Diqin Designer

Chapter 34: Drawing Pieces for the First Emperor

"The later King William III of Prussia said two things: 'It is precisely because of poverty that we need to provide education. I have never heard of a country becoming poor and eventually perishing because of providing education. In my opinion, education will not only not make a country poor, but on the contrary, it is the best way to get rid of poverty.'"

These are two sentences that conflict with the Legalist thought. Ying Zheng chewed on them carefully, thinking that "enlightening the people and promoting education" would strengthen the country and the people, but what about the king? What benefits could the king get from it?
Or is it only good for the people and bad for the king?

After all, Ying Zheng was a feudal autocratic monarch, so he would naturally consider the impact on his royal power. He would not agree to something just because it was beneficial to the country and the people, because what was beneficial to the country and the people might not necessarily be beneficial to the king.

Moreover, he did not think that what Li Nian said was beneficial to Daqin and him would necessarily be beneficial.

During all these years of holding the kingship, many people had said similar things to him, but in the end it turned out that they had other intentions.

However, coming from a king, it can't be bad.

Li Nian didn't know what Ying Zheng was thinking, so he continued, "Education is a national priority. It is an important foundation for a nation and a country to stand tall among the nations of the world, and it should not be underestimated. However, given the current situation of the Qin Dynasty, we cannot provide universal education like in later generations. We can only select and train the best people first, and then use them as a torch to ignite the vast territory of the Qin Dynasty!"

"In the future, from the Tianshan Mountains in the west to the East China Sea in the east, from the Luoye in the north to the Manyue in the south, all the people of our Great Qin will be literate. Our Great Qin will surely stand tall and majestic among the nations of the world."

Li Nian painted a cake for Ying Zheng, but Ying Zheng didn't eat it at all. Instead, he asked: "Are you doing this for me, or for the Qin Dynasty, or for China?"

When asking this question, Ying Zheng's eyes fell on Li Nian with a serious expression. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became heavy and depressing. This was the power of the king.

"Being with the emperor is like being with a tiger. He changes his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book. He just called me sweetheart, but now he asks me such a deadly question."

'I really admire those time travelers who dare to chat and laugh with emperors like the First Emperor and Hongwu. They must be very strong!'

This is a question that could be fatal if answered incorrectly, but Li Nian has thought about it. After all, to work under the nose of a wise and capable monarch like the First Emperor, one has to consider more about the situations he will encounter.

Li Nian said: "I think today's Great Qin is China, and Great Qin is the King. What is the difference between the two?"

Hearing this, Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes, and even heavier pressure fell on Li Nian.

After a few breaths, Ying Zheng smiled and said, "You are quite clever!"

With Ying Zheng's smile, the heavy pressure in the hall disappeared and returned to its previous peace, as if the pressure just now was an illusion.

But soon, Ying Zheng's smile faded, and he said calmly: "You should know that the answer I want is not this, but how can I benefit from enlightening the people? You should understand my intention!"

The pressure was not as heavy this time, but the calm tone made Li Nian feel a terrible chill, as if endless frost would pounce on him in the next moment.

The heart of a king is hard to predict. This is what it means that thunder, rain and dew are all the king’s grace!

Li Nian said sincerely: "I dare not deceive the king. 'Enlightening the people and starting education' may indeed undermine the power of the king, but if it is done well, it will also benefit the king. My words are not to harm the king for the sake of China, but to benefit the king, Daqin, and China!" Ying Zheng just looked at Li Nian calmly without saying a word, allowing Li Nian to continue.

"I once memorized a rhyme about historical dynasties, which includes the main dynasties in China's 2,000-year history. The dynasties after the Qin Dynasty, if we separate the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties, all have one thing in common: their reigns rarely exceed 300 years."

These words made Ying Zheng frown. If Li Nian hadn't said it, he really wouldn't have thought of this. He knew the verse in the song and could figure it out by calculating it according to the time of Chinese history.

The life span of each dynasty does not exceed 300 years. Doesn't this mean that even if he solves the existing problems of the Qin Dynasty and prevents it from perishing in the second generation, the dynasty will still be destroyed every 300 years?

Ying Zheng asked: "Do you have a way to make the dynasty last longer than 300 years?"

Li Nian shook his head and said, "I don't have one, but I think we can try to make the Great Qin a permanent memory for future generations, and the Great Qin a symbol of China in future generations. When people in future generations mention the king and the Great Qin, they will be more proud and honored, just like the future generations where I come from, we are called 'Han people' and 'Tang people' by foreigners."

Han people and Tang people?
Ying Zheng realized that the Han people should be called after the Han Dynasty, and the Tang people should be called after the Tang Dynasty.

How powerful were these two dynasties?
It actually made later generations proud to call them "Han" and "Tang"!
Why aren’t the people of later generations called “Qin people” and aren’t they proud of the Great Qin?

Let’s not talk about the Tang Dynasty, which may be separated by hundreds of years, but the Han Dynasty was right after his Qin Dynasty.

Ying Zheng was in a complicated mood!

At this time, Li Nian threw out another point: "Perhaps we can try to let the Great Qin royal family exist longer, or even die with China. The dynasty may eventually fall, but China will surely exist forever."

This aroused Ying Zheng's great interest. Come to think of it, it was true. The dynasties after the Qin Dynasty collapsed every three hundred years, but the ethnic groups living in this land have not changed. If the Qin Dynasty and China can really be integrated and become another name for China, doesn't it mean that the alternative Qin Dynasty will be immortal?
He did not think about the fact that the Qin royal family would perish together with China. After learning from Li Nian that Hu Hai caused the Qin Dynasty to perish in the second generation, he realized that no matter how well he did now, his descendants would be unfilial and would eventually perish.

Ying Zheng asked: "Just relying on what you said?"

Li Nian said: "I can only offer suggestions and advice, but I still have to rely on the king. I come from the future, and my understanding of the Qin Dynasty is far less than that of the king. The strategies I offer may not be beneficial to the king and the Qin Dynasty. The king still has to correct them and make them suitable for the Qin Dynasty."

"What I said about 'enlightening the people and promoting education' is also true. If this is done well, the people will be enlightened and the country will be strong. The power of our Great Qin will be even greater. We will be able to conquer the Xiongnu in the north and the Dayuezhi in the west, and bring more vast lands under your rule. You will spread your prestige even further, and make sure that wherever the sun and the moon shine, it will be Qin's land!"

"In later generations, there is a saying that the sun never sets on the empire, which means that no matter day or night, there is always a territory of the empire bathed in the sun. I believe that the Great Qin may become the empire on which the sun never sets!"

It might not be possible for the Qin Dynasty to completely conquer and control all the land in the world, but it is still possible to become the empire on which the sun never sets. Spain and Britain have done it, so why can't the Qin Dynasty do it?
Li Nian felt that with his help, it might be difficult to catch up with England, but reaching the level of Spain when it became the British Empire would not be a problem and there was a chance.

Spain became the empire on which the sun never sets in the 16th century. The gap in technology at that time and that of the Qin Dynasty today was not as great as it is from modern times to the present.

(End of this chapter)