The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

Xiang Lige looked at Heifu and found that he was a man with the same dark skin as him. Most people with this skin color have been working outdoors for many years. The heads of ordinary people are dark.

So this Qin official may also be of humble origin, but he is not very old now, but he is able to sit under the captain Li You, which shows that he must be a trusted general and should not be underestimated...

So Xiang Li Ge said: "I wonder what this commander means by this?"

Hei Fu said: "Xiang Li Zi also said that when the two armies fight for the pond and the land, the number of people killed will be tens of thousands, and the number of people killed will be thousands. In this case, Xiang Li Zi might as well go back and let the defenders in the city surrender to avoid unnecessary casualties. Isn't it wonderful? If possible, please ask the South to go to Shouchun again, let the King of Chu surrender, and let the captain take him back to Xianyang to confess his crime. Then we don't have to attack, and the people of Chu will return to Qin, so they will naturally not be affected, and can live and work in peace under the new order..."

Xiang Li Ge's face sank: "Is this commander joking?"

Heifu laughed and said, "Xiang Lizi is joking, isn't he? You know, Chu can't surrender just because of a few words. The captains and generals here are following the orders of the king and the general to attack the city and seize the land. How can they abandon their duties just because of a few words from you? So you are talking nonsense here, no matter what you say, it will be useless!"

Xiang Lige's face froze, and he sighed, "When I left the city, the master and everyone else also advised me in this way, but I just wanted to try... to see if I could stop Chu from attacking Song like Zi Mozi did back then and avoid a war. Now it seems that the captain's intention is impossible to change?"

Li You looked at Heifu with appreciation, and said with a straight face, "Destroying Chu is the king's intention, and it is the intention of millions of people in Qin. It will never change! Xiang Lizi, there is no need to say more!"

"In that case..."

Xiang Lige glanced at everyone and said with a bow, "We can only accompany them to the end and meet them with the Mohist method of defending the city! Fight for the city and kill people in the city, but in this battle, most of the people who die must be Qin people!"

It is impossible to convince people with simple words. The biggest reliance of the Mohists in lobbying the princes in the past was the Mohist method of defending the city, which made the attackers doubt the possible losses.

"That's not entirely true. Xiang Lizi thought that the Qin army was the Chu army."

Hei Fu said, "You just said that the Qin army went to war, and the people in the country were left to cultivate and plant, harvest and store, causing countless people to die of hunger and cold? Xiang Lizi didn't go to Qin, so he didn't know the customs of Qin. The people were simple, and the officials in the capital were all solemn. They didn't send troops until the autumn harvest was a bumper harvest. In Nanjun, this year's harvest was a bumper harvest, and the public fields in the county harvested an extra 600,000 stones! It can provide food and clothing for the whole army for a month."

"Moreover, Qin's laws were strict, and it was strictly forbidden for brothers living together to be called up together. Therefore, every household had laborers staying behind, and the government organized farming and labor, and there were skilled craftsmen making tools, saving the labor of the people. This was the case in Nanjun, and it was also the case in all the counties of Qin. Therefore, when Qin's army of hundreds of thousands went to war, the soldiers did not need to be registered three times, and the food did not need to be stored for three years. Domestic production was not greatly affected. After a stalemate for several months, the morale of the soldiers became higher and higher because the generals entertained the soldiers well."

"On the other hand, the Chu army, after a stalemate for several months, looked pale and could not even hold on for a few months. They could only lead their troops to retreat eastward to protect themselves. The people along the way fled with them, abandoning their crops on the fields, and leaving countless villages and cities..."

"Therefore, this war was more harmful to the army and civilians of Chu. As for the battle for cities and land, in addition to us, there will be an army ten times larger arriving later. A 100,000-strong army will besiege a small city of three miles and it will be broken overnight! Not to mention, there are Mo in the city, and there are also Mo in our army. Who will win or lose if Mo defends and Mo attacks?"

Xiang Lige glanced at Cheng Shang and said regretfully: "Is it true that Qin Mo no longer believes in Mozi's teachings?"

