Three Kingdoms

Xiahou Mao reined in his horse, stopped for a moment, looked up at the city gate of Xiangyang in the distance, and was silent for a long time.

He didn't want to come, but...

He can only do it.

Although it is winter, a city as big as Xiangyang still consumes a lot of money every day. Even if you stock up on firewood and coal before winter, you still need to replenish it by woodworking on sunny days, just in case you need it. , so there are still many people on the road outside Xiangyang City.

Either for your own family or for others to go out to collect wood in the cold wind.

Most of these people wear single clothes, even naked in the cold winter, so as not to let rough hemp rope or wood scratch their clothes. The dark skin was stained with mud and water, and then solidified into streaks of marks, as if the coldness was about to be deeply carved into the annual rings, or as if some evil creature was attached to it and sucked the yang energy, making these People were trembling, but they had to grit their teeth and move forward.

Xia Houmao looked at the fur on his body, was silent for a while, then raised his head and said, "Enter the city." 』

Apparently someone had reported the news. Three miles outside the city gate, Cao's Military Academy was waiting with a small group of troops on the left side of the road. When they saw Xiahou Mao and his entourage, they stepped forward to salute.

Xia Houmao nodded, "Take me to see the general." 』

With Cao's soldiers clearing the way, everything can go smoothly.

On the road, the firewood collectors hurriedly hid on the side of the road, and even accidentally caused the firewood they had collected and bundled to fall and fall apart...

To these situations, Cao's soldiers did not have any special reaction, and they did not deliberately collide with them. However, if there was anyone standing in front of them, they would not hesitate to whip them with whips, beat them with gun handles, or even chop them with knives. . Just like a person driving a car on the road does not intentionally avoid them just because there are any ants or insects on the road.

This situation seems to have been like this since ancient times.

Cao Ren met with Xiahou Mao.

Xiahou Mao prostrated himself and touched his head to the ground, "Thank you uncle for your dedicated protection. Xiahou will never forget it." 』

Xiahou Mao didn't say what to defend, and Cao Ren didn't ask.

Cao Ren just asked: "Brother Yuan Rang asked you to come?" 』

Xia Houmao lowered his head, "My father is seriously ill and cannot afford it... I did it myself..."

"Well..." Cao Ren was silent for a while, "I understand... you are a good boy... go ahead..."

Xiahou Mao thanked him again, then stood up and left the general's mansion with his bodyguard, and then went to Xiangyang Prison.

When Xiahou Zizang saw Xiahou Mao, he rushed to the fence with ecstasy, "Second brother!" Second brother! I'm here! it's here! Someone let me out, let me out! 』

Xiahou Mao looked at Xiahou Zizang in front of him and could hardly recognize him.

Not to mention his disheveled hair, Xiahou Zang's body seemed to be stained with a lot of mud. Although it had dried up, it still smelled bad. Xiahou Zizang didn't look like a nobleman at all. Instead, he looked like the woodcutter on the road outside the city.

Xia Houmao took a step back, holding back his nausea and frowning, "Come here, take him to freshen up..."

Although Xiahou Mao's undisguised expression of disgust made Xiahou Zizang somewhat unhappy, the urgency of getting rid of the filth on his body made Xiahou Zizang have no time to care about it, so he happily followed others out of the cell, and then went to take a bath. Washed up.

After about an hour, Xiahou Mao's guard came back, but there was no Xiahou Zizang behind him.

"Why didn't you come?" Xiahou Mao asked.

The guard lowered his head, "Sanlang-kun is asleep." 』

"Sleep..." Xia Houmao closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath, as if this could keep his tone calm, "Wake him up and bring him over." 』

How long has it been and can you still fall asleep?

Xiahou Mao sighed, and then the expression on his face became firmer.

"Second brother!" What are you doing? ! ” Before the person arrived, an angry voice came over first, “I finally fell asleep, why did someone wake me up? ! 』

Xiahou Mao looked at Xiahou Zizang, who came simply wearing a cloth robe, and suddenly felt that he was very strange, as if he was not a brother, but an ordinary person who had nothing to do with him, "You know... Father...are you seriously ill? 』

"ah? ” Xiahou Zizang was obviously stunned for a moment, and then for a moment, he seemed to have a guilty expression, or maybe he was panicked, “Are you sick? Father is sick? Why are you sick? 』

Perhaps in the eyes of some children, both parents are strong men, both are supermen, both can call the wind and rain, and are omnipotent, and will never get sick or die. In this way, they can always protect them, pamper them, and work hard for them without complaint. , be a cow or a horse, forever and ever.

