Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

[The standardization of cart axles was of profound significance: it allowed the Qin cavalry to travel in all directions, day and night, and facilitated the smooth flow of goods between the north and south.]

From this day forward, people were no longer distinguished as citizens of Chu, Qi, or Yan; all under heaven were subjects of the Great Qin.

However, the unification of roads and writing systems remained only at a superficial level.

The most difficult core issue in maintaining long-term stability across such a vast territory lies in the system of governance.

How can this vast national system be guaranteed to continue operating smoothly after the emperor's death?

This led to a major policy debate in the Qin Dynasty court that shook the entire court.

[Chancellor Wang Wan was the leader of the conservative faction that advocated for enfeoffment.]

"Your Majesty, the regions of Yan, Qi, and Chu are located in remote areas with vast territories. Without the presence of princes from the royal family to pacify and govern them, it may be difficult to control them."

"We humbly request Your Majesty to enfeoff your princes to guard various territories!"

This explanation seems reasonable and aligns with the age-old understanding of dividing territory and maintaining ownership.

Most people felt that the vast lands conquered should naturally be distributed among the imperial family members to guard for generations.

At that moment, the Minister of Justice, Li Si, stepped forward.

"When King Wen and King Wu of Zhou generously enfeoffed members of their royal families, what became of the states that followed?"

"The feudal lords fought and slaughtered each other, regarding each other as enemies, and the world was in endless chaos!"

Qin Shi Huang ultimately made the decision to overturn the old system of the Zhou Dynasty: abolish the enfeoffment system and fully implement the prefecture-county system.

The old aristocratic families who had held sway over their respective regions withdrew from local governance, replaced by officials appointed by the imperial court. The once-powerful local tyrants who ruled their territories through generations no longer existed; prefects and magistrates were now directly appointed from Xianyang.

This is by no means a simple change in the official system, but a shift from "a world owned by one family and one clan" to a "unified public world" under the common ownership of all people.

Ying Zheng transformed the former states, which had been like private family property, into a complete dynasty with vertical control from top to bottom.

This centralized system of governance was far too advanced for its time, and its harsh and forceful methods were precisely the core reason why the Qin Dynasty almost perished.

[But that's alright. Later, with the assistance of Prime Minister Song, reforms were implemented that were even more advanced than those of Qin Shi Huang, surpassing the achievements of his time.]

The entire court of officials: "???"

Didn't they say that Song Ye wouldn't join either the conservatives or the reformists?!

What does it mean to be "more than enough" or "exceeding the limit"?

Will he be even more advanced and ahead of his time than His Majesty is now?

At the same time, the people also realized what was happening.

Previously, they had naively believed that the enfeoffment system was a benevolent policy that treated the imperial family well and pacified the world, and that it was a good strategy for emperors to care for their children and stabilize the country.

But after listening to the disassembly of the sky screen layer by layer, everyone finally understood.

It turns out that enfeoffment has always been the greatest benefit to the emperor and the greatest drawback to the people.

If a system of enfeoffment were implemented, all the land under heaven would be allocated to the princes of the imperial family, with each prince inheriting a position and governing a region, passing it down through generations and establishing their own independent regimes.

Ultimately, the world is still the private property of the royal family, the exclusive domain of the imperial clan.

With the imperial power secure, the imperial family enjoyed all the benefits, and the imperial clan benefited the most.

But who suffers the most? It is the common people of the world who have been trapped in the territories of various states for generations, and who have been controlled and exploited by the feudal lords.

Once the feudal system is reinstated, blood ties will become distant after a century. The princes will fight each other, and war will break out again. It will be the feudal lords who fight and conquer, while the common people will be the ones who are displaced, their families destroyed, and their lives ruined.

Someone murmured, filled with lingering fear: "So that's how the prefecture-county system was actually beneficial to us. Then, Your Majesty..."

He didn't say anything more, but everyone present understood perfectly well.

If the imperial family were the biggest beneficiaries of the enfeoffment system, then why did the First Emperor bother to establish the prefecture-county system?

