The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 96: Opening and closing his mouth, the nations were destroyed, and Bai Qi was released from prison

Qin Prince Chu turned his back to his second son, Bai Qi, and took a deep breath while keeping his body still. After three consecutive breaths, his heart, which was like boiling water in a cauldron, finally calmed down a little.

He did not fully agree with his second son's analysis of the three generations of Zhao kings, especially King Wuling of Zhao, Zhao Yong.

He believed that King Wuling of Zhao was too adventurous and radical in his character and actions, and was as incompetent as his name suggested.

Wearing Hu clothes and riding and shooting marked the beginning of Zhao's power, and also the beginning of Zhao's transformation from being Zhao. Wearing Hu clothes and riding and shooting should be called Hu people riding and shooting.

Making the people of Zhao wear Hu clothing and learn archery on horseback were all pretenses.

Can you wear short-sleeved Hu clothing? Can you learn to shoot arrows on horseback in a short time? That is a skill that the Hu people have practiced on horseback since childhood.

The essence of wearing Hu clothes and riding and shooting is to open the door to the Hu people and recruit a large number of Hu people into the army. When the Hu people entered Zhao, they became Zhao people, so that now more than half of the Zhao army are Hu people.

Although this move enhanced Zhao's military strength, it also led to the flourishing of Hu Feng, the corruption of morality, and laid the foundation for unrest.

Women do not take pride in chastity, and men do not take shame in promiscuity.

The generosity and heroism of the Zhao people can be described in another way as indulgence and disorder.

Shang Yang's Reforms were aimed at fundamentally changing the Qin people and making the Qin State strong.

King Wuling of Zhao introduced the Hu people to strengthen the State of Zhao, which was only a temporary solution and did not harm the root cause.

The undisciplined Hu people, who were good at fighting but not good at farming and business, could neither increase the production of grain fields nor promote commercial development, which led to the State of Zhao having to go down the path of foreign wars.

After the Battle of Changping, the State of Zhao, which should have been recuperating, fought with the State of Yan for several years. The root cause was King Wuling of Zhao's Hu clothing and horse riding.

In addition, there were constant conflicts and obvious opposition between the old Zhao people and the Hu people, and they discriminated against each other, which led to extremely poor social security in Zhao State, which was also the evil result of wearing Hu clothes and riding and shooting.

Originally, Qin Zichu highly praised King Wuling of Zhao for abdicating the throne, calling himself Lord Father, and handing over the country to his son.

After King Xiaowen of Qin sacrificed his life to give up the throne, Qin Zichu thought that King Wuling of Zhao was extremely stupid for the same thing.

He loved both his eldest son Zhao Zhang and his second son Zhao He.

After passing the throne to his youngest son Zhao He, he felt that he had treated Zhao Zhang badly, so he gave his eldest son Zhao Zhang a large piece of land and gave him a large number of troops.

This in turn led to Zhao Zhang's dissatisfaction and a coup, namely the Shaqiu Rebellion.

He was besieged for three months and eventually starved to death in the palace. He died in his prime, which he deserved.

Although their opinions were contradictory, Prince Chu of Qin did not think that his second son was wrong and look down on him.

There are no two identical leaves in the world, and no two people with exactly the same ideas.

Different people focus on different things, so they naturally have different, even opposite, opinions.

When the second son explained his point of view, he also stated why he thought so. The two confirm each other and are correct. This is just a different way of thinking, not that one of the two is wrong.

Of course, if that were all, Prince Chu of Qin would not stop.

He has already said that no matter how much you analyze the past events and people, it is useless and you should talk about the present.

The second son's analysis of the current King of Zhao made him pause.

Let’s not discuss the character of King Zhao and the analysis of the situation in Zhao State for now.

Only a few close friends knew how he brought back Zhao Yi, the crown prince of Zhao and Marquis of Chunping, and his second son got it right.

[If someone else told me this, then it's not surprising that I could say it, and there's nothing to praise about it.]
[But if this boy only guessed based on clues, then his overall view is even better than Lü Buwei and Wei Zhe. He is only seven years old...]
[The only person who can tell this bastard about this is Lu Buwei!]
Qin Princechu, who had already stopped, suddenly quickened his pace and ran out of Zuoshu.

