Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng looked at Li Nian, and he suddenly had an idea: if all the countries in the world were to become the territory of our Qin Empire, could Confucianism be used to govern them?
But now, Li Nian, by accident, had rejected his idea: unless there is only one country in the world, Qin, and there are no foreign enemies forever, using Confucianism or law to govern a country will always become a disaster.
Could Ying Zheng guarantee that there would be no foreign enemies forever?
Ying Zheng felt that he couldn't guarantee it, even if he conquered all the countries in the world and unified it during his lifetime. Who knows how his descendants will act in the future?
He can only control what happens in his own years!
Thinking of this, Ying Zheng decided to ask Li Nian that question tonight.
Li Nian didn't know this, and he continued: "Since it cannot be governed by the law for the common people, nor can it be left unattended by the people, it can only be guided."
Thinking of the adverse effects caused by those public intellectuals in the future, Li Nian seriously said to Ying Zheng: "Guidance of the people is very important. King must not underestimate it. What the people want to, has great impact on the country and nation. A great man once said 'The high ground of public opinion, if we do not seize it, the enemy will seize it!' "
"Taking the Qin Dynasty as an example, when Han Gaozu entered the central region, the Qin people did not resist but surrendered instead, because they had already not been loyal to the Qin Dynasty. Of course, there was a reason for this in that the Qin Dynasty had disappointed the old Qin people. But it also had to do with the fact that the Qin Dynasty had not correctly guided them, causing the hearts of the old Qin people to be attached to it."
"If the old Qin people realized that the Qin Dynasty and themselves were as one, that their interests were intertwined, and that their prosperity was shared, would they have resisted so strongly?"
"The old Qin people did not feel that they were one with the Qin Dynasty. They lived in this way under the Qin Dynasty, and when Han Gaozu came, they lived in this way as well, which might have been easier for them. What's wrong with surrendering to Han Gaozu?"
Ying Zheng and Meng Yi thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. It doesn't matter who you sell your life for, as long as it's selling, why not find someone who offers a higher price? There's no need to talk about hanging yourself from a crooked tree.
Li Nian said: "The most basic and essential point in guiding the people is that when they say 'love the country and serve the king', 'love the country' means loving the Qin Empire, and 'serving the king' means serving the King of Qin."
"Not only should we emphasize loving the country and serving the king, but we must also let the people know why they should love the country and serve the king. They must understand what a country is, how to love their country, and what its significance is. People must understand that without a country, there is no home. Without a country, life at home will not be easy. They will suffer from outside oppression. Therefore, it is necessary to serve the country and protect Qin Dynasty!"
"Similarly, loyalty to the king is the same. We must make the people aware that only the King can lead Qin to prosperity and provide them with a good life. They need to understand that without the King, it won't work."
In this era, although there are countries, there is not too heavy a sense of home-country. Therefore, the talents in various countries can come and go, dissatisfied with this country, they can go to another country.
Like Shang Yang was a native of Wei, Zhang Yi was from Wei, Li Si was from Chu, and Fan Zhu was also from Wei.
Ying Zheng keenly perceived the benefits of Li Nian's "loving the country and serving the king," but he also found problems with it.
If this set of "loving the country and serving the king" is implemented, how can Zhuang Yi and others who were previously accepted by Qin be explained? How can Qin receive talents from other countries?
Upon hearing Ying Zheng's doubt, Li Nian smiled and reminded, "Your Majesty, although the names of the states are different—Qin, Wei, Yan, Zhao, Han, Chu, Qi—they are all part of Huaxia."
Ying Zheng immediately understood, exclaiming in his heart, "Genius! When the time comes, we can just change the concept. We can replace Qin with Huaxia, and everything will be self-explanatory."
Zhuang Yi, Fan Zhu, and others did not betray their motherland and serve Qin. They were just talents from the Huaxia nation moving normally. They entered Qin because they couldn't bear to see the various states of Huaxia fighting against each other, so they joined Qin to stabilize the chaos of the world.
