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

"When Ziying ascended to the throne, the Qin Dynasty was already like a lit firecracker, with fires breaking out everywhere."

"In 207 BC, three years after Qin Shi Huang's death, Hu Hai was killed by Zhao Gao, and the Qin Empire had effectively collapsed."

Let's take a look at the map.

Although Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were blocked by Zhang Han, the uprising army had already spread everywhere.

All six states were restored. Qi had the Tian family, Zhao had Zhao Xie, Yan had Han Guang, Wei had Wei Bao, Han had Han Cheng, and Chu had the grandson of King Huai of Chu.

The Qin state's actual control was reduced to the former Guanzhong Plain; everything east of Hangu Pass was lost.

"Let's look at the military."

The Great Wall Army in the north was defeated when its commander Meng Tian was killed by Hu Hai. Its deputy commander Wang Li led troops to suppress the uprising, but was defeated by Xiang Yu at the Battle of Julu and the entire army was wiped out.

To the south, Zhao Tuo directly cut off the imperial road to the Lingnan army, closed the gates and defended himself, and later established the Nanyue Kingdom.

The central army guarding Xianyang was decimated by Huhai and Zhao Gao, and was decisively defeated by Liu Bang in the Battle of Xishui.

"What's going on in the imperial court?"

Zhao Gao had just killed Hu Hai and wanted to become emperor himself, but no one in the court responded.

He was forced to put Ziying on the throne as a puppet; Ziying wasn't invited to the throne, but was used as a shield by Zhao Gao.

"What about the common people? Due to years of large-scale projects and wars, the population of Guanzhong has decreased sharply."

Grain reserves are running low, and prices are soaring.

In Xianyang, even high-ranking officials and nobles were going hungry, let alone ordinary people.

In the heart of the entire empire, fear and uncertainty reigned.

Even if Qin Shi Huang came, he would have to rebel.

This is a complete dead end; even a miracle couldn't save it.

[It's a complete mess, oh no, there's no mess at all.]

……

"After Ziying officially ascended the throne, he only reigned as King of Qin for 46 days. In such a short time, he did three things: killed Zhao Gao to clean up the mess, lowered his status to stay away from disaster, and humbled himself to protect the royal family."

Zhao Gao originally intended to make Ziying a puppet ruler, so he ordered him to fast for five days in preparation for going to the ancestral temple to receive the royal seal. However, Ziying refused to go under the pretext of feigning illness, and devised a plan to lure and kill Zhao Gao, who came to visit him, and exterminate his three clans.

Then he publicly displayed Zhao Gao's body in Xianyang City, distancing himself from the divine figures Zhao Gao and Huhai, and telling the world that he was different from them.

This blow at least allowed the soldiers and civilians of Xianyang to vent their anger and stabilized their morale.

After Zhao Gao was executed, Ziying decisively relinquished the title of emperor and changed his title to King of Qin.

This move was not a self-degradation, but a sober understanding that Qin had lost control of the world. At the time, it was a pragmatic strategy to adapt to the situation and seek self-preservation. After all, all six states had been restored; was Qin trying to become a target by bearing the title of emperor?

However, he inherited a mess that was riddled with problems and destined to be irreversible.

Liu Bang's army had broken through Wuguan Pass and was advancing with unstoppable momentum, its advance pointing directly at Xianyang.

Ziying killed Zhao Gao, changed his title to King of Qin, and stabilized the court.

However, given the external situation he was facing, he had no room for maneuver left.

Liu Bang's army is approaching Xianyang.

Ziying sent troops to intercept them at Yaoguan, but Liu Bang bribed the defending general with a large sum of money.

Liu Bang bypassed Yaoguan Pass and defeated the last Qin army's field forces in one battle, then marched to the gates of Xianyang.

"Ziying had no soldiers left, and the people of Guanzhong were no longer willing to fight for him. The counties and prefectures in various places had long since surrendered to the rebel army. Outside was Liu Bang's army, and inside was an empty court."

To avoid the slaughter of his people, he chose to surrender to Liu Bang in a plain carriage drawn by white horses, with a rope tied around his neck, carrying the imperial seal and insignia.

"Liu Bang accepted Ziying's surrender. He was a man of political acumen and knew that keeping Ziying would appease the Qin people in Guanzhong. He entrusted Ziying to his subordinates for safekeeping, sealed the Qin treasury, withdrew his troops to Bashang, and made a three-point agreement with the elders of Guanzhong."

"If things had ended there, Ziying might have been able to live on as the King of Qin, and the ancestral temples of Qin might have been preserved."

The scene suddenly changed, the sound of horses' hooves thundered, and the banners of the Chu army blotted out the sky.

"But then, Xiang Yu arrived."

"After the Feast at Hongmen, Xiang Yu led the allied forces of the feudal lords into Xianyang in a grand procession. He arrived later than Liu Bang, and Liu Bang had already taken the title of King of Guanzhong. Enraged, he did two things."

"First, kill Ziying. Second, burn down Xianyang Palace."

The scene transformed into a dark red ruin of Xianyang City.

Thick smoke billowed into the sky, and the eaves and brackets of the Qin Palace collapsed and fell in the raging fire.

"The Records of the Grand Historian is extremely concise, but every word carries a strong stench of bloodshed: 'Xiang Ji killed Ziying and the princes and clansmen of Qin in Xianyang, and burned the Qin palaces; the fire did not go out for three months.'"

The Qin Dynasty thus came to a complete end.

Xiang Yu... was too brutal.

There's nothing we can do to change it.

Was Ziying Qin Shi Huang's younger brother or grandson?

Sima Qian also believed in the Records of the Grand Historian that if Ziying had ascended the throne earlier, the fate of the Qin Dynasty might have been different.

……

The Xianyang Palace was as desolate as a graveyard.

Ying Zheng sat on his throne, with several bamboo slips piled in front of him, which were his own records.

On an open bamboo slip were the few words he had just written.

The ink had dried, but the words now looked like an inscription on a tombstone.

He didn't speak, didn't get angry, and didn't even look up.

He simply and slowly, extremely slowly, reached out and rolled up the bamboo slip bit by bit.

Fusu stood behind him, his face deathly pale.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out of his throat.

Why did I do that? Do I really have the ability to inherit this empire?

None of His Highness's ministers dared to utter a sound.

After a long while, Ying Zheng finally spoke, his voice so hoarse it was almost unlike his own.

"I... understand."

He said those four words, then stood up, turned and walked towards the inner hall.

His steps were steady, but each step felt like he was walking on the ruins of Xianyang. No one knew what he was going to do, and no one dared to ask.

An unspoken, inaudible voice drifted from the sky, reaching his ears.

"Sorry, we've gone off on a tangent again. Do you remember the question we left unanswered in the last episode?"

The Dazexiang Uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang was the first large-scale peasant uprising in history. So why did the first peasant uprising occur at the end of the Qin Dynasty?

Now I'll tell you.

Part of the reason is the prefecture-county system.

【? ? ? 】

Wasn't the prefecture-county system Qin Shi Huang's greatest achievement?

Why?

……

Despite the numerous questions raised in the comments section, he spoke calmly and deliberately, saying, "The prefecture-county system was one of Qin Shi Huang's greatest innovations and a revolutionary change in the history of Chinese political systems."

"The prefecture-county system completely changed the social structure, ruling logic, and living space of the entire country."