“季康子向孔子问怎样治理政事，说:‘如果杀掉无道的人来成全有道的人，怎么样?’孔子答道:‘你治理政事，哪里用得着杀戮的手段呢?只要你想向善，百姓就会向善。在位的人的品德好比风，在下的人的品德好比草。风加到草上，草一定会顺风倒下的。’”（《论语解读》，作者不详）

所言极是，善哉，夫子！你这金口玉言曾国藩一定认真学习过，但这不妨碍他大肆杀戮无辜的民众，可笑的是最后他还封了圣。孔孟学说大抵是好的，问题在于知易行难。孔子以降两千多年来，除了少数文化人如屈原杜甫陶潜等行出了仁义礼智信，决定历史进程的各朝代当权者几乎无人以圣贤教导作为行动指南，相反他们实际信奉并坚决实行的是阴谋诡计厚黑学，也即孔孟之道的对立面。他们尊孔都是幌子，从来，永远都是挂羊头卖狗肉，说一套做一套，说得比唱得还动听。此乃中华文明的一大致命问题。

"In a conversation with Confucius, Jikang asked how to govern and inquired, 'If we could get rid of the wicked people to help the virtuous, would that be good?' Confucius answered, 'When you govern, why do you need to resort to killing? If you desire to do good, the people will also desire to do good. The morals of a leader are like the wind, and the morals of the people are like the grass. When the wind blows, the grass will bend in that direction.'" (Interpretation of The Analects, author unknown)

You are absolutely right, wise sir! Your eloquent words were certainly studied by Zeng Guofan earnestly, but that didn't stop him from mercilessly slaughtering innocent people. What's even more ridiculous is that he was ultimately granted sainthood. The teachings of Confucius and Mencius are generally good, but the problem lies in the difficulty of putting them into practice. In the over two thousand years since their time, apart from a few literary figures such as Qu Yuan, Du Fu, and Tao Qian, who acted on the principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, almost no rulers of the various dynasties actually used the teachings of the sages as a guide to their actions. Instead, they believed in and strongly practiced the opposite of the Confucian/Mencian way, that is, the Machiavellian way of intrigue, cunning, and unscrupulousness. Their respect for Confucius was just a sham. They always hung out the sheep's head but sold the dog meat, saying one thing and doing another, and talking more beautifully than they acted. This is a major fatal problem in Chinese civilization.

读史书，着重事实记载，忽视评论观点。个人看法由历史事实总结得出，是谓独立思考。

Reading history books, the emphasis should be on factual records, while ignoring commentaries and perspectives. Personal opinions are derived from historical facts, which is called independent thinking.

她不很聪明，更不够善良，但却是有史以来最勇敢、最优雅的女人（之一）。身处断头台上，即刻就要身首异处，她不小心踩到了即将对她行刑的侩子手的脚，立即向对方道歉：“对不起，先生！我不是故意的。”哦，这行为，与结缨整冠有的一拼。子路，玛丽·安托瓦内特，一中一西，遥相呼应。

She may not be very clever, nor kind enough, but she is one of the bravest and most elegant women in history. Standing on the guillotine, about to be beheaded, she accidentally stepped on the foot of the executioner who was about to execute her. Immediately, she apologized, "I'm sorry, sir! I didn't mean to do it." Oh, that's an act that's right up there with adjusting his tassel and hat performed by a Chinese warrior right before being killed. Zilu and Marie Antoinette, one from the East and one from the West, resonate with each other.

“季康子向孔子问怎样治理政事，说:‘如果杀掉无道的人来成全有道的人，怎么样?’孔子答道:‘你治理政事，哪里用得着杀戮的手段呢?只要你想向善，百姓就会向善。在位的人的品德好比风，在下的人的品德好比草。风加到草上，草一定会顺风倒下的。’”（《论语解读》，作者不详）

这段论语我乃初读，有种震撼感：孔子竟还说过这样的话，满满的人道主义。中国历代当权者如果听从孔子教诲，亿万草民百姓可免于如同草芥死于非命的悲惨命运。可惜严酷的史实与美好的理想相悖，专制统治者信奉的从来不是以理服人，而是以力服人，以屠刀服人。杀人立威，杀人越多天下越太平，自己的宝座越稳固。至于圣人学说，仁义道德，从来都只是愚民工具，挂羊头卖狗肉的招牌。