Although Cheng Shang was ashamed by Xiang Lige's words just now, he listened and thought for a long time, and finally he mustered up the courage again and said to Xiang Lige: "Xiang Lizi is wrong, Qin Mo is also practicing Mozi's teachings of Shangtong in his own way!"

"Mozi said: In ancient times, when people were born, there was no punishment or politics, and the opinions expressed by people in the world varied from person to person. Therefore, one person has one righteousness, two people have two righteousnesses, and ten people have ten righteousnesses. The more people there are, the more different opinions there are. Everyone thinks that their opinions are right and others' opinions are wrong, so they attack each other, which is the origin of fighting."

"In modern times, the princes of the world also used water, fire, poison and drugs to harm each other because of their disagreements, causing chaos in the world, just like animals fighting."

"So Mozi said, only when there are many mouths can we start a war. If we want to stop the war, we can only let the righteousness of the world come from one mouth! The nine states and all nations belong to one country! Only then can we continue to promote the way of loving each other and benefiting each other! Realize the great unity of the world!"

After saying this, Cheng Shang felt much more relaxed.

Although all Mohists recite Mohist scriptures, different schools have different emphases.

The principles of Qin Mo are "officials are not always noble and people are not always humble" and "the righteousness of the world is the same". Mozi believes that inconsistent political orders can only lead to social chaos, so top-down management should be implemented, and everything should be unified from above. This highly centralized thought coincides with the Qin Legalists, which is also the reason why the Qin kings of all dynasties allowed Qin Mo to exist. Helping Qin to rule the world is also the way for Qin Mo to realize his ideals.

However, the Mohists in the south were inclined to "universal love and non-aggression" and "words must be kept, actions must be fulfilled, and words and actions must be consistent, just like the seals and seals", still following the code of conduct of the Mohists two hundred years ago.

Therefore, the two could not agree with each other, and they also regarded each other as revisionist heretics.

"So Qin Mo chose Qin, which is known as a country of tigers and wolves... Want to destroy all the redundant voices one by one? In the end, the world serves only the King of Qin?"

Xiang Lige disagreed. He did not think that a brutal country with harsh laws and harsh punishments could be a place for Mozi's teachings.

Cheng Shang was also worried, but after pondering for a while, he insisted: "Because only in Qin can the Mohist ideal of officials not being permanently noble and people not being permanently humble be realized!"

Hei Fu was the most qualified to say this, and he also said: "Yes, in Qin, the prime minister must come from the state, and the brave general must come from the ranks. The royal family cannot have fiefs or nationality unless they have military merits. Those who have military merits can enjoy titles and salaries regardless of their origins. For example, I, Hei Fu, a commoner without a surname or a clan name, have now been ranked among the officials because of my military merits."

"But Chu is the opposite of Qin. I heard that the King of Chu placed his favorite jesters, relatives and brothers on his left and right, and made them regular officials regardless of their talents, allowing them to form cliques and conceal good deeds. If I were in Chu, I would probably still be just a slave now, right?"

Xiang Li Ge could not deny this.

"So, over the past hundred years, Qin has become stronger, while Chu has become weaker. The battle has not started yet, but the outcome has been decided! In this battle, Chu will perish and Qin will win!"

The five hundred years of fighting among the princes has caused too much pain and must be ended. Although Qin, which ended it, could not escape the fate of collapse. Although Qin Shihuang promoted the same track and writing system, and wanted to make the world a united country, he could not stop the desire to conquer. He was anxious about military affairs and politics, and could not pin his hopes on Qin and Mo to love and not attack, and eliminate war.

But this whole process is like the pain of childbirth. It is impossible to let the baby die in the womb to avoid pain.

Hei Fu finally said: "There is a saying in Qin State, 'Times change, it is time to change the law'. This is like a doctor treating a disease. The disease changes, and the medicine also changes. If the disease changes but the medicine does not change, the prescription that worked in the past can only increase the patient's pain!"

