The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 95: Reform, On Zhao, Why Didn't the King Leave?

"Reform." The seven-year-old boy uttered these two words.

Prince Chu of Qin sighed secretly, and seeing the serious expression on his second son's face, the slight hope in his heart disappeared, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.

[What am I expecting? Cheng Jiao is only seven years old.]
He looked at Bai Qi, indicating that it was time to strike.
Bai Qi's face was cold and hard, and he looked a little embarrassed.

The slap in the face came too quickly, even if I said a few more words...

The old man coughed lightly, attracting the boy's attention.

When their eyes met, the old man's expression became much softer and gentler, and he said seriously:

"Since Duke Mu came to dominate the world, the Qin State has been in decline. By the time of Duke Xian, it was almost destroyed by the Wei State.

"The Qin State's revival began with Shang Yang's reforms.

"Shang Yang's laws focused on abolishing the well-field system, opening up the fields, implementing the county system, rewarding farming and military merit, and implementing the law of collective responsibility.

"The new law has enabled Qin to escape from its weakness and build up its strength, so that it has become the strongest country in the world today.

"Boy, do you understand?"

The old man did not say that it was wrong for you to want to reform the law. He only told Ying Chengjiao the key points of Shang Yang's law and the effects of the reform, leaving enough face for the young man he had high hopes for.

He believed that with his intelligent mind, he would be able to understand the correctness and necessity of Shang Yang's Law after listening to it once.

He thought that the young man had not read "The Book of Shang Yang" and did not know what Shang Yang's laws were like and how much help they could bring to the State of Qin.

After all, he was seven years old, so it was normal that he didn't know.

Ying Chengjiao understood Bai Qi's good intentions.

However, things that are well known are not necessarily true.

“I understand what you mean, but there is no eternal law.

"Shang Yang's strategy is unparalleled in expanding during wartime, but land is limited and wars will eventually end, so we should think about what to do after the war.

"Until then, the law of Shang Yang will be"

Prince Chu of Qin raised his hand and pressed the air, causing his second son to take back his words.

The most powerful king in the world just after taking office said with a smile:
"You, a young man, are not qualified to evaluate Shangjun's methods.

"In today's world, the Three Jins are connected to the north and advance and retreat together. Qi dominates the East China Sea and enriches the world. Chu occupies the Yangtze River and dominates the four fields. Yan occupies the northeast and plans to conquer the Central Plains.

"The Qin State has been living in the western corner for generations. Since our ancestor Fei Zi founded the state, most of the territory has expanded to the northwest. In the Battle of Changping, the results of the eastward expansion that we had worked so hard to achieve were also vomited back in the Battle of Handan.

"Our army retreated to Hexi (the southern section of the Yellow River between Shanxi and Shaanxi today), Wei seized Hedong County and Anyang, Zhao seized Taiyuan County, Pi Lao, and Wu'an, and Han seized Shangdang County and Runan.

"This year, the Jing River in China has flooded, and the grain production in the interior of the country is poor. Although we have occupied Bashu for a long time, there have been rebels who have used the name of Bashu to restore the country. We have not been able to have peace for a long time, and we are short of soldiers to station there. The construction of Dujiangyan is urgent and requires a lot of manpower, but we dare not use the people of Bashu.

"For all these reasons, our Qin State may seem strong on the outside, but it is actually weak on the inside. It is no exaggeration to say that there is a lot of work to be done. I destroyed the Eastern Zhou State and took the Crown Prince of Zhao back to Xianyang. It was a last resort."

The more Prince Qin spoke, the less he smiled.

By the end, his face was full of helplessness.

He stood up, walked to his second son, touched his head, and said earnestly:

"My father is a new king who has just been established and has not yet taken charge of the military and political affairs. In the eyes of other countries, this is an opportunity to attack Qin.

"The Qin State is now weak again. If Wei, Zhao, Han, Chu and Yan form an alliance again, the Qin State may be in danger of extinction.

"In addition, your grandfather has been too aggressive and has been telling me that he wants to depose me as the crown prince. I have no choice but to take the risk and destroy the Eastern Zhou Kingdom and forcibly take the crown prince of Zhao to intimidate other countries.

“The reason why you can analyze the Mianchi meeting so clearly is because all the past events have surfaced and you can work them out.

“But right now, a lot of things are still hidden under the surface.

"If you don't see the big picture, you won't understand the truth.

"What you mean by no war to fight and the post-war method is the dragon-slaying technique mentioned by Zhuangzi. The Qin State cannot gain the world in your and my generation, just like there is no dragon in the world.

"If you don't want your father to die with regrets, then you should study the art of war with Wu Anjun. The capable generals of Qin are all old now, and we are in need of generals. I hope you can be the next Wu Anjun."

Rubbing the second son's hair, he said softly:

"The war will never end, at least between you and me, father and son."

After saying this, Qin Zichu was about to leave. This time Bai Qi did not keep Qin Zichu and did not say anything.

The old man saw the shadow of a man in the young man, Zhao Kuo.

