Next, the Great Confucian picked a few topics that were not so boring and allowed the young scholars to express their opinions. They talked about the Emperor's establishment of the Six Pavilions, the order for twelve painting masters to paint the portraits of the meritorious officials of the Spring and Autumn Period, and their views on the Emperor allowing the portraits to be placed in the Temple of Meritorious Officials and the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Most importantly, the Great Confucian smiled and asked the scholars to guess whether the Old Prince Liang would be among the portraits. If so, who would be the painter? Would it be He Liu, who had the reputation of "Family of He, Family of Liu, Family of Wealth"? Or would it be "Little Yuchi", who was famous for his paintings of Buddha, ghosts and deities, especially the Thousand Hands Eye Exorcism Wall? Or would it be Zheng Sixun, who had recently presented his poems and paintings to the Emperor himself?
There was a lot of discussion in the library, and it was very lively.
Hsu Fengnian was a little emotional. After Zhao Zhuan set a trap for the ten thousand You Cavalry in Ji Bei, and then 'demonstrated his power in the northwest' at the Ministry of War, he quickly combined strength with gentleness. There was a rumor outside the palace that the Emperor wanted to 'lose out' on Xu Xiao's posthumous title, and wanted to posthumously promote General Xu Xiao. As for this' loss', of course, it was caused by the then Grand Secretary, Zhang Julu, and his new emperor, Zhao Zhuan, and his new dynasty were trying their best to remedy it. If this was the work of the Head of the Secretariat, Hsu Fengnian would not be surprised. But if it was Zhao Zhuan's idea, then it was very worrying. Hsu Fengnian was not worried about the narrow-minded Emperor of Liyang. On the contrary, the more Zhao Zhuan did not care about trifles, the more dangerous Beiliang's situation would be. Zhao Zhuan harbored great enmity toward Beiliang, or perhaps toward Hsu Fengnian. The matter of Ji Bei and the transport of water had already been made clear. The more Zhao Zhuan gave Xu Xiao, the more he would demand from Hsu Fengnian. What he gave was fake, and what he wanted was real. But in the eyes of the Liyang court, this kind of choice was very 'reasonable'.
Hsu Fengnian was lost in thought, and then he was suddenly disturbed by a quarrel. It turned out that the seven or eight foreign scholars and local scholars who were in opposing camps had suddenly begun to quarrel. They were arguing about when Beimang would take Xiaguang City and how stable Hutou City was. Neither side had any objections to the fall of Xiaguang City under the assault of more than two hundred thousand Youzhou soldiers. However, the local scholars of Beiliang felt that they could at least hold on for another ten to fifteen months. The foreign scholars, on the other hand, had learned from the example of Crouching Bow and Luanhe, believed that Xiaguang City could be taken in the near future. As for Hutou City, which was known as the most majestic town in the northwest, the quarrel was even more intense. The former felt that if they could hold on for a month, they would have succeeded, while the latter almost blindly believed that Hutou City could become the second 'Pillar of the Central Plains', Xiangfan City, the pillar of Beimang's cavalry. During this period of time, there was a clear confrontation. Both sides argued that Hsu Fengnian had personally appeared at the mouth of the gourd and crippled Beimang's supply line. They quarreled until their faces turned red. The foreign scholars believed that the son of a rich family should not sit under the awning. They said that Hsu Fengnian's childish act of risking his life was because he wanted to be a hero whose name would go down in history. It was a childish attitude that caused mischief. Not only could he not be praised, if he were the emperor, he would be impeached and punished! After all, the Beiliang scholars were a little clumsy with words. Many of their rebuttals were not able to express their ideas. The scholars who went to Liangliang were well-read and could always come up with a chain of sages' principles to mock and ridicule. In the end, the Beiliang scholars who lost the quarrel were indeed natives of Beiliang. They almost rolled up their sleeves and used their fists to reason with those bastards who just stood there and talked. In the end, a scholar from the Shangyin Palace glared at them and scolded them as' barbarians' who added fuel to the fire. This completely messed up the situation. For a moment, fists and saliva flew around Hsu Fengnian. It was very lively. The Beiliang scholars originally thought that they would not be at an advantage in the quarrel because they were tall and strong, so they would not be at a disadvantage. They did not expect that the two foreign scholars had practiced martial arts and were proficient in both the pen and the sword.
Hsu Fengnian, who had been sitting on the ground all this time and had been implicated, raised his hand to block the sole of one of his shoes and gently pushed it away. Very quickly, he had to turn his head to avoid someone's spit and then support a scholar who had been beaten until he staggered backward.
The Beiliang generals who had climbed the mountain to study and left their swords in bamboo baskets were angered when they heard a little about it. They practically jumped over the heads of many scholars and entered the battlefield, turning the disadvantageous situation around in an instant.
The great scholar who had once been in charge of lecturing in the Shangyin Palace but was fond of military studies did not feel that it was a disgrace to the refined. Not only did he not harshly berate them, he even smiled and stroked his beard. He sat on the ground and commented on the martial arts of both sides.
