After the death of King Zhuang Xiang, the thirteen-year-old Ying Zheng ascended the throne and proclaimed himself king. Zhao Ji was granted the title of Queen Mother Zhao, and she was in charge of government together with the Queen Mother Huayang and the Queen Mother Xia. According to the arrangement of King Zhuang Xiang, Lu Buwei was the prime minister, King Qin Zheng was honored as Zhongfu, Changping Lord Xiong Zhuang was appointed as the prime minister, Changwen Lord Han Qi was appointed as the Xianyang Order to control the Xianyang garrison, Li Si was appointed as Zhongshu Sheren, and Wang Lu and Meng Ao and Hegong served as generals and jointly assisted in the government.
This Li Si was a disciple of Lu Buwei. Seeing that he was well versed in the ways of governing the country and had a talent for eloquence, Lu Buwei took advantage of Yingzheng's accession to the throne and recommended him to be a member of the Zhongshu Sheren, responsible for drafting imperial edicts, so Li Si had the opportunity to often accompany King Xiao Qin. .
Lu Buwei had always arranged for Ying Zheng to study. Due to the lack of discipline during his years in Handan, he could not read a single big character when he came to Xianyang. Therefore, before he came to the throne, he was only taught to read some simple Book of Songs, focusing on teaching him how to read and identify characters. After he ascended the throne, Lu Buwei began to let him read Zhou Rites and The Analects of Confucius. Although Ying Zheng is only thirteen years old, his rough childhood experience has made him precocious. In addition, he is smart and has his own opinions in reading. Especially after reading Zhou Li, he was surprised by many of the strategies for governing the country.
Since Lu Buwei was often busy with political affairs, when Ying Zheng encountered something he didn't understand, Li Si would often answer it for him.
One day, when he read that Duke Zhou controlled the world with etiquette, Ying Zheng felt that Duke Zhou was great, so he asked Li Si:
"Sir, what do you think of Duke Zhou?"
"The Zhou Rites performed by the Duke of Zhou were in line with the situation at that time, but governing the world with the Zhou Rites led to the separatist rule of the princes, who did not listen to the orders of the Emperor of Zhou. Therefore, the Duke of Zhou is not a talented person who governs the country, and the Zhou Rites are not the way to govern the country!"
Ying Zheng once heard Lu Buwei talk about the Duke of Zhou and knew that he was a great figure. However, when he heard Li Si dismissive of him, he argued: "Aren't Zhou rites a good way to govern the country? If everyone abides by the etiquette, punishment will not be punished." If you, the noble officials, are not polite to the common people, then the country will be able to run smoothly!"
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, what if someone fails to observe etiquette?"
"If you don't observe etiquette, the whole world will punish you!"
"What if everyone doesn't behave politely? What if everyone is competing against each other now?"
"This..." Ying Zheng was just immersed in the Datong society described by Duke Zhou, and was speechless to the practical questions raised by Li Si.
"Why do you need etiquette to govern a country? Laws are enough! The reason why our country of Qin was able to rise among the princes was because of Shang Yang's reforms, the establishment of prefectures and counties, rewards for farming and war, and clear laws and regulations, which made the country rich and strong. On the other hand, the countries in Shandong still cling to their weaknesses and remain weak. If we persist in the practices of the Zhou Dynasty, we will inevitably decline day by day.”
Li Si opened a window into Legalist thought for Ying Zheng. Ying Zheng was very excited and asked: "What is the difference between ruling a country by law and ruling a country by etiquette?"
"Has your Majesty ever thought about how to deal with someone who fails to observe etiquette when a country is governed by etiquette? Without the backing of rewards and punishments, any regulations are in vain. Zhou etiquette relies on public opinion and force to deter, which cannot last long. Think about it. If you want the world to abide by the etiquette system for a long time, you must stipulate what kind of rewards you will get if you observe the etiquette system, and what kind of punishment you will get if you violate the etiquette system! In this way, etiquette becomes the law and becomes the rule of law. A society only needs laws and regulations If it is complete, those who abide by the law will be rewarded, and those who violate the law will be punished, then no one will dare to violate the law, and they will only rush to do things prescribed by the law, and they will definitely avoid illegal things!"
