Chapter 51: Establishing “Reason” for the Great Qin

"Education must guide the people, letting them know what may be learned and what may not, so that they become useful subjects to the Great King and to Great Qin, rather than harmful ones."

Ying Zheng said, "What of the 'loyalty to the sovereign, love for the country, and obedience to the law' that you spoke of previously?"

Li Nian nodded. "Precisely. 'Loyalty to the sovereign, love for the country, and obedience to the law' is the premise, as well as the foundation. In future generations, many people possessed great learning, yet fell short of even loving their own country. Instead, they wagged their tails and shouted for enemy states, disparaging their motherland in every possible way and claiming that the air in foreign lands was sweet."

Though he could not comprehend what "air" meant in this context, Ying Zheng knew it certainly was not a compliment.

"Education is also intertwined with the ideology of the state. I previously asked Your Majesty: What principle does Great Qin possess to annihilate the other six states and unify the realm? By what right can we make the peoples of the six states, and indeed the people of the entire world, believe that Your Majesty's governance over them is just?"

"This 'principle' is the state ideology—the principle upon which Great Qin is founded, the principle by which Great Qin governs the realm, and the principle by which the Mandate of Great Qin shall endure!"

"To properly assume the mandate and rectify one's title: Great Qin has already secured the 'mandate,' yet the 'title' has not been rectified. If the title is not rectified, then words will not carry weight; if words carry no weight, then affairs cannot be accomplished."

"Regarding the state ideology of Great Qin, I have already addressed it when clearing Your Majesty's doubts previously: The seven states are one family, sharing the brotherhood of Huaxia. Mutual warfare has plunged the populace into misery. Great Qin has annihilated the six states, ended the chaos, brought peace to the realm, and spared the common people from further suffering. This is a supreme merit to our Huaxia."

"With such an achievement, all the common folk under heaven ought to thank Your Majesty and Great Qin. Is this not precisely the founding principle of Great Qin, and the principle by which Great Qin governs the realm?"

Great Qin destroyed the six states because those six culprits caused the chaos and subjected the living to endless misery; Great Qin eliminated the six states for the sake of all living beings. And since Great Qin ended the turmoil and brought peace to the multitude, the multitude ought to obey and accept its governance.

"In education, we must incorporate the state ideology so that people understand the righteousness and inevitability of Great Qin's destruction of the six states. Only then will Great Qin's governance of the realm be deemed natural and proper by the people, and only then will the populace willingly accept and ultimately embrace Great Qin's rule."

"The education of state ideology must also be steadfastly carried out. The current generation of the peoples from the six states may still harbor grudges against Great Qin and prove difficult to transform, but what of their children? What of their grandchildren?"

Ying Zheng grasped Li Nian's meaning instantly. The education of state ideology could not be abandoned; the present generation of the six states might not believe in these tenets, but their sons and grandsons could be molded.

This meant transforming the peoples of the six states into subjects of Great Qin, erasing the original marks of the six states upon them, and stamping them with the emblems of Great Qin and Huaxia.

From that moment onward, though their lands might differ and they hailed from all corners of the earth, all would be people of Great Qin, all would be brothers and sisters of Huaxia!

"Your Majesty has stationed vast armies along the frontiers, leaving the domestic forces depleted. This actually involves two distinct issues: first, foreign enemies; second, internal rebellion."

"Regarding internal rebellion, my suggestion is to maintain sufficient garrisons within the borders of Great Qin, distributing the stationed troops across the entire realm according to terrain, population size, and the logistical ease of supply."

"If Your Majesty fears that a general stationed in one region for too long might cause the local soldiers to recognize only military orders rather than the sovereign's commands, you could implement a system of regular rotation for garrisoned generals. For instance, every three or five years, replace the commanding general stationed in Shu. In fact, civil officials could be managed similarly."

Li Nian added, "Of course, this suggestion of mine may not necessarily suit the present Great Qin; it still awaits Your Majesty's ultimate determination."

The ancients were not fools; how could they be unaware of the consequences of allowing a major general to garrison a single region for an extended period? Yet why did they not choose to replace generals periodically?

It was simply because the conditions did not allow it. Whether it was the quality of the soldiers or the treacherous terrain... none of it supported such a practice.

