noveltune Chapter 5494 Deceiving with Method
Chapter 5494 Deceiving with Method
Chapter 5494 Deceiving with Method
Xu Jingzong was very nervous: "Call in the messenger. Also, everyone must stand at least ten feet away from the door. No one is allowed to peek or eavesdrop!"
"Here!"
The clerk withdrew.
Qian Weidao was completely bewildered and asked curiously, "What is this?"
Xu Jingzong carefully examined the seal on the box and casually said, "The development of Dongting Lake and Liaodong has now involved the imperial power and the prestige of the Crown Prince. However, the order of ruler and subject, and the distinction between superior and inferior, have caused dissatisfaction among the people. Therefore, there are loyal and virtuous people who have infiltrated the Liaodong 'army' and risked their lives to obtain their strategies and technologies from afar, hoping that we can use these to catch up with the development of Liaodong, cultivate Dongting Lake, benefit the people, and serve Your Majesty!"
After passing the imperial examination, Qian Weidao served as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Personnel, then as a vice minister in the Ministry of Revenue, and was subsequently appointed as the prefectural governor of Yuezhou. His official career was simple, his qualifications were shallow, and he had little experience in the ways of officialdom. However, his ancestors were descendants of Min Ziqian, a disciple of Confucius, and their literary lineage had been passed down for thousands of years. Although they did not hold prominent official titles, their ancestors had governed a region for generations and had experienced ups and downs in the officialdom. Their family's scholarly background was extraordinary.
Therefore, they quickly realized that Xu Jingzong's explanation was almost an "official statement," clearly prepared in advance to evade other people's questions...
In addition, with his sharp mind, he immediately extracted the key point from these words: "Someone has infiltrated the Liaodong Corps to acquire many strategies and technologies"...
This is because spies were planted long ago and stole the strategies, methods, and mature technologies of Liaodong!
Qian Wei was sweating slightly and said nervously, "This...this...this isn't appropriate, is it? What if the Grand Commandant gets angry because of this? That would be troublesome!"
Who doesn't know that Fang Jun was the one who single-handedly supported the development of Liaodong?
It was Wu Zetian who led the business and invested enormous resources, with countless manpower and materials converging on Liaodong via sea routes; the one who presided over the development of Liaodong was Cui Dunli, one of the "Twin Pillars" under Fang Jun, who was as famous as Pei Xingjian; and the people in charge of the mixed Han and non-Han "corps" were all Fang Jun's confidants...
Fang Jun aimed to solidify the foundation of the Crown Prince's position by leveraging his achievements in developing Liaodong.
Now you have stolen the "strategies" and "techniques" that Fang Jun painstakingly prepared, which could very likely cause the development of Liaodong to lag far behind that of Dongting Lake, causing Fang Jun's hard work to go to waste...
Did you really think Fang Jun wouldn't lose his temper?
That bastard dared to hit even Li Jingye, let alone you and me!
Xu Jingzong was carefully opening the box and taking out a few books, but before he could even look at them, he sighed deeply upon hearing this, looking worried: "Do you think I'm not afraid? I've worked with the Grand Commandant at the academy for quite some time. From being wary of each other and opposing each other to cooperating with each other, I know his temperament better than anyone. Let alone me, a mere governor of Yuezhou, even the heads of the three provinces would be in deep trouble if they really offended him!"
"But what can I do?"
He looked helpless: "The development of Dongting Lake is fraught with difficulties and progress is extremely slow. Do you know what it means if it fails completely? My personal career and honor are insignificant, but if it causes His Majesty to lose the initiative and the situation to become difficult, neither you nor I can atone for it even if we die a hundred times!"
Qian Wei nodded, but was still worried: "But what if the Grand Commandant causes trouble in Chang'an because of this? Wouldn't that put His Majesty in a disadvantageous position?"
Xu Jingzong said, "Don't worry, although the Grand Commandant has a bad temper, his loyalty to the country is beyond doubt. Although the successful development of Dongting Lake may put the Crown Prince in a disadvantageous position, the benefits to the country will last for generations. How could the Grand Commandant disregard the interests of the country for the sake of power and profit?"
"Ha ha……"
Qian gave a wry smile, clicked his tongue, and remained silent.
He knew that Xu Jingzong's words were not only to comfort him but also to comfort himself, and he was speechless...
But what can be done now that things have come to this?
Let's take a look at what these books are about.
"Open it and take a look!"
Since you've already stolen it, you can't just return it, can you?
Just then, the spy who had infiltrated Liaodong also entered the room, and Xu Jingzong beckoned him to his side.
"What are all these books?"
Xu Jingzong opened a book full of illustrations of plants and trees, and asked questions as he flipped through it.
The spy said, "This is an illustrated book compiled by the students of the Medical Hall of the Academy, who requested the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau to do the same. It describes in detail the various herbs produced in Liaodong, including their shapes, habits, and applicable diseases. With such an illustrated book in hand, you can follow the pictures to find some herbs to treat common ailments."
Pointing to another book, he added, "This one contains information on edible plants found in the wild in Liaodong."
Qian Weidao stared at them for a while and was greatly disappointed: "Most of these herbs and plants are produced in Liaodong, and there are none here at all!"
Xu Jingzong was also very dissatisfied and glared at the spy.
The climate and environment of Dongting Lake are very different from those of Liaodong, so the medicinal herbs and plants that grow there are naturally completely different. Even the same species can have different habits due to huge differences. This is the reason why "oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges".
The spies were terrified.
