It was already April when Zhu Xiang received the news that Qin was attacking Yan and Zhao Gao was dead.
He took off his straw hat and wiped the sweat off his face with the towel hanging around his neck: "I hope Wang Jian will fight faster."
In the original history, it was Wang Jian who led his army to attack Yan. It took him a year to capture Yan's capital Jicheng. There was only a slight pause when he encountered the Dai-Yan coalition forces on the bank of Yishui River.
Qin first destroyed Zhao and then attacked Yan. Prince Jia of Zhao fled north to Dai County and proclaimed himself King of Dai. He gathered the remaining troops of Zhao and wandered in the mountains and forests of Dai County, dealing with Qin for six years.
If it weren't for the fact that King Jia of Dai, out of consideration for the mutual dependence of the lips and the sense of loyalty to help the neighboring country, pulled the few soldiers of Dai County to aid the State of Yan, he could have held out longer.
But Dai Wangjia's decision was not wrong. If Yan State was destroyed, Dai County would be attacked from both sides and would be destroyed in an instant. It was just that Qin State was too strong, and any decision would lose its meaning.
After that, King Xi of Yan and Prince Dan of Yan fled to Liaodong. King Xi of Yan killed Prince Dan of Yan and asked for peace with Qin, but the King of Qin disagreed. However, Qin was fighting on several fronts at that time, and the battlefields of Wei and Chu were more important, so Qin temporarily stopped the attack. It was only four years later that it took Liaodong and captured King Xi of Yan.
Now the only countries that Qin has not conquered are Yan and Chu, and the territory of Chu is only south of the Huai River.
Yan was isolated and helpless, Wang Jian was a dozen years younger than in the original history, and Qin's military equipment was better than in the original history. It should be easier to take down Yan in one fell swoop than in the original history.
Although logistics matters were not nominally under Zhu Xiang's jurisdiction, the collection of grain would always go through Zhu Xiang's hands.
When Qin conquered Zhao, it did not cause much harm to the civilians. In addition, Zhu Xiang and Lian Po helped the people in time, and Zhao had a good harvest of grain last year, which could be used to feed the army attacking Yan. Qin did not need to transport grain from the Guandong Plain, and the logistics supply line was very short.
After Zhu Xiang's coordination, the people of Zhao only needed to pay the taxes for that year and no additional grain was required.
When the people of Zhao heard that the Qin army was going to war, they thought they would have to tighten their belts, but they did not expect that the taxes would be even lower than when the King of Zhao was still alive. They were suddenly at a loss as to what to do.
They recommended old veterans, raised a large sum of money, and secretly asked someone to find Lian Po's disciples to ask if there was anyone big behind them.
Lian Po didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"It's enough to have enough food for the army. Since we have collected enough, there is no need to collect more." Lian Po said, "Qin has almost unified the world, and there is a lot of land that can be taxed. We are only attacking a small country like Yan, so there is no need to take away all the food in your hands."
After Mr. Su went back to explain, Zhao Min seemed to understand but not quite.
"So, maybe it would be better for us to follow the King of Qin than the King of Zhao?"
"It is rare to find a king worse than the King of Zhao. Besides, Duke Xiang of Zhu and Duke Lian have both returned."
"Too."
So Zhao Min felt relieved and continued to work in the fields with his hoe on his shoulder. He did not abandon his fields and hide in the mountains.
Now is the time when there is a shortage of food, but the people of Zhao have food to fill their stomachs. Although the food is mixed with some wild vegetables to make them full, it is still food, not grass roots, tree bark or soil.
If you can eat as much wild vegetables as you want, it means it is a good year.
Not to mention that it was difficult for the common people of Zhao to think about anything other than "surviving". Even the scholars of Zhao felt that their lives were better after the demise of Zhao.
King Yan of Zhao was engaged in war every year and did not care about domestic farming and production. Not to mention the common people, even the poor scholars had no surplus food at home.
Moreover, Qin had already built academies in Zhao, so these poor scholars did not need to rely on the nobles to become officials. Compared with the King of Zhao, the King of Qin was indeed more wise.
For most scholars, as long as they can become an official, they don’t care which king it is.
