Diqin Designer

Chapter 519 If there were an emperor like Huizong, Qinzong, or Gaozong, the whole world could unite to attack him!

Li Si said, "The reasons why the weak state suppresses its military are understandable, but its actions have gone too far, shifting from 'valuing military over civil affairs' to 'emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs.'"

While it is said that "in times of chaos, severe measures should be used, and for serious illnesses, strong medicine should be administered," the strong medicine used by the Song Kingdom was clearly overdone, turning from medicine into poison.

Thinking about the treatment of the civil officials in the Song Kingdom, Li Si felt a little envious, but if he really had to choose, he wouldn't go to the Song Kingdom.

Li Si said, "The reason why the Song Kingdom has elevated the status of civil officials is threefold: first, to elevate the status of military men and reverse the trend of 'valuing military over civil officials'; second, to win over the hearts of scholars across the land by treating civil officials well, thus making the Song Kingdom's state more stable; and third, for..."

At this point, Li Si stopped, and the First Emperor said, "Continue speaking, and I will pardon you!"

Li Si then continued: "Thirdly, we should establish more official positions and increase the number of officials, which can reduce the power of officials."

This involved spending a lot of money to improve the treatment of civil officials, thus supporting them and suppressing the military while preventing them from rebelling.

"This strategy was good when the Song Kingdom was founded, but it should be changed after two or three generations. If it is not changed, the Song Kingdom will have more and more civil officials, which will cause great trouble to the Song Kingdom's finances."

"Furthermore, the civil officials of the Song Kingdom are powerful while the military is weak. The fact that the civil officials are above the military will further weaken the Song Kingdom's army."

Although Li Si can be classified as a civil official, he did not have the same wariness that civil officials in the Song Dynasty had towards military generals.

"Thirdly, the teachings of the Song Kingdom are incorrect. The Song Kingdom's rulers and ministers all study the Confucianism of the Song Kingdom, which is used as the standard for selecting talents. Anyone in the Song Kingdom who wants to participate in the imperial examination must study it."

"The Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty seem to value only the classics and empty talk, but not practical matters. Therefore, although the selection of officials based on this method may seem to produce a lot of talented people, are the selected officials truly virtuous ministers?"

Although the book did not mention in detail what the imperial examination and Confucianism of the Song Kingdom were all about, Li Si's intelligence was enough to guess a lot from just a glimpse.

"Those selected in this way can only be said to have done well in the imperial examinations and have studied Confucianism well. It does not mean that they are truly capable, much less that they can make contributions to the emperor or the country."

“The Song state treats them well, but they may not repay the Song state with loyalty, like that ‘Hui’, or those who cooperated with the Jin people to do evil when the Jin state marched south!”

"Although a person's talent and character are not entirely determined by the doctrines they study, they are certainly influenced by them. Therefore, I said that our country has chosen the wrong doctrine for governing the country. Using Confucianism to govern our country is a grave mistake!"

Li Si was unaware of the status of Confucianism in Chinese history, and Confucianism had never been used as a governing philosophy. Therefore, he bluntly stated that it was impossible for a country to govern itself using Confucianism.

"Fourthly, the kings of the Song Kingdom are weak and incompetent. Emperor Renzong, Emperor Shenzong, and Emperor Zhezong all carried out reforms, with Emperor Shenzong being the most prominent, implementing major reforms in the Song Kingdom!"

"Although he supported the reformists, he could not carry it out single-handedly. Reform requires perseverance and willpower. Sometimes, even when it is known to be wrong, it should still be promoted, because the result of stopping may be worse than the result of making a mistake. Moreover, how can new laws not make mistakes?"

"How can we abandon the project halfway just because there are mistakes or obstacles? On this point alone, that cowardly Shenzong is far inferior to Duke Xiao."

Li Si subtly flattered the First Emperor, but what Li Si said was highly appreciated by the emperor. Reform was not a dinner party, nor was it a peaceful discussion over tea. It was a fierce struggle. Even if one knew that the new laws had flaws, one must still carry them out with all one's might so that they could be implemented throughout the land.

The flaws and errors in the new law need to be corrected, but they cannot be corrected by suspending the reform process.

