Diqin Designer

Chapter 443 Why Did We Fall Behind (Continued)

This is a common phenomenon where smaller clans bully larger ones, and they are even more wary of larger clans than of foreign nations. The root cause is that they have never regarded larger clans as their own.

Their methods were all aimed at consolidating their own position. They never considered whether the country would develop or not. If the country fell into disrepair, they could simply pack up and leave, since this place didn't belong to them more than a hundred years ago anyway.

Short-sighted and petty.

Li Nian added, "Secondly, the Age of Exploration has arrived."

"For most of its two-thousand-year history, China was ahead of the West. China was more civilized and advanced than the West. When China established its rites and laws, many Western tribes were not much better than savages."

The ancestors of a certain mainstream white race in later generations were a group of barbarians who were regarded as barbarians by the Romans. The invasion of these barbarians was one of the reasons for the fall of Rome.

Therefore, the ancestors of today's white people were not exactly civilized. Just because the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians were civilized does not mean that their ancestors were.

"It can be said that when the Chinese were wearing clothes, they were still covering their bodies with leaves, and when the Chinese were using bowls, chopsticks and other tableware, they were still using their hands."

"Of course, the West also has some good ancient civilizations, but they have little to do with these other civilizations. Instead, they declined and even perished because of these other civilizations' invasions."

"Therefore, for a long time, China was ahead of the West."

"These Westerners may be barbaric, but they do have some merits. For example, they are greedy, fearless, and willing to take risks for profit..."

Fusu said, "The people of our Great Qin are just as willing to take risks!"

The ancient Chinese people were not lacking in adventurous and pioneering spirit, and they were also very courageous, valuing promises more than life and death.

Li Nian sighed, "That's true. But later, Chinese culture underwent a complex transformation, and its cultural thinking gradually became more conservative. It was not as good as it was during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The adventurous spirit of the Chinese people was also suppressed and bound by rules and regulations."

Civilization should progress, but ancient Chinese history not only failed to progress but actually regressed significantly, living off the legacy of our ancestors. Fortunately, our ancestors had a substantial foundation.

Fusu said, "Therefore, the Chinese people's spirit of adventure and exploration is gradually diminishing, while the Westerners still maintain it. With this ebb and flow, the Westerners have a chance to surpass the Chinese?"

Li Nian said, "If we only consider this aspect, even if Westerners can surpass China, it will still take them many more years. Moreover, Westerners are not entirely free from the spirit of pioneering and adventure. They are also quite conservative, ignorant, and stubborn. Otherwise, how could there be the saying of the 'Dark Ages'?"

"Compared to China, they had an opportunity, and they seized it!"

"China has also encountered this opportunity, but due to outdated cultural concepts, it was missed, or rather, it was lost by China itself."

"Of course, even if the opportunity were placed directly in front of those pedantic scholars, they would probably not even glance at it and would only let them miss it."

"In their eyes, China is a vast and abundant land, the most beautiful and spiritual place in the world. Other places are barbaric and barren lands. Moreover, overseas expansion would make the monarch ambitious and wasteful of the people's labor, which would be detrimental to the stability of the country. What place is there to expand?"

From Li Nian's words, Fusu understood one thing: the later cultural and ideological transformation of China was related to Confucianism.

Li Nian said, "This opportunity was the 'Age of Discovery'. With the opening of the Age of Exploration, Western countries devoted themselves to the exploration and made a fortune. They developed rapidly based on what they gained, while China missed this opportunity and was gradually overtaken by Western countries."

Fusu asked, "Does this 'Great Geographical Discovery' refer to the discovery of new lands?"

Li Nian nodded: "More or less. Brother, I already know that there are vast overseas lands outside of Qin, but people before the Age of Discovery did not know how big the world was or how much land existed outside their country."

"When the Age of Discovery began, Westerners discovered that there were new regions outside of the countries and regions they already knew."