Legally, in the pre-Qin era, the entire China belonged to the Zhou Dynasty, and scholars moved frequently between the various vassal states. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, more than 140 small countries became seven major countries. Scholars all over the world had already prepared for national unification.
Perhaps the old nobles of the six kingdoms who were in high positions were psychologically unbalanced, but most of the scholars actually only needed a way to rise to be grateful to the new monarch.
As a result, the scholars of Zhao State no longer mentioned that they were scholars of "Zhao State", but only called themselves scholars of Zhao land, and actively cooperated with the King of Qin to destroy Yan.
They even brought their servants and swords to join the army, willing to fight for the King of Qin on the battlefield.
Now only Yan and Chu are left among the six kingdoms. If they don't seize the opportunity, it will be difficult for them to gain merit and be awarded titles!
Although they could become officials in Qin by studying and taking exams in the academy, being an official is different from being granted a title. They wanted to become officials in Qin, so they naturally wanted to go a step further and be granted a title in Qin.
When the news of the Zhao scholars' quick return to the throne spread to Xianyang, all the scholars in Xianyang sighed and said, "It's not surprising. It's really not surprising at all."
Duke Xiang of Zhu and Duke Lian were great sages of the State of Zhao. When they returned to the State of Zhao, the State of Zhao was reconciled.
Xunzi has returned to Xianyang.
As soon as he came back, he ordered his men to hold down Lin Zhi and Cai Ze, and beat them personally so hard that they had to take several days off to recuperate. When Lin Zhi and Cai Ze came back to attend court, the lumps on their faces had not yet disappeared.
Confucians value face the most. Xunzi was hit in the face, which shows how angry he was.
King Zheng of Qin was so scared that he drove to find Xunzi, but Xunzi locked him outside the door. He waited obediently at the door for an hour before Xunzi let him in.
It was snowing in spring at that time. In order to soften Xunzi's heart, King Zheng of Qin deliberately did not allow anyone to hold an umbrella for him.
When Xunzi went out, the snow had already piled up into small piles on Qin Wangzheng's shoulders, which made Xunzi scold him.
King Zheng of Qin had already stood in the snow outside Xun's gate, so naturally he was not beaten.
He proudly boasted to his uncle in the letter about his foresight.
Xunzi was still angry with Lin Zhi and Cai Ze. After Qin Wangzheng "stood in the snow at Xun's door", Xunzi kicked Lin Zhi out of the position of prime minister.
He would rather be more tired and attend court more often than let Lin Zhi do what he wants.
This guy Lin Zhi is not worthy of being the prime minister at all!
Therefore, the reason for "Standing in the Snow outside Xunzi's Gate" in later generations became that King Zheng of Qin invited Xunzi to be the prime minister, and he also made up words like "Now that the world is unified, it's time for the Confucian sage to come out of seclusion."
The truth is buried in the diary of the person involved, and no one knows whether it will ever see the light of day.
Although he was the prime minister, Qin Wang Zheng, Lin Zhi, and Cai Ze were afraid to overwork Xunzi, so the chores were still done by these two people. Xunzi had the additional job of "watching" Qin Wang Zheng, preventing him from taking risks on a whim, and teaching him at the same time.
Xunzi held the hot tea and said, "The king also thinks that the return of Zhao is due to Zhu Xiang and Lian Po?"
Qin Wangzheng said: "It is because of my uncle and Lord Lian, but the deeper reason is not this."
He took out a letter from his sleeve: "A letter from my uncle."
Xunzi said angrily: "I don't want to see Zhu Xiang's answer, I want to ask your answer!"
Qin Wang Zheng said: "My..."
Xunzi stared.
Qin Wangzheng immediately put away his smile and said with a straight face: "My opinion is the same as my uncle's. The common people of Zhao have food to eat and the scholars of Zhao have official positions. This is the most fundamental reason."
Xunzi nodded: "This is the will of the people."
The more Xunzi looked at King Zheng of Qin, the more satisfied he became. He thought he was indeed the child he had watched grow up, the embryo of a sage king in his mind.
Although sometimes they are a little naughty, young people are always lively. Just keep it in moderation.
Of course, if someone captures an assassin with all his strength, he deserves to be beaten.
