There was no doubt that if the King of Foreign Lands really did succeed, it would no longer be as simple as victory or defeat in a single battle. It would determine the fate of the world for the next hundred years, perhaps even longer. A Tang Dynasty where all its citizens were soldiers, believed in the theory of the strong, and possessed the ambition to expand would be the nightmare of all the surrounding countries.
"Your Majesty, now is not the time to consider such matters. Kuro, send people to keep a close watch on the Tang Dynasty's movements in the capital. If this matter is not handled properly and that brat's ideas are accepted by the entire Tang Dynasty, there will be a major war!"
Wunu Shibi suddenly said, his eyes fixed on a fierce Western Turkic general at his side.
"Yes, Milord!"
The latter received the order, turned around, and quickly walked out.
"Gursa, pass on my order. All soldiers are to be on full alert and prepare for war!"
Ishbara Khagan came back to his senses at Wunu Shibi's reminder. The Western Turks were powerless to do anything about what was happening in the capital of the Tang Dynasty. They could only prepare for the worst and wait for the situation to develop.
… …
Goguryeo, the Xi, the Khitans, and Mengshe Zhao of the southwest — the events in the capital of the Tang Dynasty made all of these empires uneasy and fearful.
… …
Putting aside the reactions of the various factions, the appearance of Wang Chong's' Might Makes Right 'had set the capital ablaze like a barrel of gunpowder. The effects of this matter were far greater than anyone had expected. Wang Chong's influence had attracted the attention of everyone from the Imperial Court to the common people.
The noisy demonstration quieted down in an instant. Every teahouse and teahouse was filled with people discussing the book.
"… Swords and sabers can destroy the body, but they cannot destroy a person's beliefs. In the conflicts between countries, between peoples, in the boundless forest of darkness, if one does not recognize the importance of courage and strength, the only path left for him is death!"
In a restaurant in the capital, a man held a book in his hand as he muttered to himself. The words that Wang Chong had written on the last page of 'Might Makes Right' had attracted his attention.
In the book published by Wang Chong, there were many sentences that caused heated discussions. This paragraph was one of the most famous. The man muttered to himself as if he had realized something. After the initial excitement and strong anti-war sentiment, he suddenly calmed down, and a look of reflection appeared in his eyes.
"Perhaps peace isn't wrong, but it's not as easy as you think. It requires a huge price and effort. Just like the book says, only courage and force can maintain this hard-won peace!"
The man gripped the scroll in his hand tightly as if it was the most precious treasure in the world. He had read so many books, but none of them had ever given him such a unique feeling or triggered such an epiphany.
At the same time, the same situation was occurring in every corner of the capital. "Might makes right". These five simple words were like flames that quickly swept across the entire Divine Land.
Unlocking the wisdom of the people and making them reflect from the depths of their hearts, this kind of influence was far beyond imagination. All the anti-war voices quieted down overnight, but under this calm, waves of undercurrents were surging.
"How dare you! This is simply too impudent! He's just a martial artist with no achievements in learning, yet he wants to write a book! Just who gave him the courage to question the teachings of Confucius and Mencius?! "
"That's right! We can't allow this heretical theory. Everyone, join together to impeach the King of Foreign Lands. Once this kind of pig-dog theory spreads and takes root, it will plague the world for one thousand years. Not even a hundred deaths of the youngest son of the Wang Clan will be enough to atone for his crimes! "
"The Three Cardinal Principles and Five Virtues, ruler as ruler, subject as minister, father as father, son as son. This is the root of the world, the foundation of all things! If everything is destroyed to the point that nothing remains, how would that be?! "
… …
In a school in the western part of the capital, ten-some Confucians had gathered together, all of them extremely agitated and furious. The ideas in Wang Chong's book were spreading through the capital, and even their students had a copy. The Confucian school was based on benevolence and righteousness, but for them to read such heretical theories of the strong preying on the weak was a great humiliation.
They had already seized several batches of books from their schools, but they were still unable to stop them.
"Report this matter to the school master! No matter what, we have to stop it from continuing!"
Finally, one of the Confucians stood up, an agitated expression on his face.
Similar events were taking place in the schools and temples of the northern and southern parts of the capital. All the information was being sent out like snowflakes, ultimately gathering in one place and being delivered to the Secretariat Advisor Residence in the western part of the capital.
At this moment, the hall of the Secretariat Advisor Residence had been cleared of all the tables and chairs that had been used to entertain guests.
Li Junxian was seated cross-legged in the center of the hall. Around him were piles of petitions from the various Confucians and Confucians of the various lands.
These letters were almost all denouncing Wang Chong and his' Might Makes Right ', each letter brimming with intense anger. But what worried Li Junxian the most was the information that these letters would inadvertently reveal.
