Qin Shihuang made a decision on the spot to establish prefectures and counties in nine states of China and abolish feudalism. His words were firm and his tone was majestic.
All the ministers in the palace bowed their heads and no one raised any objections. However, most of the ministers in the palace quietly glanced at the young man standing among the military commanders.
The chief concubine Zhao Tuo and Tingwei Li Si stood up to oppose the enfeoffment system. No one was surprised. After all, enfeoffment harmed the interests of the Legalists.
But as a beneficiary of the enfeoffment system, you, Zhao Tuo, were not only the first to stand up, but also spoke passionately, quoted scriptures, directly attacked the loopholes of enfeoffment, and even proposed building Chi Road to solve the problem of distant borders.
It looks like I was already prepared.
Is Zhao Tuo really selfless? Is he really a saint who doesn't care about conferring land and establishing a country? Dr. Zhu Qing thought about it in his own mind. Some people secretly admired it, while others speculated and cursed in their hearts.
But no matter what, the dispute between the enfeoffment system and the prefecture and county system has come to an end. The emperor not only announced that prefectures and counties should be implemented throughout the world, but also asked the prime minister, imperial censors, court officials and others to discuss it at the court meeting.
The matter of dividing the world into counties, determining the number of counties, dividing the scope of each county, etc.
The court meeting came to an end. Zhao Tuo breathed a long sigh of relief. The issue of enfeoffing counties was already a thorny issue.
Once you make a mistake in taking sides, it is very likely that your political life will be over. Not to mention whether you want to do big things in the future, whether you can hold power again is a question.
Therefore, after he was implicated by Wang Wan, he had to be the first to stand up and speak out against it. Looking at it now, the effect is not bad, at least the emperor should be satisfied with his performance.
However, when he was appreciated by the emperor, Zhao Tuo also felt a lot of malicious eyes. Except for a very small number of enfeoffment beneficiaries who were unhappy with Zhao Tuo for ruining their good deeds, there were more people who had spent all their efforts for the enfeoffment system.
With his thoughts in mind, he encouraged Wang Wan to contact the Confucian scholars everywhere to make suggestions.
Confucianism often says: "Conquer oneself and restore etiquette. What is restored"
"Etiquette" refers to the etiquette of the Duke of Zhou and the government of the Duke of Zhou. The enfeoffment system itself is a very important part of the ritual system of the Zhou Dynasty.
That was the ideal that they, the Confucian scholars, pursued all their lives. Now, Zhao Tuo stood on their opposite side, crushing the Confucian dream of persuading the emperor to enfeoff the country at the beginning of the new dynasty.
It is impossible to say that they have no hatred for Zhao Tuo. Chun Yuyue, Qi Kuobi and others were even more angry and their faces were red. They stared at the chief concubine fiercely and clenched their fists in their sleeves.
Gotta be tight.
Zhao Tuo knew all this. But he didn't care. If we put it in the dynasties after Qin in history and were hated by Confucian people, then we really have to be careful. If we don't pay attention, we may be killed.
But in the Qin Dynasty, there is really no need to worry too much. At this time, the court meeting was over and the emperor left. Wang Wan glanced at Zhao Tuo with a complicated expression, and wanted to say something, but still stopped, shook his head and left
.
The Confucian doctors standing at the end of the hall stared at Zhao Tuo one by one. They did not dare to step forward to provoke him. They all followed Wang Wan and walked out angrily.
"Grand concubine, your words of criticism against the feudal policies are really sharp and sharp. They hit the core of feudalism. They are much more powerful than the letter I used to admonish the guests." Li Si did not say anything immediately.
Instead, he came over and praised Zhao Tuo with a smile.
Zhao Tuo said hurriedly: "It's just a matter of words. An Neng is better than Tingwei's famous article. Tingwei praised it." Li Si smiled slightly, cupped his hands, turned around and walked out.
Looking at the other party's back, Zhao Tuo nodded slightly. Li Si was showing his goodwill. Although he hated the doctors about the feudal counties, he and Li Si stood on the same front. In addition, their original relationship
Not bad, he can barely be considered an ally.
However, Zhao Tuo is not completely reassured about this ally.
"This is an old fox, he is very smart." Thinking of what Li Si had done to express his position to the emperor, Zhao Tuo smiled and shook his head, and followed him out of the palace.
However, before Zhao Tuo had taken two steps, an eunuch hurriedly came over and said, "I'm here to order the chief concubine to go to the side hall." Zhao Tuo stopped for a moment and responded hurriedly, letting She Jian wait for him.
He returned to the mansion first, and then followed the eunuch to the side hall.
"The emperor finally has time to summon me alone." Zhao Tuo was very happy. Since he came back from leading the army, various major events of proclaiming himself emperor and reforming the system followed. The emperor was so busy that he had no time to see him alone.
After the court meeting, it would be a good thing to let him see him alone.
Qin Shihuang was sitting in the side hall. When Zhao Tuo came in, he still lowered his head and looked at the slips and volumes spread out on the bed.
