The Warring States Period began, and countless vassal states were destroyed, eventually ending in the seven states of Qin, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, and Qi.
There were scattered small countries serving as buffers between the seven countries, most of which were vassals of other countries, such as Wei and Lu.
Now this situation has been broken.
The world returned to unrest.
"What do you mean the world is returning to unrest? It's obvious that the world is returning to stability from unrest." Ying Xiaozheng said dissatisfiedly after hearing what the folk scholars said.
Zhu Xiang quickly stopped Ying Xiaozheng and told him not to go and argue with others.
Ying Xiaozheng was born with the ability to transform into a dragon on the horizontal bar. He would feel uncomfortable when hearing opinions that differed from his own and had to argue with others to see who would win.
This is probably also a manifestation of the emperor's arrogance and dominance.
However, if Ying Xiaozheng wins a debate with someone else, he will sincerely accept the other party's opinion and will not be petty for the sake of face.
Now Zhu Xiang held Ying Xiaozheng back, not because he was worried that he would make enemies with the scholars, but because the Wujun Academy was about to start its exams, and he was worried that Ying Xiaozheng would affect the state of the candidates.
Ying Xiaozheng did not understand Zhu Xiang's idea, but he had no intention of personally debating with a group of scholars who had no talent.
As the Crown Prince of Qin, he did such a thing and used his reputation to elevate the status of others.
Ying Xiaozheng appointed Fuqiu to preside over the entrance examination of Wujun Academy. Fuqiu returned to Wucheng with Ying Xiaozheng and Zhu Xiang.
He sighed and said, "It is probably hard for scholars all over the world to accept this. The Han capital was relieved, so why did the King of Han surrender?"
Ying Xiaozheng said arrogantly: "South Korea is fundamentally like this. It is not surprising that the King of Han did this."
Zhu Xiang asked, "Why did Zheng'er say that?"
Ying Xiaozheng rolled his eyes at his uncle.
My uncle clearly knew the answer, but he acted ignorant and wanted to test me.
When Zhu Xiang saw Ying Xiaozheng rolling his eyes, he knew that Ying Xiaozheng was making malicious assumptions about him again.
It’s unfair. He just wanted to hear what Ying Xiaozheng thought of South Korea.
Without waiting for Zhu Xiang to explain, Ying Xiaozheng spoke out his views on the State of Han and the King of Han.
The three families divided Jin, and their strengths were different, which led to different routes to establishing the country.
The Zhao family had military achievements passed down from generation to generation and controlled the military power of the Jin State, so the Zhao State was also full of martial virtues; the Wei family had been officials who controlled the government of the Jin State for generations, so the Wei State was relatively good at state governance, promoting culture and education and emphasizing the legal system.
Han is different.
Han Jue, the ancestor of the Han family, was originally of ordinary family background. However, he tried his best to protect the Zhao family which was being purged during the reign of Duke Jing of Jin. Later, he formed a close alliance with the Zhao family and became the famous "Orphan of Zhao".
The Wei and Zhao families divided Jin and were evenly matched, so they pulled in the Han family to form a stable triangle.
Han was located between Wei and Zhao, serving as a buffer zone between the two countries.
But South Korea was once powerful.
After the three states divided Jin, although Han's land area was the smallest among the three, it was not much different from Wei and Zhao.
It was difficult for Wei to develop because it was surrounded by Wei and Zhao. Wei had Qin to its west. Although Qin was weak at that time, its land was barren in the eyes of the people in the Central Plains, and Wei did not have much room for development. Zhao had Qi to its east, and Yan was not weak either, so it was difficult for it to expand its territory.
The gap between the three kingdoms of Wei, Han and Zhao widened after the reform.
The King of Wei was good at state affairs, and Li Kui's reform was the most thorough one.
During the reign of Wei Wenhou, the "hereditary noble system" was abolished, allowing ordinary scholars to become nobles. Wei State gathered a large number of talents and became the strongest country in the Warring States Period. Later, Shang Yang's reforms were based on Li Kui's reforms.
