The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 229: Bai Qi's personal teaching, the difference between the people of Qi and Zhao, and the ignorance of the people (4000)

The smile on Ying Chengjiao's face became more bitter.

How can I explain this?
They say he traveled through time and space, and didn't see Bai Qi on the battlefield again in history books? Could he not bear the chain reaction of Bai Qi's appearance?

Although he has done a lot of things and changed a lot of things in recent years - such as controlling water and building canals several years in advance.

But these are actually still largely on the original historical trajectory.

Qin destroyed the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Yan attacked Zhao and was defeated.

Qin controlled the water, and Zheng built canals.

Yan attacked Qi.

Wei and Chu attacked Qi.

These are things that have already happened in history.

Ying Chengjiao carved a picture of the Qin State's totem, the Black Bird, on the ever-moving wheel of history.

While keeping the trajectory unchanged, the Qin State should leave more traces on the road and make more preparations for the future so that the Xuanniao can spread its wings and fly high.

Because the person who carved this black bird was a child.

Even if this child is a child prodigy, even if this child is a world-famous gentleman.

When other countries learned about it and the princes saw it, they felt envy, sighing, fear... but they would not unite to besiege Qin.

Children are born with weak attributes.

But, it doesn't matter if Qin has one more prince Cheng Jiao, but if there is one more person to kill Bai Qi...

Ying Chengjiao was not sure about the decision of Qi and Yan because Bai Qi had never attacked these two countries.

But Zhao, Wei and Han will certainly remember the friendship they share with Jin.

The Three Jin states, which had long been in name only, will once again stage a drama of brotherhood in the Central Plains.

Judging from the time, Chu Wangyuan, who has been cuckolded and only knows how to coax his children every day, will also stop being a nanny and remember that he is a king.

Actively maintain relationships with the Three Jins and advance and retreat together.

In Ying Chengjiao's view, the alliance of the four countries bordering Qin was inevitable.

When Bai Qi was at the peak of his power, Zhao State was almost deleted, Chu State moved its capital, Wei State wanted to sing the song of conquest, and Han State had already sung the song of conquest.

The one million people killed came from Zhao, Wei, Han and Chu.

The total population of the four countries was only about 10 million, and Bai Qi killed one-tenth of them.

In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, no one fought in the way that Bai Qi did, aiming to kill as many enemies as possible.

After Yan's 600,000 troops were defeated by Zhao, if Lian Po had used the same tactics as Bai Qi and successfully killed and captured more than 500,000 people, Yan would have been eliminated from the state by now.

Bai Qi's influence is greater than he imagined.

Ying Chengjiao personally doesn’t believe in the butterfly effect—the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in South America may result in a tornado in Texas, USA.

What does it take for the wind from this butterfly's wings to turn into a tornado? Is it harder than finding the elixir of life?

But Bai Qi is different.

Bai Qi is not a butterfly, Bai Qi himself is the tornado connecting heaven and earth.

A tornado rolled up.

The first thing to be swept away was Ying Chengjiao's biggest trump card - the Prophet.

The second thing that is rolled away is the predetermined future.

Bai Qi did not play.

The future will roughly follow the historical trajectory, and the Qin State will unify the world.

Bai Qi comes on stage.

Perhaps a single battle would decide the outcome and end the chaos sooner rather than later.

It is also possible that... Qin was destroyed by the alliance of various nations.

Ying Chengjiao was speechless and remained silent for a long time.

"What's the matter?" Bai Qi poured himself a drink and took another sip of tea that didn't quite match the times. "Does this question stump Yingzi?"

He put down the teacup, stared at Ying Chengjiao, and said:
"Let me change the question.

"Boy, are you still going to marry my granddaughter?"

This problem is not a problem for Ying Chengjiao, and there is no need to think about it at all.

"Of course!" the young man blurted out, "As long as Master Bai is willing to marry, we can get married right now!"

The old man stared into the boy's eyes for three breaths, and did not see any hesitation, falsehood, or hypocrisy.

The old man smiled happily:
"Then what can I do?"

The boy realized it later and couldn't help laughing:
"Lord Wu'an took the risk and traveled thousands of miles from Xianyang to Linzi, just to ask you in person whether you still want to marry Master Bai?
"Just a letter."

Bai Qi smiled but said nothing. What the hell is this letter?
When it comes to family inheritance, the old man can't trust anyone except himself.

Even my own granddaughter can’t do it.

The old man slowly poured himself a third cup of tea, and this time he didn't find the taste bitter.

He smacked his lips, raised his teacup to examine it, and said, "Tsk!"
"It's a different kind of experience when you're drunk. You always find some rare things."

Ying Chengjiao filled the teapot with water, and said amid the sound of the water pouring:
“It’s not that he drank too much, it’s just that Mr. Bai is in a different mood.

“When people are frustrated, the clear sky does not seem bright.

"When people are happy, even a heavy rain is refreshing."

Bai Qi sucked his teeth and squinted at the boy:

"I was just joking when I called you Yingzi, can't you hear it?

