For a moment, Wang Chong's eyes turned grave. He had speculated countless times about his opponents. If his opponents were just a bunch of ambitious schemers, then no matter how dangerous they were, Wang Chong was confident that he could limit their influence to a certain extent. But if this was the Harmonious World, then this matter would be far more serious than he had imagined.
"Impossible! You can't make it happen! "
Wang Chong calmly said, his entire being calm and collected.
This was not a rebuttal, nor was it a personal grudge, but a statement of fact. These people had no idea what they were doing. Tigers and wolves were tigers and wolves. The surrounding countries of the Tang Dynasty were just feigning civility and using them. To think that they could use a few schools to change the surrounding barbarians was a childish fantasy.
More importantly, they had no idea that a great calamity was approaching. They had to face far more than just the surrounding barbarians. The Tang Dynasty no longer had time!
But he couldn't tell them this. 'Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together', and how could they possibly believe him?
"Haha, times have changed. It was naturally impossible in the past, but it's different now!"
The white-robed Confucian faintly smiled at Wang Chong's words. He seemed to have expected this and wasn't angry.
"The current Tang Dynasty no longer has to worry about its borders, and it has even signed peace treaties with all the surrounding countries. The Confucian schools have spread far and wide. The Eastern and Western Turks, the Ouzan, Goguryeo, Mengshe Zhao, the Xi, the Khitans, and even the Abbasid Caliphate have all established many Confucian schools. Many Hu have entered these schools to study. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith — the Confucian ideology has penetrated deep into lands that have never been touched before, and it has even received the vigorous support of the emperors and khans. This is something that no one has ever done before! "
"The barbarians are barbarians because they do not understand propriety. The beasts are beasts because they do not understand benevolence. What we are doing now is teaching them propriety, righteousness, and righteousness, changing their minds. As long as the barbarians understood benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, and wisdom, they would share the same thoughts as us. Then, there would not be so many wars and killings. 'Under normal circumstances, all lands belong to the King. Those who lead the land belong to the King.' As long as they had the same thoughts, they would belong to the same country and the same people. This was the trend of the times, and no one could change it! This was the greatest change in the history of the world, the greatest unforeseen event. It was an achievement that none of the hundred saints had ever achieved. As long as this can be achieved, I'm willing to die a hundred times!! "
The white-robed Confucian, Li Junxian's eyes were bright and his voice resounded. His expression was brimming with endless fascination, as if he could see through time and space to the boundless depths. Beside him, the other Confucian scholars were just as excited. What the white-robed Confucian scholar said was also what they were thinking. For thousands of years, countless people with lofty ideals had tried to achieve this goal but failed, but now, they had a chance to do so.
Ouzan, Goguryeo, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, Mengshe Zhao, Arabia … all the barbarians, all the countries on the border, had opened their tightly shut 'gates' to the Tang Dynasty, to the Confucians!
This was the best era for the Confucians, the greatest era of all time!
"To all the saints!"
Li Junxian suddenly raised his wine cup to the air.
"To all the saints!"
At almost the same time, a resounding voice resounded through the restaurant. All the Confucian scholars that remained in the restaurant raised their wine cups to the air. This was a ceremony, and even in front of Wang Chong, none of them had any intention of concealing it.
For a moment, the entire restaurant was deathly still.
As Wang Chong gazed at the solemn and respectful expressions on the faces of these Confucians, his heart sank. But deep in his heart, Wang Chong slowly steeled his resolve.
"King of Foreign Lands, I know what you're thinking. But if you experienced what I experienced, you would assuredly agree with our current goals and ideals! "
Across from him, Li Junxian faintly smiled, exuding a scholarly aura. Although this was the anniversary of the death of one hundred saints, Li Junxian's eyes and ears were sharp, and he had long ago taken note of Wang Chong's reaction.
"I was adopted by the Confucians as a child. At the age of three, I studied etiquette and righteousness, at the age of five, and by the age of six, I was well-read. From ancient times to modern times, there was nothing that I did not know about: the classics of the state, the private collections, the classics and histories, the unofficial histories. By the time I was seven, there were no books that I could read, no teachers that could teach me. It was at that time that I first came into contact with the concept of the Harmonious World!