Zhao Kuo's father was Zhao She, Marquis of Mafu, who was as famous as Lian Po. He defeated the Qin army in the battle of Yanyu, which made King Zhaoxiang of Qin dare not invade Zhao for several years.

Zhao Kuo was taught by his father since he was a child. He became famous at a young age and was unparalleled in debate. His reputation was so great in Handan that even Zhao She could not defeat him in debate.

But what about actual combat?

In the Battle of Changping, Ma Fuzi, who was highly expected by the king and his ministers, killed 450,000 Zhao troops and severed the backbone of the Zhao State.

The old man thought that Ying Chengjiao in front of him was the second Zhao Kuo.

He told the truth clearly, leaving the young man 70% of his face.

But the young man, in order to save face, insisted on coming up with a bunch of crappy post-war solutions.

The nations fought against each other frequently, and the wars lasted for two hundred years.

Bai Qi did not think that the Qin State was as precarious as King Zichu of Qin said, and the 800-li Qinling Mountains were not just for show.

But it is always right to be prepared for danger in times of peace.

The young man in front of me actually said directly that he wanted to consider what to do after unification. Bullshit!

If the Qin State could really unify the country, these people would have died long ago. Who knows what the world would be like by then!

[Qin Zichu is right, this is the dragon-slaying technique!]
[This guy just can't save his face and keeps making up stories!]
The old man made up his mind to train the young man well and never let this piece of beautiful jade turn into another Zhao Kuo.

King Zichu of Qin walked out and took a step forward.

The young man who had not made any excuses said in a deep voice:
"The Three Jins all originated from the Jin Kingdom, but they have different thoughts. The friendship they had back then has long been gone in the past hundred years. It's just a joke to advance and retreat together."

Qin Wang Zichu nodded secretly.

[This analysis is correct.]
He took the second step and did not stop, because this was known to everyone.

The boy's voice did not stop, his pronunciation was clear and his speaking speed was very fast.

"King Wuling of Zhao made the Zhao State rise up by himself. I would like to call him the founding king of Zhao State. Zhao State was clearly two different countries before and after this powerful king.

"King Wuling of Zhao died, and King Huiwen of Zhao ascended the throne.

"King Huiwen of Zhao was not as brave and diligent as his father, and was somewhat cowardly. When Zhao's national strength was almost the same as Qin's, he did not dare to attend the meeting at Mianchi.

"But he was still a wise ruler. He had the ability to judge people and act decisively. When Lin Xiangru and Lian Po persuaded him to go to the meeting at Mianchi, he went as promised. In the Battle of Yanyu, he promoted the unknown Zhao She and defeated the Qin army.

"The power of Zhao reached its peak during the reign of King Huiwen of Zhao. I would like to call him a ruler who preserved the status quo and promoted the cause."

Prince Chu of Qin raised his foot and was about to take the fifth step, because although what the second son said was right, it was still a thing of the past.

“The current King of Zhao.

"I have the will to revive Zhao, but I don't have the ability to do so. My will is higher than the sky, but my life is thinner than paper.

"He wanted to take over Shangdang to expand the territory and start the Battle of Changping. This was not wrong. But he believed the rumors spread by my Qin State and replaced the famous general Lian Po with the young Zhao Kuo in the battle, which led to a great defeat. This was a big mistake. This is suspicious and does not know people.

"In the battle of Handan, he would rather die than surrender, and used his own body to call on the people of Handan to resist. This greatly boosted the morale of Handan people, and the people of Handan used human bones as firewood and exchanged children to fill their stomachs. This is worthy of praise, but it is just a brave act. It can determine the gains and losses of a place, but it cannot determine the rise and fall of a country.

"After the Battle of Changping, Yan State has been harassing Zhao State. The two countries have been in constant dispute, which has slowed down the recovery of Zhao State's national strength. The King of Zhao started a war without stopping the war, which is unreasonable.

"You, Qin Zichu, led an army of 50,000 to attack the Eastern Zhou Kingdom, and the King of Zhao watched you establish your authority. In order to fight against the Yan Kingdom, he sent the crown prince to the Qin Kingdom where his son Zhao Gao was killed. He was actually afraid that the 50,000 Qin troops would take the opportunity to attack Zhao. I cannot understand the thinking of a fool. This is not considering the situation.

"In this battle between Yan and Zhao, Zhao will win, and win big, but this battle will completely turn Yan and Zhao against each other.

"The King of Zhao should have regarded our Qin as a strong enemy, because our Qin really has the power to destroy Zhao. But the King of Zhao pointed his spearhead at the Yan State, which could only expand to the northeast and bully the barbarians, and was incapable of entering the Central Plains.

"The foolish decision of the King of Zhao has caused Zhao to lose the possibility of Yan's support, and has promoted our country's strategy of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones."

The boy paused for a moment and looked at his father who had stopped at the eleventh step. He was counting the steps.

Zhang opened his mouth and asked:
"Why doesn't the king leave?"

　If you like this kind of hardcore, I will update a big chapter tomorrow, writing about the seven kingdoms. If you think this is a piece of cake, I will speed up the pace and push the plot in the next chapter, and skip the six kingdoms.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)