at a small restaurant and said, "Let's eat in this restaurant, so that the government servants will not refuse to invite us to dinner. On the one hand, it is also convenient to understand the people's sentiments." So everyone got out of the car, found a table in the restaurant and sat down. After a while, the waiter served the food, and everyone started eating.

During the meal, I heard two middle-aged men drinking at the table next to me talking. "I heard that there will be a new governor." "It should have been changed a long time ago. It's messy and poor. Look, there are so many beggars and so many idle people who are left alone." The other also said: "Yes, this town will die if it is not cleaned up. Look at the bullies in the market, who dares to intervene?" After dinner, Confucius said: "Let's not go to the yamen for the time being, but stay in the post house for a few days to learn about the situation secretly."

Witnessed the children said: "Teacher Shengming." Therefore, Confucius' master and apprentice stayed temporarily in a post house, and made unannounced visits separately during the day, and gathered together at night.A few days later, they knew everything about the City Department and the entire Zhongdu city.Then Confucius went to report to the Yamen of the Yap Department. Confucius also visited several city officials, listened to their opinions, talked with some old men, listened to the confidances of the people, and visited some nobles, so that he was confident before he was promoted to the court and issued an order.Corrupt officials were punished in the hall, the incompetent and mediocre were replaced, fair and honest officials and servants were retained, and several disciples were assigned to important departments.

As soon as Confucius took office, he started several important measures at the same time.The first is to dig wells and open canals to build water conservancy; the second is to encourage the rich to set up factories and workshops and employ idlers; the third is to crack down on profiteers and rectify the market; Confucius arranged for Ran Geng and Ran Yong to be in charge of water conservancy, Zigong in charge of running factories and workshops, Zilu in charge of market management, and Zeng Xi and Yan Hui in charge of culture, education, etiquette and governance. One day, Confucius, Zilu, Yanhui, Zigong and others inspected the market and saw a fat man selling mutton. Confucius knew that this person was a sheep dealer who had been exposed by the masses. His name was Shen. Jewish people.So he went to buy one of his sheep, cut it open in public, and saw that the mutton was dripping with salt water. It turned out that he sprinkled a lot of salt on the forage, and the sheep drank water desperately after eating, which made the sheep gain weight.Confucius asked him:

"What do you think you should do?" "What to do! Can you manage it?" "We must deal with illegal profiteers!" Confucius said sharply. The sheep dealer clenched his fist and was about to punch Confucius. "How dare you!" Zilu clasped his hands behind his back, and the people on the street surrounded him, accusing him one after another: "It turns out that you mixed water into the mutton to extract oil from us common people!" Zilu said: "According to the new regulations, please pay the fine, or take it away." Two servants came up.

"I pay the fine, I pay the fine, and I will never dare to break the law again." Confucius and Zilu punished those who raised prices, usury, and sold fake goods.The black market and black dens were also destroyed by Zilu, and the market atmosphere was finally corrected. Confucius also heard from the masses that there was a man named Gongshen who didn’t care about his wife’s adultery, so Confucius said to Zilu: “He doesn’t care about anything that is offensive to public morals, and the government has to deal with it. thing." Zilu said, "I'll investigate immediately."

Later, Gongshen wrote a letter of divorce to his adulterous wife, and from then on, all the scandalous things were restrained. Winter turns to spring, and the stars move. Confucius and his disciples fought hard for a year, fulfilling Confucius' promise to change the appearance of Zhongdu in a year, and Zhongdu ushered in spring. In the fields, there are newly built canals and newly dug wells everywhere, and every household has a bumper harvest. Many workshops have been opened in the city, and the idle people are gone. Many shops have also been opened on the street, attracting business travelers from all over the world...

In the school run by Yan Hui, there was the sound of Yaya reciting books.The street was renovated, flowers and birds sang in front of every house, people put on newly woven clothes, and greeted each other politely.The beggar disappeared without a trace, did not close the door at night, and did not pick up lost items during the day... The changes in the central city caused a sensation in the four states. Many visitors came from all over the country. Confucius and his disciples led them on the street... Confucius' achievements in governing the city were passed on to the royal palace, and Duke Ding of Lu issued an edict to transfer Confucius back to Beijing to serve as Sikong.

On the day of Confucius Cheng, he was sent off by the people singing and dancing. Several old men held Confucius's hand and said: "Master, it's amazing that you have brought such a big change to the capital in just one year since you came here!" The other one also said: "Yeah, a mess has been completely changed. It seems that the ritual and music civilization advocated by the master is good!" "Master, don't go!" Confucius said: "The reason why I decided to leave is because I want to improve more cities with the rule of virtue and propriety of Duke Zhou, so that more Li people can live a moderately prosperous life."

