Chapter 21 A political program that combines rigidity with softness and maximizes strengths while avoiding weaknesses

Let's go back and talk about Zheng Guo. The battle of Liangsi ended with the failure of Liangxiao. However, as mentioned above, objectively speaking, the biggest winner is not Gongsun Hei or Sidai, but Zichan, who has always been neither plague nor popular.No matter in terms of political prestige or political ranking, it should now be Zichan's turn to take over Liang Xiao's position and become the ruler of Zheng. However, when Hanhu made this unsuspecting motion, there was still one person who objected, and that was Zichan himself.He said to Han Hu: "The country is weak and borders on big countries. In addition, the big families are powerful and there are many people who are favored by the monarch. It is difficult for me to govern well. You are highly respected and well-managed. Please come here!"

Hanhu thought to himself, how can this work?I am both in charge of the country and in power. Isn't this breaking Zheng Guo's rules?Besides, as you said, the situation in Zheng Guo is very complicated. There are big countries on the outside and wealthy families on the inside, so I can't just carry it on my own. You have to help!He patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, I will take a good lead and lead everyone to obey your orders. I don't believe anyone else dares to offend you. Please help the king well. There is no distinction between countries. As long as you deal with big countries carefully, there will be no problem."

Speaking of this, it would be hypocritical for Zichan to push back. He solemnly accepted Han Hu's proposal to take over the ruling of Zheng Guo. The first thing Zichan did when he came to power was to appoint Gongsun Duan of the Feng family as Qing. As mentioned earlier, among the seven families of Zheng State, the Han family, the Si family and the Feng family were born from one mother, and their relationship is closer than the other four families.In addition, the Han family is in power, and the Si family has just defeated the Liang family. The power of the three major families is at its peak.By doing this, Zichan is undoubtedly showing his favor to the three major families, hoping to gain their support with practical actions.Don't be snobbish. Politics is the art of making compromises between various forces. In a feudal society where patriarchal clan concepts dominate, it is unthinkable to do something without the support of clan forces.

There was a little accident during the appointment process.When the Taishi who read out the appointment came to Fengfu, Gongsun Duan said solemnly: "Please go back and tell the ruling. I have little talent and little knowledge, so I dare not take this responsibility." , also said in an official tone: "Where are you, you are highly respected, and everyone expects you!" After pushing and pushing several times, Taishi found that Gongsun Duan was not out of politeness, but sincerely did not want to be a high-ranking official. "In this case, I will go back and return to my life." Tai Shi said, and exited Feng Mansion.

Then something even more unexpected happened.Taishi returned to Zichan, and as soon as he finished reporting the situation, Gongsun Duan's retainers followed him, pulled Taishi's sleeve and said, "My master asked you to go back and read it again, but he changed his mind again." "Ah?" Tai Shi murmured in his heart, which play is this singing about?He looked at Gongsun Duan's retainers, then at Zichan, and while hesitating, Zichan said: "Then please trouble Taishi to go again!" Taishi came to Fengfu for the second time and announced the appointment to Gongsun Duan again. "Wait!" Gongsun Duan suddenly interrupted Tai Shi's words, "I've considered it again and again, but I still can't accept the appointment." Tai Shi almost jumped up, it took him a lot of effort to hold back his anger, and walked out of Feng Mansion without a word .

After listening to Taishi's report, Zichan was also very angry.But he quickly calmed down and asked himself a question: Why did Gongsun Duan do this?Is he deliberately showing his humility to the world, or is he demonstrating his new administration in a prank way?If it's the former, then the performance is too poor; if it's the latter, then it must be taken seriously.While thinking about it, Gongsun Duan's retainers appeared again!He faltered and faltered for a while beside Taishi's ear, Taishi's eyes widened and he shook his head again and again.Seeing it in his eyes, Zichan suddenly became enlightened, and without waiting for Taishi to speak, he nodded towards him, meaning: I know what he is talking about, you go!