"There are vast tracts of land that have never been cultivated, abundant gold and silver waiting to be mined, and countless rare and exotic animals waiting to be captured..."

"For Westerners, discovering these new regions could not only make them rich overnight, but also bring them great prestige."

"As a result, many Westerners participated in the Age of Exploration, and their fleets appeared in the world's oceans, searching for more unknown countries and regions."

“Places like Xuanzhou and Yingzhou were discovered by Westerners. They used Xuanzhou and Yingzhou as colonies, seizing large tracts of land from the local natives and mining large amounts of gold and silver minerals. This not only promoted the development of the Western economy, but also made them technologically advanced.”

"Whether it's ocean voyages, ensuring the security of colonies, or enabling colonies to generate more profits, the more advanced the technology, the better. This has led Westerners to increase their investment in technology."

Before the Age of Exploration, Western technology was not as advanced as that of China, and was even much weaker. Techniques such as gunpowder and papermaking were transmitted from China to the West.

"However, after the Age of Exploration arrived, Westerners' technology developed rapidly, while China, having missed the opportunity of the Age of Exploration, did not make much progress in technology."

One side was once far ahead but stagnated, while the other side, though lagging behind for a long time, seized the opportunity to develop rapidly. Naturally, the former will gradually be caught up and surpassed by the latter.

Li Nian said: "There is another reason why the West made great geographical discoveries. That is, their farming level was not high and food was insufficient. In order to fill their stomachs, many Westerners had no choice but to go to sea to risk their lives."

"In fact, China at that time was fully capable and technologically advanced enough to embark on a great sea voyage. Zheng He was ordered by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty to make seven voyages to the Western Seas. It is said that he even reached Hezhou and brought back a giraffe from Hezhou, mistaking it for a qilin (a mythical creature). Zheng He's ability to make seven voyages to the Western Seas is enough to prove that China at that time had the capability for ocean voyages!"

"Unfortunately, Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Ocean did not attract the attention of the Ming Dynasty court. The nautical charts he brought back were shelved and eventually destroyed by fire."

"The largest treasure ships used by Zheng He on his voyages were 44 zhang long and 18 zhang wide, and the entire fleet consisted of tens of thousands of people. Even a century after Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean, the West would still find it difficult to organize an ocean-going fleet of this scale!"

Fusu felt it was a pity when he heard this. He was clearly in the lead, but he was still overtaken. It was a sad and regrettable situation.

"The Ming Dynasty court did not value the achievements of Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean for several reasons. First, many officials believed that the long-distance voyages were wasteful and unprofitable, and were unwilling to continue. Second, the concept of the Celestial Empire as a superior nation prevailed, and people felt that overseas lands were all barbarian lands with no benefits to be gained. Third, there were concerns that the people would follow suit and go to sea, thus destabilizing the country..."

"In later dynasties, the civil officials in the court were almost all Confucian disciples, many of whom had rather pedantic and stubborn ideas. It would be difficult to get them to support the Chinese dynasty's expansion overseas."

Li Nian shook his head: "Confucianism has contributed to China, but it has also made mistakes. China's stagnation and lack of progress are largely related to Confucianism."

“From the Qin Dynasty to the successive dynasties, there were hundreds or thousands of years between them, but there was not much progress, and at times they even regressed.”

Fusu recalled that when he returned to Xianyang, his father had asked him what he thought of Confucianism. He had replied that if Confucianism were to be forcibly implemented, either the country would be reformed or Confucianism itself would be changed.

Judging from Li Nian's words, Confucianism has clearly changed itself to adapt to the monarch, but this change has brought negative effects to China. Otherwise, Li Nian would not have used words like "pedantic Confucian" and "stubborn and inflexible" in his words.

Li Nian said, "The reason why the West was able to surpass China was not because they were inherently more intelligent than the Chinese people, but because of China's own problems, coupled with their seizing the opportunity of the Age of Exploration."