The King of Qin thought thoughtfully and said: "Qin has been implementing laws for many years. Why has it not completed its great cause and unified the world?"
Li Si was very surprised that a teenage boy actually thought about how to accomplish a great cause. He thought that this person would become a great cause in the future, and Li Si's future would also depend on him. Thinking of this, he replied with a serious face: " Anyone who succeeds in a career is good at judging the situation and must seize the opportunity. Although Qin Mu was very strong, he failed to complete the great cause of unification because the time was not yet ripe. Since Xiao Gong, the Zhou Dynasty has completely declined, and all the princes There were continuous wars between the countries, but the Qin State took the opportunity to appoint Shang Yang to carry out reforms, issue decrees, reward farming and war, and gradually became stronger. The power of the Qin State today is precisely the result of the implementation of the decrees. The reason why the great cause has not been completed is that the time is not yet ripe. Now with the powerful power of Qin and the virtue of the king, it will be as easy to eliminate the six kingdoms as sweeping the dust on the stove. Now is the best opportunity to complete the emperor's cause and unify the world. Don't miss it."
Ying Zheng was also ambitious at this moment and said: "I will live up to God's arrangement!"
From then on, Ying Zhengzheng often talked with Li Si about governing the country, and was gradually impressed by his Legalist thoughts.
When the princes saw King Qin ascending the throne, they knew that he was too young to govern personally, so they began to despise Qin.
The governor of Jinyang, Zhao Dexin, was originally from the State of Zhao. During the Battle of Changping, both his father and brother were killed, and the land of Jinyang was subsequently annexed by the State of Qin. Although Zhao Dexin obeyed Qin's instructions on the surface, he hated Qin in his heart and was determined to avenge his father and brother. Now seeing that Qin Wangzheng came to the throne at less than fourteen years old, Zhao Dexin thought that the time had come for revenge, so he summoned his tribesmen and said: "We are originally from Zhao. The Qin people killed our father and brother, occupied our land, and forced us to fight. The victory is all due to the Qin people, but the defeat is all blamed on us, which is unbearable! Today I want to destroy Qin in a righteous way, will you follow me?"
Qin and Zhao fought for a long time, and almost all Zhao family members died at the hands of the Qin army. When Zhao Dexin said this, the crowd became even more excited, shouting: "Rebellion! Rebel!"
"Fight with the people of Qin!"
"If you go against it, I will avenge my son!"
Seeing that everyone was supportive, Zhao Dexin said: "Now we are weak in Qin State. If we want to succeed, we must get the support of Zhao State!" So Zhao Dexin sent people to Zhao State to ask for help, expressing his willingness to surrender to Zhao State and collecting grain and grass at the same time. , recruit soldiers and prepare to fight the Qin army!
After Shang Yang's reform, the Qin State implemented a system of counties and counties. County guards could only be responsible for local government affairs and maintaining law and order. They only had a few thousand local troops. In order to quickly expand the army, Zhao Dexin even posted notices to other counties and counties. Naturally, it was impossible to keep it secret, and the news that Zhao Dexin was going to rebel quickly spread to Qin Wangzheng's palace.
Lu Buwei quickly summoned ministers to discuss countermeasures. Xiong Zhuang said: "We should immediately send troops to quell the rebellion when Zhao Dexin is not well prepared! The faster it is, the better it is for us!"
Lu Buwei said: "Zhao Dexin is originally from Zhao, and he will definitely ask for help from Zhao. We have to be on guard. We should send envoys to Handan at the same time to prevent King Zhao Xiaocheng from sending troops to help."
So the King of Qin sent Meng Ao to lead one hundred thousand troops to quell the rebellion, and at the same time sent Han Qi as an envoy to Handan to persuade King Zhao to remain neutral.