When guiding the people of the original six states, we can replace loyalty to Qin with loyalty to Huaxia. Loyalty to Qin might still feel a bit awkward or unsettling, but loyalty to Huaxia doesn't carry the same weight.
After all, there is only Qin left in the world now. In a sense, Qin is Huaxia. Both sides have achieved their desired results, and it is something to be celebrated! Let's celebrate!
Ying Zheng even thought that this method could be used to beat the six-state nobles who are not hearted. If the six-state nobles stir up trouble, they can be convicted of intentionally provoking internal disorder in Huaxia, attempting to plunge Huaxia into chaos again.
"As for attracting talents who are not of Huaxia, it's because our Huaxia is strong and beautiful, far above all other countries. People all have the hearts to pursue goodness and beauty; how can they not be attracted?"
The issue of receiving non-Huaxia talents from other countries is also solved. As our Qin is powerful, beautiful, and civilized, talents from other countries come to seek refuge and it is only human nature to do so. It should be understood.
Li Nian continued, "After 'loving the country and serving the king', we should guide the people to 'obey laws and regulations'. The saying 'No rules, no square' is true. People are the same; if there are no laws, everyone does whatever they want. Today I kill people, tomorrow you set fire to things, and what will the world turn into?"
"Therefore, laws must be used to restrain people's behavior, and they must not act freely. People must understand what they can do and what they cannot do, and the consequences of violating the law."
"In terms of the consequences of breaking the law, Legalism does a good job, but the ultimate purpose of the existence of laws is not to punish those who have already broken the law."
Ying Zheng interjected, "To deter those who might break the law?"
Li Nian nodded and said, "Exactly. But Legalism's punishments are too severe, sometimes leading to the opposite effect. Suppose someone commits a crime that does not warrant severe punishment according to Qin law but is still punished severely, what do you think he would do?"
After a moment's thought, Ying Zheng understood Li Nian's meaning and said, "Either accept the punishment or refuse it, commit a heavier crime. But in Qin, I think he will only accept the punishment!"
Li Nian said: "I understand Your Majesty's thoughts. The Qin laws have the collective punishment system. If a person who commits a crime does not want to bring trouble to his family and friends, he will willingly accept punishment. But if this person commits a crime that cannot be avoided by accepting punishment, how can it prevent the involvement of his family and friends?"
"Most of the time, as your Majesty said, they will accept punishment willingly. But what if one day someone doesn't want to accept punishment, like the people under the rule of the six former states!"
Ying Zheng fell into deep thought, realizing that what Li Nian had described was highly likely to occur.
After centuries of governance under Legalism, the old Qin people may have become accustomed to it. But the people of the six states may not necessarily be able to adapt to it.
He did not know that in the Records of the Grand Historian, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose up in arms, afraid of the heavy punishment under Qin laws. They were going to die either way, so they might as well rebel.
Of course, from the records in the Qin bamboo slips from the Yundeshi Tiger Spring, the Qin laws were not as harsh as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian. But it is also possible that after Hu Hai came to power, he made Qin laws even more repressive, or that there was a problem with the enforcers of Qin laws.
Li Nian believed that the most likely scenario was that after Hu Hai ascended to power, Qin laws became even more oppressive. This guy doesn't seem human at all, not to mention the wild beast of a eunuch like Xie Xie, who is working with both wild beasts to create chaos!
But it is also true that Qin laws are harsh and cruel. The content of the Yundeshi Tiger Spring Qin bamboo slips only adds some warmth to them, but it cannot be said that there are no problems with Qin laws. Otherwise, why would they be changed during the Han dynasty?
The Han dynasty inherited the system from the Qin Dynasty, borrowing many things from it, and also absorbing many lessons. As a result, the Han Empire lasted for over four hundred years. The Han Dynasty was essentially navigating across the river by feeling its way along the backside of the Qin Dynasty!
