Things have come to this point...

The relationship between Jiang Ming and the King of Qin is no longer as simple as "the most ruthless are those in the royal family"!

This father and son duo have become blatant political enemies!

Jiang Ming wanted to step on his father's head; how could the King of Qin tolerate that?

In addition, the King of Qin also wanted to "drive away the wolves and tigers," making the King of Chu, a hot-tempered fellow, a cat "pulling chestnuts out of the fire," and giving his "precious son" Jiang Ming a good "bad luck"!

Although the King of Qin was angry, he was not stupid.

His own son has slaughtered millions so far; he's definitely a tough nut to crack!

Let the King of Chu test the waters first, then send troops to bring the 'unfilial son' home and confiscate all his political capital and territory.

Although Jiang Ming had previously fought large-scale wars with the Xiongnu, Rouran, Qi, and even Zhi Yao, a minister of Jin.

But he has never actually fought a real war against a powerful vassal state!

Those he fought against were nothing more than a rabble or some doctor!

As for the State of Qi, although it was also a large state...

However, the so-called "Qi-Nineteen-State Allied Army" was full of ulterior motives and lacked unified command. It was nothing more than a bunch of chicken feathers and a bundle of cats and dogs, and was not the real main force of Qi!

If the State of Chu really makes a move, and the regular army of this great nation marches north, that brat Jiang Ming might not be able to withstand it!

......

Luoyi City, the Zhengde Hall of the Emperor's Palace.

Collecting taxes is only the first step in Jiang Ming's grand scheme; his next step is to "reduce the power of the regional warlords"!

Gradually dismantle the spheres of influence of the vassal states, and then achieve national unification in a 'gentle' manner.

Jiang Ming, who is well-versed in history, knows this.

Although the world I transmigrated to is completely different from my original world, essentially a parallel world, the underlying historical logic is the same.

All historical lessons are worth learning from!

When Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, he achieved national unification, but he did not achieve the so-called "stopping war with war". In just a few years, the Qin Dynasty was destroyed, and then the Chu-Han Contention broke out, and the country was once again in disarray.

Many people believe that this was because the Qin state used harsh punishments and cruel laws, which made it unpopular.

This kind of statement is actually historically ignorant!

Before Qin unified the world, it had used harsh laws and severe punishments for hundreds of years, and it was not unpopular.

The nation's strength is growing day by day, and the supply of people, food, and soldiers is continuous.

Why did it collapse after unification?

The reason for this is that it is "delicious but difficult to digest," and people in other countries do not accept it.

When Qin Shi Huang conquered the six states, Qin's territory accounted for one-third of the total land area and its population accounted for one-quarter of the total population.

Having three times the land and four times the population all at once... that would be a huge problem to manage.

The Qin Dynasty rulers were too eager for quick results and continued to treat the people of other countries as if they were their own, which made those people even more opposed to them!

Therefore, Jiang Ming believed that unifying the world by force could only be a supplementary measure. It was not that it could not be used, but that it could not be relied upon solely.

Instead, we should use a "soft knife to kill," manipulating politics, playing power games, and gradually eroding our strength through open and overt strategies. Only in this way can we truly achieve our goals while consolidating our foundations.

Just like now... He actually knows in his heart that once the order to impose taxes on various countries is issued... small countries, fearing his military power, may obediently comply.

But powerful states like Qin, Chu, and Wu would not listen to reason, and might even plan another brutal war!

Jiang Ming was also prepared to fight...

Sometimes, this kind of 'historical cost' has to be paid!

But Jiang Ming also wanted to use this opportunity to advance his second strategy, which was to weaken the power of the regional warlords.

Jiang Ming's policy of weakening the power of the vassal states will never employ a strategy similar to the "division of Jin into three states".

The process of this scheme was absolutely brutal...

The division of Jin into three states resulted in countless deaths and injuries among soldiers, and the common people suffered greatly from the war.

The state of Jin, or rather, the region where the former state of Jin was located, suffered severe economic and social damage...

Even if the heads of the three families were willing to relinquish their military power, listen to the ruler of Jin again, and accept his rule, Jin would no longer be the superpower it once was.

Jiang Ming's proposed strategy of "reducing the power of the vassal states" is based on Emperor Wu of Han's "Decree of Grace"...

This country is hopeless; their greatest pleasure every day is playing with women in their harem, so they have dozens of children at a time...

Jiang Ming planned to give the dozens of troublemakers who refused to pay taxes a good beating and make them behave, and then immediately implement the "Decree of Grace".

The reasons, of course, are perfectly legitimate.

Whether a child is born of the principal wife or an illegitimate child, they are all the flesh and blood of their parents, and there should be no favoritism between them!

He wanted the Great Emperor to issue an edict in the name of the Emperor, revising the "Gan Li" (a set of rites): after the death of the old ruler of all the vassal states, the land must be divided equally among all the sons, allowing them to rebuild their own states.

Furthermore, while they are still alive, a handover and transition must be carried out to properly divide and transfer power.

In this way, not to mention that lecherous old man, the King of Chu, even his own father, the King of Qin, would have to divide the country into more than twenty parts...

In this way, they all became small countries.

Once they become a small country, it will be easier to control them.

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