"In a conversation with Confucius, Jikang asked how to govern and inquired, 'If we could get rid of the wicked people to help the virtuous, would that be good?' Confucius answered, 'When you govern, why do you need to resort to killing? If you desire to do good, people will also desire to do good. The morals of a leader are like the wind, and the morals of the people are like the grass. When the wind blows, the grass will bend in that direction.'" (Interpretation of The Analects, author unknown)

When I first read this passage from the Analects, I was shocked by Confucius' words which are full of humanitarianism. If the people in power throughout Chinese history had listened to Confucius' teachings, tens of millions of ordinary people would have been spared from tragic fates like being treated as mere weeds. Unfortunately, harsh reality clashes with idealistic aspirations. The autocratic rulers never believed in convincing people with reason, but with force and a butcher's knife. The more people they kill, the longer they think they can rule. The teachings of the sages such as benevolence, righteousness, and morality have never been anything more than a tool used to deceive and exploit the masses, hanging a sheep's head to sell dog meat signs.

可能是点击了有关文章，近日众多“曾国藩赞美诗”相继涌进微信公众号。看来这位清代侩子手的现代敬仰者着实不少，超凡入圣不足为奇了。以下文字摘自维基百科，记载了曾圣人的若干丰功伟绩。太平军自非善茬，湘军亦半斤八两。至今国人只知“日军南京大屠杀”，不知“湘军南京大屠杀”。前者的罪魁被枪决后钉在了历史耻辱柱上，后者的祸首荣登圣贤榜为后人顶礼膜拜。多大的历史笑话，国人不在乎历史名人杀人如麻，其来有自。顺便还有一个小故事：太平天国后期，李鸿章背信弃义在苏州屠杀了3万太平军投降将士，对自己母亲承认这事做得“太过不仁”，但他的恩师曾国藩丝毫不觉不仁，对其称赞有加：“此间近事，惟李少荃在苏州杀降八人最快人意，殊为眼明手辣。”隔着历史透过文字，至今都能感受到曾圣人那股让人不寒而栗的快意。小结曾国藩：饱读圣贤诗书，从容大开杀戒；书写仁义道德，成就后世师表。

Probably because I clicked some articles on this subject, many "Zeng Guofan hymns" have been flooding my WeChat account recently, indicating that there are indeed many modern admirers of this Qing dynasty hangman, and it is not surprising that he has become a saint. The following text is excerpted from Wikipedia, which records several great achievements of the sage. The Taiping army was not something good, and the Xiang army was also half a catty. To this day, the Chinese people only know about the "Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese Army" and not the "Nanjing Massacre by the Xiang Army". The former culprit was executed and nailed to the pillar of shame in history, while the latter culprit was honored on the list of sages for future generations to worship. What a big historical joke, the Chinese people have never been concerned about massive killings made by historical figures whom they worship. Here is another story: In the late period of the Taiping, Li Hongzhang perfidiously slaughtered 30,000 Taiping soldiers who surrendered him in Suzhou. He admitted to his mother that it was "too unrighteous" in this matter, but his mentor, Zeng Guofan, did not feel unrighteousness in the slightest and praised him: "It was the best thing among recent events that Li Hongzhang in Suzhou killed the eight surrendered generals. What clear eye and a spicy hand." Even though the text across history, one can still feel Zeng Guofan's chilling pleasure. In summary, Zeng Guofan: well-read in the classics, calmly opens the slaughter; writing about benevolence, righteousness, morality, and achieving a great example for future generations.

