Zhao Chen watched this scene with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
He couldn't have missed Zhao Gao's subtle actions just now.
He simply hadn't paid attention.
But his father acting like this was a little inappropriate. You're the tyrannical, aloof Qin Emperor, aren't you?
What are you doing? Watch your image, for crying out loud!
However, Zhao Chen was secretly quite pleased.
To make the future First Emperor of all ages act like this, he was truly the first of all ages.
Getting sidetracked.
Moving on.
“We've discussed Confucianism. Next up is Legalism. What's the essence of Legalism?
To stop war with war! Only by wiping out all the other states can we build a truly peaceful nation. Otherwise, "peace" is just a dream. Mohists, despite their opposition to war, have a point: "Cut off a finger to save the whole body", "Promote the benefit of the world, eliminate the harm of the world".
The world the Mohists refer to encompasses all the states, the entirety of the Nine Provinces. They want to promote the benefit of the world, they must eliminate the obstacles that hinder its prosperity. This is why Qin Mo supports and aids the Qin in developing high-tech weaponry. It's the fundamental reason for my insistence on making the Gongshu and Mohists submit.
I'm sure Father has experienced the convenience of Gongshu's weapons!”
Ying Zheng nodded in agreement. Indeed, in just a few months, the Qin army's combat strength had increased exponentially compared to before.
“From the rise of the Eastern Zhou feudal lords to the Warring States period, with feudal lords vying for power, all the states were in a precarious situation, both internally and externally. Their yearning was for survival, for the path to national strength.
That's why Confucianism was completely disregarded during the Warring States period. Confucian thought couldn't solve the problems, it only created them.
This is also the fundamental reason why Confucius roamed the states but failed to convince any of them.
Legalism is different. Legalism's "耕战 (cultivation and warfare)" was tailored to the needs of the time, with national strength as the primary objective. And this "cultivation" and "warfare" were the best ways to motivate the entire population. "Cultivation", more work, more rewards, benefits the people and the state.
“Warfare", the path to prosperity for the people, and also makes the state militarily powerful.
At the time, Qin was the weakest of the Seven Warring States, and it was surrounded by enemies on all sides. It had to rapidly accumulate national strength. This required exceptionally strong execution, orders passed down from the top, and Confucian thought was in direct conflict with Legalist thought. At this time, it was imperative to eliminate harmful ideas that hindered reform. Thus, Shang Yang emphasized the ban on reading "诗 (Poetry)" and "书 (Classic of History)".
These were, in essence, administrative methods and rituals and music norms from the Zhou dynasty period. In other words, they were records from an old regime, no longer applicable to the Warring States period. Therefore, these books were more harmful than helpful.
This brings us to "重农抑商 (emphasizing agriculture, suppressing commerce)". Father, what do you think is the essence of merchants?”
“Profit, seeking profit. They are driven solely by profit. They place particular emphasis on material gain. Given enough profit, they would even trample over morality and law.”
“Exactly, that's it.”
Zhao Chen nodded in complete agreement.
Truly, a worthy First Emperor, his insights were unparalleled.
“The reason why our Qin reforms were successful was because they were hidden. At the time, Qin closed off all external communication, completely isolated from the entanglements with the six states.
We reformed in secrecy. Otherwise, would the other states remain indifferent and wait for us to complete our reforms?
They would have stopped us by any means necessary.
韩国 (Han State) failed to fully implement its reforms because it was preoccupied with its war against Qi, alarming Wei.
To prevent news leaks, Shang Yang forbade Qin people from engaging in commerce, and merchants from other states were only allowed to trade with Qin officials within designated areas. In other words, the state would conduct trade with merchants from the six states, then sell the goods to the people through official channels, isolating merchants from each other and preventing leaks.
After the reforms were successful, the Qin capital was established in Xianyang, which instantly attracted numerous merchants from the six states. Xianyang became a major commercial metropolis, equal to Qi's Linzi and Wei's Anyi.
The fact that a powerful merchant like Lv Buwei chose Qin shows that Qin didn't despise merchants; it simply controlled them to prevent the disclosure of state secrets.
Confucianists couldn't see through the intricacies, only the superficial reasons.
Shang Yang's reforms were highly strategic, every step meticulously planned.
One wrong move, and the reforms would fail.”
“That's right, Shang Jun was truly an extraordinary individual.”
“Legalism also differs from Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism in its pursuit of a win-win scenario.
Confucianism views things from the ruler's perspective. It believes that as long as the king acts righteously, the people will naturally benefit.
This is an idea that doesn't consider the people's interests. It's not practical.
Mohism, on the other hand, prioritizes the interests of the common people. Its entire theory emphasizes how the common people can obtain human rights and benefits.
But it severely suppresses the interests of the nobles and the king. Remember, the king and the nobles held the core power, the lifeblood of the state.
Completely disregarding their interests, how could they possibly support it?
Daoism advocates for the "small country, few people" approach to governance. It emphasizes that if everyone has less greed, society will naturally be stable.
Everyone goes their own way, don't force others to do what they don't want to do, and there will be no conflict.
But in reality, the strong always rule the weak, conflicts will inevitably arise over interests.
It's pointless to simply emphasize that people should be pure and free from desire.
Legalism aims for "win-win"! The steady development of a society is never achieved by one side vanquishing the other.
To illustrate, if a law completely favors the interests of the common people while neglecting the interests of the bosses, then these bosses, deprived of their gains, will have no reason to expend effort governing the people.
They might as well start their own small businesses. As a result, commerce stagnates, the people can't sell their goods, and those who want to buy can't find them. Merchants don't even need workers. Many people lose their jobs, and the nation loses vitality. Such a nation is on the brink of collapse.
Therefore, a system must be a win-win, not just focus on one side.
How can we achieve "win-win"?
What are the interests of the monarch?
To put it bluntly, a strong nation, free from foreign invasion, with officials and people who don't rebel against him.
What about the interests of the nobles?
The king doesn't kill them without reason, and they receive more benefits from the labor of the people.
And what about the interests of the people?
They have enough to eat and wear, no longer displaced by war, and have better living conditions.
How can we reach a consensus among the monarch, officials, and people? By establishing a "system" that aligns with the interests of all parties.
So, the governing principles of Legalist thought are: "顺时而变 (adapt to the times), 治国不一道 (governance doesn't follow one path), 便国不法古 (benefit the nation, don't follow ancient ways)!"
“Adapt to the times, governance doesn't follow one path, benefit the nation, don't follow ancient ways!”
Ying Zheng muttered the words again.
“Chen, I've never heard this saying before. Is there such a principle in Legalism? I don't recall it. Did you make it up?”
“Uh……………”
There isn't?
There should be!
Never mind. If there isn't, there will be from this day forward.
P.S.: More flowers needed, more data! More flowers needed, more data! More flowers needed, more data! More flowers needed, more data!