Chapter 1137 The Advantages of Civilization (Today's fifth update, please subscribe)
The Empire brought civilization to the world!
This civilization is not the "civilization" that Europeans claim to be, but real civilization!
Perhaps the empire was about conquest and aggression, but it was definitely not about enslavement.
The reason why many Europeans cannot find the answer is not because there is no answer, but because they cannot understand the answer.
In fact, the answer lies in the Chinese tradition - "pacify the barbarians and make them belong to China."
For the Anglo-Saxons and European countries, what was their conquest for? It was for enslavement and plunder. As early as the Roman era, what was the purpose of the Romans' wars?
It was to plunder slaves and to plunder land.
In contrast, when the Zhou emperor divided the feudal lords into four directions, what did the feudal lords do? They were "pacifying the barbarians and making them belong to China".
That is to use advanced civilization to educate the barbarians, make them belong to China, and eventually integrate them into becoming a part of China.
It is this essential difference that makes the behavior of the two essentially different.
"The east is called Yi, the west is called Rong, the south is called Man, and the north is called Di."
In a Chinese studies class at Yingtian University, Liu Chongjiao, a great Korean scholar who went into exile with Daewongun Lee Siying from the Ming Dynasty, wrote these words on the blackboard.
Then he asked back.
"The Four Barbarians is a general term for the various tribes around the Central Plains in ancient times, namely the Eastern Barbarians, Southern Barbarians, Northern Barbarians and Western Barbarians. It also refers to foreign tribes and foreign countries. From the map, the Four Barbarians are all around the Central Plains. Today, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Northern Zhili, Shandong, and Huguang are all places of the Four Barbarians. So where are the Four Barbarians now?"
"The four barbarians have long been assimilated into China. In the book "Mencius" by King Hui of Liang, there is a line that says "I came to China and comforted the four barbarians". The so-called "touch" means to comfort and educate the barbarians with Chinese culture, so that they can get rid of the ignorance of eating raw meat and drinking blood and become civilized. This is also "touch the barbarians and make them belong to China". After thousands of years of pacification, the four barbarians were finally assimilated into China..."
The student's answer made the Confucian master Liu Chongjiao nod in agreement. As a fundamentalist Chinese, he not only did not reject the eight words "pacify the barbarians and make them belong to China", but also agreed with them from the bottom of his heart.
For hundreds of years, North Korea has called itself "Little China" and is proud of it, but deep down, they are more eager to truly become a part of China, just like Japan today. No, like Japan today, now "China and Japan are of the same ancestry and belong to China".
In the next class, Liu Chongjiao talked about "the debate between Chinese and barbarians" from "education", and said that "if a barbarian is Chinese, then he is Chinese; if he is Chinese and a barbarian, then he is a barbarian."
"The real origin of the saying 'If you enter the barbarians, you become a barbarian; if you enter the Chinese, you become a Chinese' is the invention of the pseudo-Confucian scholars Hao Jing and Xu Heng who served the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty to discuss the legitimacy of the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty. The arguments of Hao Jing and Xu Heng are typical pseudo-theories that serve the rule of foreign races, such as 'using barbarians to change the Chinese, and having no ruler or father'. This theory was further promoted by pseudo-Confucian scholars under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, which is actually harmful to our Confucianism."
When mentioning pseudo-Confucians like Xu Heng, Liu Chongjiao still looked indignant. It was no wonder that in the past two hundred years, influenced by Song Siyeol and others, Korean scholars took "the great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Annals" and "the debate between China and the barbarians" as the source of their thoughts. Coupled with Smithda's unique stubbornness, the "debate between China and the barbarians" had long been deeply rooted in his bones. When mentioning those pseudo-Confucians, he naturally looked indignant.