* 咸丰八年（1858年）5月，曾占领九江。太平军将士17,000人战死后攻佔九江，尽屠城中遗民2万。
* 咸丰十年（1860年），湘军围困安庆。1861年9月，曾督其弟曾国荃部攻陷安庆。安庆破城，劫掠殆尽，屠四万余。
* 同治三年（1864年）7月，曾破天京。19日，湘军攻破天京，对无辜平民展开屠杀与抢掠，当时的南京城被烧毁，平民死伤无数，南京人咸恨湘军，称曾国藩为“曾剃头”、“曾屠户”，曾国荃被唤为“曾老饕”。
*《近代中国史纲》引赵烈文《能静居日记》记载曾国藩弟曾国荃率湘军攻入南京城后的情景：“湘军‘贪掠夺，颇乱伍。中军各勇留营者皆去搜括’，‘沿街死尸十之九皆老者。其幼孩未满二、三岁者亦被戳以为戏，匍匐道上。妇女四十岁以下者一人俱无（均被虏），老者负伤或十馀刀，数十刀，哀号之声达于四方。’凡此均为曾国荃幕友赵烈文目睹所记，总计死者约二、三十万人。
* 曾国藩入南京后，湘军大肆焚掠，南京文士李圭道：“至官军一面，则溃败后之虏掠，或战胜后之焚杀，尤耳不忍闻，目不忍睹，其惨毒实较‘贼’又有过之无不及，予不欲言，予亦不敢言也。”太平天国强盛时，南京最多有百万人，可屠城之后十多年，死走逃亡，到光绪帝登基时，南京只剩不到五十万人。
* 一说曾国荃于南京抢得大量财物，曾国藩则对朝廷奏称“伪宫贼馆，一炬成灰，并无所谓赋库者，然克复老巢而全无货物，实出微臣意计之外，亦为从来罕见之事”，说除了二方“伪玉玺”和一方“金印”，别无所获。许多人认为，曾国藩、曾国荃私自抢走了所有太平天国的财物，以纵火掩饰。
* 国荃虽善战，但屡屡屠杀平民，军纪极差，亦曾自谓“杀人如麻”，以安庆杀降、南京屠城，为人所病；南京城破后，曾国藩上奏入南京后，“分段搜杀，三日之间毙贼共十馀万人，秦淮长河，尸首如麻，三日夜火光不息。”其实十馀万人大多是老百姓。
* 曾国藩更是心狠手辣之军事家。曾国荃攻克安庆时，一日之内屠杀一万馀名战俘，其中参杂大量平民，曾国荃怕有报应，写信给曾国藩。曾国藩在家书中竟然回应“自以杀贼为志，何必以多杀为悔。”
* 当时金陵士大夫有隐语：“昨夜诸侯今庶人，江宁民家尽死人！”。南京百姓至今仍以“曾剃头”、“曾屠户”等词称呼曾国藩、曾国荃兄弟，形容曾国藩、曾国荃兄弟攻打南京时，屠杀平民无数。太平天国天京城破三十馀年后，谭嗣同在南京仍听当地人说：“（湘军）一破城，见人即杀，见屋即烧，子女玉帛扫数入于湘军，而金陵遂永穷矣。至今，父老言之，犹深愤恨。”
* 彭玉麟见曾国藩之弟曾国荃滥杀平民十馀万人，非常痛心，先后二次（1861年安庆之围与1864年金陵之围）致函曾国藩，要求杀弟以大义灭亲，但曾国藩回应，反将一军：“舍弟并无管蔡叛逆之迹，不知何以应诛？不知舍弟何处开罪阁下，憾之若是？”曾又自认军纪无问题，又说，“鄙人在军十年，自问聋聩不至于此。”。

中华文化或文明，开盘即极点，出道即巅峰。春秋战国登顶，唐宋回光返照，元明清至今越活越抽抽。时至今日还开口老庄闭口孔孟，因为实在是没别人拿得出手（现在西方人哪有张口苏格拉底闭口柏拉图的），而这几位先贤，已落伍于现代文明几个世纪。

For Chinese culture or civilization, the opening is the pole, and the starting point is the peak.  The Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods were at the pinnacle, the Tang and Song dynasties returned to some light, and then the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties have waned to the present. Even today, people still talk about Laozi, Zhuangzi, Confucius, and Mencius because there are simply no other comparable figures to talk about (few Westerners nowadays talk about Socrates and Plato). However, these ancient sages have lagged behind modern civilization for several centuries.

