The Great Qin Empire is the source of Chinese civilization. The era in which the Great Qin Empire lived was the most important era in China's 5,000-year history of civilization. Unfortunately, due to the brevity of the unified empire and the deliberate derogation of the official ideology centered on Confucianism, the Qin Empire was almost lost in the mist of history under the notoriety of "tyranny and tyranny".Not to mention the errors and breaks shown by the limited historical materials, Ming and Qing popular novels, "The Romance of the Twenty-Four Histories" and other popular historical works, the description of the Qin Empire is even more reckless and blasphemy, and even smeared this period of history into a hideous Terrible beyond recognition.This absurd view of history is not only the visualization of the official orthodox ideology, but also spread among the people, forming a long-standing reputation among the Chinese people for "tyranny of the Qin Dynasty".In fact, for the Chinese people who love to talk about the past and the present, storybook novels, storytelling dramas, and folklore have played a far greater role in infiltrating and laying the groundwork for public consciousness than obscure history books.Over the past two thousand years, in the depiction and judgment of the Qin Empire, the old orthodox form and the old folk art have the same effect, either deliberately belittled or recklessly smeared. Bizarrely deformed.

This is the tragedy of Chinese history, and it is also the tragedy of Chinese civilization—a nation with a sense of justice and history, but forcibly classifies the great empire that laid the foundation of its own civilization into a different category and condemns it fiercely! The far-reaching shadow of the tragedy is gradually fading with the progress of history, and the Confucian-style vicious curses have basically come to an end.However, the understanding of the Qin Empire by the people of the country and even the world is still hazy and chaotic.Although the Great Wall, Terracotta Army, county system, weights and measures, and even the square characters we use every day (please note that people call them "Chinese characters") are all there, the division of people's ideas remains the same.

What is Qin?The common people still don't know much about it.Even in the intellectual class, those who can roughly talk about the history and basic achievements of the Qin Empire are rare. Therefore, there was an urge to explain the Qin Empire clearly. In the long and arduous writing process, this impulse has slowly faded into a simple desire-to show the facts and let people judge for themselves. Even so, I still want to talk about some basic ideas formed in the process of research and writing, and provide readers and researchers with some discussion materials for in-depth evaluation. In the usual sense, "empire" is a historical concept.It generally includes three basic criteria: first, the unification of a vast country (small countries do not have empires); second, autocratic rule (democracy has no empires); third, strong military expansion (no expansion can make an empire).Qin was extremely distinct in these three aspects, and could be regarded as a typical classical empire rather than an ordinary dynasty.

Therefore, this long historical novel describing the process of Qin's rise and fall is called "The Great Qin Empire". As a great empire, Qin Zhi was slightly earlier than the Roman Empire in the West, but it was generally contemporaneous.In the simple and rough iron farming age, the Qin Empire and the Western Roman Empire became the two suns hanging high in the sky of human history, and at the same time became the source of Eastern and Western civilizations.However, the historical destinies of the Great Qin Empire and the Roman Empire were completely different.There are two basic aspects here that are particularly noteworthy: First, the unified power of the Qin Empire existed for a very short period of only fifteen years; while the Roman Empire had a history of hundreds of years of great power.Second, the whole set of state system and civilization system created by the Qin Empire laid the foundation of Chinese civilization and has been handed down continuously; the Roman Empire, which has a history of hundreds of years, has become countless broken pieces in the course of history. The shards have never been able to establish a unified civilization that has been inherited in one continuous line.

One is that the surging river will last forever.One is that the source and flow are broken, and the vast river turns into a gurgling stream. The difference in historical destiny implies the huge difference in the two civilizations.It is not the task of literature to study this difference in detail and comparatively. What "The Great Qin Empire" shows is only an image story of the rise and fall of this great eastern empire.The comparison with the Roman Empire only shows that the Qin Empire is an oriental empire with worldwide significance, a great empire that created a whole set of immortal civilization system.In the entire history of human civilization, such a great empire is unique.

