Qin Shihuang sent 500,000 troops to march south to Baiyue and develop Lingnan; he also raised 800,000 troops to attack the Xiongnu in the north and build the Great Wall. The south is hot and humid, the north is cold and thirsty, and more than a million people on the north and south routes have been fighting on the difficult frontier for many years. The soldiers and civilians who dug the Five Ridges and built the Great Wall worked very hard, and supplies and supplements were also in short supply, and food was needed. Transportation was done by humans and animals, and most of the men were stationed at the border. The rest of the transportation of supplies could only be done by women. The total population of Qin State is about 20 million, so how many people are needed to complete the long-distance transportation between the north and the south? In the vast land of the Qin State, our ancestors died of exhaustion due to labor and transportation. Those who drove the border died on the border, and those who transported died on the road. What a tragic historical picture this will be. .
Two years later, the Great Wall project began to take shape, and it has appeared in the north of China. The new roads in the south have basically completed their prototypes: the first one, from Chenzhou, Hunan Province, through the Nanling Mountains and into Lianzhou, Guangdong Province; The second line goes from the south of present-day Jiangxi across the Dayu Mountains and enters Nanxiong, Guangdong; the third line goes from Daozhou in present-day Hunan and enters He County in Guangxi; the fourth line goes from Quanzhou in present-day Hunan and enters Jingjiang in Guangxi. The Qin State also sent Chang Yan to build a road from today's Yibin to Qujing in Yunnan based on the original Bo Road built by Li Bing. Because it was narrower than the Chi Road in the Central Plains, it was named Wuchi Road. The Qin State also established the famous Yangshang Pass, Hengpu Pass and Huangxi Pass. Reports of these major projects came to Xianyang one after another. The First Emperor was naturally full of joy and ambition. He firmly believed that as long as the country was well built, there was no need to pursue any prophecies. One day, he held a grand palace banquet in Xianyang Palace.
There were many people attending this banquet, including more than 70 doctors alone. After the banquet began, the emperor asked the musicians to play famous songs, so that the palace was filled with scenes of bells and drums and gold and jade. After three rounds of drinking, all the ministers toasted to the emperor. The emperor was really indescribably happy. After drinking for a while, he felt something was wrong. No one else noticed what was wrong. They only saw him looking around the ministers and looking everywhere. The ministers looked at me and I looked at you, but no one knew what the emperor was looking at. The First Emperor suddenly asked: "Where is Lord Guowei?" Then the ministers realized that Lord Guowei was not at the banquet. The emperor said doubtfully: "Your Majesty Guo Wei has always wanted to leave. If you don't come to congratulate me today, you must have left me!" He quickly sent someone to Guo Wei's Mansion to check.
It was not long before the visitor reported: "Your Majesty, the people in Guowei's Mansion said that Lord Guowei left the mansion three days ago, leaving only one thing behind when he left." The emperor asked what it was. The official looked at the palace door and said, "Bring it up." After a while, several people from the Imperial Palace came in holding several volumes of bamboo albums. The officials presented it to the emperor in person. The First Emperor opened the top volume and took a look and saw it written:
I am dull and incompetent, but I am proud of your majesty's importance. I often listen to your advice, and I am very grateful. In his spare time, I wrote down what I had learned in my life into five volumes of The Art of War, with a total of twenty-four chapters, including content on heavenly officials, military talks, attacking power, and defending power. The minister believes that if we want to enrich the country and strengthen the army, we must not forget the agricultural war. As the saying goes, if the land is vast and the people are governed, the country will be rich; if the people are governed, the country will be governed. Only in this way can we control the world. Your Majesty, please be cautious. Now the country is unified and the world is stable. This is the blessing of the Xia Dynasty. I hope that your majesty will inherit the entrepreneurial spirit of your ancestors, continue to work hard, and build a great and prosperous Chinese empire. This is not only your wish, but also the wish of my ministers and every pure son of Qin. Because I have a lazy temperament, I like to play in Yunshan and take care of my old age in the forest. I am far away now. I hope that your Majesty will forgive me for my sin. Wei Liao bows his head.
Only then did the First Emperor know that these volumes were written by Wei Liao, so he casually browsed a few volumes. He was deeply moved by the neat words and exquisite expositions, so he said with sadness: "I heard that When a dragon appears, one sees its head but not its tail. Now Lord Guo Wei arrives like a dragon and leaves like a dragon. He is really relieved. He has made great contributions to unifying the world. I am about to fight with him. Sitting in peace and sharing wealth, but he left me! He left me and left..." After finishing speaking, he choked up. After a long time, he named the military book "Wei Liao Zi" and ordered the doctor to copy hundreds of copies and put them in the treasury so that everyone in the world would know about his book.
When Li Si heard that Wei Liao was gone, not only did he not feel sorry, but he looked happy. Dr. Bao Bailingzhi saw that the emperor missed Wei Liao, so he left his seat and stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, Sir Guo Wei assisted you in pacifying the world. Your contribution is indeed great, just like Yi Yin of the Shang Dynasty and Lu Wang of the Zhou Dynasty. , but His Majesty did not grant him an inch of land, he must feel too frustrated, right?" The First Emperor was silent for a long time, and said: "After unifying the six countries, in order to create a new situation, I implemented the system of prefectures and counties, and it is true that I no longer reward meritorious officials. ." Bao Bailing said: "Since the Shang Dynasty's reform, Qin's country has become increasingly powerful, and has finally completed the great cause of unifying the world. Now above the imperial court, it is a country of Mingzhu. The words of the former kings are: "take officials as teachers.' This is the wonderful way to surpass the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors!"
