Ying Fusu

After Meng Tian finished speaking, the inner hall fell into complete silence.

Even the Second Emperor Fusu, who was mentally prepared, had a gloomy expression and his eyes were full of solemnity.

—It takes more than one cold day for ice to freeze three feet deep.

A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole, but an ant hole can never be formed overnight.

The same principle applies to the Qin Dynasty today.

Liu Ji, the head of the Sishui Pavilion, was forced to become an outlaw and gather a group of people in the mountains due to a mistake he made while escorting convicts and laborers. This could perhaps be understood as a coincidence.

The fact that Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Ji escaped punishment in Liyang, Qin—right under the noses of the First Emperor and the Xianyang court—to develop their power in the southeastern coastal areas could perhaps be disguised as an isolated case.

However, local customs are the most reliable indicator of the central government's control over local areas in this era.

If someone says something bad about the Qin Dynasty, it might just be because they're unlucky and blaming others.

If a village says it's having a hard time, then there must be a problem in the county where that village is located.

However, if the people of a prefecture, or even several prefectures, generally harbor hostility towards the Qin court, then this is no longer an "isolated case".

"After sweeping across the six kingdoms and unifying the world, the First Emperor led his army to destroy the ancestral temples of the six kingdoms."

"Therefore, among the people of the six states, some sons and young men died in battle at the hands of Qin soldiers, while others, the old and weak, perished in the flames of war."

"The people of the six states have long harbored resentment towards my Great Qin."

In the silence, Fusu's deep voice rang out, slightly drawing everyone's attention back to the present moment.

Then Fusu exhaled a long breath and said with a touch of emotion, "With this personal grudge in the past, after the unification, we should have treated the people of the six kingdoms with kindness and consideration."

"After another generation, the people of the six states who have been able to live in peace and prosperity will all become subjects of my Great Qin."

"However, the First Emperor was far too ambitious."

"The people of the six states were suppressed only with cruel laws and heavy corvée labor, rather than with light taxes and corvée labor, or with a change of heart and compassion."

...

"In the blink of an eye, eleven years have passed since my Great Qin unified the land."

"Whether it was the 'national enmity' of Qin's conquest of the six states or the personal grudges formed during that time, the people of the six states should have forgotten about it."

"Especially the people of Chu—who were once members of the Chu royal family, and were oppressed in every way by the three surnames of Qu, Jing, and Zhao;"

"The State of Chu, with its vast territory spanning thousands of miles and a population of millions, actually had only three 'families'—only the surnames Qu, Jing, and Zhao could be considered 'people'."

"The people of Chu should have welcomed our great Qin army with food and drink."

"Instead of what it is now—even the poorest farmers and children recite Xiang Yan's words: 'Though Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin.'"

...

……

After the words were spoken, everyone in the hall remained silent, but each of them lowered their heads with different expressions.

The reactions to Fusu's words varied from person to person.

—The two who disagreed were Meng Tian and Li Si.

Meng Tian was a military man.

Especially those from military families.

As a child, he received military-level management and training at home;

After he grew up, he didn't take any detours—he was directly thrown into the army and honed his skills in the ranks.

For Meng Tian, ​​words like "pacify and soothe the people" or "start anew with the people" were naturally less appealing than words like "suppress and drive" or Shang Yang's "Five Arts of Governing the People".

This is why Meng Tian was so tolerant of the First Emperor's temperament, and why the emperor and his minister respected each other.

But precisely because of this—because Meng Tian was a military man from a military family who rose through the ranks—he was able to discern a different meaning in Fusu's words.

If the common people are not doing well, they have to curse the government?

Meng Tian felt this was wrong;

How could the common people do this?

But then I thought: In the army, if the soldiers don't eat well, they'll curse their officers' mothers too.

All talk of military orders being absolute and obedience being paramount—when it came to mixing sand into military rations, even the First Emperor was no match for him!

Does this make sense of Fusu's reasoning?

Soldiers are human beings, and so are ordinary people!

The soldiers were also conscripted from the common people.

Unable to come up with a solution for the moment, and considering that Fusu was his student, Meng Tian didn't rush to speak up and express his somewhat hesitant objections.

As for Li Si, he's quite easy to understand.

—Their governing philosophy is almost entirely based on Legalism, and their obsession with centralized power is beyond doubt.

In this day and age, the core of Legalist thought, which is still incomplete, is largely derived from Shang Yang's understanding of "centralized power."

These are the five infamous techniques for controlling the people that would later become notorious.

In the view of Legalists of this era, centralized power meant that the monarch had absolute authority and held all power over the world.

And below the king, whether they are officials, scholars, farmers, artisans, or merchants, everyone should unconditionally obey all the king's orders.