Unfortunately, the King of Wei was born into a noble family and he looked down on the lower-class scholars in his heart.
After he used the emerging scholar class to complete the centralization of power as a monarch, he betrayed the recruited emerging scholar class and handed over power to the royal family.
After him, the King of Wei followed suit, and many talented people left the State of Wei, which gradually declined.
The king of Zhao was good at commanding the army, and the reform started from the military system. During the reign of King Wuling of Zhao, the military power of Zhao was the strongest, intimidating the world and recruiting many outstanding generals.
The decline of Zhao was not due to King Wuling's indecision in choosing a successor. King Huiwen was also a good choice.
"The root cause of Zhao's decline is that the general is too strong and the King of Zhao is afraid of him." Ying Xiaozheng said with a straight face.
Fuqiu's eyelids twitched and he quickly lowered his head to hide his expression.
Zhu Xiang sighed, "Yes. When a general is away from home, the battlefield is ever-changing. If you follow the king's orders, you will be defeated. If you don't follow the king's orders, the king will be wary. If the King of Zhao doesn't know how to fight and doesn't trust the general enough, it will often happen that the King of Zhao holds the general back in important battles."
In the history of Zhu Xiang's previous life, the disaster of Zhao State seemed to be caused by the fact that King Zhao did not trust generals such as Lian Po and Li Mu. In fact, the disaster was that Zhao State did not have a system to restrict the military power of generals. Once King Zhao did not trust the generals, both sides would suffer.
King Wuling of Zhao knew military affairs and he was a general himself, so it didn’t matter to him; King Huiwen of Zhao trusted his subjects and his subjects respected him, so the king and his subjects got along well with each other.
When a King of Zhao neither knows military affairs nor trusts the generals in the country, the rift is bound to happen sooner or later.
However, the generals of Zhao were all concerned about their own country. Some of them fled, while others committed suicide. None of them really thought of betraying the King of Zhao. This made the King of Zhao's fear seem unreasonable and foolish.
"King Han became king because of his ability to balance power, and his domestic reforms are also based on political tactics." Ying Xiaozheng's eyes showed a trace of contempt, "The so-called king's mind is nothing but a conspiracy."
Zhu Xiang smiled and sighed, "Did Han Fei say that? People in the world will also regard Shen Buhai as a legal family member."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Legalists also have three schools. For example, Shen Dao emphasized "power", Shen Buhai emphasized "technique", and Shang Yang emphasized "law". Emphasizing only one of them is biased. However, emphasizing both "power" and "law" is still upright, but emphasizing only "technique" is a minor school."
"Shi" means power. Shen Dao believed that the most important thing for a king was to grasp the greatest power in the world, that is, the monarchy and centralization of power. Only with power can one do other things.
"Fa" means decree. Shang Yang believed that all the rules and regulations of the country should be included in the decree. Only with rules can there be order. From the royal family to the common people, everyone should be bound by specific laws and become the "tool" for the prosperity of the whole country.
"Skill" refers to the way of weighing the pros and cons between the ruler and his subjects. It is also called the emperor's mind in later generations, and it mainly focuses on employing people.
Shen Buhai taught the King of Han the way of balance, the power of the monarch and the power of the ministers, the power of the prime minister and the generals, the power of the central government and the local governments, how to win over and how to suppress them, so that the king can firmly control the court and the country in his hands.
During the fifteen years of Shen Buhai's reforms, the power of local feudal lords in Han was basically eliminated. The feudal lords still had the right to govern the local areas, but no military power. If they wanted to seize more power, they had to win the support of the King of Han. All power struggles were concentrated in the court.
As long as the King of Han is wise enough and can make decisions, the Kingdom of Han will become strong.
"It's a pity that the emperor's mind is the only thing that matters. If the emperor is not good, the country will decline rapidly." Ying Xiaozheng said, "And the mind is just a minor thing. If the king does not trust his subjects, the subjects will not be open with the king. If the king only knows how to divide and win over his subjects, the subjects will use all their thoughts to figure out the king's mind."