All for the sake of peace and tranquility.

Finally, let's talk about a unified currency.

Qi and Yan used knife-shaped coins, the three Jin states used cloth coins, Chu used ant-nose coins, and Qin continued to use round coins. The currencies of the various states differed in shape, weight, and value.

With numerous checkpoints set up by various countries, cross-border trade inevitably required currency exchange. This resulted in layers of exploitation and losses, making it difficult for merchants to travel and burdening the people.

Therefore, the First Emperor issued an edict abolishing all the old currencies of the six states, and the Qin Banliang coin became the standard currency throughout the land.

[The currency is a round coin with a square hole, serving as the sole legal tender worldwide, with a unified shape, value, and exchange rate.]

As he spoke, a picture was displayed in front of everyone.

Knowing something is one thing, but comparing it is another.

Song glanced at it and felt incredibly fortunate that it was Qin Shi Huang who unified the six kingdoms.

North-South trade no longer requires multiple exchanges, and trade across vast distances is now free of barriers.

Written language unites people's hearts, cart tracks unite the earth's veins, and currency unites the wealth system.

[Only through the parallel development of these three factors could unification cease to be merely a military conquest, but rather a complete unification that, from the three dimensions of culture, transportation, and economy, thoroughly welded the fragmented Chinese civilization of hundreds of years into an eternally unified whole.]

In that year, King Zheng of Qin had reigned for 25 years and was only 38 years old when he unified the six states.

The following year, the First Emperor made his first western tour, visiting Longxi and Beidi prefectures to inspect the northwestern border defenses.

[Three years later, Qin Shi Huang performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, marking his first eastern tour: ascending Mount Zouyi, performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, and then performing the Shan ceremony at Mount Liangfu, inscribing steles along the way to praise his virtues.]

[At the same time, Xu Fu was dispatched with a fleet of ships and young boys and girls to search for the elixir of immortality at sea.]

That year, Qin Shi Huang was 40 years old.

Xu Fu?

Isn't he just a swindler who deceives the emperor?

Song Ye slowly narrowed his eyes, remembering the historical records that the First Emperor desperately longed for immortality.

It was precisely this obsession that gave alchemists like Xu Fu the opportunity to scheme and deceive.

Then, the scene unfolded slowly, with waves surging on the sea, and a large ship carrying thousands of boys and girls set sail for the vast East China Sea.

Seeing this, Song finally couldn't help but complain: "With such great manpower and countless riches, it's a complete waste to squander them all on some illusory elixir."

"Instead of pursuing these illusory things, it's much more reliable to stick to physical exercise and strengthen your body than to pin your hopes on false magic."

This rant seemed to put the entire county government on pause.

The officials and runners all stopped in their tracks, their gazes falling on Song Ye, who remained calm and composed.

Xiao He's Adam's apple bobbed, and he hurriedly stepped forward, cautiously advising, "My lord, you must not speak of such things lightly in public..."

"What? Am I wrong?" Song Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Thousands of boys and girls are the apple of their parents' eyes. Throwing away large sums of gold, silver, and able-bodied men into the vast ocean in search of a non-existent elixir of immortality will neither cultivate wasteland to increase food production, nor repair roads to facilitate trade, nor build granaries to provide relief to disaster-stricken villagers. It will bring no benefit whatsoever to the country or the people."

Xiao He's heart tightened upon hearing this. He looked around frantically, fearing that someone overheard and it would cause trouble. He whispered urgently, "My lord, be careful what you say! Seeking immortality is His Majesty's wish. If such treasonous words were to get out..."

Song Ye, however, didn't seem to care. Instead, he looked around at everyone and said with a smile, "No need to be so nervous, everyone."

"Even if this gets out, we'll all die together, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Cao Can and others: "..."

How could someone say such devilish things with a smile?!

Xiao He quickly cupped his hands to smooth things over: "Your Excellency is right, we will keep your words in mind, and we will not stray from this county government's territory today!"

"That's good."

"..."