When the First Emperor heard this, he turned from sadness to joy and said: "The Prime Minister and the Imperial Lieutenant are both my right-hand men. Now that they are both gone, who can I ask for questions about the state? Today, we cannot let the heroes here feel cold. Feng Quji, the imperial censor. As an assistant to me, I am worried day and night, so I should be promoted to the right prime minister. Tingwei Li Si persuaded me to establish the system of prefectures and counties in the first place, and his contribution is indelible, so he should be promoted to the left prime minister. The deputy general Feng Jie is a versatile civil and military officer, so he should be promoted to the imperial censor. Meng Yi, the chief supervisor, was promoted to the rank of court lieutenant; Wang Ben was promoted to general; the post of state lieutenant belonged to General Meng Tian, but he was leading troops outside, so it was inconvenient to grant him the post. He would only take the position when he returned from his service. The rest of the officials All of them will be promoted to the first level of nobility." The First Emperor then gave the seals and ribbons to Feng Quji, Li Si and others, and temporarily took over the post of Guowei. From then on, he firmly controlled the military power, and said: "Anyone who raises soldiers and is armored, and has more than fifty soldiers, must be mobilized by my military symbols." All the ministers shouted long live.
When the servant Zhou Qingchen saw that the emperor had re-appointed the general, he stood up and complimented him: "Your Majesty, in the past, the territory of Qin was only a thousand miles wide. But now, relying on your majesty's power, it has not only pacified the four seas, but also subdued the foreign races in the south and north." People. As the saying goes: 'In the whole world, everything is the land of the king; on the shore of the land, there is nothing but the ministers of the king.' There are no wars in the world today, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. Your great cause will be passed down for generations. I think that from ancient times to the present, There are many outstanding emperors, but for a Holy Lord like Your Majesty, there is still no second one!" The First Emperor was a little overjoyed when he heard his compliments.
Dr. Chun Yuyue suddenly stood up and retorted: "Your Majesty, I think what Pu She said is not acceptable!" The First Emperor asked why it was not acceptable. Chunyu Yue said worriedly: "I heard that the Zhou Dynasty enjoyed a kingdom of eight hundred years. This was all because the emperor of Zhou entrusted his descendants and meritorious officials to serve as assistants. Now your majesty rules the world, and your descendants are all ordinary people. You have not received a reward, and no one in your clan can enjoy a fief or lead an army. If a rebellious minister like Tian Chang appears in the court, how should you deal with it? Things can last for a long time without following the ancient system. Yes, I have never heard of it! Zhou Pushe flattered Your Majesty in person again and sent out some flattering words. This is deepening your fault. How can he be regarded as a loyal minister?" The Emperor's heart seemed to be touched, and he was silent. Speechless, he thought for a long time before saying to Chunyu Yue: "What you said is very true, very true. The enfeoffment system does have its benefits. Let me think about this matter again!"
Li Si was startled after hearing this. He thought that he opposed attacking the Huns, but the emperor saw his shortcomings. As a prime minister, he should serve as a general or a prime minister, and keep pace with the famous sages of the previous dynasty. However, he lacked military skills and repeatedly lost to Wei Liao in the military. Now that Wei Liao is gone, well done, he is indeed gone. Time, otherwise the position of prime minister will not be his turn? Now that the emperor has seen his shortcomings, can he continue to be the main minister in the future? In the past, Li Si opposed the feudal system and supported the county system. Now why do stinky nerds like Bao Bailingzhi and Chun Yuyue still mention the enfeoffment system? Aren't they going against me? When Li Si thought of this, an unknown fire ignited in his heart, and he stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the systems of the Five Emperors will not be repeated, and the actions of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties will not be followed, because there is no fixed method for governing the country. I think The most important thing in governing a country is to be diligent in thinking about changes. You have now established the system of counties and counties that have been passed down for centuries. Is this unprecedented new system something that those pedantic scholars can understand? Moreover, what Chunyu Yue and others said All are old things of the previous generation, so they are not enough to follow. During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the princes came together and the heroes were fighting. Every country called those lobbyists as wise men, so a hundred schools of thought contended and expressed their own opinions. Now the world has returned to unity. , the carriages are on the same track, the books are on the same text, the laws are consistent, and the country is waiting for prosperity. I believe that: the common people should cultivate their own land in peace; the craftsmen should work responsibly; the soldiers should risk their lives to open borders and defend the country for the country; and the officials We should perform our duties in accordance with the laws of the country without asking for personal favors. Only in this way can the world be governed. But now the so-called scholars, just because they have read some ancient books, excerpt passages and make up mysteries. They use flashy words to attack the country's major political strategies. They do not understand the general situation and are not aware of the changes of the times. They often talk about imitating the ancient system and imitating the ancient system. I think that if this continues, people's thinking will inevitably become confused. If we are not alert to this phenomenon as early as possible, disaster will arise from it!"
Chunyu Yue and all the doctors were shocked when they heard this. However, the First Emperor said: "The enfeoffment system and the system of prefectures and counties are old talk, but it doesn't matter if we mention it again today. This matter is related to my eternal great cause! You go down and have a good discussion and see who has a wise opinion. Then I will write it into a memorial and present it, and I will pour it out carefully." The ministers responded in unison: "As you command!"
