Diqin Designer

Chapter 305: The End of the Eastern Han Dynasty

The game started soon, but the presence of the First Emperor inevitably affected the people present. The audience was unable to relax and did not dare to cheer loudly. The players of the International Academy were timid and did not dare to confront the players of the Liuying Academy, and they could not display their usual strength.

The emperor of the Qin Dynasty was watching them. If they beat the Qin people or injured them, it might anger the emperor of the Qin Dynasty...

The players of Liuying Academy are playing with all their might. Your Majesty is here to watch them play, so they must play well and win a beautiful victory in front of Your Majesty.

Therefore, the game was played in a rather strange atmosphere. It was not as exciting and fierce as one had imagined when they came. The players from Liuying Academy attacked fiercely while the players from International College defended passively. However, it was worth the ticket to be able to see His Majesty the Emperor here today.

The result of the game was naturally no surprise, and it ended with a score of seven to three.

After the game, the First Emperor met with the players from both sides and said, "You all performed well, but I hope you can perform better next time and not be affected by my presence. We can hold more games like this in the future."

When the First Emperor said this, he looked at the envoys from the Xiongnu and Baiyue tribes who had gathered here and said, "I have an idea. We can also hold a grand competition among the countries. Every year, we can agree on a certain time and set the competition items. All countries can come to participate. What do you think?"

He came here to watch the game today, not really for the purpose of watching the game, but to come up with this idea, hoping to use it to get other countries to participate in the competition, so as to consume the manpower and resources of other countries.

For small tribes like the Baiyue tribe, participating in such competitions means almost no gain. Even if they invest a lot of resources in the competition to win, it cannot change the situation where they are weak and Qin is strong. On the contrary, their national strength will be weakened because of investing resources in the competition.

This is because the country is small and has few people, so the available resources are already few, and they have to be consumed in such places. The situation in Daqin is different. Even without the court's deliberate training, suitable candidates can be selected by calling on the resources of the people. The resources available to both sides are not at the same level.

For example, some tribes have only tens of thousands of people, but the Qin Dynasty has more than 20 million people, which is a hundred or even a thousand times more than theirs. Therefore, some things that the Qin Dynasty can do easily can only be done at a heavy cost by small tribes, or even cannot be done at all.

Furthermore, Daqin can also earn revenue through certain means, such as selling tickets for events, instead of just paying without gaining anything. This is also something that small countries and tribes find difficult to do.

If these countries and tribes agreed to the idea proposed by the First Emperor, they might fall into this trap and waste their national strength following the Qin Dynasty in vain. Then the Qin Dynasty would be in trouble and might even take the opportunity to become stronger, but their bodies, which were not strong to begin with, would be consumed even more.

This idea was not taught to the First Emperor by Li Nian, but was figured out by the First Emperor himself after he saw that watching football games became popular in Xianyang and that people could make money from it.

Of course, he asked Li Nian for his opinion. Li Nian was stunned when he heard it. Qin Shi Huang actually wanted to hold a Qin version of the Olympic Games?

But after thinking about it carefully, Li Nian found that this might not be impossible. As long as the event was held in Daqin and the management and interpretation rights of the event were controlled, it could become a good thing for Daqin. And Daqin could indeed do all these because it had enough strength and prestige.

Other countries may suffer losses if they host such international events, but Daqin can make a lot of money as long as it operates well.

After the Hun envoys and the Baiyue tribes heard what the First Emperor said, some of them instinctively felt that there must be a hidden meaning behind the idea proposed by the Qin Emperor, and it was definitely not for their own good.

But since the Emperor Qin said this in front of them, how could they dare not agree?
If they don't agree, it would mean not giving face to the Emperor of Qin, and they cannot afford the consequences of not giving face to the Emperor of Qin.

The Xiongnu ambassador to Xianyang was the first to speak out: "Your Majesty, this is a great idea. If the Chanyu knew about it, he would certainly agree to it. Gathering all the countries for competition every year would allow them to show their strengths and weaknesses to each other without hurting the relationship."

"Your Majesty, I dare not hide it from you. In the early years, I once thought of gathering all the talented people in the world together and letting them compete. It would be like all the archers in the world gathered together to decide who is the best archer in the world, or all the strongmen decided who is the best strongman in the world!"

"Your Majesty's words today have made my earlier wishes come true. Thank you, Your Majesty, for fulfilling my earlier wishes!"

As he said this, the Xiongnu ambassador to Xianyang knelt down with tears of gratitude, leaving the envoys from the Baiyue tribes stunned. It seemed that this Xiongnu ambassador had no moral integrity. In order to please the Emperor of Qin, he even talked about a wish he had in his early years. Who knows if you had had such an idea in your early years?