"Stop talking about that bullshit, it's like Fan Ju, it makes me angry just listening to him.

"You guys always like to speak in bird language to show off your knowledge."

Ying Chengjiao kept apologizing with a smile and admitted that he had made a mistake.

"Boy." Bai Qi warned, "I am not ignorant of the world. I can distinguish between the big and the small. It is natural for the princess of Qi to be my wife. But Wuxia's status must be higher than other concubines." (Note 1)

The butcher secretly gathered his energy, clenched his right fist, and suddenly slammed it heavily on the wooden table.

With a loud bang, the table broke into pieces.

With a "crack" sound, the teacups and teapots fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The butcher pointed at the mess on the ground:
"If you dare to treat my granddaughter as an ordinary concubine, like an object to be bought and sold at will, you will be treated just like this!"

Ying Chengjiao lowered his head, watching the tea he had just poured quickly flow to his feet. He glanced at the old general's clenched fist and said hesitantly:
"Mr. Bai...doesn't your hand hurt?"

"...What kind of question are you asking?" Bai Qi panted, "I'm talking to you about state affairs! What do you care if my hand hurts?"

“Okay, okay.” Ying Chengjiao made an oath gesture: “I swear to heaven, in my heart, Master Bai is my wife.”

"This sounds like a human saying!"

"Mr. Bai."

"Ok?"

"Does your hand really not hurt?"

"..."

The veteran looked at the boy who kept stealing glances at his fist.

sorry.

He clenched his fists tighter.

He should have punched this rapper in the head!

It should be in time now...

Ying Chengjiao sensed the danger, smiled awkwardly, and controlled himself not to look at the veteran's trembling fist:
"Mr. Bai has never been to Qi, right? Can you show Mr. Bai around?

"Eat some Qi food, experience the local customs and culture of Qi, and take some Qi specialties with you when you leave."

"No need." Bai Qi frowned and said coldly: "I have hands, feet and mouth, so there is no need to trouble you, Master Ying."

"It will be a lot easier with a kid following us. Let's not talk about anything else, just talk about the money needed to buy things." The young man pushed the old man out.

As he walked, he pulled out a dull yellow copper knife from his pocket. The knife was less than the size of a palm, with a pointed head, curved back, and concave blade. There was a ring at the end of the knife, and there were words and decorative patterns on the front and back.

From the way the young man weighed the knife twice, one could tell that the knife had some weight.

The young man held up the bronze knife in front of the old man:

"Qi coins are in the shape of knives, also called knife coins. Qin coins cannot be used here."

The old man is unhappy:

"Are you calling me stupid? Only a nobody would bring copper coins with him when he travels far away! I've torn the cloth!"

"Isn't the cloth money inconvenient? Isn't it a trivial matter to change the cloth into money... Doesn't Mr. Bai's hand really hurt?"

"...You little brat, if you don't want to marry me, just tell me straight away. Don't keep making me angry. If I can run from Qin to Qi, I can fight on the battlefield for another three to five years. The Bai family doesn't have to rely on you, a little brat, to help them."

"What are you talking about, Mr. Bai? I am concerned about you... Mr. Bai, do you really have nothing else to do this time?"

"There is one more small matter... I sent you a copy of the "Diagram of the Battle Formation" and "The Miraculous Military Strategy" which I wrote down word by word. Did you, a birdman, pass it on to Wang Jian?"

"Uh... Wang Jian is more suitable to learn the art of war than me."

"Is it you who will marry my granddaughter, or Wang Jian?"

"……I."

"Then you have to learn. It's useless to give the book away. I will teach you personally. As long as you study hard, you will be no worse than Zhao Kuo, and you will never say such nonsense as Le Cheng is a famous general again."

"But I don't want to go to the battlefield."

"I don't want my granddaughter to be a slave. You have the final say on everything. Do you think you are the emperor?"

"Mr. Bai, you have to give me a reason."

"Reason... If one day, Qin State can no longer tolerate you, then gentlemen are useless in this world. But you said you are my last disciple of Bai Qi, so as long as you can escape from Qin State, you can go anywhere..."

The two people's voices gradually faded away, and their figures became smaller and smaller until they disappeared.

From today on, Ying Chengjiao has an old man as his retainer.

The old man's name is unknown.

Everyone who saw him called him Bai Gong.

The 2nd day of the twelfth month, the 17th year of King Jian of Qi.

Heavy snow fell, and everything was covered in white.

Wei and Chu finally withdrew their troops.

They took the compensation grain from Qi and withdrew from the Qi cities that had not yet been conquered.

As for the cities of Qi that had already been conquered, large flags with the words "Chu" and "Wei" were hoisted on the city walls.

Ying Chengjiao originally thought that the people of Qi would be very sad and humiliated.

But, no.

In Linzi city, people were singing and dancing, celebrating the end of the war.

Outside the city of Linzi, Ying Chengjiao visited in person with a group of retainers, dozens of Jixia scholars, and Jixia disciples who were willing to follow him.