"The Chinese nation has never been inferior to any other nation; otherwise, how could the Chinese nation have been ahead of others for so long!"

Fusu said, "So that's why my brother-in-law wants Qin to expand overseas. Rest assured, Qin will not repeat the same mistakes!"

Now that we know how history unfolded, if things continued the same way, wouldn't that mean they were both incompetent and unwise? After saying this, Fusu decided to ask something else he wanted to know. He asked, "Were the Qing and Ming dynasties both later dynasties?"

Li Nian said, "That's true. The Qing dynasty came after the Ming dynasty, and the Ming dynasty was also the last Han Chinese dynasty."

The term "Han people" made Fusu pause for a moment.

"Han people" should be the name used to refer to the descendants of the Chinese people in later generations, just like the people of Qin, Qi, and Zhao.

But where did this "Han" come from?

Moreover, that's not right. After the Qing Dynasty, there was a new country that followed. Wasn't that new China dominated by Han people?

Upon hearing Fusu's question, Li Nian smiled and said, "The reason why I explained that the Ming Dynasty was the last Han Chinese dynasty is because after the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were no more dynasties. In later generations, China was not a dynasty of one family or one surname, but a nation shared by all Chinese people. All Chinese people are the masters of the republic."

Upon hearing this, Fusu laughed and said, "Wouldn't my brother-in-law still be the future ruler of China? Wouldn't it be a demotion for him to come to Qin?"

Although he was smiling, Fusu was extremely shocked. The Huaxia country of later generations was not a dynasty, but a country where everyone was the master of the country. This was far beyond Fusu's imagination.

He glanced at the First Emperor and found that the First Emperor was unmoved, which must have meant that he already knew about the situation in China in later generations. At this moment, some of his doubts were answered.

He initially thought his father was acting strangely, that some of his actions were beneficial to the Qin Dynasty but detrimental to the stability of the throne. This was unlike what his father would do, and he couldn't understand the reason behind it. However, he now understood: his father had long known that dynasties would inevitably be replaced and that no dynasty lasts forever, but certain things could be remembered for a long time.

Father Emperor probably wants to become the most accomplished emperor in history, so that future generations can only look up to him and never catch up. As for the later emperors of Qin, if they are capable of holding the throne, then let Qin continue. If they cannot hold the throne and cause Qin to perish, then so be it.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; do not obstruct my path to becoming the greatest emperor of all time!
Li Nian didn't say much, only saying, "Brother is joking." Fusu didn't continue the conversation, but instead asked, "Brother-in-law, where did those 'Han people' come from? Could it be that there was a powerful dynasty called 'Han' in later generations?"

Li Nian said, "That's right, the term 'Han people' originated from the Han Dynasty."

"In the history of China, there are two most brilliant dynasties: the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty."

“We can be called ‘Han people’ or ‘Tang people’. ‘Han people’ is the name we use to refer to ourselves, while ‘Tang people’ is the name used by foreigners. There are Chinatowns in some foreign cities.”

Two of the most brilliant dynasties, but the Qin Dynasty was not one of them, which made Fusu feel quite regretful.

But it's easy to understand. The Qin state had a long history, but the Qin Dynasty was overthrown in just over ten years. When it collapsed, uprisings broke out everywhere. Even the old Qin people were afraid of not becoming the King of Qin, so how could they be selected to join the rebellion?

"The Han dynasty was actually the dynasty that followed the Qin dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Fusu's heart stirred: "Could this Han dynasty have been established by Xiang Yu?"

After saying this, Fusu immediately denied it: "No, although Xiang Ji is brave, his temperament makes him unsuitable to be a ruler of the world. Could it be... Liu Ji?"

Of the secret documents he read, Liu Ji and Xiang Ji left the deepest impression on him.

Although Liu Ji's background was inferior to Xiang Ji's, he possessed the qualities of a ruler. Among the people recorded in the secret scroll, only Liu Ji was most likely to defeat the valiant Xiang Ji.