However, Wang Anshi and Emperor Shenzong of Song were clearly unprepared for this, especially Emperor Shenzong, who did not stand firmly on the side of the reformers from beginning to end and was hesitant.

"The same goes for the cowardly Emperor Renzong. His 'Qingli New Deal' was abolished not long after it was implemented. How could it possibly cure the ills of the country in this way?"

"Some rulers of the Cowardly Kingdom have the will to reform, but lack the perseverance to persist. Moreover, those rulers of the Cowardly Kingdom are weak; it is a disgrace for a king to be so cowardly of the enemy!"

"Those cowardly Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong were not ashamed of betraying the country, but rather took pride in it. When the Jurchen army was at the gates of the city, they did not think of resisting, but instead abdicated and fled, actively negotiating peace with the Jurchens."

"They were not only weak, but also shameless and ignorant. Did they not know that negotiating peace with the Jin people was like feeding a wolf with meat? The wolf will not be satisfied with being full; it will only think that since there is meat in this house, it will come often. Thus, the 'Jingkang Incident' was caused!"

"The humiliation of Jingkang was actually brewed by the cowardly emperor and his ministers. Without their help, the Jurchens might not have been able to breach the city."

"That cowardly Emperor Gaozong was even weaker. Even though the Jin people tried their best to capture him and destroy his country, he was still determined to negotiate peace with the Jin people. He even went so far as to kill his own general in order to make peace. He was extremely weak and shameless!"

Upon hearing Li Si's words, many ministers in the hall nodded in agreement. They shared the same thought: none of the kings of the Song Kingdom were human; if they had any integrity, they would have fought the Jurchens long ago.

But these bastards could tolerate their wives and daughters being captured and humiliated by the Jurchens, endure the sheep-leading ceremony, and accept that their wives, daughters, and sisters were sent to the laundry house.

Even they could feel that kind of shame. Fortunately, Great Qin was not like that cowardly country, nor did it have anything to do with it. If that cowardly country were their descendants, they would simply kill them all.

Ok……

We must never allow our descendants to become like these cowardly Chinese, otherwise they will die with regrets.

Your Majesty's act of presenting this book today demonstrates your profound wisdom and foresight.

"Fifthly, the rulers and ministers of the Song Kingdom are foolish and arrogant. From this book, I can see that the rulers and ministers of the Song Kingdom have a strange...

Li Si was pondering what word to use to describe that feeling, and the First Emperor gave him a word: "a sense of superiority."

Upon hearing this word, Li Si pondered it carefully and immediately said, "Your Majesty's word is very accurate. The rulers and ministers of that weak state have an inexplicable sense of superiority over the Liao and Jin people."

"The rulers and ministers of the weak state have suffered losses at the hands of the Liao and Jin people many times, yet they look down on the Liao and Jin people. I really don't know where their sense of superiority comes from?"

Of course, the Song Dynasty was wealthy and considered itself civilized, believing itself to be the Central Plains dynasty, while the Liao and Jin dynasties were nothing more than ignorant barbarians.

"This idea did not cause any trouble when dealing with the Liao and Western Xia people, but when dealing with the Jin people, if they treat them the same way they treat the Liao and Western Xia people, disaster will follow!"

Because of their experience with the Liao and Western Xia people, the Song emperors and ministers initially did not take the Jin people too seriously. However, by the time the Jin people revealed their true colors, it was too late.

"Who doesn't know that the Jurchens are different from the Liao and Western Xia people? This is precisely where the foolishness and arrogance of the Song Dynasty's rulers and ministers lie. They are ignorant of the situation and do not understand themselves. How can they avoid disaster?"

Li Si actually thought of a sentence from Han Feizi that could express his meaning, but he did not want to use it: "A country that is small but does not act humbly, that is weak but does not fear the strong, that is impolite and insults its great neighbors, that is greedy and stubborn and clumsy in making friends, is doomed."

