Chapter 16 3. Emperor Qin II courted death
It was three people who accelerated the death of the empire: Hu Hai, Zhao Gao, and Li Si.
First up is Liz.
As I said before, Hu Hai can only report good news but not bad news.But things got really serious, and I'm afraid I couldn't hide it even if I wanted to. The news of the uprisings in various places finally spread into Xianyang Palace.But Hu Hai is irresponsible as usual.His solution was to lower his face, scold the prime minister for his incompetence, and ask him to come up with a plan.
At this time, Li Si started to mess up.
The countermeasure Li Si gave was to strengthen the autocracy of the monarch, increase the burden on the people, increase the intensity of punishment, and intensify the harshness of the criminal law.He said, if the officials and the people are too busy to take care of themselves, how can they have the thought and ability to rebel?
This is such a goddamn logic, nonsense!
Hu Hai was very happy.
Why did Li Si come up with such an idea?Maybe it was to please the emperor, maybe he really couldn't help it.But no matter what, the consequences are very serious: those who pay heavy taxes are regarded as capable officials; those who kill many people are regarded as loyal ministers.Half of the pedestrians on the road have been tortured; half of the streets in Xianyang are dead bodies.The world has been suffering from the Qin Dynasty for a long time, wouldn't it be more gnashing of teeth now?What Li Si did was not to help the tyrant to abuse and become an enemy of the people of the world?
The result of helping the tyrant is to send himself to the guillotine.
In June of the second year of Qin II, Xiang Liang made Mi Xin the king of Chu.In the winter of that year, Hu Hai ordered Li Si to be imprisoned and brought to justice.The public charge was "ineffective in suppressing bandits", the default charge was "collaboration with bandits and conspiracy", and the person in charge of the case was Zhao Gao.
Zhao Gao had long wanted to frame Li Si.
Li Si and Zhao Gao were not in the same way.It was only because Qin Shihuang died of illness in Shaqiu (in today's Guangzong County, Hebei Province), and they wanted to abolish Fusu and establish Huhai, that they colluded together, so they were only accomplices, not accomplices.
In fact, Li Si and Zhao Gao couldn't even talk about working together.Just when the anti-Qin waves were rising and falling, they were also fighting in the nest.It's just that Zhao Gao was more ruthless, and Hu Hai favored Zhao Gao even more.
Zhao Gao knew exactly where Hu Hai's weakness was.He told Hu Hai that the prime minister was also a participant in the sand dune conspiracy back then.Now that His Majesty is the emperor, but the prime minister has not conferred the title of king or marquis, does he have no idea?
Hu Hai's heart skipped a beat.
Zhao Gao said again, where is Prime Minister Li Si from?Chu people.Where is the traitor Chen Sheng from?He is also from Chu.The prime minister's eldest son, Li You, was the county guard in Sanchuan, and he never took the initiative to suppress bandits. Doesn't this explain something?
Hu Hai's heart moved again.
As a result of repeated actions like this, Li Si was finally imprisoned.But Li Si had a clear conscience and thought that the truth could be revealed.So he wrote a letter to Hu Hai.This letter is called a confession, but it is actually a defamation, but it is worth reading.
However none of this worked.Zhao Gao threw Li Si's "statement of guilt" on the ground, and said dismissively: "A prisoner, what kind of book do you have?"
So Li Si had to die.
Li Si was punished with five punishments and executed in Xianyang.The five punishments were to cut off the tongue, in addition to tattooing, cutting off the nose, and cutting off the toes, because Li Si had committed "defamation".Of course, before he was cut in half, he had to be beaten hard, and after he was cut in half, he still had to be chopped into meat in public on the execution ground.
It is said that Li Si once said to his second son before his execution: If I want to lead the yellow dog with you and chase the cunning rabbit outside the east gate, is it okay?
Of course not.
Li Si, a famous prime minister of a generation, was framed and died in this way.All his contributions to Great Qin were completely forgotten by the empire.As a victim, he certainly did not die with peace.But he should know that the empire built according to their legalist thinking is inhumane and unreasonable.That's just a meat grinder.In this meat grinder, no one feels safe.Back then, wasn’t that genius thinker Han Fei also framed to death?Isn't it Li Si who framed Han Fei?Isn't the method of framing exactly the same as that of Zhao Gao?Then, before Li Si died, would he still think of his old classmate?
Li Si died, and it was Hu Hai's turn next.
Hu Hai was forced to death by Zhao Gao's palace coup.At this time, Zhao Gao had succeeded Li Si as prime minister, Liu Bang's troops had captured Wuguan (in today's Shangnan County, Shaanxi Province), and Hu Hai was truly alone.So Zhao Gao's accomplices rushed into the palace, counted Hu Hai's various crimes, and forced him to commit suicide.
Hu Hai said: Can I still see the prime minister?
The coup d'état said: no.
Hu Hai said again: Can you give me a county and be king?
The coup d'état said: no.
Hu Hai said again: Is it okay to be the Marquis of Wanhu?
The coup d'état said: no.
Hu Hai said again: Is it okay to be an ordinary person?
The coup d'état said: Forget it!We are ordered by the prime minister to kill your subordinates for the sake of the world.What's the use of talking more?
Hu Hai also had to commit suicide.
It is said that before Hu Hai died, there was only one eunuch left by his side.
Hu Hai asked: Do you know that things have come to this point?
The eunuch said: I know.
Hu Hai said: Why didn't you tell me earlier?
The eunuch replied: I dare not.If I said it earlier, would I still be alive today?
Hu Hai couldn't say a word.
Yes, a person, if he can't hear half of the truth, how can he not fail?How can a regime not collapse if it makes everyone afraid to speak?
In fact, Hu Hai wasn't such a jerk in the first place.Back then Zhao Gao urged him to pretend to usurp the throne, but he refused repeatedly.Hu Hai said: It is unrighteous to abandon brothers and establish younger brothers; it is unfilial to disobey the father's order; it is incompetent to practice falsification.Even if you get the throne, the world will not accept it, you will not be able to protect yourself, and the country will be in danger!
These are all plain words, why did you become obsessed with ghosts later?
Similarly, Daqin in the "post-Li Si era" was not hopeless at first.Because there is no Li Si, there is Zhang Han.
Unfortunately, Zhang Han was not tolerated by Zhao Gao either.
What's more unfortunate is that Zhang Han met a man who was more brave and skilled than him.This person is Xiang Yu.And the place where the two of them competed was Julu (now Pingxiang County, Hebei Province).
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