"Now that Qin has destroyed Chu, it is the general trend of the world. The Southern Mo blindly preventing the war is useless. It is better to suffer a short pain than a long pain. Like Qin Mo, helping Qin to speed up the pace of unification is in line with the times! Xiang Lizi, this is what I said. You are still living two hundred years ago and don't know the changes of cold, heat, autumn and winter!"

Xiang Li Ge's eyes were a little sad: "What this leader said seems to be right, but Qin Mo wants to stick to his morality, and the Southern Mo also has to stick to his morality! Even if it goes against the so-called general trend, it cannot change our aspirations in our hearts. Goodbye!"

After saying that, he was about to turn around and leave, but the leader Meng Jia, who had been listening for a long time, stopped Xiang Li Ge with his sword and said coldly: "Do you still want to go back?"

The guards at the door also held their halberds in front of them, blocking Xiang Lige's way.

Xiang Lige turned around and looked at Hei Fu, Cheng Shang, and Li You, his eyes full of determination to die.

"My master and more than 30 Mohists from the south have been holding the weapons of defense and waiting on the Ruyin city. The Mohists from the south help the weak to resist the strong, and love all without attacking. Even if you kill me, you can't kill them!"

...

Li You finally waved his hand and let Xiang Lige go.

On the way back to Ruyin, Xiang Lige recalled the words they argued in the tent and sighed.

When Li You asked him to leave the tent, he told him that even if the Mohists from the south could hold on to Ruyin for another day or two, they would not be able to escape the fate of falling when the Qin army arrived.

Moreover, even if they slightly blocked the Qin army along this route, the main force of the Qin army north of the Yingshui River would continue to capture cities and engage in brutal battles with the Chu army that resisted step by step, fighting for the fields and killing people everywhere.

Therefore, all that the Southern Mo did was to stand in the middle of the road, facing thousands of chariots, raising their arms high, trying to stop the mantis from advancing. Except for being crushed to pieces, it would not cause any waves...

How could they not know these things?

"But words must be kept, actions must be fulfilled, and words and actions must be consistent, just like the seals and seals. This is what Mohists must follow. Meng Sheng died with 180 Mohists because of the difficulty of Yangcheng Jun. Even if we can't reverse the general trend, we have promised Ruyin. Even if the Qin army really attacks with a 100,000-man army, the Mohists in the south will know that it is impossible and do it, and live and die with it!"

Wealth and honor cannot corrupt, poverty and humbleness cannot move, and might and force cannot bend. Although this is what Meng Ru said, it can be applied to Mohists and is also their code of conduct!

Thinking of this, Xiang Lige clenched his fists and quickened his pace. Everything he saw and learned in the Qin army camp today was also of great help to defend the city! He had to go back quickly and tell the teacher and his companions.

However, just when he was halfway there, he heard a dense sound of horse hooves and wheels behind him!

Amidst the flying dust, two military chariots and ten cavalrymen came from behind and blocked him!

Xiang Lige took a look and saw that the person standing on the chariot was the black-faced commander who spoke in an extraordinary manner in the tent...

"Captain Heifu."

Xiang Lige looked at the cavalrymen approaching him and said coldly: "Didn't Captain Li let me go? Are you regretting it?"

"The captain only promised to let you leave the camp, but did not guarantee that you would return to Ruyin."

Xiang Lige's face froze. He thought he could escape unscathed like Zimozi did when he went to Chu! Who would have thought that the unfaithful Heifu would show up halfway!

"Faithfulness?"

Hei Fu smiled disapprovingly and said, "This is not the Spring and Autumn Period, and I am not a Mohist. When two armies fight, they both want to force the other side to death. What is faith? You also said that with Mohists guarding the city, the Qin people will surely suffer many more casualties. I thought about it and felt that after you go back, you will inform the guards in the city of the strength of our army, and then arrange ingenious equipment on the top of the city to command the Chu army and civilians to defend. You may kill ten or even a hundred more of my soldiers! Soldiers are like my brothers and sisters. I brought them out and I will take them back. How can I let them die in vain for the so-called faith?"

After speaking, Hei Fu waved his hand and said, "Seconds and thirds, tie this man up and take him back to the camp. If Ruyin is not broken, he will be locked up!"