Qin Shihuang made a decision on the spot to establish prefectures and counties in nine states of China and abolish feudalism. His words were firm and his tone was authoritative.
All the officials in the palace bowed their heads and no one raised any objections. But most of the ministers in the palace quietly glanced at the young man standing among the military commanders.
The great concubine Zhao Tuo! No one was surprised when Tingwei Li Si stood up to oppose the enfeoffment system. After all, enfeoffment harmed the interests of the Legalists.
But as a beneficiary of the enfeoffment system, you, Zhao Tuo, were not only the first to stand up, but you also spoke passionately, quoted scriptures, directly attacked the loopholes of enfeoffment, and even proposed building Chi Road to solve the problem of distant borders. It seems that I have been prepared for it.
Is Zhao Tuo really selfless? Is he really a saint who doesn't care about conferring land and establishing a country? Doctors Zhu Qing thought about it in their own minds. Some people secretly praised it, while others speculated and cursed in their hearts.
But no matter what, the dispute between the feudal system and the county system has completely come to an end. The emperor not only announced that counties should be implemented throughout the world, but also asked the prime minister, imperial censors, court officials and others to discuss the division of counties in the world, determine the number of counties, divide the scope of each county, and other matters at the court meeting.
This court meeting has come to an end. Zhao Tuo breathed a long sigh of relief. The matter of enfeoffing counties is inherently a thorny issue.
Once you make a mistake in taking sides, it is very likely that your political life will be over. Let alone if you want to do something big in the future, whether you can hold power again is a question.
Therefore, after he was implicated by Wang Wan, he had to be the first to stand up and speak out against it. Looking at it now, the effect is not bad, at least the emperor should be satisfied with his performance.
However, when he was admired by the emperor, Zhao Tuo also felt a lot of malicious looks. Except for a very small number of those who benefited from the enfeoffment, they were unhappy that Zhao Tuo had ruined their good deeds. There were more Confucian scholars who worked hard for the enfeoffment system and encouraged Wang Wan to contact officials and ministers for suggestions.
Confucianism often says that one must restrain oneself and return to propriety. restored
"Li" refers to Zhou Gong's etiquette and Zhou Gong's government. The enfeoffment system itself was a very important part of the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty.
That is the ideal that these Confucian scholars pursue throughout their lives. Now, Zhao Tuo stood on the opposite side of them, shattering the Confucian dream of persuading the emperor to enfeoff the country at the beginning of the new dynasty.
It is impossible to say that they have no hatred for Zhao Tuo. People like Chun Yuyue, Qi Kuobi and others were even more angry and their faces were red. They glared at the concubine and clenched their fists tightly in their sleeves.
Zhao Tuo knew all this. But he didn't care. If he was hated by Confucian people in the dynasties after Qin in history, he would have to be careful. If he didn't pay attention, he might be killed.
But in Great Qin, there is really no need to worry too much. At this time, the court meeting ended and the emperor left. Wang Wan glanced at Zhao Tuo with a complicated expression, and wanted to say something, but she still shut up, shook her head and left.
The Confucian doctors standing at the end of the hall stared at Zhao Tuo one by one. They did not dare to step forward to provoke him. They all followed Wang Wan and walked out angrily.
"Grand concubine, your words of criticism against the feudal policies are really sharp and sharp. They hit the core of feudalism. It is much more powerful than the letter I used to admonish the guests." Li Si did not say anything immediately. Instead, he came over and praised Zhao Tuo with a smile.
Zhao Tuo said hurriedly: "It's just a matter of words. An Neng is better than Ting Wei's famous article. Ting Wei praised it." Li Si smiled slightly, cupped his hands, turned around and walked out.
Look at each other's back. Zhao Tuo nodded slightly. Li Si was trying to show his kindness. In this feudal county matter, although he hated the doctors, he and Li Si stood on the same front. In addition, they had a good relationship in the first place, so they could be regarded as barely allies.
However, Zhao Tuo is not completely reassured about this ally.
"This is an old fox, very smart." Thinking of what Li Si had done to express his position to the emperor, Zhao Tuo smiled and shook his head, and followed him out of the palace.
However, before Zhao Tuo had taken two steps, an eunuch hurriedly came over and said with cupped hands: "I am ordering the chief concubine to go to the side hall." Zhao Tuo stopped for a moment and responded hurriedly, letting She Jian wait for him. He returned to the mansion first, and then followed the eunuch to the side hall.
"The emperor finally has time to summon me alone." Zhao Tuo was very happy. Since he came back from leading the army, various major events of proclaiming himself emperor and reforming the system followed. The emperor was so busy that he had no time to see him alone. After the court meeting, it would be a good thing to let him see him alone.
Qin Shihuang was sitting in the side hall. When Zhao Tuo came in, he still lowered his head and looked at the slips and volumes spread out on the bed.
