Chapter 17: The Six Arts of the Superior Man

  Lu Zhi was not interested in Hua Fu's light and elegant clothes, his high-spirited and arrogant attitude, and his fondness for grandiose discussions. He also didn't have a good impression of Liu Bei, who liked music and fine clothes, and often followed behind Gongsun Zan. However, he had a very favorable opinion of the humble and unassuming Liu Ze, and was impressed by his unintentionally displayed talent and natural ability. Lu Zhi often praised him, saying: "This young man is teachable."

  Liu Ze deeply understood the principle of hiding one's light and keeping a low profile, as it is said that "a tree that stands out in the forest will be blown down by the wind." Modern people often say that "the bird that sticks its head out gets shot," and Liu Ze did not want to be that bird. In class, he never actively showed off himself, hiding his knowledge of 2,000 years' worth of learning, keeping it deeply concealed. If he were to bring out all the knowledge from thousands of years ago in one go, people would probably think him a freak, like Bruno, whose death Liu Ze knew all too well. Even so, Liu Ze's occasional flashes of brilliance were enough to earn him the reputation of being a genius.

  Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan were both famous Confucian scholars of their time, and the content of their lectures naturally focused on classical studies. The Four Books and Five Classics were all required courses, but they also touched on other subjects.

  In the Han Dynasty, Confucian scholars studied a wide range of subjects. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, however, scholars only read the Eight-legged Essay, which can be summarized as the "Six Arts": Ritual, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Arithmetic.

  The five rites are: auspicious rite, inauspicious rite, military rite, guest rite and festive rite; music refers to music, poetry and dance; archery has five types of shooting: white arrow, triple linked, swift shot, crossbow and ritual shooting; charioteering refers to the five methods of driving a horse-drawn vehicle: harmonious sound of the flute, following the winding water, passing in front of the lord's table, dancing at the intersection and chasing the left wing; calligraphy is the six categories of calligraphic script; arithmetic refers to the nine branches of mathematical art: square millet, spread out like a caltrop, subtraction and division, lesser expansion, commercial calculation, equal distribution, surplus and deficiency, algebra and geometry.

  Liu Ze's biggest headache was reading those Four Books and Five Classics, fortunately he had studied Chinese classics before, so every time he took the exam, he could pass with ease.

  As for mathematics, Liu Ze's talent was hard to conceal. In his view, the mathematical level of the Han Dynasty was only equivalent to that of elementary school in later generations. Many difficult mathematical problems became trivial when they reached him. This kind of "talent" was unmatched by anyone, and even Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan often sighed in admiration, feeling inferior to him.

  Poetry and rhapsodies were Liu Ze's weakness, this was an era when Han rhapsodies were popular, with six horses and four reins, the words were beautiful and elegant. However, when Liu Ze read the most classic "Two Capitals Rhapsody", he found it obscure and difficult to understand, like chewing wax. Of course, this couldn't be blamed on Liu Ze, after appreciating the sumptuous feast of Tang poetry and Song lyrics, Han poetry and rhapsodies were just coarse food, not even in the same league. That day in poetry class, Liu Ze couldn't help but recite "The white sun sets behind the mountains, the Yellow River flows into the sea, wanting to exhaust a thousand miles of scenery, climbing another floor", the whole class was shocked, Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan were also stunned.

  After the Book of Songs, four-character poems became popular, while five-character poems emerged only about a hundred years ago. Ban Gu's "Ode to History" is undoubtedly the pioneering work of five-character poetry, and since then, five-character poems have sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain. However, few excellent works have been produced, and this five-character poem recited by Liu Ze at will is outstanding in terms of structure, meaning, and momentum. Even Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan, and others couldn't critique it, but Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan are connoisseurs, how could they not know the pros and cons of this poem? From then on, they looked at Liu Ze with new eyes.

  In the blink of an eye, two years had passed. This spring, a man suddenly arrived at Lushi Academy. He was Donglai Wang Ji, a disciple of Zheng Xuan. He said that Zheng Xuan's father was seriously ill and asked Zheng Xuan to return home immediately. At the same time, he also brought news that the people of Lujiang Mountain had rebelled, breaking through several county cities, and even the governor of Lujiang had been killed. The situation in Lujiang was now chaotic.

