Chapter 152 Seeing Death as Homecoming
Cao Zhi said with emotion: "Although I have been studying the classics since I was young, I have never thought of this in the past few decades. Your Majesty is thoughtful and far-sighted, and I admire you very much."
"I just think from a different angle than the emperor's uncle." Cao Rui waved his hand: "Since the emperor's uncle has figured it out, have you started translating the Five Classics into vernacular Chinese?"
"I have already started." Cao Zhi said, "I have started translating the five classics, the Book of Songs, the Book of History, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals, starting with the Book of Songs. I have already translated more than 20 chapters."
"I have already translated the eleven chapters of Zhounan and the fourteen chapters of Zhaonan. I brought all the translated manuscripts with me in the carriage when I came to Chenliu to see the emperor."
Cao Zhi asked, "Your Majesty, shall I order someone to bring these translations to Your Majesty for your inspection?"
"No need." Cao Rui waved his hand: "I won't read it for now. I will read it carefully again after my uncle has finished translating the Book of Songs."
Cao Zhi nodded: "I understand. Your Majesty, I have another question that I would like to ask Your Majesty to answer."
"What's the problem?" Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhi.
Cao Zhi said: "There is a row of stone scriptures outside the Imperial College in Luoyang. The students of the Imperial College can use the stone scriptures as a reference. But even if I translate the Five Classics into vernacular, how can the court promote it?"
Cao Rui smiled slightly: "Uncle, are you asking how to popularize it?"
"I do have this doubt." Cao Zhi responded.
Cao Rui nodded gently: "Uncle, that's a very good question."
"The promotion of Confucian classics certainly requires the teaching of the gentry and famous scholars, but it still requires the court to really put in the effort behind the scenes."
"Si Li, Ji Qing You Bing, Yan Yu Xu Yang, Yongzhou and Liangzhou, there are only a hundred counties in the world. After the Five Classics are translated into vernacular, the court will first send a copy to each state, and then each state will send a copy to each county and country under its jurisdiction."
"After arriving at the various counties, the county can either pay for someone to copy it, or select important chapters to be written on the screen wall. All of these are acceptable."
Cao Zhi bowed and said, "I roughly understand. If there is such a translation of the Five Classics that is circulated in the world in each county, the center of learning in various places will shift from the private schools opened by great scholars to the official schools opened in the county."
"While promoting education, it also made students from all over the country understand that the source of their knowledge was the court rather than a famous scholar."
"It seems that my uncle and I have the same idea." Cao Rui smiled and nodded. "During the Han Dynasty, there were Dongguan and Lantai. Now I also want to set up an institution in Luoyang to promote Confucianism and teach poetry. Let's call it Chongwenguan."
Of course, Cao Rui also planned to send people back to Beijing to improve the papermaking and printing techniques, but there was no need to tell Cao Zhi about it at this time.
Cao Zhi asked curiously, "Your Majesty, are you planning to establish a center for Confucian classics in Luoyang?"
Cao Rui nodded.
All along, Cao Rui had only two things in mind: short-term power and long-term centralization.
If you want to be in power in the short term, you probably have to look at it from the perspective of doing things.
Whether it was the appointment and dismissal of personnel in the court or the use of troops against Wu in Huainan, the purpose was to prevent power from dispersing and to strengthen his authority as the emperor.
If we look at it from a long-term perspective, the threat posed by the aristocratic families is undoubtedly the greatest, controlling elections, solidifying classes, forming cliques for personal gain...
In today's era, aristocratic families and gentry are almost the same.
Cao Rui said: "Uncle, didn't the late emperor say that literature is the great cause of governing a country and an immortal event? If we want to create a prosperous era for our Great Wei, we need not only military achievements to unify the world, but also cultural governance."
Cao Zhi looked at the emperor and asked carefully and tentatively: "Your Majesty, should I also translate the Five Classics within the Chongwen Temple?"
Cao Rui took a look at Cao Zhi's eager expression and knew that Cao Zhi was restless and wanted to do something again, so he said, "I just have this idea about Chongwen Temple. The specific matters will be decided after I return to Luoyang."
Cao Zhi nodded calmly, with a hint of disappointment in his brows.
Cao Rui seemed not to notice, and smiled to himself and said: "When I was in the Eastern Palace, I read many of the emperor's uncle's articles, and I could even recite some of them."
"Oh?" Cao Zhi seemed to be interested again, raised his eyebrows and asked, "I have written many poems and essays. Is there any that Your Majesty likes?"
Cao Rui nodded: "My uncle is so talented in writing, so I naturally have some poems I like, and both of them are related to the word 'white horse'."
Cao Zhi thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, are you talking about the two pieces "White Horse" and "Presented to White Horse King Biao"?
"It is these two." Cao Rui said, "In terms of literary talent and connotation, I think these two are the best among the poems and essays of the emperor's uncle."
When dealing with military commanders, one should talk about their military achievements, military service, and achievements. When dealing with literati, the best way to get closer to them is to talk about their most proud works.
However, Cao Rui did not feel any reluctance. With Cao Zhi's literary talent, some praise was still worthy of him, and Cao Rui's words came from the heart.
Cao Rui slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back and began to pace in the hall, reciting the lines from Cao Zhi's "The White Horse". Cao Rui raised his head as he walked, as if reciting in this way would make it more interesting.