Bai Qi didn't know that the reason why Prince Chu of Qin forcibly took the Crown Prince of Zhao was not made public. He only saw Prince Chu of Qin running away and looked at the seven-year-old boy with a gloomy face.

"Unruly and unruly! Unworthy of any great use!

"He stopped just to give you a chance. You should continue talking. Why do you have to show off your words?
"What's the result? You are following the same path as that brat Zhao Kuo!"

Ying Chengjiao sat on the chair, picked up the chopsticks, tapped them twice on the table, then picked up the bowl and started eating the rice, vegetables and meat.

This made Bai Qi laugh.

"You little kid, are you still in the mood to eat?"

Ying Chengjiao's mouth was full of food and felt a little dry, so he picked up the wine jar that Bai Qi brought and took a sip.

"He'll be back."

Bai Qi did not hear any confidence in this sentence, but only heard naturalness.

Just like there is the sun during the day and the moon at night, it is the most natural thing and not worth talking about.

"Little boy, you are even more conceited than Zhao Kuo of the State of Zhao.

“I wanted to go and plead for you again, but seeing your performance, letting you go up would be a disaster rather than a blessing, for both you and the Qin State.

"Tomorrow I will teach you the art of war. If you don't change your temper, don't even think about leaving my side."

Ying Chengjiao, who had skipped a meal, seemed not to hear anything and was eating with relish.

Fang's seven-year-old body is still in its growth stage and is far less resistant to hunger than a twenty-seven-year-old's mature body.

His stomach felt satisfied and footsteps sounded outside the door.

Bai Qi, who had been listening to his granddaughter's footsteps for seven or eight years, recognized at once that this was not his granddaughter Bai Wuxia.

[He really came back... this bastard...]
He pulled out several strands of his white hair unconsciously.

Ying Chengjiao put down his bowl and chopsticks and said to the thoughtful old man:

"If I were Wu Anjun, I would find a piece of black cloth to cover my eyes. You have been underground for seven or eight years, and your eyes will not be able to bear seeing the sunlight outside all of a sudden."

The old man did not comment.

King Qin's Prince Chu entered Zuoshu three times.

He just went out to ask Bai Wuxia to go upstairs and ask whether Lu Buwei had informed his second son.

With a smile that was as warm as spring breeze on his face, he walked up to his second son.

While waiting for the news from above, he cupped his hands and smiled respectfully:
"Please continue to speak, sir, to teach Zichu."

Ying Chengjiao: “…”

He has seen this scene many times.

My father was like this in front of Lu Buwei, in front of Wei Zhe, and in front of Bai Qi.

He suddenly felt that what he valued and insisted on were not that important anymore.

The King of Qin is his father and the king of Qin. The king only has the country in his eyes.

Dignity, family affection, prestige, shame... in front of the powerful Qin, everything must retreat tens of thousands of miles.

As long as he could strengthen Qin, his father could bow his head, salute, and ask questions humbly...

[Father...grandfather...the most powerful Qin...]
Ying Chengjiao opened his mouth but no words came out.

He didn't know that his father had not yet confirmed his talent, but just thought it was a possibility.

As long as there is a slight possibility of strengthening Qin, Prince Chu of Qin is willing to do so.

The young man looked at his father and then at Bai Qi.

He saw the thirst for talent in his father's eyes, but he did not see the desire for freedom and sunshine in Bai Qi's eyes.

But actually, this doesn’t need to be seen.

Lu Xun wrote in "Young Runtu": They are all like me, only looking at the sky in the four corners of the high wall in the yard.

Bai Qi was alone and couldn't even see the sky. When he looked up, he saw only damp, blackened bricks and tiles.

[Who would want to be imprisoned three feet underground, never to see anyone for the entire year...]
Ying Chengjiao thought about it and spoke slowly:
"If Zhao has such a king, it will surely perish.

"Whenever King Huiwen of Zhao faced a major event, such as the meeting at Mianchi and the battle of Yanyu, the people who consulted him were Lin Xiangru, Lian Po, and Zhao She.