历史上中国人杀人，只要是最后的赢家，那么不管你杀的是什么人，杀了多少人，怎么杀的人，你都将被后人理解，认为你有足够的理由杀人，而那些死人则没有不被杀的理由。

In Chinese history, when people kill, as long as they end up being the final winners, then no matter who they kill, how many they kill, or how they kill, they will be understood by future generations as having sufficient reasons to kill, while those who are killed are seen as having no reason not to be killed.

我从大约10岁开始读历史故事书，然后是《东周列国志》、《中国通史》、《史记》、《第三帝国的兴亡》等等，一直读到大学毕业。现在我不认为自己是一名”历史爱好者“，我绝不是一名”历史爱好者“：中国历史如此残酷血腥，如此肮脏龌龊，我怎么可能”爱好“。

I started reading history story books when I was about 10 years old, then "The History of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty", "The General History of China", "Records of the Grand Historian", "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", and so on, until I graduated from college. Now I don't consider myself a "history lover", I am definitely not a "history lover": Chinese history is so cruel and bloody, so dirty and sordid, how can I be its "lover"?

我个人很不喜欢“竖中指”这一粗俗行为，但自己也做过一次。在一个历史古迹前拍照留影时，我特意竖起了右手中指，以表达鲜明的内心情感。这座历史古迹是：北京明十三陵的长陵方城明楼。长陵埋的是明成祖朱棣。

Personally, I do dislike the vulgar behaviour of "flipping the middle finger", but I did it myself once. When taking a photo in front of a historical monument, I deliberately raised my right middle finger to express my distinct emotions. The historical site was the Ming Tower in the Fangcheng area of the Changling Mausoleum in Beijing's Thirteen Ming Tombs. The Changling Mausoleum is where the tomb of the Ming Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di is located.

我需要努力用一种未来历史学家的眼光来观看和理解当今世界。

I need to work on viewing and understanding the world today with the eyes of future historians.

“1947年8月27日，刘邓大军千里跃进大别山后......野司警卫团的一位副连长未经店主同意，拿了店里的一捆粉条和一匹花布。邓小平为了严肃军纪，召开公判大会，按约法三章，枪毙了这个副连长。这件事在全军和群众中引起了震动，从此，部队纪律严明，秋毫无犯。”

好一个“秋毫无犯”！看了这则历史故事，疑问多多：（1）1927年大张旗鼓搞“打土豪分田地”的，不也是这支军队吗？这是“秋毫无犯”吗？（2）1950年代立法将全国所有的土地充公，历史性地剥夺全体国民的土地所有权，不也是这支军队吗？这是“秋毫无犯”吗？（3）1950年代将全国所有大小企业主的全部资产充公，不也是这支军队吗？这是“秋毫无犯”吗？

历史事实就是：就是这支“秋毫无犯”的军队，把整个国家全体国民的私有财产，以国有的名义剥夺占有！

"On August 27, 1947, after the Liu-Deng army made a long march to the Dabie Mountains... a deputy company commander of the Wild Regiment Security Guard took a bundle of noodles and a piece of floral cloth from a shop without the shopkeeper's consent. In order to enforce military discipline, Deng Xiaoping held a public trial and, in accordance with the three articles of military law, executed the deputy company commander. This event caused a shock among the whole army and the public, and since then, military discipline had been strictly enforced and no one dared to violate it, not harming a new feather of the public." (ZT)

What a "not harming a new feather of the public". After reading this historical story, there are many questions that arise. First, wasn't the same army also involved in the "land reform" campaign to "seize land from the landlords" in 1927? Was this "not harming a new feather of the public"? Second, wasn't it the same army that legislated in the 1950s to confiscate all the land in the country and historically deprive all the people of their land ownership? Was this "not harming a new feather of the public"? Third, wasn't it the same army that confiscated all the assets of all business owners of all sizes in the 1950s? Was this "not harming a new feather of the public"?

The historical fact is that this "not harming a new feather of the public" army, in the name of state ownership, deprived all the private property of the entire country's citizens!