"Okay, okay, well said. Let more places become like our Zhongdu." "Thank you parents, thank you all for seeing off." Confucius and his disciples bid farewell to the people and officials. Ran Geng stayed to succeed Confucius as the governor of the Central Government, and he and Confucius shook hands tightly to see him off. "Bo Niu, I believe you can manage better than the teacher." "Teacher, don't worry, the disciples must obey the teacher's rule of virtue and etiquette." Ran Geng saw Confucius off with tears... He was a slave in the past, but now he is the governor of Zhongdu. How could Ran Geng not be moved. Confucius was summoned by Lu Dinggong because of his outstanding political achievements. In the morning, Confucius got up when he heard the rooster crowing, Mrs. Qi Guan waited on him for breakfast, changed into his official robes, then boarded Zi Gong's car and headed for Wang Guan. After entering the main hall, Confucius gave a great gift to Duke Ding of Lu. Duke Ding of Lu said: "My master is free from courtesy." Lu Dinggong said to the civil and military officials lined up on both sides: "Kong Aiqing has made outstanding achievements in governing the central city, and has had a great influence. In just one year, he managed the central capital to be prosperous and never closed his household. Therefore, I want to promote him to Sikong." "Thank you, Lord Long En." Confucius kowtowed. "Kong Aiqing, countries from all over the world have come to visit and imitate your achievements in governing the central capital. I want to hear your experience." Confucius said humbly: "Reporting to the king, Kong Qiu actually obeyed Duke Zhou's rule of virtue and relied on the prestige of the monarch. Confucius just did what a minister should do. Confucius just felt that Lu State was the fiefdom of Duke Zhou. The rites and music cannot be lost, so I am willing to do my best for the prosperity of the state of Lu." "Okay, the widow believes that you will make better results." After coming down to court, all civil and military officials surrounded him and congratulated Confucius. After Confucius became Sikong, he worked very hard on the construction projects of the whole country, and often listened to the opinions of technicians and subjects. Therefore, he was quickly promoted to Da Sikou, in charge of the country's judiciary, and his position was equivalent to that of a doctor. In the autumn of this year, the rebellion of Ji Pingzi's vassal Yang Hu occurred in the state of Lu. Puyuan in the north city of Qufu is in the late autumn when the maple trees are red, and the scenery is intoxicating, but today it is heavily guarded, with one post every three steps, and one sentry post every five steps. It turns out that Yang Hu held a grand banquet here. In front of the tables in the middle, Yang Hu sat with his sword in his hand, and the tables in the two rows had already placed fine wine and sacrificial meat.Yang Hu stared at his tiger eyes restlessly, expecting his younger brother Yang Yue to "invite" Ji Huanzi here quickly, and he kept asking his attendants to go outside to see if Ji Huanzi had come. After Ji Pingzi's death, the ambitious Yang Hu took advantage of Ji Huanzi's first accession to the throne, forced Ji Huanzi to make a blood pact with him, stole power, and controlled the power of Lu.But Yang Hu was still not satisfied, and wanted to completely eliminate the influence of the old Sanhuan and replace them all with his cronies.So he conspired with Ji Kui, Gong Ji, Gong Shan Buxuan and Shu Zhongzhi, a doctor of Lu State, who were not interested in Ji, Shusun, and Mengsun, and the five elected Yang Hu as their leader. Today, they have already divided their labors and conspired to kill Ji Huanzi under the pretext of Puyuan banquet, hold Lu Dinggong hostage, and obey Yang Hu in everything.The lecherous Ji Huanzi felt very tired yesterday because he went to the Xi Gong Temple to participate in the annual sacrificial ceremony. Last night, he spent a good night with Xinde's concubine, snoring with his arms around her at dawn.Meng Longzhong was woken up by the servant: "My lord, Yang Hu sent someone to pick you up and have a feast in Puyuan." "Have a feast in Puyuan? I won't go." Ji Huanzi turned over and fell asleep again. After a while, the servant came to report again: "My lord, Yang Hu's younger brother Yang Yue has come to pick you up for the banquet in person." "If you don't go, just say I have a headache." After another hour, the servant came to report again: "My lord, Yang Hu is here to pick you up in person." Ah, three please me?Is it worth it?Let's go, Ji Huanzi got up, the concubine helped him put on his clothes, and went to the door, only to see Yang Hu smiled and said, "I've been waiting for a long time, please get in the car." Ji Huanzi widened his eyes and felt sleepy Sleepy eyes. Seeing Yang Yue standing aside with his sword eyeing, and then looking at two rows of ferocious soldiers standing on both sides of the vehicle, he was startled and woke up from sleep. "What... what is this for?" "I invite you to the banquet." As Yang Yue said, he