King Zhao Xiaocheng was moved again after receiving Zhao Dexin's request for help, and wanted to send Lian Po with 100,000 troops to take over the land of Jinyang. At this moment, Han Qi asked to see him. At this time, King Zhao Xiaocheng did not know that King Qin had learned that Jinyang was going to rebel, so he pretended to be confused and asked: "I heard that the new King of Qin is only thirteen years old. Can he manage state affairs?"
Han Qi knew that King Zhao Xiaocheng deliberately avoided the topic and had a laugh with him, so he replied: "Although King Qin is young, he is very talented and can handle state affairs. He lived in Handan when he was young and was very grateful to Zhao Guo. , so I was specially sent to greet the king. Before leaving, the King of Qin even held the hand of the minister and said, Qin really does not want to see anything like the Battle of Changping again! A dispute over a Shangdang County is not worth the gain!"
Han Qi is talking about the Battle of Changping. At that time, King Huanhui of Han had agreed to cede Shangdang County to Qin, but Feng Ting, the governor of Shangdang County, was unwilling to surrender to Qin, so he dedicated seventeen cities in Shangdang County to Zhao. King Zhao Xiaocheng coveted Shangdang County, so he accepted Feng Ting's request and sent troops to resist Qin, which triggered the Battle of Changping. This history of blood and tears is still vivid in the minds of Zhao people. Han Qi is warning King Zhao Xiaocheng not to repeat the tragedy of that year. Of course King Zhao Xiaocheng understood what he meant.
When King Zhao Xiaocheng recalled the tragedy of that year, he couldn't help but feel chills running down his spine. From Han Qi's words, he could tell that the State of Qin had already learned about Jinyang's rebellion. Zhao Dexin had no chance of winning, so he canceled his plan to aid Jinyang and said: "Of course I cherish the peace with Qin. Sir, please reply to the King of Qin. I, Zhao, are willing to be brothers with Qin forever! I am willing to exchange protons with Qin to show my sincerity!"
Han Qi understood what King Zhao Xiaocheng meant. He wanted to get Qin's guarantee not to attack Zhao, so he said: "I will report back to the King of Qin immediately. The King is willing to form a good relationship with Qin!"
King Zhao Xiaocheng was moved again after receiving Zhao Dexin's request for help, and wanted to send Lian Po with 100,000 troops to take over the land of Jinyang. At this moment, Han Qi asked to see him. At this time, King Zhao Xiaocheng did not know that King Qin had learned that Jinyang was going to rebel, so he pretended to be confused and asked: "I heard that the new King of Qin is only thirteen years old. Can he manage state affairs?"
Han Qi knew that King Zhao Xiaocheng deliberately avoided the topic and had a laugh with him, so he replied: "Although King Qin is young, he is very talented and can handle state affairs. He lived in Handan when he was young and was very grateful to Zhao Guo. , so I was specially sent to greet the king."
"I didn't expect King Qin to still remember these things!?"
"Now that the King of Qin has just ascended the throne, he hopes that he and the State of Zhao can always be friends with Qin and Jin! Before leaving, the King of Qin even held the hand of the minister and said that the State of Qin really does not want to see anything like the Battle of Changping again! Because of a Shangdang County A dispute is not worth the gain!"
Han Qi was talking about the origin of the Battle of Changping. At that time, King Huanhui of Han had agreed to cede Shangdang County to Qin, but Feng Ting, the governor of Shangdang County, was unwilling to surrender to Qin, so he dedicated seventeen cities in Shangdang County to Zhao. Kingdom, King Zhao Xiaocheng coveted Shangdang County, so he accepted Feng Ting's request and sent troops to resist Qin, which triggered the Battle of Changping. This history of blood and tears is still vivid in the minds of Zhao people. Han Qi is warning King Zhao Xiaocheng not to repeat the tragedy of that year. Of course King Zhao Xiaocheng understood what he meant.
When King Zhao Xiaocheng recalled the tragedy of that year, he couldn't help but feel chills running down his spine. From Han Qi's words, he could tell that the State of Qin had already learned about Jinyang's rebellion. Zhao Dexin had no chance of winning, so he canceled his plan to aid Jinyang and said: "Of course I cherish the peace with Qin. Sir, please reply to the King of Qin. I, Zhao, are willing to be brothers with Qin forever! I am willing to exchange protons with Qin to show my sincerity!"