Ying Xiaozheng sneered and said, "If we encounter the incompetent King Han, the ministers can just pretend to be enemies, attack each other on the surface, and collude with each other in private, so that the King of Han can be manipulated at will."
"The art of being an emperor requires one to be an emperor first before one can have the art. If one only focuses on the art and loses the power of being an emperor, then the law of the country will become a small path, right?"
"The King of Han and his ministers do not trust each other. In times of crisis, the King of Han would rather believe that Qin can save his life than trust the ministers around him. Shouldn't he surrender quickly? Although it looks a bit ugly, it may be the right choice for him."
"If it was a young King of Han who had not been immersed in the court of Han for many years, he might have believed the lies of the Han nobles and officials and lost his life for them."
Zhu Xiang thought about the fate of King Han An, the former king of the Han Dynasty, and wondered whether he should agree with Ying Xiaozheng's words.
King An of Han was placed under house arrest in Chen County, and the old nobles of Han in Xinzheng were executed after a rebellion. The hereditary nobles of Han might care about Han, but they certainly didn't care about a specific king of Han.
Fuqiu raised his head, his eyes shining.
Zhu Xiang nodded: "Zheng'er can go out now."
Ying Xiaozheng asked: "Which division should I be from?"
Zhu Xiang thought hard and asked uncertainly, "Han Fei?"
Ying Xiaozheng said disdainfully: "Han Fei is not my teacher."
Zhu Xiang pointed at himself: "Then... me?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Uncle, what you are best at is farming."
Zhu Xiang laughed: "I am good at farming, and Li Mu is good at fighting. You can neither farm nor fight. It seems that you will never be able to become a teacher in your lifetime. You can try to get a job at Xunzi's place."
Ying Xiaozheng crossed his arms and snorted, "No. I am impatient with the overly complicated Confucian 'rituals'."
Fuqiu's eyes dimmed again.
Alas, even though Crown Prince Zheng was a student of Xunzi, he did not respect Confucianism.
Zhu Xiang said: "Xunzi should have gotten used to it. Not many of his most outstanding disciples valued Confucianism."
Zhu Xiang patted Fu Qiu's shoulder and said, "You have to work hard. If you don't achieve anything in the future, people in the future will laugh at the fact that the most outstanding students taught by Xunzi are Han Fei, Li Si, me, Zheng'er, who don't look like Confucian scholars at all. You should at least make more great Confucian scholars among Xunzi's students."
Fuqiu: “…” Duke Zhu Xiang, do you dare to say this in front of Xunzi
But he didn't dare to say anything, he could only bow and smile bitterly: "The students will do their best."
Ying Xiaozheng was puzzled: "Is Fuqiu a great scholar? Isn't he good at business and taxation?"
Fuqiu: “… !!”
Zhu Xiang said seriously: "A Confucian businessman is also a Confucian. Who says a great Confucian can't be a businessman?"
Ying Xiaozheng shrugged: "Okay, if my uncle says yes, then it's fine. Why don't you become a great scholar? Who says great scholars can't farm?"
Zhu Xiang pinched his chin and said, "That makes sense. I think I am a serious Confucian scholar. So why can't Li Si and Han Fei be Confucian scholars? Confucianism is all-encompassing, so there is no such thing as an inconvenience."
Ying Xiaozheng agreed: "Indeed."
Zhu Xiang said, "How about Zheng'er also become a great scholar?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "I'll think about it."
Fu Qiu turned his face away.
He decided to forget everything he heard today, otherwise his Confucian heart would be damaged.
The demise of the Kingdom of Han and the fact that the King of Han was "invited" to Xianyang was a huge blow to Han Fei and Zhang Liang.
For Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng, it was just one more lesson that they could learn for a long time.
Ying Xiaozheng also tried to teach Cheng Jiao the history of the rise and fall of Korea.
Cheng Jiao's biological mother was a Han woman, and he would definitely become a support for the Han forces in the Qin court in the future.
Only by understanding the intricate relationships among the Korean kings could Cheng Jiao turn the Korean influence in the Qin court into his own use and help his brother control this faction.
