Knight of the Blue Lagoon (The Past of Tao v)

II.The scorching sun

Blue Lake is like an ancient book... up north and down south, left to west and right to east. There is a big river in the south, with surging water flowing out from the sky, passing through the mountains and falling into the endless sea, like a gourd vine, and the Blue Lake is as graceful as an upside-down gourd.

There are three important countries surrounding the Blue Lake, namely the Xilu Kingdom on the left side of the Blue Lake. The Luoba Kingdom, which borders the Xilu Kingdom, is at the bottom on the left. The Luoba Kingdom is densely covered with mountains and forests, overlooking the mountains and rivers flowing into the sea. Surrounding the Blue Lake on the lower right side is Dongfu Country, which is separated from Luoba Country on the left by the river. Dongfu Country has a vast territory, fertile land, rich grain and rice, large population and outstanding people. It is worth mentioning that there is another Kingdom of Daying on the upper right side. Its area and population are less than those of the three major countries. It is connected to Xulu Kingdom at the top, and is blocked from Dongfu Kingdom at the bottom by mountains. The Rakshasa Kingdom is not near the Blue Lake and can only enter the sea through the river. It borders the Luoba Kingdom and the Dongfu Kingdom inland. The rest are small countries scattered around the Blue Lake.

Blue Lake was relatively stable in the early days. Everyone, regardless of size, worked on their own, and generally lived in peace. War gradually emerged, and then wars, but the wars were limited to two parties. Until 60 years ago, as the Loba Kingdom expanded again, the ambitions of the Ying Kingdom gradually expanded, and they all focused on Dongfu Kingdom, which was rich in agricultural products. Luo Ba's army crossed the river, and secretly the Ying army dug a path in the mountains. Birds died for food and people died for wealth. There was no peace on the Blue Lake anymore. The waves were rough and the waves were washed away. All the romantic people came out, all in the Blue Lake..

The war ended with the participation of the Seoul Kingdom. In the end, the Seolu Kingdom ascended to the dominant position of the Blue Lake and promulgated the Blue Lake Treaty. On the Blue Lake, the Seolu Kingdom emerged as the leader. The Loba Kingdom, the Nanzhai Kingdom, the Daeying Kingdom, and the Xinluo Kingdom appeared as close partners. new order.

Although minor conflicts have continued on the Blue Lake for decades, most countries have developed steadily, a few countries have remained wealthy, some countries are getting rich, and some countries have continued to decline. The forces of all parties are generally in balance, but contradictions always exist under the balance.

The country of Xilu is very prosperous, with developed commerce and advanced technology. It has many skilled craftsmen in Blue Lake and everyone is martial. The knights of Xilu are invincible and provide guarantee for the stability of Blue Lake.

The country of Dongfu has profound knowledge and wisdom, and the land contains wisdom. The people are hardworking and simple, and are good at planting, providing the Blue Lake countries with high-quality and low-priced grain and rice.

After becoming a barbarian in the Luoba Kingdom, they have been engaged in hunting, logging, and trade for generations, with a tough and cunning style.

The Rakshasa Kingdom is located in a harsh cold land, and all of them are physically strong, eager to fight, and admire heroes. They are known as a fighting nation and are rejected by other countries.

Then there is Japan, which makes a living by weaving and fishing. It has a dark heart, is cunning and changeable, and surrenders to the strong.

Nanzhai Kingdom is a country with its own soul and is completely dependent on Xilu Kingdom.

There are also some small countries such as Silla

~

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19. Visitors

There are visitors from the end of the world, and the green mountains are crossing Banqiao.

~

One day, there was heavy fog, and a figure was getting closer and closer to the shore. The people on the boat looked at the hazy land, the shore was rippling, and their hearts were filled with excitement and sadness. It is said that a man is eager to be near his hometown, but a man's heart is already eager to leave his hometown. The sound of singing came faintly, appearing extraordinarily lingering in the mist.

Who are you looking into the distance?

You are my family when you leave home and return home. My hometown is always looking forward to you.

Everyone is a family and a person.

……

It gradually became clearer and louder. Looking for the singing, a woman on the bamboo raft gradually entered his field of vision.

"Where are the officials going?"The woman wore white sand on her face and looked at the man carefully. She was dressed in plain clothes, slightly thinner, with a clean face and no beard. She looked like a gentle scholar, but her expression was solemn, as if she was preoccupied. She was not like the mentality that a scholar should have, let alone what a scholar should bear..

