Chapter 800: Even a Japanese Pirate Invasion Can Be Faked

"Master You'an, this *Zilun Gewu Pian* is a treasure unearthed when the northern Qing's Chengzong Emperor Dorgon robbed the Confucius Forest and dug up the graves — bamboo slips from two thousand years ago! The original is kept in the Confucian Temple at Laoshan Palace, and you may go and pay your respects to it when the time comes."

Luo Dagong, Prefect of Songjiang and concurrently Ambassador for Foreign Affairs and Commerce, was at that moment aboard a Yangtze passenger boat making its way upstream, diligently explaining the discovery of the *Zilun Gewu Pian* to a Confucian scholar in his forties wearing a white Daoist robe and a square scholar's cap, with a square-jawed face and a large beard, looking very stern. This bearded Confucian scholar was no ordinary figure — he was a great Joseon Confucian scholar named Song Siyeol, of the Eunjin Song clan, courtesy name Yingfu, style You'an.

The reason he was called a great Confucian scholar was that he too had found a path for the development of Neo-Confucianism — the idea of "investigating things to exhaust principle" had not only baffled generation after generation of Chinese Confucian scholars, but had equally troubled Joseon Confucian students.

On the one hand, the sages all said one must investigate things; on the other hand, no one could ever investigate anything conclusive out of it. Could it be that everyone's brains were simply too dull to advance along the path the ancient worthies had pointed out?

But this great Joseon Confucian scholar Song Siyeol did not consider himself dull — he was a Joseon *zhuangyuan*, the top examination graduate! Could a fool become *zhuangyuan*? Since even a *zhuangyuan* could not investigate things, then it must mean that everyone's understanding of "investigating things to extend knowledge" was completely wrong.

So after much deliberation, the great scholar Song concluded that the most important path in investigating things to extend knowledge lay in "preserving the mind," rather than exhausting principle through practical affairs.

This approach looked somewhat similar to the School of the Mind here in the Great Ming, but in fact it was completely different.

The great scholar Song merely opposed exhausting principle through understanding nature, holding that investigating things required preserving the mind (which roughly meant opposing empirical verification and instead using speculative reasoning to investigate things) — he was not saying "the mind is principle" or "extending innate moral knowledge" or anything of that sort. He had not removed a single one of the various rules and strictures of Neo-Confucianism. On the contrary, he went even further in advocating the theory of "preserving Heavenly Principle and eliminating human desire," holding that human consciousness was the embodiment of "Heavenly Principle" and was inherently pure, but that once constrained by the physical body it gave rise to selfish desire, and the conscience became greatly corrupted.

Therefore, to preserve principle, one must suppress selfish desire. This theory was extremely advantageous for maintaining Joseon's feudal order, and so historically it became the orthodoxy of Joseon Confucianism, and Song Siyeol was honored as Master Song!

In China of the same era, a similar theory also became Confucian orthodoxy, so this Song Siyeol's learning absolutely deserved the title of "great Confucian scholar" — until the *Zilun Gewu Pian* was unearthed!

Because now the method by which Confucius the Sage investigated things had arrived — all that "preserving the mind" and "the mind is principle" was wrong!

Now over in Shanghai, privately run "Gewu Academies" had already appeared, compiling the finest works from the "Imperial Academy Higher Examinations" into books, and bundling them together with the *New Mathematics*, *Elementary French*, and the like as textbooks!

Some went even further, throwing in the Western works on natural philosophy that the Tongwen Guan had just translated, to make up the numbers — though who knew whether those teachers themselves could understand them? In any case, they just taught them however they pleased; since these subjects would be tested in the Imperial Academy Higher Examinations, there was no fear that no one would pay to study them!

Song Siyeol, who had spent some time in Shanghai, had of course also noticed these things that seemed at first glance to be full of human desire!

To be honest, the great scholar Song was brimming with learning and could absolutely find arguments in the Confucian classics of past dynasties to refute the *Zilun Gewu Pian* — but the "Zi" in *Zilun Gewu Pian* was Confucius!

These were all things the Master had once said — how could you refute them? In Confucianism, the old gentleman was the greatest of all! Who would dare refute him? Would that not be deceiving one's teacher and betraying one's ancestors?

So Song Siyeol had thought of verifying the authenticity of the *Zilun Gewu Pian* bamboo slips.

"What? Master Song wishes to see the original *Zilun Gewu Pian* with his own eyes?" Luo Dagong was somewhat troubled. It was not that he feared the old man would see through a forgery, because he had never suspected it at all — most of the principles in the *Zilun Gewu Pian* were true, so how could the bamboo slips possibly be fake?

Besides, the Emperor himself had enshrined it as genuine — would Luo Dagong dare say it was fake? The Censors in the Censorate would be overjoyed!

