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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
preface
Qin Shi Huang, the great monarch known as the "Emperor of the Ages", largely unified China with his eloquence and established the powerful Qin Dynasty.
However, despite his exploits, one wrong decision eventually led to the rapid fall of the Qin Dynasty.
What kind of mistake could have allowed such a brilliant emperor to make such a big mistake and cause the empire he created to fall apart in just a few years?
1. Young Son of Heaven: Prologue to Game of Thrones
In 259 B.C., a baby destined to change the course of Chinese history was born in Handan, Zhao State. This baby was the later Qin Shi Huang Yingzheng.
His birth background is quite complicated: his father is the proton of Qin, and his mother is Lü Buwei's love concubine. This complex life experience is destined to Yingzheng's growth road, full of ups and downs and challenges.
At the age of 13, the young Yingzheng inherited the throne of Qin. However, at this time, the government power was in the hands of the powerful minister Lü Buwei. Lü Buwei was not only the prime minister of Qin, but also the titular "middle father" of Yingzheng. This complex relationship made it difficult for the young Ying Zheng to move on the political stage.
At the same time, Ying Zheng's biological mother Zhao Ji also secretly colluded with the eunuch Chang Yu, gave birth to two sons, and also eyed Ying Zheng's throne. The young Ying Zheng was drawn into a brutal power game, and he had to hold back and secretly accumulate strength.
In this process, Ying Zheng gradually showed political wisdom and means beyond his age. He knows how to keep his head in the dark, quietly observing the situation around him, and at the same time looking for allies he can trust. This experience undoubtedly laid the foundation for his future ambition.
2. The rise of the king: eradicate dissidents and monopolize power
As he grew older, Ying Zheng's ambition and ability became increasingly apparent. He knew very well that in order to truly grasp the power of Qin, it was necessary to eradicate the two major threats of Lü Buwei and Chang Yu. With the assistance of his close minister Li Si, Yingzheng began his counterattack.
First of all, Ying Zheng took advantage of Chang Yu's arrogance and set a trap. At a drinking banquet, a drunken Chang Yu claimed to be the righteous father of the King of Qin, which gave Ying Zheng an excellent reason to purge him.
Ying Zheng quickly sent someone to investigate, and finally revealed the fornication between Chang Yu and the Queen Mother. After Chang Yu was exposed, he forged the jade seal in a panic in a vain attempt to confront the imperial court. However, his henchmen soon betrayed him.
In the end, Chang Yu was arrested, sentenced to death, and the three clans were also killed. The two children born to him and the Queen Mother were not spared. The Empress Dowager was placed under house arrest and lost her political influence.
Next, Ying Zheng targeted Lü Buwei. Considering that Lü Buwei had made meritorious contributions to the Qin State, Ying Zheng adopted a more moderate approach and sent him to Shu. However, Lü Buwei knew that he would not escape his fate, and finally chose to commit suicide, ending his political career.
Through this series of resolute actions, Ying Zheng successfully eliminated the two major forces that threatened his rule, and completely grasped the absolute power of Qin. This not only showed his political skills, but also laid a solid foundation for him to unify the six countries in the future.
3. Heroic strategy: the hegemony of the world
After seizing the power of the Qin State, Ying Zheng showed amazing majesty and strategy. He reused his talents, made great efforts to make the country prosperous, and formulated the grand goal of unifying the world. Over the next two decades, Ying Zheng led the Qin army into a series of military conquests.
In 230 BC, the State of Qin conquered Korea, kicking off the unification of the six kingdoms. Over the next decade, Qin conquered Wei, Chu, Zhao, Yan, and Qi.
By 221 BC, Ying Zheng had finally completed the great cause of unification, ending hundreds of years of division since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and establishing the Qin Dynasty, the first centralized feudal dynasty in Chinese history.