"Before the Battle of Changping, the King of Zhao only consulted with his two uncles on such a major matter. I am not saying that these two men are incompetent. One of them, Lord Pingyuan Zhao Sheng, went to Chu to relieve the siege of Handan and was definitely a loyal minister.

“What I want to say is that the King of Zhao now judges people based on their family background, not their ability. He only trusts the royal family and the maternal family.

"This forced Lin Xiangru, a pillar of the State of Zhao, to make a deal with his father to find a way out for his descendants. Lin Xiangru, who had saved the country several times, lost confidence in the State of Zhao because of the King of Zhao's distrust.

"If even Lin Xiangru can't gain the trust of the king of Zhao, then which other Zhao minister can gain it? Even if Zhao has many famous generals and capable ministers, what's the use if the king of Zhao can't trust them all?"

Bai Qi suddenly interrupted and said:

"What if Zhao State gets a new ruler?"

Prince Chu of Qin also wanted to ask this question, but he was more cunning and did not ask it.

The second son used sufficient arguments to make King Prince Chu of Qin highly agree with his analysis of the King of Zhao and his vision for the future of Zhao.

Prince Chu of Qin, who attached increasing importance to his second son, was also waiting for the answer very seriously at this moment.

Ying Chengjiao did not say anything like “Your Majesty, do you want to know?” but gave the answer directly.

"Isn't the Crown Prince of Zhao in Xianyang?
"Among the descendants of King Zhao, only Zhao Yi has never bullied my elder brother, which shows that he is the only one with talent.

"The rest of the disciples are either cruel and incompetent, or too young.

"As long as Zhao Yi is detained, the future King of Zhao will be worse than the current King of Zhao."

The boy sneered.

“A dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and a mouse’s son knows how to dig holes.

"It is already very difficult for a foolish person to teach a virtuous person, how can he teach another one?"

When Bai Qi heard the first half of the boy's words, he really didn't understand what whether a person has talent has to do with whether he bullies the boy's elder brother, and was about to ask.

After hearing everything, the old man closed his mouth and stopped talking. He could understand this.

Although he was already somewhat used to asking a seven-year-old question, and the embarrassment was not that severe, it was still better to ask less questions and avoid embarrassment.

Prince Chu of Qin pondered the words of his second son in his heart and felt that they made a lot of sense. He felt as if he was in front of Lu Buwei. Prime Minister Lu Buwei had also analyzed the situation of Zhao State in front of him, and his analysis was similar to and different from that of his second son. Both of them had sufficient arguments, and he felt deeply in agreement with them.

This is enough to show that the second son really seems to have the ability to be prime minister.

Such a person is exactly what King Qin Wangchu has always lacked.

If you listen to both, it will be bright, and if you listen to one, it will be dark.

No matter how powerful Lu Buwei is, he can't always be right. Prince Chu of Qin needs to hear different voices.

Thinking that his second son first mentioned the State of Zhao among the Three Jins, Prince Chu of Qin, who was a little excited, bent down slightly and lowered his hands.

"Please teach me about Chu and Sanjin"

"No need to do that." Ying Chengjiao interrupted his father.

He didn't want to hear that anymore.

Qin Wang Zichu stood up with a smile, and his movements were very fast, as if he had been planning to stand up anyway.

This time, his face was filled with the smile of a loving father looking at his promising child.

"Then keep talking."

Ying Chengjiao was feeling a little depressed, and said in a muffled voice:
"Han of the Three Jins...

"Wei of the Three Jins..."

After listening to the young man's talk about the Three Jins, Bai Qi and Qin Prince Chu looked at each other and saw disbelief, shock and ecstasy in each other's eyes.

Although the young man's consideration was a little one-sided, when he said he wanted to destroy the Three Jins, he only thought of attacking the three countries of Zhao, Han and Wei.

But the fact that the two of them agree with most of his ideas at least proves that the young man is much better than them in understanding the situation in various countries.

Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an, stroked his beard.

"My boy, I am not as good as you in politics, and you are not as good as me in war.

