General Qin

"Everyone in the world is saddened by the sudden loss of their first emperor. I have entrusted the imperial edict to inherit the ancestral temple as his heir. In the first year of the reign of the First Emperor of Guizhou, all the old sins will be absolved. Officials and the Chief of Guizhou should act in their own way, and do not disturb the Chief of Guizhou with corvées and taxes, and do not use fine things. Harshly impeach county officials..."

In October of the first year of Emperor Qin II, as an edict to reform the people spread throughout the world, all the people cheered for joy, and everyone in the capital of Guizhou Province shouted "Emperor Shengming".

In this edict, the second emperor Fusu officially succeeded to the throne and granted a general amnesty to the world. Anyone in Guizhou who did not commit rebellion or murder could be pardoned. At the same time, corvées and taxes in various places were reduced or exempted.

All these measures have hit the head of Guizhou in the world, which has always been a heavy burden.

Qin's laws were too harsh, and crimes were frequently punished.

The corvee and taxes were too heavy, and there was no food left in the home of the head of Guizhou. The men traveled around in order to serve, and there was no chance to breathe.

Although the common people of the world can still survive under this heavy pressure, it is difficult for them to have a good impression of the imperial court.

Now that the Second Emperor issued an edict, they finally got a chance to breathe.

Everything in the world is afraid of the word "contrast".

During the reign of the First Emperor, the Qin army was victorious and opened up countless territories. Qin's power was powerful all over the world, but the people in Guizhou lived in great hardship.

After all, Great Qin's military victory was achieved with money and lives, and these resources were provided by the people of Guizhou.

As soon as the second emperor came to power, he stopped the Western Expeditions and stopped the migration of the people. Now he has officially started the reform, and he has also granted amnesty to the whole country, exempted and exempted taxes and corvees.

Comparing the two, who wouldn't applaud the Guizhou head who couldn't breathe under the rule of the First Emperor?

"When I was still the eldest son, we heard that he was quite famous. Now that he has ascended the throne, he really cares about the livelihood of our people. He is truly a holy king!"

"Of course, our days are finally bright!"

Countless people praised it, and some even secretly wrote: "The scorching sun has set, and the warm sun has risen. We, the little people, are so lucky."

After hundreds of years of chaos in the world, for the people of Guizhou, all they wanted was a hut, a meal, and a stable life.

Whoever can provide it is the Holy King.

The second emperor gained great popularity among the people in just one year by relying on various means of loving and caring for the people.

The head of Guizhou supports it, and the people return home.

His throne is as secure as Mount Tai.

At the same time, with the issuance of the amnesty order, thieves in various places decreased and society became more stable.

Without wars and complicated corvee work, the empire's finances, which had been depleted, gradually recovered.

"The First Emperor has done all the important things for His Majesty. The Qin Dynasty has a vast territory and the barbarians from all directions have surrendered. What we have to do now is to defend the territory laid down by the First Emperor and completely unite the nine states into one. The most important thing is to defend it, and Non-pioneering. Not doing is far better than doing.”

Zhao Tuo and the Second Emperor discussed the future development direction of Qin and pointed out a very important point.

population!

This is the most important resource a country needs for development.

A big problem facing the Qin State now is that it has conquered too much land and not enough people.

Not to mention Baiyue, which was just conquered, even Hexi, Zhangye, Haidong, and Rizhao, which were conquered in the past few years, are vast and sparsely populated.

If you continue to develop land at this time, you will be using your insufficient resources to fight for things that are unused. Therefore, the top priority is to rest with the people and at the same time vigorously encourage births.

The larger the population, the more taxes will be collected every year, and the more soldiers will be available. This is the basis whether it is to immigrate to other places or continue to expand overseas.

How can a country develop if its population is insufficient?

One of the reasons that hindered Qin's population growth was its strict laws.