The book and the ideas in the book were like a plague, spreading wantonly among the people, and the scope of its influence was getting bigger and bigger.
"No matter what, this matter has to be stopped!"
Li Junxian's eyes had long ago lost all of their high spirits, leaving only deep worry, unease, and a kind of resolve.
His entire life, including the entire Confucian Sect, had been preparing for one thing. At this crucial moment, Li Junxian could not allow anyone to ruin it.
No matter who it was, anyone who dared to do such a thing would be his greatest enemy.
Whoosh!
In a gust of wind, countless pages flew in front of Li Junxian. If one looked carefully, one would see that these pages were the copies of 'Might Makes Right' that Li Junxian had sent people to buy from the market. They were arranged in an arc around Li Junxian, the contents of which Li Junxian had memorized by heart.
"Wang Chong, you brought this upon yourself!"
Li Junxian raised his head, a harsh light in his eyes. At this moment, all the knowledge he had learned and all the aspirations he had harbored gathered in his mind. Li Junxian grabbed a brush and wrote three large words on the paper: 'Benevolence and Righteousness'!
Hwooo! A gale swept out from Li Junxian's Secretariat Advisor Residence, spreading throughout the capital.
With Wang Chong's publication of 'Might Makes Right', another storm had begun …
The capital was destined to find it hard to calm down. Eight days after Wang Chong's' Might Makes Right 'was published, the other two books,' Benevolence and Righteousness' and 'The Theory of Birds and Beasts', swept through the Tang Dynasty like a hurricane.
The author of these two books was none other than the illustrious figure of the Tang Dynasty, the Secretariat Advisor Li Junxian, who had used his silver tongue to persuade the surrounding countries of the Tang Dynasty to voluntarily reduce their armies by nearly one million soldiers.
These two books used Wang Chong's' Might Makes Right 'as the core of their attacks, completely refuting it. One was a Secretariat Advisor while the other was an Advisor-in-Waiting Advisor, both of whom had made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. The conflict and dispute between the two quickly caused a stir throughout the Tang dynasty.
"Boss, give me a copy!"
"I also want one, I also want one!"
"It's not one, it's two. What? They're gone so quickly? "
… …
The various bookstores of the capital were packed with people and carriages.
In just a single day, 'Benevolence and Righteousness' and 'The Theory of Birds and Beasts' had been completely bought out. All the printers had been working overtime, and all the capital's production capacity had been invested, but it was still not enough to satisfy the demands of the people of the capital.
This was an unprecedented storm, even more so than the previous party struggle. Although no one had said it, everyone knew that Li Junxian represented the Confucian school while Wang Chong represented the militarists. His book 'Might Makes Right' represented the stance of the militarists, and the ideals Wang Chong had expounded in it had thoroughly infuriated the entire Confucian school.
Li Junxian's' Benevolence and Righteousness' and 'The Theory of Birds and Beasts' had been published precisely because of this.
The clash between the two represented the entire Tang dynasty, a full-scale clash between the militarists and the Confucians. And this clash was highly likely to decide the future of the entire Tang dynasty, perhaps even the entire Central Plains. Every single person, every single force, smelled an extremely dangerous scent from it.
"A storm is brewing! The entire Tang dynasty is about to undergo a massive transformation!"
In a massive estate in the western part of the city, the head of a great clan held 'Might Makes Right' in one hand and 'Benevolence and Righteousness' and 'The Theory of Birds and Beasts' in the other, his eyes suffused with deep concern.
The conflicts taking place in the capital had even caused great clans like them to tremble in fear. They felt as if they were in grave danger, and the slightest carelessness would cause them to fall into the abyss, their bodies smashed and their bones smashed.
"He doesn't know etiquette, doesn't understand benevolence and righteousness. If everyone revered power, wouldn't they be no different from beasts?"
"Well said! What 'Might Makes Right'? This is nothing but a crooked path! Someone should have stood up long ago and taught him a lesson! "
In a bamboo forest in the southern part of the city, a group of Confucians had gathered under a small bridge over a stream.
All of them had excited expressions on their faces as they held Li Junxian's' Benevolence and Righteousness' and 'The Theory of Birds and Beasts'.
After waiting for so long, the Confucian school's counterattack had finally come, fast, vicious, and fierce.
"So what if he's the King of Foreign Lands! So what if he's the Son of Foreign Lands' disciple! Since he dared to publish such a heretical theory, he must be utterly disgraced and spurned by everyone! "
"Let's use this' Might Makes Right 'book as a turning point. Let's work together and make it difficult for him to retreat unscathed!"
The Confucians excitedly said.
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