This is the foundation of my belief in creating "The Great Qin Empire". I have a sacred worship of the Great Qin Empire. First, let’s talk about the great era and the great spirit of the times. The rise and fall of the Qin Empire for more than 500 years (from the establishment of the vassal states of Qin to the demise of Emperor II) was the most free-spirited and vibrant golden age in Chinese history.In the words of that time, it was an era of drastic changes in which "the rites collapsed and the music collapsed, the kettles thundered, the high banks became valleys, and the deep valleys became mausoleums".In the words of historicism, it was an era of great destruction, great creation, great sinking, great rise and fall, and thus a great transformation in general.The transition from the bronze civilization to the iron civilization, the transition from the peasant aristocratic economy to the free peasant landlord economy, and the transition from a federal state system to a centrally ruled state system made the Chinese nation reach the ultimate state of agricultural civilization in that era.

The historical process of this glorious transformation is the historical process of the rise and fall of the Qin Empire. The spirit of the times bred in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period is strong competition and strong survival.In the words of the time, it was the "World of Great Controversy" where "everyone has flesh and blood, there is contention".The so-called great struggle means to fight comprehensively, thoroughly, for a long time, and for ruthlessly.The combination of disputes in the Spring and Autumn Period for about three hundred years is like spring water melting the river ice, breaking the suffocation and closure of the classical federal kingdom era, iron tools appearing, commerce flourishing, Ida brakes faltering, the authority of the emperor weakening, new landlords and scholars emerging, The life state of the whole society is greatly activated.As a result, the old system collapsed, the old culture was destroyed, the lowly civilian slaves like earthen pots became agitated like thunder, the high mountains collapsed, and the deep valleys rose into towering mountains!Entering the Warring States period, this kind of dispute finally evolved into a big battle, and a thorough competition for strong survival began.The weak will perish, and the backward will be beaten, which has become an iron-blooded reality with almost no buffer.A thorough reform, a complete refresh of oneself, has become the imminent way of survival for every state.The resulting talent competition is starkly fierce.The incompetent and mediocre were abandoned, the foolish monarch was killed, the celebrities and talents became the treasures of the world, and the Mingjun and the hero became the most popular hero.Famous generals emerge in large numbers, great talents are like a cloud, and heroes emerge one after another.All branches of civilization of the Chinese nation have been involved in this comprehensive and thorough competition!Economy, politics, military affairs, culture, all areas of social life collide with the most brilliant splendor in this great struggle.The largest war, the most thorough economic reform, the most brutal power struggle, the most intense cultural contention, the closest connection between the fate of the people and the fate of the country, the most miracles created, the most great men emerged... All these are the later era Incomparable, even unimaginable.

The Qin Empire, which grew up in such a historical soil, is the crystallization of the powerful forging of that great era. The Qin Empire rose in the forest of great powers competing with iron and blood, and tolerance contained the vigorous, simple, innovative and realistic spirit of that era.She advocated the rule of law, thoroughly reformed, worked hard to build, and unified government orders. After more than 160 years of unswerving efforts by six generations of leaders, she completed the greatest imperial revolution, established a powerful and unified empire, and created It ushered in a brand-new iron civilization age, and made China's agricultural civilization complete a great historical transformation.

As the collection of the spirit of the times, the Great Qin Empire most concentratedly embodies the strong survival spirit of the Chinese nation in that era.The reason why the entire civilization system of the Chinese nation can continue like a mighty river is that the strong survival tradition created and established by the Qin Empire played a decisive role. This strong spirit of survival can be summarized into six basic aspects: First, a thorough and continuous reform and revolution is based on stimulating the most vigorous vitality of the people and the strongest strength of the country. This is what is meant by "seeking change and preserving the image".Second, implement the strategy of "strong rebound and limited expansion" against the impact of external barbarians and ignorant civilizations.Third, integration and unity, domineering and majestic.Fourth, unify the structure of the carrier of civilization, so that ethnic branches with different customs can be united under the same carrier of civilization.Fifth, be inclusive, and dissolve and integrate different civilizations that have flowed in from the outside.Sixth, uphold the rule of law and implement the rule of meritocracy.

