Prime Minister of Great Qin

Chapter 304 The Theory of Seven Kingdoms!

Ji Heng did not express much emotion and continued: "As for the demise of the Wei State, there is actually no secret, no coincidence, and no accident."

“Those who slow down their virtues and forget about their talents will be a country in ruins!”

"From what I heard, the so-called death of heaven is that there are virtuous people but they don't use them. If they use them, how can they be destroyed? If Zhou uses the three benevolences, the Zhou Dynasty will not be able to be king, and Qin will be a tiger and a wolf!"

"From the founding of Wei Wenhou to the fall of Wei, the Wei State experienced eight generations of monarchs, a total of 170 years. In the history of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period, the great country in the past 200 years only experienced eight generations of monarchs. It is already the country with the most stable power inheritance in the world. Even Qin and Qi cannot compare with it, and the average reign of Wei monarchs is more than 22 years. Excluding the three years of the last monarch Wei Jie, the average reign of the other seven generations of monarchs in Wei is even more exaggerated. More than 25 years.”

"In an era of fierce competition like the Warring States Period, it is indeed very rare for Wei to be able to continue such a stable inheritance."

"But even the politically stable Wei State, compared to other countries with frequent succession of thrones and endless political turmoil, is still unable to escape the disaster of destruction."

"The reason is simple."

“In the early Warring States period, Wei took the lead in carrying out reforms.”

"Marquis Wen of Wei appointed Li Kui, a legalist scholar of the time, to formally implement a major reform centered on changing the land system for the first time in the world. As for the content of the reform, you should have understood it in the past few years, so I won't say more about it. Well, Li Kui’s reform was the beginning of the Warring States Period. It was undoubtedly the first thunder in the era of great strife, and it also kicked off the great strife.”

"The reason why the Wei State was able to rise rapidly was not only due to active reforms, but also due to its eagerness for virtuous relatives."

"As far as I know, during the reform period of Wei Wenhou, the Wei State appointed a large number of emerging scholars who came from humble backgrounds but had real talents and knowledge."

"This is the so-called anxious virtuous relative."

"In the era of Marquis Wen, the stars of the Wei State destroyed the civil and military affairs. Only the talented people who can be seen in the historical records include Li Kui, Le Yang, Wu Qi, Ximen Bao, Zhao Cangtang; Confucian celebrities Bu Zixia, Tian Zifang, Duan Qianmu, etc., as well as There were originally capable ministers in the court and public affairs of the Wei State, such as Qu Huang, Wei Chengzi and others."

"In the early days of the Wei State, in just a few decades, four great politicians including Li Kui, Le Yang, Wu Qi, and Ximen Bao were established in one fell swoop. Looking at the entire Warring States Period, this was a dream."

"Because of this, Wei's reputation as a wise man spread far and wide."

"Even when the Qin State wanted to attack the Wei State, it was dissuaded by its own ministers, and the reason for the dissuasion was even more concise: 'The wise men in Wei County are polite, the people of the country are called benevolent, and there is no way to achieve harmony between the top and bottom!'"

"However, the Wei State, which had so many talented people, was like a flash in the pan during the Warring States Period and quickly declined."

"The vigorous political tradition initiated by Marquis Wen of Wei was directly transformed during the second generation of Marquis Wu Wu of Wei. From this time on, Wei no longer actively carried out reforms, and the reform that was in full swing suddenly came to an abrupt end. .”

"also."

"The strong culture of eagerness for virtuous relatives initiated by Wei Wenhou has gradually faded into aristocratic superficiality over the past few decades."

"In other words, the two roads to a powerful country pioneered by Wei Wenhou, one is the political reform, and the other is the need for virtuous relatives, but they were not continued to advance in the subsequent period of the Wei State, and the Wei State eventually declined because of this."

"During the second generation of the Wei Kingdom, Marquis Wu of Wei, the Wei Kingdom had lost the magnanimity of the previous monarchs, and had completely reduced to judging people, things, and events based on personal preferences. From the past progress, It changed to a conservative mentality that did not think about changes and political reforms, and even Wei Wuhou directly said, 'The pictures of mountains and rivers are as beautiful as this, and this is the treasure of the Wei State.'"

"There is nothing wrong with this sentence at first glance."

"But at the time, it had a different meaning."

"Since the founding of Wei State, it has only regarded talents as 'national treasures'. This is the first time that a monarch of Wei State has regarded anything other than talents as 'national treasures'. When Wu Qi noticed it, he immediately corrected him, and thus there was We are all familiar with those words: 'The strength of a country lies not in its dangers but its virtues. If the ruler fails to cultivate virtues, all the people in the boat will become enemies of the country!'"

"It's a pity that Wei Wuhou doesn't think so."

"When the nobles of the Wei Kingdom later resurrected, took control of the court, and designed to drive Wu Qi away, from then on, the Wei Kingdom no longer had the broad-mindedness to recruit talents, nor the frank and sincere personality charm that unites talents. In addition, the internal strife of the Wei State gradually became more and more powerful, and the fairness and openness of the temple style was not as good as before, and the people of the Wei State began to lose a lot of talent."