forced Ji Huanzi into the carriage, and with a resounding whip, the carriage sped up the street. Ji Huanzi has already felt the seriousness of the situation, this is not inviting him to a banquet, it is clearly kidnapping him to the killing field... This Yanghu is too hateful, he has already forced me to make an agreement, the power is in his hands, now You still want my life, it's too vicious, I only hate how my father sent such a person. what to do?Ji Huanzi was thinking nervously, with a pair of small eyes looking left and right on his chubby face, he opened the curtain and saw Yang Hu riding a tall horse with his hand on his saber to clear the way in front, and Yang Yue behind him, my God!Could it be that my Ji family is about to fall under Yang Hu's hands... Suddenly, he saw that he was approaching a cross street, and Ji Huanzi thought for a second, as long as he turned south, he could go to Meng's mansion, so he might be saved. Time was too tight, and every minute and every second would affect his fate .So Ji Huanzi started a psychological war with the driver Lin Chu. "Brother Lin Chu, please stop at Nanguai. I'm going to Meng's Mansion. Yang Hu is going to kill me. Please save my life." "No, Yang Hu will kill me." "Brother Lin Chu, your family has been loyal and good for generations. Now that Yang Hu is rebelling, how can you help the evildoers?" "There are young and old in my family, I dare not disobey Yang Hu." "If you save me, I can keep you rich for generations, otherwise my family will not let your whole family go." Lin Chu didn't speak, but when he arrived at the crossroads, he suddenly slapped the horse's neck, and the horse immediately screamed, Lin Chu drove the car to the south quickly, and Yang Yue who was behind immediately shouted in shock: "Stop! " Yang Hu in front heard the sound and galloped over. Seeing that Ji Huanzi had run away, he said to Yang Yue: "Hurry up and chase him, I'll go to the palace to rob Duke Lu." Yang Yue led his troops to chase after him. When he was about to reach Meng's mansion, Yang Yue was shot to death by random arrows, and the chasing troops were in chaos. Confucius' family was about to have lunch, when Zilu ran over sweating: "Teacher, it's not good, Yanghu made trouble, Ji Huanzi fled to Meng's mansion." Confucius put down his chopsticks and said: "This is expected. Yang Hu's ambition is destined to rebel against him. The most important thing now is to protect the monarch. Zilu and Zigong, you should quickly bring someone who knows martial arts to escort you to the palace." "is teacher." Zilu and Zigong hurriedly took a few martial arts disciples and went straight to the palace... Duke Ding of Lu had been held hostage by Yang Hu. When Zilu, Zigong and others rushed to the palace with sharp swords in their hands, the Chengyi soldiers and horses led by Gonglian Chufu, a retainer of the Mengsun family, had arrived. Zilu and others rushed into the palace together with them. , defeated Yang Hu's soldiers and rescued Duke Lu.Yanghu was defeated and had to rob Lu State's national treasure - the Baoyu Big Bow and fled to the border city of Yangguan. Gong Lianchu's father asked Zilu and Zigong to protect Lu Dinggong, and he led his troops to chase and kill Yanghu. That precious bow was worn by King Wu when he defeated Zhou. King Wu gave it to Duke Zhou, who was entrusted to Qufu, so he asked his son Boqin to bring the bow to Qufu. This bow became the national treasure of Lu State. Yang Hu was pursued by the Lu army and was about to be forced to go, so he had to throw the national treasure on the road, and the pursuers intercepted the national treasure. The rebellion subsided, and Zilu, Zigong and other disciples participated in the battle and served as escorts. Duke Ding of Lu hosted a special banquet to commend them.During the banquet, Confucius said: "The situation where the ministers (retainers) enforced the state's orders is finally over, and the world is right. If the world is well governed, then all powers should be determined by the emperor, and the government will last for a long time; It can last at least ten generations; if the power is controlled by a doctor, it will not exceed five generations; if the power is controlled by retainers, it will not exceed three generations." Zilu said happily: "Now that Yang Hu has been suppressed, the crooked tendency of the ministers to control the state power has finally been corrected." Confucius said again: "Therefore the world is governed by Tao and the political situation is not turbulent, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment. This is the principle that I have repeatedly emphasized that a ruler should be like a ruler and a minister should be like a minister." These words are right in the heart of Duke Ding of Lu. The power of several generations of monarchs of the Lu Kingdom has been usurped by the Sanhuan family, and the retainers have been sidelined. Still in shock, after hearing what Confucius said, he just smiled wryly. Confucius understood Lu Dinggong's difficulties, and comforted Lu Gong saying: "In the future, the