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

"We all know that the rise of the Qin state began with Shang Yang's reforms, and Legalism was the foundation of the Qin state."

The abolition of the well-field system, the opening up of fields, the rewarding of farming and warfare, and the clear system of rewards and punishments enabled the Qin state to gradually rise from a remote western border region to the position it is known to everyone today.

It can be said that without Legalism, there would have been no unification of the Qin state.

"But the story we're telling today is the other side."

He remained silent for a while, seemingly wanting to say something, before finally speaking.

"However, the Qin Dynasty became powerful because of its respect for the law, but it also perished because of the law."

Li Si, who was kneeling, suddenly stood up agitatedly, but was quickly pressed to the ground by Meng Yi, whose face was gloomy, and received the same treatment as Zhao Gao.

Li Si struggled to shout at the heavens, "Impossible! There can't be anything wrong with Legalism!"

Ying Zheng glanced at him expressionlessly. Although he was also greatly shocked, what was impossible in this world? Even my Great Qin Dynasty had fallen.

"Viewers must have many questions, so let's go back to the origins of Legalism and see what the underlying logic of this theory is."

The scene changes, and a bamboo slip slowly unfolds, covered with densely packed Qin Dynasty characters.

"The core theories of Legalism can be summarized into the above three points."

"The first principle, the basis of human nature: people only seek profit and avoid harm, and have no morality."

Legalists believe that human nature is to like what is beneficial and averse to what is harmful, just as naturally as water flowing downhill.

The public lacks moral awareness and cannot be educated; all their actions are based solely on self-interest.

Therefore, rulers should not, and need not, treat them as thinking and feeling people; they should simply take advantage of their instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm.

Article 2, Governance Methods: Achieve absolute control through rewards and punishments.

The monarch only needs to firmly grasp the two handles of reward and punishment.

Shang Yang proposed that the best way to prevent wrongdoing is through severe punishment, advocating for heavy penalties for minor offenses so that people would not dare to commit even small crimes.

Under this theory, the people obey not because of agreement, but because of fear.

The obedience that the ruling class sees is a silence under the oppressive power of terror.

The third and ultimate goal: to strengthen the nation and weaken its people, turning them into tools for farming and warfare.

The ultimate goal of Legalism was to enrich the country and strengthen its military, rather than to improve the well-being of the people.

The Book of Lord Shang clearly states the principle of strengthening the state and weakening the people: for the state to be strong, the people must be weak.

The goal is to ensure that the people have no savings and are constantly struggling to make ends meet, so that they will fight and work hard for the country to survive.

The people's thoughts, culture, and private property—anything unrelated to farming and warfare—were regarded as "lice" that had to be eradicated.

Isn't this just a classic carrot and stick approach?

[It makes some sense, but it's also a little scary]

I don't talk to you about feelings, I only talk about interests and fears.

……

"The tragedy of the Qin Dynasty ruling class was that they pushed the effectiveness of Legalist theory to the extreme, and therefore completely accepted the Legalist's simplified definition of 'human nature'."

They have forgotten that "the heart of one person is the heart of millions."

Humans not only have the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, but also have basic needs for fairness and survival.

When even the most basic survival needs are taken away, the deterrent effect of fear ceases to be effective.

Chen Sheng's statement, "Is it acceptable to die for one's country rather than wait to die?" represents the breaking of the chain of fear.

Silence under pressure is not submission, but boiling magma.

Du Mu's line "daring not to speak but daring to be angry" in his "Ode to the Epang Palace" is a precise depiction of this state.

Legalist theories led the Qin rulers to see only the superficial appearance of "not daring to speak out," while completely ignoring the volcano of "daring to be angry."

In summary, Legalism provided the Qin Dynasty with an extremely efficient war machine and control system, but it also completely deprived the rulers of their ability to empathize with the people.

It made people like Ying Zheng, Li Si, Hu Hai, and Zhao Gao truly believe that humans are simply tools that can be programmed with rewards and punishments.

This arrogance ultimately led to their extermination.

"But there are still big differences between Ying Zheng and Li Si and Hu Hai and Zhao Gao."

"The generation of Ying Zheng and Li Si used harsh punishments as a means, with the goal of achieving great order in the world. In addition to their harshness, they at least retained basic rationality in governance. Their legal system was rigorous but orderly, their engineering projects were grand but planned, and their bureaucratic system was efficient but disciplined."

"In the generation of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao, the use of severe punishments became the goal itself."

"To understand Hu Hai's behavioral logic, we must go back to the moment he ascended the throne."

Hu Hai's ascension to the throne was a mess in itself, and the Sand Dune Plot made his legitimacy shaky from the very beginning.

He feared that the court officials would not submit, that the people would have doubts, and that the old nobles of the six states would stir up trouble.

His use of lenient policies to win people's hearts was essentially a transaction: I reduce your burdens, and you acknowledge my legitimacy.

But when the Dazexiang Uprising broke out, the deal was declared a failure in his eyes. "I'm good to you, and you still dare to rebel? Then I can only double the torture to let you know what fear is."

He used fear as the only tool he could use, increasing the dosage again and again.

"What's even more fatal is that Zhao Gao was by his side."

"Zhao Gao didn't need an emperor who could govern the country; he just needed an obedient puppet."

After the uprising broke out, Zhao Gao told Hu Hai that the people in Guandong were just a few petty thieves who had already been arrested by the county officials. This information cocoon completely robbed Hu Hai of his ability to judge the situation.

He believed the world was still stable, and he believed that increasing the dosage tenfold would solve all the problems.

He locked himself in the deep palace, handing over all power to Zhao Gao, and became increasingly entangled in this self-deceptive game.

"Therefore, the combination of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao exposed the darkest side of Legalism."

