The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

At this moment, the atmosphere in Zhangtai Palace seemed a little solemn.

Fusu sat upright on the dragon throne, his face covered by a faint shadow, and he was lost in thought.

Inside the hall, the ministers stood on both sides, all with solemn expressions. Some lowered their heads in thought, while others were whispering to each other.

At this moment, Shusun Tong suddenly stepped out of the ranks, arrived at the center of the hall, bowed, and spoke loudly: "Your Highness, the world has just been pacified. Although the county system implemented by the late emperor was able to centralize power, after the late emperor's death, the Qin Dynasty has fallen into unprecedented danger. Rebellions have broken out in various places, and the foundation of the Qin Dynasty has been almost destroyed. I believe that only the system of enfeoffment of princes is the best way to stabilize the country. The princes can protect the royal family, and this will ensure the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty for generations to come and the eternal security of the country!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, and the court was immediately filled with discussions.

Li Feng, the son of the late Left Prime Minister Li Si, had a solemn expression, a furrowed brow, and trembling lips. It was obvious that he was extremely worried.

Li Feng was well aware of the harm of feudal fiefdoms. His father Li Si had repeatedly advised the First Emperor on the drawbacks of feudal fiefdoms.

Now that he heard someone actually proposing that Fusu restart the feudal system, how could he not be anxious?

He hurried out of the room and loudly retorted, "Your Highness, I think this is absolutely unacceptable! When the Zhou Dynasty enfeoffed the princes, things were peaceful at first. But as time went on, the princes grew increasingly powerful, vying for power and profit, leading to frequent wars. Although the Zhou emperor was the common ruler of the world, his authority was now in name only, completely lost.

The Qin Dynasty, which lasted for seven generations, steadfastly implemented new laws and implemented the county system, dividing the country into several counties under direct central government jurisdiction. This unified government and centralized national power, giving the Qin Dynasty a powerful momentum that ultimately enabled it to sweep across the six kingdoms and unify the world.

If we repeat the mistakes of feudal division, it will probably lead to disasters and plunge the country into division and war again. Your Highness, please think twice!

Li Feng was carefully taught by his father Li Si since he was young, and he deeply agreed with many of Li Si's political views, especially the county system.

He is well aware of the importance of this system in maintaining national unity and stability, and therefore firmly opposes any proposal that may undermine this system.

Li Feng's words were like a sharp sword, piercing Shusun Tong's heart.

Shusun Tong originally thought that his proposal would be supported by everyone, but he did not expect to be refuted so fiercely by Li Feng.

Zhou Chang couldn't help but feel waves in his heart when he heard Li Feng's proposal.

He knew very well that although the county system was implemented in the court, after the death of the previous emperor, Hu Hai usurped the throne and abused his tyranny, leading to chaos in the world and putting the country in danger. This was not the fault of the system.

Zhou Chang then hurriedly stepped out and spoke loudly, "Li Feng, although our dynasty has a system of prefectures and counties, the previous emperor's death led to Hu Hai's usurpation of power and rampant tyranny, causing untold suffering for the people. This isn't the fault of the system, but rather the greed of human beings. Now that Your Highness is so wise and powerful, leading the army to reclaim lost territory, suppress the rebellion, and restore the Qin Empire, this is a blessing for the world. If we further enfeoff meritorious officials and have them stationed in the four corners of the country, each with their own duties, we can not only ensure peace in the regions, but also allow the central government to rest assured."

As soon as Zhou Chang finished speaking, the hall suddenly fell silent.

All the ministers were silent. Some lowered their heads in thought, as if they were racking their brains for a countermeasure; some had flickering and hesitant eyes, as if they had many unspeakable thoughts in their hearts.

The entire hall was shrouded in a strange silence, and no one dared to easily break the tranquility.

Only Fusu's gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces.

For Confucian scholars such as Chunyu Yue, they secretly thought that if the meritorious officials and clan members were distributed, then with the influence of Confucianism in society, the court would inevitably be dominated by Confucian thought.

In this way, the Confucianism they advocate will be more widely spread and developed, and is expected to flourish in their own hands in the future.

Even thousands of years later, Confucianism will still occupy a place in the river of history because of their contributions.

However, Xiang Liang actually preferred the idea of ​​enfeoffment. However, due to the current situation, it was not convenient for him to express his position directly. However, he could secretly add fuel to the fire and guide things in the direction he desired.

Meng Yi, however, was feeling somewhat anxious. He secretly thought: After this division of fiefdoms, the meritorious officials in the court were all sent to various places, creating a vacuum in central power. This would probably bring many disadvantages to the reforms he wanted to implement.

Not only that, the implementation of the feudal system will inevitably fuel the ambitions of some people and may eventually trigger new wars.

Thinking of this, Meng Yi decided not to remain silent anymore. He stepped forward resolutely and broke the silence in the court.

Meng Yi said loudly, "Doctor Zhou, human hearts are extremely fickle. Even those meritorious officials and clan members can, over time, harbor dissenting ideas. Under the county system, officials are appointed and dismissed directly by the central government, making management easier and allowing the court to focus on developing the country. On the other hand, if the system of enfeoffment were implemented, each prince would govern independently, with neither taxation nor military control imposed by the central government. Over time, the power of these princes would inevitably grow like a tail, becoming difficult to control."

As Meng Yi finished speaking, Fu Sheng stepped forward. He saluted respectfully, then spoke in a resonant voice, "Your Highness, the Great Qin has just risen, and the world has only just settled. I have observed the history of the Zhou Dynasty and discovered that they implemented a system of enfeoffment, which enabled the country to prosper for hundreds of years. Therefore, I believe that we should now widely enfeoff the princes and let them serve as a shield for the imperial family. The princes will protect the central government, and even if there is a change in the world, there will be relatives who will rise up to support the king, thus ensuring the long-term stability of our Han Dynasty."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a lot of discussion in the court.

Many ministers nodded in agreement, believing that enfeoffment of meritorious princes would consolidate the Qin Empire.

Everyone was whispering to each other, some with serious expressions, while others looked excited.

"General Meng is absolutely right. Enfeoffment of the princes is not a good idea." A minister said with a frown.

"Dr. Fu's proposal makes sense. The royal family and the nobles can ensure the stability of the royal family." Another minister retorted.

Xiang Liang remained silent, but his eyes kept scanning the crowd, as if he was observing the development of the situation.

Chunyu Yue frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Meng Yi's point of view certainly makes sense, but only by enfeoffing the princes can we provide more opportunities for the spread of Confucianism."

The atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense, with the arguments rising and falling one after another, as if to drown out the entire court.

A moment later, Meng Tian, ​​who was standing nearby, suddenly stepped out with a serious expression and a worried look on his face. He clasped his hands together, bowed deeply to Fusu, then straightened his body and said loudly, "Your Highness, I have something to say. I hope Your Highness will consider it."

Upon seeing this, Fusu nodded slightly and said, "General, please speak."