Han Qi understood what King Zhao Xiaocheng meant. He wanted to get Qin's guarantee not to attack Zhao, so he said: "I will report back to the King of Qin immediately. The King is willing to form a good relationship with Qin!"
Han Qi immediately returned to Xianyang and reported to King Qin that King Zhao Xiaocheng hoped to exchange hostages in exchange for peace. At this time, King Qin had just ascended the throne. Neither the Queen Mother Zhao nor Lu Buwei wanted to go to war with Zhao State immediately, so they advocated accepting Zhao State's request.
But who to send as a hostage is indeed a big problem. King Zhuang Xiang only had two children, Ying Zheng and Cheng Jiao, while King Qin Zheng was not yet married and had no heirs. After much deliberation, Lu Buwei still felt that Cheng Jiao was suitable. So they reported to the three Queen Mothers, and the Queen Mother Huayang and the Queen Mother Zhao immediately agreed. They both hoped to use this to send Cheng Jiao to Zhao as a hostage. Competitors drove out of Xianyang. In their view, Cheng Jiao was always a threat to Ying Zheng.
However, when the Queen Mother Xia heard about this, she firmly opposed it. She was worried about Chengjiao's safety and did not agree with sending people to Zhao. The Empress Dowager Xia is the second most powerful person in the Qin Palace after the Empress Dowager Huayang. Without her support, this plan cannot be implemented. Since Han Qi had the closest relationship with the Queen Mother Xia, Lu Buwei secretly instructed Han Qi to persuade the Queen Mother Xia. Seeing that Ying Zheng had become the King of Qin, Han Qi had to consider his own future. He had long wanted to express his determination to be loyal to the new king, so he went to Meet Queen Mother Xia.
The Queen Mother Xia was talking to Han Ji at the moment. Han Ji cried and cried: "They really bullied others too much. They came to bully our mother and son when they saw the death of the king. Who doesn't know that going to Handan will lead to a narrow escape!"
Queen Mother Xia said: "Don't worry, as long as I'm still alive, Cheng Jiao will not be put in danger! Han Qi will also speak for Cheng Jiao in the court, so don't worry!"
While they were talking, the palace maid came to report that Han Qi was asking for an audience. Queen Mother Xia said: "I was just about to recruit him, but he arrived. Please come in quickly!"
When Han Ji saw Han Qi, she said with tears: "Brother must make the decision for Cheng Jiao! Now Lu Buwei is uneasy and wants Jiao'er to go to Handan as a hostage!"
Han Qidao: "Misfortune is where blessings depend, and misfortune lies behind! I don't think this is a bad thing at all."
When Queen Mother Xia heard what Han Qi said, she guessed that he agreed with Cheng Jiao to go to Handan, and said angrily: "You are my nephew, do you also want to harm Cheng Jiao?"
Han Qidao: "My aunt is wrong. I am not here to harm Chengjiao. On the contrary, I am here to help Chengjiao. Has my aunt forgotten why King Zhuang Xiang became the king of Qin? And why did Ying Zheng become the king of Qin? ? They have all been hostages and have made great contributions to the Qin State! To say the least, now that you and I are here, we can protect him in the court. Once you are gone, Cheng Jiao has done nothing to the Qin State, so why should he rely on himself? Qin? I don’t think it’s a wise choice for Auntie Qin to be involved in Cheng Jiao’s life because of her temporary favor.”
Empress Dowager Xia pondered for a long time, thinking that it was indeed a good opportunity for Cheng Jiao to establish a career, and then said: "You are right. There is no better way now. You go ahead and make arrangements. You must ensure Cheng Jiao's safety on the way. !”
Han Qidao: "My nephew must arrange for a reliable person to escort him!"
When Han Ji heard that Queen Mother Xia and Han Qi both agreed that Cheng Jiao would enter Zhao as a hostage, she cried: "Don't my aunts love Cheng Jiao? He is so young, how can he endure all these hardships?"