Taishi came to Fengfu for the third time.This time, Gongsun Duan didn't shirk any more, accepted the appointment happily, and immediately ran to the palace to thank Zheng Jiangong.After this incident, Zichan made a basic conclusion about Gongsun Duan: this person cannot be trusted and must be strictly guarded against.To this end, Zichan took two measures: First, promote Gongsun Duan to the third place among the ministers, second only to himself.This is not only gentleness, but also strengthening monitoring, tightly controlling Gongsun Duan within the scope of his direct control, and preventing him from having the opportunity to make trouble.

Second, every time Gongsun Duan was sent to do something, Zichan would offer to reward him with a piece of land if the job was done well. Regarding the second point, many people expressed their incomprehension, and Uncle Zi was one of them. He asked Zichan: "The country belongs to all people. Why do you only reward him with something?" Zichan replied: "How can there be people in the world who have no desires? Let them satisfy their desires, and then they can go to work and achieve success. The success or failure of a country's affairs lies in how the ruler uses people. Their success is also my success. .As for the land, what is there to cherish, even if it is rewarded to him, where can he go?"

Uncle Zi said: "Although this is the case, I am afraid that the neighboring countries in the four directions will discuss this!" Zichan said: "I did this for the unity of the officials, not for them to divide and cause conflicts. What can the neighbors blame? Our ancestors once said that to stabilize the country, you must first appease the big clan. I have not been in power for a long time, so let's appease the big clan first, and then look at their words and deeds!" Strange to say, Gongsun Duan accepted two special rewards from Zichan, but did not dare to accept it the third time. He even returned the land he received the first two times, and asked for the same treatment as other colleagues. "Zuo Zhuan" records like this: "Boshi (Gongsun Duan's word Boshi) returned to the town in fear." Later generations commented that the word "fear" alone is enough to show Zichan's superb means.This is also the unique wisdom of the Chinese people. To be lenient to the extreme, to indulge to the extreme, as long as the person being treated preferentially is not a fool, he will unconsciously feel nervous: Why is he so kind to me?Are you dissatisfied with me and want to punish me?Then I thought, this person hides a knife in his smile, the city is very deep, I'd better be careful.

Zichan received Gongsun Duan's application to return the land, and said calmly: "The land is rewarded to you by the monarch, and the monarch will do what he says. Please don't mention this matter again." Dare to say anything more. Through this incident, all the major families realized Zichan's well-intentioned efforts, and at the same time developed a sense of reverence for him.Hanhu saw it in his eyes and was very happy in his heart, happy that he had chosen the right person. After solving the upper-level problems, Zichan began to implement his own New Deal. Zichan’s new policies can be summed up in sixteen characters: “There are regulations for all the towns, uniforms for the upper and lower levels, seals for the fields, and soldiers for the wells.”