Luo Dagong was also a *zhuangyuan*; he was not that foolish!

"This is a national treasure of the highest order!" said Luo Dagong. "This humble official has no say in the matter. If you truly wish to see it, you must speak with His Majesty."

"Very well!" Song Siyeol stroked his beard. "When this old man meets His Majesty, I shall make the request in person!"

"Song Siyeol, does Joseon truly wish to abandon the Qing and return to the Ming?"

Laoshan Palace, the Hall of Diligent Governance. The Great Ming Emperor Zhu Cilang had already received the Joseon envoy, who had changed into official robes — the Minister of Rites, Song Siyeol.

"Your Imperial Majesty, all of Joseon, high and low, has always been loyal in heart to the Great Ming. Now the time is ripe, the troops and horses are ready, and the Tartar caitiffs have already declined. The superior state need only aid us with some firearms and cannon, and we can drive out the Tartar caitiffs and once again become a vassal of the superior state!"

Song Siyeol spoke fluent Chinese, and his etiquette was impeccable; combined with that countenance of a virtuous minister, he was thoroughly convincing no matter how one looked at him.

Zhu Cilang of course also believed in Joseon's loyalty. He nodded approvingly: "Joseon's loyalty to our Great Ming is something We have long heard of, and We know that you submitted to the Qing only under duress. We do not blame you for it — it was because our Great Ming was then too weak and feeble, unable to shelter its vassal states. Now that you are willing to return, We are of course delighted.

However, the Tartar caitiffs are extremely savage! If Joseon seeks to contend with the Tartar caitiffs by force, I fear you will not prevail. Even if We give you muskets and cannon, you still cannot defeat Dodo. Therefore, you must contend with the Tartar caitiffs by wit!"

By wit? How does one do that? The great scholar Song looked at Emperor Zhu, awaiting his "stratagem."

Emperor Zhu said: "Upon hearing of Joseon's return, We have thought of a plan to exhaust the caitiffs! Let Us explain it to you now. We feel that rather than have Joseon fight the eastern barbarians, it would be better to have the eastern barbarians send troops to protect Joseon!"

The great scholar Song was somewhat dumbfounded. What did that mean?

"Your Majesty, you are saying... let the eastern barbarians come to protect our Joseon?"

"Yes, yes, exactly so!" Zhu Cilang laughed. "This is Our plan: We shall stage a fake Japanese pirate invasion, using fake Japanese pirates to pretend to invade your kingdom of Joseon. Then Joseon will go and ask Dodo for help, and have Dodo send troops to protect you. Would that not tie down the eastern barbarians' forces?"

This was the principle that all is fair in war! Joseon was so weak — if they openly sided with the Great Ming, how many troops would the Great Ming have to send to protect them? Moreover, the border between Joseon and the Great Qing was so long that it simply could not be defended!

This... this... there was even such a way of deceiving the Tartars? The great scholar Song was taken aback. How had the Great Ming Emperor become so cunning?

A fake Japanese pirate invasion — the Japanese pirates were fake, and the invasion was also fake. Could such a thing even be faked?

"Your Majesty, how many fake Japanese pirates do you intend to send?" The great scholar Song frowned deeply. "If you send too few, I fear the eastern barbarians will not take it seriously. If you send too many, Joseon is a small country and may not be able to bear it!"

Zhu Cilang laughed: "No matter how many We send, Dodo will not come to rescue Joseon. So what We shall send is a fleet! A combined Japanese naval fleet to seize the islands off the southern coast of Joseon, and use those islands as bases to raid the ships of the eastern barbarians and the Spanish sailing the waters off Vladivostok!

At present, the eastern barbarians and the Spanish are trading at Vladivostok, exchanging furs and eastern pearls for firearms and cannon. Their ability to build a new army and equip it with large quantities of firearms and cannon all depends on the fur and eastern pearl trade. Once the Vladivostok trade is threatened, the eastern barbarians will certainly send troops."

"This..." The more Song Siyeol thought about it, the more wrong it seemed, yet he could not say exactly what was wrong. "This humble subject cannot decide such a matter on his own; I must return and seek instructions from our king."

"Good, good," Zhu Cilang nodded. "Go and seek instructions at once!"

In truth, whether he sought instructions or not made no difference. The Regional Commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the old gentleman Ukita Hideie, could hardly wait to invade Joseon. What did it matter whether the Joseon king agreed or not?

"Your Majesty, this humble subject has one more presumptuous request." Song Siyeol still had a demand.

"Speak," said Zhu Cilang with a smile.

"This humble subject wishes to see the original *Zilun Gewu Pian* with his own eyes!"

(End of Chapter)