"In the past, the Shang monarchs carried out reforms in order to strengthen the country, which made the Qin people fight bravely, like tigers and wolves. However, the Qin law was too harsh, and the leaders of Guizhou frequently broke the law and were dismissed as prisoners and subordinates. This greatly restricted the growth of the population. We I believe that Lord Shang’s method has lost its original effectiveness after Qin unified the world, and at the same time, it has hindered the development of Qin. I also ask your majesty to change the method to benefit the world of Qin!”

This time, Zhao Tuo targeted Qin's law, which he had long wanted to reform, and took the opportunity of population development to shake it.

The laws of Shang Jun are the foundation of Qin's prosperity.

Even if Shang Yang was killed by the King of Qin, the law would survive after death, and the Qin State continued to practice it from generation to generation, and finally the Qin Dynasty swallowed up the whole world today.

The Qin Law enacted by Shang Yang has been operating in Qin as a national policy for more than a hundred years. Now Zhao Tuo actually wants to change the law?

Fusu frowned.

In fact, he was dissatisfied with Qin's law, but after all, it was the foundation of Qin and he did not dare to touch it easily.

Especially the current Prime Minister Zuo in the court, and his father-in-law Li Si, who is a proper disciple of Legalism.

"This matter is of great importance. We should discuss it with Prime Minister Zuo and all officials."

Fusu followed the example of the First Emperor and did not immediately agree or object. Instead, he threw the issue to the court and ordered all the officials to express their opinions. He, the emperor, would observe it at that time and finally make a decision after analyzing the pros and cons.

As expected, when Zhao Tuo raised this issue in the court, it immediately caused an uproar.

Prime Minister Zuo Li Si's face turned black and blue.

The expressions of some ministers and Qin generals also changed suddenly.

People tend to be conservative, especially those who have gained a lot of benefits under the Qin Law and the military merit system.

They are now the beneficiaries of Qin's law. Once the law is updated, will it affect their interests?

Among them, Tingwei Gan Qian stood up and glared at Zhao Tuo.

He is a descendant of the Gan family and is of the same clan as the former genius Gan Luonai. He entered the official career of the Qin State through law and served in the Tingwei Mansion for many years. After Li Si was promoted to Zuo Prime Minister, Gan Qian took over the position of Tingwei.

It can be said that Qin Fa is the cornerstone of his power as a Tingwei. Once the law is changed, Tingwei's Mansion, the highest judicial institution in the country, will suffer the greatest impact, and Gan Qian is naturally unwilling to do so.

Gan Qian questioned on the spot: "The words of the Marquis of Zhenguo are wrong. Our Qin State became strong because of the legislation of the Shang Lord. Without Qin Law, there would be no Qin today. After a hundred years of operation, Qin Law has been completely integrated into the flesh and blood of our Qin State." In the Qin Dynasty, all officials in the world learned the Qin law and governed the country according to the law. This is the foundation of Qin, how can it be easily changed?"

Zhao Tuo smiled slightly.

He had already prepared for the possible debate today, but the other party was just a court official. If Prime Minister Zuo Li Si didn't take action, Zhao Tuo would naturally not end it personally.

As Gan Qian finished speaking, one of the ministers stood up.

"What Tingwei said is very reasonable, but today's scene can't help but remind me of a hundred years ago, when Duke Xiao and Lord Shang wanted to reform the state of Qin. Qianlong, Du Zhi and other conservative ministers also said the same thing, right?"

Li Shiqi said with a smile.

Through the rotation of the army, he had returned from Baiyue a few months ago. He happened to be Zhao Tuo's mouthpiece and had a debate with the conservative ministers in the court.

Gan Qian's face changed slightly.

He is from the Gan Mao and Gan Luo clans, and his ancestors are from Xiacai, Chu State. He is not from the same family as the old Ganlong from the time of Duke Xiao.

However, Gan Qian was still a little uncomfortable when he suddenly heard the other person mention this name, both from the Gan family, especially since the other person implicitly derogated him as a conservative minister like Qian Long in his words.

He immediately replied: "What Li Zuogeng said is wrong. How can today's situation be compared with that of the past? Shang Jun's method has been practiced in Qin for hundreds of years, making the country strong and prosperous, which proves its usefulness. Since it is useful , how can it be easily changed?"