Xiahou Mao was silent for a while, "Why are you sick?" Of course, after knowing that you set fire to escape..."

"This... second brother, don't be joking. This... what does this have to do with me?" Besides, I didn’t start this fire... Let’s go, it’s just a waste of time! ” Xiahou Zizang refused to admit it, and subconsciously put aside the relationship, “I just came to Uncle Zixiao’s place to play for two days... When those Boren brothers come back, will I go to Youzhou again... ”

"Going to Youzhou?" Xia Houmao couldn't help but sneered, "Do you remember going to Youzhou?" 』

"ah! What's wrong? ” Xiahou Zizang seemed very strange, “Isn’t it? 』

"..." Xiahou Mao couldn't help but sigh again, "You don't have to go." 』

"No need to go?" ” Although Xiahou Zizang was a little confused, there was some joy in his tone, “Really? Is there no need to go to Youzhou? I...can I go back? Haha, great! Take a walk! Let's leave now! 』

Xiahou Zizang stood up, turned around and left. However, after taking two steps, he saw Xiahou Mao sitting quietly and looking at him with a very strange look. He couldn't help but stop, and then Somewhat cautiously, he asked: "Second brother...what are you...doing?" Don't you want to go back? 』

"no. Xiahou Mao said in a deep voice, and then waved, as if to let the guards in, "You don't have to go anywhere." 』

The guard came in, holding a lacquer plate in his hand and placing it on the table beside him.

There is a pot of wine and a cup on the lacquer plate.

Beside the wine pot, there is a roll of white silk.

"Originally there was a knife..." Xia Houmao said slowly, "But I think... you don't have the courage to choose which one, so I won't use it, and it's more or less intact and decent... Although you... …』

"don't want! ” Xiahou Zizang kicked up his body and kicked the table and the lacquer plate away. His eyes widened, “What are you going to do?” ! I am Xiahou, the son of the dignified General Xiahou! I want to see my father! I want to see my father! ! 』

The wine bottle fell to the ground, and the dark wine poured out and stained the ground.

Xiahouzi Zang Ru shrank aside to avoid the snake and scorpion.

"Meet father?" ! Do you want your father to bear the reputation of a torma again? ! Xia Houmao gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle Miaocai was afraid that you would suffer, so he asked Boren to take you along. He entrusted you with good intentions and gave you all his advice. But what did you do?" ! What did you do? ! You actually burned down the Boren Barracks! Burn his food and fodder! You are lawless, this is the crime of rebelling against the army! It harmed Boren and also harmed Uncle Miaocai! 』

"I...I, I...I don't know!" I didn't know it would be like this..." Xiahou Zizang denied it subconsciously, "I have never commanded an army, and I don't understand military law..."

"don't know? Xiahou Mao sneered and said, "Xiahou's clan has gained a lot of fame due to their military exploits. You say you don't know?" Okay, let’s not talk about those military laws and regulations, just this human ethics of loyalty and filial piety, you must always understand it! Father has worked hard to temper you and cleanse you of your stubbornness, but this is how you behave? Such repayment? ! Uncle Miaocai cherishes you, uncle Zixiao treats you, brother Boren trusts you, all these things, what do you do? ! You...you kicked over this table, have you ever thought about how to clean it up? You disregard the reputation of the Xiahou clan and do whatever you want, but have you ever thought about your father and the ethics of brothers? ! Have you ever thought about it? ! Do you have right and wrong in your mind? Is there a moral code of loyalty and filial piety? ! 』

"I...I..." Xiahou Zang couldn't answer.

If he says he has thought about it, then he cannot answer why he should do it if he has thought about it. If he said he hadn't thought about it, he also couldn't answer why he didn't even think about such basic things, the standards of good and evil, so he habitually remained silent, then subconsciously changed the subject, and rushed to pull Xiahou Mao, " Second brother! I was wrong, I really knew I was wrong! I am willing to go to Youbei! I do! Second brother! real! 』

"I just know now..." Xiahou Mao stared at Xiahou Zang and shook his head, "It's too late... Please at least in the end, you can truly act like a descendant of Xiahou... and get on your way!" 』

"No! I do not want! Xiahou Zi Zang burst into tears and grabbed Xiahou Mao, "No, no, no...let me go!" let me go! I don’t want, don’t... let go, let go..."

