Ying Zheng listened and thought that Li Nian's proposal was quite interesting. Why not start counting years directly from the reign of the First Emperor's calendar?
The era name starts from the year he ascended the throne and lasts until his death, which can be no more than a few decades. But the Shangxiang Calendar will be used by future generations for thousands of years.
Future generations might not remember the era name he established, but if it were a calendar used every day, there's a good chance they would remember it.
"Is the era name different from the current calendar used by the Qin Dynasty?"
Li Nian said: "Of course, in the future China, the lunar calendar and Gregorian calendar are used in parallel. The lunar calendar is the traditional calendar calculated by my country, which belongs to the yin-yang combined calendar, that is, the synodic lunar month and solar year combined. It is a calendar that simultaneously takes into account the relationship between the sun, moon and our planet."
"It includes the 24 solar terms, which is convenient for agricultural production, allowing people to know when to plant and when to harvest. It is very suitable for our country."
"The Gregorian calendar, however, originated in the West and is based on the solar calendar. It can show the seasonal changes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter caused by the sun throughout a year, but it does not well consider the changes of the moon. It is not suitable for our country's agricultural planting and harvesting."
Ying Zheng didn't ask Li Nian why he had the lunar calendar but still wanted to use that Gregorian calendar. It was simply because the Western powers were stronger and had a greater influence in the future.
Now is the era of the Qin Dynasty, and in the future, I will make all those Westerners use the lunar calendar, no, it's the Shangxiang Calendar!
"The first year of the Gregorian calendar was the birth year of a Western god. It's interesting that, according to our Qin Dynasty's time, that Western god was born more than two hundred years ago."
Ying Zheng finally understood the reason behind Li Nian's proposal to make the year he ascended the throne as the first year of Emperor Shangxiang.
After some thought, Ying Zheng decided to agree to Li Nian's proposal.
The Qin Dynasty currently uses the Zhuansu Calendar, one of the ancient six solar calendars of China. Although it is still usable, it certainly cannot compare to the accuracy of later calendar systems. Moreover, later calendar systems are more conducive to farming.
In an era without fertilizers, artificial rainfall, or other means of assistance, the harvest of agriculture entirely depends on the timing. Having a calendar that helps farmers master the farming time is certainly considered a divine calendar by people all over the world.
Ying Zheng said, "The matter of the calendar will be entrusted to you!"
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
Continuing to talk about the emperor's accession to the throne, Li Nian said: "In the future, emperors will often issue an edict of accession to the world to announce the change of year and general amnesty. Changing years is just what was mentioned earlier about establishing a new era name, and general amnesty is pardoning or reducing some criminals to demonstrate the benevolence of the new emperor and gain public support."
Ying Zheng asked, "What do you think, should I grant a general amnesty when I ascend the throne?"
Li Nian said: "I think it can be done, but the general amnesty should be selective. It is not necessary to forgive all criminals at once. The laws of the Qin Dynasty are strict, and many crimes committed by people are not serious. If Your Majesty can pardon or reduce their sentences, it would be very good."
"But I think that Your Majesty should regard the accession to the throne as a great event, a great event for all the people of Qin, and a grand event is always one that can be enjoyed together with the people. At this time, it is appropriate to issue some decrees."
"On that day, Your Majesty formulated the new laws of Qin, which can perfectly be used to pardon those criminals. Instead of a single edict, this way, you can not only make the people of the entire realm feel Your Majesty's benevolence but also have them remember the new laws of Qin."
This method is indeed effective. By not directly granting amnesty as an emperor, but instead through the new Qin laws, people can quickly get the impression of the new Qin laws in a short period of time.
"Your suggestion is excellent!"
After praising him, Ying Zheng suddenly said, "As you said, the day I ascend the throne is a lucky day, and the entire realm should celebrate together. Do you have any gifts to send?"
