Home Categories Chinese history Yi Zhongtian's History of China 07·Qin Conquer the World

Chapter 12 5. Qin deserves to die

Just as Chen Sheng and Wu Guang attacked the city, and heroes from all over the place responded one after another, Qin II's Xianyang Palace was full of singing and dancing. Qin II is called Hu Hai. Hu Hai is the youngest son of Qin Shihuang, and logically speaking, he should not be emperor.The successor chosen by Qin Shihuang himself was not Hu Hai, but his son Fusu.It's a pity that this edict, which has been stamped with a seal, was dropped by the eunuch Zhao Gao and the prime minister Li Si, Hu Hai became the second emperor, and Fusu was given death by Jiaozhao. Did Qin Shihuang think of this result?

I can't think of it, and I can't control it.The dictator is currently being transported to Xianyang lying on a heap of abalone.He died in the hot July, and Prime Minister Li Si kept his funeral secret.In order to cover up the smell of corpses, the car had to be filled with abalones. Qin Shihuang, how could he expect to be with abalone? But it deserves what happened like this! Yes, it deserves it!If he wasn't so domineering, domineering, violent, and headstrong, things wouldn't be so bad.At the very least, he could have announced to the world earlier that he would make Fusu the crown prince; or he could hold an imperial meeting when he was seriously ill to make arrangements in advance.

But he refused, and no one else dared to remind him.As a result, the first hero left a bad reputation for thousands of years, and even ruined his own country. Destruction is certain, because Hu Hai is a bastard.The biggest contribution of this bastard is that he contributed an idiom to Chinese culture called "pointing a deer into a horse".An emperor is so played by his subordinates, and he is still unaware, what is it if he is not a bastard? He was later forced to kill by Zhao Gao, and he deserved it. In fact, Qin should die for the second generation.Because when Chen Sheng and Wu Guang just revolted, the information was sent to the court.This shows that the state machinery designed and manufactured by Qin Shihuang was functioning normally, and the efficiency was not low.However, Hu Hai will kill whoever sends such information, forcing the intelligence department to deceive themselves and say: there are some small thieves in the local area, and they have all been caught by the county guard and county magistrate, so there is nothing to worry about.

Only then did Hu Hai smile happily. Even until Qin was about to perish, Hu Hai refused to repent.At that time, Prime Minister Li Si and others suggested that the construction of Afang Palace should be stopped in order to raise military expenses and quell public grievances.Hu Hai's disposition was to send all the ministers to prison.The reason is: as ministers of the imperial court, you can't control thieves, but you can control me! As a result, two of the ministers who were blamed committed suicide due to the humiliation. The opportunity of the Great Qin Empire to save itself was lost time and time again.If such a bastard emperor does not fall, it is really unreasonable.

However, if the emperor of Qin was not Hu Hai, would he die? Probably too. There is no evidence that there was no uprising before Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.On the contrary, such uprisings may have occurred many times, but they were not included in the annals of history because the scale was too small to be significant. Is there any basis for saying this? There is no historical basis, but there is a logical basis. Based on Chen Sheng’s words—— We know that where there is oppression, there is resistance.Therefore, since "the world has suffered from the Qin Dynasty for a long time", Chen Sheng's uprising will not be the only one.

The question is, are Chen Sheng's words reliable? Reliable, because he's not alone in saying so.During the Northern Expedition, Wu Chen lobbied the gentry and virtuous men of the counties, saying that "the world is one heart, but Qin has suffered for a long time", and this pain has been going on for decades.Of course, this is not about Hu Hai alone. So, where is the suffering? The first is the heavy burden, and the second is strict law enforcement. As we all know, Qin Shihuang has made many "great achievements": building roads, overcoming dangers, breaking river defenses, selling weapons, conquering Baiyue, and building the Great Wall.These are his "unification great cause", but they all require a lot of manpower, material and financial resources.Manpower and property are not born in the sky, the earth is not long, and the emperor himself does not have them. Where did they come from?

Squeeze through the teeth of the people. Tighten your belt and pay exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. The problem is that you have to take your life and wealth.Of those who went on expeditions, guarded the border, built the Great Wall, and built mausoleums, how many survived?How many of the old, weak, sick and disabled who stayed in place can live and work in peace and contentment?Either the wife and children are separated, or the family is destroyed. Qin Shihuang's "great cause of unification" was thus written by the bones of the heads of Guizhou and the blood and tears of the grassroots.According to statistics, only Meng Tian's Northern Expedition and Tu Sui's (read Rushi) Southern Expedition destroyed at least two million families.

May I ask what is this great cause, and whose great cause is it? Who is willing to do such a great cause? No. Therefore, the only means is high pressure.The strictness and cruelty of the Qin law are appalling.For example, those who are exterminated in the law should first tattoo and smear the prisoner's face with ink, which is called tattooing (read like Qing); then cut off the nose, called 劓 (read like righteousness); cut off the toes, called 刖 (month); beat alive To die, then chop off the head, and finally chop it into meat in public on the execution ground, it is simply inhumane. Isn't this tyranny?

At least, it is also tyranny. Such tyranny, let alone the people can't bear it, even Fusu can't stand it.Perhaps it would be better for Fusu to come to power.Maybe!It is a pity that history cannot be assumed, and the people cannot wait.Yes, is it not enough to extort taxes, impose severe punishments, and kill innocent people indiscriminately? enough! The people who live under the tyrannical rule are really fed up!Therefore, as long as someone takes the lead in rebellion, there will be a hundred responses.Even the soothsayer who advised Chen Sheng and Wu Guang was a witness of "the world has been suffering for a long time".Otherwise, why should he meddle in his own business, and why should he work hard in secret?

Once anger is lit, it burns; once an altar is built, someone has to sacrifice.If the emperor's head cannot be cut off, he can only kill officials.On the altar in Daze Township, the head of the military leader is placed. The same goes for other counties. This is not surprising.In fact, after Shang Yang's reform, officials at all levels in Qin State were armed with legalist ideas and consciously became tools of autocracy.The empire needs tigers and wolves, and they are "beast trainers"; the empire needs sheep, and they are "shepherd dogs."Therefore, the more loyal these people are to the sovereign, the more cruel they are to the people.Almost without exception, Qin's loyal officials are cruel officials.Because they are not cruel officials, they cannot implement those harsh laws.

The people gritted their teeth against them, and it was a matter of course. No wonder Kuai Tong said to Xu Gong in this way: Your Excellency has been Fan Yangling for ten years, the father of murder, the son of a lonely man, the broken foot of a man, the head of a tattooed man, there are too many to count.The reason why the loving fathers and filial sons in the county didn't stab their feet in the stomach was because they were afraid of Qin Fa.Now that the world is in chaos, if Qin Law is not enforced, wouldn't you be doomed? Of course it was dead.After the Chen Sheng Wu Guang uprising, people from all over the country responded by killing the officials sent by the imperial government.In the words of Wu Chen, it is "the county kills its magistrate, and the county kills its guard", and "the family is angry for itself, and the people are fighting for themselves, each avenging its grievances and attacking its enemies." This is the evil fruit planted by Qin Shihuang and the others. Qin's demise was not accidental. Chen Sheng's success is not accidental. So, what about his failure?
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