Xingjunxian. Since he wanted to understand the scope of various places in the world, what he was looking at now was the geography of Qi, Yan, Chu and other places.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Tuo, pays homage to your Majesty." Zhao Tuo walked in and bowed. Qin Shihuang then raised his head and carefully looked at the young face in front of him.
Although the two met before, they were too far apart, and there were many other people present, and they were distracted by important matters. Now that they calm down and get along alone, they find many changes in each other.
Zhao Tuo is much darker than before. Is it because the sun on the ground is too strong? A beard has also begun to grow under his chin, and he can no longer be called a boy.
The childish face that once remained in his memory has faded away, replaced by a man who is becoming increasingly mature.
Qin Shihuang sighed slightly in his heart. But the expression on his face did not change, and he said calmly: "Tell me more about what you just said about Chidao." Zhao Tuo was slightly disappointed.
He talks about business as soon as he is called, he is really a workaholic. But looking at the thick slips piled in front of Qin Shihuang, Zhao Tuo still had some understanding.
The emperor regards the country as his home. In Qin Shihuang's heart, only national affairs were the most important, and everything else had to be postponed.
He thought for a while and then said: "I believe that the transportation roads are the blood of the world. In the past, when our Qin State attacked Bashu, we drilled holes and built bridges and pavilions on the cliffs. Therefore, the plank roads were thousands of miles long, leading to the Shu Han Dynasty. Everyone in the world is afraid of Qin. But when the Three Jin Dynasties built the 'Wudao', their horses would gallop and people would follow them without waiting for them to get tired, and it became a strategic route for the countries in Shandong to attack our Qin Dynasty."
"The role of roads is so great that they are the most important part of all operations. Whether it is an army expedition, logistics transportation, or an envoy delivering orders, they all need to pass through roads. If roads are convenient, everything will be convenient. If roads are inconvenient, everything will be convenient. inconvenient."
"Nowadays, transportation is inconvenient in the world. The roads between the four cities are crisscrossed, narrow and muddy, and each is blocked by city walls and embankments. This is one of the reasons why Prime Minister Zuo said that he wants to enfeoff the princes. When I led the army to conquer Guandong, I often When encountering road obstructions, it is necessary to take a new detour or clear the road obstructions, which is very inconvenient. This is what the army does, and it is also the same for the transportation in the world."
"One of the reasons that prevents me, Da Qin, from governing remote areas is that the roads are long and blocked, and transportation is inconvenient. I think that we, Da Qin, should deal with this reason. The distance of the road cannot be changed, but the obstacles on the road can be overcome. Remove. If the roads are muddy and the transportation is inconvenient, then build Chidao roads to facilitate transportation. This, coupled with the postal stations laid in various places, can greatly strengthen our Qin's control over the border areas." Qin Shihuang nodded slightly, thinking of what he had done before I once went to Handan and went south to Jingchu and Chenying. The roads were indeed difficult to navigate.
Seeing Qin Shihuang nodding his head again and again. Zhao Tuo took a deep breath and completely revealed his selfishness in proposing Chidao.
"In addition, the construction of Chidao transportation across the country will not only strengthen His Majesty's control over all parts of Kyushu, but also facilitate travel in Guizhou and win the hearts of the people around the world."
"Go out to Guizhou to win the hearts of the people?" Qin Shihuang frowned when he heard this. Build Chi Road.
He agreed with Zhao Tuo's proposal. But in Qin Shihuang's vision, this road was the road for his emperor to patrol and send orders to the world, and it was also the road that allowed the army to be quickly dispatched to various places. How could the head of Guizhou also walk on it?
Zhao Tuo gritted his teeth and said: "However, I believe that if a Chi Road is built to lead to all parts of Jiuzhou, its length will be thousands or thousands of miles long."
"If only envoys and troops are allowed to pass, and the head of Guizhou is not allowed to travel on this road, and the world remains unchanged for a long time, and the envoys and troops do not leave Xianyang for a long time, it will be difficult to know the situation of Chidao. On the road of thousands of miles, it is very difficult to It is possible that weeds and thorns may grow in many places, and road sections may be damaged by mountain collapse or earthquake torrents without anyone noticing. In this case, if there is an actual emergency, it will interfere with national events.”
"It is better to allow Guizhou heads to pass on the Chi Road. This will not only facilitate the travel of Guizhou heads all over the world, but also make transportation between various places more convenient. It can also make Tingwei legislate to give way to the heads of Guizhou people traveling on the Chi Road. Once it is discovered that there is a section of the Chi Road that is damaged. If any obstacles arise, they must be reported to the local government immediately.”
"This will make it easier for the local governments to understand the situation of Chidao, repair and maintain it, and keep it open at all times. Instead of sending envoys and troops only to encounter the destruction of Chidao when an emergency occurs." Qin Shihuang raised his eyebrows lightly.
What Zhao Tuo said is a reason. Allowing Qianshou to walk on Chidao is equivalent to having more channels to monitor the conditions of the road sections, but this reason can be replaced by other methods.
For example, legislation allowing local governments to regularly send people on horseback to inspect various sections of Chidao would also be able to achieve the effect Zhao Tuo said.