  Zheng Xuan said to Lu Zhi, "My father is seriously ill and I must return. Now that the mountains of Lujiang are in revolt, with your son Gan's reputation in Jiujiang, the imperial court will certainly summon him; you should make early arrangements."

  Lu Zhi nodded in agreement and bid farewell to Zheng Xuan. Indeed, within a few days, the imperial appointment arrived, appointing Lu Zhi as the Governor of Lujiang. He immediately set off for his new post. Lu Zhi had no choice but to disband his academy and head south to take up his new position.

  Before leaving, Lu Zhi told Liu Ze alone: "The teacher is going, it's a pity that the days are still shallow and I haven't been able to teach you all the knowledge of my life. However, your talent in astronomy and mathematics far surpasses mine. If you can study diligently in the classics and history, your future achievements will be far beyond mine. I hope you will work hard and not disappoint me."

  Lu Zhi's intention was naturally to hope that Liu Ze could become a master in the field of Confucian classics, but if Liu Ze had traveled through thousands of years just to become a great master of Confucian classics, wouldn't it be a waste of Heaven's arrangement? Moreover, Liu Ze wasn't particularly interested in those obscure and abstruse Four Books and Five Classics. It is worth noting that for nearly two thousand years, the Four Books and Five Classics had dominated the career advancement and economic prospects of Chinese literati, becoming the root cause of China's backwardness. While the West was undergoing the Industrial Revolution, with science and technology advancing by leaps and bounds, Chinese scholars were still holding onto those worn-out books, taking exams to become officials and nobles. It cannot be denied that the Four Books and Five Classics have their importance, but what is fatal is their exclusivity, shutting out all other knowledge, only reading the sacred books of sages, how pitiful!

  Liu Ze had long made up his mind that if he had the ability to change education one day, he would definitely cut off this cultural bad habit of emphasizing literature and neglecting science, which has been ongoing in China for thousands of years. He wanted future generations of children not only to learn about history, literature, and philosophy but also to study astronomy, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. A nation's prosperity cannot be achieved by one person alone; it relies on the civilization and scientific technology passed down from generation to generation. However, he didn't say these words to Lu Zhi, merely nodding in response: "I will follow your teachings, Master."

  He then said, "Master's departure this time is like a dragon entering the sea, and he will surely unfold his grand plan. When he ascends to the imperial court in the future, he must be careful to guard against the eunuchs in the court." Liu Ze naturally knew that he would suffer from the eunuch Zuo Feng's harm in the future, so he reminded him first. Indeed, he saw a flash of light in Lu Zhi's eyes and a hint of surprise on his face, wanting to speak but stopping himself, and then bid farewell with a bow.

  Gongsun Zan was going to return to Liaoxi County, and his father-in-law Liu had already sent a letter agreeing to give him the position of top county official. Gongsun Zan had also specially recommended Liu Bei and Liu Ze to his father-in-law. For two years, Gongsun Zan and the Liu brothers got along very well. Although Gongsun Zan didn't have many other good qualities, he was a man of his word and would naturally take care of his sworn brothers when he became an official.

  Liu gave Liu Bei the position of county bookkeeper, and since Liu Ze was skilled in mathematics, he reserved the position of accountant for him. The accountant was also one of the top county officials, just like Gongsun Zan. When Liu Bei heard the news, he was overjoyed and rushed home to tell his father.

  Liu Hong knew that Gongsun Zan was a member of the prestigious Gongsun family in Youzhou and was also the son-in-law of Liu, the governor of Liaoxi County. If Liu Bei befriended him, it would be very beneficial for his future career as an official. Therefore, he gladly agreed.

