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Volume One: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 534: Renaissance

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    Not long after Lin Fengxiang left, Zuo Zongtang arrived.  Since the West Palace took charge of Tianjing, the main government affairs of the Kingdom of Heaven have fallen on Zuo Zongtang's shoulders. Although there are six ministers and thirty-six department heads to share the responsibility, Zuo Zongtang is still somewhat unable to do what he wants.

    After Zuo Zongtang greeted Xiao Yungui, Xiao Yungui asked him to sit down and said, "Prime Minister Zuo, what are you doing here?"

    Zuo Zongtang said unhurriedly: "Your Highness, the materials required for the Northern Jiangsu Corps to send troops have been drafted. Please give your Highness your approval before they can be mobilized."

    After hearing this, Xiao Yungui hummed, took the charter handed over by Zuo Zongtang, looked at it, and approved it with a big stroke of his pen. Then he handed it to the West Palace thin book sealer who was working nearby, and said strangely: "Prime Minister Zuo,  It's just a matter of reviewing the materials collection regulations. You can just send someone to deliver it. Why bother to go there in person? Is there anything else?"

    Zuo Zongtang smiled and said: "Exactly." After saying this, he looked at the few people working in the study room, then sipped his tea, but said nothing.

    Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Xiao Yungui knew that the matter was confidential, so he immediately dismissed the few people and said, "Go ahead."

    Zuo Zongtang hesitated for a long time before saying: "Your Highness, did you hear that your Highness had correspondence with a dignitary in the north?"

    Xiao Yungui¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he smiled faintly and said, ¡°Where did Mr. Zuo hear this?¡±

    Zuo Zongtang said calmly: "Your Highness, when I was just a commoner, I failed in many trials and wasted my time in the countryside. Your Highness knew me when I was young, and entrusted my subordinates with the great work of revitalizing the Han Dynasty. It was a great kindness to me. I will repay you with loyalty."  Your Highness, I also hope that Your Highness will treat you with sincerity. Although I don¡¯t know who your Highness has exchanged letters with in the north, but it is a matter of family and country. I hope that Your Highness can tell the truth. Although my subordinates are not talented, they can still plan something for Your Highness. Instead of being reckless now.  Guess on your own.¡±

    Xiao Yungui laughed dryly and said: "I did have correspondence with a beautiful lady from the north, but this person is just my old beauty. The letters only talk about old things in the past and have nothing to do with state affairs."

    Zuo Zongtang's face was serious and he said calmly: "Your Highness, don't try to lie. Your Highness has always been decisive in killing. Traitors like Li Ding have appeared in Bai Zetang. He should have been punished long ago. Just because he delivered a message to the people in the north, he is still at large. Your Highness  You are not a person who disregards the laws of the country for the sake of beauty. This is a joke."

    Xiao Yungui frowned and said, "How did you know about Bai Zetang?"

    Zuo Zongtang smiled slightly and said nothing. Xiao Yungui patted his forehead and then remembered that Zuo Zongtang also had the right to report the reports of the Intelligence Department and Bai Zetang. After sending the intelligence from both sides to Xiao Yungui and Hong Yun'er, he would still have a copy.  Circulated by Zuo Zongtang.

    Although Xiao Yungui issued a gag order regarding Li Ding's delivery of the letter.  But the Baizetang sub-rudder in the capital was destroyed.  Such important events were circulated to Zuo Zongtang.  After Zuo Zongtang learned about the division of rudders in the capital, he accidentally asked Tong Qiangsheng whether the traitors had been eliminated. Tong Qiangsheng just hesitated and hesitated. Finally, when he pressed the question, Tong Qiangsheng said that the traitor Li Ding had another mission to deliver a message.  , not cleared yet.  Zuo Zongtang was such a person. When he saw Tong Qiangsheng's embarrassed look, he guessed that only the King of the West could keep him silent.  With a little inference, I can guess a thing or two.