"The Song state's rulers and ministers repeatedly changed their minds when dealing with the Jin people. If they wanted to resist the Jin, they should have resisted them with all their might; if they wanted to negotiate peace with the Jin, they should have negotiated peace. However, the Song state's rulers and ministers sometimes wanted to resist the Jin and sometimes wanted to negotiate peace with the Jin. After choosing one option, they would regret it and act in secret!"

Li Si shook his head. "The sixth reason is that the ministers of a weak state are just like their ruler, weak and shameless..." After explaining all the reasons he could think of, Li Si said, "These are the reasons for the shame that I have thought of."

After Li Si's analysis, many ministers in the hall felt that this "Song Kingdom" was not a fabricated country, but rather a real country that had actually existed.

But that's impossible; they've never heard of such a country.

It must have been fabricated by that person. That person is truly talented; even a fabricated country can be made to seem as if it really exists.

After Li Si finished answering, the First Emperor said, "Please take a seat!" He then called on Zhao Gao again, "Zhao Gao, what do you think Qin should do to learn from the mistakes of the cowardly state?"

Zhao Gao rose again and replied humbly, "Your Majesty, I do indeed have some unfounded opinions!"

Even if he didn't figure anything out himself, he could just follow Li Si's analysis. Besides, Zhao Gao was not incompetent. If he had only relied on the First Emperor's favor, he wouldn't have been able to reach such a high position in history.

Zhao Gao said, "Firstly, we must not allow the Confucianism of the Song state to become the learning of Qin; we must take precautions and be vigilant."

These words immediately drew Chunyu Yue's angry glare. Although the First Emperor had promised not to directly mention Confucianism in the books, anyone familiar with the various schools of thought would know that the teachings on governing the country in the books were Confucian.

By saying all this, Zhao Gao is essentially blocking the path for Confucianism to advance in Qin, even though that path seems to have already been blocked by the new school of thought that he created.

From the moment that person gathered scholars from all schools of thought in Xianyang, convened the Hundred Schools Conference, created pinyin, invented simplified characters, compiled textbooks, and produced dictionaries, the scholars already knew that in this unprecedented transformation, none of them would emerge victorious.

There will only be one victor, and the school of thought he establishes will become the only prominent school of thought in the Qin Dynasty!
This school of thought was not named by him, nor did he ever claim to be its founder, but the various schools of thought in ancient China believed that it was established by him and called it the "New Learning of the Great Qin".

However, the scholars of all schools of thought were quite convinced of that person and the school of thought that he established. That person's talent was amazing, and what he wanted to do was unprecedented in history.

That person was also quite magnanimous. He did not intend to exterminate all the various schools of thought and make them the only ones to dominate. Instead, he united them and allowed them to participate in this great transformation that was destined to be etched in history and had a far-reaching impact.

When compiling textbooks for the Qin Dynasty, scholars from various schools of thought, such as Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, and Taoism, participated in the process. Similarly, the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering established by that school also included scholars from Mohism, Gongshu School, and Taoism.

The fact that he did not hoard the benefits and was willing to share them was a major reason why the various schools of thought recognized him.

Under that person's influence, many schools of thought are also undergoing changes, and these changes are often positive.

That person did not want to eliminate the Hundred Schools of Thought; on the contrary, he respected them and wanted to promote their development, progress, and even integration. In the eyes of many scholars of the Hundred Schools of Thought, the school he founded was based on "investigating things to understand and seeking truth from facts," and integrated elements from many schools of thought. Traces of Confucianism, Mohism, and Taoism can be seen in it.

This also amazed many scholars from various schools of thought. The person was not very old, yet he was able to synthesize the knowledge of various schools of thought. Once completed, his status in history would be comparable to, or even surpass, that of the sages of all ages.

Zhao Gao did not notice Chunyu Yue's gaze, and even if he had, he would not have paid much attention to it. He continued, "Secondly, we should balance civil and military affairs. We should neither 'emphasize military affairs over civil affairs' nor 'respect civil affairs while suppressing military affairs.' We should ensure that civil and military affairs each perform their duties so that the country can be at peace."

In this regard, the Qin Dynasty already had a plan, and establishing military academies was one way to make the training of military generals more standardized, rather than letting them grow wildly.

At least the generals trained in military academies are more cultured.