Naturally, they would be unable to comprehend, let alone accept, the philosophy that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

However, Li Si is now in an awkward situation, and he is also clearly aware of his predicament.

Although some objections arose, they refrained from speaking them aloud.

...

Meng Tian and Li Si tended to oppose the idea, while Meng Yi and Feng Jie had not yet been able to grasp the underlying concept.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

This governing philosophy, which comes from Xunzi's "On Royal System," was not explicitly stated by Fusu, but everyone could understand that this was the meaning Fusu wanted to express.

Over the years, the Qin Dynasty has been a terrible ship for the people of the world, who are like water.

If we don't turn back from our misguided ways, not only will the people of the world stop supporting this ship, but they are also very likely to capsize it.

Everyone understands the principle.

but……

is it possible?

Do these lowly commoners really have such outrageous audacity?

People were willing to believe the rumors that the remnants of the six former states would cause trouble.

But the common people, the peasants, are the lowest of the low, unable to even control their own basic needs for food and clothing...

Could someone really possess such incredible skill?

Meng Yi did not believe it.

Feng Jie didn't believe it either.

The only thing that could prevent the two from hastily rejecting Fusu's conclusion was a subtle possibility.

—The remnants of the six former states stirred up trouble and brought chaos to the world;

The common people, misled by these former princes and nobles, unknowingly joined the bandits.

The former has both the heart and the courage to commit thievery, while the latter may possess the ability to wreak havoc on the world—or at least the ability to corrupt a region.

Combining the two might actually cause some trouble.

...

Among everyone present, the one who saw things most clearly and understood them best was undoubtedly the only true veteran minister: Right Chancellor Feng Quji.

Unlike Meng Tian, ​​who came from a military background, and Meng Yi, who came from a military family and had not yet experienced the dangers of the world;

Unlike Li Si, who was well-read and full of knowledge, and Feng Jie, who had struggled in the officialdom and exuded an air of "officialdom";

As the head of all officials, Feng Quji had an extremely rich life experience and a very wide range of interests.

Fifty years ago, during the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao, Feng Quji, who was only ten years old at the time, transported grain and fodder to the front lines.

Twenty-nine years ago, Prince Chengjiao defected on the battlefield. Feng Quji, who was then serving as a military officer, personally drafted the imperial edict to suppress the rebel army.

Twenty-seven years ago, during the Lao Ai Rebellion, Feng Quji also stood tall with his sword, sweeping away the rebels on the streets of Xianyang.

Later, after Qin conquered the six states, the First Emperor standardized writing, cart axles, and weights and measures...

It is no exaggeration to say that Feng Quji has witnessed, or even personally experienced, everything that has happened since the First Emperor ascended the throne of Qin at the age of twelve.

Everything he had witnessed and experienced over the past few decades told Feng Quji at this moment that Fusu's worries were not unfounded.

—At the beginning of Qin's conquest of the six states, and even during that period, how many of those who attempted to assassinate the First Emperor because of "Qin's destruction of our country" were princes or nobles?

At that time, would the common people who were willing to risk their lives to assassinate the king because of the phrase "Qin will destroy our country" suddenly become docile cats under the oppression of heavy labor and harsh laws?

Even without considering these things—even without considering this most basic human nature;

Feng Quji had already learned a very simple truth from his decades of ups and downs in officialdom.

Rulers, especially those in the central court, must never approach a matter concerning the ancestral temple and the state with questions like "Does he dare?" or "Will he?"

Whether he dares or not;

Whether he can or not;

Whenever there is a possibility of it happening, we should think ahead: if this happens, how should the court respond, and is it capable of responding?

Then he spoke of Liu Ji, the head of the Sishui Pavilion, and Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Ji.

Whether they will cause trouble or whether they dare to cause trouble is not important.

The important question is: what should the court do when they start to rebel?

How many troops should be sent to pacify Liu Ji of Mangdang Mountain, and who should lead the troops?

What methods should be used to deal with the Xiang family uncles and nephews in Wu—should we send troops or envoys, appease them or eliminate them completely?

This is what the Xianyang court—this is what the 'Prime Minister' should be considering.

At present, Fusu has clearly stated: The Qin Dynasty is in imminent danger.

Those who stood out were represented by figures such as Liu Ji and the Xiang family uncle and nephew;

A common saying in the Chu region is, "Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin."

There must be more.

Besides Liu Ji, there must have been Zhang Ji and Li Ji, who gathered their forces in different places;

Besides the Xiang family uncles and nephews, there must also be families like the Zhao and Qian families, who are stirring up trouble all over the world.

Besides the land of Chu, there must also be generous and tragic heroes from the lands of Yan and Zhao, and skilled warriors and assassins from the lands of Qi and Lu, who were constantly accumulating dissatisfaction with the Qin court.