"The method you just mentioned to destroy the Three Jins is indeed brilliant, and I can't help but want to cheer for you.

"But you forgot to count two countries, Qi and Chu.

"If you want to destroy the Three Jins, Qi and Chu will not sit idly by. They will understand the principle that the lips and teeth are cold."

Ying Chengjiao was about to speak.

Bai Qi raised his palm to signal for a while, and said with a smile:
"Yan State is located in the northeast corner. Without Yue Yi, it has no fighting power at all. I understand why you don't consider it.

“But how could you forget Qi and Chu?
“Don’t talk about the method of forming alliances.

"Zhang Zi made the alliance between the east and the west, and made Qin and Qi form an alliance to counter the alliance of the other states. However, Qin was defeated when the five states attacked Qi."

The boy waited for the old man to finish speaking and took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

“Since Wu’an Jun mentioned the five countries attacking Qi, then let’s start with Qi and Chu.

"My thoughts are exactly the opposite of Wu'an Jun's. It is precisely because the Five Kingdoms attacked Qi that Qi stood aside and watched coldly when our country destroyed the Three Jins.

“I think that when our country unifies the world and destroys other countries, Qi should be the last country to be destroyed.

"Don't provoke Qi. Send envoys to make peace with Qi frequently and bribe the ruler and his officials with large sums of money. Then Qi will watch Qin destroy other countries without helping."

Prince Chu of Qin did not believe this, he shared the same idea as Bai Qi.

His mother, Queen Dowager Huayang, knew to give it a try after he became queen.

If women are like this, what about big countries?
How could Qi, a powerful Eastern country that once co-proclaimed itself emperor with Qin and dominated the world for a long time, just sit there and wait for death?

He smiled and said to his second son:
"Cheng Jiao, tell me what you think."

Knowing the talents of his second son, Prince Chu of Qin no longer regarded him as an ignorant boy, but as a capable minister.

He may not agree with Nengchen's opinion, but he must listen to Nengchen's complete explanation of his opinion, as there must be something he has not considered.

Ying Chengjiao spoke very quickly, his voice as clear as ever.

"Why did the five kingdoms attack Qi?"

After a pause, giving Bai Qi and his father some time to think of an answer, he continued:

"It's Qi Qiang.

"To unite the weak to attack the strong.

"If a country becomes too powerful, other countries will unite to defeat it! Qi is the most devastating one.

"Here, we must talk about King Min of Qi, who was once more famous than my great-grandfather, and the famous Qi general Kuang Zhang.

"A year before King Min of Qi ascended the throne, Kuang Zhang led the coalition forces of Qi, Wei and Han to defeat the Chu army at Chuisha, forcing Chu to become dependent on Qi. This was the Battle of Chuisha, and Qi hated Chu.

"Although the Chu State lost only 20,000 soldiers in the Battle of Chuisha, its territory was divided up by other states and its national strength declined significantly. Wu'an Jun later captured Chuying and forced the Chu State to move its capital. Do you admit that this was due to the Battle of Chuisha?"

Bai Qi snorted coldly and said proudly:
“There are some factors in that regard, but not many.

"If Kuang Zhang fails to defeat Chu, I will still capture the capital of Ying and destroy the ancestral temples and altars of Chu."

The boy smiled.

"In the first year of King Min of Qi, the Crown Prince of Han died. Qi sent troops to expel Prince Ji Se and, together with the State of Wei, forced Prince Ju to be the Crown Prince of Han. Qi hated Han.

"In the fourth year of King Min of Qi, General Kuang Zhang of Qi led the coalition forces of Qi, Wei and Han to besiege Qin and eventually broke through Hangu Pass, forcing Qin to cede land and seek peace. Qi hated Qin.

"King Zhao of Yan, who restored Yan, had been holding a grudge against King Xuan of Qi for six years. Kuang Zhang led an army of 100,000 to occupy Yan territory in 50 days, destroying Yan's vengeance. He took advantage of the fact that Qi's army was in the west and internal weakness to launch a surprise attack on Qi. When the Qi army returned home, they defeated Yan and Qi hated Yan.

