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The example Cai Yong cited came from the Zuo Zhuan, with which Fei Qian was naturally familiar.
Zichan of Zheng was not surnamed Zheng, nor was his given name Zichan.
In reality, this man was named Ji Qiao. His surname was Ji, his clan name was Gongsun, his given name was Qiao, his courtesy name was Zichan, and his honorific name was Chengzi. Thus, if strung together, his full formal designation would be: Ji Gongsun Qiao Zichan Chengzi…
Well, it was far more convenient to simply refer to him as Zichan of Zheng.
Zichan of Zheng was a renowned chancellor of the State of Zheng. After governing for twenty-six years, by the time of his death, his household had accumulated no savings to cover his funeral expenses. His sons and family members had to carry baskets of earth on their own backs to bury his body. When the common people learned of this, many donated precious gems and jade artifacts to assist the family with the funeral arrangements.
However, Zichan's son refused to accept these offerings. In the end, the people had no choice but to cast the vast quantities of donated jewels into the river that flowed through Zichan's fiefdom, using this act to mourn the passing of the great chancellor.
Shortly before his death, a statement of his was recorded in the Zuo Zhuan: "…Only those possessed of virtue can govern the people with leniency. For all others, there is no better method than severity. Take fire: it is fierce, and the people, seeing its fury, fear it and thus seldom perish in its flames. Take water: it is gentle, and the people, becoming familiar with it, grow careless and play in its currents, thus many drown therein. Therefore, to govern with leniency is difficult…"
The reason Cai Yong brought this historical figure to Fei Qian's attention likely pertained to this very passage.
Fei Qian asked, "Does Teacher's meaning imply governing them with fire?"
Cai Yong nodded, then shook his head, and said, "When governance is overly lenient, the people grow disrespectful; when they grow disrespectful, correct this with severity. When governance is overly severe, the people are cruelly treated; when they are cruelly treated, remedy this with leniency. Use leniency to temper severity, and severity to temper leniency. Thus, governance is harmonized."
This was Confucius's later assessment of Zichan of Zheng. In simple terms, it meant that both approaches were necessary, and both must be firmly implemented. Cai Yong was a classical scholar, and the Confucianism of the Han Dynasty had not yet evolved into the extreme form it would take in later generations. Thus, his meaning was quite straightforward: strict control was necessary, but it must be appropriately balanced with leniency and flexibility. Only then could the governance of Bingzhou be effectively managed.
Excessive leniency and benevolence could easily be mistaken for weakness, leading others to press their advantage and become increasingly aggressive. Excessive severity and harshness could lead to brutality, provoking fierce resistance and throwing laws and order into chaos. Therefore, by allowing leniency and severity to complement and regulate one another, the adverse consequences of either extreme could be avoided, persuading people to willingly abide by laws and regulations. In a place like Bingzhou, where Hu and Han peoples lived intermingled, measuring this balance required even more careful equilibrium.
Fei Qian asked further, "May I ask Teacher, when an infant first falls to the earth at birth, knowing not how to speak, and wails and cries—is it Hu or Han?"
Cai Yong's eyebrows twitched, and he said, "Ziyuan, are you implying cultural assimilation?"
When it came to cultural assimilation, the Confucians were tirelessly dedicated. Confucius himself was renowned for teaching disciples and sharing knowledge. Later, there was Mencius's theory of innate goodness, Xunzi's theory of innate evil, and Dong Zhongshu's theory of a neutral human nature. Yet, regardless of the philosophical system, all emphasized the necessity of "royal teaching"…
Not to mention distant examples, consider a recent one.
Liu Yu, styled Bo'an, Governor of Youzhou. During his earlier tenure as Inspector of Youzhou, Liu Yu enjoyed lofty prestige among the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Fuyu, Huimo, and other foreign tribes. As a result, the court grew concerned that Liu Yu would become too powerful to control and removed him from his post. Later, when the Wuhuan rebelled, they had no choice but to send Liu Yu back to suppress the rebellion.