Fortunately, Zheng'er was filial since childhood, and Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji were able to control him. If he had been replaced by an arbitrary and unrestrained King of Qin, he would have "died while carrying the tripod".
"The destruction of Yan is imminent, and only Chu is left. With the current strength of Qin, it does not need any strategy. With its mighty army, it can crush Chu." Xunzi took a sip of tea, "You should think about what you need to do after unification."
King Zheng of Qin said: "I will exempt the whole country from taxes for one year and promise not to use corvée or weapons for one year."
Xunzi smiled: "Can you hold it in?"
Qin Wang Zheng said seriously: "Yes!"
Xunzi smiled and shook his head: "Tell the truth to Xun Weng."
The serious expression on Qin Wangzheng's face collapsed: "Xun, taxes will definitely be exempted. As for corvée and weapons... Well, conscripting civilians to build canals and roads near their hometowns during the slack season is for the benefit of the civilians, so it doesn't count as corvée; and the Qin army's suppression of bandits in various places should not be counted as weapons."
Xunzi smiled and sighed, "Okay, as long as you know what's going on. That's all? How do we divide the land?"
Xunzi asked the key question at once, and King Zheng of Qin sighed in his heart.
"I will definitely make the military achievements come true," Qin Wangzheng said, "and then re-compile the household register and distribute the land."
Xunzi asked, "Where does the earth come from?"
Qin Wang Zheng said: "The land of the royal family."
Xunzi said: "Not enough."
Qin Wangzheng said helplessly: "Xun Weng..."
Xunzi asked, "You will take away all the lands of the nobles of the six states and redistribute them, right?"
Qin Wangzheng said with a stern face: "If they are willing to serve as officials in Qin, they can also leave more land."
Xunzi shook his head: "You will stir up a big conflict, you can't do this."
Qin Wang Zheng said: "Military achievements must be fulfilled."
After Zhu Xiang told Qin Wangzheng about "future events", which corresponded with Qin Wangzheng's own memories in his dreams, Qin Wangzheng realized his biggest mistake after unifying the world - land distribution.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the country, in order to appease the scholars of the world, he ordered the people of the world to cultivate their own land and give up land redistribution. The consequence was not only that the old nobles of the six countries controlled the local areas, but also chilled the hearts of the soldiers fighting for Qin.
Qin Shihuang's response was to fight against the Huns in the north and the Baiyue in the south. The land of the barbarians could be distributed at will to repay the military merit arrears.
However, according to Zhu Xiang, Qin Shi Huang did not learn geography, geology, and agronomy well. The north was dry, and the south was malaria-ridden. The environment was very bad, and allocating land there was not a reward, but an exile.
What the Qin soldiers wanted was the fertile land in the east and they wanted to go to the Central Plains to enjoy themselves, not to be exiled to the north or south to suffer after making achievements.
Moreover, the southern and northern expeditions had added a lot of corvée and military service, and military merit could not only earn land but also exempt corvée. This promise was broken again.
The Qin Emperor broke his promise to the Qin people, and the Qin people made the Qin Emperor lose the world.
This "Qin Huang" does not refer to Qin Shi Huang alone, but to the emperors of the Qin Dynasty. Whether it is Qin Shi Huang or Qin Er Shi, this is the agreement between the emperors of the Qin Dynasty and the people of the Qin Dynasty, and it is the will of the monarch and the people.
Zhu Xiang told King Zheng of Qin that Liu Bang learned from this lesson after he gained control of the world.
Liu Bang was so poor that he couldn't even get enough horses of the same color to pull his cart. There were kings of different surnames eyeing him covetously in the country and the Huns in the north were ready to make a move. But he still gritted his teeth and rewarded the land of all the soldiers in Guandong and Guanzhong who had followed him to fight.
At the same time, Liu Bang exempted the soldiers who stayed in Guandong from six years of corvée labor, and exempted the soldiers who were willing to settle in Guanzhong from twelve years of corvée labor.
In matters other than the throne, Liu Bang was very loyal, even to his soldiers.
This is something the King of Qin should learn.
King Zheng of Qin agreed with this.
He was first the King of Qin, and then the First Emperor of Qin. So after conquering the world, he should first benefit the Qin people who followed him in his conquests, so that he could benefit the people of the world.