After unifying the Six Kingdoms, Ying Zheng took a series of major steps to consolidate the newly established empire. He unified writing, weights and measures, and currency, which not only facilitated economic exchanges across the country, but also laid the foundation for cultural unity.
He also built the Great Wall and dug the Ling Canal, which not only strengthened national defense, but also promoted economic development. Ying Zheng also created a new bureaucratic and legal system.
He abolished the feudal system, introduced the county system, directly appointed local officials, and strengthened the central government's control over the localities. At the same time, he implemented strict punishment and strict laws, established a complete legal system, and maintained social order.
These measures not only consolidated the rule of the Qin Dynasty, but also made indelible contributions to the formation and development of the Chinese nation. It is precisely because of these achievements that Yingzheng has won the reputation of "the first emperor of the ages".
IV. The Fall of the Empire: The Beginning of the Loss and Decline of Power
However, just as Qin Shi Huang was making great achievements and high spirits, the foundation of the empire was quietly shaken. After the unification of the Six Kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang's personality gradually changed. He became more and more authoritarian and conceited, and began to indulge in the pursuit of personal glory and immortality.
Qin Shi Huang built a large number of buildings and built the luxurious Afang Palace and Lishan Mausoleum. Although these projects demonstrated the national strength of the Qin Dynasty, they also increased the burden on the common people. At the same time, he is also obsessed with the art of immortality, looking for elixirs everywhere, and even touring the east many times to find the legendary Penglai Immortal Island.
What is even more fatal is that Qin Shi Huang never established an heir. He believed that he could live forever, so he never seriously considered the matter of establishing a prince. This decision laid a huge hidden danger for the future of the Qin Dynasty.
At the same time, the harsh laws of the Qin Dynasty also aroused popular dissatisfaction. Although these laws maintained social order in the early days, they became more and more harsh as time went on, leading to boiling public resentment.
These actions of Qin Shi Huang not only exacerbated social contradictions, but also laid the groundwork for the rapid decline of the Qin Dynasty. He seems to have forgotten that the foundation of an empire lies not only in a strong military force and a strict management system, but also in the will of the people.
V. Death of the Second Emperor: The Rapid Collapse of the Empire
In 210 BC, Qin Shi Huang died of illness on a dune platform during his fifth eastern tour. His sudden death sparked a fierce struggle for power. At this time, the fate of the empire was completely in the hands of the eunuch Zhao.
Zhao Gao knew that Qin Shi Huang's eldest son, Fusu, was resolute and brave, and once he succeeded to the throne, he would lose his power. So he conspired with Prime Minister Li Si to tamper with the edict, set up the incompetent Hu Hai as the emperor, and forced Fusu, Meng Tian and other loyal ministers to death. This series of conspiracies completely shook the foundation of the Qin dynasty's rule.
After Hu Hai ascended the throne, under the control of Zhao Gao, he intensified his efforts to loot the people's fat and ointment, and brutalized Zhongliang. Despite the hardships of the people, he continued to build lavish palaces and mausoleums. These actions further exacerbated social contradictions, which eventually led to a large-scale peasant uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.
The flames of the uprising quickly swept across the country, and the rule of the Qin dynasty collapsed. Various places responded to the uprising, and the descendants of the vassal states that were originally conquered by the Qin Dynasty also raised troops against Qin. Faced with an embattled situation, Qin II Hu Hai seemed powerless.
In the end, under the joint attack of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu and other rebel armies, the Qin Dynasty lasted only 15 years before it was declared extinct. This once glorious empire came to an end in the tragedy of the death of the second.
epilogue
Qin Shi Huang's life is full of legends, and his exploits are equally remarkable.
His great cause of unifying the six kingdoms and establishing a centralized system was undeniable, but his autocracy in his later years and the fatal mistake of not appointing a prince also laid the groundwork for the rapid demise of the Qin Dynasty.
The rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty tells us that the prosperity of a country requires not only a strong military and a strict system, but also a focus on people's livelihood and checks and balances. #长文创作激励计划#
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