"Wu Qi is the first great talent of Qiankun who was expelled from Wei State."

"But not the last one."

“During the Warring States Period, the Wei State was the first to establish a civilized atmosphere, and knowledgeable people regarded it as an honor and a necessity to study and travel in the Wei State.”

"Anyi and Daliang of the Wei State have successively become the holy places with the highest concentration of talents in the world. There are few celebrities who can broaden their horizons without traveling to the Wei State. For this reason, if the Wei State wants to search for talents, it can be said to be uniquely endowed. However, throughout the middle and late period of the Wei State, , Wei Guo didn’t retain any talents.”

"Shang Yang, a native of Wei, was once a minor official in the Wei state. Sun Bin, although he was a native of Qi, entered Wei's post early; Le Yi, a native of Wei, was also a famous scholar in the state of Wei. After Le Yang, Zhang Yi, a native of Wei, so many great people Although there are many talents, no one is appreciated by the Wei monarch, which shows the dimness of the politics of Wei State."

"If we add Wu Qi before him, Fan Ju, Wei Liaozi after him, and countless scholars who served as officials in Qin and other countries, it can be said that Wei is the world's leading statesman, scholar, and expert. The breeding ground of talent, and among all the lost talents, the most eye-catching is Shang Yang."

"Before Shang Yang entered the Qin Dynasty, his original ambition was to realize his ambition in the state of Wei. At that time, he was recommended by the prime minister of Wei, Gongshu Cuo, repeatedly. However, King Hui of Wei remained unmoved and was not even interested in killing Shang Yang. No, I’m so numb, what can I do?”

"Since then, the Wei State has completely formed a trend of external lenience and internal taboo."

"It's getting worse in future generations."

"In the end, all the talents in Wei were expelled."

"In my opinion, there are five main manifestations of Wei's style of 'external tolerance and internal taboo'."

talking.

Ji Heng suddenly looked at Fusu.

Fusu's heart froze. Hearing this, how could he not know that what Ji Heng was talking about was not the Six Kingdoms, but the current situation of the Qin Dynasty. In the past, Han and Zhao had bad habits, so how could the Qin Dynasty not have it now?Ji Heng deliberately used the death of the Six Kingdoms to remind himself and wake him up.

Fusu bowed slightly.

Ji Heng nodded and said calmly: "First, write a lot of articles about respecting the virtuous and respecting the virtuous, so that the name of respecting the virtuous will spread throughout the world."

"Secondly, I have special respect for celebrities who are famous but whose political views are obviously not in line with the trend, but they are also very respectful."

"Thirdly, we have special respect for the talents of famous ministers who have become the pillars of other countries. Whenever possible, they will appoint them as concurrent prime ministers of their own countries. However, in fact, they are foreign ministers who assist in diplomatic relations and are not involved in internal affairs."

"Fourth, they always turn a blind eye to potential talents who have not yet become famous, and never search for talents among common people."

"Fifth, be extremely wary of the great talents emerging from our country's royal family that cannot be squeezed away, and would rather put them on the shelf."

"Nothing in Wei's treatment of talents falls outside these five styles. Even if a great talent like Lord Xinling appeared in the later period, he was still unwilling to reuse them. By this time, Wei's talents had completely fallen into a state of neglect. , and it’s only a matter of time before Wei falls.”

"The disguised ostracism of Wu Qi, the turning a blind eye to Shang Yang, the open contempt for Zhang Yi, the jealous torture of Fan Ju, the cruel persecution of Sun Bin, the turning a blind eye to Wei Liaozi, and the subsequent indulgence of Le Yi and other famous generals who left the Wei Kingdom The history of employment almost keeps repeating a terrible mistake. The political soil is so bad and the hypocrisy is so deep-rooted that it is really shocking."

“In today’s world, if you lose your talents, your country will be destroyed!!!”

"The Mohist family has the most thorough understanding of talent and the rise and fall of a country." "The Mohist family has three basic points about talent."

"The first one is 'people who are close to the people are eager to help the wise'."

""Mozi·Kinshi" says: If you enter a country without retaining its scholars, the country will perish! If you are not anxious when you see the virtuous, then you will slow down the ruler! If you are not a virtuous person, you will not be anxious, and if you are not a scholar, you will not care about the country. If you are slow to see the virtuous, you will forget the scholars. , and there has never been anyone who can survive as a country!"

"The second is 'The virtuous people support the country.'"

"Mozi: Suggesting the Worthy" says: If a country has many virtuous people, the country's governance will be strong; if there are few virtuous people, the country's governance will be weak. Therefore, the duty of a great man lies only in the virtuous people."

"The third is 'Saluting the virtuous is the foundation of government'."

"Mozi: Honoring the Worthy, Middle and Part Two" says: Honoring the wise is the foundation of government. How do we know that honoring the wise is the foundation of government? When wise people govern, the hungry will be fed, the cold will be clothed, and the chaotic will be Governance, this is a safe and prosperous life!. Those who value virtue benefit the heaven, ghosts and people, and are the foundation of political affairs!"