There are rules for both: both refer to cities, and despise refers to rural areas. This is to emphasize the difference between urban and rural areas, confine farmers to the land, and ensure that there is enough manpower to invest in agricultural production. There is obedience from top to bottom: obedience is duty, which is to strengthen the feudal hierarchy, so that officials, officials, traffickers and pawns all have their own destiny and do not think about it. Fields have seals and shirts: seals refer to the boundaries of the fields, and shirts refer to water ditches. Digging ditches on the field boundaries is convenient for irrigation on the one hand, and easy to count and define the ownership of the fields on the other hand.As early as 563 B.C., when the prince was in power, the State of Zheng had carried out activities of constructing water conservancy and rectifying field boundaries.Zichan's seal shirt is a continuation of the son's seal shirt. The purpose is to check the land, confiscate those who occupy more, and make up for those who are insufficient, so that those who till it can have their land. Lujing has Wu: Lujing refers to the farmhouse in the field, and Wu refers to the tax.Through the Sealing Movement, the field boundaries of Zheng State have changed, so the census must be re-conducted to determine the taxes that should be paid to avoid omissions. It is not difficult to see that Zichan's new policies focus on strengthening social management and increasing government revenue, which to some extent touched the interests of many people.In the first year of his administration, people cursed him on the street: "Calculate my clothes and hats and collect fees, and calculate my fields and tax them. Whoever wants to kill offspring, I will help him." Public gathering places) openly discuss political gains and losses, speak out, and swear at people at every turn, and the swearing is ugly.The doctor Ranming suggested to Zichan that the township school should be closed to prevent people from talking nonsense, otherwise, it would be very difficult to maintain stability.Zichan's answer was: "Why should it be closed? People like to go there to play after finishing their work, and they will inevitably discuss the gains and losses of political affairs. This is a good thing! They think it is good, so I will promote it; they think it is bad Yes, I will find a way to correct it. They are my teachers! Why should I turn it off? I have heard of doing good deeds to reduce resentment, but I have never heard of using authority to prevent resentment. Don’t I know that using authority can quickly Stop talking? It’s just like preventing a flood. If the flood breaks through the dam, many people will be hurt, and even I can’t save it. Instead of doing this, it’s better to open some small openings to divert it. As for those who criticize me, I will Take it as a medicine stone for healing!" Ran Ming was very moved when he heard this: "I now know that you are indeed someone I can serve for the rest of my life. What you do is of great benefit to Zheng Guo, which is fundamentally different from only benefiting two or three ministers." It is a good story in Chinese history that Zichan does not destroy the township school.It is said that Confucius once heard about this incident and sighed: "Just for this incident, if someone says that Zichan is not benevolent, I don't believe it." What I want to say is that if a real politician or political party considers issues from the standpoint of the country rather than its own interests, it should be able to listen to criticism, be able to treat criticism correctly, and gain progress from criticism. power.Conversely, if you consider issues from the standpoint of individuals and small groups, you can only be regarded as political brokers. Facts have proved that Zichan's New Deal is alive and well.Within three years of Zichan's reign, the people changed their views on him and sang: "I have a son, and Zichan teaches him to be a man; I have a field, and Zichan increases his production; if Zichan dies, no one can Take his place!" While implementing the New Deal, Zichan pays attention to the promotion and use of talents.Through careful investigation, he found that the doctor Feng Jianzi "can decide major events", is good at analyzing problems, finding the root cause, and making accurate judgments; The doctor's surname, rank, status, talents, etc. are well known, and his eloquence is also very good; the most interesting is Pi Chen, who is good at making plans, but has high requirements for the environment - if it is in the wilderness, without any interference, His thoughts come very quickly. If he is in a city with a lot of traffic and people coming and going, he can't calm down and can't work at all.After mastering the characteristics of these characters, Zichan divided the work among them.For example, when encountering a diplomatic problem, Zichan would first find Gongsun Hui and ask him to provide the latest information on the vassal states, and prepare a few drafts of diplomatic rhetoric; Discuss whether it is feasible to let