Diqin Designer

Chapter 29: Governing the Country Actually Governing the People

Seeing that Li Nian did not say how to govern the Qin Dynasty, but instead humbly admitted that he was not capable of it, Ying Zheng was quite satisfied. This guy was not the kind of person who talked big, but was very honest.

Ying Zheng said: "Then tell me your humble opinion!"

Li Nian said: "Governing a country is governing the people. Although the Legalists and Confucians have different ideologies and doctrines, they adopt the same method, which is to suppress the people's power and weaken their strength and wisdom in order to better govern. Therefore, later kings often combine Confucianism and Legalism to govern the world."

"You can govern a country by suppressing the people's power, but you can also govern a country without suppressing them. You can understand the people's needs, solve their problems, and guide them."

"The needs of the people, whether they are the people of the old Qin, the people of the six kingdoms, or even people like me in the later generations, are nothing more than to live and live well."

"To be alive is the most basic thing. Having food and water is the key to maintaining life. To live well is more complicated. It is about having more than just food and clothing. Some people want fame, some want money, some want beautiful women, and some want a mansion..."

"One of the points of the Legalist governance is to suppress people's lives. It is best for people to just barely survive. In this way, people will be exhausted from struggling to survive every day and will no longer have the strength to fight against the king."

After briefly criticizing the grammarians, Li Nian continued, "Understanding people's needs for a good life and knowing what they want, when the king releases policies, he will allow people to have the conditions to realize these needs, and people will naturally support and love the king. Of course, the king does not have to meet all needs, but is selective."

Ying Zheng frowned. Wouldn't it be like he was working for the people instead of the people working for him?
He is the king of the world, and he should be the one to command the world and make the world move for him, rather than him moving for the world.

But thinking of the death of the second emperor of Qin, Ying Zheng listened patiently and seriously.

Li Nian also knew that what he said might cause dissatisfaction among Ying Zheng, but things had come to this point, and it was impossible not to tell the truth or to deceive Ying Zheng.

"Legalism is no longer suitable for governing the Qin Dynasty because there is a contradiction between the people's needs and the strict Qin laws. After unifying the country, both the old Qin people and the people of the six kingdoms hope that their lives will get better and better. However, the Legalists not only do not help them realize this wish, but also hinder them. How can there not be problems?"

"If the king wants to heal the lands of the six kingdoms, he must understand what the people of the six kingdoms need and desire, and solve them accordingly, so that they understand that they can live better under the king's rule than before."

"If they can do this, even if the royal families of the six countries are still there, it will not be easy for them to call on the people of the six countries to fight for them again. There is a saying in later generations that 'it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality'. If you are used to a good life and there is no disease in your mind, who would want to live a hard life?"

Ying Zheng then raised a question: "When the Qin attacked the six states, countless people died and were injured. Among them must have been their fathers and brothers. Can such a deep hatred be eliminated?"

Li Nian said: "Your Majesty, although people can recall the past and imagine the future, they still live in the present. There will definitely be people who harbor hatred and seek revenge on Your Majesty, the Great Qin, but as long as they can live well and live better than before, most people will choose to let go of their hatred. Moreover, the six countries and the Great Qin are all part of China, and this is a fight between brothers, not hatred for foreign invasion."

"Besides, the Qin conquered the six kingdoms and unified the world in order to end the chaos and bring peace to the world. If it weren't for the Qin and the king, who knows how many more people would have died in this world?"

This sentence made Ying Zheng's eyes light up, and he thought that he could tell these words to the people of the six countries: Look, if I unify the world, more people will not die, and I am doing this for your own good.

"Your Majesty may not have a deep understanding of the needs of the people. Let me take the Qin law as an example. Some of the punishments in the Qin law are too cruel. The people hope to change them. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and many aspects of the Han Dynasty used Qin's things." "In the early Han Dynasty, the laws of the Han Dynasty also referred to the Qin law, so there were also many cruel punishments. Corporal punishment was abolished during the reign of Emperor Wen, leaving behind a good story that will be passed down through the ages."

Li Nian told the story of Tiying saving her father, and Ying Zheng fell silent for a while. No wonder the Han Dynasty could replace the Qin Dynasty and become the dynasty after the Qin Dynasty. It turned out that the world had long been dissatisfied with the Qin laws.

At the same time, he was a little unhappy that such a good story was taken away by the Han Dynasty villains who relied on the system of the Qin Dynasty. Why did he feel that his Qin Dynasty was making wedding dresses for the Han Dynasty and he was like a great injustice!

He, Daqin, paid the bride price, built a new house, bought a new car, and entertained the guests. But when he entered the bridal chamber, a man with "Han" written on his face was allowed in. There was nothing Daqin could do.

If Li Nian knew what Ying Zheng was thinking, he would definitely say that Your Majesty was right. The Qin Dynasty was indeed a great victim. The demise of the Qin Dynasty in the second generation was different from the demise of the Sui Dynasty in the second generation. The Han Dynasty after the Qin Dynasty was also different from the Tang Dynasty after the Sui Dynasty. The Han Dynasty did take a lot of advantages from the Qin Dynasty.

If the hatred for the destruction of the six kingdoms had not been absorbed by the Qin Dynasty, how could the Han Dynasty have easily pacified the world?
It is like Daqin robbed six houses. The original owners of the houses had direct hatred towards Daqin, but not towards the Han people who now lived in the houses, because Han did not directly rob them.

The Qin Dynasty killed people and robbed houses, and did all the dirty and tiring work, but did not enjoy themselves for a few years. The Han Dynasty did not have to do the dirty and tiring work, because the Qin Dynasty had already helped to do it, and they lived comfortably for hundreds of years.

Ying Zheng asked: "How long will the Han Dynasty last if it inherits the Qin system?"

Li Nian said: "If you add the Eastern and Western Han dynasties together, the dynasty lasted more than 400 years."

Ying Zheng suddenly didn't want to talk anymore and didn't even want to ask why Han divided things.

He destroyed the six kingdoms and unified the world. Then the Qin Dynasty perished during the second generation. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, copied things from the Qin Dynasty, and made some modifications. It lasted for more than four hundred years.

Li Nian continued: "In the process of meeting needs, various problems will arise, such as official corruption, fraud, deception of good people, or the need to open mountains and build roads. The people cannot solve them on their own and need government organization. These problems can be called people's problems."

"If the king wants to be supported by the people and Daqin is truly supported by the people, then he needs to solve these problems for the people."

The more I listen, the more it sounds like I am asked to work for the people, rather than the people working for me. Is this the way future generations will govern the country?
While thinking, Ying Zheng heard Li Nian say: "To guide the people is to guide them to be loyal to the king and the Qin. The people are a simple yet complex group. They cannot be left alone, nor can they be controlled too strictly. Therefore, they must be guided."

"The Legalists' policy of keeping the people ignorant is to keep them ignorant so that they can be governed better. However, this method is contrary to human nature and harmful to the country and the nation. Ignorance is easier to control, but how can the country and the nation progress?"

"The kings of later generations used Confucianism, and Confucianism can fool the people, but the impact it will cause has been explained to the king before. Unless there is only the Great Qin in the world and there will never be any foreign enemies, other countries will change and develop, while the Great Qin will keep its people ignorant and stagnate, and it will eventually become a problem."

(End of this chapter)