"Serve politics…"
Kongming murmured the words to himself, repeating this phrase distilled and summarized by later generations.
In the Great Han, it was not impossible for a man of humble birth to become chancellor, yet such cases were always rare.
Most ordinary people lived lives that followed a simple rhythm. Busy themselves to feed their families, find small amusements when free. That was the normal state of the common folk.
Kongming could not help but think of the policies he had once implemented casually while in Chengdu.
Godly General Champion Marquis.
That was the novel title Kongming ultimately settled on after drawing inspiration from what he had seen of the Ming dynasty through the Light Screen.
Using the writings of the Grand Historian as the foundation, blending in folk legends, then polishing it with colloquial language, what emerged under Kongming's pen was a dramatic and winding tale of the Champion Marquis.
The kind that Huo Qubing himself would probably refuse to recognize.
The novel was sold through paper guilds, and eloquent storytellers were hired to tell it at tea stalls.
And then…
The response was mediocre.
On one hand, although literacy had been promoted, reading the entire book was still a challenge for many.
On the other hand, after asking around, Kongming realized that for the people of Bashu, Huo Qubing's story simply could not compete with the fame of Li Bing.
After Kongming sought out elderly locals of Bashu and rewrote the story, the tea stalls for storytelling became a new destination for Chengdu's people during their leisure time, and the response was quite favorable.
Looking back now at how later generations spoke of such matters, Kongming found himself with a new thought.
This novel could probably be considered a way of using writing to serve the people.
Pang Tong, upon hearing later generations describe Confucian classical learning as shackles, fell silent for a moment.
Then he sighed and said,
"Why must a great craftsman praise the classics. Why must craftsmanship follow Heaven's will."
The two lines were concise yet to the point.
After all, even during the height of the Eastern Han, if one wished to rise in the world, one still needed to claim descent from a renowned Confucian teacher. Otherwise, every step was difficult.
If such collusive customs could be buried in dust, Pang Tong felt that would not be a bad thing.
Zhang Fei immediately cut in.
"Strategist Pang, we have barely started."
"Compared to those Song scholars who tried to lecture beasts on human ethics, were their shackles not far worse than ours."
Pang Tong froze for a moment, then shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Thinking of how later dynasties would step into nearly every pit the Han had fallen into, he could only sigh again.
"Our carriage overturned ahead, yet those who follow still refuse to take heed."
[Lightscreen]
[We have already roughly discussed the relationship between idle metaphysics and Buddhism and Daoism earlier, so we will not dwell on it here. Let us instead talk about something more grounded.
First, when Buddhism entered China, it could in a certain sense be considered advanced culture.
Early Buddhism spoke of the Five Sciences, namely inner knowledge, linguistics, craftsmanship, logic, and medicine.
As the names imply, early Buddhism placed great emphasis on medicine. It included not only case explanations but also treatment methods, many of which were more advanced than local practices.
A typical example is Li Shimin. If Indian physicians had not been famous, he would not have tried them as a last resort.
Another point was that Buddhism possessed a more complete theoretical system. In this regard, early Buddhism could completely overpower early Daoism.
Early Daoism adopted a native view of the underworld. The soul was immortal, and after death one entered the nether realm, living much like in the human world.
This simple view carried a major flaw from the Han onward, namely the inconsistency of fortune and virtue. Even great scholars struggled to explain why evil people enjoyed blessings while good people suffered.
Buddhism needs no introduction. We all know about reincarnation. The brilliance of this system lay in its resolution of Daoism's fatal weakness.
To summarize, Buddhism's remedies were more effective, and it was better at debating doctrine.
Relying on these two advantages, Buddhism established itself in ancient China and filled the vacuum Daoism left among the aristocracy, gaining official support.
As discussed earlier, during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism existed in a state of mutual borrowing and mutual debate.
For example, during Emperor Hui of the Western Jin, the Daoist Wang Fu wrote The Classic of Laozi Converting the Barbarians, attempting to place Daoism above Buddhism at its root.
Buddhism responded with works such as Treatise on Correcting Falsehoods and Treatise on Pure Practice, claiming that Confucius and Laozi had both listened to teachings beneath the Bodhi Tree of Shakyamuni.
By the Southern Dynasties, a Daoist named Gu Huan directly wrote Discourse on Barbarians and Chinese, advocating that Chinese and barbarians could not coexist and accusing Buddhism of being a Western barbarian doctrine harboring hidden dangers.
Buddhism responded in kind, saying monks might not harbor evil intent, but Daoism was truly rebellious.
Old affairs involving Gan Zhongke and Zhang Jiao were dug up again, and together with various dark histories, Buddhism piled accusation upon accusation on Daoism.
Violence, monsters, exploiting the Way to incite rebellion, and misleading the masses were the labels Buddhist monks applied to Daoism.
Meanwhile, as Buddhism and Daoism attacked each other, epidemics continued to ravage the land. Life lived on the edge became the theme of the age.
Displacement, starvation, separation, and social upheaval all rapidly loosened the shackles Confucianism had imposed on individuals since the time of Emperor Wu.
As later generations would sigh, the misfortune of the state is the fortune of poets. These combined factors freed thought and fueled creativity, and the first great wave of enduring artists in ancient China were mostly born in this era.
These developments ultimately became the finest foundation for the prosperity of the Sui and Tang. Through long accumulation, they brewed one of the most brilliant chapters of Chinese culture.
And among all these factors, epidemics may well have played an indispensable role.]
For Li Shimin, the Sweet Dew Hall had once again become the familiar setting from when he first listened to the Light Screen.
He ate fruit, sipped tea, his eyes busy and his mind filling in gaps.
Whether it was the Han, the Three Kingdoms, or the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, all were familiar to him. He had abundant historical materials to consult and had practically worn them out in his youth.
With such knowledge, listening felt relaxed and leisurely.
What he did not expect was to be singled out and jabbed at in passing.
"I have Medicine King Sun. Why would I need Indian doctors?"
Speaking these words now, Li Shimin was full of confidence.
After a year of dietary regulation, he had long ceased to suffer from headaches.
Li Shimin was brimming with assurance. What wandering Indian physician could compare to Sun the Imperial Physician whose name would endure in history.
Sun Simiao was already immune to such praise. Instead, he found that the scattered remarks of later generations pointed him toward a new path.
Whether Tang or barbarian lands, the internal structure of the human body was the same. If so, medical principles must also be shared. Good remedies from others could be adopted to supplement one's own.
Buddhism was nothing to worry about. Xuanzang was already on the road, existing sutras were mostly translated, and medical prescriptions had been copied early on.
Yet when he thought of Tang maritime policy, Sun Simiao felt a stirring excitement.
Perhaps the southern islands held divine medicines capable of curing ailments of the Central Plains.
But to go to sea, one would likely need a group that understood both medicine and navigation.
Thus, Sun Simiao looked at Li Shimin with expectation in his eyes.
Li Shimin, however, turned his head and slowly savored a phrase.
"The misfortune of the state is the fortune of poets…"
In the hall, many gazes gathered upon the Qin Woman's Lament hanging nearby.