Queen Mother Xia said: "Han Qi is right, we should take a long-term view and think about Jiao'er's future! Don't cry, we should indeed create more opportunities for Jiao'er to make meritorious deeds while we are still alive!"
Han Ji knew that once Queen Mother Xia made up her mind, it would be difficult to change her mind, so she had no choice but to agree.
So Cheng Jiao went to Zhao as a hostage under the escort of Fan Yuqi. At the same time, the State of Zhao sent Prince Zhao Jia to Qin as a hostage.
After Meng Ao arrived in Jinyang, he quickly issued a notice, saying: "Severely punish the culprits, never threaten!" "If any people were previously seduced by Zhao Dexin to join the rebellion and now withdraw, they will not be blamed. If they do not know how to reflect on themselves and rebel to the end, they will be punished." Then we will kill without mercy and destroy the three clans!"
Zhao Dexin hurriedly assembled an army of 30,000 people. Seeing that the Zhao army refused to come to rescue and the Qin army was pressing down on the border, the morale of the army was already unstable. Now I saw the notice posted by Meng Ao. Many of the Toast soldiers fled in all directions. Within a few days, more than 10,000 people in Zhao Dexin's army escaped! Meng Ao took the opportunity to lead a fierce attack. Within a month, Zhao Dexin was defeated and committed suicide!
When the news reached the State of Zhao, King Zhao Xiaocheng couldn't help but sweat. Fortunately, he accepted Han Qi's suggestion, otherwise he would be in trouble again at this moment!
Although the Jinyang Rebellion was quickly put down, Han Qi was promoted to prime minister due to his meritorious service on the mission. However, his influence in the Qin court did not end. Qin Wangzheng convened ministers to discuss the reasons for Zhao Dexin's rebellion and how to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Lu Buwei said: "The direct reason for Zhao Dexin's rebellion was that Bai Qi killed 400,000 Zhao soldiers and surrendered. As a result, Zhao people still hate the Qin people. Now among the princes, Zhao is the most determined to resist Qin. This is not unrelated to Changping's killing and surrender!" "
The veterans of the Qin State who advocated force still believed that Bai Qi not only did not deserve to die, but should be a hero in the hearts of the Qin people. Now they hear Lu Buwei denying his achievements back then, and they don't take it seriously. General Wang Lun said: "Back then, killing and surrendering was a last resort. Capturing so many people at once, just eating was a problem!"
He Gongdao: "We, the Great Qin Dynasty, have always been a martial artist. On the battlefield, we measure military achievements by the number of heads killed. This can better deter the enemy and inspire the soldiers!"
Lu Buwei said: "More killings will stimulate stronger resistance from the enemy. Therefore, it is advocated that pacification should be the main focus in war, and killing and surrender should be prohibited. Only in this way will the people rush to join, reduce resistance, and win over others with virtue."
Duke Heng retorted: "Don't be too idealistic about your relationship with the Prime Minister. Our Qin Dynasty has relied on war to survive since we established our country. If conquering people with virtue works, what do you want us soldiers to do!"
The young King Qin felt that what both sides said was reasonable, and said: "What you all said is reasonable. I think that soldiers still need to fight on the battlefield. It is useless to argue with reason, but for the people who surrender, You should be more tolerant, so as to appease them!" Lu Buwei was very happy to hear this and admired the young King of Qin for having such insight.
A few days later, according to the will of the King of Qin, Lu Buwei abolished the policy of differential treatment of newly surrendered lands, and unified political orders, reward and punishment standards for all Qin lands. The people in the newly surrendered areas shouted long live, believing that the newly enthroned King Qin was magnanimous, and the counties and counties that had been incited by Zhao Dexin to rebel quickly calmed down.
Duke Heng disagreed with this and said to people privately: "This has been the case since ancient times. The winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. If you lose in a battle, you have to accept your fate. Do you still have to enjoy the same treatment as a winner if you lose?" Soon the news reached the ears of King Qin, who was very unhappy.