After listening to Ying Xiaozheng's first lesson on analyzing South Korea, Cheng Jiao ran to the depressed Han Fei and Zhang Liang and said arrogantly, "You will all rely on me in the future. Now you have to listen to me and help me hide some snacks." He was caught by Ying Xiaozheng and beaten.
Han Fei and Zhang Liang then remembered that Prince Chengjiao was born to a Han woman.
They thought for a moment whether they should help Master Chengjiao.
As soon as the thought came up, they threw it away with disgust.
Not to mention Han Fei, even Zhang Liang, who had only been there for less than a month, could see that the one who most wanted to help Prince Chengjiao was Crown Prince Zheng.
But Crown Prince Zheng wants his younger brother to be his right-hand man, while Prince Chengjiao just wants to be a pendant on his brother's side and eat and drink for free.
The words "Brother, I am your only brother" filled Zhang Liang's head with such a magical sound that he wanted to hit someone.
Instead of hoping that Prince Chengjiao will realize the taste of power when he grows up, integrate the forces of Han in the Qin court, and fight for a higher status for them, the Han people, it is better to place hope directly on Crown Prince Zheng.
Moreover, with the pressure from the Crown Prince Zheng, what can Cheng Jiao do even if he is interested in power? Cheng Jiao, who has been spanked by the Crown Prince Zheng since he was a child, can he still overcome the huge mountain of the Crown Prince Zheng
Compared with Han Fei, who came from the royal family of Han, Zhang Liang recovered from his grief and anger earlier.
He could understand the King of Han's actions.
When King Han ascended the throne, King Zhaoxiang of Qin was at the peak of his power.
King Zhaoxiang of Qin had Fan Ju, Marquis of Ying, at home and Bai Qi, Marquis of Wu'an, outside. The territory of the Three Jins changed from "Wei, Han, and Zhao" to "Wei on top, Han on the bottom, and Zhao on the right", with nearly half of it being annexed by Qin.
The King of Han once struggled hard.
But before the King of Han ascended the throne, his father, King Han Li, and the State of Wei mobilized the entire country's troops and joined forces with the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to fight a decisive battle with the eastward-moving State of Qin.
That was the Battle of Yique.
The battle that made Bai Qi famous.
After that, Han lost all its elite troops and could only waver between Qin and the other five countries.
South Korea has no soldiers and can only use political tactics to tread on thin ice.
Unable to defend Shangdang, Han turned to Zhao. As a result, during the Battle of Changping, Qin continued to attack Han. Zhao was defeated, but Han lost the most territory.
The King of Han offered the city to the Eastern Zhou, hoping that the Duke of Dong Zhou would lead the six-nation alliance to attack Qin. As a result, the Eastern Zhou was destroyed, and the Kingdom of Han was also severely beaten.
The King of Han and his ministers discussed the matter and decided to surrender. So they wore mourning clothes for King Zhaoxiang of Qin and asked to become a vassal state, but Qin refused.
This time the King of Han also tried his best to defend the city and waited for the Chu army to come to the rescue.
After the rescue, King Han went out of the city and saw that only the isolated city of Xinzheng was left.
The King of Han, who had been beaten by the Qin State all his life, was nearly fifty years old, but his mentality was more vicissitudes than that of a man in his seventies or eighties.
He couldn't bear the pressure and collapsed.
Zhang Liang could understand it very well.
But King Han, could you surrender in a less shameful way
Since ancient times, no living person has ever given himself a posthumous title. You even gave yourself a beautiful posthumous title of "expanding territory and loving the people", which is completely contrary to your life.
Even if you think it is difficult for an isolated city to restore its country and want to surrender, you should wait for a while, send the Chu army away first, and then send envoys to Xianyang. The two countries will exchange documents and ask the King of Qin to accept the surrender as a monarch.
You drove yourself to find Xinping Jun Lian Po, you are throwing the face of all Koreans on the ground!
Zhang Liang could not understand. He shut himself up in a dark room. Although he was free from the grief, he seemed to be an empty shell without any thoughts.
(End of this chapter)