"My words are not unfounded, but drawn from historical records. General Zhao Tuo, whom Your Majesty dispatched to conquer Baiyue, carved out his own territory and declared himself king during the great turmoil at the end of Qin."

Ying Zheng was slightly startled at first, then chuckled. "To have waited until after my demise before declaring himself king—that Zhao Tuo may still be considered somewhat loyal."

There was no trace of blame toward Zhao Tuo in his tone, as if it were merely a commonplace and trivial matter.

Li Nian continued, "As for foreign enemies, Your Majesty dispatched General Meng Tian in the north with a force of three hundred thousand to garrison Shangjun and build the Great Wall to fend off adversaries, while in the south, Tu Sui, Zhao Tuo, and Ren Xiao were sent to subjugate Baiyue. This amply demonstrates Your Majesty's emphasis on foreign threats, yet in my view, it is still not enough, and the methods are flawed."

"Take the northern Hu tribes, for example. Since ancient times, they have been a scourge to our Huaxia. Even when one batch is exterminated, another springs up shortly after, much like the wild grass on the grasslands—no amount of grazing by cattle and sheep can consume it, and no raging wildfire can burn it to extinction. Yet why do the Hu tribes continually emerge? Why do they perpetually remain the enemies of our Huaxia, and how can they be effectively governed?"

"The Hu problem proved to be a stubborn malady for later dynasties as well, generating no small number of disasters: In the early Han dynasty, Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu besieged Emperor Gaozu with forty thousand elite cavalry at Mount Baideng, an event recorded in history as the 'Siege of Baideng'; in the early Tang dynasty, Emperor Taizhou was similarly forced to conclude the 'Weishui Alliance' with the Tujue Khan; and Emperor Yingzong of Ming was even captured by the Oirats, becoming the 'Knock-at-the-Gate Emperor'."

Hearing Li Nian mention that the Founding Emperor of Han had fallen into the "Siege of Baideng" and that Emperor Taizong of Tang had been forced to forge the "Weishui Alliance," Ying Zheng felt an inexplicable surge of delight.

Han and Tang—those were two dynasties that future generations took immense pride in. Who would have thought they had such shameful episodes in their past, especially the humiliation suffered by the founding emperor of Han? It brought him profound satisfaction, especially since the Han had succeeded the Great Qin.

As for this Emperor Yingzong, the "Knock-at-the-Gate Emperor," he must have shamelessly helped the Hu barbarians pound on the fortress gates after being captured by them.

Did such a person even deserve to be called a sovereign?

If it were him, he would never have been captured, let alone assist barbarians in battering open the gates!

Emperor堡zong of Ming would never have imagined that his disgrace was being laid bare before the First Emperor himself.

"Why do the Hu tribes continually emerge? I believe the assertion that 'the Hu tribes keep emerging' is inaccurate. The Hu tribes have always been there; it is merely that some Hu groups are small, while others are large."

"When a certain Hu tribe grows powerful, it will annex, conquer, and coerce other weaker Hu groups, forming a force sufficient to threaten the Central Plains dynasties. When this powerful Hu group declines, another Hu group rises to prominence, taking their place and repeating the very deeds of their predecessors."

"The Hu tribes have always been there. It is not a matter of one batch being eradicated only for another to grow in its place, but rather of one powerful Hu race declining while other Hu tribes merely rise to prominence."

"Therefore, if one wishes to eradicate the scourge of the Hu at its root, one cannot focus solely on the currently strongest Hu tribe—such as the Xiongnu, who are growing increasingly formidable in the north at present—but must also pay heed to other Hu groups. We must simultaneously target all Hu tribes, destroying the foundations of their survival, in order to achieve effective governance."

"Why have the Hu tribes perpetually remained the enemies of our Huaxia? I believe it stems, first, from the necessities of their survival, and second, from the fact that once their strength grows, seeing that their neighbors possess fine goods which they lack, they desire to plunder them."

"The Hu tribes posing the greatest threat to the Central Plains dynasties mostly originated from the northern grasslands. The grasslands are unsuited for agriculture, yet their waters and grasses are lush, making them ideal for pastoralism."

"However, just as the moon has its waxes and wanes, and the heavens have their frost, wind, rain, and snow, the grasslands are not suited for grazing at all times."