Just then, Zhao Chen walked in again.
"You little rascal, what else do you need?"
"Father, I forgot something. When Da Qin fully promotes white paper and uses printing to entice the Hundred Schools to join Da Qin, we must make them bring all their own classics and bamboo slips. Martial arts secret manuals are not necessary, just the various schools of thought and their ancestors' works.
I have great use for them! Especially the Confucianists, make sure you get the many bamboo slips of Kong Sheng and Ya Sheng's teachings!"
"Confucianists? You little rascal, can't you ask for them yourself? Xun Zi was your teacher, wasn't he?" Ying Zheng looked at Zhao Chen with a smile.
"Ahem!"
Zhao Chen suddenly felt awkward.
"I was young and didn't understand back then?"
Hearing this, Ying Zheng didn't say anything. "Is that so? You didn't say that back then. Didn't you say that Confucianism is something even dogs wouldn't learn? Why do you need Confucianism now?"
"You little rascal, I warn you, you cannot learn from your older brother. He has been poisoned by Confucianism, becoming too benevolent. This is not the behavior of a prince. The Hundred Schools should be your tools for ruling, not your faith!"
Zhao Chen nodded.
He really didn't expect Ying Zheng to see this so deeply.
No wonder he could unify the Six Kingdoms, no wonder his thinking was so advanced, unifying writing, chariots, and weights and measures, building the imperial roads.
From the perspective of this era, his thinking was incredibly advanced.
He had already transcended the limitations of his time.
Now it seems that all this is because he was not a slave to the ideas of the Hundred Schools. He merely used the ideas of the Hundred Schools as tools for his rule.
He emphasized pragmatism and avoided formalism.
After unifying the Six Kingdoms, he vigorously promoted pragmatic ideas, emphasizing the use of practical actions to test various theories and perspectives.
He focused on practice, on results, especially in military matters.
He put a lot of effort into equipping and training the army, making the Qin army the most powerful military force at the time, laying the foundation for the centralized system that lasted for two thousand years.
Moreover, he implemented rule of law, vigorously promoting legalist ideas, and established the "Lǜ Lìng" and other legal regulations, greatly enhancing the legal system.
He believed that law was the fundamental means of governance, and only by governing according to law could there be lasting peace and stability.
His legalist ideas played a significant role in promoting the development of legal systems in later dynasties.
Furthermore, he emphasized centralism and vigorously promoted it, establishing a centralized system, fundamentally changing the historical situation of feudal fragmentation.
He believed that centralism was an important means of governance, and only with centralization could there be lasting peace and stability.
His ideas on centralism played a significant role in promoting the development of political systems throughout the two thousand years of history.
Most importantly, he emphasized engineering and vigorously promoted it, ushering in a new era of engineering construction in history.
He focused on the planning, design, and construction of engineering projects, ensuring the successful completion of many projects.
His engineering ideas played a significant role in promoting the development of engineering construction under the rule of subsequent dynasties.
In short, starting with Ying Zheng, he initiated many measures, setting the direction for future emperors, leaving behind the most valuable legacy. It not only played a significant role in promoting politics, military, law, and engineering construction at the time, but also has important implications for the development and progress of feudal society and civilization in the future.
Looking at the two thousand years of feudal dynasties, the fact that countless emperors have not been able to escape the template set by Ying Zheng shows how advanced his thinking was.
"Father, rest assured, I know what I need to do.
Didn't my plan also mention it? Da Qin must rule by law.
The so-called 'Confucian skin, legal bones, and Daoist heart' can also be said as 'external Confucianism, internal law, supplemented by Daoism'."
"External Confucianism, internal law?"
"Father, why did the Zhou Dynasty fall?"
"Naturally, because the Zhou Dynasty's rule saw 'the collapse of rituals and the breakdown of music,' coupled with their own declining national power and the rise of the feudal lords."
"That's right. In the late Western Zhou Dynasty, due to the strength of the foreign tribes in the west, they were forced to move eastward, forming a new governance environment in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, known as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
The Eastern migration of the Zhou Dynasty had two factors: the declining national power, which led to a decrease in their control over the feudal lords, and the result of the migration, which led to changes in the relationship between the feudal lords, thus ushering in the so-called 'collapse of rituals and the breakdown of music'.
Although it was a 'collapse of rituals and the breakdown of music' for the rulers, it was an opportunity for liberation for the lower classes, not only in their bodies, but also in their minds. Small landowners began to rise to the stage of history. These people were called '小人' (small people), but this does not include free people and slaves.
Then the Hundred Schools emerged, and the Warring States period began.
The great debates and grand lobbying of Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, and Mohism, with the four schools of thought taking the lead, began. When time came to the end of the Spring and Autumn period, the great masters of each school appeared one after another, becoming the sages we revere and study today.
Our Da Qin adopted the legalist theory and combined it with our own characteristics, developing military industry and water conservancy projects, ultimately ending the eight hundred years of the Zhou Dynasty and achieving centralized political rule.
The time for Da Qin to rule has come.
"Hahaha, well said, indeed the time for Da Qin to unify the world has come."
Ying Zheng was happy, these words hit the nail on the head.
"Chen'er, continue to explain what 'external Confucianism, internal law' is."
"It's actually very simple to summarize. Using Confucian thinking to establish the fundamental hierarchy and legitimacy, and using legalist methods to consolidate centralized rule and authority."
"Confucianism establishes ideological hierarchy, and Legalism consolidates the ruling position."
Ying Zheng's eyes lit up.
"Good, good, very good! Chen'er, you said it perfectly! Hahaha!"
Ying Zheng laughed again, Zhao Chen was the next king of Qin, no one else could take his place.
"Father, Confucianists advocate benevolence and always want to use compassion to reform criminals. Confucianists always hope that people can recognize their own mistakes, have a change of heart, and change.
But the fact is, not only did this not bring about the self-improvement of people, but it made everyone disregard the law, using all kinds of Confucian morality to cover up their crimes. This is the reason for the downfall of the Zhou Dynasty.
Legalism is different. If criminals do not respect others and infringe on the interests of others, then there is no need to respect their interests. 'Treat them as they treat you' is the logic here.
If you don't treat others as humans, then you have no right to expect others to treat you as a human.
Therefore, those who commit crimes must be punished, this is the embodiment of 'fairness'.
But not all crimes must be punished by the law. Some are excusable, and that's where Confucianism comes in. The law does not tolerate emotions, the law is greater than emotions, but it cannot be heartless.
In such situations, Confucianism is useful.
Therefore, 'external Confucianism, internal law' is the guiding principle for governing Da Qin now and in the future. Of course, it is not fixed. The laws must be tailored to the specific conditions at the time.