Simultaneous travel: City, infinite evolution

Chapter 256 Improvements to the County and Prefecture System and the Military Merit-Based Nobility System

Knowing about the potential crises of the future, the old Ying Zheng, Li Si, and the young Ying Zheng all developed the idea of ​​changing the future.

Chen Hong deliberately showed them the crisis, but didn't let them know about some key historical figures, just to keep them in a constant state of crisis.

Chen Hong deliberately showed them the establishment of the Han Dynasty, which was to tell them that he had other options besides the Qin Dynasty.

This way, you can firmly grasp the power of choice and initiative in your own hands.

This serves as a constant reminder to them not to assume that just because they have become emperors, they are above all others and want to control everything.

Even an immortal like himself could be manipulated at will.

To prevent them from becoming arrogant and causing unnecessary conflicts in the future.

Chen Hong never underestimated an emperor's desire for control, ruthlessness, indifference, and selfishness.

Emperors are the most distorted monsters of power in the world; humanity is utterly vulnerable in the face of power.

Facing the expectant gazes of the crowd, Chen Honglang spoke in a clear voice:
"To solve a problem, you must first know where the problem lies."

"Let's start with the flaws in the system."

"After the abolition of the feudal system and the implementation of the prefecture-county system, the former nobles of the six states lost their political privileges."

However, they retained their economic strength and wielded considerable influence and power locally, becoming the main force in the anti-Qin struggle.

"Nowadays, the world still recognizes the enfeoffment system of the Zhou emperor more."

The prefecture-county system was correct and an inevitable trend.

However, the people of the world had not yet accepted the prefecture-county system and missed the era of enfeoffing princes and kings.

The nobles of the six former states who had lost their fiefdoms were never content with this and constantly plotted to reclaim their former kingdoms.

"Then may I ask, sir, what should be done?"

Li Si asked the question, as he was the one who oversaw the implementation of the prefecture-county system and was very interested in it.

"A three-tiered management system should be established, consisting of the central government, county-level governments, and township-level governments, to ensure the authority of the central government while granting appropriate autonomy to local governments and avoid rigidity in grassroots governance."

“In core areas, such as Guanzhong and the Central Plains, the county system was implemented.”

In border regions, such as the Baiyue, the southwestern Yi, and the northern Xiongnu borders, capable princes were enfeoffed to establish fiefdoms.

The prince would bring a team of subordinates as his core subordinates when he went to the fiefdom, so as to quickly take control of the fiefdom.

They could also relocate the nobles of the six states to the border vassal states, grant them titles, land, and official positions, and absorb them into the vassal state system so that they could serve the Qin Dynasty.

This way, they could leave their ancestral homeland and take away a large amount of wealth.

It consumes their strength and wealth.

This would also isolate them from their homeland and diminish their influence in the local area.

They could also be sent to fight against barbarians and expand their territory.

In addition to the nobles of the six states, they could also recruit the Xiongnu and Baiyue tribes as "vassal state soldiers".

Granting titles and land to those who achieve military merit can alleviate border conflicts and also allow for the use of barbarians to control barbarians, adapting to local conditions.

Thus, driven by the allure of land, military merit, titles, wealth, and women, they began to engage in such activities.

Anyone who wants to rise above others, whether a nobleman from one of the six states, a soldier from Qin, or a barbarian soldier.

They would spontaneously help the vassal states expand their territory.

And the Qin Dynasty would also gain local buffer forces, with vassal kings coming to its aid in the event of a future crisis.

"Wonderful!"

"That's killing four birds with one stone!"

Old Qin Shi Huang clapped his hands in admiration, feeling much more relieved.

Li Si also exclaimed, "In fact, the nobles of the six states also wanted to advance, but there was no place for them in Qin."

If the Qin Dynasty could also appoint their ministers to official positions, they would naturally support the Qin Dynasty as well.

"The brilliance of your plan, sir, lies in its ability to turn enemies into friends, wear down their strength, reduce your own losses, and strengthen your own forces."

"It truly can be described as killing four birds with one stone," the young Ying Zheng analyzed.

"Actually, the prefecture-county system was not the biggest problem for the Qin Dynasty."

The biggest problem with the Qin Dynasty was that Shang Yang's system of granting land based on a twenty-rank military merit system had become ineffective.

Ying Zheng and the others immediately perked up and pricked up their ears.

"I would like to hear the details, and I would appreciate your instruction, sir."

"As we all know, after unifying the world, it becomes difficult to obtain military merits."

Whether it was the Xiongnu or the Baiyue, very few low-ranking soldiers actually earned military merit.

In today's world, those without titles still make up more than 9% of the population, and the closure of upward mobility channels exacerbates discontent among the lower classes.

Therefore, the land grant system for the 20th-rank military merit title should be adapted accordingly, and a completely new approach should be found.

"May I ask, sir, how should it be revised, and what should be done?" Old Qin Shi Huang asked with concern.

"We should add new categories of nobility such as 'Tuntian Jue' (military colony nobility), 'Jiangzuo Jue' (craftsmanship nobility), and 'Zhishui Jue' (water management nobility) to reward contributions in the fields of logistics, production, and engineering."

For example, those who reclaimed 100 acres of wasteland were awarded the title of "Gongshi"; those who improved weapons were awarded the title of "Shangzao" to promote technological advancement.

Chen Hong listed his suggestions one by one, saying, "The military merit system should also be combined with the military settlement system and the commercial settlement system."

Soldiers serve in the war and farm in peacetime, reducing logistical pressure.

At the same time, merchants were recruited to invest in frontier post stations and workshops, forming a "soldier-agriculture-commerce" complex, which reduced the financial burden on the central government.