"A white horse decorated with golden reins, galloping to the northwest. May I ask who this boy is from? A knight from You and Bing..."
Seeing the emperor reciting his masterpiece with great enchantment, the author Cao Zhi himself began to recall the state of mind he had when he wrote "The White Horse".
The White Horse Chapter...that happened in the twelfth year of Jian'an.
The sixteen-year-old Cao Zhi accompanied his father on an expedition for the second time after he accompanied his father on the eastern expedition against Chunyu last year. This expedition was an expedition to the Wuhuan and to eliminate Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi.
On the way to Liaodong, Cao Zhi was deeply impressed by the cavalry formations from Youzhou, Bingzhou and Jizhou.
Riding horses and carrying bows, running and galloping, even Cao Zhi himself wanted to be one of them.
The emperor's voice continued to be heard: "The imperial edict came from the north, and the fierce horses climbed the high embankment. They drove straight to the Xiongnu, and looked left to the Xianbei..."
Following the army across the Lulong Pass, he experienced the steepness of the Yanshan Mountains; watching Zhang Liao use his military skills at the White Wolf Mountain, he was impressed by the military feats of the royal army. All of this was very exciting and thrilling for the 16-year-old Cao Zhi.
At the foot of Bailang Mountain, after the Wuhuan Chanyu was killed in the battle, the mountains and plains were filled with Wuhuan soldiers kneeling down and throwing away their weapons. Zhang Liao personally held the big banner and rode his horse behind his father to show off his achievements. He could still hear the cheers of Cao's army coming from afar and winning the great victory that day.
The White Horse only has fourteen sentences, and it soon came to an end. As the emperor's words "sacrifice your life for the country, and regard death as returning home" fell, Cao Zhi sighed.
Seeing the emperor looking at him with his hands behind his back and smiling, Cao Zhi stood up from the table and said, "Your Majesty, I am really terrified that you are reciting my poems in person."
"I wrote this poem 'White Horse' when I was young. All I could think about and feel at that time was the bravery of the knights of You and Bing and the feeling of victory after the army won the battle."
"But now I think that the army's expedition was not only to show off military achievements, but also to feel the dangers of war and the difficulties of state affairs. After Emperor Wu returned from the expedition, he often lamented the difficulties of the expedition to Liaodong. If I were to write about it again now, I'm afraid it would be difficult to find the youthful spirit of those days."
After saying this, Cao Zhi bowed and saluted: "I congratulate Your Majesty on your return from the southern expedition with great victory."
Cao Rui nodded: "Although what the emperor's uncle said is correct, I think the youthful spirit and inspiring words in "The White Horse" are almost worth a thousand gold coins."
"However," Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhi, "the writings of the emperor's uncle after Jian'an showed even more sorrow and anger."
Without waiting for Cao Zhi to reply, Cao Rui recited in a deep voice a few lines of poetry from "Presented to Wang Biao of Baima".
"Life is short, and it is gone like morning dew. A man's ambition is as great as the world, and neighbors are thousands of miles away."
Cao Zhi knew that these two lines were taken from the poem "Presented to Baima Wang Biao" and were not connected. But the emperor put these two lines together, which seemed to have some other intentions.
It seems...it seems to be encouraging myself to set my ambitions?
Even though he wrote this poem himself, Cao Zhi, the author, was a little confused when faced with the reading comprehension that the emperor was hiding questions and answers.
Cao Zhi cupped his hands and said, "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I have always wanted to serve the country since I came to the vassal state, but I have never been used by the court."
"According to the system, I have nothing to do. Moreover, my fiefs, Anxiang, Juancheng, and Yongqiu, are only cities of a few miles, which is almost like being under house arrest. Naturally, there is a sense of sorrow in the text."
After these words came out, Cao Zhi seemed to sense something was wrong, and quickly said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I made a mistake, and I have absolutely no intention of complaining."
Cao Zhi tried hard to recall what he had just said.
It seems that what your Majesty said was "sorrow and anger", while what I said was "sorrow and resentment". In any case, "sorrow and resentment" seems to be better than "sorrow and anger".
Cao Rui said with a slightly indifferent expression: "So the emperor's uncle said in the memorial to me that 'the western one is under the command of the general, and he will be in charge of a school; the eastern one is under the command of the general, and he will be in charge of a small boat'?"
"In this battle, the general led the infantry of the central army to provide a strong support for the main army, which was a great achievement. The general led tens of thousands of cavalry to divide and surround the Wu army, killing and wounding them, which was a great achievement made by him personally braving the arrows and stones."
"My uncle said, 'War is unpredictable, but it is the one who can make the best use of it when faced with danger.'" Cao Rui's expression gradually turned cold. "If my uncle is really allowed to lead an army, can he stop the enemy for the country, or chase them down?"
"Or, the emperor's uncle just wants to ask me for military power?" Cao Rui stared into Cao Zhi's eyes.
Cao Zhi's tone gradually weakened: "I just want to serve the country. I don't want military power, nor do I have any other intentions... I just want to give it a try."
Cao Rui sighed softly, "Uncle, you just said that 'war is dangerous'. Although I am nominally leading the southern expedition myself this time, the deployment of the troops is under the command of the Grand Marshal and the Grand General. My role is just to discuss with the counselors and then make a decision, which is then handed over to the Grand Marshal and the Grand General for execution."
"How can I let my uncle 'give it a try' on something like this?"
(End of this chapter)
