Daqin: A buff of incredible comprehension

At the time, the Qin Dynasty was the weakest of the seven major states and was besieged on all sides. It needed to rapidly strengthen its national strength. This necessitated strong executive power to ensure the smooth implementation of government policies. Confucianism and Legalism clashed, and at a time like this, it was imperative to eliminate undesirable ideas that hindered reform. This is why Shang Yang banned the reading of the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents.

These were actually just administrative systems and ritual regulations from the Zhou Dynasty, equivalent to ancient governance documents that were no longer suitable for the needs of the Warring States period. Therefore, such books were not only unhelpful, but could even cause harm.

Also, regarding the point of 'emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce', what does Father think the essence of a businessman is?"

"They are profit-driven and seek profit. They are profit-driven and especially value material gain. As long as there is enough profit, they will even violate morality and the law."

"That's true." Zhao Chen nodded in agreement.

He is indeed worthy of being the greatest emperor of all time, with extraordinary insight.

"The success of our Great Qin Reforms lies in their secrecy. During the Reforms, Great Qin strictly blocked external information, completely cut off ties with the other six states, and carried out the reforms in secret. Otherwise, would the other states sit idly by and wait for us to succeed? They would probably do whatever it takes to sabotage us.

Han's attack on Qi aroused Wei's vigilance, resulting in the failure of the reform to be completed thoroughly.

Therefore, in order to prevent information from leaking, Shang Yang prohibited Qin people from doing business and stipulated that foreign merchants could only trade with Qin officials at designated locations. The state would uniformly handle trade with merchants from various countries and then sell the goods to domestic people through official channels to avoid information exchange between merchants.

After the reform was successful, the Qin Dynasty established its capital in Xianyang, which quickly attracted a large number of merchants from the six states. Xianyang also became a commercial center on par with Linzi of Qi and Anyi of Wei.

The fact that a big businessman like Lu Buwei chose Qin also shows that Qin did not despise merchants, but rather strictly controlled them to prevent them from leaking state secrets.

Confucianism did not see through the deeper meaning behind this, but only saw the surface phenomenon.

Shang Yang's reforms were highly strategic, with every step carefully considered. Even the slightest mistake could lead to total failure."

"Yes, Shang Yang is indeed an extraordinary person."

"Legalism has another characteristic that distinguishes it from Confucianism, Mohism, and Taoism: win-win.

Confucianism considers issues from the perspective of the ruler, believing that as long as the king behaves correctly, the people will naturally benefit.

This is a perspective that does not take into account the interests of the people and is therefore not practical.”

The Mohists prioritized the interests of the common people, and their theories focused on improving their well-being. However, this also significantly infringed upon the interests of the nobility and monarchs. After all, the monarchs and nobility were the core power holders in society, controlling the overall state. How could one win their support without considering their interests?

Taoists advocate a small state with few people and encourage people to reduce their desires, believing that this will lead to a more stable and harmonious society. If everyone acts according to their own wishes and does not force others to do what they do not want to do, conflicts will naturally be avoided. However, the reality is that the strong will always dominate the weak, and conflicts of interest are inevitable. Simply reducing desires will not solve the fundamental problem.

The Legalists pursued a "win-win" approach. Social stability and development are never the result of one side suppressing the other. For example, if the law completely favors protecting the interests of the grassroots while ignoring the rights of the bosses, these bosses, seeing no profit, would have no reason to bother running their businesses. They would simply open small businesses. Consequently, commerce would stagnate, ordinary people would have trouble selling their products, and those they wanted would be unable to buy what they wanted. Merchants would no longer need workers. Ultimately, many would lose their jobs, the nation would lack vitality, and such a nation would be on the verge of decline.

Therefore, any system must take into account the interests of multiple parties, rather than just one. How can we achieve a "win-win" situation?

What are the interests of a monarch? In short, he wants his country to be strong, free from foreign invasion, and for his ministers and people to live and work in peace and contentment.

What are the interests of the nobles? They want the monarch to treat them fairly and reasonably so that they can get more benefits from the labor of the people.

What are the interests of the people? They want to have enough food and clothing, no longer have to flee due to war, and have better living conditions.

How can the monarch, ministers, and the people reach a consensus? The answer is to establish a "system" that serves the interests of all parties.

Therefore, the Legalist principle of governing a country is: "Adapt to the times, govern the country in a different way, and do not follow the old ways to benefit the country!"

"Change with the times. There are different ways to govern a country. The way to benefit a country is not to follow the old ways!" Ying Zheng repeated softly.

"Chen'er, why have I never heard of this? Does the Legalist school have such a principle? Is it made up?"

"Uh..." No? I think so!

Forget it, I've thought about this so much. Even if it's made up, it will become the truth after today.

"Dad, don't get hung up on these details. Legalism does have this principle, but you may not have noticed it."

