A live-streamed Chinese language lesson under the sky—the ancients were taken aback.

"Then let's take a look at what the people of the six kingdoms were doing when there was no war."

The voice on the sky remained calm, though its pace quickened slightly, as if suppressing something.

The screen unfolds into a table filled with densely packed numbers.

"Let's take the State of Qi at the end of the Warring States period as an example."

A typical family of five cultivates 100 mu of land.

But this is only an ideal situation; in reality, most families don't have that many.

Their annual harvest is about 150 shi of millet.

Sounds like a lot, right? Hold on, let's see how much they have to pay.

The spreadsheet started moving, deducting items one by one.

"The land rent is one-tenth of the tax, which is 15 shi (a unit of dry measure)."

That doesn't seem like much.

But in addition to land rent, there was also poll tax, also known as head tax.

The Qi state system required each person to pay a certain amount of money every year.

A family of five would have to pay at least five or six hundred yuan.

Converted to grain, that's nearly twenty shi (a unit of dry measure).

"This isn't over yet."

Men aged seventeen to sixty were required to perform one month of corvée labor each year.

Don't want to go? Fine, you can pay in lieu of service, but that'll be another expense.

When the government issues temporary requisitions for tasks such as repairing city walls, digging canals, and transporting grain, the timeframe becomes unpredictable.

"In addition, farmers need seeds, farm tools, and oxen to grow crops, all of which cost them money."

Clothing required growing mulberry trees and raising silkworms or buying cloth; food required buying salt. Iron smelting and salt production were state-run monopolies, and the prices were not cheap.

The table finally settled, and a bright red number popped up.

"After deducting all of these, a farmer in the State of Qi would only have enough grain left over after a year to barely feed his family."

If there's a sick person in the family, or if there's a year of disaster, they immediately have to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates, and then sell their fields, houses, and even their children.

Oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger.

Working all year just to avoid starvation?

[This is still the prosperous state of Qi; what about the other states?]

Stop talking, I'm already starting to get anxious.

……

"The State of Qi had the advantage of fish and salt, and its commerce was thriving. Among the six states, it was considered to have a good life."

What about the other countries? Han, Zhao, and Wei were located in the Central Plains, a place of constant warfare.

The State of Chu had a vast territory with many mountains and forests. The peasants were practically like savages, while the nobles lived a life of extravagance.

The ornate chapters in "Chu Ci" had little to do with people from the lower classes.

The state of Yan was harsh and cold, with poor agricultural conditions, and had never been very wealthy.

The images flashed by, showing scenes of daily life in various countries: ragged farmers and extravagant nobles.

"In other words, throughout the late Warring States period, the common people of the six states were already on the verge of collapse. The grand narrative of the seven states vying for supremacy was, for ordinary people, just more than a hundred years of military service, taxes, labor, and early death."

He paused for a moment, letting the comments flood the screen, before continuing.

"So, when the Qin army in black armor marched in, the governments of the six states did resist, but how many of the common people in those states were truly willing to risk their lives for their rulers?"

Beneath the sky, several impoverished nobles from the six kingdoms stood with ashen faces.

In the old land of Korea, a middle-aged man, dressed in tattered clothes but still retaining some of the old-fashioned demeanor, looked up at the sky. Hearing his country being categorized as having a hard time, his lips twitched, but he ultimately did not refute it.

He recalled how his family had exploited their tenants in the past, and lowered his head in resentment.

"The taxes in Qin were lighter than those in the other six states, and this is indeed supported by historical records. After Shang Yang's reforms, the taxes in Qin were indeed lower than those in the other six states, which is why many people were willing to flee to Qin."

"However, and this is very important, the situation was completely different after Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms."

The scene changes again, showing the grand scene of the Qin Dynasty's unification.

"In 221 BC, the Qin state conquered the Qi state, unified the world, and the war ended."

"For ordinary people, the end of the war should have been a good thing, but in reality, the corvée labor burden after the Qin Dynasty's unification was even heavier than that during the Warring States period."

The image then transformed into a record of corvée labor levies from the Qin Dynasty.