monarch will need our help, and our teachers and apprentices will help each other wholeheartedly." Of course Duke Ding of Lu wanted to make good use of Confucius as his master and apprentice, but Ji Huanzi and the other three Huan were in the way, so it was inconvenient to express their position clearly, but they just responded with "um, um, yes, yes". Yang Hu fled to Yangguan, occupied the land for himself, and fled to Qi State after being crusaded by the Lu army. In the spring of 500 BC, in March of Yangchun, the weather was fine and the sun was shining brightly. At the foot of the eastern mountain of Mount Tai, there is a narrow and beautiful valley called Jiagu.It is at the junction of Qilu, with gurgling streams in the valley and green pines and cypresses on both slopes. At this time, the apricot and mountain peach blossoms are already blooming all over the mountains, and the mountain wind blows, sending bursts of flower fragrance... Originally, this was a beautiful scenic spot, but at this moment, it was full of murderous threats, because the Kings of Qilu and Shandong were about to hold a blood alliance meeting here. On the two slopes of Jiagu, flags are flying, and there are many soldiers and spears.On the sunny platform on the south slope, a high altar was temporarily built.Temporary palaces for the kings of Qi and Lu were newly built on both sides of the alliance altar, and barracks tents were set up nearby. In Lu Jun's palace, Lu Dinggong and Confucius, who are already dressed, are waiting for the arrival of the auspicious day.Confucius, who was in his fifties, also put on the majestic uniform of the great commander, and put on a crown hat. Lu Dinggong said to Confucius, who was the chief minister and photographer this time: "The master is right. Wenbei must have military equipment, and military equipment must also have military equipment. Therefore, I listened to your suggestion and brought Le Qi and Shen Juxu. There are about two Sima and five hundred soldiers, otherwise, we will be passive." Confucius said: "Yes! Good or bad times are uncertain, and there must be a lot of soldiers and horses. You can see that there are many barracks in Qi State, and there must be many soldiers and horses." "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Yan is also here with illness, which shows that Lord Qi attaches great importance to this alliance." "Hmm." Lu Jun nodded, "How can Qi Jun leave Yan Ying?" Lu Jun said again: "That Li Jia is also here, you have to be careful with that person, he's full of bad water." Confucius nodded and said, "I have already learned it when I was in Qi. He once sent people to murder us." Confucius said again: "My lord, no matter what the situation is, you must remain calm. I will play it by ear. The general principle is to preserve our national prestige and never allow our interests to be violated." The two were discussing, when the attendant came in and said that it was time to appear. Confucius followed Duke Ding of Lu into the venue, and Duke Jing of Qi on the opposite side followed Yan Xiang and Li Jia. The auspicious day has arrived, the alliance meeting begins, drums and music are played together, and the monarchs of the two countries climbed up the alliance altar from the east and west steps respectively.Confucius followed Duke Ding of Lu to the platform from the west steps.After the two sides presented the geese, the kings of the two countries took their seats on the altar, and Yan Ying and Confucius stood behind their own kings respectively. After the two kings sat down, the drumming stopped. Qi Guo, the leader of the alliance, sent Li Jia to be the master of ceremonies of the alliance.He proclaimed in a loud voice: "The Monarchs of Qilu and Lu will begin, play music and raise the flag." So the two countries played music and raised the flag one after another. The master of ceremonies announced the beating of drums again, and there were twenty-one beatings under the altar. "Sacrifice to heaven." Qi Jinggong and Lu Dinggong each held incense sticks and kowtowed to the sky three times. "Blood." In the sound of drum music, two etiquette officials stabbed a wild goose with their swords, and presented two bottles of wine dripping with blood to Lord Qi and Lord Lu. Duke Jing of Qi said to Duke Ding of Lu in a domineering manner with the air of a monarch of a great country: "Today, Qilu and Qilu became friends with each other through blood alliance. From then on, we are one family." "Family?" Confucius was startled, there are obviously two countries! Duke Ding of Lu also delivered a speech: "Our two countries, Qilu and Lu, are separated by a strip of water. Since ancient times, we have been friends with each other. After the blood alliance meeting today, no matter which country is in trouble among us, we should help each other like brothers. We do business with each other on weekdays. Let them share the joy of living in peace." The master of ceremonies, Li Niu, announced: "The celebration dance music begins." Immediately, ear-piercing drum music sounded from under the altar.Then, a group of brawny men with