"At the time, I didn't have much understanding of the Harmonious World. Only when I went out did I encounter two antelopes fighting each other. Back then, my teacher told me that antelopes were like that because they were beasts. They didn't know benevolence and modesty. If they understood benevolence and modesty and knew that they were the same kind, they wouldn't fight like that. In the end, the two antelopes suffered vital injuries and bled to death. That was the first time I saw life die, so it left an extremely deep impression on me. It was also the first time I understood why the world needed benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, the Harmonious World!
"But the one who truly made me understand the weight and meaning of the Harmonious World was you, King of Foreign Lands!"
Li Junxian suddenly looked at Wang Chong and said.
Wang Chong's body trembled at these words, and he raised his head to look at Li Junxian. These words caught him by surprise. Wang Chong had never imagined that this mysterious manipulator of the Confucian school would have a connection to him.
"King of Foreign Lands, perhaps you don't know, but the first time I saw death on a large scale, experienced the cruelty of war, truly acknowledged the principle of the Harmonious World, and made it my lifelong wish to carry it out was when the war of the southwest erupted. You led more than one thousand clan experts and became a legend on that battlefield. That was the first time I saw what the Asura Hell was like. The entire mountain was littered with corpses. Hundreds of thousands of corpses were strewn all over the place like weeds. The earth turned from green to red, and blood flowed like rivers. Ten-some days after the end of the war, the stench was still pungent. Intestines and brains were exposed. That was the first time I was touched, the first time I truly understood that the difference in thinking between people, between countries, and that the selfish desires of people could cause so much harm! "
“！！！”
Wang Chong said nothing, but his eyes were filled with shock. He had never known that this mysterious manipulator of the Confucian school had this kind of connection to him, much less that such a person had arrived at the end of that war.
"The war of the southwest was only the beginning. I went to other places: Beiting, Andong, and Talas and Khorasan, where you forged your current reputation as the War God."
Li Junxian slowly spoke, a look of reminiscence in his eyes.
"In the southwest, I believed that I had seen the pinnacle of war, but only in Talas and Khorasan did I realize that my thinking was too simple. For the first time, I learned that the number of deaths in war can be counted in the millions, and that this number can still be increased. Haha, King of Foreign Lands, perhaps you believe that this is our first meeting, but this is not the case for me.
"In the southwest, the war had already ended, and I had never met you before, but in Khorasan, I truly saw you for the first time. When you rode back from Sindhu, all the generals lined the streets to welcome you. You might not have noticed me, but I was watching you from within the crowd. "
Li Junxian slowly said, a look of reminiscence in his eyes.
Wang Chong was quiet, but his mind was extremely solemn. Wang Chong had always believed that these people had only recently begun to appear, but he had never imagined that all this had begun during the war of the southwest, perhaps even before that. He had far too little understanding of this opponent, so Wang Chong did not speak, nor did he interrupt him. Instead, he carefully listened.
"… It is precisely because I have experienced the cruelty of war that I have come to understand the importance of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, and come to accept the words' Harmonious World '. Some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai, some are lighter than a goose feather. If I can fulfill my long-cherished wish of ending all the calamities and wars in the world, have all the common people, whether they are from the Tang dynasty or the barbarians, accept and approve of it, fulfill the ideals and spirit that the Hundred Sages were unable to fulfill … Is this not more important than all the fame and wealth? Only this way can I not let down this life!
"King of Foreign Lands, realizing the Harmonious World is the ultimate goal of everything. This goal requires the participation of countless capable people, all of them working together. Thus, the Grand Preceptor and King Qi participated. King of Foreign Lands, even though you refused me last time, I still hope that you will carefully think about it. If you and I work together, we will have a much greater chance of realizing this goal! "
Li Junxian looked at Wang Chong and solemnly said.
The restaurant was quiet, everyone following Li Junxian to Wang Chong, their eyes brimming with anticipation as they awaited his reply.
"Are you finished?"
After some time, Wang Chong suddenly said, "I'm not sure.
"People of different paths cannot make plans together. Relax, I will never work together with you!"
Wang Chong's first words caused the faces of all the Confucians in the tavern to pale.
"King of Foreign Lands, you refuse to come to your senses!"
With a furious roar, a figure to Li Junxian's right suddenly stood up. A black-clothed man with no eyebrows, no beard, and no mouth mask stood up and angrily glared at Wang Chong.
"Sword Ghost, sit down!"
Li Junxian's snow-white sleeves flapped in the wind as he suddenly waved his hand and stopped the people behind him.
"King of Foreign Lands, can you tell me why?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
