Chapter 714: The real big picture, the world's scholar-clans! 【1】

Guo Jia, holding the wine cup with both hands, knelt and sat in front of Guo Hong.

He told Guo Hong everything that happened in the Yangdi County office today.

The Guo clan had been passed down in Yingchuan for hundreds of years; although not as good as the Yingyin Xun clan, the Changshe Zhong clan, the Wuyang Han clan, and the Xu County Chen clan, they were still a top-tier scholar-clan in Yingchuan.

Naturally, there was nothing that happened in Yangdi County that the Guo clan did not know about.

Since Wang Yun, Zhu Jun, Huangfu Song, and the others returned yesterday, the matter of snatching credit at the Xun River had already spread to the Guo mansion.

There were members of the Guo clan serving as officials in Yangdi County, and even members of the Guo clan serving as military officers in the army.

So the Guo clan naturally knew everything that happened.

Especially when Zuo Feng and Duan Yu arrived in Yangdi at the same time.

Before this grand play was about to unfold, the people of the Guo clan naturally paid special attention.

Guo Hong, listening to Guo Jia's account, stopped turning the pages of his book.

He looked at the night sky outside the open study door.

His other hand held a wine cup, sipping wine from time to time.

"According to what you say, today should have been a great victory for Duan Yu." Guo Hong said with a smile.

Guo Jia nodded excitedly and said: "Yes, I think he... is very amazing."

Guo Hong said "Oh" and looked at Guo Jia: "How so? Where do you think Duan Yu is amazing?"

Guo Jia pondered and said: "Although Duan Yu did not come to Yingchuan, everything he did before arriving in Yangdi today was laying the groundwork for after he arrived in Yingchuan."

"Perhaps that person named Wang Du was discovered by Duan Yu by accident, but after discovering Wang Du, he was able to accurately use Wang Du to strike at Wang Yun."

"If he had arrived in Yingchuan one step earlier, he would inevitably have faced the situation of snatching military merit with the Left Colonel of the Gentlemen of the Household, Huangfu Song, and the Right Colonel of the Gentlemen of the Household, Zhu Jun."

"It would be better to take a shortcut and suppress the Dong Commandery rebel soldiers by surprise."

"And although he was in Dong Commandery, he had already anticipated Bo Cai's defeat and had soldiers ambush at the Xun River in advance."

"Isn't this amazing?" Guo Jia looked at his uncle Guo Hong.

Guo Hong nodded slightly, giving Guo Jia affirmation: "It is very amazing."

Guo Jia, having received affirmation, smiled and said: "I told you so."

"But Duan Yu's amazingness does not stop there."

Guo Jia was immediately piqued by curiosity and asked: "Then what does Uncle think?"

Guo Hong recalled the first time he saw Duan Yu.

Time had flown by, and nearly a year had passed.

"I think that Duan Yu's most amazing point is his ability to judge the situation and his grasp of the big picture!"

Guo Hong analyzed: "What you see is only the game on the Yingchuan battlefield."

"And what Duan Yu has to deal with is the game in the Luoyang court, and even the game of the whole world."

Guo Jia, hearing this, seemed to have a window opened that had never been opened before; his eyes were exceptionally bright, and he listened exceptionally carefully.

"Fengxiao is skilled in the art of Liubo, so naturally, you know the mysteries on the chessboard."

"Liubo is divided into black and white sides, each holding six pieces."

"The current situation of the world is the situation of Liubo."

"The Son of Heaven, eunuchs, relatives, scholar-clans, powerful families, and the common people."

"The game in the court represents the trend of the world."

"The Yuan clan, the Yang clan, and the scholar-clans in power in the Luoyang court want more power, while the Son of Heaven wants to consolidate the power in his hands."

"Everything that happened in Yingchuan seems to be Duan Yu fighting with Wang Yun, Zhu Jun, and Huangfu Song."

"It seems to be suppressing a rebellion, but in fact, it is just a game in the court."

"Duan Yu represents the Son of Heaven, a student of the Son of Heaven, while Wang Yun, Zhu Jun, and Huangfu Song represent the Yuan clan, the Yang clan, and the scholar-clans of the world."

"You think Duan Yu won in Yingchuan."

"But think carefully, did Duan Yu really win?"

Guo Jia frowned, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

"Then Uncle thinks... Duan Yu didn't win?" Guo Jia asked.

Guo Hong shook his head: "I can't answer this question for you."

"Ah?" Guo Jia was stunned and very puzzled: "Why?"

Guo Hong smiled slightly and said: "Human hearts."

"Because of human hearts."

Guo Hong looked at Guo Jia and said: "The Guo clan has studied the 'Little Du Code' for generations; tell me, why must there be law in the world?"

"Because law can restrain human hearts."

"Xunzi said: 'The eyes love beauty, the ears love music, the mouth loves taste, the heart loves profit, the bones and skin love comfort; these all arise from human nature.'"

"Human greed is born with us; if not restrained, this possessiveness will be infinitely magnified, leading to chaos."

"This is the human heart, human nature."

"But human nature and human hearts are both fickle."

"Law can restrain the common people of the world, but it cannot restrain those who make the law."

"Likewise, it cannot restrain the hearts of these people."

Guo Hong stroked his chin and said: "In the eyes of scholar-clans and powerful families, the common people are all ants, to be discarded at will."

"In the eyes of the Son of Heaven, officials, scholar-clans, and powerful families also play the role of common people; use them if they are useful, discard them if they are useless."

"Duan Yu's gamble now seems to have won."

"But if the Yuan clan and the Yang clan truly want the Son of Heaven to change his mind, do you think it would be a difficult thing?"

Guo Jia was stunned.

A sentence suddenly appeared in his mind.

When the birds are gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbits are dead, the hunting dogs are cooked.

One can share adversity, but not prosperity.

If the Son of Heaven is the hunter, and the scholar-clans and powerful families are the birds and cunning rabbits, then what is Duan Yu?

A student of the Son of Heaven, in reality, a hunting dog.

If the birds and cunning rabbits are bound by the hunter, what use is the hunting dog?

"The way to govern the world has never been a method where one family dominates." Guo Hong said: "If the Son of Heaven's power is too great, like the Qin Emperor, with no restraint, then the world suffers."

"If scholar-clans and powerful families have no restraint, then the world suffers just the same."

"The trend of the world lies in balance."

"If someone appears who can break the imbalance, then this person..."

"Is someone who jumps out of the Liubo chessboard; do you think the players will allow a piece, a fish, to come out of the water?"

Although Guo Hong's tone was calm, it made Guo Jia feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He felt a chill all over his body.

To the scholar-clans and powerful families of the world, the common people are grass by the roadside, which anyone can trample.

Then to the Son of Heaven, what is Duan Yu?

He is a blade. ===== CHAPTER 716 =====