Chapter 35: Making Great Qin the Empire Where the Sun Never Sets

Li Nian painted another grand vision for Ying Zheng, and this time the vision truly captivated him. "Whether in day or night, some part of the empire's lands is always bathed in sunlight"—these words stirred a fierce and burning ambition within Ying Zheng. If such a feat could truly be accomplished, what manner of magnificent and powerful empire would that be?

Conquering the six states and unifying the realm had once been his sole objective. After learning from Li Nian that the Great Qin would perish in its second generation, preventing that downfall became his new goal. Now, he had acquired yet another ambition: to forge the Great Qin into an empire upon which the sun never sets!

Yet, could such an empire truly exist?

Should not daytime illuminate the entire world at once, and nighttime plunge all nations into darkness simultaneously?

How could there be lands bathed in sunlight regardless of whether it was day or night?

When Ying Zheng voiced his confusion, Li Nian replied, "Your Majesty, this relates to the very earth beneath our feet. The earth is not a flat square beneath a dome, but a sphere. Once your subject constructs a terrestrial globe, I shall explain it to Your Majesty in detail, and Your Majesty will naturally understand why an empire upon which the sun never sets can exist."

"Speaking of verifying that the earth is a sphere, the best method is to undertake a circumnavigation of the globe. However, the Great Qin's oceanic navigation technology is not yet sufficient and requires further preparation. The ocean is vastly different from solid land; its weather shifts violently, and in the deep sea, there is no land to rely upon for thousands of miles. In this world of ours, only thirty percent is land, while seventy percent is ocean. It is better to wait until your subject has crafted the terrestrial globe before explaining it further to Your Majesty."

"We shall heed your suggestion!"

Ying Zheng then posed another question: "Were the Han and Tang dynasties empires upon which the sun never sets?"

Li Nian was momentarily startled before he realized what was happening. The First Emperor was feeling disgruntled that the Han and Tang dynasties were more revered by future generations than Qin, and had asked the question deliberately. Such was the competitive nature of monarchs; even across different eras, they felt compelled to vie with one another.

Upon hearing Li Nian's answer, "The Han and Tang were not empires upon which the sun never sets!", Ying Zheng felt a sense of satisfaction. Since the Han and Tang had failed to become such empires, his Great Qin must surely achieve it.

Li Nian could think of many commendable aspects of the Han and Tang dynasties, but the reason they were revered by later generations, in his view, was this: "The Han and Tang are revered by future generations because of their immense prosperity, their formidable prestige echoing among foreign lands, inspiring a deep sense of glory and pride whenever later generations speak of them."

Ying Zheng glanced at Li Nian, sensing a hidden meaning in his words—Was he implying that his Great Qin's prestige did not resonate among foreign lands, leaving the people devoid of a sense of glory and pride?

That did not seem right. A thought suddenly occurred to Ying Zheng: if mighty dynasties like the Han and Tang were not empires upon which the sun never sets, then which dynasty or nation was this empire that Li Nian spoke of?

Could it be that...

Frowning, Ying Zheng asked, "Is this empire upon which the sun never sets that you speak of actually a foreign barbarian state in later times?"

The Great King was able to deduce even this on his own; truly, he was worthy of being called the First Emperor. Li Nian replied, "Your Majesty is brilliant, indeed they were all foreign states!"

Ying Zheng offered a cold, mocking evaluation: "To let foreign barbarians become an empire upon which the sun never sets—the dynasties of later eras are truly mediocre!"

Li Nian sighed, "In truth, throughout much of history, our Chinese civilization stood at the very pinnacle of the world, long reigning as the most powerful nation on earth, but alas..."

A thought stirred within Ying Zheng. He looked at Li Nian and said, "I have yet to ask you, by what methods do later generations govern their states?"

Li Nian had consistently intended to evade this question, avoiding it whenever possible. Yet now that the First Emperor had brought it up himself, there was no longer any reason to dodge it. The persona he had carefully cultivated before the First Emperor was that of an honest man.

"Replying to Your Majesty, later states formulated their governance laws according to their respective national conditions; there was no single, immutable state policy. However, in terms of governing philosophy, they were mainly divided into two types. Most nations of later times no longer had monarchs, and even where monarchs were retained, they virtually ceased to hold actual power."

Ying Zheng was already aware that most future nations lacked monarchs; he was merely curious about how those states that still retained monarchs managed to function when those rulers held no power.

Li Nian then briefly explained the governing methods of later eras to Ying Zheng.

Upon hearing of constitutional monarchy, Ying Zheng understood instantly. He cast a glance at Li Nian: so this was the method this young man meant when he spoke of allowing the Qin royal lineage to endure longer, and perhaps even coexist with China itself!