him plan; after returning, ask Feng Jianzi to analyze and make a decision, and form a plan; finally, hand it over to Uncle Zi to implement, and let him talk and laugh on diplomatic occasions. In December 542 BC, Beigong Tuo of Wei State accompanied Wei Xianggong to visit Chu State.Passing through the state of Zheng, Zichan sent Yin Duan to Pilin to condolence them. He strictly followed the Zhou Dynasty's condolence etiquette, and his words were just right.In order to repay Yin Duan's condolences, Beigong Tuo entered Xinzheng to pay his respects. Gongsun Hui, Feng Jianzi and Uncle Zi were in charge of reception, and everything was arranged in an orderly manner.After Bei Gong Tuo came out, he said to Wei Xianggong: "The people of Zheng Guo are extremely polite. Get rid of the heat, and there will be no disasters!" Later generations believed that Zheng Guo people were so solemn in handling affairs, which showed that Zichan had a good leader and was well used by others.Having said that, the reason why Zichan is so cautious about diplomatic activities is also because Zheng is weak, and it is between the two great powers of Jin and Chu, so he has to deal with it carefully. The reason why Zichan was able to implement his New Deal smoothly was inseparable from the support of his superiors.According to the political structure of Zheng State, Zheng Jiangong is equivalent to the top leader behind the scenes, Han Hu is the second leader in charge of decision-making, and Zichan is the third leader responsible for specific implementation.The good cooperation between the first, second, and third in command is due to Zichan's gentleness, courtesy, and frugality, Hanhu's broad-mindedness, willingness to be a paving stone, and Zheng Jiangong's ability to give himself an accurate positioning. Do not meddle in political affairs indiscriminately. It is said that Zheng Jiangong once said to Zichan: "You can't drink to your heart's content, and the bells and drums can't be melodious. This is the responsibility of the widow. Your responsibility. Don't interfere with my pleasure, and I will not interfere with your governance." Zheng Jiangong's words are very level, it seems to be a pick, but he is actually telling Zichan: You just let it go, I won't Interference, but you have to do a good job, if you don't do well, you have to take responsibility.Confucius commented on this: "Like Zheng Jiangong, even if he goes to court with a music bell, it will be fine." Hanhu strictly kept his promise to Zichan and became a strong backing for Zichan to govern. According to "Zuo Zhuan", another descendant of the Feng family, Feng Juan, was preparing to sacrifice to his ancestors one year. He wanted to carry out hunting activities and kill some wild game to honor his ancestors.Hunting requires the use of swords and weapons, which must be approved by the ruling party.Fengjuan sent a report to Zichan, but Zichan disagreed, saying: "Since ancient times, only the monarchs have used newly hunted wild animals for sacrifices. Others don't need to be so particular." The retainers and clan soldiers wanted to attack Zichan.After Hanhu got the information, he immediately mobilized troops to stop Fengjuan's actions and expelled him from the country. Once again, Zichan showed his magnanimity.He interceded with Zheng Jiangong, asking not to confiscate Fengjuan's land and residence.Three years later, he let Fengjuan return to the country and returned Fengjuan's land, house and servants to him. In the winter of 542 BC, Han Hu wanted to make Yin He the chief retainer, responsible for managing his fiefdom, and asked Zichan for his opinion on this matter.Zichan told him directly: "Yin He is too young, I don't know if he can take on this important task." Hanhu said: "This young man is very cautious and obedient to me. I like him very much, and I believe he will not betray me. If you give him this opportunity and let him study hard, he will definitely If you improve, you will be able to do things better in the future.” "Absolutely not." Zichan shook his head repeatedly, "If you like someone, you have to find a way to make him better. Now you like someone, but leave the political affairs to him. It's like a person who can't even hold a knife. But you let him cut things, I was afraid he would hurt himself." Han Hu was silent. Now that Zichan had opened his mouth, he said it all at once: "Your way of loving people is actually harmful. Who else would dare to expect to be loved by you? Think about it, you are the pillar of the state of Zheng, the pillar of the pillar." If it breaks, the whole building will collapse, and I will not be spared. Even for my own sake, I must tell you everything, and I will tell you everything. To use an inappropriate analogy, you have a beautiful bolt of colored silk. Give it to a person who has never been a tailor to cut it? The fief given to you by the monarch is your shelter. How could you give it to an apprentice for an internship? I heard that if you are successful in your studies, you can do it Officials, I have never heard that being an official is regarded as learning. If