The reason Liu Yu commanded such high prestige was closely related to the moderate policy of cultural assimilation he consistently implemented in Youzhou. However, such moderate assimilation could only be maintained for a single generation…
Historically, after Liu Yu's death, the Wuhuan continuously sought to avenge him. First, their main tribe resisted Gongsun Zan, then they allied with Yuan Shao to jointly trap and kill Gongsun Zan.
Of course, this also had to do with Gongsun Zan's strategy of "all non-submissive Hu people must die"…
Subsequently, the Wuhuan gradually forgot that there had ever been such a kind and friendly Han man, and reverted to being bands of robbers. In the end, Cao Cao captured them and gave them a sound thrashing, finally pacifying them and forcing them to flee far away to the Liaodong and Korean Peninsula.
Thus, moderate cultural assimilation was not feasible.
Fei Qian had no intention of promoting conversion or appeasement. In his view, the model of cultural assimilation implemented by a certain island nation in China in his previous life was quite suitable to be adapted and applied here…
That model had been historically proven. Even by the time Fei Qian had transmigrated, there were still many people on that island who referred to themselves as "self-governing people."
Sever the roots of their maternal culture, use military force as a guarantee, start with the simplest literacy in Han culture, foster a sense of ritual conformity with Han culture, impose strict ceremonial norms, use various interests as subsequent driving forces, until these Hu people genuinely identified with Han culture from the bottom of their hearts.
This was actually the model later adopted by the Great Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, the Tang's territory would not have expanded to an unprecedented extent. An Lushan and others were assimilated Hu people. It was only later, when the Tang itself collapsed, that others began to entertain certain ideas…
Fei Qian elaborated on this set of cultural invasion strategies and policies he planned to implement in Bingzhou, then prostrated himself in a bow and said, "Teacher, you wish to fulfill the path of loyalty and righteousness. This student cannot recklessly obstruct you. However, the policy of cultural assimilation concerns the safety of the Han Dynasty's borders. Its merits will benefit generations to come. Although this student has the will, his strength is insufficient. Thus, I dare to request one agreement with Teacher…"
Cai Yong weighed the matter carefully. He was quite intrigued by the entirely new model of cultural assimilation Fei Qian had just described. If it could truly be implemented as Fei Qian said, then perhaps in just two or three generations, or even less time, a significant number of people influenced by Han culture and emotionally tied to the Han Dynasty would emerge from among the Hu people. For the peace of the Han Dynasty's borders, this would be an undertaking of profoundly far-reaching significance.
Moreover, if this model could be successfully implemented in Bingzhou, could it not also serve as a reference for dealing with the Qiang Hu in Xiliang, the Wuhuan in Liaodong, the Xianbei in northern Ji Province, and the Bai Pu, San Miao, and Bai Yue in the south?
For the Han Dynasty, and for Cai Yong, who was dedicated to literary refinement, this significance was no less than that of the Xiping Stone Classics…
After a long silence, Cai Yong finally said, "What agreement does Ziyuan wish to make?"
That Cai Yong could say this indicated that he was already persuaded.
Indeed, high office and generous salary held little attraction for Cai Yong. Even in the face of death, he did not consider it particularly frightening. The only matter he found rather troublesome was arranging for his daughter Cai Yan's future. As for his own life, he did not hold it in very high regard.
For Cai Yong, one extremely important matter in his life was the transmission of culture. Thus, historically, when Wang Yun imprisoned him, he still pleaded that he would accept any punishment, including castration, so long as he was allowed to continue compiling historical records…
This was also the fundamental reason why Cai Yong had so readily agreed to Fei Qian moving his collection of books.
Because Cai Yong believed this was his responsibility.
Fei Qian prostrated himself in a bow and said, "If this student can establish himself in Bingzhou, then I earnestly request Teacher to come and assist, taking the lead in cultural assimilation!"