Daqin: The Greatest Sage of Confucianism and Taoism

As for whether he could accomplish it in his lifetime, he didn't care. His ancestors had fought for six generations and made Qin a strong country that unified the six kingdoms. If he couldn't unify the world, then his descendants would do it. If six generations didn't work, then ten generations would do it! A hundred generations!

To accomplish all this, we must have a more perfect system!

Thinking of this, he turned his gaze to Su Xuan, "Sir, conquering the world is what I must do. If you have any good ideas, please speak up. I will definitely support you."

Su Xuan said calmly, "If you want to cross the ocean, the ship must be sturdy and reliable. Your Majesty can call together skilled craftsmen who are good at shipbuilding, brainstorm, and reward those who contribute with a large sum of money."

"In addition, I have heard that Gongshu Clan's mechanical skills are extremely ingenious, and the head of Gongshu Clan is even better than his master. His mechanical skills are as exquisite as those of his master Lu Ban. Your Majesty can hand this matter over to Gongshu Chou."

"Let's leave this matter to you, sir. I will order Gongshu Chou to come to you and follow your orders." Ying Zheng waved his hand and handed it over to Su Xuan. "As for the money you need, you can go directly to Zhisu Neishi to withdraw it. I will inform him in advance."

Su Xuan agreed. If Gongshu Chou followed him, he could tell him some shipbuilding principles of later generations, which should be of great help to the progress of shipbuilding.

Moreover, this old man has superb skills in mechanical engineering. He can create things like mechanical snakes and Potu Shichiro without the need for energy. If there is an engine in the future, Su Xuan will definitely let this old man build a Gundam for him.

Mecha is the eternal romance of men!

The thought of flying through the sky in a mecha is fascinating.

At this time, Ying Zheng discovered his previous blind spot and asked, "Sir, you said before that the world is round, doesn't it mean that the world is round?"

During the Warring States Period, there was a common view that the sky was like a pot lid, covering the flat earth. Later, this view was gradually overturned, and the cosmological view of the round sky and square earth became popular.

The "Circular Way Chapter" in "Lüshi Chunqiu" states that the way of heaven is round and the way of earth is square. This includes the Qin Dynasty's round half-liang coin with a square hole, which also contains the principle of the round sky and square earth.

When Su Xuan heard Ying Zheng ask this question, he felt a bit of a headache. It was a well-known fact in later generations that the earth was round, but in the present time, without the foundation of physics, his explanation would be like talking to a cow.

He understood it, but Ying Zheng didn't.

Since it was difficult to explain, Su Xuan simply let Ying Zheng see it with his own eyes.

He brought Ying Zheng to the courtyard, and he pretended to take the astronomical telescope, but actually kept it in his storage space.

"What is this?" Ying Zheng looked at the astronomical telescope curiously.

"This is an enhanced version of a magnifying glass, an astronomical telescope." Su Xuan's words were concise and insightful.

Under Su Xuan's guidance, Ying Zheng quickly figured out how to use it. He looked through the astronomical telescope at the stars in the sky. The vastness of the universe gave him an inexplicable sense of shock.

The stars in the sky were so clearly visible that he could even clearly see the surface of the moon, which was bare, uninhabited and desolate.

He looked at the Betelgeuse, Aquarius, and the Big Dipper one by one, immersed in them.

Su Xuan also looked up at the boundless starry sky. In fact, there was something he had always kept hidden in his heart.

The exploration of the earth was almost complete in the previous life.

Their journey is to the sea of ​​stars!

Chapter 141 Implementation of the Policy

The sea of ​​stars may seem out of reach at the moment, but it is not impossible to achieve.

After all, if there are even things like soldiers and demons, then traveling through the starry sky is reasonable.

Ying Zheng stayed there from the afternoon to the evening, and only reluctantly ended his stargazing when Su Xuan reminded him.

At this moment, he inexplicably thought of what Han Fei had said to him.

If a mortal uses the vision of one day to peek into the world that has existed for millions of years, would he be like a frog in a well?

If it were now, he could give Han Fei an accurate answer.

The vision of mortals cannot indeed peek into the world that has existed for millions of years, but through an astronomical telescope, he can see the universe that has existed for billions of years.

He smiled with relief. Who could be omniscient and see through everything? He only needed to see farther and do better than others, that was enough!

"Who would have thought that a few small pieces of glass combined together could have such wonderful uses!" Ying Zheng exclaimed in awe.

From telescopes and magnifying glasses to astronomical telescopes, he has begun to deeply understand the changes and importance brought about by inventions.

"I plan to build an observatory and let the Yin-Yang school observe the trajectory of the stars and re-establish the twenty-four solar terms." Ying Zheng immediately realized the usefulness of the astronomical telescope. The accurate twenty-four solar terms are more in line with the laws of nature and can better help farmers with farming and sowing.

"The Moon God and Yan Fei of the Yin-Yang School must be very interested in astronomical telescopes. Sir, you must seize the opportunity." Ying Zheng began to care about Su Xuan's lifelong affairs again.