The foreign scholars who dared to come to Beiliang would not have the courage and insight if they did not have a bit of courage. Therefore, the fight became more and more intense. Very quickly, blood was spilled. Even so, no one retreated. First, the generals who had come because of the Beiliang's reputation entered the battlefield as reinforcements. Their actions quickly resonated with all the Beiliang scholars in the library. They all got up and ran wildly toward the 'battlefield' behind the library. Soon after, there were also foreign scholars who gathered together as fellow countrymen from the various Daos and provinces of Liyang to help out. The great scholar was still not in a hurry. He watched as the number of scholars who were sitting decreased. Many scholars with small arms and thin legs also got up and rushed over. Even if they did not fight, they would still encourage others to join in the fight.
Hsu Fengnian helped the locals a few times, but he had a sense of propriety. He only helped them block a few moves that were too heavy. He also secretly pulled back a few steps when one of the generals kicked him viciously in the groin.
In the end, the battle behind the library came to an end. The gongs sounded and the soldiers retreated. Both sides confronted each other aggressively and stared at each other, ready to start the next big battle at any time. Hsu Fengnian, of course, stood on the side of the local scholars. Beside him, there was a dandy from a general family in Youzhou who had blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth. He grimaced in pain and turned his head to Hsu Fengnian who had blocked a fist for him. He said with a smile, "Brother, thanks for just now. When we go down the mountain, I'll treat you to a drink with girls. I've long disliked this bunch of bastards … Oh right, I'm Yang Huizhi from Shiliu County. When you get to the county, say my name and I'll guarantee that you'll be safe. Of course, don't do anything like killing and robbing. Even I don't dare to do such things … "
Cave Master Huang Shang heard the news and rushed over. He ran into the library and shouted angrily, "The Academy is a place for scholars to cultivate and live in peace. What are you doing?! If you have the strength to fight, go join the army at the Beiliang border! "
Huang Shang didn't look at the two groups of people who were clearly divided. He sighed softly to the calm Confucian lecturer and said, "Xue Ji, you don't even control them a little."
The Confucian scholar called Xue Ji smiled and casually pointed at a calligraphy painting hanging on the wall behind him. "We scholars are not afraid of being unreasonable, but we are afraid of not being reasonable. It's better to be calm and to fight. It's better than holding it in and waiting to be dealt with in the future. Revenge is never too late for a gentleman. Many years later, when those with high positions in the officialdom teach those with low positions, those with low positions bully those who aren't officials, and those who aren't officials can only bully the common people, wouldn't that be too scary? It's better for everyone to finish fighting today and vent their anger. Then, we can sit down and continue talking. Cave Master, I'm waiting for them to calm down after they can't fight anymore. Then, I'll enlighten them a little. These half-baked people in the library usually sway a lot. If they don't suffer, they won't remember anything. "
Huang Shang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He said helplessly, "Old Xue, you, you."
Huang Shang suddenly saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. His heart immediately shook.
Right now, the officialdom of Beiliang was waiting to see a good show from the various academies. Huang Shang absolutely supported the scholars' discussion of politics. However, he was worried that the academies "on the mountain" were interfering with the military affairs at the border and causing the people "below the mountain" to be unsettled. Although the King of Beiliang had promised him and the officialdom not to interfere with the academy's affairs, he had also said that the academy would not be punished for their words. He had even protected the scholars from the disaster of war and the humiliation of martial artists. However, Huang Shang still didn't quite believe that the young and impetuous King of Beiliang would really be a hands-off shopkeeper. Moreover, it was the academy that had "caused trouble" first. Therefore, when the Green Deer Cave Master saw Hsu Fengnian appear on the battlefield, he immediately felt a chill run down his spine. Was Hsu Fengnian going to make things difficult for him? The seeds of learning in Beiliang hadn't even taken root yet, and he was going to give up halfway?
Huang Shang was indeed a stubborn person. The colder his heart, the more unwilling he was to back down. He took a few steps forward and asked Hsu Fengnian directly, "Has the King of Beiliang come here to denounce us? Is he going to close the academy? Is he going to forbid the scholars of Beiliang from studying? "
Hsu Fengnian shook his head and looked at the words. He said calmly, "I originally just wanted to take a look and then leave. However, I am much more at ease now. The words on the wall are, 'Important matters of a thousand years require the most consideration.' "
Hsu Fengnian looked around and said with a smile, "I hope that all of you scholars will think about it carefully. Only after you have thought about it will you speak louder. You and I will encourage each other. "
Hsu Fengnian faced the great scholar and bowed slightly with his hands clasped in front of him. "This principle was taught by Teacher. Hsu Fengnian has learned from your teachings."
Xue Ji should have hurriedly stood up to return the greeting, but for some reason, at that moment, this old Confucian scholar who had been depressed in Shangyin Academy forcibly placed his buttocks back onto the prayer mat, straightened his back, and silently accepted the greeting.
Long after the young King of Beiliang and Cave Master Huang Shang left the library, Xue Ji still didn't move. The old man finally lowered his head and reached out to touch the ground outside the praying mat. "Who said that the soil of Beiliang can only produce horses and armor, but not scholars?"
Xue Ji faced the group of young scholars who still hadn't recovered from their shock. He raised his hand and pressed down, his expression full of high spirits. "All of you, sit down. I, Xue Ji, will finally talk about how to think. This is the kind of thinking that scholars of my generation should have! "
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