Qin Shihuang shook his head gently. Seeing his appearance, Zhao Tuo knew that he had not convinced the other party, and he immediately gave the second reason.
"I believe that allowing the capital of Guizhou to pass on the Chi Road will not only allow them to inspect the road conditions at all times, but also make them grateful to His Majesty for his road construction, and make them more loyal and surrendered to Your Majesty."
"Thank you for my virtue in building roads?" Qin Shihuang blinked. Zhao Tuo immediately said: "Of course, on the Chi Road, at regular intervals, we can carve stones and make paintings to inscribe your Majesty's contribution to the world's first road in Guizhou. At the same time, let the officials from all over the country and the village officials publicize this to the first of Guizhou." achievement."
"If you do this, every time you walk on the Chidao and feel the convenience of this magnificent road, you will feel grateful to Your Majesty for your kindness in your heart!"
"At the same time, let the officials from all over the country promote the cruelty of the six kings and only care about their own selfish desires. Building palaces wastes money and people. But your Majesty has the people of the world in mind, and the road he built is also to pacify the head of Guizhou. This can form a contrast and let the world The people are disgusted by the violence of the six kings, but grateful for His Majesty's kindness."
"This approach will not only allow the leaders of the world to patrol the roads for our Qin Dynasty, but also take the opportunity to win over the people and help our Qin Dynasty stabilize the world!" At the end, Zhao Tuo came up with a reason that was most attractive to Qin Shihuang. .
"In the ancient times, the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors chopped thorns, built paths, and connected the city walls, and people will remember their achievements."
"Now His Majesty has built a broad road for all people in the world to travel. His contribution is far greater than that of the ancient emperors. Only in this way can he be worthy of the title of emperor! Even more so that all people in the world can praise him. Your Majesty is the emperor of all people in the world. !" After hearing the end, Qin Shihuang's eyes were filled with brilliance.
Zhao Tuo's proposal was not only practical, but also famous. It could also win over the people, help stabilize the world, and make his emperor's name even higher.
Why not do it?
"Okay! Your words are very good. I will build a road to facilitate the travel of all people. Only in this way can I become the emperor of all people in the world!" Qin Shihuang nodded in praise, already approving Zhao Tuo's proposal.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tuo hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is wise." Zhao Tuo was very happy, and his goal was achieved.
This incident of Chidao was not something he came up with in a flash, but was an idea after careful consideration and had his own selfish motives.
Zhao Tuo proposed to build Chidao in advance and proactively, which not only countered Wang Wan's statement that transportation was inconvenient and it was difficult to manage the border areas.
And it also allows him, Zhao Tuo, to have sufficient say in the matter of Chi Dao. From later generations, he had heard that Qin Zhichi Road cost a lot of people's power, but it was only for the emperor's parade and envoys and troops to pass, and the people in the head of Guizhou were not allowed to walk.
In this way, Chidao, which cost a huge amount of people's energy to build, was not beneficial to the people. This is one of the reasons why later generations criticized Qin Shihuang.
Although it is also said that only the middle section of Yanchi Road is the emperor's exclusive road that is closed to traffic, and Guizhou can walk on both sides.
But Zhao Tuo didn't dare to bet on this statement. If this statement is speculated by later generations, when Chidao is proposed by others next year and someone says that the first line of Guizhou is not allowed to pass, then Chidao will completely become a waste of people's energy and no use in history. The process of making things convenient for the people will only lead to complaints and make Qin lose the support of the people.
And even if it is really possible to let Guizhou head go to both sides, it will still be very inconvenient if it cannot pass through the middle road.
Think about it, you can only go on one side of a highway that is hundreds of miles long. If you cross the middle, it is an illegal crime and you will be sentenced.
So what should we do if someone wants to go across the road? In an era without viaducts, how to run to the other side?
Therefore, Zhao Tuo was the first to propose the construction of Chidao, and as the proposer suggested that all people in Guizhou Province be able to walk on Chidao and fully open it, this would really turn this major project into a good thing that benefits all people.
As the saying goes: If you want to be rich, build roads first. It can be seen that a good road has a great impact on economic and social development.
Zhao Tuo's move not only turned a project that had harmed the people in history into a project that benefited the people and won the hearts of the people all over the world. He even relied on public opinion to publicize the selfish cruelty of the monarchs of the Six Kingdoms and combat the influence of the heads of Guizhou in various places on the Six Kingdoms. A heart of support.
And the original purpose of building Chidao was maintained, to strengthen the Qin Central Committee's management of various places and facilitate the mobilization of the army.
It can be said that one kills multiple birds with one stone. Of course, the most important thing is that Zhao Tuo changed another major event in history.
He changed the emperor's mind. Starting from the incident of Chi Dao, the emperor changed little by little. Zhao Tuo raised his head.
Looking at the First Emperor on the imperial couch. He murmured in his heart.
"I want you to become a truly good emperor!"