Su Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was this for him to get married as soon as possible and settle down in Qin?

But it doesn't matter. I'm picking up girls under the emperor's order. No one can say anything about me when I slack off in the future.

"I originally planned to issue your decree after I took power, but now it seems that the sooner it is implemented, the better. Tomorrow I will hold a court meeting and let all civil and military officials work together to implement this matter."

"As for this thing, the sooner it is promoted, the better!" Ying Zheng picked up a potato, held it in his palm, and smiled.

Su Xuan stood beside Ying Zheng, listening quietly and expressing his opinions from time to time.

After that, Ying Zheng asked about the number of potato and sweet potato seeds, when is suitable for sowing, and how long is the sowing cycle. After understanding everything, Ying Zheng left with satisfaction.

.......

The next day, in Qilin Palace.

"I have summoned you all today to make an important announcement." Ying Zheng looked around the court and said in a deep voice, "In the past, I met Mr. Su Xuan, just like King Xiao met Lord Shang. Mr. Su Xuan once told me the Nine Strategies to Strengthen Qin. I deeply agree with him. Today, I will implement the decree. You can take a look at it. If you have any opinions or deficiencies, you can raise them on the spot."

At Ying Zheng's signal, Zhao Gao handed out books to the civil and military officials in the court.

Some people looked at the books in their hands and couldn't help but sigh. In the past, they read memorials with thick bamboo slips and held jade tablets when attending court. Now, they have all switched to paper memorials.

The speed of change is so fast that it touches people's hearts.

They opened the memorial and saw the three big words "Imperial Examination System" in the first sentence.

With doubt, they looked on.

In the past, if civil officials wanted to become officials, they relied more on recommendations and lobbying, and to a lesser extent, on training in schools, while military generals were awarded titles based on military merit and gained credit through beheadings.

However, the imperial examination system strongly advocates school training.

Simply put, it means establishing national schools or local schools to cultivate talents through a systematic education system. When knowledge reaches a certain level, they can take imperial examinations.

The imperial examinations are divided into provincial examinations, county examinations, prefectural examinations, and palace examinations.

If you pass the provincial examination, you will be given the title of tongsheng. If you pass the county examination, you will be given the title of xiucai. If you pass the county examination, you will be given the title of juren.

If you obtain the title of Juren, you will be eligible to be appointed as an official, but the initial official position will be low. If you do not want to be appointed, you can continue your studies.

All official appointments were personally decided by the court, which greatly deepened the relationship between officials and the court.

The imperial examination for military men was much simpler. The one who won first place in the martial arts examination was called a military candidate, and his initial official rank was centurion.

There are also literary examinations for military men, and those who pass military strategies and sand table combat tests and perform well can also be appointed as officials.

If you rank first in both, you will be promoted to the rank of centurion. What does that mean? It means you will have a chance to get familiar with the army and you will be automatically promoted to centurion after three months.

As for the teaching content of the school, different views were put forward.

Confucianism and Legalism coexist, but other disciplines are also allowed to exist. As long as they can help the development of the country, people from various schools of thought are allowed to spread their doctrines.

It even explicitly stated that a summit of 100 schools of thought would be held, inviting all the philosophers to participate in the event, and that the theories of all those selected could be promoted throughout the Qin State.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but be shocked and swallowed their saliva subconsciously. If this news got out, I'm afraid all the schools of thought would be in an uproar.

This is to recruit all the schools of thought and bring all the talented people in the world into the Qin's grasp!

And this is just the first one. What kind of style will the following eight essays have?

They read one chapter after another, "Agriculture", "Water Conservancy", "Official Administration", "Tax Law"... The more they read, the more shocked they were.

Because each article elaborated in detail the benefits of implementing the decree and how much it would enhance the national strength of the Qin State, faced with such a nearly perfect policy paper, they could not even find any good point to refute it.

The civil and military officials in the court watched for more than half an hour, and Ying Zheng also waited patiently for more than half an hour.

Sir, you have brought me such a shock, now let me let you feel it for yourself!

Looking at the dignitaries in the court, he felt inexplicably amused.

"Your Majesty, I think the Tax Law is inappropriate." An official stood up and raised his objection.

"What's wrong?" Ying Zheng asked.

"Your Majesty, the Tax Law combines many miscellaneous taxes into one unified tax, only collecting money, and no longer collecting miscellaneous items such as millet and straw. It is indeed convenient, but if a large number of farmers sell grain, it may cause a sharp drop in prices." The official replied.

"You don't need to worry about this. I will send people to build granaries in various places, collect granaries at market prices, and have the government transport them back to the central government." Ying Zheng replied calmly.

"Your Majesty, I also object to the Tax Law. In the past, the taxes of our Great Qin were mainly divided into head tax, household tax, land rent, straw, and tribute. For all the people who collected taxes, two-thirds were taken. Now, only one-third is taken. The national treasury income has been greatly reduced. Isn't this reducing the national strength of our Great Qin?"