"In order to gain control of Song, King Min of Qi fought wars with Zhao and Wei, and Qi hated Zhao and Wei.

"In the fourteenth year of King Min of Qi, Qi destroyed Song and took over all of Song's territory.

"After the Song Dynasty was destroyed, Qi's population reached eight million, far exceeding that of other states. It also occupied Xuzhou, the throat of the Central Plains. It could attack the Jianghuai and Jiangnan regions of Chu in the south, and the Central Plains of Han and Wei in the west.

"This is the strongest country that has never appeared in the world since the decline of the Zhou Dynasty. All countries are afraid of it, including our Qin.

"Moreover, the warlike King Min of Qi abused the use of force and attacked almost every country in the world. He destroyed small countries and crippled big countries, leaving no one with an ally.

"So, King Zhao of Yan appointed Le Yi as the supreme general and united with Qin, Han, Zhao, and Wei to attack Qi. Although Chu did not participate in the early stage, it sent the Chu general Nao Chi to Qi in the later stage under the pretext of aid.

"King Min of Qi was desperate and sought help from all directions. He appointed Nao Chi as prime minister, but he eventually died at the hands of Nao Chi. Qi was defeated and only the cities of Ju and Jimo remained.

"If the famous general Tian Dan had not appeared, Qi would have perished.

"Wu'an Jun said that Qin broke its own alliance, which is true, but is it Qin's business to fight Qi? In the end, Qin only got Taoyi, just one city.

"The most powerful states are Zhao, Wei, Chu, and Yan.

"Zhao State seized Qi State's northern territory and was about to connect to the East China Sea. Wei State almost swallowed up Song State's old territory. Chu State also took back Huaixi and took the opportunity to destroy Lu State. Yan State, oh, if it weren't for the current King of Yan's suicidal behavior, Yan State would have surpassed Qin State as the largest country.

"Because of the abuse of force, the State of Qi was nearly destroyed.

"The successor King Xiang of Qi learned from his mistakes and went from one extreme to another, that is, not using force.

"Lord Wu'an, father, think carefully, after the restoration of Qi, has it ever taken the initiative to start a war?"

The boy took another sip of water, giving the two people time to think.

Prince Chu of Qin and Bai Qi thought deeply, looked at each other, looked into each other's eyes and slowly shook their heads.

Qi State did not initiate any major wars afterwards...

To be precise, the passive ability has never participated in any major wars.

The boy put down his glass and came to a conclusion.

"During the Battle of Changping, Zhao was in great need of food and asked Qi for a loan, but Qi refused. During the Battle of Handan, Zhao was in great danger and asked Qi for reinforcements, but Qi refused.

"Qi does not hate Zhao or love Qin, but it hates all the countries in the world.

"As long as we don't provoke Qi and give Qi some benefits, Qi will not care about the disputes in the world. He only wants to manage his own piece of the East China Sea!
"Perhaps, after my Qin State has destroyed all the other states, my king will issue an imperial edict and Qi State will surrender without a fight?"

Prince Chu of Qin was greatly shocked and could not control his expression. He and Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an, looked at each other in bewilderment.

They wanted to refute, but found that it was not impossible...

Neither of them is the kind of person who argues for the sake of arguing.

The boy cleared his throat.

"I continue to talk about Chu, Chu State...

"Let's not talk about the small countries like Wei, the last one is Yan, Yan..."

After listening to his second son talk about the six kingdoms, Prince Chu of Qin pursed his lips and felt his mouth dry.

[What on earth did I give birth to...]
Before he could recover from his shock, he heard his second son's words.

"Father, can I say change of law?"

Prince Chu of Qin was in a trance.

Then he remembered that what his second son had always wanted to talk about was reform.

The nations were destroyed when the second son opened his mouth.

Inside the house, Master Chengjiao talked about reform.

Outside the house, Bai Wuxia walked quickly.

She asked on behalf of the king, and the Prime Minister Lu Buwei said:

"No."

The next day, on the third underground floor of Xianyang Prison, the candle that had been burning for seven or eight years finally went out.

(End of this chapter)