This is what my uncle calls the “basic plate”.
Qin Shi Huang treated his meritorious officials very well. However, since he had never had the opportunity to meet people of lower status than him, from being a hostage to a crown prince and then to a monarch, he did not see that ordinary people were also great contributors to the unification of the Qin State. He thus made the mistake of "the monarch bullying the people", which reduced his own reputation and the majesty of the Qin Emperor.
King Zheng of Qin should follow the example of a certain "real Qin II" and first ensure that the Qin people are well fed before pacifying the six kingdoms.
He believed that as long as he did this, no matter how many times the old nobles of the six countries rebelled, the Qin army would still be able to crush them easily.
But Xunzi probably didn't want to start a war again, so King Zheng of Qin deliberately didn't make it clear.
But Xunzi kept asking, alas.
King Zheng of Qin looked at Xunzi with some complaints in his eyes: "Xunzi knows what I will do, and I must do it. Why force me to quarrel with Xunzi?"
Xunzi glared at the child who was about to act like a spoiled brat to his elders and said, "Who wants to quarrel with you? Let's talk business!"
Qin Wang Zheng said: "What I said is the truth."
Xunzi glared at King Zheng of Qin, and King Zheng of Qin looked at Xunzi with confidence.
Xunzi sighed, "Alas, I am not saying that you should not divide the land, but you are being too direct. You could be more tactful."
King Zheng of Qin asked, "Does Mr. Xun have any better suggestions?"
Xunzi said: "Zhu Xiang has opened up many fields in the south and often complains that the fields are fertile but there is a lack of manpower. You can exchange the fields in Southern Qin for fields in the Central Plains and let them migrate to Southern Qin."
Qin Wangzheng frowned: "But if so, will they cause unrest in Southern Qin?"
Xunzi smiled and said, "The land of the hereditary nobles is not owned by a family, but by a clan. You should ask those who are talented or have served as high officials in your family to come to Xianyang, and then send their clans to Southern Qin."
King Zheng of Qin thought about it and understood what Xunzi meant: "Break up their clans?"
Xunzi said: "As long as the clans are scattered, the people's hearts will also be scattered. It's just some fields. The king can be more generous. Now the world is big, but the population is small. The king has no shortage of fields, but he can't let them gather together."
King Zheng of Qin said with a smile: "After many years of management by my uncle, Southern Qin has become famous throughout the world for its prosperity. I am moving them to Southern Qin to treat them with courtesy."
Xunzi said: "It is indeed a courtesy. But you have to take the action of taking away their land first, and then let others persuade you and pretend to step back. This is called courtesy."
King Zheng of Qin was filled with deep emotion.
As expected of Xun Weng. If Xun Weng were younger, he would let Xun Weng take over the responsibility of the prime minister completely.
Confucianism is indeed very useful in peacetime. No wonder people in later generations are all Confucianists in appearance but legalists in nature.
King Zheng of Qin said, "Then let's follow Xun Weng's plan."
King Zheng of Qin thought for a moment and said, "Let Han Fei write the letter to treat the old nobles of the six states with favor."
Xun Weng said, "Isn't the Marquis of Chunping in Zhao still doing nothing in Xianyang? Even if he has no talent, as long as he can read and write, he can do some routine work of ordinary officials. He should also appear in the court to share Han Fei's pressure."
King Zheng of Qin said: "I have adopted the opinions of the royal families of Han and Zhao, which shows that I have no ill will towards the royal families of the six countries. If the royal families of the six countries have the ability, I welcome them to serve in the court."
Xun Weng nodded with satisfaction: "As a king, you should have such a broad mind."
As expected, he is a child he has watched grow up, and he understands things quickly.
At the end of July, Zhu Xiang received another letter from Qin Wangzheng. He could not help laughing when he saw the conspiracy between Xunzi and Qin Wangzheng.
Change land.
Will we have to let the powerful people take turns to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin next time, like the "Five Tomb Young Men"
In his history, the Han Dynasty crossed the river by feeling the way through the Qin Dynasty. In this world, is it the turn of the Qin Emperor to cross the river by feeling the way through the Han Emperor
If the emperor of the Han Dynasty in another world knew... He remembered that the Han Dynasty was the only dynasty in which the emperors allowed history books to praise their opponents, believing that the higher the enemy was praised, the more powerful he would appear, rather than discrediting his opponents. With the character of the Han Dynasty emperors, especially Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, they would probably just be complacent.