The guards stepped forward and pulled Xiahou Zizang away from Xiahou Mao.

Xiahou Mao stood up, rearranged his clothes that were pulled askew by Xiahou Zizang, then stepped over the blood-stained marks on the ground, and walked out of the hall. There was a violent thumping sound behind him, and a thumping sound. floor.

Then, silence fell.

……(((m-__-)m……

Chang'an.

There are two important waters in Chang'an, the Jing River and the Wei River.

On the border between Jingwei and Jingwei, Fei Qian and Fei Zhen were watching the two rivers gurgling together, and then running forward regardless of Jingwei.

"Did you see it? Fei Qian asked, pointing to the dividing line between Jing and Wei.

Feizhen looked at it and nodded, "I see it!" 』

Although he was not very sure why his father brought him here after seeing the merits and demerits he finally wrote, but this did not prevent Feizhen from being as happy as a second child being released from a cage. Like haha, laughing and joking happily.

Then this simple happiness became an obvious dividing line for Jingwei...

"Then...why?" Fei Qian asked calmly.

"Ah, huh?" ” Feizhen’s eyes widened and her mouth widened, “Why why?” 』

Fei Qian chuckled and said, "There is a poem that says, "The Jing and Wei are turbid, and the water is turbid." In ancient times, this was the water of the Jing and the Wei. How was it clear and how turbid? 』

Feizhen stretched her head and looked at the Jingwei water again, "Of course the Jingshui is turbid!" 』

Fei Qian shook his head, "This is now... I'm asking about the ancient times." In the ancient times, neither you nor me existed, and even the big man had no trace. It was the beginning of the Yanhuang period... Is this Jingshui clear or turbid? 』

"This Jingshui...in ancient times..." Feizhen's eyes wandered twice, "It should be clear...well, because if everything was turbid, father, you wouldn't ask this question..."

Fei Qian was startled for a moment, then laughed, "That's not wrong...but is the Jingwei water clear? In fact, it is not the Jingwei water itself that determines whether the Jingwei water is clear or not..."

If everything were to determine the water quality based on Jingwei itself, then the Jinghe River would be clear and the Weiwater would be turbid.

The Jingshui River is the longest tributary of the Weishui River. It runs through the Loess Plateau from northwest to southeast and joins the Weishui River in the middle of the Guanzhong Plain. The Jingshui River cuts through the loess layer like a knife, reaching as deep as the hard bedrock beneath the loess. Most of the river sections are stony riverbeds.

In summer, the upper reaches of the Weihe River enters the rainy season earlier, and the increase in flow brings an increase in sediment, making the Jinghe River clear and the Weihe River turbid. When the upper reaches of the Jinghe River also enters the rainy season, both rivers are turbid. However, the upper reaches of the Weihe River receive greater precipitation, have more sediment, and the water is also turbid. In winter, both rivers enter the dry season. The Jinghe River is geologically old, and the river bed is cut down to the bedrock. When the river flows through, there is less sediment rolled up, so the Jinghe River is still clear and the Weihe River is turbid.

But in the Han Dynasty, things became different.

"The Book of Han" records, "One stone in Jingshui is worth several buckets of mud."

At this time, the Jing River was turbid and the Wei River was clear.

"The water is muddy and the water is clear, it's just because of the amount of mud and sand. Fei Qian said to Fei Zhen: "In ancient times, the aquatic vegetation was not destroyed by cattle and sheep, so the Jing River was clearer than the Wei River." Now the Jingshui River is turbid, because the water and soil in the upper reaches of the Jingshui River are not solid and flow in the middle of the river, so it appears turbid..."

The reason for the turbidity of the Jingshui River is naturally soil erosion, and soil erosion is caused by the large number of livestock that overdrafts the vegetation in the upper reaches of the Jingshui River.