Ying Zheng was not really asking Li Nian for a gift, but he was just asking casually. But Li Nian said: "I indeed have a gift, to congratulate Your Majesty and to congratulate the whole realm!"
Do you really have a gift?
Ying Zheng immediately became interested and asked, "May I know what kind of gift it is?"
Li Nian didn't beat around the bush, saying he would only reveal the gift on the day Ying Zheng became emperor. "The first is the method of making salt, the second is the art of smelting iron, the third is a saddle for horses, the fourth is horse shoes, the fifth is the method of making cement, and sixth is a method of making anthracite coal."
"I will present these nine items to congratulate Your Majesty on ascending to the throne of the nine emperors, becoming the supreme ruler of the realm!"
Nine is the extreme number, and the nine items combined with the nine emperors mean five. This young fellow knows how to make a good impression.
Li Nian added: "But I have not yet been able to complete all of these..."
The saddle and horse shoes are easier to talk about, but the method of making salt and the art of smelting iron, if Li Nian had not proposed this method, it couldn't be immediately spread around the world and benefit the people. It involves some process. After considering the current situation of Qin Dynasty, only then can mass production be carried out.
Li Nian proposes a method, and it's immediately scaled up for mass production, how is that possible? What if the method proposed by Li Nian doesn't match the current situation of Qin Dynasty and requires modifications? That would be a waste of manpower and material resources.
After coming to this era, Li Nian realized that there were many things he needed to learn. Among them, a few were not to assume that anything from the future would necessarily be good in this era, and not to think that something that is beneficial to the people would necessarily be approved by Emperor Shangxiang.
The Qin Dynasty was a feudal dynasty, and Emperor Shangxiang was a feudal monarch. One must first convince Emperor Shangxiang that this thing or idea is beneficial to him and the Qin Dynasty before it can be implemented smoothly.
Li Nian's mention of these nine items at this time is both a genuine celebration for Emperor Shangxiang's ascension to the throne and also an attempt to use the guise of a gift to make it easier for Emperor Shangxiang to accept and promote them.
After hearing Li Nian's words, Ying Zheng suppressed the urge to ask for details. After all, he would eventually know. He nodded and said, "If you have any needs, report them to me!"
After explaining the process of the emperor's accession to the throne and various matters, it entered the second stage of Emperor Shangxiang's issues.
This is the real question that Emperor Shangxiang wants to ask: How to modify the current system of government in Qin Dynasty based on the experience of later dynasties?
But the official system varies in each dynasty. For example, during the Ming Dynasty, although there were also six departments, Emperor Hongwu abolished the long-standing three-body system, dismissed the prime minister, and created a cabinet. Although his descendants did not establish a prime minister again, they did establish a cabinet. The official system also includes central government officials and local government officials.
How can all these contents be explained in one go?
Li Nian first informed Ying Zheng of the situation: "The official system in later dynasties is very complex, Your Majesty. If you wish to understand each dynasty in detail, I fear there will not be enough time today."
Ying Zheng said, "It's no problem, first give a general overview. I'll wait for you to explain it in detail later."
Li Nian finally said: "In Chinese history, the most profound influence is the 'Three High Officials and Nine Ministers System' and the 'Three Provinces and Six Departments System'. The Three Provinces and Six Departments System is actually evolved from the Three High Officials and Nine Ministers System. Before Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, various dynasties mainly used the Three High Officials and Nine Ministers System. Emperor Wen of Sui established the Three Provinces and Six Departments System, which was inherited by Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty."
Regarding the Three High Officials and Nine Ministers System, Li Nian did not elaborate much, as Qin Dynasty currently uses it. Of course, he focused on explaining the Three Provinces and Six Departments System, which Ying Zheng was not familiar with.
Note: The next few chapters contain science popularization. Here is the general overview, Three Provinces and Six Departments System, Han's first "Three Talents" and so on. It will formally introduce Han Geng and Zhang Liang to Emperor Shangxiang, fulfilling the introduction mentioned in the introduction.
