The two previous conversations with the First Emperor also mentioned some of the reasons for the decline and fall of the Qin Dynasty, but these were mentioned in passing while discussing other topics, so it was rather disjointed. However, this time the First Emperor came specifically to discuss the cause of its downfall.
Li Nian recalled the draft in his mind, speaking out: "From the perspective of later generations, there are many reasons for the collapse of the Qin Dynasty, such as the harsh laws of Qin, the failure of military merit system, the evil intentions of six states nobility, Huo Ye's son and Zhao Gao... These are indeed some of the reasons for its decline and fall."
Li Nian changed the tone of his words: "However, I have been thinking recently, and I believe that the most important reason is that the Qin Dynasty was the first to unite the world and did not want to implement a unified country under a divided feudal system."
"The Qin Dynasty was the first to create such a state, and there was no precedent in history. Therefore, the Emperor and the Qin officials did not know how to govern such a vast empire."
"Without historical experience to draw upon, the King and the Qin officials had to explore and experiment on their own, as if they were navigating in the dark, unsure whether they would encounter a muddy path or a smooth road ahead."
This was the insight Li Nian had from the bamboo slips of the Qin officials a few days ago. Standing from a historical perspective, he knew very well the achievements and mistakes of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, as well as the success and failure of the Qin Dynasty.
What if we were to stand in the shoes of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the ministers of the Qin Dynasty?
The Qin Dynasty was the first unified dynasty in Chinese history!
"First" means unprecedented, it means the first time, it means there is no experience of predecessors to refer to, everything starts from here, they go to try and explore."
So, how can one govern such a state effectively?
Were the laws and regulations issued correct or incorrect?
People downstream in history can easily see things clearly, but for those in this era, it is a misty unknown.
It's as if there were a ghost from a later era, representing the first time such a state appeared in world history. Unprecedented, with no experience to refer to, they could only cross the river by feeling the stones step by step.
Exploration does not always lead to success. Feeling one's way across the river may lead to falling and drowning in the river!
It was the same with various schools of thought during the Warring States period. They were also a group of seekers, trying to find a suitable path in this period of great change. Whether it was Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, or Mohist School.
That Chunyu Yue and others submitted a memorial to restore the system of feudalism during the Zhou Dynasty, does it mean they genuinely believe that feudalism is good?
Could there be another possibility that in their knowledge, the Zhou Dynasty was the best, and they did not know how to surpass it, so they wanted the Qin Dynasty to follow the path of the Zhou Dynasty?
This is a form of confusion and worry about the potential adverse effects of reform, leading them to consider restoring the Zhou rites as a solution.
After all, the risks of reform are unknown, but following the model of the Zhou Dynasty ensured an eight-hundred-year reign.
Couldn't people like Li Si, who were intelligent, not see the impact of "burning books and burying scholars"?
Of course he could see it, but in his view, the impact of that was not as significant as the achievements gained.
Unfortunately, later history proved that the impact was greater than Li Si thought, but how could Li Si, living in that era, judge that the impact would be so great? It was even considered one of the tyrannical policies of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
This is the limitation of the time. Ancient people who lived in that era could not judge the right or wrong of some of their actions, especially in comparison to later standards.
Li Nian continued: "Since it was the first time, and they were in the process of exploration, Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the officials of the Qin Dynasty could not foresee whether many things would be good or bad. It was a stroke of luck for the Han Dynasty. Emperor Gaozu established the Han after Qin, and some things had already been tried by Qin in front of Han, which allowed Han to avoid many detours."
"Anyway, as long as they open their writing eyes and copy what Qin did, they can keep what was right and give up or correct what was wrong. I think all the emperors of the Han Dynasty should say 'thank you' to Emperor Qin Shi Huang!"
When Li Nian spoke, Ying Zheng's face turned black, and he felt a strong sense of injustice in his heart. He felt that the Qin Dynasty had been used as a wedding dress for the Han Dynasty.
Ying Zheng thought in his heart: 'Once I find that Xian Gong, I will treat him well!'
Li Nian continued, "Therefore, for the fall of the Qin Dynasty, I believe it is unnecessary to be too harsh on Your Majesty and the gentlemen of the Qin Dynasty. You are trailblazers; there is always a possibility of failure in trying."
Ying Zheng's expression improved a lot. After all, he has been dealing with government affairs more recently and has become increasingly aware of the differences between governing the entire world and governing the old Qin. When he was governing the Qin Dynasty, he could clearly see the impact of a policy, but now, sometimes he can't see it clearly.
But Li Nian's next sentence brought Ying Zheng back from his thoughts, as he said: "The second major reason for the fall of the Qin Dynasty, in my view, is Your Majesty!"
Ying Zheng's gaze fell sharply on Li Nian, but Li Nian was not as tense as during the first two encounters. He spoke calmly, "Your Majesty was too hasty and too confident. You wanted to control the entire realm in a very short time, and you believed you could do it, thus overlooking the actual situation."
"In history, Wang Wan was relieved of his position as prime minister by Your Majesty and replaced by Li Si as prime minister. I believe this is a reflection of Your Majesty's haste."
"Prime Minister Wang Wan advocated for the temporary postponement of controlling the entire realm by governing remote areas, and only after controlling neighboring regions should the remote areas be addressed."
"Your Majesty was too impatient, how could one wait? Therefore, in the historical records, Li Si succeeded Wang Wan as the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty, because Li Si shared the same thoughts as Your Majesty—both of them were impatient and confident!"
"But have you considered whether the Qin Dynasty has enough officials to govern the original lands of the six states? And whether the people of the six states are willing to accept governance by the Qin Dynasty?"
"Perhaps Your Majesty has thought about it in history, but it doesn't matter. You are confident that you can accomplish it, and you can make the world submit."
"The fact that there was no designated heir during Your Majesty's reign is also one of the manifestations of Your Majesty's overconfidence!"
"Perhaps Your Majesty believed that no son could inherit the throne, so he did not establish an heir. But I believe that more likely, Your Majesty felt that all things were under control and could establish an heir at any time, so there was no need to rush."
"However, the reality was that after Your Majesty's death, Huo Ye's son, Zhao Gao, and Li Si fabricated a fake imperial edict, murdered Fusu's son, allowing Huo Ye's son to ascend to the throne and lead to the decline and fall of the Qin Dynasty."
Ying Zheng heard the meaning in Li Nian's words, "You should have appointed a successor, whether it was Fusu or another prince. If you hadn't given Huo Hai that little punk an opportunity to manipulate, the Qin Dynasty might not have fallen after only two generations."
You are too confident, thinking that not establishing an heir is no problem. Even if you had to die, leaving a will could still make people follow orders, but unfortunately, Huo Hai, Zhao Gao, and Li Si did not listen to your will.
"The overconfidence of Your Majesty is also evident in his failure to completely eliminate the nobility of the six states!"
"Who are the nobility of the six states? The Qin Dynasty overthrew their country, took away their power and wealth. What do you think they would be thinking in their hearts? What would they do if they had the chance?"
"Your Majesty was confident that these people had no harm, and did not eliminate their influence, but instead allowed them to flourish, which ultimately became a problem for the Qin Dynasty!"
"The third major reason for the fall of the Qin Dynasty is Huo Ye and Zhao Gao, which can be attributed to Your Majesty."
This remark made Ying Zheng's face turn even darker. Is there no end to this?
