Question

weapons and armor are a country’s tools of violence. a warlike country, however huge and safe it may be, will end up declining and endangering its populace. military force cannot be entirely eliminated nor used all the time. teach people military arts when they are free from farming in order to equip them with a sense of military decorum and morale. ... confucius said, “not teaching people how to fight is the same as discarding them.” hence military might serves to benefit the realm. this is the gist of the art of war. review the passage, then answer the question. why does taizong use a quote from confucius to support his argument? explain your answer in one or two sentences.

Explanation:

Taizong uses Confucius' quote to support his argument that military training is necessary for the people, as Confucius’ statement emphasizes that neglecting to teach people to fight is equivalent to abandoning them, aligning with Taizong’s view that military might benefits the realm when properly used.

Answer:

Taizong uses Confucius’ quote to support his argument that teaching people military arts is necessary (as Confucius’ quote implies neglecting to teach fighting is abandoning people), aligning with his view that proper military might benefits the realm.