Ying Zheng glared at Zhao Chen and thought, aren't you trying to fool me?

"Then explain what you mean by this sentence."

"It's simple. It means that laws can't remain static. Every era presents different social contradictions, and we need to find the most appropriate solutions to the current problems. When governing a country, policies should be formulated based on the actual conditions of the country, rather than mechanically imitating other countries."

"If old laws are invalid or harmful, they must be abolished without delay. We cannot simply follow our ancestors' methods of governance. This has been misinterpreted by some sophistry-minded Confucian scholars as meaning that laws are constantly changing and will change again once they no longer suit the interests of certain powerful individuals. This is actually a profound misunderstanding. The core idea of ​​Legalism is that old laws only need to be adjusted when they cause public dissatisfaction, not to be changed simply to cater to the interests of the powerful. On the contrary, legal changes are precisely to protect the interests of ordinary people. The powerful oppose change because every change harms their interests."

Just like the Qin Dynasty today, the law should continue to reform, because the Qin Dynasty is becoming more powerful and changing every day. Many current laws are no longer suitable for the Qin Dynasty today, or can no longer keep up with the pace of the Qin Dynasty. "

"Hmm? Is that so?"

Ying Zheng suddenly said.

"Dad, what do you mean?"

"Now that you've reminded me of this, I suddenly understand. Great Qin has indeed changed dramatically in the past few months. I've always felt like something was missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Now that you've explained it, it's clear to me that the laws have lagged behind, or perhaps, in other words, many laws are no longer suitable for today's Great Qin."

For example, in terms of business taxes, the current business taxes have improved the status of merchants, but if they evade taxes, the penalties according to the previous standards are too light. After all, the status of merchants has changed, and the relevant laws should be adjusted accordingly.

Another example is agriculture. With the current land tax policy and the reform of agricultural tools, people's enthusiasm for reclaiming wasteland and farming has reached an unprecedented high, but there are no corresponding laws to protect their land rights, which is not acceptable.

I hadn't thought of this before, but now that you've mentioned it, I understand. The legal gaps really need to be changed."

“Dad, it’s great that you understand!

This is the thought of the Legalists. To be honest, I have great respect for the Legalist sages. Every step they took was for the benefit of the overall situation. Everything they did was for the greater good.

The ancients said: "To be great and unkind is to be small and lose the big," "to be greedy for small gains is to suffer big losses," and Confucianism often looks at things in a partial and one-sided way, and never considers the overall situation.

For example, Duke Xiang of Song, who claimed to be a benevolent ruler, fought against the Chu army. The Song army could have defeated the Chu army when they crossed the river and were caught off guard. However, Duke Xiang of Song insisted on acting in a gentlemanly way and waited for the Chu army to reach the shore and form up before engaging in battle.

His kindness to his enemies eventually turned into cruelty to himself, resulting in the defeat of Song and his own death from serious injuries. This is what is called "great benevolence without benevolence."

As a result, Duke Xiang of Song became a laughing stock.

However, even so, similar situations occurred in many vassal states afterwards. Why?

Isn’t it the result of being influenced by Confucianism?

The fundamental reason why Confucians are often pedantic is that they are bound by an invisible concept called "benevolence" and fail to correctly understand the essence of "benevolence". "Benevolence" is not just about being kind to certain specific situations, but a big picture perspective, focusing on the consequences.

In this regard, the Legalists have a very good idea. They emphasize the overall situation and pay more attention to the results rather than the process.

"Chen'er, you're right. It's true. A woman's kindness is not advisable. Very good. You should let your elder brother learn from you."

"Chen'er, I plan to set up a Judicial Department to be responsible for legislation and law enforcement. How about you be in charge of this?"

Zhao Chen…………

What the hell is going on? Why do I feel like I'm being trapped?

Absolutely not, I have no interest in any of this.

"Dad, I don't want to do this! The Qin Dynasty has many talented people, and there are even more people from the School of Law. Let them formulate the laws. At most, I can help to find out the loopholes and fill them in after they have formulated them. As for law enforcement, there are so many talented people who can be appointed, why must it be me?

I have recommended many talented people, such as Li Si and Han Fei, who are both very suitable!"

"Li Si is indeed good, but Han Fei is a prince of Han. He doesn't want to come to Daqin, and I don't want to force him.

Putting this aside for now, I'm talking about the need for law enforcers to be impartial and selfless. Whether they are royalty or ordinary citizens, no one can bend the law for personal gain. Once a crime is committed, they must be dealt with according to the law.

Such a mission naturally requires a person of high rank to take charge, and I believe you are the most suitable candidate."

"No, I'm only three years old! You're basically forcing a child. Father, I'm not your only son. Can't you choose someone else?"

Ying Zheng: "You can't keep using the excuse of being three years old. I've heard enough."