Chapter 53: The Courage to Live
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: The Courage to Live
What is a Gongyang Confucian?
In his past life, many uneducated people had narrowly blamed Confucianism for Huaxia’s decline.
Many even clamored that foreigners were hot-blooded while the men of China were cowardly, all because of the teachings of Confucianism.
However, the reality was quite different.
There are many reasons why the people of his past life came to be known by the character for "Han" rather than "Tang," "Song," or "Qing."
One of them was that the Han truly forged the spirit and mettle of a people.
While other dynasties perished from weakness, the Han alone collapsed from its strength.
Within this lies the dignity of a people.
The Han Dynasty was the era when the great revanchism of Confucianism was most prevalent!
Incidents of killing in the name of one’s parents, blood relatives, or friends were endless. Such acts were often praised by society, and many of the killers were pardoned, acquitted, or even rewarded.
And this mentality of ’if you want to kill me, I’ll take a piece of you with me even if I die’ originated from the Gongyang School of Confucianism.
The *Book of Han, Account of the Xiongnu* states:
"The Son of Heaven, intending to entrap the barbarians, issued an edict, saying: ’Emperor Gao left me with the sorrow of the Battle of Pingcheng; during the time of Empress Dowager Gao, the Chanyu’s letters were utterly perverse and rebellious. In ancient times, Qi Xianggong took revenge for a wrong nine generations old, an act greatly praised by the *Spring and Autumn Annals*.’"
The renowned Emperor Wu of Han, citing the *Gongyang Commentary* and modeling himself on the story of Qi Xianggong, launched his war against the Xiongnu.
Great generals such as Wei Qing and Huo Qubing rose to prominence during that time, and as a result, the Han Dynasty secured several hundred years of peace.
This line of thinking first originated in the Spring and Autumn Era.
Gongyang asked, "Can a feud nine generations old still be avenged?"
Confucius replied, "The kingly way restores antiquity, honoring the king and expelling the barbarians. A feud, even ten generations old, can still be avenged!"
Confucius was not the weak, easily bullied pedant some imagine him to be. He was a formidable man, standing over six feet tall, who journeyed through the warring states on his own two feet.
It is as written in the *Analects, Xian Wen*: "Someone asked, ’What do you say about repaying injury with kindness?’ The Master said, ’Then with what will you repay kindness? Repay injury with justice, and repay kindness with kindness.’"
Confucius never advocated for smiling and saying "it’s nothing" after being punched in the face.
You either bide your time and return the punch later, or you return it on the spot.
The Gongyang school, in studying the teachings of Confucius, seized upon this idea that a feud even ten generations old can be avenged.
The Gongyang school even proclaimed that not only can a contemporary wrong be avenged, but vengeance can be sought even a hundred generations later.
"For a distant ancestor, how many generations back? Nine generations. Can vengeance still be sought for a wrong nine generations old? Even one hundred generations later, it can be done!"
Zhu Ge knew full well the fierce and unyielding nature of the Gongyang school.
It was just that they had recently defeated the Fungus God, and at the time, they had no one to take revenge on.
But now, he couldn’t let Yu the Scholar wallow in despair, and he certainly wouldn’t let him think death was the easy way out.
Revenge!
Vengeance!
He needed Yu the Scholar’s strength!
He couldn’t bear to see Yu the Scholar throw his life away in a "noble sacrifice" against some worthless scum.
If they were to die, he and Yu the Scholar should die for a cause far more worthy!
As it is said in the *Book of Rites, Quli*: One cannot live under the same sky as their father’s murderer. One must not return their weapon to its sheath if their brother has been murdered. One must not live in the same state as their friend’s murderer.
A feud with your father’s murderer is irreconcilable; you must hunt them to the ends of the earth and kill them.
If your brother is killed, you must always carry a weapon, ready to take revenge. If your friend is killed, you must either avenge them or leave the state. You cannot share a country with the perpetrator.
Then there is Mencius’s quote: "Henceforth, I understand the gravity of killing another’s kin. If you kill a man’s father, someone will kill your father. If you kill a man’s brother, someone will kill your brother!"
You kill my father, I can kill your father.
You kill my brother, I can kill your brother.
The Confucianism of Confucius and Mencius was direct and to the point. It didn’t preach some inexplicable doctrine that went against human nature.
Seek vengeance—planned, strategic vengeance!
Even if it takes ten generations, or a hundred!
Not rushing headlong into a suicidal, futile attack!
Where is the logic in that?
Of course, this concept of vengeance is merely one interpretation of the principle of *ren*, or benevolence.
The concept of *ren* encompasses filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor—with filial piety chief among them.
This hierarchy contains the Confucian Family’s philosophical reflections on what it means to be human: ’Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?’
