Chapter 115 Human Life is More Important Than Heaven
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell silent. Only Wang Buzhi wanted to raise his hand, but when Zhao Yushu glanced at him, he immediately put his hand down and lowered his head, pretending to be a quail.
Haha, why am I not surprised at all? Zhao Yushu wanted to laugh as he looked at the dozens of scholars who were just chatting away.
"Brother Zhao, are you trying to say that we are just talking nonsense?" Junior Brother Zhou stood up suddenly and asked.
Oh my, you also have a story about talking about war on paper. I'll have to check if it's from my family.
"Brother Zhou, you are joking. Brother Zhou just started with the data, and your argument was well-reasoned. I admire you very much, but," Zhao Yushu paused and hummed, according to the debate convention, "but everything before these two words is nonsense, and the main topic comes after them."
"But I want to ask Brother Zhou, how big is Nanyang City?"
Zhou obviously didn't expect the other party to ask such a question, but this didn't bother him: "It's about thirteen miles from east to west, and about ten miles from north to south."
Wow, wow, thirty-two square kilometers, which is half bigger than the Luoyang City in the previous life.
"That's a good answer. May I ask, what is the population of the city?"
"Everyone in the academy knows that the imperial court makes a plan every ten years. The last time we did an inventory was three years ago. The registered population of Nanyang City was 410,000!"
"I admire you. I'm sure Senior Brother Zhou knows exactly how much arable land there is in the city."
Student Zhou was stunned and hesitated for a long time without being able to speak. Dean Wang stroked his white beard and laughed: "Let me answer. There is not an acre of land in Nanyang City. The food we eat every day is provided by the surrounding area, that is, the refugees outside the city grow it. Boy, what is your name?"
Zhao Yushu cupped his hands and said, "Student Zhao Yushu."
"Who do you study under?"
"Liu Jijiu is my mentor and Gu Changfeng is my senior brother."
Dean Wang nodded: "No wonder, no wonder. Well, let's stop here for today. If you are interested, you can go out of the city together to have a look. Zhao Yushu, you come with me. If you don't know me, you can come too."
"Farewell, President!" The scholars all stood up and saluted. Zhao Yushu hurriedly followed President Wang out, while Wang Bushi followed reluctantly behind.
Dean Wang walked in front with his hands behind his back: "How is your master?"
Zhao Yushu felt a pain in his balls when he heard this: "Actually, I haven't met the master yet."
"Huh, playing outside again?"
You use the word "again" very cleverly.
"You entered through the north gate?"
"Correct."
“There are more south gates.”
"What?" Zhao Yusheng was stunned, then he suddenly realized that Dean Wang meant that there were more refugees at the South Gate.
Following Dean Wang into the study, Dean Wang sat leisurely on a chair and casually pointed at the seat below. Zhao Yushu had just sat down when he saw Wang Buzhi kneeling on the ground with a thud.
Old Zhao was startled and was about to stand up, but Dean Wang waved his hand and said, "Just sit down. If you don't know me, why are you kneeling?"
Wang Bushi lowered his head and said, "My child, I disobeyed my order to distribute porridge."
"Oh, distributing porridge is a good thing, and disobeying orders is a bad thing, Yushu, what do you think?"
"Human life is more important than anything else."
"Ha, human life is more important than heaven? Zhao Yushu, you are so bold, do you know who heaven is?"
"I don't know. Please teach me, Dean." Zhao Yushu felt that it would be impolite to sit there any longer, so he stood up and bowed.
Wang Buzhi began to tremble. What the hell is going on? I just gave out some porridge, but General Sun had to look at my father's face and turned a blind eye to it. What's wrong with Brother Zhao? Why did he suddenly confront my father? My father is the same. Didn't he like Brother Zhao very much just now?
"Chaos was divided into yin and yang, forming the world. The emperor educates the people on behalf of heaven. Zhao Yushu, do you think the people are greater than heaven?"
"The dean is wrong. I said that human life is more important than heaven, not the people. It doesn't matter if you are a king, a minister, or a citizen. It's all the same." Zhao Yushu was neither humble nor arrogant. What was the education I received in my previous life? It was that everyone is equal. What did the magistrate of Echeng County say? Fair, fair, and very fair!
Wang Buzhi almost fainted: "Brother Zhao, please be careful with your words!"
"It seems that we have many disagreements about certain people or things." Dean Wang picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea that had been brewed at an unknown time.
"I heard from Brother Wang that you, the dean, told students not to just listen to the teachers and their families. If you don't argue, you won't understand the truth."
Dean Wang nodded: "Yes, that's what I said. Are you in a hurry to leave, kid?"
"If the dean doesn't chase me away, I can have a few more meals."
"Then stay a few more days and read more. When you're done and have thought it over, come and have a good chat with me, the old man. If you don't know me, just follow Yu Shu and read more and learn more."
Wang Buzhi hurriedly got up and bowed and said goodbye to Zhao Yushu.
After the two left, Dean Wang sat in a chair and thought for a long time, and finally sighed: "Old buddy, he really looks like you."
"Brother Zhao, you are really, really too bold. Can you say those words? What if it gets out..." As soon as Wang Buzhi walked out of the door, he immediately took out his folding fan and started fanning himself wildly. At this moment, he was sweating coldly.
"If you don't say it and I don't say it, will the dean tell others?" Zhao Yushu felt that he should buy a folding fan, otherwise he would have nowhere to put his little hands and it would be very embarrassing.
Wang Buzhi hesitated for a moment: "He might really tell others..."
"what?"
Outside the south gate of Nanyang City, simple shacks were piled up next to the official road. More and more people were driven in, and they were squeezed closer and closer to the official road. If the grain carts and livestock entering the city every day were not escorted by a large number of cavalry, they would have been looted by the refugees long ago. Even now, even with more and more escorting official troops, the green eyes of the refugees still made them shudder.
No one could stop the impact of tens of thousands of refugees unless a massacre was launched. If someone really drew blood, the imminent rebellion would immediately sweep across Nanyang.
In a shack, several ragged men were gathered together. In the middle, there was a brazier with a raging fire burning and an object shaped like a branding iron placed in the brazier.
"You guys are here, but you are still hesitating? Your wife is gone, and you and your baby are dying. If you are still hesitating, you might as well go back and dig in the soil. Maybe you can find some earthworms to eat."
The leader of the men said a few words in a disappointed tone, and the eyes of the men around him gradually lost the last trace of hesitation and became extremely determined.
"We listen to you. Those nobles in the city don't give out food, and they don't allow others to give out porridge. I heard that in the north city, the prince of the academy in the city was sent back when he gave out porridge. It was a scholar from the East Capital who forced him to give out porridge. If this continues, how many days can everyone survive?"
"Okay, brothers, now that you have thought it through, I, Old Li, will take the lead!"
The leading man yelled angrily, picked up the branding iron, and pressed it hard on his left shoulder. With a crackling sound, the smell of burning grease and green smoke rose up.
The man put down the iron with sweat all over his forehead and uttered a few words through gritted teeth;
"The fire of red lotus will burn away all the evil!"
A blood-red lotus appeared on the dark shoulder, and as the skin and flesh trembled in pain, the red lotus trembled slightly like a flame.