Although the woman can skillfully control the bamboo paddle, she can tell that she is not a woman on the water, which makes the man curious.

"Go ashore."The man doesn't talk much.

"Who do you want to see when you get ashore?"woman

"an old man"

"Come with me."The woman seemed to be waiting for him here.

The man stepped on the bamboo raft, and the woman continued to sing:"But I heard that there is……"

The bamboo paddle was walking along the shore, and the man's eyes never left the shore. On the other side of the blue lake, he could see that he was in a complicated mood. He didn't know whether it was strange or familiar. It was so long ago but so close at the same time. The familiar became strange, and the strange became familiar. , can’t tell the difference between dream and reality.

The woman opened the fence of the yard. There were some fruit trees and a field for growing vegetables. Spring had not yet fully arrived, and the earth was still a little withered. The hut inside was still simple and simple. It had not changed much over the years. This was a trace of memory. Further inside, a voice came from a pavilion not far away, which immediately attracted the man and stopped him. There was less power in the voice, perhaps consumed by time, but more firmness, which was a firm belief.

"The teacher is giving a lecture, please wait."After saying that, the woman walked away and came to a pavilion to make utensils with clay. This should be something she often does. She vaguely heard that the old man asked a simple but serious question this time:" What is a country?"

"A country must first have a piece of land." one student replied

"A country must choose its own people."Another student

"A country must have a loyal and loyal king"

"There is an army to protect the people"

"Have a management system"

……

"yes, yes, yes……"The old man kept nodding his head, looking at the energetic young people, and explained:"The country was formed after going through three stages: groups, tribes, and chiefdoms. In the meaning we understand today, we also understand the internal country. It is called a kingdom. On the one hand, it is an entity composed of population, land and court; on the other hand, it is a political tool to rule and maintain the people on this land. Our Yasheng Mencius once described the era composed of princes in which he lived. For, the three treasures of the princes are: land, people, political affairs’（《Mencius, do your best》）As a physical object, the kingdom is a land concept. From the perspective of the non-physical state, the state describes the social function of a kingdom, which is the division of labor and assistance in our group life. Humans are group animals. Specifically, it allows individuals to coordinate with each other, establish social order, and avoid By eliminating conflicts and allowing the people to move toward a better life through the division of labor, the country combines the concept of home. Xunzi said:"Therefore, life cannot be without groups. Groups without divisions lead to fighting, fighting leads to chaos, chaos leads to separation, separation leads to weakness, and weakness leads to inability to conquer things" (Xunzi's"Fu Guo")》）The state of nature without a kingdom is a society of absolute equality without social hierarchy. In this society of absolute equality, there must be chaos and disorder, a war of all against all.

In order to restrain conflicts between individuals and ensure the survival of the group, there is a way of maintaining order through kingdoms. Each kingdom maintains order in its own country in different ways, but the goal is the same, which is to make the lives of its people better.

From a deep level, a country is a civilization. Different people gather in different lands. They have different living habits and different traditions, so they have different cultures. Their respective civilizations are gradually formed. Civilizations have different levels of wealth and wealth. It is difficult for civilizations to integrate and there are antagonisms, so conflicts are prone to occur. The existence of the state can avoid these conflicts.

Therefore, the country has dual functions. Internally, it establishes its own order guarantee and the people cooperate effectively. Externally, countries pursue the integrity of sovereignty, protect the survival function of their own people, and the existence of civilization.

There are not many countries with complete sovereignty in the Blue Lake today. We, Dongfu Country, can barely count as one."

"Why reluctantly?" asked a student

"Sovereignty manifests itself in two aspects: one is internal jurisdiction, and external rights to independence, equality, and self-defense. The second is the highest nature, exclusivity to the outside world, non-intervention and non-transferability. Our territory is not absolutely complete, and we are not equal in the Blue Lagoon, so we are reluctant.

Then the old man asked:"What do foreign countries pursue?""