Although the atlas was of little use, it was a good inspiration. Xu Jingzong said, "Since Fang Jun can request the Imperial Medical Bureau to help compile the atlas, so can we! We will write a letter to Chang'an later and ask His Majesty to issue an imperial decree to the Imperial Medical Bureau!"
The Imperial Medical Bureau possessed a vast collection of books, and its knowledge of herbs and plants from all over the country was as clear as reading the lines on a palm. Without needing to conduct on-site investigations, it could compile an atlas of herbs and plants from the Dongting Lake region simply by searching through various books.
Qian Weidao readily agreed: "So even if these two books are useless, the Grand Commandant still provided us with a brilliant idea, and we have to accept this favor!"
Xu Jingzong laughed heartily: "We might accept it, but Fang Jun might not be willing to give it up!"
Qian Wei smiled and said, "Now that things have come to this, I'm afraid the Grand Commandant will have no choice but to admit it."
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
The main problems currently facing us are the shortage of medicines and the slow progress of the project, while food and manpower are not lacking.
Xu Jingzong tossed the two books aside, picked up the last one, flipped through a few pages, and immediately beamed with joy: "Haha! The Grand Commandant is indeed a man of extraordinary learning, actually preemptively solving potential engineering problems with various technologies. This is simply a divine book!"
Having served at the academy for many years, he naturally had a deep understanding of the "study of investigating things." Although his own knowledge was insignificant, he still had a discerning eye and immediately recognized the value of this book, which contained solutions to dozens of engineering problems.
The section on flood control at the beginning is particularly detailed, with a drawing of a flat-bottomed riverboat that shows how to design pulleys, how to cast gears, how to set up a "ratchet mechanism," and the iron bucket used to dredge deep into the riverbed.
Qian Weidao leaned closer, looking at it with a slightly confused expression.
Although he came from a family with a strong academic background and was very knowledgeable, he had never attended an academy and knew very little about the "study of things," and was almost completely ignorant of such mechanical structures...
Therefore, he humbly sought advice from Xu Jingzong.
Xu Jingzong explained in detail, and then sighed, "Back then, Fang Jun's advocacy of 'the study of things' was attacked by Confucian scholars all over the country. If it weren't for His Majesty Emperor Taizong's great favor and trust in him, it would probably have been abandoned and died. Now it seems that this 'study of things' truly explores the wonders of the universe and exhausts the principles of all things. It adheres to empirical evidence and seeks truth, and holds reverence for nature. In terms of pursuing the ultimate truth of things, Confucianism is far inferior."
He himself was one of the most outstanding Confucian scholars of his time, with profound knowledge of Confucianism and a good understanding of the study of things. By comparing the two, he was naturally able to draw accurate conclusions.
"The excellence of Confucianism lies in clarifying ethics and establishing virtue, cultivating oneself and regulating one's family, taking benevolence as the core and rites as the guiding principle, achieving harmony and educating all people, promoting education and enriching customs, focusing on human nature and returning to the ultimate good."
The excellence of investigating things lies in exploring the profound and hidden, investigating the principles of things, taking experiments as the foundation, using mathematics as the tool, observing the heavens and the earth, analyzing the subtle to understand the obvious, comprehending the changes of nature, opening up new civilizations, benefiting the people and the world.
When these two aspects complement each other, one can attain inner sagehood and outer kingship, cultivate both the Way and its manifestations, understand the principle of the unity of Heaven and humanity, and not contradict the ancient teachings of the universe.
Qian Wei was shocked: "Does the governor mean that the Grand Commandant is almost comparable to Confucius and Mencius?"
Xu Jingzong shook his head and said, "Of course they cannot be compared, but Confucius and Mencius stood out from the Hundred Schools of Thought in their time, shaping the essence of Confucianism and passing it down to future generations, thus earning the title of sage. Fang Jun today is naturally far inferior, but ten or a hundred years from now, who knows if his study of things will not be comparable to or even surpass Confucianism? At that time, future generations will probably also respect Fang Jun as a sage."
He clicked his tongue, feeling a mixture of admiration and envy, a rather unpleasant feeling.
While he himself was still racking his brains and tirelessly pursuing mere fame and fortune, Fang Jun had already established his own school of thought and almost achieved "physical sainthood"...
The difference is enormous.
Qian Weidao was shocked. He quickly picked up the book and carefully and earnestly read it, but because he lacked basic knowledge of mathematics, mechanics and other subjects, he was dizzy and confused.
"I believe the various designs are extremely ingenious and profound; I doubt that ordinary craftsmen could create them."
“Ordinary craftsmen naturally couldn’t make it…” Xu Jingzong took a few books and put them into a box: “But the craftsmen in the foundry can definitely make it!”
Qian Weiwei was quite pessimistic: "But the Foundry Bureau has always been under the control of the Grand Commandant. How can we send craftsmen to Yuezhou to build these things for us? We can't just use His Majesty's name to pressure the Grand Commandant, can we? That wouldn't be good."
Fang Jun's reputation for being "soft-hearted but not hard-hearted" and "smooth-scratching" is known throughout the land, and even the Emperor might not be willing to give him face.
Xu Jingzong instructed the clerk to put the box away and told him to give the spy ten strings of cash as a reward. Then he waved his hand and dismissed the spy.
Then he said to Qian Weidao, "You still don't understand Fang Junzhi. He often says that 'national interests are above all else,' but he doesn't just say it; he has always been practicing it."
Then he laughed and said, "A gentleman can be deceived by his methods, but we can 'learn from his strengths to subdue him'!"