Anyway, it’s not the Liu Bang in my world who can’t become the emperor, but it’s me, Liu Bang, and my descendants who Qin Shihuang learned from!
Naigong, I am so awesome!
"Zhang Liang, do you understand?" Zhu Xiang asked.
Zhang Liang said with a straight face: "That's a good idea."
Zhu Xiang asked, "Then what else do you worry about?"
Zhang Liang said, "I have no worries."
Zhu Xiang was helpless: "I asked you to go to Xianyang to help Zheng'er, but you insisted on coming to help me. I'm just building a dam, what can I help you with? Zheng'er just killed Zhao Gao not long ago. If you don't keep an eye on him, he might promote some evil people to cause trouble around him."
Zhang Liang said angrily, "Doesn't that mean that the King of Qin is incompetent? Only an incompetent king would get close to villains. Duke Zhu Xiang should let him reflect on himself instead of pinning his hopes on others."
Meng Yi: “…” His fist hardened.
Li Erlang: “…” I covered my ears.
Zhu Xiang said: "What you said makes sense, so you should say it in front of Zheng'er."
Zhang Liang turned his face away.
Zhu Xiang laughed: "What are you so uncomfortable about?"
Zhang Liang lowered his head: "It's nothing awkward, it's just..."
Zhu Xiang asked: "Just?"
Zhang Liang lowered his head and muttered something in a low voice, but Zhu Xiang didn't hear it clearly.
He looked at Zhang Liang's embarrassed look and leaned closer to him: "Come on, whisper."
Zhang Liang raised his head, leaned close to Zhu Xiang's ear, and whispered unhappily, "That guy Ying Zheng has bullied me since I was a child. If I were to work as an eunuch by his side, he would be the king and I would be the subject. He would definitely find ways to bully me!"
Zhu Xiang: “…”
Well, this is something Zhenger would really do.
Although the original Qin Shi Huang in history was a cheerful man, his own Zheng Er seemed to have gone a bit too far.
This must all be Xia Tong’s fault.
In history, Qin Shi Huang's father was so serious. But look at my Xia Tong, who finds ways to make trouble every day and makes Cai Ze very angry.
With such a father, how can Zhenger learn well? !
"I will write a letter to Zheng'er, telling him not to do anything wrong." Zhu Xiang said, "You live in Xunzi's house and serve Xunzi for me. With Xunzi protecting you, he won't dare to do anything bad."
Zhang Liang pursed his lips: "Okay then, I'll go."
Meng Yi did not hear the whisper between Zhang Liang and Zhu Xiang, he only heard Zhang Liang's last sentence.
He was so angry that his face turned blue. If you don't want to go, don't go! How dare a Korean despise the King of Qin? You are so spoiled!
Meng Yi's impression of Zhang Liang was still the scene when he rolled over and cried at the gate of Xianyang Academy and was held at the neck by the King of Qin, who was then the Crown Prince. He did not think Zhang Liang was a great talent.
Seeing Meng Yi's dissatisfied expression, Zhang Liang sighed in his heart and bowed to Meng Yi: "Mr. Meng, it's not that I don't know what's good for me and I don't want to be the eunuch of the King of Qin. It's just that I'm still young and haven't even reached adulthood. My father is the Prime Minister of Han. If I become the eunuch of the King of Qin without any merit, I'm afraid many people will not accept it. That's why I'm hesitant."
Meng Yi: "..." Do you think I would believe it? If that's the reason, what did you just say about a tyrant and a villain? You are obviously dissatisfied with the King of Qin!
Zhu Xiang coughed dryly and suppressed his laughter, saying, "Zhang Liang has already given you a ladder, so just follow it. But he did have this consideration, so it's not a lie. The rest is a private matter between him and Zheng'er. He and Zheng'er lived together in Nanqin for a few years before, and they have some personal grudges."