But even though they were thinking this in their hearts, the envoys from the Baiyue tribes were equally honest in their bodies. They quickly expressed their opinions to the First Emperor, saying that they must not let the Huns monopolize the limelight. They all had the same idea: Your Majesty the Emperor's idea is wonderful, and we all happily agree!

Seeing that all the envoys agreed, the First Emperor smiled and said, "Since that is the case, I would like to trouble you to spread this matter to all the countries and departments and have them discuss it. This competition should be held every three years, and the first one will be held in Xianyang in three years. What do you think?"

In that era, it was inconvenient to travel, and it was impossible to hold a session once a year. Holding a session every two years was also a bit hasty, so the First Emperor set it at three years.

The envoys had no "ideas" at all, and immediately stated that what His Majesty the Emperor of Qin proposed was the best and most suitable, and they would send someone to pass the news back to the country and the tribe as soon as possible.

Seeing that the purpose of coming here today had been achieved, the First Emperor said to the audience who were still present: "Because of me, you didn't get to see a good game today. If I have the opportunity to watch a game with you again next time, I hope it will be an exciting game that satisfies everyone."

"I wish that all the people of the Great Qin will be healthy and free from the worries of disease, natural disasters, and man-made disasters!"

After hearing these words, all the audience present knelt down in front of the First Emperor and shouted, "Long live your majesty, long live the Qin Dynasty!"

The First Emperor raised his arms and shouted to them, "Long live the Great Qin!", which caused even more intense cheers. Then the First Emperor got on the carriage and returned to the palace.

On the way back, more people came to both sides of the street. They all knew that the great emperor had left the palace today to watch the game at the International Academy, so they came here specially. Since they didn't catch up with the emperor when he arrived, they had to wait until the emperor returned to the palace.

Therefore, when the carriage passed by, the shouts of "Long live Your Majesty, long live the Great Qin!" were more numerous and louder than when they came. The First Emperor sat in the carriage and responded to the people's shouts.

Even before entering the palace, the voices of "Long live His Majesty, long live the Great Qin!" in Xianyang City could still be heard for a long time.

The carriage drove to Zhangtai Palace, Ying Shunying and little Han Xin got off and left. Li Nian followed the First Emperor into the palace, and not long after, Meng Tian also walked in.

Today is a day off, so the First Emperor has time to watch the game and invite all officials and envoys from the Xiongnu and Baiyue tribes. Originally, the Qin Dynasty did not specifically set up a day off. People were only allowed to take personal leave, but there was no specific time limit for the day off. It was only at Li Nian's suggestion that the day off was established.

Seeing that the three emperors were all present, Li Nian knew that they would probably ask him to talk about later history. It had been several months since the last time he talked about the history of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and even the potatoes he planted had been harvested.

Due to the lack of virus removal and the lack of chemical fertilizers, the output of potatoes was lower than that of modern times, but this still surprised the First Emperor, as the output of this crop was higher than any other crop currently available in the Qin Dynasty.

If it can be popularized throughout Daqin, it will greatly alleviate Daqin's food situation and Daqin will be able to feed more people.

Only with an increase in population can the strength of the Qin Dynasty be enhanced in all aspects, and only with enhanced strength can the plans he envisioned be realized.

The First Emperor was in high spirits today. As soon as he sat down on the dragon chair, he said to Li Nian, "Last time you talked about the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, saying that the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was often linked to the era after it. That era was known to almost all Chinese people in later generations. There was even a person who could be called the embodiment of wisdom. With his own achievements, people felt that a surname was wise, and there were also novels that spread his deeds to foreign countries."

"What era was that, what was so outstanding about it, and how was the novel passed down and recorded?"

Li Nian said: "Your Majesty, that era is called the 'Three Kingdoms' because almost all the heroes of that era were born in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and they also took advantage of the situation in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, so they are often linked together. In fact, the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms are two historical periods, but people usually subconsciously think of them as one era."

"As for what was outstanding, that era had treacherous heroes, fierce generals, counselors, beauties, and a large number of heroes appeared on the scene, competing for supremacy in the world."

In fact, the Three Kingdoms era was full of changes and was very exciting, but it was not as difficult as the end of the Qin Dynasty, the end of the Sui Dynasty, and the end of the Yuan Dynasty. This also shows how powerful Emperor Gaozu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Ming were.

"Of course, the reason why this era was widely circulated in later generations, and even spread to foreign countries, is mainly due to that novel. It is a historical romance novel, which is based on history and has been fictionalized to make it more story-like and more attractive. The novel is called "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"Novels are not equal to history. Some of the events in them did not even take place during the Three Kingdoms period. For example, the Battle of Red Cliffs was inspired by the events of Emperor Hongwu. However, they are more widely spread, known to more people, and have a greater impact."

