陈牧:今淮北略定,然李零肆虐彭城,先生有何良策?
萧凡:臣以为,李零非有大志,但聚众为乱耳,今急之则屯聚为寇,缓之则自散,散而击之,无不克矣。
陈牧:先生之言是也,寡人谨受教。
chenmu:today,thenorthofthehuairiverisbasicallycalm,butlizerodisturbedpengcheng,sir,whatagoodidea?
xiaofan:idon‘tthinklizerohasbigambitionsbutjustordinaryrebellions,ifthereisarushtobesiege,theywillgathertoresist,ifyouslowdownmilitaryoperations,theywillbechaoticandscattered,atthistime,ifyouattackthemagain,youwilldefinitelysucceed。
chenmu:sirisright,irespectfullyacceptyourteachings。
陈牧:《礼》云,避尊者讳,自寡人君临以来,天下皆避吾讳,甚为不便,伤我赤子之心,为之奈何?先生教我。
萧凡:臣以为,前古帝王,亦不生讳其名,惟近代诸帝,妄为节制,特令生避其讳,理非通允,宜有改张,今宜依据礼典,务从简约,仰效先哲,垂法将来,其官号人名,及公私文籍,不须避讳。
陈牧:先生之言是也,寡人受教矣。
chenmu:intheliturgy,itisnecessarytoavoidthenameoftheelder,sinceicametopower,thewholeworldhasavoidedmyname,thisisveryinconvenientandmakesthepeoplesad,whattodo?sirtaughtme。
xiaofan:ithinkthatinthepastkingsdidnotasktoavoidtheirnames,itwasonlyinmoderntimesthatsomekingsbegantoletthepeopleavoidtheirnames,itisunreasonablethatsomethingshouldchange,itshouldnowbesimplifiedaccordingtothecodeofetiquetteasbefore,namesingovernmentofficialsandofficialbooksalsodonotneedtobeevaded,andusethisasamodelforfuturegenerations。
chenmu:sirisright,iacceptyourteachings。
陈牧:寡人欲安天下,当以何为本,先生教我。
萧凡:臣以为,凡事皆须务本,国以人为本,人以衣食为本,凡营衣食,以不失时为本,夫不失时者,在人君简静乃可致耳,若兵戈屡动,土木不息,而欲不夺农时,其可得乎?
陈牧:先生之言是也,寡人谨受教。
chenmu:iwanttosettletheworld,sowhatshouldbethefoundation,sirtaughtme。
xiaofan:ithinkeverythinghastobefundamental,thestatetakesthepeopleasitsfoundationandthepeopletakefoodandclothingasthefoundation,accesstoclothesandfoodisbasedonfarming,thekinghasonlysimpletranquilitysoasnottodisturbagriculturaltime,ifawariswagedandconstructioniscarriedout,thenagriculturaltimewillbeinterrupted。
chenmu:sirisright,irespectfullyacceptyourteachings。
陈牧:中原士民言寡人为政如何?请先生直言。
萧凡:臣闻其言大王用法太峻。
陈牧:今梁地初定,寡人不得不为之尔,君不见,吴起无恩而楚强,商鞅严刑而秦兴乎?
萧凡:臣以为,吴起丧其身,商鞅亡其家,皆残酷之致也,大王方开建大业,景行尧、舜,犹惧不济,乃慕起、鞅之为治,岂此中原士女所望哉?
陈牧:先生之言是也,寡人知过矣。
chenmu:howdothepeopleofthecentralplainsevaluatemesinceienteredpolitics,pleasesirtellmebluntly。
xiaofan:iheardthemsayyou‘reinpowertooharsh。
chenmu:nowthatliangguohasjustbeenpacified,ihavetodothis,thestateofchuandthestateofqinbecamepowerfulbecauseoftheharshnessofthelaw,doesn‘tsirknow?
xiaofan:ithinkharshlawswillkillthem,youshouldlearnfromwisekingswhenyoucreateagreatcause,notlikethechuandqinstates,thisisnotwhatthepeopleofthecentralplainswant。
chenmu:sirwasright,iwaswrong。
陈牧:寡人欲风化天下,先生何以教我。