The man in blue quickly retorted, "The world is in chaos because of thinking like yours! If Mohism could eliminate such thinking, there'd be no more wars."
Xu Zhen asked, "So according to you, the Han people should practice universal love while the Hu continue as they are? Should we tolerate all their aggressive behavior, ceding land, intermarrying, and sending them silver, doing everything to appease them?"
The man in blue angrily replied, "How can you equate the two? Pride can't be lost! Do you think I'm wrong?!"
Not only did the man in blue react, but Confucian and Taoist students stood up to explain, discussing civil rights, human rights, and the integrity of gentlemen.
The conversation shifted again to "protecting innocent Hu people," with the spy naturally playing a significant role.
Xu Zhen felt exasperated, thinking that this scenario was indeed a challenge of the highest difficulty.
She countered each argument, managing to handle the Confucians and Taoists.
Confucians valued propriety, which the Hu lacked, so she argued with principles of reciprocity and moral recompense. Taoists focused on going with the flow and didn't interfere much.
The most challenging were the Mohists.
Xu Zhen resorted to storytelling.
She recounted how Gongshu Ban once helped the State of Chu build a cloud ladder to attack the State of Song. Mozi went to reason with him, asking Gongshu Ban for money to hire an assassin. Gongshu Ban refused. Mozi then elevated the issue to the level of attacking a nation, arguing that attacking an innocent country wasn't benevolence and killing many instead of a few wasn't rational.
Xu Zhen continued, "If there are guilty individuals, then only those few should be targeted. Aren't the Hu the guilty ones now?"
The man in blue couldn't argue back, still struggling to respond.
Xu Zhen, growing impatient, stood up and interrupted, raising her voice. "I've never disrespected your teachings, but a blade has two edges. In times of crisis, you shouldn't use the dull one; it's time to show the sharp edge!"
The governor looked at her, stood up, and appeared ready to speak but held back. One word lingered in his mind: "bluffing."
Was it really just that? He wasn't certain.
He found it hard to believe anyone would bluff in such a perilous moment. If someone truly was, they were mad—a reckless gambler!
And what was at stake?
The temperament of the Hu leader? The will of the people?
Far too risky!
The governor dared not think further, hoping he was just overthinking.
Xu Zhen's voice was slightly hoarse from speaking with such intensity. As she bid farewell to the scholars, she declared, "I'm off to burn the supplies, universal love be damned!"
With that, she rose to leave. Instead of using the main door, she swiftly headed downstairs and concealed herself in a corner. She waited for the right moment, ensuring no one was watching, before peeking outside.
Soon, she heard the rapid clatter of footsteps. Someone was descending quickly—it was the Hu spy who had knocked over the teapot.
He must be going to report back.
Xu Zhen thought that the battle might be salvaged, feeling that heaven was favoring her.
She breathed a sigh of relief and headed toward the city gate.
Chapter 59: Fifty-Nine Treasures ?
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