bare chests and arms, wearing animal skins and oxtail and leopard tails on their heads, climbed onto the altar and danced with swords and spears.All of a sudden, demons danced wildly, wild beasts jumped wildly, and stabbed Lu Gong continuously with swords and spears. Lu Dinggong was so shocked that he hid his head behind Confucius. Confucius saw it and shouted loudly: "Stop playing music." The music stopped abruptly. Confucius strode up to Duke Jing of Qi and said, "Since the two monarchs are on good terms today, we should have played the music of peace, but let these people dance wildly with spears and almost stab Duke Lu. I don't know what Qi State means. This knife is impolite. , the head musician should be beheaded to show justice.” At this moment, Ma Leqi and Shen Juxu, two Sima Lu State officials, came up to the altar with their swords in hand and glared at them. Upon seeing this, Duke Jing of Qi had no choice but to shout at the Lai people: "Don't let me back down yet." Li Niu saw that Lu Jun brought a lot of soldiers and horses, knowing that it would be impossible to hijack Lu Jun, he secretly sighed at the power of Confucius, so he had to implement the second plan, so he issued a yin and yang and said strangely: "Okay, since Mr. Lu doesn't like to watch Lai Ren dance, then please watch Le Nu singing and dancing." The people of Qi played slow-paced drum music, and after a while, a group of half-naked beauties entered the field.Confucius frowned when he saw their outfits, and then looked at Lu Dinggong, seeing that his face was flushed with excitement, Confucius could only shake his head, stood aside, and turned his head to one side. Confucius wished they would finish dancing and roll off the stage. Unexpectedly, the music turned into a folk song of the State of Lu. What shocked Confucius even more was that these beauties sang the Qi poem "Zai Qu" which satirized Lu Huan, the ancestor of the State of Lu. . Confucius knew that this period of history refers to the incestuous adultery between Zhuer, the ancestor of Qi State, and his younger sister Wen Jiang. After Wen Jiang married Duke Huan of Lu, he still maintained an adulterous relationship with his brother.Isn't Qi Nu singing this song mocking the State of Lu now?Confucius was extremely angry, and the songs of those beautiful women became more and more outrageous: This "Zai Qu" was originally a collection of folk songs satirizing Wen Jiang's lewdness, and now the women of Qi have added a few more lines: "Haha..." Everyone in the audience listened and laughed so hard... Lu Dinggong only cared about admiring the half-naked beauties, and didn't care to listen to what they were singing. His face was still flushed, and his eyes swept back and forth on the beauties.Confucius couldn't bear it anymore, so he went to question Qi Jun: "My lord, the song "Zai Qu" sung by these dancers is not only a song to mock our ancestors, but also a song to humiliate your ancestors. Whoever ordered them to dance should be beheaded to thank their ancestors." He stared angrily. At this time, Qi Jinggong also realized the seriousness of the problem, so he stared at Li Jia and his face changed, Yan Ying was also angry, and shouted at Li Jia: "I still don't admit my mistake." Seeing this, Li Jia knelt down to Duke Jing of Qi with a plop: "My lord, I only let them dance, I didn't let them sing, they sang by themselves..." Then he shouted to the left and right Sima under the altar: "Why are you still standing there? Why don't you kill them!" The left and right Sima of Qi State jumped onto the stage and pushed the heads of the five beauties down. They raised their knives and dropped their heads, and the five heads rolled down the stage. People yelled "ah" and went back... Li Jia cursed in his heart: "Kongqiu, I will rule you." Then he smiled slyly and said: "Our Qi country's dance and music performance is over, it's time for you Lu country to take the stage." Confucius then waved his hand, and the band in the state of Lu played the beautiful "Shao" music. Seven mulberry picking girls came out and danced. I saw that they were well-dressed, gracefully dancing, moving, and full of life. , Not only Lu people appreciate it, but even Qi people are dumbfounded.After the dance, warm applause broke out. Confucius waved his hand again, and two rows of valiant warriors appeared on the stage. They were all armored, wearing golden helmets, and holding daggers that shone with coldness.The music was simple and powerful, and the singing voice was high-pitched and passionate. After the dance, they received warm applause. At this time, the momentum of Lu State suddenly gained the upper hand, and Qi State was in a passive position.The old, weak and sick Yan Ying had to save the situation by himself. He called Li Jia down, walked to Taichung and said, "The purpose of the two monarchs today is not to watch the singing and dancing. These singing and dancing are just for fun. Regardless of whether it is good or bad, Now that the opening is over, let's get to the point, which is to sign the covenant between us, and now I will invite