1/ THREAD: After political censorship in Liberal Studies textbooks, #HKgov is moving on to the Chinese language curriculum, axing several required texts for the examination next year.
Here’s why it’s important.
#StandWithHongKong
Here’s why it’s important.
#StandWithHongKong
2/ @rthk_news reports that 1 of the 2 axed Classical Chinese texts is a historic political essay by Su Xun from the Sung Dynasty titled “On the Six States”, often quoted in recent years by #Hongkongers as a lesson from history.
@rthk_news 3/ It comments on the historic "Warring States Period", where the state of Qin eventually devoured 6 other states and "united the land as one." Read the text below to find out why it was quoted by #Hongkongers:
@rthk_news 4/ "What led to the destruction of the 6 states was not a lack of weapons or military tactics - but the practice of buying off Qin. The buy-off had weakened their strength. That was the real cause!
@rthk_news 5/ You may challenge this by asking, “is that true in every state?” The answer is: “those that didn’t bribe were destroyed because of those that did. Those that didn't bribe had lost the needy backups from other states and therefore could not sustain themselves single-handedly.
@rthk_news 6/ That is why I said, “the practice of bribing Qin!”
In addition to what it had procured from military attacks, Qin was given various bribes - from small towns to big cities. What it had thus obtained was as much as a hundred times more than what it had made from winning wars.
In addition to what it had procured from military attacks, Qin was given various bribes - from small towns to big cities. What it had thus obtained was as much as a hundred times more than what it had made from winning wars.
@rthk_news 7/ In other words, what those dukes had lost in bribes was a hundred times more than what they had lost in wars. Therefore, Qin’s desires and the dukes’ problems were, in fact, not in the wars themselves.
@rthk_news 8/ Think about it: the ancestors of the 6 states had gone through a lot of hardships - exposing themselves to frost, rain, and brambles - in opening up their meager land.
@rthk_news 9/ But their sons and grandsons were nonetheless indifferent and simply gave it away to others as one would throw away a piece of weed.
@rthk_news 10/ They were ceding 5 cities today and 10 tomorrow merely for temporary peace - so temporary that when they woke up the following morning from their peaceful sleep, Qin’s forces had already reached them again.
@rthk_news 11/ Their land was not infinite while brutal Qin’s appetite was insatiable. The more they offered Qin, the further it pressed. As a result, even without actual wars, it was already clear who was stronger and who was weaker; who was going to win and who was going to lose.
@rthk_news 12/ Therefore, it was inevitable that they were to be destroyed. This, our ancestors had already well pointed out, “the practice of bribing Qin with land is like attempting to extinguish fire with firewood - the fire won’t stop until the firewood runs out.”
@rthk_news 13/ This is exactly what it was.
The State of Qi didn’t buy off Qin, but like the rest of the 5 states, it was also destroyed. Why? Because it didn’t help the other 5 states, as it was on friendly terms with Qin at that time.
The State of Qi didn’t buy off Qin, but like the rest of the 5 states, it was also destroyed. Why? Because it didn’t help the other 5 states, as it was on friendly terms with Qin at that time.
@rthk_news 14/ Once the 5 states were destroyed, how could it not end up with the same fate? The Dukes of Yan and Zhao were strategic and justified enough at first in not bribing Qin but defending their territories.
@rthk_news 15/ And that is why Yan was destroyed fairly late, although it was smaller than most of the other 5 states. Its relatively longer sustainability is simply the result of using its forces.
@rthk_news 16/ It was Prince Dan’s stratagem of sending Jing Ke to assassinate the Emperor of Qin that led to its misfortune. Of the 5 battles with Qin, the State of Zhao lost only 2 and won 3.
@rthk_news 17/ And in the subsequent 2 battles, Li Mu, the Commander in Chief of Zhao, continuously defeated Qin. Unfortunately, he was executed after being framed, and soon Handan, the capital of Zhao, fell into the hands of Qin and became one of its counties.
@rthk_news 18/ It is a real pity that Zhao didn’t persist in its military defense. Furthermore, as Qin was winding up its final victories on all its military fronts with other states, both Yan and Zhao were isolated and were at the end of their wits. There was no other way out but to lose.
@rthk_news 19/ If the three states of Han, Wei and Chu had treasured their land, Qi had not affiliated iself with Qin, Yan had not sent its assassin, and the able general of Zhao were still alive, then it would be hard to say who would be the winner!
Alas! If the land used in bribing Qin…
Alas! If the land used in bribing Qin…
@rthk_news 20/ …had been used to reward the strategists in the world, if the humble attitude adopted in treating Qin had been adopted to treat the extraordinary talents in the world, and if the 6 states had formed an alliance to resist Qin, then I am afraid Qin would've remained fearful…
@rthk_news 21/ …and dared not invading. What a sad story! Such great advantages were all borne down by the Qin’s gradually accrued force - being chipped off day by day and bit by bit until completely taken away. No ruler should be daunted by such an accrued force!
@rthk_news 22/ All 6 - and Qin as well - were only feudal states. Although the 6 states were weaker than Qin, they all the same had the possibility of defeating it if only they had not adopted the bribing practice. Now we are such a large country.
@rthk_news 23/ Should we follow the footsteps of the 6 states to ruin, we would be far inferior to them."