"After unifying the six kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang did not put away his weapons and let his horses graze freely. On the contrary, he ushered in an era of super engineering projects that are rare in human history."

Several lines of large text appeared on the screen, each more shocking than the last.

"The construction of the Great Wall in the north required the mobilization of 400,000 people."

"To garrison the Five Ridges in the south, 500,000 men will be conscripted."

"The construction of the imperial highway and the straight road lasted for ten years, and the number of laborers involved was incalculable."

"At its peak, the construction of the Lishan Mausoleum required the mobilization of over 700,000 people. The construction of the Epang Palace, the main hall of the mausoleum, required the mobilization of over 300,000 people."

"Meng Tian led an army of 300,000 to attack the Xiongnu in the north."

"In the southern campaign against the Baiyue, an army of 500,000 men marched south in five routes. Hundreds of thousands died, and hundreds of thousands more were subsequently replaced."

"These national-level projects and military operations alone require the mobilization of more than two million civilians annually."

The total population of the Qin Dynasty after unifying the six kingdoms was approximately 20 million.

Excluding the elderly, women, and children, there are approximately four to five million adult male laborers.

In other words, nearly half of adult men are either serving in the military or on their way to serve.

Holy crap, what kind of infrastructure monster is this?

This is terrifying; they're not treating people like human beings anymore.

Is this how you squander the legacy of six generations?

……

"Let's take a look at how those who stay at home and farm are doing."

The screen unfolds a table of land rent and taxes from the Qin Dynasty.

"The land rent in the Qin Dynasty was not high on the surface, only one-tenth of the total tax."

However, the Qin Dynasty implemented a system called "zisuan," which involved adding up land rent, poll tax, and various miscellaneous taxes and apportioning them among households.

In the end, the effective tax rate is much higher than the nominal tax rate.

"In addition, the Qin Dynasty's corvée system had a fatal problem."

It is stipulated in principle that one month of service is required per year, called a "watchman".

However, this is a central government regulation. When it comes to the local implementation level, it is common for construction schedules to be delayed or materials to be unavailable, leaving workers on the construction site for several more months.

When the imperial court built the Great Wall or Mount Li, it often prevented people from returning home for several years at a time.

"What's even more deadly is that the corvée laborers in the Qin Dynasty brought their own dry food and clothing."

When you go out to work for the imperial court, not only will you not receive wages, but you will also have to bring your own food and clothing.

The land at home is lying fallow, no one is farming it, but the autumn taxes still have to be paid.

The image then transforms into a comparison chart.

On the left is a scene from before the Qin Dynasty unified China, showing a farmer struggling to make ends meet after a year of hard work.

On the right is "After the Qin Dynasty unified China". The same farmer's face is filled with despair. The fields are overgrown with weeds, the house is empty, and his wife and children are huddled in a corner.

Before unification, there was war and suffering.

After unification, there was no more fighting, but life became even more difficult.

Because wars eventually end, but corvée labor never ends.

For the people of Qin, the result of six generations of hard work and dedication was that they transformed from tools of Qin's expansionist wars into expendable resources for maintaining the unified Qin empire.

[Tools and Consumables – This word really hits home]

The people of Qin did not enjoy the benefits of Qin's wars.

Who is enjoying this benefit? It's the military nobles with titles and merits.

……

Beneath the sky, in the land of Qin.

Several old Qin people sat together, looking up at the sky.

After listening to this, an old man with a weathered face slowly lowered his head and looked at his calloused hands.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he remained silent.

He joined the army in battles from a young age, fighting against the states of Zhao and Chu. Later, he followed Meng Tian to build the Great Wall in the north, a mission that lasted three years.

When he returned, his elderly mother had passed away, and his wife had also died of illness, leaving behind a son. He then went to repair the Lishan Mausoleum and has not returned since.

A younger man beside him gritted his teeth and said, "Tianmu is wrong! Serving the emperor is what we should do!"

The old man glanced at him, his cloudy eyes devoid of any emotion, and simply asked, "Where is your son?"

The young man was stunned, his lips trembled a few times, and he couldn't answer.

The old man didn't say anything more, lowered his head, and continued twisting his straw rope.