Duke Jing to announce the covenant." Duke Jing of Qi stood up and went to Taichung to announce the nine clauses. When he read the last one, Confucius was shocked. The clause said: When Qi goes out to fight, Lu must send three hundred soldiers to accompany him, otherwise he will be punished for breaking the covenant. , isn't this treating Lu as a vassal of Qi?Confucius said angrily: "Qi Gong, we cannot accept this last one." Lu Dinggong also said: "Yes, we disagree with this last paragraph." Li Jia shouted: "If you don't agree, then the alliance will be destroyed." Yan Ying hurriedly said: "Don't get angry on both sides. Let's discuss again. The purpose of our alliance is to establish friendly relations and help each other in the future. No one should infringe anyone's interests." Confucius said: "Yes, let's discuss it separately." He also said, "Yan Xiang is right, no one should infringe anyone's interests." Confucius discussed with Duke Ding of Lu, and Duke Ding of Lu said, "Qi is a big country, but we are small, so we have to be like this." Confucius said, "No, unless they agree to return Wenyang and other places to us." "Then try it!" Lu Dinggong said. After the discussion, Confucius said: "Before the alliance meeting, what we say comes first. The two sides should follow the principle of equality and mutual benefit, and there should be no distinction between big and small countries. Now, if we must agree to the full amount, then please return Qi to the original state." Occupy our three places of Wenyang, Yun, and Guiyin, otherwise we will not be able to talk any more." Li Jia shouted: "No." Yan Ying whispered to Duke Jing of Qi, "This last clause was drawn up by Li Ji himself. It is unreasonable in the first place. If the two sides want to equalize, I think the only way is to agree to the conditions proposed by Confucius." "Return the land of Zhanlu?" Qi Jinggong asked. "yes." "Okay, let's take care of the camera country." Qi Jinggong announced: "In order to realize the Qilu alliance, Qi State is willing to return all the land of Lu State." "Okay!" The audience applauded. The Qilu Covenant finally succeeded. At the meeting in Jiagu, the national prestige of the Lu State was maintained, and Confucius' wit and sternness were praised by the monarch. Since then, Confucius' reputation has become even greater. In the garden of the Royal Palace of Lu, Lu Dingzheng was walking with the princess.Duke Lu Ding, who was frowning tightly, sighed, and the princess asked: "Why is the monarch always depressed? Can't such a beautiful flower help you relax?" "Hey, my concubine doesn't know what the widow is thinking. Sanhuan's power is getting stronger and stronger, and she never takes me seriously as a monarch. Oh, when will I get rid of this heart disease of mine?" The attendant came to report: "Your Majesty, the Great Sikou Confucius is asking to see you." "See you in the study." "yes." When Confucius was introduced into Lu Dinggong's study, Lu Jun had already returned from the garden. "The humble minister kowtows to the king." "The master is free of courtesy. I will give you a seat." Confucius sat upright on the chair brought by the attendant. "Master, do you have any good plans to offer to the widow?" "I have something important to report to the monarch." Confucius looked at the two attendants on the left and right of the monarch, and Lu Jun shunned them. "What's the matter, Master? Please be frank." "My lord, I don't have any good plan. I just feel that the current Sanhuan's house is too powerful. To prevent their rebellion, we must first destroy their lair." "Oh, to be more specific." Lu Dinggong moved his body together. Knowing that these words touched Lu Jun's heart, Confucius went on to say: "Just imagine, the monarch of the Sanhuan family each occupies a city. Danggongshan Buxuan is entrenched in Philadelphia, and Uncle Sun’s housekeeper is occupying Qiucheng, and they are all waiting for an opportunity to rebel." Confucius paused, and then said: "Mengsun's housekeeper is in Chengyi, and their city walls are all over one foot high, far exceeding the height of the capital city of Zhou Tianzi. These are the signs of their great power. , If you don’t stop it quickly, there will be endless troubles.” "what do you mean……" "Destroy the three cities of Fei, Qiu, and Cheng." "Down with the three capitals?" Duke Lu Ding raised his voice and asked. "yes." Duke Ding of Lu shook his head and sighed: "These three capitals are Sanhuan's backing. If we smash them, of course we smash their old nest, but will Sanhuan agree?" Confucius nodded firmly: "Ji Huanzi and Uncle Sun's family should not object, because their housekeeper is becoming more and more powerful and has become their confidant's trouble." Lu Dinggong listened solemnly. Confucius said again: "Now, Gongshan Buxuan, an accomplice of Yanghu, Ji Huanzi's mortal enemy, has sneaked back to Philadelphia and is colluding with his benevolent brother Sun Zhe to prepare for rebellion. Ji Huanzi has long wanted to get rid of them. And uncle Sun’s housekeeper, Marquis, is also entrenched in Qiucheng, ready