The First Emperor said, "That is, the official history was overshadowed by a fictionalized novel, making it more known to later generations?"

Li Nian nodded and said, "That's right. I will talk about both the official history and the novel later. The novel is indeed very interesting and contains many classic stories."

"The reason why the Eastern Han Dynasty came to an end was due to natural disasters, frequent changes of emperors, the emperor's lack of offspring, the interference of eunuchs in the harem and the rise of powerful families. It was almost doomed to perish and it was difficult to reverse it. However, during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, this process was accelerated."

"This emperor can be regarded as a key figure in the beginning of the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Without him, the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty would not have turned out like that."

Liu Hong is definitely a person who cannot be ignored in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period. Although the Eastern Han Dynasty was already a mess when he took over, the bomb ultimately exploded in his hands.

Moreover, it was precisely because of some of his actions, such as deposing Shi and establishing Mu, that the princes in various places grew stronger and stronger, and the impact was profound.

"Liu Hong, Emperor Ling of Han, great-great-grandson of Liu Xun, Emperor Zhang of Han, and the twelfth emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty."

"Like some emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he did not succeed to the throne as a crown prince. Instead, he was chosen to succeed the throne because his predecessor, Emperor Hanheng, Liu Zhi, had no offspring."

"When Liu Hong was welcomed into the palace to succeed the throne, he was eleven years old. He also went through a period of time as the regent. But not long after, Empress Huan Sidou, who was the regent, lost power, allowing Liu Hong, who was only eleven years old, to rule the country. Empress Huan Sidou was the fifth of the six empresses to rule the country!"

"At the beginning of his reign, Liu Hong was not incompetent and did some things. He killed powerful eunuchs and established the 'Shizhong Temple' to consolidate power. Although he did not achieve significant results in dealing with the Xianbei and Qiang rebellions and the Western Regions, he defeated Goguryeo and incorporated its land into the Eastern Han Dynasty. He also quelled the rebellion of the Southwestern Yi, so he made some military achievements."

"In addition, Chinese historical records believe that the 'Hu bed', or stool, was introduced during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. The Book of the Later Han records: 'Emperor Ling liked Hu clothing, Hu tents, Hu beds, Hu chairs, Hu meals, Hu Kong Hou, Hu flutes, and Hu dances, and all the nobles in the capital competed to do so.'"

"Although he had achievements, Liu Hong was ultimately a somewhat absurd king. For example, he often wore foreign clothing in the palace, dressed as a foreigner, and even had palace maids act out the roles with him."

The First Emperor said: "Although this is unbecoming of a Chinese monarch, it is a minor matter. If it does not harm the country, it is not a bad thing!"

Li Nian smiled and nodded: "It is just as your majesty said. If this person can rule the world, his liking for the things of the Hu people and dressing up as a Hu person is just a small problem, but his absurd deeds are not limited to this. He built a nude swimming hall!"

The three of them were stunned for a moment, as if they didn't understand what was said. When they realized what it was, a nude swimming hall? "Nude" means being naked, so a nude swimming hall is just as the name suggests.

Li Nian continued, "Some people recorded that Liu Hong built a nude swimming hall in the West Garden and selected palace maids aged between 27 and 36 to enter. He asked them to put on beautiful makeup, take off their tops, wear only underwear, and swim naked with Liu Hong."

"Liu Hong also ordered the palace maids to wear only open-crotch pants so that he could have fun."

Meng Tian said: "I heard that during the time of King Zhou of Shang, wine was used as a pool and meat was used as a forest. Compared with King Zhou of Shang, Emperor Ling of Han is not much inferior."

Li Nian said: "Although these absurd things can have a certain impact on the Eastern Han Dynasty, they are minor compared to Liu Hong's other actions. Liu Hong's first fault was selling official positions and titles. He publicly marked the price and sold official positions to the outside world. If you want to be an official, you can't just have talent and merit. You also need someone in the court who can afford to pay you. Otherwise, even if you have made great contributions, you will not be reused."

Meng Tian shook his head and said, "If we sell official positions like this, officials and generals will only be those with money, not those with ability. If this continues, those who only care about food and drink will be in high positions in the government, while talented people will hide in the mountains and fields. How can such a country not perish?"

The First Emperor also said: "These officials who bought the positions spent a lot of money on Liu Hong, and they will definitely earn it back from the people. In the end, the money they used to buy the positions came from the people. If they impose heavier taxes on the people, they will definitely resent them in the long run!"

(End of this chapter)