Meng Yi felt so bitter that bubbles formed in his heart. He regretted it. Why did he worry about this and that in the first place, and why did he refuse to go to Duke Zhu Xiang earlier
Meng Yi bowed and said, "It's just an internal official. As long as you have talent, you can make others shut up. Yi knows that you are on good terms with the king, but the king is already the ruler of a country. Please observe the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects."
Zhang Liang sighed: "I know it." This is the trouble!
After Zhang Liang experienced the destruction of Han and the disgrace of the King of Han, his rebellious character was smoothed out. When he entered the court and stood beside the King of Qin, he would behave more cautiously.
He was afraid that the King of Qin would look at his cautious appearance and turn around to give him a mocking look. He couldn't just pounce on him and fight like he did before in Southern Qin.
Even if I can't win at that time, at least I can take action.
Zhang Liang was dejected. “I will go after the autumn harvest. I want to stay with Duke Xiang and see Han… Han has a good harvest this year.”
Zhu Xiang nodded: "Okay."
He looked at the sky, with a hint of sadness between his brows.
The Yellow River has four flood seasons: the Peach Blossom Flood with heavy rain during the Qingming Festival, the Summer Flood with heavy rain in summer, the Autumn Flood with continuous rain in autumn, and the Ice Flood with melting ice in winter and spring.
If the summer flood and autumn flood are connected, the Yellow River will experience a major flood.
In July, there were heavy rains in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River. Fortunately, the dams were repaired in advance and the Yellow River did not burst its banks.
But the flood season is not over yet.
The next most important flood season in the middle reaches of the Yellow River is in August, and the next most important flood season in the upper reaches of the Yellow River is in September.
The water flow in the Yellow River channel is now saturated. If it rains in August, there will be floods in the middle reaches of the Yellow River; if it rains in September, there will be floods in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
The world has not experienced a major disaster since the last New Year, so I hope we can get through this year in peace.
Floods are natural disasters, but Zhu Xiang is not someone who would just wait for God to make a decision.
As long as the water flow is too large, even in modern society, flood disasters cannot be avoided. All he has to do is to continue to strengthen the dams and select flood discharge sites in advance to ensure the safety of major grain-producing areas and large cities.
At the same time, the State of Yan was still at war, and military rations had to be transported to the front line before the flood season to prevent heavy rains and floods from affecting the supply of food and fodder to the front line.
Zhu Xiang also sent someone to remind Wang Jian that the Yellow River might flood this year and asked Wang Jian to be careful.
Wang Jian was advancing the battle line steadily and had just reached the city of Ji, the capital of Yan.
When Wang Jian saw Zhu Xiang's letter, he suddenly felt overwhelmed.
Can't I just fight a war of annihilation in an orderly manner? Why is it that every time I annihilate a country, there are external factors that force me to speed up
Wang Jian sighed deeply, ordered to stop the siege, prepared for a strong attack, and sent people to the capital of Yan to persuade the ministers of Yan to surrender.
It was King Xi of Yan and Prince Dan of Yan who sent envoys to murder the King of Qin, which caused Yan to suffer this disaster. It has nothing to do with you.
Prince Xi of Yan and Prince Dan of Yan will undoubtedly die, but you are all innocent.
The King of Qin was kind, and scholars from the four states of Wei, Zhao, Han, Qi, and southern Chu could continue to serve as officials in Qin, and even the monarchs of Han and Qi could live in Xianyang and live out their lives in wealth and honor. You could clearly continue to be rich and honorable, so why did you and your family live and die with the self-inflicted King Xi of Yan and Prince Dan of Yan
When Wang Jian sent people to contact Yan Chen, he was still sighing.
This time he actually didn't want to use such conspiracies and tricks again. He wanted to fight a fair battle to prove his military ability.
Previously, the King of Zhao was killed by the people of Zhao, and he conquered the State of Zhao with almost no effort, so his contribution was not enough to deserve a title.
If he doesn't fight an honest battle now, his achievements may still not be enough to deserve a title, and others will still say that he got an advantage.
But the great plan of Qin State was more important than his own desire for a title. Zhu Xiang said that the Yellow River might have a major flood, which would block the food supply and affect the subsequent advance. So we couldn't delay any longer.
"It's so hard to be a marquis." Wang Jian sighed. His hair had turned gray!
(End of this chapter)