Li Shiqi caught the loophole in the opponent's logic and laughed and said: "What Tingwei said is right. At this time and at that time, the reason why Qin's law made Qin strong and prosperous in the past was because we, the Qin Dynasty, were surrounded by princes at that time. , so we need this method to strengthen the country in order to achieve the goal of competing with the princes for hegemony, but what about now?"

"The six kingdoms have been destroyed, and all the barbarians have been leveled. The current situation is very different from the environment in which the Shang Dynasty was reforming in the past. What we, the Qin Dynasty, need now is not a strong army to fight, but to protect the territory and the people, so that the head of Guizhou in the world can be settled, and all the people can be in peace. Le. So at this time, the old Qin Law is no longer in line with the current situation and needs to be changed!"

Gan Qian opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but Li Sheqi, a master of verbal warfare, did not give him a chance. He immediately launched a series of ferocious attacks with great momentum.

Li Shiqi said loudly: "In the past, Shang Jun said that ordinary people were content with their old habits, and scholars were addicted to what they heard. The two of them were officials and abided by the law, and they were not outside the law. The three dynasties were kings with different etiquette, and the five dynasties were kings. Hegemony depends on the law. Therefore, the wise follow the law, but the fool controls it. The sage is more polite, while the dishonest person is restrained."

"Shang Jun also said that legislation is made at the time, and rituals are made according to the situation. Rituals and laws are determined by the time, and regulations and orders are all in accordance with their own suitability. If there is no one way to govern the world, there is no need to follow the ancient rules to facilitate the country!"

Li Shi spitted out his mouth and said to Gan Qian and the ministers in the court: "Do you feel what this Lord Shang said?"

"The Marquis of Zhenguo wants to change the law today. He is following what the Shang Lord said in the past. Rites and laws are determined by the times, and he formulates laws that suit the country's situation based on the actual situation. Those who follow the law should keep pace with the times. This is the true The spirit of the law. If you hold on to the weak and say things that cannot change the law, aren't your actions the same as those of Gan and Du who hindered the reform in the past!"

"Shang Jun said that the country does not need to follow the ancients, but now you are doing the ancients!"

Li Shiqi had Zhao Tuo backing him, and with full firepower and fierce words, he directly classified all those who wanted to hinder the reform into the ranks of Qianlong and Du Zhi.

Only people like him and Zhao Tuo who want to reform are the real successors of Shang Jun.

Gan Qian and the other Legalist disciples suddenly turned red in the face. Why, in the blink of an eye, they were beaten into conservatives. They really couldn't afford to wear this big hat.

Li Shiqinai was a master of rhetoric who used a long tongue to persuade the King of Qi and the whole country to surrender. Now, after suppressing the opponent with his words, he publicly talked about the shackles and disadvantages caused by the old laws of Qin for the unification of the world, and spoke freely about the benefits of reform. .

He was well prepared for this. He quoted scriptures and whipped his tongue into his words, and those who listened nodded repeatedly.

The Legalist disciples who were suddenly attacked today were not prepared in advance and were caught off guard. They were no match for them in the exchange of opinions.

The entire court basically became Li Shiqi's stage alone.

"Professional matters should be left to professionals."

The smile in Zhao Tuo's eyes became even wider. In terms of eloquence, there were probably few people in the world who could rival Li Shiqi.

Even the second emperor nodded his head.

Many ministers were also persuaded to realize the shortcomings of the old law and the benefits of the reform.

At the end, the second emperor turned to Prime Minister Zuo Li Si and asked, "Prime Minister Zuo, do you have any suggestions for the reform proposed by Marquis Zhenguo and Li Zuogeng?"

All eyes were turned to Li Si.

He was the Zuo Prime Minister of Qin and the head of Legalism.

Li Si's attitude is very important.

Gan Qian and others looked at Prime Minister Zuo as if asking for help, hoping that he could turn the tide and safeguard Qin's law.

Li Si's eyes were filled with helplessness.