Most importantly, Feng Quji was the Right Chancellor of the current dynasty.

He was the head of all officials from the time the First Emperor unified the country, and was responsible for all affairs of the realm.

Feng Quji knew everything that had happened in the world over the past decade, what kind of lives people were living, and what their attitudes were toward the Qin court.

Feng Quji knew that Fusu was not only not being overly pessimistic, but was even somewhat optimistic and conservative.

—It's not just the Chu region?

—And not just the Northeast?

In recent years, even the old Qin people in Guanzhong have been full of complaints about the imperial court in Xianyang!

In the past, the Qin Dynasty's twenty-rank military merit system made the Qin people incredibly brave on the battlefield. Now, with the court constantly talking about increasing taxes and conscripting soldiers, the Qin people are filled with immense resentment.

Fusu's words today implied that if there is unrest in Guandong, then Chu might be the first to descend into chaos.

Feng Quji knew very well that, given the current state of the Qin Dynasty, if the world were to descend into chaos, the very foundation of the Qin Dynasty—the old Qin people of Guanzhong—would likely be the first to fall into disarray.

"When the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, the people of Qin, if not the ones who contributed the most, certainly endured a lot of hardship for the sake of the country..."

...

"I had hoped that once Qin conquered the six states and unified the world, I could live a good life by virtue of being a 'Qin person';"

"However, in these ten years, the lives of the Qin people have been even worse than before the unification..."

With this thought in mind, Feng Quji couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

After pondering his words for a moment, he finally raised his head and slowly cupped his hands towards Fusu.

"Your Majesty's words today, I agree with them."

The hoarse, mournful voice drew the attention of Meng Tian, ​​Meng Yi, Feng Jie, and Li Si.

Then Feng Quji sighed leisurely and said, "In terms of military strategy, this old minister is no match for Grand Tutor Meng."

"Even I, an old minister, am no match for Prime Minister Li in terms of literary talent."

"In terms of speaking frankly and honestly, this old minister is not as passionate as the young physician."

"In terms of expertise in government affairs, even this veteran official is far inferior to the Grand Censor..."

...

"However, I am grateful to the First Emperor for not abandoning me and for appointing me as Right Chancellor, leading all officials to assist in governing the people of the world."

"Yet I also know the principle that when the world is impoverished, the heavenly mandate will forever end..."

Upon hearing Feng Quji's words, the other four men all leaned back and instinctively let out a long breath.

The world is in poverty, and Heaven's favor is gone forever.

This sentence comes from the "Great Yu's Counsel" in the Book of Documents, which is an admonition left by Yao when he passed the throne to Yu. It can be said to summarize all the ways of emperors to govern the people in one sentence.

—The world is in poverty, and Heaven's favor is gone forever.

When all the people of the world are impoverished and destitute, the blessings bestowed upon the king by Heaven will come to an end forever...

"The First Emperor's achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so he disdained to heed the advice of Yao and Shun."

"Yet all things in heaven and earth, and all living beings, remain true to their origins despite all changes."

"If a scholar offers advice that is not accepted by the ruler, he will still resign and leave office."

"When merchants fail to make a large profit, they will change their business and seek other trades."

"When craftsmen are hammering metal and wood and cannot make good tools or instruments, they will still consult with predecessors to hone their skills."

"And what about farmers who still struggle to make ends meet and cannot live in peace and contentment even in times of peace and prosperity..."

...

"The First Emperor was also once the King of Qin."

"It was once the foundation of agriculture for our great Qin, and we resolutely dug the Zheng Guo Canal."

"The First Emperor was certainly aware that agriculture is the foundation of the nation."

"However, in the past few years, the First Emperor's grand ambitions and undertakings have all gone smoothly."

"Over time, the First Emperor forgot that the foundation of the nation is agriculture—and this 'agriculture' does not refer to the grains that grow in the ground."

"But rather, it is the farmers who till the fields and grow these grains."

...

"Grain is the fruit of a nation's emphasis on agriculture and its efforts to consolidate its foundation."

"Farmers are the cause that the country should value and treat well..."

These words made Fusu nod repeatedly, revealing his approval.

He then exchanged a brief glance with the other four people, symbolically exchanging a look.

Finally, it was Feng Quji who shakily rose from the banquet and bowed deeply to Fusu.

"Your subject, Feng Quji, the Right Chancellor, respectfully submits this report."

"I humbly request Your Majesty to consider matters concerning taxes, levies, military service, and labor service after the period of national mourning has ended."

...

"I humbly request Your Majesty to issue a decree to the world, so that all the people may know: the Qin state is based on agriculture."

"When local governments govern the people, they should prioritize the foundation of the nation."