Most people in Qi were filled with laughter at the war that was gone.

As for defeat, compensation of grain, and cession of territory, few people cared.

Ying Chengjiao became more and more confused as he walked.

Why are the people of Qi, a country that cares the most about people's livelihood, the least patriotic?

Let’s not talk about the warlike Qin State, let’s just talk about the Zhao State which is short of men.

After the Battle of Changping, women from Zhao shouted the slogan "Even if the men of Zhao are defeated, we still have women to fight Qin to the end."

In Ying Chengjiao's opinion, the men of Qi are not as brave as the girls of Zhao.

As Bai Gong followed Ying Chengjiao, he felt more and more that he should have attacked Qi after defeating Chu.

Qi Wangjian, who was disguised and secretly following them out for fun, had an expression of "Look, what did I say?" and said to Ying Chengjiao:

"The people, like me, don't like war.

"Even if we win the war, the land and grain we have won will not be distributed to the people.

"If we lose the war, the people will not have to pay for the lost land or the compensation.

"If Yingzi were a commoner, would Yingzi want to fight?"

Qi Wangjian shook his head:

"Anyway, if it were me, I would definitely not like fighting."

Ying Chengjiao took a deep breath of cold air:

“It’s not a question of whether or not you like the war.”

[It is a question of national cohesion, a question of national culture, and a question of how much or even if citizens love their country.]
The 25th day of the twelfth month, the 17th year of King Jian of Qi.

The New Year is coming again.

Jixia Academy, the residence of Ying Chengjiao.

Ying Chengjiao called together all the scholars in the academy to discuss the phenomenon that Qi treated its people the best, but the people were indifferent after Qi was defeated. Zhao treated its people worse than one tenth of Qi, but after Zhao was defeated, even its women were willing to go into battle to kill the enemy.

Ying Chengjiao originally thought that this would be a very controversial topic that could be discussed until the New Year of Qi State.

But in fact, it is not...

After lunch, many scholars came to express their opinions.

Huan Juan of the Laozi School quoted Laozi's philosophy and said:
“In ancient times, those who were good at governing a country would not let the people know everything, but would keep them ignorant.

“People are difficult to govern because they know too much.”

Kong Bin, the sixth-generation grandson of Confucius, whose family tradition is Confucianism, put forward the argument of his ancestors:
"For the people, just let them do the work, don't tell them why they are doing it."

Bai Yi, who was a Jixia scholar but not worthy of being called a son and liked Shang Yang's theory, spoke and brought the debate to an end:

“If the government’s policies are not good for the people, they will make them weak. If the government’s policies are good for the people, they will make them strong.

“When the people are weak, the country is strong. When the people are strong, the country is weak.

"The reason why the people of Qi are not as brave as the people of Zhao is because Qi treats its people too well."

"..."

Ying Chengjiao refuted the theories of the various philosophers as soon as they were presented. In his heart, he could not accept the idea of ​​keeping the people ignorant and weak.

But he held back.

He has been dealing with the philosophers for so long that he has long known that none of them has gained their reputation in vain.

If he was not a time traveler, he would be very lucky to be able to listen to lectures from various philosophers in the Jixia Academy.

The only thing that made him ahead of others was the times.

The philosophers believed that keeping the people ignorant could lead to the prosperity of the country, but in Ying Chengjiao's view, this was simply due to the limitations of the times.

Since the philosophers have not experienced the era of information explosion, they naturally cannot imagine a scenario where almost everyone in the world is omniscient and omnipotent.

However, the times limited the thoughts of the philosophers. Would that also limit Ying Chengjiao’s own thoughts?
Zou Yan once said, "Yin cannot grow alone, and Yang cannot grow alone."

Yin and Yang are two sides of the same coin and appear together.

Ying Chengjiao forced himself to listen to the arguments of the philosophers and think about whether there was any truth in them...

The debate was over and the scholars went to have dinner.

Ying Chengjiao was so absorbed in thought that he didn't notice that everyone had dispersed.

When the young man came to his senses and looked up to speak, the courtyard was empty with only three or five people left.

The boy was a little frustrated.

[Foolish people...Have you reached a consensus so quickly?]
"What do you think, Mr. Ying?" A man had been waiting for a long time. When he saw the young man looking up, he quickly stood up and spoke.

The man was not wearing Jixia clothing and was not a member of the Jixia Academy.

He is the seventh princess’ teacher Tian Yan, the great-great-grandson of Mencius, Meng Yu.

…………

【Note 1: At the end of the Warring States period, the system of one wife and multiple concubines was implemented. Maids refer to women who are married along with the wife, usually the wife's sisters, aunts, nieces, and maids. Maids are concubines in legal terms, and their status is usually higher than that of ordinary concubines. It originated from the concubine system of the Zhou Dynasty. The concubine system is to marry a daughter with a group of concubines in order to consolidate the wife's status.】

(End of this chapter)