When traveling to counties and counties, he naturally wanted to understand the scope of various places in the world. What he was looking at now was the geographical conditions of Qi, Yan, Chu and other places.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Tuo, pays homage to Your Majesty." Zhao Tuo walked in and bowed. Qin Shihuang then raised his head and carefully looked at the young face in front of him.
Although the two met before, they were too far apart, and there were many other people present, and they were distracted by important matters. Now they calm down and get along alone, but they have discovered many changes in each other.
Zhao Tuo has become much darker than before. Is it because the sunshine on the ground is too strong? He has also begun to grow a beard under his chin, and he can no longer be called a boy.
The childish face that once remained in my memory has faded away, replaced by an increasingly mature man.
Qin Shihuang sighed slightly in his heart. However, the expression on his face did not change and he said calmly: "Tell me more about what you just said about Chidao." Zhao Tuo was slightly disappointed.
He was such a workaholic that he would talk about business as soon as he was called. But looking at the thick slips piled in front of Qin Shihuang, Zhao Tuo still had some understanding.
The emperor regards the country as his home. In Qin Shihuang's heart, only national affairs are the most important, and everything else must be postponed.
He thought for a moment and then said: "I believe that the main road of transportation is the blood of the world. In the past, when the Qin State attacked Bashu, they drilled holes and built bridges and pavilions on the cliffs. Therefore, the plank roads were thousands of miles long, leading to the Shu and Han Dynasties.
The whole world is afraid of Qin. But the Three Jin Dynasties built the 'Wudao', and the horses galloped and the people came without waiting, and it became a strategic route for the countries in Shandong to attack the Qin Dynasty."
"The role of roads is so great that they are the most important part of all actions. Whether it is an army expedition, logistical transportation, or messengers delivering orders, they all need to pass through roads. If roads are convenient, everything will be convenient. If roads are inconvenient, everything will be convenient.
inconvenient."
"Nowadays, transportation is inconvenient in the world. The roads between the four cities are crisscrossed, narrow and muddy, and each is blocked by city walls and embankments. This is one of the reasons why Prime Minister Zuo said that he wants to enfeoff the princes. When I led the army to conquer Guandong, I often
When encountering road obstructions, it is necessary to take a new detour or clear the road obstructions, which is very inconvenient. This is what the army does, and it is also the same for the transportation in the world."
"One of the reasons that prevents me, Da Qin, from governing remote areas is that the roads are long and blocked, making transportation inconvenient. I think that we, Da Qin, should deal with this reason. The distance of the road cannot be changed, but the obstacles on the road can be overcome.
To get rid of the muddy roads and inconvenient transportation, we can build large roads to facilitate transportation. In this way, supplemented by postal stations laid in various places, we can greatly strengthen our Qin's control over the border areas." Qin Shihuang nodded slightly, thinking about what he had done before
I once went to Handan and went south to Jingchu and Chenying. The roads were indeed difficult to navigate.
Seeing Qin Shihuang nodding repeatedly after hearing this, Zhao Tuo took a deep breath and completely revealed his selfishness in initiating Chidao.
"In addition, the construction of Chidao transportation across the country will not only strengthen His Majesty's control over all parts of Kyushu, but also facilitate travel in Guizhou and win the hearts of the people all over the world."
"Just go out to Guizhou to win the hearts of the people?" Qin Shihuang frowned when he heard this. He built Chidao.
He agreed with Zhao Tuo's proposal. But in Qin Shihuang's vision, this road was the road for his emperor to patrol and send orders to the world, and it was also a road for the army to be quickly dispatched to various places. How could the head of Guizhou also walk on it?
Zhao Tuo gritted his teeth and said: "However, I believe that if a Chi Road is built to lead to all parts of Kyushu, its length will be thousands or thousands of miles long."
"If only envoys and troops are allowed to pass through, and the head of Guizhou is not allowed to travel on this road, the world will not change for a long time, and envoys and troops will not leave Xianyang for a long time, then it will be difficult to know the situation of Chidao. On the road of thousands of miles, it is very difficult to
It is possible that weeds and thorns may grow in many places, and road sections may be damaged due to mountain collapse or earthquake torrents without anyone noticing. In this case, if there is an actual emergency, it will interfere with national events.”
"It is better to allow Guizhou heads to pass on Chi Road. This will not only facilitate the travel of Guizhou heads all over the world, but also make transportation between various places more convenient. It can also make Tingwei legislate to give way to Guizhou heads on Chi Road. Once a section of Chi Road is found to be damaged,
If any obstacles arise, they must be reported to the local government immediately.”
"This will make it easier for the local governments to understand the situation of Chidao, repair and maintain it, and keep it open at all times. Instead of sending envoys and troops only to encounter the destruction of Chidao when an emergency arises." Qin Shihuang raised his eyebrows lightly.
What Zhao Tuo said is a reason. Letting Qianshou walk on Chidao is equivalent to having more channels to monitor the condition of the road section, but this reason can be replaced by other methods.
For example, legislation allowing local governments to regularly send people on horseback to inspect various sections of Chidao would also achieve the effect Zhao Tuo mentioned.