Unlike religious cultures that believe man was created by God—that one’s life is a gift from God, and it is God to whom one should be grateful.
Confucius believed that one’s life is a gift from one’s parents. Not only did they carry you for ten months and give you birth, but they also toiled and suffered to raise you. Thus, the debt of gratitude you owe is for both your birth and your upbringing.
How can such a debt be repaid? Through filial piety.
This is the ethical foundation of the Confucian Family. Thus, ancient China was often governed through the principle of filial piety. There was even a system for recommending officials who were "filial and incorrupt." If a person was known for their filial piety, they would earn the admiration of all who heard of it and the patronage of the nobility.
Since *ren* is hierarchical and based on the closeness of relationships, avenging one’s parents, relatives, and friends has a moral foundation. The benevolence one owes to strangers is not as important as the benevolence one owes to family and friends.
This was also how Zhu Ge knew that a Gongyang Confucian was not a madman Confucian.
Confucius and Mencius advocated for vengeance, but only as one specific aspect of the concepts of benevolence and righteousness.
And while the Gongyang Confucians were proponents of grand-scale vengeance, they also established very clear requirements and boundaries for it.
A Gongyang Confucian does not merely seek vengeance; they must have both a *cause* for vengeance and a *principle* of vengeance.
The *cause* of vengeance concerns who you are avenging and the nature of your relationship with and debt of gratitude to that person.
Only by understanding the cause can you determine the proper and appropriate way to seek retribution.
Otherwise, if someone kills your house cat and you respond by slaughtering their entire family, wouldn’t that lead to the complete collapse of society and morality?
The retribution must fit the crime!
You kill my kin, I kill your kin.
But if you kill the free-range chicken I was raising for the New Year’s feast, you just have to reimburse me for its cost plus a couple hundred for my trouble, and we can call that revenge.
A gentleman believes in proportionality.
The *principle* of vengeance, on the other hand, lies in righteousness.
If your father was killed innocently, then you should certainly seek revenge. But what if your father was killed in retaliation for his own crimes? If the other party spared you instead of "pulling the weeds and digging up the roots," yet you still seek revenge? Where is the justice in that?
If your father was murdered in a robbery or for his wealth, then your vengeance is justified.
But what if your father was killed in self-defense by an innocent maiden he was trying to rape?
Would you have the audacity to seek revenge then?
Zhu Ge didn’t want Yu the Scholar to become a madman who, just because the Raincoat Fisherman was a scoundrel, would slaughter everyone associated with the fisherman’s path.
That is a madman, not a Gongyang Confucian.
"...Thus, it is said: If the father’s punishment was unjust, the son may seek revenge. But if the father’s punishment was just, for the son to seek revenge is to perpetuate a cycle of violence."
"If a ruler views his subjects as dirt, then his subjects will view their ruler as a bitter enemy. If you have a righteous cause for your feud, you can draw your blade even in the presence of your master!"
Zhu Ge spoke slowly.
"And besides that, there is one more line..."
"Vengeance is to be sought only upon the person of the killer."
Though the Gongyang school of Confucianism is ferocious, this beast is still held by a leash.
And that leash was the system of rites of the time.
"Vengeance is to be sought only upon the person of the killer." This means your target is the murderer alone; you are not to involve their family or descendants.
"Scholar, do you still think the Human Race is rotten to the core? All because of one Raincoat Fisherman?"
"If you had the chance, would you choose to slaughter every member of the Human Race associated with the fishermen? Would you decide the entire Human Race is corrupt and then seek to destroy it?"
At this, the tear tracks on Zhu Ge’s face seemed to deepen as his expression grew solemn. He gazed out the window.
"He who kills will, in turn, be killed."
"Instead of thinking about how to avenge Xianxian, we’re thinking of taking the easy way out?"
"Instead of thinking about how to excise this cancer from the Human Race, we’re just idly spouting that ’the Human Race is rotten’?"
"Scholar!"
Zhu Ge’s gaze shifted back from the window.
"Often, it takes more courage to live than to die."
"I suspect that what happened to Xianxian is happening all across the land. How can we stand by and allow his kind to bring disaster upon the world?"
With that, Zhu Ge released his grip on Yu the Scholar’s shoulders and walked to the window.
"Scholar, why should we endure this? Why must we live on..."
Dawn had not yet arrived. The sky was dim, faintly illuminated by the moon.
Why had the Human Race become so decadent? The reasons were hard to put into words, a story without end.
But why did the Human Race still cling to life?
Because there are heroes.
Because there are those who endure humiliation for a greater cause.
Because there are those who work hard and persevere.
Because there are tragic songs.
Because there is hope.
In short...
"Scholar..."
"Though cries of misery and rivers of blood cover the land, all it takes is a single will to save the people."