you must do this, the consequences will be disastrous. This is like hunting. People who are skilled in bows and horses can easily obtain prey. If someone comes to do it, he is worried about whether he will be turned on his back, so he has no time to think about the prey!" To make a digression, later generations use "sword to hurt the brocade" as an idiom, because the metaphorical ability is too low to be competent for one thing. Hanhu accepted Zichan's suggestion.Appointing the chief retainer was originally his family's business, so he didn't need to discuss it with anyone.He asked Zichan about this matter, not only because of his trust in Zichan, but also because he wanted to see how sincere Zichan was.What moved him was that Zichan almost gave him his opinion without reservation.He took Zichan's hand: "You are so good! In front of you, I really look too ignorant. I heard that a gentleman strives to know the big things and the future, but a villain only wants to know the small things and the immediate Things. I am a villain. When I wear clothes on my body, I know the cold and the warmth, and I will treat them carefully; the fiefdom is used to protect the family, but I dispose of it at will. If it is not for your guidance, I have not realized it. These. It turns out that I said that if you govern the country of Zheng, I just need to take care of my own family affairs. Now I know that this is not enough, and I solemnly request you, from now on, even my family affairs, please Take care and take care of." Zichan hurriedly said, "You are being serious. I just told you about something dangerous in my heart." By the way, Zichan is the grandson of Zheng Mugong, and Hanhu is the great-grandson of Zhengmugong. According to the generation, Zichan is Hanhu's uncle. It is reasonable for Hanhu to speak to Zichan in the tone of a junior.After this incident, the relationship between Hanhu and Zichan became closer than before, and Zichan handled government affairs more easily than before. A year later, in 541 BC, family disputes broke out again in the state of Zheng.The two parties in the conflict are Gongsun Hei of the Si family and Gongsun Chu of the You family. "Zuo Zhuan" records that the younger sister of the doctor Xu Wuzhen (Xu Wu is the surname, the name of the crime) is very beautiful. She is engaged to Gongsun Chu and has accepted the husband's dowry.Unexpectedly, Gongsun Hei also took a fancy to the younger sister of Xu Wu's family, and relying on the power of the family, he forced Xu Wu to marry her to him.Xu Wu was very nervous and went to Zichan to complain. Zichan's answer was a bit helpless: "When something like this happens, it means that there is something wrong with the country's politics, and it's not your concern alone. Let's leave the choice to Lingmei. She can marry whoever she wants. how?" Xu Wuzheng thought, Gongsun Chudu is already engaged, and Gongsun Hei insists on making a fuss, right and wrong have already been laid out, so is it necessary to do it like this?But Zichan had already spoken, Xu Wu had to obey, and Gongsun Hei and Gongsun Chu had no objections.Ever since, the first "If You Are the One" in Chinese history was held at Xu Wu's house.Zichan and other doctors attended the event as special guests. Gongsun Hei's appearance is eye-catching.This descendant of the Si family is handsome in figure and gorgeously dressed, exuding a sense of wealth and nobility from head to toe.I saw him holding a pair of white biscuits in his hands, walked up to the hall in high spirits, dedicated the jade biscuits on the table, and then walked out confidently. Gongsun Chu found another way. Wearing a neat military uniform and carrying a pair of bows and arrows, he jumped out of the car and went straight to the courtyard. With his bow left and right, he shot the two pottery bottles placed on the side of the courtyard into pieces, and then exited the courtyard. , jumped lightly, and boarded the car amidst people's exclamations. Seeing all this in the room, the younger sister of Xu Wu’s family said to the nanny: “Zi Xi (Zi Xi) is indeed handsome and handsome, but Zi Nan (Gong Sun Chu Zi Nan) is more manly. If I marry someone like Zinan, I will choose him." As soon as the nanny came out to talk, Zichan looked at Gongsun Hei, meaning: Now you have nothing to say, right?Gongsun Hei blushed and walked out of Xu Wu's house without saying a word.When he got home, he ordered someone to bring the armor, put it on the beautiful clothes, and drove straight to Gongsun Chu's house without any entourage. Gongsun Hei's temper has always been irritable, and after defeating Liang Xiao in the "Si Liang Controversy", the entire Si family's domineering power has doubled, even Han Hu and Zi Chan don't pay much attention to it, and Lao Tzu is the number one in the world. This time I lost to others on the issue of women, so how could I let it go?He hid a sharp dagger under his armor, intending to stab Gongsun Chu when he saw him, kill his love rival, and then go grab Xu Wu's little sister. People living in troubled times have a kind of vigilance.When Gongsun Chu heard