    Xiao Yungui pondered for a moment and then said: "Prime Minister Zuo, this person is really my old beauty. The Queen of the West also knows about this matter. In short, it does not involve important matters of family and country, so there is no need to tell Prime Minister Zuo." Although Zuo Zongtang guessed  Some things, but Song Qingyun is now Cixi, Xiao Yungui doesn't know how to explain this matter to Zuo Zongtang, so it's better not to say it.

    Zuo Zongtang pondered for a moment and then said: "Since His Highness is unwilling to say anything, I will not force you to do so. However, if Your Highness feels that the matter cannot be decided, you can discuss it with your subordinates."

    Xiao Yungui breathed a sigh of relief, and after humming, he quickly changed the subject and asked, "How are you preparing for the imperial examination?"

    Zuo Zongtang said: "The Ministry of Rites is almost ready. Tomorrow the test papers for several subjects of this exam will be sent to His Highness for review."

    Xiao Yungui hummed and said: "This imperial examination consists of three compulsory subjects: politics, policy theory, and ethics and arts. There is also an optional subject. Candidates can choose a miscellaneous subject for reference. The miscellaneous subjects involve agronomy, industry and commerce, and government affairs.  There are no restrictions on education, punishment, astronomy, geography, etc. This is the first reform of the imperial examination in our kingdom of heaven and even in thousands of years, so we must do it well."

    Zuo Zongtang nodded in agreement. He participated in the Manchu and Qing imperial examinations several times. Although he was full of talent and knowledge, he always failed. He hated the stereotyped examination system of the Manchu and Qing imperial examinations, so he strongly supported the reform of the new imperial examinations.  Under the rule of the Kingdom of Heaven, since the West Palace vigorously promoted the revival of Han Confucianism, it was gradually abandoning the Confucianism after the castration of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and restoring the Confucianism before the end of the Ming Dynasty.  Hong Yun'er's idea of ??Chinese learning as the body and Western learning as the application is quite consistent with Confucianism's theory of managing the world and applying it to practice. Therefore, the Confucianism advocated by Xidian at this time had a strong influence on the study of mind.

    Xiao Yungui took a sip of tea and continued: "I think our Han family has dominated the East for thousands of years and has been on top of the world. But now it has begun to decline and has fallen to the ocean.??The situation where oppression comes to your door.  I have always wondered why the once glorious Chinese civilization has fallen to what it is now. I have discussed this matter with several Western missionaries these days and asked how Western scientific civilization rose. Does the Prime Minister know how they interacted with  I said?  "

    Zuo Zongtang smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness knows that I am not a religious person."

    Xiao Yungui waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's not about doctrine. Those missionaries told me about an important period of civilizational change in Western countries. They called it the Renaissance."

    Zuo Zongtang said, "I'd like to hear the details."

    Xiao Yungui said: "All the countries in Thailand and Western countries believe in Christianity, Catholicism and other divine doctrines. Since ancient times, they have regarded divine power as supreme. To be honest, these countries in Thailand and Western countries were far behind us in the past, because they were controlled by theocracy.  Imprisoned thoughts. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Ottoman Empire in the west sent troops to attack the Eastern Roman Empire. A large number of civilians in the Eastern Roman Empire fled to the Apennine Peninsula, bringing a large number of ancient Greek and Roman documents and works to the countries in Thailand and the West.  At this time, the countries in Europe and the West have begun to develop large-scale commerce. With the prosperity of commerce, a new group of business aristocrats has emerged. Some of them are knowledgeable people who have helped to study the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, and through literature and art.  Create to promote the humanistic spirit.¡±

    Speaking of this, Zuo Zongtang asked: "What is the humanistic spirit?"

    Xiao Yungui said: "The humanistic spirit is people-centered rather than God-centered, affirming the value and dignity of people. It advocates that the purpose of life is to pursue happiness in real life, advocates the liberation of individuality, and opposes ignorant and superstitious theological thoughts.  Man is the creator and master of real life.¡±

    Zuo Zongtang nodded slightly when he heard this and said: "This is quite similar to the left-wing Taizhou school of Xinxue. However, what the Western countries broke was theocracy, while what the Taizhou school broke was Neo-Confucianism." At this point, Zuo Zongtang paused.  , thoughtfully said: "Back then, Queen Mother Xi proposed reviving Han Confucianism. Although she said so, her approach tended to be more practical and practical. Could it be that Queen Mother Xi's intention was also to revive it?  A Renaissance in China?"