"wealth"

"equality"

"rule"

……

The students answered

"Yes, yes, we call these all national welfare. National well-being is the needs of the wealth and wishes of all the people of a kingdom. Well-being is not equal to wishes. Wishes are ideas that have no basis for realization. Desires can be dreams, but well-being has a basis for realization. Dynasty strength and status are an important factor in distinguishing wishes and well-being. The stronger the strength, the more dreams can become reality and the more solid the foundation for realization. On the Blue Lake, all countries want to collect the Blue Lake tax on trade between other countries. They do not have the strength. For them, it is just a wish, but for the Xilu Kingdom, it is a blessing because it has the strength.. Willingness is also a kind of blessing, and dignity in front of all countries is one. Xilu people can travel freely in all countries, but Dongfu country cannot. Xilu knights are not even restricted by the laws of other countries, and they are very dignified in other countries.. National well-being makes no difference to the people of a country. National well-being is the overall well-being of all people in a kingdom, not the well-being of a special group, the king or even some court officials. The well-being of the country is above all else, that is, the wealth and wishes of all the people must be given priority. When the well-being of all the people conflicts with the king or some officials in the court, other things should be given up and the well-being of the people should be given priority."

"Teacher, are there ethnic differences in the welfare of the people?"

The old man paused for a while and then said:"The country cannot be simply divided by the same or different races. The welfare of the people is the welfare of all the people. The people of a kingdom are not necessarily composed of a single ethnic group. Our Dongfu Kingdom has more than One clan, there are also many clans in Xilu country. Kingdom is first of all a concept of land, and ethnicity is mainly a concept of people. Usually people living on different lands should have their own unique culture and history and become one ethnic group. But in fact, when some countries invade other people's land, some clans lose their own land, and the clans that lose their land also lose their royal family. After losing the land, the clan identity is inconsistent with that of the Wang family, at least in their hearts. After a period of time, they will become consistent with the royal family, but this process is helpless, painful, and usually extremely reluctant. Only when other ethnic groups reach a higher level of recognition in culture and imperial system can all ethnic groups have a common consciousness, which is somewhat subjective. On the contrary, when an ethnic group has the basis of identity to become a country, this ethnic group will have the desire to break away and become a country. It is usually difficult to realize this wish. Each country is established by one main ethnic group, and other ethnic groups Even if you don't agree with it, you still lack the material foundation to build a country.

Every citizen should have feelings of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism is a natural instinct that is innate, just like children are filial to their parents and parents love their children. Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism sometimes requires a certain stance and responsibility. Everyone should have a sense of responsibility for safeguarding the well-being of the country. Ethnic ideology is the spirit of national unity and freedom. People are more inclined to call the recognition of the dynasty by their own people as loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. It is a cognitive form and a unique culture and psychology for understanding the world. Ethnic thinking emphasizes the independence of ethnic groups, which will also be a cause of conflicts in the kingdom."

A group of students sat on the floor and listened attentively. The old man looked serious.

Then another student asked:"Teacher, many of us Dongfu people are doing business and living in other countries. Do they have a sense of ethnic identity?"

"On the one hand, the division of ethnic groups is objectively determined by the culture and history of the country of birth and one's own emotional consciousness. Individuals can change their consciousness and forget their own history and culture, but the country of birth cannot be changed. People from other countries are usually called Alien. What is more important is to be recognized. Even if you have no sense of identity with your own nation and have abandoned your own nation, but have a sense of identity with other nations, you still need the recognition and acceptance of other nations. The social hierarchy in Xilu Country is distinct, and there are a large number of people from other countries living in it. These foreigners are generally not recognized, and the main manifestations of lack of recognition areTrust"

"Teacher, the Dongfu people living in Xilu Country cannot be trusted by Xilu Country, so can we in Dongfu Country trust them?"

"Trust is an issue that is difficult to judge. It does not entirely depend on oneself. We cannot generally use the term Dongfu people in Xilu country to not be trusted by Xilu country. Dongfu country should trust them, or Dongfu people should trust them in Dongfu country. A country should be judged simply by the trust it deserves from Dongfu Country. Trust is a personal issue and cannot be judged by the concept of a group. Trust depends on one's own emotions towards the country. What kind of emotions you have will lead to what you say and what you do. It is a more practical judgment to listen to his words and observe his actions. Some people are in Xilu Kingdom, but their hearts are in Dongfu Kingdom, and they are loyal to Dongfu Kingdom wholeheartedly. If the two countries are going to war, they will undoubtedly come back regardless of their own safety. Such people are worthy of our trust, but we cannot trust them otherwise.. In Dongfu Country, as a citizen of Dongfu Country but loyal to another country, there is no trust at all and he is a traitor."

……