Fusu looked at Ji Heng solemnly and said doubtfully: "It is true that the imperial court neglected the lower class, but it is not as serious as you said, and there are hundreds of officials in the imperial court. It is impossible for them to just sit idly by and ignore them. It can only be that the imperial court has not ignored them." Notice it, or ignore it.”
"I think you're biased."
Ji Heng took a sip of wine and looked at Bo Qin calmly. He did not answer directly, but changed the subject and asked, "What do you think of Confucianism?"
Fusu frowned.
He couldn't guess what Ji Heng was thinking.
But he still said honestly: "Confucianism is a group of schools that refuse to adapt to the past and talk about restoration, restoration of etiquette, and benevolent government."
Ji Heng raised his forehead slightly and said with a smile: "What about the Legalists?"
Fusu was stunned.
He looked at Ji Heng suspiciously and said seriously: "Legalism is a fair and just existence that maintains order in the world."
Ji Heng chuckled, not knowing what he was laughing at.
He shook his head, looked away, and said calmly: "You are wrong."
"Legalism is not that fair."
"The so-called rule of law is actually the rule of men."
"There may be honest and fair officials, but not everyone can satisfy others' desires."
"You think Confucianism is a conservative school that restores ancient times and etiquette, but what about Confucianism and Legalism headed by Li Si?"
Hear the words.
Fusu was stunned for a moment.
Ji Heng continued: "There is a saying in the Analects of Confucius: 'A gentleman is likened to righteousness, and a villain is likened to benefit'."
"Confucian disciples are human beings."
"Li Si and other legal officials are also human beings."
"It doesn't make any difference."
"From the perspective of justice and benefit, Da Qin has been under this legal and dogmatic framework for a long time. In fact, it has already had a contempt for anything beyond this scope. Therefore, regardless of social changes, these beneficiaries will cling to the so-called so-called 'Orthodoxy'."
"That's how Confucianism is."
"The same is true for current Legalists."
"Even when there are threats to their power around them, they will invariably defend their power."
"Even if this move is extremely harmful to the country."
"Just like when the world was discussing the enfeoffment of counties and counties, almost all ministers in the dynasty believed that it should be 'enfeoffed'."
"Indeed."
"Not to install a king, not to fill it, is a common view based on the current situation."
"But the minister who proposed the 'enfeoffment' proposal at that time didn't want to restore the Shiqing Shilu of the Zhou Dynasty?"
"It's just a matter of settling for the next best thing."
"Li Si has indeed made great achievements for Qin."
"But as I said before, all the hustle and bustle in the world is for the benefit of people coming and going."
"When it comes to their own interests, few people can truly serve the public good."
"Same goes for Li Si."
"Maybe you can't believe it. After all, Li Si and the First Emperor are so harmonious, how could Li Si have any dissent? But this is obviously not the case. Li Si is the current leader of legal officials, and he wants to protect the Legalist position in the court. "
"That's why they actively advocated burning books and harassing Confucians."
"It is also recommended to use officials as teachers and the law as teachings, but these alone are not enough."
"In his position, many things are beyond his control."
"The Great Qin court today is completely different from the court when it conquered the Six Kingdoms."
"You need to understand this."
"It is true that the courtiers have not changed, but people's hearts have changed."
"If Li Si was truly dedicated to serving the public good, the imperial court would never replicate Shang Yang's decree when implementing this system."
"Shang Yang once said, 'If there is no way to govern the world, the country will not follow the ancient laws.'"
“If you don’t follow the past, you don’t follow the present!”
"Han Feizi also mentioned it more than once: 'When time changes, it will be difficult to manage and it will lead to chaos'."
"Both Shang Yang and Han Feizi advocated that laws should change with the times. Li Si, as the legal official in power, completely ignored this view and blindly copied Shang Yang's wartime laws. How is this approach different from the Confucian tradition?"
"So Li Si is not a real Legalist."
"People like Shang Yang and Han Feizi had extremely clear views on history."
"They oppose conservative ideas of retrogression and advocate reform. They believe that history is moving forward, and all laws and systems must develop with the development of history. They cannot retrogress or follow the old ways."
"Li Si obviously didn't do it."
"In some ways he is no different from Confucianism."
"It's just that Li Si has made so many achievements in the past that you don't dare to speculate."
"But if we ignore Li Si's achievements in the first few years of the founding of the country, what Li Si did in the following years actually fits the two words completely."
"bureaucracy!"
"As for the meaning of bureaucracy, you can decide for yourself."
"A large part of the reason why the Qin Dynasty fell into such a dangerous situation is that the imperial court ignored the foundation at the bottom, and with the collapse of the military merit system, the only upward channels for the bottom in the past were completely closed."
"After Shang Yang's reform, the great Qin Dynasty relied on farming and warfare."
“The two complement each other.”
"Now the Qin Dynasty has overexploited the people, leaving the head of Guizhou unable to farm, and the collapse of the military meritocracy has completely given up hope for the bottom class."
"Coupled with the high pressure from the court, it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong."
"Now back to the point."
Ji Heng took a few sips, moistened his throat, and continued: "The reason why Chu Di was the first to rebel is actually very simple."
"Because the Chu region was the most relaxed in the past, and the rule was divided, it was rich in resources, so it was not difficult for the people to make a living. However, after the unification of the Qin Dynasty, all the mountains, rivers and lakes in the world belonged to the Shaofu, and the oral taxes increased year by year, and the corvee continued, so Chu The land has the deepest resentment towards Da Qin.”
"Maybe you are confused."
"This is different from the facts heard in court."
"The Chu region has always been very slow to implement Da Qin's decrees and so on."
"But you overlooked one thing."
"Officials are officials, and people are people. The two cannot be confused."
"Local officials are indeed careless in implementing Qin's government, but they still have the courage to make money for themselves under the banner of Qin."
"And it's huge."
Hear the words.
Fusu's face darkened.
He understood the meaning of Ji Heng's words.
Ji Heng ignored Fusu's ugly expression and continued: "Let me tell you one more thing. The nobles of Chu have a strong control over Chu. Therefore, in addition to paying the rent and taxes stipulated by the court, the head of Guizhou in Chu will also pay additional taxes. Some of the gains from diplomacy were given to the nobles, which made the already difficult family situation even worse."
"Such a situation is very common in Kanto."
"Chu Di is particularly serious."
"Because the Chu region is vast and rich in resources, it is the most exploited."
“In the past, they were able to increase their livelihoods by relying on mountains, rivers and lakes, but if they try these ideas now, they will only be targeted by officials who are waiting for help.”
"So in recent years, more and more people in the Chu region have become bandits and escaped into the marsh to become thieves."
"The people of Chu should have the easiest life, but in fact they have the most difficult life. The number of people supported by the mountains, rivers and lakes is limited, and the anger and resentment accumulated by the people is also limited. If Da Qin does not resolve it in time, it will one day be destroyed. Backlash.”
"Then the world will be in trouble."
"After all, the world has been grudged for a long time, all it takes is a spark."