Qin Shihuang shook his head gently. Seeing his appearance, Zhao Tuo knew that he had not convinced the other party, so he immediately gave the second reason.
"I believe that allowing the capital of Guizhou to pass on the Chi Road will not only allow them to inspect the road conditions at all times, but also make them grateful to His Majesty for his road construction, and make them more attentive and surrendered to Your Majesty."
"Thank you for my virtue in building roads?" Qin Shihuang blinked. Zhao Tuo immediately said: "Of course, on the Chi Road, at intervals, you can carve stones and make paintings to inscribe your Majesty's contribution to opening roads in Guizhou.
At the same time, we also asked legal officials from various places and small officials in the countryside to publicize this merit to the head of Guizhou."
"By doing this, every time you walk on the Chidao and personally feel the convenience of this magnificent road, all the people in Guizhou will feel grateful to Your Majesty for your kindness in their hearts!"
"At the same time, let the officials from all over the country promote the cruelty of the six kings and only care about their own selfish desires. Building palaces wastes money and people. However, His Majesty has the people of the world in mind, and the road he built is also to pacify the head of Guizhou. This can form a contrast and let the world
The people are disgusted by the violence of the six kings, but grateful for His Majesty's kindness."
"This approach will not only allow the leaders of the world to patrol the roads for our Qin Dynasty, but also take the opportunity to win over the people and help our Qin Dynasty stabilize the world!" At the end, Zhao Tuo came up with a reason that was most attractive to Qin Shihuang.
.
"In the ancient times, the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors cut thorns, built paths, and connected the city walls, so that people would remember their achievements."
"Now, Your Majesty has built a broad road for all people in the world to travel. His contribution is far greater than that of the ancient emperors. Only in this way can he be worthy of the title of emperor! Even more so that all people in the world can praise him. Your Majesty is the emperor of all people in the world.
!" After hearing the end, Qin Shihuang's eyes were filled with brilliance.
Zhao Tuo's proposal not only had practical benefits, but also gained a great reputation. It could also win over people's hearts, help stabilize the world, and make his emperor's name even higher.
Why not do it?
"Okay! Your words are very good. I will build a road to make it easier for all people to travel. In this way, I can become the emperor of all people in the world!" Qin Shihuang nodded in praise, already approving Zhao Tuo's proposal.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tuo hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, you are wise." Zhao Tuo was very happy because his goal was achieved.
This Chidao incident was not something he came up with in a flash, but was an idea after careful consideration and had his own selfish motives.
Zhao Tuo proposed to build Chidao in advance and proactively, which not only countered Wang Wan's statement that transportation was inconvenient and it was difficult to manage the border areas.
Moreover, it also allowed him, Zhao Tuo, to have sufficient say in the matter of Chi Dao. He came from later generations and had heard that Qin Chi Dao cost a lot of people's power, but it was only for the emperor's parade and envoys and troops to pass, and the common people of Guizhou Province could not.
Go.
In this way, the construction of Chidao, which cost a huge amount of people's energy, was of no benefit to the people. This is one of the reasons why later generations criticized Qin Shihuang.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Although there is also a saying that only the middle section of Yanchi Road is an emperor's exclusive road that is closed to traffic, and you can walk on both sides of the road in Guizhou.
But Zhao Tuo didn't dare to bet on this statement. If this statement was speculated by later generations, when Chidao was proposed by others next year and someone said that the first line of Guizhou was not allowed to pass, then Chidao would completely become a waste of people's energy and useless as it was in history.
The process of making things convenient for the people will only lead to complaints and make Qin lose the support of the people.
And even if it is really possible to let Guizhou head go to both sides, it will still be very inconvenient if it cannot pass through the middle road.
Think about it, you can only go on one side of a highway that is hundreds of miles long. If you cross the middle, it is a crime and you will be sentenced.
So what should someone do if someone wants to go to the other side of the road? In the era when there were no viaducts, how to run to the other side?
Therefore, Zhao Tuo was the first to propose the construction of Chidao, and as the proposer suggested that all people in Guizhou Province be able to walk on Chidao and fully open it, this would really turn this major project into a good thing that benefits all people.
Later generations often say: If you want to get rich, build roads first. This shows how great a good road can be for economic and social development.
Zhao Tuo's move not only turned a project that had harmed the people in history into a project that benefited the people, winning the hearts of the people all over the world. He even relied on public opinion to publicize the selfish cruelty of the monarchs of the Six Kingdoms, and combated the influence of the heads of Guizhou in various places on the Six Kingdoms.
A heart of support.
And the original purpose of building Chidao was maintained, which was to strengthen the Qin Central Committee's management of various places and facilitate the mobilization of the army.
It can be said that one stone achieves multiple things. Of course, the most important thing is that Zhao Tuo changed another major event in the original history.
He changed the emperor's mind. Starting from the incident of Chi Dao, he changed the emperor bit by bit. Zhao Tuo raised his head.
Looking at the First Emperor on the imperial couch, he murmured in his heart.