Looking at the distant mountains, after a moment of thought, Fang Er said to Wang Xuance.
Issue an order for Liu Meng to lead the Third Division to bypass the Fourth Peak. Leave ten men every ten li to establish radio communication points.
Find out exactly how many people are hidden in this mountain!
You will lead the special forces as the vanguard!
Yes!
Wang Xuance saluted and retreated, leading the special forces down the mountaintop.
At this moment, Li Shimin had already walked towards the academy with Li Ji and Liu Hongji. Li Xiaogong, from his vantage point on the archway, saw the three of them and leaped down.
He then walked up to Li Shimin and bowed, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
"At ease. How is the situation?" Li Shimin asked casually, helping him up.
"Merely a rabble, it doesn't matter how many come." Li Xiaogong said dismissively, striking down a bandit who rushed towards him with a single shot.
Li Ji and Liu Hongji flanked Li Shimin. The nearby bandits, having heard Li Xiaogong's address, were closing in with renewed ferocity.
Bandits are just bandits. Without strict training, their fighting relies on a mere three parts spirit. Let alone veteran generals like Li Ji and Liu Hongji, even the Xuanjia Army guarding Li Shimin could take on a hundred of them!
Therefore, Li Shimin did not take the current bandits seriously at all. Instead, he asked Li Xiaogong.
"Have any members of the Kong family appeared?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is strange, for this is their stronghold. Since Your subject and An Zhi ascended the mountain, apart from some scholars, we have not seen anyone from the Kong family."
"Then finish things here quickly. It is time for me to pay a visit to the Kong family."
As Li Shimin spoke, his gaze was fixed in the direction of Qufu, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
After this matter, the Great Tang will have no more noble families!
A thousand-year noble family, a hundred-year dynasty, Hah!
I refuse to believe this!
With the addition of three thousand Xuanjia troops and ten thousand Central Oversight Army, the already one-sided battle became even more thoroughly crushed.
From Li Xiaogong leading his men to hold the mountaintop in an advantageous position, to later fighting down from the summit, the bandits began to show signs of collapse.
The scholars bound hand and foot in the academy heard the sounds of battle fading away. The eight men who had their sleeve crossbows discovered exchanged glances, seeing the unwillingness in each other's eyes.
Why!
They had only killed a thousand officials escorting national debt, why would Li Shimin himself come to quell them?
This is not Confucianism!
According to past records, even if officials were killed, the provincial army would merely go through the motions, and those records would only mention ordinary banditry.
Could it be that Li Shimin truly does not care about the opinions of scholars throughout the land?
The hundred or so censors, whom Li Shimin had specifically summoned, were being closely watched by the Xuanjia Army at the foot of the mountain. They wanted to go up the mountain but were blocked.
"His Majesty has decreed that you stay put!"
The Xuanjia Army unceremoniously refused their request to ascend the mountain.
It's over! It's over! It's all over!
Mao Mingda collapsed onto the ground, his face filled with grief as he looked at the blood flowing down the mountainside.
How dare His Majesty! How dare he lay hands on Mount Ni Academy!
To what end! Suppressing bandits has reached Mount Ni, it is an insult to refinement, an insult to the Sage!
After a thousand years of inheritance, when has this place ever suffered the ravages of war!
A grave sin! A grave sin indeed! We are all disciples of the Sage, yet we can only watch helplessly as our sacred ground is defiled. What face do we have to continue living!
Blood, so much blood! How many fellow disciples have been slaughtered!
The Confucian school is the foundation of the empire. His Majesty has been deceived by wicked advisors, severing his own roots. The nation will be no more, the world will be in chaos! Wuwuwu~~~
Li Shimin, who had only descended halfway down the mountain, heard the wailing from below. He stood still for a moment, listened, and then let out a cold snort before returning to the mountaintop.
A bunch of talkers.
In An Zhi's words, they only know how to wag their tongues, they are simpletons!
A bunch of simpletons!
Severing their own roots?
Do you really think the Great Tang cannot function without you simpletons?
It's utter nonsense!
After a thousand years of inheritance, they haven't even figured out 'ah, oh, uh,' and are only preoccupied with scheming against each other. They are worse than mere warriors!
At least warriors know to face life and death with equanimity and fight if they disagree!
And chicken and rabbit in the same cage? I've lived this long and never seen a commoner put chickens and rabbits in the same cage!
Only these idle fellows, who are ignorant of the basic necessities of life, can come up with such problems!
The mountaintop had returned to peace. The flowing blood gathered at the feet of the statue of the Sage, staining the ground red.
This scene was strikingly similar to the rise of Confucianism. The Hundred Schools of Thought perished because of Confucianism, and the Sage himself was enshrined as a sage over the blood of others.
Legend has it that the Sage was over eight feet tall, with fists as large as casseroles, skilled in both literary and martial arts.
Look at the Confucian disciples of today; if it comes down to a real fight, they are not as capable as the scholars in the wilderness!
Fang Er stood before the statue of the Sage, murmuring to himself.
Li Xiaogong retorted from the side.
"Don't paint everyone with the same brush. The scholars on Mount Ni do not represent all scholars in the world."
Are not Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui under your command both learned and martial?
Furthermore, Duke Wei, Li Jing, is also a general who is both learned and martial.
There are many such outstanding individuals in the court. Shall I introduce them to you one by one?
Li Shimin, who was walking over, could not help but interject.
"Xiaogong is right. Scholars are not necessarily Confucian scholars."
"Your present companion, Duke Mao, is an example."
"Your Majesty overpraises me. I am undeserving."
Li Ji repeatedly waved his hands, saying with an embarrassed expression.
His original name was Xu Maogong. Li Yuan bestowed the surname Li upon him. He was an old minister of the Tang Dynasty, trusted by three emperors: Li Yuan, Li Shimin, and Li Zhi.
According to the normal course of history, he would participate in the compilation of "Xin Xiu Ben Cao" 27 years later, which was the earliest pharmacopoeia in the world.
After his modesty, Li Ji added, "What Your Majesty said just now is correct. Scholars are not necessarily all Confucian scholars."
"The Book of Songs," "Liezi," "Han Feizi."
"Lüshi Chunqiu," "The Book of Changes," "Huainanzi."
"Sun Tzu's Art of War," "Six Strategies," "Wei Liaozi."
"Huizi," "Songzi," "Yin Wenzi."
"These are only a portion of the works passed down from the ancient sages and have nothing to do with Confucianism!"
Since Confucius, what other good classics has Confucianism produced? They are few and far between. They have already become ossified.
"Born from adversity, die in comfort." With Confucianism dominating, and without rivals, either Confucianism will perish on its own, or it will drag this world down with it!
Drag this world down with it!
The moment these words were spoken, Fang Er, who had not had much interaction with Li Ji before, was instantly filled with admiration for him.
These words would be verified countless times in the history to come!
Is this foresight?