中西历史十大差异

1. 活人殉葬：中国长期大规模存在，西方从未有过。《汉书》记载秦始皇陵杀殉数万人。活人殉葬直至1928年才由南京国民政府彻底终止。
2. 人吃人：中国长期大规模存在，史不绝书，历朝各代皆有，直至20世纪60年代文革期间。西方少量存在。
3. 太监制度：中国长期大规模存在，西方早期零星存在。
4. 后宫制度：中国长期存在，西方从未有过。
5. 一夫多妻制：中国长期大规模存在，西方早期零星存在。
6. 帝王陵墓：不论陵墓规模还是陪葬品，中国远超西方。一座秦始皇陵，远超欧洲诸国所有帝王陵墓之总和。
7. 杀俘屠城：中国长期大规模存在，史不绝书，历朝各代皆有。西方零星存在。
8. 骨肉相残：中国长期大规模存在，史不绝书，历朝各代皆有。西方零星存在。
9. 株连九族：中国长期大规模存在，史不绝书，历朝各代皆有。西方从未有过。
10. 杀婴：中国长期大规模存在，直至今日。西方少量存在。


Comparisons of Chinese and Western History: Ten Major Differences:

1. Burial with the Dead: This practice existed on a large scale in China for thousands of years but was never present in the West. The Book of Han records that tens of thousands of people were killed and buried in the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The practice of burying the living with the dead was not completely abolished until 1928 by the Nanjing Nationalist government.
2. Cannibalism: This practice existed on a large scale in China for thousands of years, as documented in the historical records of all dynasties, until the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Cannibalism in the West was infrequent.
3. Eunuch System: This practice existed on a large scale in China for thousands of years, while in the West, it existed only infrequently in the early times.
4. Imperial Harem System: This system existed for thousands of years in China but never in the West.
5. Polygamy: This practice existed on a large scale in China for thousands of years, while in the West, it existed only infrequently in the early times.
6. Imperial Mausoleum: China far surpasses the West both in terms of the scale of the mausoleums and the burial objects. The mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang alone can compete with the sum total of all the imperial and royal tombs in European countries.
7. Killing Captives and Massacring Cities: This practice existed on a large scale in China for thousands of years, as documented in the historical records of all dynasties. Such practices in the West were sporadic.
8. Familial Fratricide: This practice existed on a large scale in the Chinese imperial and royal families for thousands of years, as documented in historical records of all dynasties. Familial fratricide in the West was infrequent.
9. Nine Kinship Exterminations: This practice existed in China on a large scale for thousands of years, as documented in historical records of all dynasties. Nine Kinship Exterminations never existed in the West.
10. Infanticide: This practice has existed in China on a large scale throughout history until today. In the West, infanticide existed in small numbers.

中华文明三千年，堪称伟大不朽的思想家凤毛麟角，墨子为荦荦大者，其兼爱即博爱论光照古今，即使放在世界思想界也毫不逊色。墨子思想在中国从来没有市场，不论是在学界还是在社会，因为曲高和寡，大大超前于世人的认知理解范畴，这更显其卓尔不群，崇高伟大。

Throughout the 3,000 years of Chinese civilization, the emergence of great and immortal thinkers has been a rare occurrence. Among them, Mozi stands out as a remarkable figure due to his doctrine of "inclusive love" or "universal love," which has remained a shining example through the ages. Even when compared to the philosophical traditions of the world, his contributions are recognized as brilliant achievements. Despite this, Mozi's ideas have never gained traction in China, neither in academia nor in society. This is largely due to the fact that his ideas are ahead of their time, exceeding the cognitive and interpretive categories of ordinary people. Nonetheless, it is precisely this uniqueness, greatness, and profound significance that sets Mozi apart from the rest.

两千多年来为项羽惋惜哀叹的不少，李清照的小诗更是推波助澜。实则项羽就是典型一蛮夫，黑猩猩的智商，豺狼虎豹的性情，动辄杀降屠城，双手沾满无辜者的鲜血，最后也是死有余辜。刘邦自是一标准流氓无赖，但客观上还是要比项羽强许多，这里的“强”是说他不那么嗜血凶残，不管出于什么动机或目的。中国历史改朝换代时分，常常是两个烂苹果里选一个，不是烂的赢，就是更烂的赢：刘邦对项羽、朱温对李存勖、朱元璋对陈友谅，李自成对多尔衮、洪秀全对曾国藩、蒋介石对毛泽东。