This basic spirit of strong survival has been consistently expressed in the historical development of Chinese civilization.Otherwise, it is impossible for our country with a vast territory and a large population to survive tenaciously in a unified civilization for thousands of years and become the only one in the world. The Great Qin Empire is another black hole in Chinese history, a huge mystery of its rise and fall.She has only fifteen years of life, like a meteor flashing, roaring away. In this huge historical gap and the dramatic fate of the empire, there are countless magical stories and the joys and sorrows of great celebrities.They played this symphony of history with their slender, magnificent, upright, evil, heroic, or mediocre personal destinies.The framework of social civilization woven by the empire and the cultural traditions it embodies still regulate our lives today and constitute the great spiritual pillar of the Chinese nation.

These are the most basic connotations that "The Great Qin Empire" must use stories to express. Although we have not forgotten the Qin Empire, we have also neglected the courage and creativity of that era. In the face of this decline of the national spirit, the European revival is our mirror. When European society was about to be suffocated by the Dead Sea in the Middle Ages, Europeans launched the Renaissance, trying to recall the powerful vitality from the vigorous civilizations of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.History has not failed the European nation.It was the brilliance of the original civilizations of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire that destroyed the barriers of the medieval religious lord civilization and triggered the magnificent Enlightenment.A new bourgeoisie broke out and ushered in a new era in human history. The dusty history has such a huge power? Indigenous civilization is the foundation of a nation.In the history of a country or a nation, in its history from trickling streams to surging rivers, there must be a pivotal period of precipitation, cohesion, sublimation, and maturity.The cultural civilization formed in this era, like a person's life genes, will always affect or determine a person's life trajectory in various ways.This is the original civilization.The deep reflection of each nation on its original civilization has always been a treasure house of spiritual resources for each nation to exert its creativity in each era. When many people lacked confidence in the face of Western civilization, when our national civilization was diluted and messed up by various factors, we forgot about the Great Qin Empire, that great era, and the pursuit of "Phoenix Nirvana" from the great original civilization. " regenerative power. Compared with the original Western civilization, the Chinese original civilization created by the Qin Empire is more splendid and greater. The ancient Greek civilization, which was roughly synchronized with the Spring and Autumn Period of China, was gentle, fragile and delicate.Although it is open and colorful, it lacks a strong tension and tough resistance.Therefore, it suddenly collapsed and perished in front of the sword and shield phalanx of the Roman legion.This is an inevitable tragedy of a nation where culture is better than quality.The vast Roman Empire was a rigid society made of iron horses, swords and shields.He did not learn from the Greek civilization to transform himself, and his own nation lacks a rich and profound native civilization.Therefore, he disintegrated silently in the erosion of time.This is the inevitable tragedy of a nation whose quality is better than words. The Great Qin Empire was not the case.She has not only created a broad and profound civilization system, but also has a strong life tension and extremely tenacious resistance.Harsh natural conditions, intense internal integration, encroachment by barbaric tribes, invasion by powerful foreign enemies, ideological contests, and infiltration of various cultures have far failed to shake her foundation.During the more than 500 years of the ups and downs of the Qin Empire, the Chinese civilization has gone through a lot of tempering and perfected it, with unparalleled independence and stability.The original civilization created in the Qin Empire era enabled the Chinese to survive the ups and downs for more than two thousand years without perishing the country and extinction. We can proudly say that on this earth, only the original civilization created by the Chinese has survived and developed continuously on its own land until today! This is by no means what can be explained by "a vast land, abundant resources and a large population". Isn't the Roman Empire big?Isn't the Ottoman Empire big?How big was the Byzantine Empire?Isn't Genghis Khan's empire big?One by one, they vanished into ashes, and all became a passing cloud. The ethnic groups on which these empires depended have also been drowned