to move, Uncle Sun hates and fears them, so there is nothing he can do about it, so Uncle Sun naturally agrees to attack Qiucheng.” "What about the Mengsun family's Chengyi? The housekeeper, Lian Chufu, showed no signs of rebellion." "Yes, the father of Gonglian is more loyal and has a better relationship with Meng Yizi, but if two of the three are captured, the other one will be easy to deal with." Lu Dinggong was still hesitating: "This...such a big matter, I'm afraid I can't make the decision alone." "That's how it is. Please ask the lord to discuss with the doctors when he ascends to the palace tomorrow, and make a decision after seeing Sanhuan's attitude." "Alright, just do as you say." When Confucius returned to his residence, Zilu asked, "Master, what is Lu Jun's attitude towards the matter of falling into the three capitals?" "He agrees very much in his heart, but he is timid. It means that the Heavenly Palace will discuss it before making a decision." "Zhong Yuan, if Mr. Lu agrees tomorrow, then he will most likely ask me to dispatch troops. By that time, you will be in the lead!" "Teacher, it is Zilu's duty to destroy Sanhuan's lair." Zigong also said: "The teacher is too right. Now Lu Jun's power falls to the three families of Jisun, Shusun, and Mengsun. If we don't destroy their old nests, how can we strengthen the public house and suppress the private family?" On the day of the final day, Confucius dressed neatly early, got into a carriage and went straight to Lu Palace. Lu Ding Gongsheng Hall, after all the officials saluted, Lu Jun said: "My dear friends, there is a matter today, because it involves the use of the national army, so we need everyone's advice. That is, the governors of Feiyi and Liyi have rebellious forces. In order to protect the country's security, I am going to fall into the three capitals. See How do you like it, dear friends?" As soon as Lu Dinggong's words fell to the ground, Confucius came out and played: "Report to the Monarch, Ji Xiangguo's family member Yanghu's rebellion had just subsided, and his accomplice Gongshan Buxuan sneaked into Philadelphia to collude with his uncle and grandson. There were signs of rebellion and threatened to attack Qufu, the capital of the country. The marquis of Qiucheng was also there. They are training their soldiers more and more, and they still refuse to pay land taxes. They have an army, and they are self-contained. They are only afraid that they will feed tigers and be eaten by tigers in the end. Isn't this the case with Yanghu's rebellion?" Ji Huanzi nodded frequently when he heard this, because what Confucius wanted to get rid of was his confidant's serious trouble. Confucius also said: "The rites of Zhou stipulated that the minister's house did not hide armor, and the wall of the doctor's town could not be higher than one zhang, because one zhang was the height of the emperor's wall of Zhou. Today, the height of the towns of the three families has exceeded the height of the emperor's wall. It is trespassing and should be demolished. Therefore, Fei, Yun and Chengyi should be demolished." Ji Huanzi was the first to express his agreement. He said: "The master's words are sufficient. Since the Yanghu rebellion, the housekeepers have become more and more powerful. Now, they are all entrenched in strong cities, waiting for opportunities to make troubles. It is a liquidation. It's their time." Uncle Sun also said: "My family's marquis obeys me on the surface, secretly trains soldiers and horses, and has not paid me for land for many years. It has become an independent kingdom. It is time to clean them up." Only Mengsun didn't express his opinion, so Lu Dinggong asked, "Doctor Meng Yizi, what's your opinion?" Meng Yizi hesitated for a while, then said: "My housekeeper, I haven't found any signs of their rebellion, but since it's my teacher's opinion, I'll follow everyone's advice." Duke Ding of Lu then attacked the case and said, "That's good, the three capitals will be settled, and the national army will be commanded by Master Kongfu." "Confucius complies with the decree." Confucius came out and cupped his hands. Lu Dinggong said: "The left and right Sima Leqi and Shen Ju must obey the call of the chief commander." "The last general obeys the order." The two generals went out to play. "Okay, the matter is very important, everyone should prepare separately." San Huanzi was not a fool. After coming down to court, Ji Huan, Shusun, and Mengsun three clans walked together. Mengsunzi asked, "Why do you two agree to fall to the three capitals?" Ji Huanzi said: "It's obvious that Confucius wants to weaken us, but our retainers are really disgusting now, let's get rid of them first." The short uncle Sun followed them two steps, and said: "Brother Ji is right. Kong Qiu's ultimate goal is to strengthen the monarchy, and it is obviously aimed at our three families. However, our retainers are too presumptuous. We really can't control it. Let the monarch clean it up for us first. As for the future, the three of us have to discuss it again." Ji Huanzi snorted and said, "Get rid of our