"You mean, I shouldn't improve the treatment of farmers?" Ying Zheng said seriously.

"That's not the case. It's just that the six kingdoms are all like this. My Great Qin..."

Just as the man was about to continue speaking, he was immediately interrupted by Su Xuan.

"What nonsense! Our Great Qin is a country of benevolence and justice. How can the six countries, which are lawless, be compared with our Great Qin? Your Majesty is a virtuous king who cares about the people. If such a measure is promulgated, the whole world will surely be united. The people of the six countries will all welcome the king's army!"

His righteous words stunned all the civil and military officials in the court.

It turns out that our Great Qin is a country of benevolence and righteousness?

The man was speechless and retreated back to the line. If he continued to stop the incident, wouldn’t that be tarnishing the king’s holy name?

Ying Zheng's mouth curled up slightly. Why did he dare to reduce taxes so much? Because Su Xuan gave him enough confidence!

While he lowered the land tax, he did not do nothing. He followed the example of the six kingdoms and re-established commercial taxes.

In the earliest times, Qin was a poor place. In order to attract merchants, it did not collect any commercial taxes. Today, Qin is more prosperous than the six countries and has no shortage of merchants at all.

As for the confidence Su Xuan gave him, it was the snow salt with distinct grains and as white as snow.

Salt is a necessity in life and has huge sales volume. Once this kind of snow salt appears on the market, it will have no competitors at all.

Just as you said, use the wealth of the six countries to provide for the people of our Great Qin!

Chapter 142: Implementation of the Policy (Part )

"Your Majesty, isn't it too harsh to abolish the performance evaluation system in the "Official Administration" after it has been rated as the worst for two consecutive years?" an official stepped forward to ask.

Ying Zheng glanced at him calmly and said, "Our Great Qin is a country founded on the rule of law. Merits must be rewarded and punishments must be imposed. Those with outstanding political achievements can be promoted every two years."

"Also, have you read the criteria for selecting the lower-ranking officials? Those who have been selected as the lower-ranking officials for the past two years are people who have been occupying positions without doing anything. I have only abolished their positions and have not punished them. This is already a kindness from me."

Unlike these officials who gave advice, the Imperial Censor Feng Jie and the Left Prime Minister Wei Zhuang were both immersed in the policy papers, reading them over and over again.

Taiwei Wang Wan looked at his nose with his eyes, and his heart with his nose, and stood there in silence.

Nei Shiteng was thinking about why Ying Zheng agreed to reduce taxes. In addition to commercial taxes, there was probably other income that he was not aware of that could fill the tax gap.

Changping Jun looked at the decree in his hand, then glanced at Su Xuan with a complicated expression.

The Qin State was already so powerful, yet it still wanted to continue its reforms. If this continued, would the six states, including the Chu State, have any chance of survival?

In the past, when they attacked the Qin State, they could still claim that the Qin State was tyrannical and unjust. But now that the Qin State collects one-third of the taxes, will the six states follow it or not?

If they follow, their national strength will decline; if they don't follow, the Qin State, which used to be an army of tigers and wolves, will probably become an army of benevolence and righteousness.

Could it be that this world will really belong to the Qin Dynasty?

He frowned secretly, because no matter how he looked, he couldn't find a way out.

"The role of water in the world is like the role of blood and qi in a person. If the blood and qi are blocked, the whole body will cease to exist."

"Han Fei has mentioned to me the talents of the Prime Minister many times, but I never thought that the Prime Minister would have such profound insights into water conservancy. Zheng Guo has benefited a lot and is deeply impressed." A man with a tough face and dark complexion walked out and bowed to Su Xuan.

Zheng Guo? Did he still know Han Fei?

Thinking that he was from South Korea, Su Xuan already knew what was going on.

"Mr. Zheng Guo has been working hard to divert the Jing River eastward into the Luo River to form a canal for the past ten years, just to benefit the people of the world. Mr. Zheng's righteousness is also admired by Su Xuan." Su Xuan bowed in return.

"It's the right thing to do when in a position." His eyes were firm and his tone was calm. In his opinion, that was what he should do and he should do it well.

After Zheng Guo, several other people came out. Some praised the government's policies, while others spoke out to advise against them, but none of them caused any waves.

The government decree was implemented so smoothly, so smoothly that even Su Xuan was a little surprised.

The performance evaluation system would never have been so smooth in any later dynasty, but the Qin State ruled the country by law and its orders were implemented, so this kind of assessment, as Qin Shi Huang said, was not harsh at all.

"You all must be hungry after sitting in court for so long." Ying Zheng looked around the court and waved his hand, "Come here, bring the food I have prepared for you. I will enjoy it with you today."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw dozens of servants bringing out the potato and mutton stew and roasted sweet potatoes that had been prepared long ago.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift."

All the civil and military officials bowed respectfully and spoke in unison.

"My king, what is this?" Meng Ao asked as he looked at the fragrant food, and he couldn't help swallowing his saliva while speaking.