Encourage land reclamation and farming; those who reclaim a large amount of land will be granted noble titles to stimulate their enthusiasm.

The produce from the reclaimed land can also be used as military rations to supply the army, reducing food transportation losses and financial expenditures.

Merchants' investments in industries can also generate wealth. "We also need to settle border areas by immigrants. Those who are granted high titles must move their families to newly occupied territories (such as Baiyue and Hetao), and will be granted double the land to accelerate cultural integration."

Large households that had annexed land within the country were divided into separate families, and sent to newly occupied frontier territories such as Baiyue and Hetao to cultivate the land, with each family receiving double the land.

This freed up domestic land, which was then returned to the imperial court, and land was re-granted based on military merit and titles.

It also allows us to encroach on the living space of barbarians, educate them, and cultivate their undeveloped lands.

"To prevent the titles from becoming rigid and causing people to lose motivation."

You can also set up a rank demotion mechanism.

If a high-ranking official neglects his duties or breaks the law, his rank will be reduced according to the severity of the offense, thus breaking the inertia of "once and for all".

For example: a general who suffers defeat and loss of troops will be demoted three ranks in rank; a county magistrate whose jurisdiction is embroiled in a popular uprising will be demoted two ranks in rank.

"The original granting of land based on noble titles easily leads to land annexation, and should be changed to separate 'meritorious land' and 'official land'."

Merit Land: Land corresponding to a noble title can be inherited but cannot be bought or sold, and is reclaimed upon death.

Official lands were granted as an extra privilege when one held an official position, and were returned to the state upon leaving office, in order to prevent nobles from monopolizing resources.

In this way, the imperial court could prevent land annexation from becoming entrenched, and promptly reclaim and redistribute land.

"Privileges should be categorized and refined."

Lower ranks (levels 1-8) emphasize material rewards (exemption from corvée labor, grant of a residence).

Higher ranks (9-20) increased opportunities for political participation (such as local council power and oversight power), incentivizing long-term loyalty.

"Most importantly, we need to find new growth opportunities."

Chen Hong's expression turned solemn, and everyone knew that the crucial point was about to be discussed.

Do you know how big the world is?

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Isn't the world just a collection of the Zhou Dynasty and the barbarians from all sides?

How much bigger can it get?
Isn't the world only so big?

Seemingly able to guess what they were thinking, Chen Hong shook his head and chuckled.

With a wave of his hand, a map projection appeared.

This is the Qin Dynasty as perceived by Ying Zheng and others.

Then the map continued to expand, from small places like the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago, to the vast northern territories of the Xiongnu, as well as the territories of tribes such as the Donghu and Yuezhi.

Further northwest from the Western Qiang tribes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region lies the renowned Western Regions.

"These are the kingdoms of the Western Regions, the gateway between the Western and Eastern worlds, where trade flourishes and the climate is favorable, with many oases."

Therefore, they were extremely wealthy, and it is said that they enjoyed fine wine in luminous cups under the moonlight, and that beautiful women from the Western Regions sang and danced.

The women of the Western Regions are all stunningly beautiful, skilled in singing and dancing, and the region is rich in natural resources.

Further southwest from the Western Regions and the Western Qiang tribes was the Mauryan Empire on the Indian subcontinent.

"This is the Mauryan Dynasty, which reached its zenith during the reign of Ashoka. However, the principle of decline after reaching its peak is an immutable truth throughout history."

After Ashoka's death, the Mauryan dynasty will decline and fragment into many small kingdoms.

Old Qin Shi Huang's expression was somewhat subtle; how could this be so similar to his Qin Dynasty?

He suspected that the immortal was giving him a hint.

Ignoring their thoughts, Chen Hong continued:

"The Mauryan dynasty relied on agriculture along the Ganges River and the spice trade, with Pataliputra as an important commercial center."

This Indian subcontinent is located in the south, with a hot climate and abundant rainfall from the ocean, making it exceptionally blessed.

The land there is so fertile that locals only need to plant seeds casually, requiring very little maintenance.

They didn't need to work as hard as the Qin people to cultivate the land, yet they could produce enough grain and fruit to sustain their lives.

The continent is covered with rainforest fruit trees, which are laden with all sorts of strange and wonderful fruits.

Even relying solely on primitive gathering methods, the locals can still have enough to eat in spring and summer.

The area is rich in gold; even if you search in the open, you can find some gold nuggets or even gold nuggets.

Even by fishing in the river, one can sometimes find gold.

Upon hearing Chen Hong's exaggerated and embellished description, the eyes of the three men—the old Ying Zheng, the young Ying Zheng, and Li Si—all turned green with envy.

What a blessed land this is!
You know, let alone the poor Qin people, even the people of the Central Plains and Qi, who have always been wealthy, are not this rich, okay?

Since ancient times, people have to work hard and meticulously, frantically rolling and rolling, just to dig out a little food from the ground.

Where else can you find something like India where you can easily fill your stomach and even get gold?

That's simply a fantasy; even myths and legends wouldn't dare to make something like that.

All three had a wolf-like hunger in their eyes.

"Such a fertile land, such a chosen land, we must have it! We must have it!"

"Once we acquire this land, we will no longer have to worry about not having enough land to be granted for military merits and titles."

"Such fertile land, how much grain it produces could support the army?"

The three of them couldn't sit still any longer and quickly asked for advice.

"Immortal, how exactly do we get to India?"

"The most reliable route is the southern route of the Silk Road."

Starting from Daqin (the Qin Dynasty), traveling eastward through Central Asia, passing the Pamir Plateau, and following the northern foothills of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, one can reach India.

(End of this chapter)