family's thieves first, and then we will make a concerted effort to speak to the outside world." "Okay, let's do it like this, Meng Yizi, what do you think? Confucius is your teacher!" said the grand-uncle. "I listen to you two, as long as you don't hurt Confucius." "Heh! You're quite loyal!" said the grand-uncle with a smile. ?When Confucius returned to the mansion, he shouted to his disciples who were practicing swords in the courtyard: "Zhong You, Zi Gong, Zeng Xi, come quickly!" "Ah, the teacher is back, what's the matter, have you made up your mind?" Zilu shouted. "It's decided. Come on, let's go to the back room to discuss." In Jisun's Feiyi city, the former magistrate (county magistrate), Gongshan Buxuan, who had absconded, and the current magistrate, Uncle Sunyi, were having a secret discussion over drinking. Gong Shan Buxuan said: "My dear brother, according to the secret report, Mr. Lu may come to demolish our castle, it seems that we have to raise it higher." "What my dear brother said is very true. Tomorrow I will order them to raise the city wall by a few feet." The two were talking, and the retainer came to report: "Urgently report to Master Jiazai that Liyi has been surrounded by the army led by Sima Shen and Le, and the prisoner asks for help." Gong Shan Buxuan listened, blinked his eyes full of cunning, and said, "My dear brother, did you hear that? God has given you a good opportunity." "Brother, how do you say that?" "Now that the left and right Sima have all gone to encircle Liyi, Qufu must be empty, why don't we take advantage of the void and enter..." "Wonderful, dear brother, this is a great opportunity, and the time will never come, so let's dispatch as soon as possible." As soon as the uncle hit the case, he stood up excitedly. "Wait, send two flying horses to find out first. If it is true that Shen and Le are going to besiege Qiuyi, then we will attack Qufu. If not, we will immediately rescue Biyi." "right." The two spies flew to Liyi overnight. He came back and said: "My lord, the two generals Sima Shen and Le have indeed gone to encircle the city of Liyi. There are all their flags outside the city of Liyi." Gong Shan Buxuan clapped his hands and said excitedly: "Okay. Qufu is really an empty city, let's move out quickly." Gongshan Buxuan and Shusun Zhe immediately led their troops to Qufu, the capital, but they were ambushed by Generals Shen and Le outside Qufu City. Gongshan Buxuan exclaimed: "We have fallen for the trick, the Shen and Le army flags outside the city of Yiyi must be fake." "what to do?" When the two were in a hurry, they saw the gate of Qufu city was wide open. With the shout of "Chong!", Zilu led his army to rush out from the city. The army quickly fell into disarray.During the fierce battle, Uncle Sun Zhe was hacked to death, and Gongshan Buxuan fled to Qi State. Then, Generals Shen and Le led their troops to capture Philadelphia, and then captured Qiu City. The high walls of the two cities were demolished, leaving Chengyi in the end. Meng Yizi's vassal Gong Lianyang served as the governor of the city. The two had a good relationship. Meng Yizi neither wanted to disobey his teacher Confucius nor destroy Chengyi. , So he discussed secretly with Gong Lianyang, and finally came up with a plan to withdraw troops and protect the city. Confucius considered that Chengyi was the city of his student Meng Yizi, and if there was a conflict that was inconvenient to deal with, he asked Duke Ding of Lu to conquer it himself. So Lu Dinggong led his army and Confucius to the gate of Chengyi. To their surprise, the gate was wide open.鲁定公及孔子都分别坐在战车上，子路在前面引路，左右司马申、乐二将率大军立于左右…… 他们正疑惑着，只见礼乐响起，二列旌旗仪仗走了出来，站在城门两旁，紧接着，成邑宰公敛阳率众家臣出来，一起向鲁定公跪叩下去，拜毕，公敛阳微笑着禀道： “小臣不知鲁君大驾光临，未能远迎，小臣诚惶诚恐，小臣请主公进赐教。” 对公敛阳的这一举动，鲁定公不知如何是好，连孔子也无法下进军令，只得跟着公敛阳进城去。 子路问孔子：“老师，这是怎么回辜？” 孔子睁着充满疑惑的眼睛说：“我也不知道是什么情况，反正要进城，就先进去，看看再说吧。” 公敛阳把鲁君和孔子们带到了邑衙内，公敛阳低头哈腰地对鲁君说：“主公走了这么远的路，必定饿了，请先用一点便饭吧。” 鲁定公看了看孔子，孔子见他态度诚恳，不便拒绝，只好向鲁定公点了点头。于是鲁君便在席桌前坐了下来，孔子等也只得陪坐一旁。 公敛阳一摆手，随从们便穿梭般地进来，一会儿便摆满了佳肴美酒。公敛阳不停地向鲁定公劝酒。孔子一脸凝重地端坐着，不动筷子，也不举酒杯，他要看看公敛阳演的是什么戏。其余的人，有的陪着鲁定公饮了起来，有的跟着孔子端坐不动。 酒过三巡，公敛阳说话了，他对鲁定公和孔子躬了躬腰，说： “小臣听说要堕我们的城邑，是因为城墙太高，不合周礼，那我可派人去拆墙减高。如果我们还有何处有违周礼，请鲁君及夫子赐教。” 鲁定公看了一下孔子，面现尴尬。 公敛阳依然面带笑容，说：“成邑地处边界，北与齐国紧邻，是鲁国的北大门，要拆城墙倒是容易，只是齐国如得知鲁国自拆藩篱，只恐怕危殆立至。主公试想，那强齐野心勃勃，无时无刻不在觊觎着我们，我们又岂敢轻举妄动？” 公敛阳愈说愈激动，竟泪流满面地向鲁定公跪了下去，禀道： “主公，小臣以为成邑的安全有关鲁国的安危。如果是怕小臣谋反，那小臣现在就可把邑宰印交出，带着我的家小出走他乡……” “哪里，哪里，公敛宰邑误会了，快快请起，寡人今天来只是视察边城，并无要堕毁地邑之意。” 孔子也感动地说：“你说得对，你平时安分守己，忠心不贰，这次主公堕费邑、郈邑两城，你也没有与他们同流合污，所以鲁定公不折你们的城邑，你请起来。” 公敛阳这才擦干眼泪，站了起来，施礼道：“那小臣代成邑老小谢过国君、谢过夫子了。” 鲁定公和孔子只得班师回曲阜。这样堕三都实际上变成了堕二都。路上，子路问孔子：“老师是不是看在师兄孟懿子的情分上改变了主意。” 孔子说：“非也，如果是因为徇私情，那就不用率师去了，只是因为公敛阳说得确实在理，如果不赶快纠正而坚持讨伐他，那就失人心了。” 子路点了点头，说：“不过，保留了成邑，如果另外那两家不服，怎么办？” 孔子说：“那两家本来就不会服的，他们支持我们堕三都，只是想借我们的手帮他们清除异己而已，所以麻烦还在后头呢！” “圣明。” 堕三都这件事尽管以二成一败告终，但对三桓的势力又给予了致命的打击，再次展示了孔子参政的非凡才华。 一天，晚饭后，孔子坐在庭院桧树下乘凉，颜回、子路陪侍在一旁。 孔子抬头看着茁壮成长的大树，心里忽然有感，便说：“我想听你门谈谈人的志气：” 子路当即说：“老师，假如有一天我发了财，那么我的车辆要与朋友共用，我的衣服要与朋友共享，即使用坏了，也无悔怨。” 孔子听了笑道：“好，仲由对朋友够讲义气的了。你呢？回！” “我呀，要努力修德，即使有了功劳也不夸耀，有什么业绩，也不表白。” 孔子听了叹道：“颜回真是谦恭啊！” 子路问孔子：“我们也想听听老师的志向。” 孔子笑道：“我呀，愿老人过得安稳舒适，愿朋友互相信赖，愿年轻人得到关怀。” 颜回听了，钦佩地说：“老师的心胸真是太广阔了，关怀着那么多人。”