Two questions directly strike the soul of Emperor Qin, making him silent because he is well aware that he cannot guarantee it.
And that is precisely where the problem lies.
If he had listened to Li Nian as told later in history, what Hu Hai had done was something that should have been dealt with by killing him to eliminate potential trouble. However, he did indeed have a soft spot for his youngest son, Hu Hai, and the latter was not too old in age either. He thought that perhaps there would still be room for change.
Thus, Emperor Qin was caught in a state of psychological contradiction: on one hand, as the ruler of the Great Qin Dynasty, he should have killed Hu Hai for the sake of the empire. Even if it turned out that Li Nian was lying and he had made a mistake, it was not a big deal to kill one Hu Hai for the stability and longevity of the Great Qin Dynasty.
However, on the other hand, he was also a father who loved this youngest son dearly and did not want to kill him directly. He wanted to see if there were any other ways to change the situation.
That's why he went to visit Hu Hai, beat him, and then punished Hu Hai by making him copy "The Book of Songs" because of the bamboo slips presented by Hu Hai.
These are exactly the manifestations of Emperor Qin's uncertainty about how to deal with Hu Hai!
Because of the saying in "The Book of Songs" that "There are three hundred poems, and they can be summarized with one word: thoughts without evil." punishing Hu Hai to copy the book was hoping that after understanding his intentions, Hu Hai would change.
However, Li Nian directly tore apart Emperor Qin's idea today, presenting a harsh reality to him: You cannot ensure that Hu Hai can change for the better!
Ying Zheng closed his eyes, then opened them and asked, "Is there no other way?"
Li Nian said, "There is, but each method cannot permanently solve the problem. Hu Hai's situation as the son of the king and his status as a 'prince' led to the downfall of the Qin Dynasty in two generations. If the king could deprive him of his status and surname and send him to a foreign land, it might be effective."
"According to this method, the king must create the death of Prince Hu Hai!"
In simple terms, allow Hu Hai the person to live, but let the status and identity represented by the name Hu Hai die, so that Hu Hai himself can no longer rely on his status as the son of Emperor Qin to cause trouble.
However, this method, as Li Nian said, may be effective, but it cannot guarantee complete elimination of the problem like killing him directly does.
"I am just putting forward a suggestion. Whether to adopt it or not should be decided by the king!"
Ying Zheng said, "I understand now. You have done well, and you have not deceived me!"
"Not deceiving" refers to Li Nian's courage to directly tell him the need to kill Hu Hai and eliminate the problem forever.
The Great Qin Emperor did not say which method he would choose to deal with Hu Hai, but Li Nian actually hoped that the Emperor would opt for the second method he had suggested.
Although this would save Hu Hai's life, it also indicates that the Great Qin Emperor has a human side, not a completely cold and heartless ruler. There is a chance he might not drag Li Nian along with him when he passes away.
Human nature is complex and contradictory, just like Li Nian. He wants Hu Hai to die, but also wants the Great Qin Emperor to handle Hu Hai according to the second method.
Setting aside Hu Hai's issue, Emperor Qin asked, "According to your method, all my sons will become heroes. How should that be handled?"
This is asking, if all of my sons become very outstanding, but there is only one throne for the king of the Great Qin Dynasty, what should be done?
Li Nian said, "This is easy to solve. If all the princes are outstanding, dividing the world among them would do. Just like the king, I do not advocate the resurgence of the feudal system within China, but it can be done for the entire world. That's why I brought a globe with me. If Your Majesty could take a look, he would know how big the world is."
"Bring that globe over here!"
Instantly, two attendants carefully carried in a slightly tilted wooden ball painted with various colors.
Ying Zheng said, "Let him keep it!"
The attendants placed the wooden globe on the table in front of Li Nian.
Pointing to a black-painted area on the wooden globe, Li Nian said, "This globe represents the world we live in, and this black area here is the Great Qin Dynasty."
As the Great Qin Dynasty was associated with black, Li Nian had painted the map of the Great Qin Dynasty on the wooden globe black.
Although there was some distance between them, Emperor Qin could still see his Great Qin Dynasty as just a small piece on the globe.
Is this how the Great Qin Dynasty compares to the entire world?
originally thought that the Great Qin Dynasty had the most extensive territory in the world, but looking at this globe, perhaps it only accounts for less than 1/100.
"On this globe, the blue parts represent the sea, while the rest are land. Countries are divided into different colors."
Meng Yi was shocked and said, "Does that not mean that our world is mostly covered by the sea, with land floating on the ocean? Amazing, if the world is a sphere, why haven't we felt it?"
Noticing other parts of the globe, Meng Yi pointed to a place below the ball and asked, "May I ask, is there also a country and people here?"
"Yes!"
After receiving Li Nian's reply, Meng Yi was puzzled and said, "Don't they fall off here?"
Li Nian explained, "They are not living on the bottom of the globe, and neither are we living on the top. There is no up or down, left or right in the universe. We have not fallen off the globe because our world as a ball has the power to hold us."
"The force, which General Meng has also experienced in his daily life, such as when he throws a stone upwards, the stone always falls to the ground. This is due to this force. As for why we do not feel that the world is a sphere, it is because this sphere is too large for us to feel."
"The most direct and rough way to prove that the world is a sphere is to embark on a global journey. The saying 'Southbound Car, Northbound Horse' in《War Strategies of the Spring and Autumn Periods》actually means that even if one goes southbound while driving a carriage northward, they will eventually reach their destination, as the world is a sphere."
Li Nian turned the wooden globe and drew a circle on its blue part to help Ying Zheng and Meng Yi understand what he meant by a global journey.
No, how did Meng Yi get sidetracked again? Today is not about giving Emperor Qin geographical knowledge. Li Nian was trying to tell Emperor Qin that the world is vast and the Great Qin Dynasty is small. With the current technology of the Great Qin Dynasty, it is impossible to effectively govern the entire world, and overseas feudalism needs to be implemented.
Li Nian said, "Your Majesty, please look. The world is too vast, and with the current strength of the Great Qin Dynasty, it is impossible to govern the entire world. Therefore, we can divide the princes and beasts out."
Ying Zheng disliked the idea of feudalism. He preferred centralization of power and controlled the entire world himself. However, seeing that the Great Qin Dynasty only occupied a small part of the globe, he realized that only through feudalism could they achieve effective governance over such a vast territory. How would he govern such a large empire otherwise?
Not to mention whether the Great Qin Dynasty has enough officials, just the communication issue is an unsolvable problem.
For example, if a rebellion occurs in a certain place, he has to deal with it personally. However, because the capital is too far away, even if horses are ridden at full speed and day and night travel is combined, it would still take half a year for him to arrive. Moreover, another half a year would be needed for his edicts to reach the local area.
By the end of the year, the area is likely to have already fallen into the hands of the rebel forces. What use would his edicts be then?
Looking at all these places, he can't govern them himself, and the Emperor Qin was quite unwilling. He asked Li Nian, "If we could create such a mobile device, could we govern the entire world?"
Before Li Nian could answer, Emperor Qin said on his own, "It was my folly to have thought so. The Great Qin Dynasty and the world you came from are separated by thousands of years, and the gap between us cannot be bridged in a single day."
Although Emperor Qin was confident, he also knew that this gap could not be bridged in the short term. He was not stupid!