When he was young, he became a disciple of Xunzi. He went to the Jixia Academy in Qi State and saw the disciples of various disciples debate and even participated in them. He had a lot of experience in this.

This Li Shiqi has a strong voice, spits a lot when he speaks, is good at catching loopholes in people's logic, and is very good at criticizing others. Coupled with his ability to quote classics, he is definitely a strong opponent in debate.

If he, Li Si, might have been able to fight him when he was young.

But now, he is old.

Li Si, who is in his seventies, has lost his energy as before. He used to be able to eat a large bowl of noodles in one meal, but now he can't finish a small bowl. Where did he get the energy to debate in the court?

And he, the dignified Prime Minister Zuo, really wants to end up arguing with one of Zhao Tuo's subordinates?

He is an elder. If he wins, he will lose his status. If he loses, his reputation will be ruined. There will be no benefit.

And through listening, Li Si had to admit that there was some truth in what Zhao Tuo and Li Shiqi said about the former Qin law being no longer suitable for the unified Qin State.

"Legalism is meant to serve the king."

“The king’s words are law.”

Li Si sighed secretly. Compared to Gan Qian and others, he had a more thorough understanding of the nature of the Dharma.

If the emperor likes it, that is the law.

Li Si raised his head, looked at the second emperor on the imperial couch, cupped his hands and said, "I will obey your majesty's orders in everything. If your majesty wants to change the law, then change the law."

As soon as these words came out, many ministers and generals in the court who wanted to maintain the old law were shocked.

Why did Prime Minister Zuo surrender directly?

Faced with the offensive of Zhen Guohou who wants to change the law, won't you Li Si, the dignified head of the Legalist family, resist?

Zhao Tuo raised his eyebrows slightly, a little surprised.

But he reacted quickly.

Li Si seems to be such a person.

“There is no greater criticism than humiliation, and no greater sorrow than poverty.”

This is what Li Si said to himself back then.

He used to be a minor official in the Chu State. In order to pursue fame and fortune, he resolutely resigned and became a disciple of Xunzi. Later, he scanned all the countries in the world and chose the most promising state of Qin to become an official.

Li Si first worked as a retainer for Lu Buwei, and before Lu Buwei's downfall, he jumped into the hands of the First Emperor. Historically, he conspired with Zhao Gao to tamper with the First Emperor's edict. He even knew that Qin II was rebellious and wanted to flatter him unintentionally.

Everything Li Si did in his life was for his own glory and wealth, rather than really adhering to any legal principles.

Law is just a tool for Li Si to pursue wealth.

Now that Zhao Tuo was above Li Si, he had great power in the court and had the support of the emperor. Li Si saw through this at a glance and knew that fighting hard was not the way out, so he just listened to the emperor's orders.

If you can't beat it, then join.

This is what smart people do.

In this way, not only did he avoid conflicts, but he also gained the favor of the second emperor and felt that his father-in-law was considerate.

Sure enough, the second emperor was very happy to see Li Si's attitude.

The two prime ministers were ordered to take charge of the revision of Qin's laws and regulations.

Maybe he was grateful to his father-in-law, or maybe he wanted to make some compensation to Li Si.

Half a month later, the second emperor issued a new edict.

Li Sijian, the prime minister of the left, offered his advice, assisted the First Emperor in annexing the six kingdoms, and dedicated his whole life to the Qin Dynasty. He was given the title of Marquis of Lun as a reward.

Li Si's title.

Marquis Wentong.

No more tonight, I just sorted out the follow-up plot, there are about two days left, and it will end on Monday as expected.

Then there are two undecided ideas, you can participate in the discussion.

1. How long is Zhao Tuo’s life?

A.100 years old

B.110 years old

C.120 years old

2. History has changed, and the Gregorian calendar will definitely no longer be used in subsequent episodes. So what calendar should be used?

A. Xuanyuan Calendar, calculated from the Huangdi period.

B. The Qin calendar starts from the year when the First Emperor ascended the throne at the age of 13.

C. The Qin calendar starts from the year when the First Emperor unified the world.