Ying Zheng once issued an order for people to secretly investigate various places in the world, to learn about the views of the people of the six countries and the old Qin people on the Qin Dynasty, and to understand what people truly want.
In a certain wine tavern in Qi land, there was a wine drinker who sighed with emotion, "A month ago, we were all Qi people. Now we are Qin people!"
The other wine drinker replied, "This is something that could have been predicted long ago. What is there to be surprised about?"
The wine drinker's words fell silent the other wine drinkers in the tavern. Indeed, the unified Qin Dynasty, with its powerful and ferocious reputation, could have been predicted long ago. What is there to be surprised about?
In ten years, first conquer Han, Zhao, then eliminate Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi cannot escape. Just the King of Qi surrendered quickly, letting Qi people unlike other five countries fall and suffer from wars.
One wine drinker said, "Ladies and gentlemen, don't waste time talking. Let's drink freely instead. When those officials sent by the Qin King arrive, things won't be as good."
A wine drinker asked, "Why?"
Before the wine drinker who said, "Don't idle talk, let's drink to our hearts' content," had a chance to speak, another wine drinker laughed coldly and said, "Why? Do you know the Qin laws? If five people gather together, they will be regarded as 'group robbers' and captured. According to Qin laws, all taverns are managed by the state government and anyone else is forbidden from brewing."
The wine drinker who was puzzled exclaimed, "The Qin law is so strict, it even doesn't allow us to drink and be merry? I've heard that the Qin laws are harsh, but I didn't expect it to be taken to such an extreme!"
Another wine drinker sighed, "What kind of strictness is that? It just doesn't allow you to drink! Among the other laws in Qin law, there are even more terrifying ones. A minor offense will result in paying money, while a serious one will leave you without your hands and feet."
Hearing the puzzled wine drinker took a deep breath and quickly drank to calm himself down, fearing that he might also have his limbs amputated. After the shock subsided, he said again, "Is the Qin law really so terrible?"
The wine drinker who spoke of the terrifying Qin law shook his head, "It's even more so than that!"
The wine drinker who had previously urged the other wine drinkers to stop idle chatter and drink quickly nodded in agreement. "What this brother says is very true. The cruelty of the Qin laws is rare in the world. Under Qin law, every household must serve forced labor, and they must fulfill it regardless of whether they have the means or not. For failure to comply with the deadline for six days to a ten-day period, there will be a fine of one dagger; for exceeding the ten-day period, there will be a fine of one jade..."
The wine drinkers in the tavern were shocked again when they heard this. Nowadays, some people think this is just a fine, much better than the beheading that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang spoke of. Indeed, it's better than directly taking one's life. However, in reality, the fine of "one dagger" and "one jade" is not a small number for people in this era.
The wine drinker went on to explain more about the Qin laws: if a neighbor commits a crime and is not reported, everyone is held accountable; if someone commits a crime nearby and you do not stop them, you are held accountable as well...
That's right. One could be guilty of a crime just by sitting at home.
Because you cannot control the behavior of your neighbors in the village.
After hearing this, the puzzled wine drinker said, "Under such laws, how could there not be people who break the law?"
The wine drinker who laughed drank a mouthful and said, "So you think the Qin soldiers come from where? Many of them come here to atone for their sins after breaking Qin laws. Under the Qin law, if you want to avoid breaking it, you must be a dead person!"
Another wine drinker said, "How do the Qin people endure such harsh laws?"
The wine drinker who was laughing said with a tone of 'those Qin people deserve it': "The Qin is called the fierce Qin, and these Qin people are the hawks and fangs that have been tamed by the Qin law. With the six countries now all destroyed, that Qin king should deal with these hawks and fangs. After all, sharp claws can also hurt themselves."
"Alas!"
The wine drinker who urged the other wine drinkers to drink heartily sighed deeply and said, "I think we will also have to be cleaned up, not just the Qin people. Don't idle talk. Drink, drink!"
The wine drinkers realized at this moment that their own country had been destroyed, and now they were under the rule of the same Qin king. The Qin king's treatment of the Qin people would be the same for them, and the harsh and cruel Qin laws would also fall on their heads.
For a moment, silence fell again in the wine tavern, only the occasional sound of heavy and confused sighs. What would their lives be like in the future?
A young man with plain clothing but exceptionally handsome features sat crouched in a corner of the tavern, silently listening to the wine drinkers' remarks. His own country had been destroyed even earlier than these Qi people, and he could understand their confusion about the future.
But he was different from these Qi people who didn't want to idle talk and wanted to drink heartily. He had already broken free from confusion. Since his country no longer existed, he planned to recreate it again.
Based on his observations during his travels and studies over the years, he had come to a conclusion: Although the Qin Dynasty was strong, it had reached the brink of collapse!
These Qi people's fear of the Qin laws and the Qin king is one of the examples of it: When a country and a king make their people feel afraid, their country will not last long.
Even if the king surrendered directly, without much suffering from wars, the Qin people are so terrified and fearful of Qin. It can be imagined how the people of the other five countries must feel?
The Qin is a fierce and cruel country, seemingly powerful, but it is overly greedy. Its hasty unification of the world has precisely become its fatal weakness: easy to conquer but hard to govern.
The handsome young man silently pondered, just when will the opportunity come? Is it in ten years, or twenty?
He thought of the formidable Qin King who had shaken the world and instilled fear in everyone. With him around, the people of the world would be too scared of him to dare voice any grievances or rebel.
If only that Qin King could die a bit sooner...
In a house in the Chu land, on the east bank of the river, a boy with a sturdy build was reading.
After reading for a while, the boy could no longer hold back and asked the middle-aged man, who was closing his eyes as if meditating, "Uncle, the Qi country has been destroyed. When can we restore our country?"
The boy's grandfather and father were killed during the war when Chu was conquered by Qin. Although young, he bore a deep national grudge and family hatred against the Qin.
The middle-aged man opened his eyes and looked at the boy, sighing, "Your temperament is so impulsive, how can I entrust important matters to you?"
Seeing the boy staring back at him with defiance, the middle-aged man said, "The Qin may be cruel, but it must be admitted that the Qin army is powerful. In today's world, no military can match it."
The boy was disdainful and said, "That's because they haven't met me. Otherwise, I'll definitely show the Qin army the strength of my Xiang family."
Without paying attention to the boy's words, the middle-aged man continued, "Although the Qin army is invincible, the Qin is not invincible. The Qin army can help the Qin king conquer and destroy countries, but can it govern a country?"
"Conquering and destroying countries requires only one thing - to advance and break through the city walls. However, governing a country is different. It requires establishing laws and considering the needs of the people to bring stability to the world."
The middle-aged man asked, "Although the Qin can quickly conquer and destroy other countries, seizing their cities, can they govern these cities well? Can they win the hearts and minds of all people?"
The boy directly provided his solution: "Kill those who do not obey, and keep those who are willing to serve. It's not that simple?"
The middle-aged man looked at him and sighed, "If killing could solve everything, there wouldn't be so many problems in this world."
The boy's face showed disdain, "That's not enough to kill!"
The middle-aged man shook his head. His nephew was born to be a military general, but his killing instincts were too strong, and he didn't like to learn. His future was difficult to predict.
"In a way, the Qin laws and the killing you mentioned are no different; both aim to instill fear. The Qin used its laws to defeat the six countries, transforming it into a fierce and cruel Qin. But while the Qin laws can govern within Qin, can they also govern the entire world? Before unification, the weaknesses of Qin were not apparent. Now that it has unified the world, its weaknesses have become evident!"