They lacked both the political foresight of the First Emperor and the governing ability of Li Si. When Legalism came into their hands, all constructive elements were stripped away, leaving only pure fear and destruction.

Harsh laws and severe punishments have transformed from a 'means' of rule into the 'end' of rule itself.

Therefore, it's not that the people don't want to resist, it's just that the time hasn't come yet.

Ten orioles sing in the green willows; I am better than Du Fu.

The Legalists looked down on the common people, and were ultimately betrayed by them.

These two have magnified all the shortcomings of Legalism while ignoring all its strengths.

……

Li Si was pinned to the ground, his head hunched over as he stared at the sky, muttering to himself, "No, it's their own fault, not the Legalists' problem..."

In the imperial court, Chunyu Yue, standing among the officials, was itching to make a move. After Tianmu's criticism of Confucian ethics, he had not dared to raise his voice in the court for a long time.

The Legalists have been criticized so harshly this time; it's time to advocate for Confucian benevolence.

However, now is clearly not a good time. Ever since they learned that the Second Emperor of Qin had died, everyone's expression has been grim.

Especially the one above, you could be scared to death just by looking at him.

He silently gave up his thoughts.

The unspoken voices from the sky continued to drift over.

"There was another very important reason why Hu Hai and Zhao Gao were so confident that the common people could not cause too much trouble: the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising at the end of the Qin Dynasty was the first large-scale peasant uprising in China."

This was the first time the ruling class had ever witnessed such a scene. The common people, whom they had always disregarded and arbitrarily oppressed, actually possessed such astonishing power.

However, as we have learned from the previous accounts, the common people did not live very well before unification. So why did the first peasant uprising occur at the end of the Qin Dynasty?

Was it really just because Qin Er Shi was too cruel? (That's certainly the biggest reason.)

In our next video, we'll discuss the problems the Qin Dynasty encountered after unifying China. We'll address this question in the next episode, so stay tuned!

The curtain of light finally fell.

Ying Zheng then shifted his gaze to the three people below.

Li Si was in a daze, Zhao Gao was pale, and Hu Hai was terrified and bewildered.

His gaze was deep and unfathomable, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Zhao Gao plotted treason and should be punished according to the law."

"Prince Huhai is hereby demoted to a commoner and banished from Xianyang."

"Li Si has been taken to prison to await further instructions."

"Your Majesty, I was just foolish and used the wrong method. I am loyal to Qin. Your Majesty..." Zhao Gao suppressed his crazy anger. It's all Tianmu's fault. It's all Tianmu's fault. Otherwise, he could have become the ruler of Qin.

Hu Hai cried, tears and snot streaming down his face, "Father, it was Zhao Gao who deceived me! I knew nothing..."

Ying Zheng was filled with mixed emotions, but he remained unmoved. Neither his ministers nor his other children would let Hu Hai go; Hu Hai was doomed.

Ignoring Hu Hai and Zhao Gao's cries and struggles, the guards who received the order dragged the two out of the court.

Li Si prostrated himself on the ground and bowed to Ying Zheng, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After getting up, he followed the guard with light, unsteady steps.

The cries of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao grew fainter and fainter, and now the court was so quiet that you could hear a person breathing.

Ying Zheng sat alone for a long time, then suddenly stood up, faced the assembled ministers, and said in a hoarse voice: "Since I received the Mandate of Heaven, unified the six kingdoms, and brought the world under one rule, I thought my achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and my virtues were equal to those of the Five Emperors, and that I could be remembered for ten thousand generations. But now, after hearing the opinions of future generations, I realize my mistakes. I governed the world with hasty policies and treated the common people like consumables. This is my crime, and it is not solely the responsibility of Hu Hai."

He paused, surveyed the assembled officials, and said in a deep voice, "I acknowledge my own faults, but Great Qin belongs to me, and also to all of you. You have all heard the words of the Emperor. The system has flaws, and I alone cannot mend a thousand wounds. Can you bear to see Great Qin perish in fifteen years?"

"A subject should die for his lord's honor." Meng Yi stepped forward first, prostrated himself on the ground, and said in a voice as loud as a bell: "Your subject Meng Yi is willing to do his utmost for Your Majesty and for the Great Qin."

Feng Jie followed closely behind, stepped forward, and knelt down, saying, "Your subject Feng Jie is willing to serve Your Majesty and to do his utmost for the Great Qin."

More and more court officials stepped forward, their voices converging: "We are willing to serve Your Majesty and to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the Great Qin."

Ying Zheng looked around at his ministers and said in a deep and powerful voice, "Excellent. With your help, my ministers, we will discuss the grand plan for reform three days from now."

The courtiers have dispersed, and the candles are about to burn out.

Ying Zheng sat alone on his throne. The hall was empty, with only the sound of his own breathing.

He just said those things to the ministers, saying that I am guilty, that I want to change, and that you all should help me.

...He hadn't said such things to anyone for a very, very long time.

When did it start to become like this?

He himself couldn't quite remember.

After he destroyed the six kingdoms and the six kings were finished, the world was united and all the people knelt at his feet.

From that moment on, he no longer needed to explain anything to anyone.

He wanted to build the imperial highway, so the imperial highway was built.

He wanted to build the Great Wall, and so the Great Wall was built.

He wanted to burn the books, and the books were burned.

No one dared to say it couldn't be done, and no one dared to ask why.

He became increasingly convinced that whatever he did was right.

Because he was the First Emperor.

Because he unified the world.

Because his achievements were unprecedented.

Since he put on that crown, he has never bowed his head to anyone again.

He gazed at the dark night sky outside the palace.

The disillusionment of immortality and the shattering of his dream of eternal life finally brought him to a jolt of clarity.

If you calculate the time, he will die in five years.

There was still much to do, so he got up and sat down at his desk, reviewing the mountain of memorials as usual.