"…This sentence comes from the book "Yuan Dao" written by Han Yu after annotating the Spring and Autumn Annals. Han Changli was dissatisfied with Hu Fo in "Jian Fo Gu Biao". It is obvious that Han Yu's meaning of this sentence is: when barbarians enter China, they should be treated in the Chinese way, because barbarians will definitely treat China in the same way. Therefore, to treat barbarians in the Chinese way means that either the barbarians should accept Hanization and submit voluntarily. Or they should be driven out and then educated…"
In Liu Chongjiao's class, there are not only Chinese but also Europeans. Among the Europeans there are Hispanics, Italians, and of course European-Indian mixed races. However, this does not hinder their learning, nor does it arouse their dissatisfaction.
In fact, in the past decade or so, the Ming Dynasty found the root of resolving internal racial differences in the traditional Chinese Confucianism. While European culture emphasizes the superiority and inferiority of different races, Chinese Confucianism never talks about the superiority and inferiority of any race, but only emphasizes "education" and "great harmony".
Why do countries and regions outside of China regard themselves as "small China" or "China"? This idea is derived from Chinese thought and is essentially a product of the spread of Confucian culture. As foreign countries, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and other countries have even developed the idea of "being proud of China" in this kind of education. From admiration to willing integration, this is also the most successful part.
Perhaps Confucianism has problems of one kind or another, but the Confucian concept of "universal peace" based on "education" is also what the empire needs.
Just like the European students in this class, they not only do not reject "Great Harmony in the World", but also actively welcome and accept it. In fact, this is also the most fundamental difference between Chinese culture and Western culture.
In the name of civilization, Westerners divide human beings into "civilized people" and "barbarians", and regard the enslavement of barbarians by civilized people as natural and justified. What about the Chinese? In fact, it is the same. What is the so-called "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians" and "pacifying the barbarians" are essentially discrimination against the barbarians. However, the key is that there is something that is not found in Western civilization - "returning to China", that is, the barbarians can belong to China and become a part of China. What is this process?
It means "education", and thus the barbarians were pacified and made part of China.
Under the guidance of this idea, the expansion of the empire can be explained as "educating the four directions and achieving universal peace", which is also the mission of the empire.
It is also because of this that the expansion of the empire was cleverly disguised as another purpose - the spread of civilization. However, this spread was different from that of the West. During the process of spread, the elite groups and even ordinary people in the conquered areas could see the possibility of becoming a part of Chinese culture.
It is not a possibility, but a necessity. It is this necessity that allows them to integrate into it willingly. This is one of the reasons why even the most stubborn Jews can be integrated into China in the long river of history.
In essence, the empire is now absorbing the beneficial parts of Confucian civilization and making them serve the empire's expansion and colonial cause. After all, expansion has long been engraved in the blood and bones of the empire, and no matter what excuses and reasons are used, they are essentially for this purpose.
But an expansion with thought is far better than an expansion without thought.
It was through the development and inheritance of this culture that the Ming Empire was able to turn its former enemies into its own people, which was something that European countries such as Britain and France could not do, as they might have established their own overseas colonial empires.
But they can never build a true empire.
Just like Britain, even if the Queen of England is the Indian Emperor wearing the Indian crown, under the rule of the British Empire, Indians can never become British. The British are British, and Indians will always be Indians, and will always be colonized and enslaved. The two are clearly distinguished. When an Indian elite under British rule cannot see the possibility of becoming a British, it becomes inevitable to resist British rule. Then the colonial empire will collapse.
But under the rule of the empire, the Japanese will be integrated into the empire after several generations. Of course, the so-called Chileans, Argentines, Brazilians, Peruvians, and Bolivians will also be integrated into the empire and become part of the empire. When local elites become part of the empire, they will spontaneously become the empire's fierce defenders.
All of this is the advantage of Chinese civilization.
Thanks to Lu_ae and all the book friends for their tips. I was so busy writing that I neglected a lot. I'm really sorry. No matter how urgent it is, I will thank the book friends for their tips. Thank you again! I'm grateful for the fifth update today!
I have set up a book club: 335260551. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.
(End of this chapter)
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