After years of ruling, Ying Zong's wisdom and tactics reached the peak of his life. A little thinking will understand why the heirs of Qing Emperor reduced after the implementation of secret succession: Since secret succession allows everyone to be unaware of who the next emperor will be, why bother having children at all?
During your pregnancy, I poisoned you; during her pregnancy, you poisoned her...
The harem of the Qing Dynasty had become a battlefield for eating chickens, only the winners could leave offspring.
Of course, the main reason for the few heirs of later Qing emperors was that their bodies were too weak, looking like sickly ghosts. Even if the concubines were willing, they couldn't last for long.
Li Nian said, "To make the king beloved, it is not based on virtue, nor based on seniority. Whoever the king likes will be made the emperor. The harm in this will be obvious to Your Majesty, and I don't need to say anything further."
Ying Zong frowned at Li Nian and said, "There is no best method for establishing the successor in future generations?"
Li Nian shook his head: "No, the later generations have only progressed in some aspects compared to the Great Qin, but not necessarily better in others."
Although the later generations are in modern society, those company presidents still have headaches when choosing their heirs...
Ying Zong added, "If you were to choose, how would you do it?"
Well, the ball has been passed back again.
Facing Zheng boss's question, Li Nian dare not kick the ball back again. He can only say: "In my opinion, it is better to establish the eldest son as the heir. The selected successor by this method may not be the most excellent or wise, but this method can reduce the struggle between princes and prevent the emergence of people like Zhao Gao, which is beneficial to national stability."
That may be the case in theory, but in practice, it's not that easy. For example, Liu Ju and Li Chengqian were both eldest sons, but did they ever come to the throne?
It depends on the thoughts of their emperor fathers.
Li Nian added, "If the king wants to avoid Hu Hai and Zhao Gao's thing, I think it's best to establish an heir as soon as possible and clearly define the Great Qin's inheritance system."
Ying Zong did not reply to Li Nian's words, and Li Nian also did not speak further. The issue of establishing an heir was left out by both parties for the time being, but Li Nian knew that his words had certainly taken root in Ying Zong's mind.
Li Nian said again, "For the nobility of the six countries, after Your Majesty defeated the six states and brought them to ruin, with their wealth and honors vanishing into thin air, how could they not harbor hatred for Your Majesty and the Great Qin?"
"To solve the problem of the nobility of the six countries, the simplest and most direct method is to kill them all. If all those related to the nobility of the six countries are killed, there will be no one left, and thus no problem."
"But, apart from the question of whether we can kill all those related to the nobility of the six countries, will this really eliminate the trouble caused by the nobility of the six countries? I don't think so!"
"The nobility of the six countries have great reputation in their respective countries. If we take a rough approach to solve the problem by killing, it will not only leave a cruel reputation for the king and Great Qin in history, but also make the people of the six countries feel terrified. They will think: today the king massacres the nobility of the six countries, tomorrow he may kill them."
"By then, the people in the six countries will be restless and anxious, unable to live a peaceful day. All it takes is for someone to raise their voice, and chaos will be ignited."
"Therefore, I think that to solve the problem of the nobility of the six countries, just relying on killing is not enough. We need to weaken the foundation on which they rely, making them powerless."
Li Nian said this, and Ying Zong added, "Are you suggesting that we dismantle the connection between the nobility of the six countries and the common people of the six countries?"
"Very well, the foundation of the nobility of the six countries is the common people of the six countries. It is only through their farming that the nobility can have food, through their silk production that they can have clothing, and through their prestige among the common people that they can gain followers. Without the common people of the six countries, the nobility of the six countries are just like floating weeds without roots, like fish without water that can be extinguished with a flick of the wrist."
Hearing this, Ying Zong felt that there was something between the lines in Li Nian's words, as if he were hinting at something. In fact, he misunderstood. Li Nian, a cowardly and fearful person, dare not hint at him?
It was just the right opportunity!
Ying Zong said, "How can we divide the nobility of the six countries from the common people of the six countries?"
Li Nian said, "May I ask Your Majesty, how do the common people of the six countries live under the rule of the nobility of the six countries, compared to the old Qin people under my Great Qin's governance?"
The Great Qin didn't treat the people as human beings, treating them merely as screws, but the kings and nobles of the other six countries didn't treat their people as human either, and they might be even less humane than the Great Qin.
Some of the people of the six countries might miss the former kings and nobles, simply because they have been oppressed by the current Great Qin. They temporarily forget how their predecessors were abusive and cruel to them.
Just like how in modern society, when someone complains about problems, they might reminisce about the past, longing for the Republic of China, or even the feudal dynasties.
The current situation not being good doesn't necessarily mean the past was good. But human nature is always like this; the past is a white moonlight, and the present is a black monster.
Ying Zong confidently said, "I may not be the best, but I can surpass the majority!"
Li Nian said, "The king can order officials of the Great Qin to compare the advantages and disadvantages between the Great Qin and the nobility of the six countries among the common people of the six countries. Let them feel the good governance of the Great Qin and highlight the bad governance under the kingship of the six countries. As long as the common people of the six countries are not stupid, they will naturally know how to choose."
"Furthermore, we can collect the crimes and evil deeds that the kings and nobles of the six countries have committed in the past and spread them among the people of the six countries, such as massacring civilians, plundering women..."
In this era, Li Nian believes that there must be moral gentlemen among the nobility of the six countries, but there are also some who have caused harm to the people. As long as these evildoings are exposed to the public, will the people of six countries still trust the nobility of the six countries so much?
Even without the complete trust of the people of the six countries, simply casting doubt on the nobility of the six countries will suffice. This will naturally lead to estrangement between both parties, weakening the foundation on which they rely. As the saying goes, "Spreading a rumor is easy; refuting it requires much effort," and this is exactly what happens.
As for the nobility of the six countries potentially retaliating with the same means, this is the realm of the Great Qin now. Who dares to speak out and provoke? It's like throwing oneself into a trap.
"In this way, the foundation on which the nobility of the six countries rely will be dismantled. Without the protection of the common people of the six countries, who provide them with food and clothing, they will eventually perish. Of course, it's better for Your Majesty to take action. Resolving it early can prevent any reversals and avoid creating a serious problem."
"Besides dismantling the connection between the nobility of the six countries and their common people, Your Majesty can also take direct action against the nobility of the six countries themselves. For example, you can pardon those who actively admit their status to the Great Qin, and reward those who report the nobility of the six countries who harbor ill intentions towards the Great Qin."
"Do not push them to the brink of despair, otherwise, like a cornered beast that fights back, they might consolidate their strength and become a greater disaster for the Great Qin."
"For those nobility of the six countries who receive amnesty and rewards, they cannot be allowed to live in one place again. They must be relocated to non-six country areas, scattered and living, preferably in remote, less populated areas where the Great Qin needs to open up new land."
Ying Zong knows this well. It's just about disintegrating the nobility of the six countries from within, making them distrust and vigilantly guard against each other. It's like how the Great Qin defeated Zhao country.
If it hadn't been for the "War God" Guo Kai who forced Lian Po to leave and eliminated Li Mu, it would have been really difficult for the Great Qin to conquer Zhao country.
Guo Kai was the first war god of the Great Qin and the first beneficiary of the conquest of Zhao country. It's a pity that his history is not well-documented. Perhaps you can ask Qin Shi Huang about it?