"Wei is a country that has blocked the eyes and ears of the world with its hypocritical way of advocating virtue, and is a country that is destined to perish from heaven!"

Listening to Ji Heng's views on talents, Fusu's back was already wet.

But he felt that what Ji Heng was talking about was the Great Qin. Over the years, the Great Qin did respect the virtuous, but it only paid lip service to the virtuous and did not give them heavy responsibilities. Moreover, since the Great Qin unified the world, there has been a sense of arrogance and arrogance in both the government and the public. , thinking that all the talented people in the world are Qin people, and they will take the initiative to serve. Why do they search among the common people again like in the past?
Moreover, Great Qin's use of talents was mostly limited to the children of meritorious officials or the children of Qin people, and it was rare for scholars from the Six Lands to be reused.

Because the court was always wary.

And isn't this the "external lenient but internal taboo" policy of the Wei State?
If you lose your talents, your country will be destroyed.

If a large number of scholars cannot realize their ambitions, then they are all Qin people, which may turn out to be what Wu Qi said, "all the people in the boat are enemies."

Think of this.

Fusu couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

He already understood why Ji Heng asked him to write a letter and issue a talent seeking order.

The purpose is to recruit as many talents as possible and prevent the loss of talented people from all over the world, so that Da Qin can avoid falling into the absurd situation like Wei.

Fusu took a deep breath.

His face has become very serious.

I don’t dare to have any luck or contempt anymore.

The Zhao, Wei and Han of yesterday may not be the Qin of today.

Ji Heng sighed softly and said with emotion: "The death of the Three Jin Dynasties, Zhao Wei and Han was the beginning of the collapse of the glorious and prosperous Central Plains civilization in the past. From a historical perspective, this collapse has the effect of integrating the entire Chinese civilization into a unified country. And the meaning of regeneration has a heroic historical beauty.”

"But get to the root of it."

"The framework on which the political civilization of the Three Jin Dynasties depends is actually completely unsuitable for the world, and the reforms of the three schools have obvious flaws. These flaws are actually the same, that is, the reforms are not thorough, have no continuity, and have no follow-up. , The national situation does not have a strong force to inspire society. Although it can be strong for a while due to reforms, it is destined to be bombarded and broken into pieces under the rolling torrent of history."

"In fact, the same goes for Qin."

"Before Qin Xiangong, the frequency of mutinies within the Qin State was no less than that of the Zhao State, and its rejection of talents was no less than that of the Wei State. Its short-sighted political views and frequent internal strife were no less frequent than those of South Korea. However, in such a difficult situation, In a complicated situation, Shang Yang's reform came out of nowhere, but it completely turned the situation around."

"Under the threat of severe punishment and generous rewards, the Qin tribe finally condensed into a force that shocked the world."

"It's just that in the ten years since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty has fallen into this situation again."

"And this is the meaning of the law."

Fusu bowed respectfully to Ji Heng and said in a deep voice: "Fusu has been taught. Fusu has written down the teacher's words. When he goes back, he will reflect on his current actions."

In this regard.

Ji Heng sighed and shook his head.

He didn't say much about Fusu and continued to talk about it.

"Next is Yan."

"Yan State actually has nothing to say."

"It's just a tragedy of sticking to the royal tradition."

"Yan is an old nobleman with the blood of the emperor. He carries on the distant tradition with dignity and diligently pursues the benevolence of his ancestors."

"Although we tried to make some changes, we were defeated quickly when going against the trend."

"During the Warring States Period, the choice of rise or fall suddenly became more acute. However, Yan State was always in a state of uncertainty when faced with its ancient political tradition and the sharp reality that if it did not change, it would perish. In the national competition between the two countries, they still adhered to the outdated royal tradition, trying to continue to use royal virtues to calm the increasingly fierce conflicts. Throughout the Warring States Period, the Yan Kingdom showed a pedantry that was incompatible with the current world, and a strong style of pedantic politics."

"on the other hand."

"In the face of the current situation of reforming the internal system and urgently needing to enhance national strength, Yan State's reforms were actually forced, and they became very limited. They stopped abruptly after seeing little effect. This wavering state naturally caused domestic problems. Huge divisions, even serious enough to lead to mutiny and civil strife, and the national strength accumulated through Le Yi's reform were instantly destroyed by such mutiny and civil strife."

Speaking of which.

Ji Heng couldn't help but laugh again and again.

When Le Yi attacked Qi, he captured more than [-] cities in Qi like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, but that was all.

With the strong strength of the Yan State at that time, why could it not capture the last two small cities in five years, so that the success was in vain?The reason also lies in the royal way.

Le Yi's reforms in the Yan State did not touch the royal tradition of the Yan State at all. They can only be said to be a few things such as recuperation, rectification of officials, and training of new troops. It is true that he did accumulate strength and also showed it in the battle to break Qi. Majestic, but Yan's kingly ideals relapsed later, and he tried to make Qi collapse on its own by besieging the city, but it ended in haste.

One can't help but lament the absurdity.

　Third correction code

　　
　
(End of this chapter)