Gongsun Hei begging for an audience outside the door, he knew in his heart that the visitor was not kind. He picked up a long dagger on the weapon rack and walked out quickly. Gongsun Hei was not one to wait for nothing, he dodged the blow with a sideways move.Gongsun Chu pierced the air with one spear, and then came again with the second spear.Gongsun Hei turned and ran away, Gongsun Chu pursued closely, and the two started chasing on the street, one behind the other.When he ran to a crossroad, Gongsun Hei was blocked by an oncoming carriage. Gongsun Chu just caught up with him. Chang Ge shot and stabbed hard into Gongsun Hei's left shoulder.He wanted to do it again, a man jumped out of the carriage, grabbed his handle, and shouted: "Uncle, do you want to commit a capital crime?" That person is Uncle, the patriarch of the You family.The patriarchal clan concept in the feudal society was very strong. Although Gongsun Chu was an uncle, he still had to obey the patriarch's nephew, so he had to watch Gongsun Hei escape. Gongsun Hei ran to the palace and changed the matter slightly: "I went to see him with good intentions and wanted to congratulate him, but I didn't expect this person to misunderstand me and stab me." When things got to this point, Zichan couldn't even make up with Sini.He called the doctors together for a meeting to discuss how to deal with this matter.The doctors have different opinions, and most of them sympathize with Gongsun Chu, but they are all afraid of the power of the Si family and dare not express their support explicitly.In the end, Zichan made the judgment and said: "Everyone has their own reasons, but as far as the matter of hurting people is concerned, Gongsun Chu is guilty." So he ordered people to arrest Gongsun Chu and said: "There are five major principles of the country, and you have violated them all. The king is in court. , you use weapons arbitrarily, this is not afraid of the majesty of the king; to commit murder and injure others, violate the criminal law, this is to disobey the government order; Not big, lack of respect, this is disrespect to elders; chasing cousin (referring to Gongsun Hei) with weapons, this is not raising relatives. But the king still spares you, saying that he can't bear to kill you, and asks you to hurry up Leave the state of Zheng. You should run away quickly, as far away as possible, and don’t aggravate your crimes by disobeying the king’s orders.” Some people in later generations believed that this judgment was obviously unfair and favored the powerful rather than justice, which was a stain on Zichan's ruling period.But from a legal point of view, Gongsun Hei wanted to kill Gongsun Chu, but it was just an idea and had not been implemented; Gongsun Chu took the initiative to stab Gongsun Hei on the left shoulder under such circumstances, and he should indeed bear the main responsibility. Out of respect for the You family, before exiling Gongsun Chu, Zichan informed Uncle Zi about the situation and asked for his opinion.Uncle Zi said: "This matter belongs to the state affairs, not a private matter. You can plan for Zheng Guo and benefit Zheng Guo. What doubts do you have? Back then, Zhou Gong killed Guan Shu and Cai Shu, didn't they love them? But In order to strengthen the status of the royal family, what can be done? If I myself committed a crime, you will bring me to justice, why should you care about everyone in the You Clan! " Guan Shu and Cai Shu are brothers of Zhou Gongdan.According to "Historical Records", in the early years of the Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Gongdan sealed them to the old place of the Shang Dynasty and asked them to monitor the old and young of the Shang Dynasty, but they conspired to rebel, so they were killed by Zhou Gongdan.Hearing Uncle Zi's statement like this, Zichan was relieved on the one hand, but also deeply disturbed on the other hand. He didn't say anything, but bowed deeply to Uncle Zi. In June of the same year, Zheng Jiangong and the ministers held an oath at Gongsun Duan's house to characterize Gongsun Chu's criminal facts.Han Hu, Zichan, Gongsun Duan, Yin Duan, Zi Dashu and Si took part in the oath.When Gongsun Hei got the news, he forced his way in and asked to write his name in the alliance book, and forced Taishi to write it down in the history book, which was called "the oath of the seven sons".This is very rude and presumptuous behavior.Firstly, Si Dai, the patriarch of the Si family, was present, so it was not his turn to speak; secondly, his identity was only a senior official, but he insisted on writing with all the ministers, and he was called "Seven Sons", because he did not recognize his status .In feudal society, these two crimes are enough to destroy one person.But Zichan did not express any opinion on this, and acquiesced to this fact. Whoever God wants to perish must first be driven mad.Gongsun Hei, who had successively defeated Liang Xiao and Gongsun Chu in the internal struggle, was completely immersed in the joy of victory, and did not notice a sharp and fierce look in Zi Chan's seemingly silent eyes.