The young man said, "Is the weakness the Qin laws?"
The middle-aged man shook his head, "Both and not both!"
"The Qin laws are strict, and can be implemented in the Qin land with the guarantee of Geng troops. But once they are enforced throughout the world, will there be enough Geng troops to back them up? Before the unification of Qin, it was like clenching your fists and attacking enemies..."
The middle-aged man extended his right hand, forming a fist. The young man understood at once and also extended his right fist, but instead of making a fist, he spread out his five fingers.
"After the Qin unified the world, it's like opening the clenched fist, their strength will be spread out in all directions, making them weak?"
The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Exactly. And the Qin laws are cruel and harsh, the people of all countries must be hard to bear for a long time. Soon someone will raise the banner of rebellion, to attack that unjust Qin king."
The young man's eyes lit up with a strange gleam: "This is the opportunity my uncle asked me to wait for?"
The middle-aged man said, "No, after the first person raises the banner of rebellion, we still need to wait and see if Qin can eliminate the righteous army in time. If not, that will be our opportunity."
"Fei, you are young, don't be in a hurry. The Qin king has spent ten years to conquer six countries. We can also use a decade to wipe out Qin. He is nearly thirty years older than you, we can wait!"
Hearing this, the young man didn't take it to heart at all. As long as there was an opportunity, he, Xiang Yu, would seize it. But in the face of his uncle's earnest advice, the young man respectfully said, "I will obey my uncle's teaching!"
The middle-aged man saw that the young man seemed to have taken it to heart this time, his eyes filled with satisfaction as he nodded in approval.
This is the qi-lin child of their Xiang family. In the future, when the world changes, the Xiang family may rise because of him, recreating glory, even more brilliant than before.
In a certain unknown village in the Zhao territory, several farmers were gathered together, whispering to each other in a stealthy manner. One said, "Did you hear? The Qi to the south has also been conquered by the Qin!"
Another person revealed a worried expression and said, "I heard that all six countries have been conquered by the Qin. How can we ever avenge them?"
The hatred between Zhao and Qin is deep, especially after the Battle of Changping, where Wei Qi massacred 400,000 surrendering troops from Zhao. These were the youthful men from every family in Zhao, fathers, brothers, uncles and nephews of many people. That year, Zhao was almost completely clothed in white mourning clothes, and the wailing could be heard in neighboring Yan.
Although several decades have passed, some have gradually let go of this hatred, but others are unwilling to do so because those who were massacred were their relatives!
A farmer looked at the farmers who wanted to avenge their families and said, "Want to avenge your families? Just being able to live is already good enough! Previously, with other countries existing, the Qin managed us relatively 'leniently'. Now that Qi has been conquered, this 'relaxed' days are also coming to an end."
The so-called "lenient" policy is not lenient at all. After the Qin conquered Zhao, the tax burden on Zhao land was not light. After all, the Qin had to continue attacking other countries and to govern the newly acquired territories, which required more money and grain. Where did the money and grain come from?
The Qin king and the nobles of the Great Qin aren't magicians who can magically create things; they can't just produce what they need. Of course, it has to come from the people, scraping what is needed from them.
The others looked at the farmer who had spoken. He continued, "We're not Qin, we're Zhao. What benefit does the Qin king have in conquering other countries? He won't give us any benefits, he'll just be even more suspicious of us."
If Li Nian were here, she would definitely pop her head up and say: "Brother, you're mistaken about that. After conquering the six states, your life isn't that good, but the people of the old Qin aren't doing so well either. Emperor Shi insisted on equality among the seven states, not distinguishing between relatives and strangers, which even made the old Qin people can't stand it and eagerly welcomed Mr. Pei."
The farmer continued, "Before, there were other countries to conquer, and the Qin king couldn't spare enough people. Now that all six countries have been conquered, he can spare more people to manage us, and our lives will only become harder."
The several farmers fell silent after hearing this. They hadn't read much and lacked culture, but they were not intellectually disabled and couldn't understand the truth. After the farmer spoke, they realized that this possibility was not small.
The farmer who wanted to avenge his family shook his fist at the nearby soil and said angrily, "Why didn't that Qin king die earlier? I heard he used to live in Handan, why didn't someone kill him?"
He spoke loudly, one person quickly covered his mouth, and the others looked around to make sure there was no one nearby before they relaxed.
One person scolded, "Don't talk nonsense, or else it will bring disaster upon our clan!"
He realized that what he had said was too alarming. If someone reported it, they and their family would all be beheaded, so he quickly apologized to the others.
Another person sighed and said, "No one can blame you for that. Who doesn't harbor hate in their heart?"
Yes, if they didn't hate in their hearts, how could they risk breaking the law by secretly gathering here, worried that others would discover them and report them?
The person who sighed said, "But even if this Qin king dies, there will be another Qin king. The Qin is a country of tigers and wolves. This Qin king is the master of tigers and wolves, and his offspring are hardly good people."
Yes, it is true, but it is very frustrating.
The farmer who wanted to avenge his family, impatiently asked, "If that's the case, when can we avenge our families?"
The other farmers said nothing, feeling that there was no hope in sight, and the future seemed bleak.
In a certain county in the Qin land, a family was extremely happy because they had received a letter from their son (loyal husband) sent back by someone.
An old man with gray hair and a missing left leg exclaimed with joy, "Good, good. The cliff will return soon, and our family's life will be better."
Beside him, a young woman wept with joy. In the letter returned to them, her loyal husband told them that the last of the states capable of standing against the Great Qin had been defeated, and he would return home shortly to be reunited with them.
He had served on the battlefield and achieved some merits, not only wiping away his past wrongdoings but also earning enough rewards to improve his family's living conditions.
This old Qin family was so happy because the last of the six states had been defeated, indicating that there would be no more wars in the world. Their son (loyal husband) would no longer be conscripted into the army, would not have to face the perilous battles on the battlefield, and could live peacefully with them.
Moreover, with the war over, the great king should focus on recovering and resting, so he wouldn't impose such high taxes anymore or use such harsh laws.
As the old Qin people helped the great king win this unified world war, they should certainly receive some rewards.
At least it should be better than what they lived like before the unification, and not worse than that.
The information in the letter was not just that their son (loyal husband) would be returning, but also that their lives would improve and the future would become increasingly hopeful. It was this prospect that made the family so happy.
This was not only the old Qin family's expectation of a better future, but also the expectation of countless old Qin people across the three Qin regions. They believed they were on the winning side and had a chance to share some of the benefits.
However, in the history as it should have been, they were disappointed; there were no benefits, and their lives remained as hard as before...