In the middle period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu invaded Beidi County from the Hetao area, defeated Xiao Pass and shocked Guanzhong. Then the Xiongnu soldiers divided into two groups and marched southward along the majestic Liupan Mountain and Long Mountain. They captured the Huizhong Palace and set it on fire. The second group of soldiers plundered the upper reaches of the Jing River and arrived near Ganquan Palace. Suddenly, there were beacons everywhere, and the Han Dynasty's sentries came and went in an emergency, and the alarm was sounded dozens of times a day.

In this war, although the Han Dynasty finally drove away the Huns, the disadvantage of the cavalry was fully demonstrated. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty decided to build horse farms, carry out large-scale animal husbandry, build thirty-six gardens, and employ 30,000 people to raise horses. By the time Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came to the throne, there were more than 400,000 horses in the thirty-six gardens. The upper reaches of Jingshui River was one of the main horse breeding areas at that time. Such a huge livestock industry quickly overdrafted the aquatic vegetation, and there was an increase in sediment in the upper reaches of the Jing River. Therefore, whether it is the Jingshui River or the Weishui River, the actual essence has not changed, but only the external factors imposed by people have changed.

"So, is the Jingshui clearer or the Weishuishui clearer?" Is it better to be clear or turbid? And how can it be transformed? Fei Qian asked slowly again.

Feizhen couldn't answer for a moment. Feizhen knew that the question his father asked was not just about the river water, but it was not that simple for him to summarize the concepts in his mind from the appearance in front of him.

Fei Qian looked at Fei Zhen, who was frowning, and knew in his heart that this was a very abstract concept, making it quite difficult for Fei Zhen to understand. Just like a child can understand that one apple plus one apple is equal to two apples, but if you ask him how much one plus one equals, he may not be able to get the correct answer.

Yes, this is difficult, but it doesn't mean you should give up just because it's difficult. From reality to concreteness, then to concepts, sublimation into "Tao", this is what Chinese culture pursues, just like Kuafu chasing the sun until death. Without Kuafu’s spirit of chasing the sun in ancient times, future generations would not have the desire for the stars and the universe.

Maybe people who don't have any self-persistence, or who think flattery is more important, will choose answers similar to Fei Qian's answer that says clear means clear, says turbid means turbid, etc. But for Feizhen, if he becomes such a person , which is equivalent to Fei Qian’s failure in his education.

A person who follows the crowd will never make a good leader.

A monarch without a position often brings disaster to his subjects. Although a monarch with a stand may not bring much good luck, it will ultimately be slightly better than a monarch who muddles along without any ideas. In China's feudal dynasties, countless emperors, generals and ministers all went from mediocrity to decline. Without exception, once they accepted mediocrity, it was equivalent to slow death.

Therefore, Feizhen must have her own ideas and choices, and then consider what is best based on the most basic position, instead of changing the bottom line at any time and floating up or down as she pleases.

One plus one, under universality and objectivity, is equal to two, rather than trying to make one plus one equal to something.

After all, in this world, universality and objectivity apply in most cases.

"Whether clear water or turbid water is better depends on how it is used. Fei Qian said slowly, "Does Jingwei itself care whether its water is clear or turbid?" 』

Feizhen shook her head, and then said with some insight: "Water is not pure and turbid, only people can be turbid." 』

Fei Qian smiled and nodded.

Everything good or bad depends on the person. Just like how humans often sing about Mother River, Mother Earth, etc., how many people actually really respect the "Mother" they talk about every day? Does the mother deserve to eat poisonous excrement, have to be dug up with holes, and then have to work hard without complaining? She shouldn't be flooded, otherwise she will be cursed and reviled?

"If it is clear and turbid, what are the merits and demerits?" Fei Qian asked again.

"Gong...failure..." Feizhen is like a computer with a lot of programs installed. It seems that she can hear the whistling sound of the fan inside her head spinning wildly. Even the output on the display is stuck one after another. , "Gong...failed...ah..."

In the past few days, Feizhen could be said to have racked his brains, just like a poor Party B, changing the strategy from the first draft 1.0 to the first draft 1.1.7, then to the final draft 2.0, and then to the final version of Party A. , Party A confirms version two, finalizes version one, finalizes version two, final revision I, final revision II, resolutely not to revise, resolutely not to revise, do not revise even if beaten to death, do not revise even if beaten to death...

So much so that when she heard the word "merits and faults", Feizhen couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable sadness...