and dispersed into various human ethnic groups... Only the Chinese nation, a yellow-skinned, black-haired, written square characters, speak monosyllabic The nation established by the nation is always based on its original civilization. I also have to thank the Great Qin Empire, the creator of our great native civilization. I also have to thank the fighting spirit and life tension contained in this native civilization. This is the pride and passion that often surged in the writing of "The Great Qin Empire". otherwise.I can't hold on for so many years. From the perspective of literature and art, the Great Qin Empire is undoubtedly a worldwide theme. This is not only due to the foundational role of the Qin Empire in Chinese history.From the perspective of literature and art, what is more important is the story of this era itself.The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, which produced China's native civilization, are the holy land in the hearts of Chinese people.Politics, economy, military, science and technology, literature and art, law, philosophy, mystical culture... In all basic fields, that era created the highest classics of our nation in the era of natural economy, and deservedly Entered the highest hall of human culture.In terms of the scale of the war alone, in the Changping war between Qin and Zhao, the total number of troops participating in the battle exceeded one million, and Qin annihilated more than 500,000 of Zhao's main force (killing 200,000 in a pit)!Such a scale of war still radiates dazzling brilliance and is insurmountable even in contemporary times.The various characters who created these miracles and the twists and turns of these events constitute a dramatic story that the writer cannot imagine out of thin air.To show these characters, to show these stories, to show those embarrassing historical flesh and blood is the pride and mission of literature and art. Before the Yuan Dynasty in China, China was the center of world civilization, and the Western world was the "peripheral civilization" at that time.During the Qin Empire and the more than a thousand years after it, the prosperity and decline of China was always the central trend of the world, all of which had a profound impact and influence on other civilizations in the world.The root of Chinese civilization's long internal strength lies in the Qin Empire, not in any other era.From this point of view, the process of creating native civilizations in the age of empires and the epic rise and fall of disillusionment are the most valuable cultural deposits in the world today.The development of this period of history by literature and art has special significance and special value.Because only literature and art can vividly tell people how full, how high-spirited, how confident, and how enterprising the life state of people in that era was! It is a pity that no literary and artistic works positively expressing the era of the Qin Empire have been published. Although his academic ability is superficial and his writing skills are poor, he still tried his best to fight. I often feel that if I don't finish this thing, my soul will never be at peace. Since I entered desk work in the winter of 1993, I need not elaborate on the difficult setbacks.To complete a large project, all kinds of difficulties are almost inevitable, and we have to bite the bullet and ignore it. As an author, what I want to tell readers is still a little experience about the work. The most difficult part of "The Great Qin Empire" is tailoring, which is to sort out a story frame.The Age of Empires is an era of myriad events and mist.The vast and messy classics and materials, countless inseparable and at a loss stories and endings, often make people feel dazed and dizzy that there are treasures everywhere and no judgment can be made.Mr. Lu Xun once said with emotion that the Three Kingdoms is suitable for writing novels, but the Spring and Autumn and Warring States are not suitable for writing novels.The real difficulty may lie here.Taking the Qin Empire as the main body, taking the rise and fall of the empire as the main line (the old saying is called "the fate of the country"), and taking the fate of characters and the conflict of events as the latitude and longitude, although it is a better way that can be thought of, it still cannot accommodate all the conflicts of the great empire era. Even had to cut off a lot of important materials (such as many stories of great men).This regret may never be made up for.In order to enable readers to gain a deeper insight into the fate of the empire, I intend to write the stories of the early Qin tribes into a special book called "Princes on Horseback", which will be published separately after completion, so as to fully present the ancient story of the ancient tribe that once made great contributions to the civilization of the Chinese nation. The historical destiny of the tribe. ——Revised in Spring 2008