"It is indeed Liu Ji!"

It is truly unimaginable that, according to the secret records, Liu Ji was already over forty years old when he started the uprising, yet he was still able to achieve great things and become the emperor who founded the Han Dynasty.

It turns out that the Emperor entrusted Liu Ji with important responsibilities not only because Liu Ji did not massacre the imperial clan when he re-entered Xianyang, but also because Liu Ji was the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, and the Emperor wanted Liu Ji to go to the Western Regions to make use of his talents for the Qin Dynasty.

As for whether Liu Ji would betray the Qin Dynasty and establish a Western Region version of the Han Dynasty?

Fusu thought it wouldn't happen.

Liu Ji didn't have such great ambitions at the beginning; he was just forced onto this path.

The Qin Dynasty would no longer force Liu Ji to the point of rebellion; on the contrary, it treated him well, so Liu Ji had no reason to betray the Qin Dynasty.

Furthermore, the Qin Dynasty is no longer the Qin Dynasty of history. The Emperor no longer abuses the people's labor as recorded in history, and has rectified various shortcomings of the Qin Dynasty. He will no longer commit suicide, but will become the Crown Prince of Qin, and so on...

Fusu glanced at Li Nian, thinking, "The Great Qin also has a brother-in-law, a guest from the future!"
Even if Liu Ji wanted to rebel, what was there to fear?
Fusu asked, "Why is the Han Dynasty remembered by posterity?"

Li Nian said: "The Han and Tang dynasties were strong and established the prestige of the Han people. A great thinker in later generations once said, 'A country usually perishes because of weakness, but the Han alone perished because of strength.' Even when the Han Dynasty was weak and the feudal lords were fighting each other, it was still able to defeat many foreign tribes around it, making it difficult for them to cause any trouble."

Fusu silently recited in his heart, "Countries often perish because of weakness, but the Han Dynasty alone perished because of strength."

Just how powerful was the Han dynasty established by Liu Ji, and how far did its national prestige spread?

"As for the Tang Dynasty, at its peak it was no less powerful than the Han Dynasty, conquering many countries and bringing them to pay tribute. The Turkic Khan once invaded the Tang Dynasty, but was captured and made to dance in Chang'an. The Tang Dynasty was not only militarily powerful, but also literary. Tang poetry is a shining star in Chinese culture, known as 'Tang poetry and Song lyrics'."

"If you wish to learn more about the Han and Tang dynasties, you can refer to the history of the Han and Tang dynasties that I have discussed."

Fusu said, "I will definitely understand such a powerful dynasty, learn from its strengths and avoid its weaknesses, so that I can use it for the benefit of Qin."

Seeing that it was getting late, Fusu asked one last question: "Brother-in-law, how will posterity evaluate me? It shouldn't be a good one, right?"

Li Nian was not surprised by Fusu's question. After learning about history, most people would want to know how future generations would evaluate them.

Li Nian said: "Most people's evaluation of Fusu is 'It's a pity, but they are angry at his lack of ambition.'"

In her speech, Li Nian deliberately distinguished between the current Fusu of the Qin Dynasty and the historical figure.

Fusu understood his meaning: he was telling him that he was no longer the Fusu recorded in history, and that he did not need to take Fusu's affairs as his own.

"Later generations believed that it was Fusu, not Huhai, who succeeded to the throne of Qin, which may have extended the reign of the Qin dynasty."

"Unfortunately, Fusu himself was incompetent. His elder brother and General Meng Tian commanded an army of 300,000, yet he committed suicide because of an imperial edict whose authenticity was uncertain. He was extremely foolish and corrupt."

Fusu was silent for a moment, then said, "Does my brother-in-law think so too?"

Li Nian shook his head and said, "No, I don't think that even if the eldest son Fusu successfully ascends the throne, it won't change the fate of the Qin Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)