Wang Zeng, who had previously won the top three places in the imperial examination, was unhappy and said, "Zhao Jun, stop talking nonsense. The classics can govern a country and ensure its security. Zhao Pu said, 'Half of the Analects can rule the world.' Have you heard of that? "
"Don't be ridiculous. If the Analects were useful, would the Northern Song Dynasty have been destroyed? Would so many dynasties throughout history have been destroyed?"
Zhao Jun immediately slapped him in the face, "Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism has been the only official ideology. As a result, over the past two thousand years, feudal dynasties have only lasted about three hundred years. This is because Confucian culture has constrained social progress and development. It's a different era, but we're still clinging to outdated ideas. Ideology and culture must keep pace with the times, and reform the old and establish the new. This is the true meaning of the classics!"
"It's all nonsense! It's complete nonsense."
Cai Qi slammed the table and stood up. He was also a top scholar and was very unhappy that Zhao Jun was belittling Confucianism and the top scholar.
"This is not a fallacy, it is a fact."
Zhao Jun shook his index finger. "Sometimes you have to admit that the times are progressing and society is developing. The outdated customs and traditional ideas you cling to every day are completely ignorant and dregs. They seriously restrict the country's development and keep it from moving forward."
"Why was China still the world's leading power during the early Qing Dynasty, but Europe was able to catch up in just one or two hundred years and colonize the world?"
"It was because their thinking was unfettered that they were able to complete the Industrial Revolution in a very short period of time."
"Confucianism only teaches you every day that the ruler is the leader of the ministers, the father is the leader of the sons, and the husband is the leader of the wife. It makes you blindly follow his orders and turns the people of the country into slaves of the ruler."
"Although this did greatly help the emperor centralize power, once society and ideology became rigid, the country could not progress."
"The Song Dynasty was weak in military affairs, but its cultural and economic development was brilliant. The four great inventions of ancient China, recognized worldwide, were basically perfected during the Song Dynasty."
"Gunpowder, which appeared in the Tang Dynasty, began to be used in military operations. Papermaking, which emerged in the Eastern Han Dynasty, helped spread knowledge among scholars. Bi Sheng invented movable type printing, and the compass was widely used in navigation."
"However, Mr. Lu Xun once said, 'Foreign countries use gunpowder to make bullets to defend against enemies, while China uses it to make firecrackers to worship gods; foreign countries use compasses for navigation, while China uses them for feng shui; paper and printing have allowed European civilization to flourish, but you have shackled your thinking and are unable to use them to get on the right path.'"
"Europe also had emperors, so why were they able to complete the Industrial Revolution while you couldn't? It's because the dregs of Confucianism have shackled people's minds, shackled them with loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, solidified their class structure, and prevented everyone from making progress."
"Science and technology, inventions and creations are viewed as eccentric and ingenious, the beginnings of non-Confucian thought are considered cultural heresy, and military figures are seen as destabilizing factors. If we suppress this and that day after day, how can the country develop and how can it be powerful militarily?"
"And I could clearly help you build a strong national industry, develop basic education, and reform the official system. I'm more knowledgeable than any of you here, but I can't enter the government because of rigid dogma."
"So if this isn't pedantic, what is?"
By the end, Zhao Jun's tone was becoming increasingly harsh. Although it was true that the Zhao family was his ancestor, it was undeniable that the Song Dynasty's position in history was indeed very embarrassing and gave people a very bad impression.
The imperial examination system was created to recruit talented people, but they cling to dogmatism and prevent talented people from entering the officialdom with high positions. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?
You should know that Zhao Jun had studied the culture of imperial examinations. The most important reason why he insisted on taking the imperial examination and did not want to be granted the same status as a Jinshi was the issue of the right to speak in officialdom.
Since he had promised Zhao Zhen that he would contribute to the Song Dynasty, he naturally had to enter the officialdom.
Those who were granted the same status as Jinshi not only had slow promotions and low salaries, but were also at the bottom of the official contempt chain.
In the future, you will not have the confidence to speak to colleagues of the same level, or even those who are of lower rank than you but have ranked first or second, or even third or fourth in the exam.
For example, if he enters the government office in the future, his colleagues at the same level will look down on him, and the lower-level officials will easily pretend to obey him but actually disobey him, making him be restricted in every way like a young wife. Even if he wants to do something, he may not be able to exercise his power.
No one cares about you.
This is the importance of the right to speak in official circles.
Therefore, based on these reasons, Zhao Jun does not want to be at the bottom of the contempt chain. Not to mention getting the top spot, he should at least get a first or second place.
So Zhao Jun hoped that they could be flexible and change their thinking, such as allowing himself to plagiarize later poems and songs.
If things continue to be so rigid, Zhao Jun will really have to consider running away.
After all, he never thought that after traveling to the Song Dynasty, he had to obey the emperor and his ministers.
If we can't even make this little compromise, then what's the point of talking about reform and progress?
(End of this chapter)
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