    Xiao Yungui hummed and said: "Back then, Xuanjiao proposed to restore all the Confucianism before the end of the Ming Dynasty and vigorously support the branch of mind science. This is actually what he meant. Although Confucianism before the Manchu Qing Dynasty also had old constraints such as Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, it did not  To suppress the development of other schools, there was Wang Yangming¡¯s Xinxue in the Ming Dynasty, and later there were various branches of the Wang School that developed from the Wang School. Even the Taizhou School, which is regarded as extreme by traditional Confucianism, had many figures who entered the court and became officials. It can be said that  It was a period when hundreds of schools of thought flourished and hundreds of flowers bloomed. Unfortunately, after the Manchus entered the country, a literary prison was set up to imprison thoughts. It has been more than two hundred years now. Has there been any development in Manchu Confucianism? Therefore, at that time, Xuanjiao was preparing to revive the Han Dynasty.  Confucianism."

    Zuo Zongtang nodded and said: "Nowadays, the country has opened up new avenues of expression. New schools and newspapers have been established, and private books have been published. The trend of thought is flourishing, and various disciplines have developed. There is indeed a new atmosphere. But Your Highness, this thought has been relaxed.  Is there any risk of Chao Gang's unrest?"

    Xiao Yungui knew that Zuo Zongtang still could not get rid of the Manchu Confucian policy of obscuring the people for a while, so he immediately said: "Prime Minister Zuo knows about the country of Prussia." Zuo Zongtang nodded slightly, and Xiao Yungui continued: "This Prussian country was established during the Qianlong period.  The territory of Prussia only ranked tenth among the Thai and Western countries, but during the Qianlong period, this country united with Britain and fought a seven-year war with several powerful countries at that time, such as Austria, France, Russia, Sweden and other countries. At that time, Prussia had a population of only five  There were more than a million people, and the army was only more than 100,000, while the coalition forces of various countries numbered hundreds of thousands. Although Britain was its ally at the time, it did not invest many troops. Moreover, Prussia, a small country, fought on multiple fronts, but in the end Prussia did not collapse.  What does the Left Prime Minister think when he still fights and wins?"

    Zuo Zongtang was not very clear about this period of history. He was silent for a moment and then said: "Is it related to the humanistic spirit and open-mindedness?"

    Xiao Yungui nodded and said: "There are many reasons for Prussia's victory, but I think the most important point is that Prussia established education, gathered domestic elites, and rebuilt the national spirit. Decades before the start of the Seven Years' War, a  The king, named Frederick William I, promulgated a "Compulsory Education Regulations", which stipulated that all minors, regardless of gender, high or low, must receive education. Prussia abandoned the old rules at that time  Thoughtful, the people of Prussia received education and learned literacy. It took decades to establish education. In the end, the literacy rate of the domestic people was much higher than that of the European and American countries. The Prussian people received education, were literate and read, and accepted various ideas, but that was  After being literate and sensible in this way, they will understand more clearly that they are citizens of this country and have more national consciousness, instead of being like our previous dynasties, where one family is the same, the prosperity of the people is suffering, the destruction of the people is suffering, the people do not know the country, and the country does not know the people."

    ¡°Since we, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, take the prosperity of the Han Dynasty as our own mission, we must establish a permanent Han country. This country will not be affected by the emperor.Even if it perishes due to the change of kings, it will not decline due to the change of dynasties.  We not only want to build such a country, but also make this country strong and restore the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Then we need to have our own Renaissance and our own emancipated ideas so that the people are no longer just indifferent and ignorant spectators. They are also the same.  The founder and maintainer of the country, this is the true responsibility of everyone for the rise and fall of the world!  "(To be continued)
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