Of course, we should neither venerate literature nor emphasize martial arts. More importantly, we should make people feel that both literature and martial arts are good, both are beneficial to the country, and neither is dispensable.

We cannot foster a social atmosphere like that of the Song Dynasty, where people looked down on those who joined the army and considered only those who were called out at the Donghua Gate to be good men. Joining the army also makes one a good man.

Zhao Gao continued, "Thirdly, one must have integrity and backbone. The shame that the country has suffered is that many ministers of the country lack integrity and are shameless. The ministers of the country are even worse than the people of the country."

As the First Emperor looked at Zhao Gao, who was talking about "integrity and backbone" and "knowing shame," he felt a strange feeling: How dare this fellow talk about these things?

"Fourthly, as Your Majesty just said, the matter of the Song Kingdom should be made public to the world so that all the people of Great Qin may know of the shame of the Song Kingdom and take it as a lesson."

The First Emperor did not comment on Zhao Gao's answer, but instead looked at Wang Wan and asked, "What is the Prime Minister's opinion?"

This was something that the First Emperor and others had planned, but the First Emperor pretended that Wang Wan was finding out for the first time.

Following the pre-arranged reply, Wang Wan said, "If Your Majesty truly intends to take the lessons of the cowardly state in this book as a warning, I believe that ancestral precepts should be established!"

"Firstly, this book should be included as essential reading for all citizens of Qin, and may even be incorporated into certain examinations. This will ensure that all citizens of Qin are aware of the shame of our nation's defeat, so that Qin may never suffer the same disgrace!"

The shame of the Song Dynasty will be spread throughout the Qin Dynasty and become known to every household. If anyone tries to create a similar "Jingkang Incident" in the Qin Dynasty, the people of Qin will surely condemn and oppose it, thus reducing the possibility of a Qin version of the "Jingkang Incident".

In short, just like traditional virtues such as "loyalty to the emperor and serving the country, respect for the elderly and love for the young," making the people of Qin abhor the "Jingkang Incident" also became a tradition in Qin.

"Secondly, Prince Li Nian has already said, 'No ceding of territory, no indemnities, no marriage alliances, no tribute; the emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state.' But some additional points should be added: he must not abdicate suddenly when the enemy arrives; he must not fail to save the cities of his own country; he must not give women of his people to the enemy; and he must not kill the civil and military officials of his own country in order to seek peace with the enemy..."

"These ancestral precepts must not only be known to the rulers and ministers of Qin, but also to the people of Qin. They should be incorporated into the laws of Qin. Anyone who violates them will be abandoned by all the people of Qin!"

The ancestral precepts proposed by Wang Wan were all based on the things that Zhao Song had done. In short, they all meant one thing: Our Great Qin must never sit at the same table as that scoundrel Zhao Song. Even if Great Qin is destroyed in the future, it cannot share the same shame as Zhao Song.

To avoid the humiliation of the Song Dynasty, it would be good to spread the shame of the Song Dynasty throughout the world and establish various targeted ancestral precepts.

After listening to Wang Wan's words, the First Emperor glanced at the ministers in the hall and said, "If none of you have any objections, then we shall proceed as the Prime Minister has said!"

The ministers in the hall all knew the purpose of this whole thing, so they had no objections.

Moreover, this is actually good for the Qin Dynasty. The only ones who would suffer are the Confucianists, but didn't you see that Chunyu Yue has already been dealt with by His Majesty?
They just didn't quite understand why the First Emperor valued the shame of the "Cowardly State" in the book so much. No matter what, it was just a fabricated country, and the Great Qin could never become like the Cowardly State.

The ministers replied, "We will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

The First Emperor nodded, his gaze sweeping over the officials: "In that case, I hope you will all take the shame of the Qin Dynasty as a warning, and not let it be brought to Qin. It is not just that I will prevent it for one day, but that all future Qin emperors must not do so. If Qin has an emperor like Huizong, Qinzong, or Gaozong, then the whole world should attack him!"

The last sentence shocked all the officials, and even Wang Wan and Wang Jian found it unbelievable. Regardless of whether it could actually be done, few could match the First Emperor's boldness.

(End of this chapter)