Great Qin Emperor

Chapter 166

Chapter 14 The Royal Conquest

To put it a bit biasedly, the reason why Qin State won among the seven heroes and became stronger as it fought more and more is due to the law of Shang Yang; although the mighty Qin Dynasty is fascinating, it existed for a very short time and soon disappeared, the crime is due to the law of Shang Yang.Why did a set of laws that were implemented well during the war years benefit Qin State and change the course of Chinese history become the chief culprit for the collapse of the Qin Dynasty after the unification of the world?

The bottom line is that times have changed and the law should be adjusted accordingly.Zhou Chong was well aware of the merits and harms of this set of laws, so he suggested to King Qin to amend Qin laws.Of course, Zhou Chong also knew that it was not the best time to amend the law. He just wanted to seize the rare opportunity of Han Fei to amend the Qin Law and persuade the King of Qin to revise it better.As for when the new law will be implemented, it depends on the specific situation, that is, according to the rebellion of the six countries and the degree to which the local tyrants have been hit.

Han Fei's revision of the Qin Law is a rare opportunity to change the Qin Law, and this opportunity must be seized.It can be said that the Qin Dynasty, which unified the world, followed the old path of history and soon perished, or went in a new direction, becoming a dynasty that made future generations admire the prosperity of Wenzhiwugong. The key is whether Zhou Chong can persuade King Qin.

Knowing the heavy responsibility, Zhou Chong was determined to do his best to persuade the King of Qin, saying: "Zhou Chong is a merchant, so let me use the example of merchants as an example, and ask the king to be judged."

"Okay, tell me." Although King Qin was shocked, he was still polite.

Zhou Chong responded and said: "Zhou Chong heard a strange thing when he was among the merchants. A farmer raised two sheep. When driving the sheep out of the pen every day, the farmer always saw the same sheep first, and then saw the same sheep last. Another sheep, may I ask the king why this is?"

There are many possibilities for this matter, and it is difficult for King Qin to explain the reason, even though he is shrewd. After thinking about it, he asked, "Could it be that the farmer has a problem with his eyes and cannot see far?"

Zhou Chong shook his head and said, "Return to your majesty, the farmer's eyes are very good."

"Then this is strange." Qin Wang was a little confused and asked, "Mr. Liaozi, what do you think is the reason?"

Wei Liao thought for a while but couldn't figure it out, and said, "Your Majesty, Liao Zi is ashamed."

"Han Fei, what do you think?" King Qin asked Han Fei.

Han Fei stammered, "Your Majesty, Han Fei doesn't understand what he meant."

The King of Qin was still waiting to ask others, Gan Luo smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't ask, I understand."

Gan Luo's talent was admirable, and King Qin was no exception. He said anxiously, "Quickly tell me, what's the reason?"

"There are two sheep, one big and one small, and the small one hides behind the big one. Of course, the farmer sees the same sheep first, the big one every day." Gan Luo blinked his bright eyes and said, "Mr. Zhou , am I right?"

Zhou Chong admired Gan Luo's talent from the bottom of his heart, and said, "That's right, that's right."

If the king of Qin realized something, he said, "What does Mr. Zhou want to explain?"

Gan Luo replied on behalf of Zhou Chong: "Your Majesty, what Mr. Zhou means is that Zheng Zhan and Da Qin Law are two sheep, Zheng Zhan is the bigger one, and Qin Fa is the younger one. I can't see it because there are battles that block the sight of the common people. Once the king unifies the world and the hundreds of years of wars are eliminated, then the common people will truly understand the inconvenience caused by the Qin law. Therefore, Mr. Zhou suggested that the king seize Taking advantage of Han Fei's opportunity to revise the Qin law, the Qin law can be revised better, so that the common people can easily abide by it."

What he said was exactly what Zhou Chong thought, and he said: "Your Majesty, that is exactly what Zhou Chong meant, and I would like to invite the King to judge you."

The King of Qin remained calm and said: "In the eyes of Mr. Zhou, is the king of Shang Jun so unbearable? Mr. Zhou must know that it was Da Qin who implemented the laws of Shang Jun, which made the country rich and powerful, expanded its territory in the east, and dominated the west. Rong Di, to achieve our great cause of unifying the world, if such a good law is unbearable, I would like to ask Mr. Zhou, what kind of law is a good law?"

Zhou Chong replied: "Your Majesty, Shang Jun's law is detailed, complete and practical, but its shortcomings are also obvious. The biggest shortcoming of Shang Jun's law is heavy rewards and heavy punishments, and heavy punishments for misdemeanors. Heavy rewards and heavy punishments are inherent in the war years There is nothing wrong with it. When the world is unified, it is worth discussing. Misdemeanors are punished heavily. If the punishment is not appropriate for the crime, it will cause inconvenience and make the people feel miserable. Zhou Chong means to ask the king to issue an order, and the punishment will be improper. The law of punishment should be amended to make it a crime, and this will benefit the people."

The Qin law is the first complete and detailed law in Chinese history, which must be admitted.At the same time, it is also the only law in the history of China that misdemeanors sentencing, and the penalties for misdemeanors and heavy penalties are shocking.If, as Zhou Chong said, the law should be regarded as the crime, the Qin Dynasty might not perish so soon.

King Qin said domineeringly: "The convenience of the Qin law, Lord Shang made it very clear, you can either abide by it or not. Those who obey are obedient to the people, and those who do not obey are rebellious. Those who obey the people live, and those who disobey the people kill. There is nothing to say .”

Gan Luo looked at King Qin with his neck tilted, and said, "Your Majesty, you are wrong, you are wrong."

Gan Luo was the only one who dared to accuse King Qin of his mistakes in front of so many people.Not only was King Qin not angry, but he patted Gan Luo's small face lightly, saying: "What did you say? It's not big or small, it's rude and rude, I will give you a slap. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"Your Majesty, you treat him like a child again." Gan Luo scolded, and said, "My Majesty, Gan Luo thinks what Mr. Zhou said is reasonable, but what the Majesty said is more than domineering, which is not reasonable enough. Shang Jun's method is also It is the art of overlord. In Shang Jun’s words, it is to act against the people’s sentiments, not to worry about the beginning with the people, but to succeed with the people. This is of course useful when the world is in conflict, but once the world is unified, the king has already achieved great things Now, you should share peace with the people of the world, which is what Shang Jun said, "success with the people". If the king does not change the laws of Qin, how can the people enjoy the peace in the world? Isn't the king's sweep of the six kingdoms just to give the people An Ning, if the king insists, how can the people find peace?"

When Shang Yang persuaded Qin Xiaogong to change the law, he thought it was difficult to start with the people, but he could succeed with the people, so he decided to use hegemony, go against the people's sentiments, and impose heavy rewards and punishments. Qin became stronger because of this.Of course, the price was not small. Shang Yang killed more than 700 people in Weishui in one day.Misdemeanors are punished heavily, even a trivial matter may result in beheading, even if the price is not too high.

The King of Qin was unmoved, and said: "Qin Law can drive millions of people and wipe out the six kingdoms. Such a law is bad. What kind of law can be called good law? Gan Luo, tell me, what's wrong with Qin Law? "

"There are not only problems, but many more." Gan Luo did not show weakness, and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to know the inconvenience of Qin Fa, you can just ask Mr. Li. Mr. Li is the Great Qin Tingwei, who is in charge of the execution of the prison. There are many things that he can't bear."

The King of Qin looked at Li Si and said, "Li Si, tell me."
(End of this chapter)