  Liu Ze, however, had no intention of becoming a government official and politely declined Gongsun Zan's enthusiastic invitation: "As the ancients said, 'When parents are alive, one does not travel far.' Today, my elder brother is gone, and I wish to serve my parents in front of the hall. I dare not go on a distant journey. Thank you for your kind intentions, Elder Bo." Originally, he had planned to work with Liu Bei together, but Liu Bei accepted Gongsun Zan's invitation, so he didn't have any good options.

  Gongsun Zan could only say with a smile: "My younger brother is very filial, so I dare not force him. If my younger brother has any difficulties in the future, he can come to Liaoxi to find me."

  As for Gongsun Zan, Liu Ze was very grateful to him, and his life was given by others. However, although he was grateful, Liu Ze did not have the slightest idea of following him. Gongsun Zan had great ambitions but lacked ability, and on this historical stage at the end of the Han Dynasty, he was ultimately just a supporting character who perished in the raging fire of Yi Jing.

  For the past two years, Liu Ze has been thinking about this: since heaven arranged for me to be reborn in the Liu family, it must have a purpose. Isn't it that I should use my wisdom from 2,000 years later to help him achieve his grand ambitions? Thinking of this, Liu Ze's blood boiled with excitement, and his heart surged with emotion.

  Liu Bei, despite his grand ambitions, suffered a tumultuous fate, spending half his life in turmoil and narrowly escaping downfall on several occasions. It wasn't until he was 46 that he gained the assistance of Zhuge Liang, first capturing nine counties in Jingzhou, then obtaining Bashu and Hanzhong. In the tripartite division of China, he managed to secure a foothold, but this also exhausted his energy. Before witnessing the revival of the Han dynasty, he passed away at Baidi, leaving Shu Han weak and feeble. Despite having Zhuge Liang's exceptional talent, it was still impossible for him to hold up the sky with one arm alone. Ultimately, Shu Han became the first of the Three Kingdoms to perish.

  As for the reason, historians have been debating for two thousand years, but in the end, it was because the foundation was too shallow. Cao Cao started his army from Qiao County and had a large group of relatives from the Cao and Xiahou families supporting him on both sides, including famous generals such as Cao Hong, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan. He also received huge financial support from Wei Hong and had talented advisors like Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, Liu Ye, and Man Chong. His military was strong with generals like Yue Jin, Li Dian, Xu Zhu, Zhang Liao, and Yu Jin. Starting from Dongjun, he controlled Yan Province, which meant his army was powerful and his strength was formidable, taking advantage of the timing to unify the north.

  Sun Quan of Jiangdong, after his father and son's hard work for many years, had numerous famous ministers and generals under him. In literature, there were Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong, Zhang Hong, Zhuge Jin; in martial arts, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lü Meng, Lu Xun. The country was strategically located and the people were attached to it, occupying all the geographical advantages, so he could dominate Jiangdong like a tiger.

  Looking at Liu Bei, although he was a member of the Han royal family, he had been down on his luck for a long time. He made a living by selling straw sandals and weaving mats, and was extremely poor. Although he had fought against the Yellow Turbans with distinction, there was no one in the imperial court to support him, and he was too ashamed to ask for help. As a result, he could only obtain a minor official position as a county magistrate. Even when Gongsun Zan helped him obtain the position of Chancellor of Pingyuan, his army was less than a thousand strong, and his only capable generals were Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. His only redeeming quality was his relationships with others. He had been given the position of Governor of Xu Province without having to lift a finger, but because he lacked a solid foundation and had too few soldiers, he lost the position before he could even warm up the seat. From Xu Province to Runan, from Runan to Xinye, his army grew smaller with each battle, and his generals were still just Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun. Compared to Cao Cao and Sun Quan, who were both on the rise at this time, Liu Bei's start was too late. This was like a game of Go, where he had fallen behind in the opening and middle stages, and no matter how skilled his moves were, it would be difficult for him to turn the game around.

  But all of this will change with my arrival, the trajectory of history will undergo some changes, and the political and military landscape of the Three Kingdoms era will be reshuffled. I, a person with 2,000 years of wisdom, will surely break through the old framework and create a new world - Liu Ze was proudly shouting in his heart.