Chapter 55: Only Stronger for a While, Not Forever
Wei Yang couldn't help but sigh when he saw this scene.
King Xiaogong of Qin also sighed. Although he did not see Wei Yang's ability, he saw Wei Yang's erudition. For Jing Jian's sake, he was willing to give Wei Yang a job.
Let him be the manager of the Talent Recruitment Hall, with the same position as a lower-ranking official.
Wei Yang turned a deaf ear to Qin Xiaogong's words.
He just looked at the cold and deserted river, as if talking to himself.
The Wei River is very wide, and there are no dangerous places on this river within the Qin territory. It is obviously a very good river.
But this river was in the Qin State for hundreds of years, but the Qin State lost its fish and salt transportation. Why?
The land in Guanzhong River Basin is obviously flat and fertile, with thousands of miles of land, and few places can compare with it. But why are the people of Qin still starving and unable to get enough food?
Hearing Wei Yang start talking nonsense again, Jing Jian was really scared.
But after listening carefully to Wei Yang's words, I felt that these words seemed to be indeed true.
Duke Xiao of Qin remained silent, wanting to know what Wei Yang would say.
Both of them were silent.
Wei Yang didn't care whether they listened or not and continued to talk about his own things.
The people of Qin were simple and honest. Due to the constant conflicts and frictions with the Rong and Di peoples over the years, the martial spirit was deeply rooted in the government and the country, almost to the point where everyone was a soldier.
At this point, the Qin army should be very powerful, and its combat capabilities and military equipment should not be too backward.
However, the Qin State did not have an elite army that was sure to conquer any enemy and win any battle. All of its troops were old, broken and dilapidated, which was really incredible.
The questions raised by Wei Yang were exactly the problems that Qin Xiaogong was worried about but could not solve.
Duke Xiao of Qin stared at Wei Yang's back with sharp eyes. Wei Yang finally turned around and looked at him. This famous scholar who had offered Duke Xiao of Qin a plan to destroy the country from the very beginning finally expressed his true thoughts.
He asked Qin Xiaogong, today the countries are competing for supremacy, the rise and fall of national strength is the basis of the country's survival, but what is national strength?
He then elaborated on his views one by one from five points: population, money, public cohesion, national laws and military equipment.
The population is large, the treasury is full, the people are united, the laws are strict, and the army is well-equipped.
Wei Yang believed that only when these five points were met could a country be called a strong country.
And what about the Qin State?
The Qin State was small in territory and sparsely populated, with declining farmland, an empty treasury, unstable laws, and a loose morale. The entire country had fewer than 100,000 soldiers, all of whom were old and not elite at all.
If such a Qin State encountered a major war, it would immediately become a disaster for them.
The alliance of the six nations to attack Qin was already an imminent disaster for Qin.
It's just that for various reasons these countries have not been able to free up their hands yet. Otherwise, Qin Xiaogong would not even have the time to reform and strengthen the country, and the Qin State would have disappeared into history.
Wei Yang belittled the State of Qin, but Duke Xiaogong of Qin was not angry.
He simply smiled and asked him, "If everything is useless, how can it be changed? The kingly way? Inaction? Benevolent government?"
Duke Xiao of Qin was referring to the state governance strategies proposed by Wei Yang during their first two meetings.
Although Wei Yang's words were to the point, Duke Xiao was the king. How could he not know the situation of his own country?
The point is not to raise all these problems again, but to find solutions.
If there is no solution, what is the point of saying this?
When Jing Jian heard what Qin Xiaogong said, he became anxious and said that these were the ways to destroy the country, and asked Wei Yang not to mention it again.
Wei Yang said, "The way to govern a country is to make it strong."
Whether it is governing the country by the kingly way, or governing the country by inaction or benevolence, these cannot be discussed together with the way to make the country strong.
Wei Yang raised another question. He asked Qin Xiaogong which of Wei, Qi and Chu he thought could be used as a role model for him on the road to becoming a strong country.
At this point, Duke Xiao of Qin finally took Wei Yang seriously and treated him with more respect.
Wei Yang analyzed to him that the reason why Wei was strong was because of its military equipment and wealth, Qi was strong because of its wise ruler and wise officials, Chu was strong because of its vast territory and large population, and Han, which was rising through reform, was similar to Qi.
Duke Xiao of Qin wanted to restore Duke Mu's hegemony. If he could restore his power to the point where he could compete with these three families, he would be satisfied. Unfortunately...
But Wei Yang was not satisfied with this. His ambition was greater than restoring Duke Mu's hegemony.
Wei Yang told Duke Xiaogong of Qin that the ways these three families used to build a strong country were not worth emulating.
This shocked Qin Xiaogong. He didn't know whether Wei Yang didn't know how difficult it was to govern a country, or whether he really had the talent to turn the tide.
But this did not prevent him from humbly asking Wei Yang for advice.
Wei Yang also raised a point, saying that these countries were only strong for a short time, not forever. They were only strong on the surface, not on the fundamentals.
Then he analyzed for Qin Xiaogong where the Three Kingdoms were strong, and then made an analysis, and inferred that the South Korea that is currently undergoing reforms will only be strong in this generation.
Even before this generation is finished, it will inevitably decline.
How can such a country emulate this? If Qin really wanted to emulate them, it would be difficult to succeed.
Duke Xiao of Qin was puzzled. These countries were obviously powerful, so why would Wei Yang say such a thing? Even make such an inference?
Then Wei Yang analyzed the root cause of the problem to Qin Xiaogong.
The reforms are not thorough and the laws are unstable.
If the Qin State wants to be strong and last forever, it must solve the problem fundamentally.
Duke Xiao of Qin was deeply shocked by Wei Yang's theory, and at the same time he felt a lot more relaxed, as if the burden on his shoulders was lighter.
Not only Qin Xiaogong, but even Qin Sheng, who was writing, was so shocked by these words that he almost forgot how to write.
He knew that Chu Yian had a plan for the story of "The Great Qin Empire" and knew how to write it later. He didn't need to do too much. He just needed to say a few words when Chu Yian was confused.
As long as she can sort out her thoughts, Chu Yian will soon find the feeling to continue writing that magnificent story that will make people immersed in it involuntarily.
The world is in turmoil, smoke of war is everywhere, and the princes are fighting for supremacy.
But Qin Sheng really didn't expect Chu Yian to write these words.
It’s not that she looks down on Chu Yian or women, but even if you find someone who is well versed in history, he may not be able to write such words.
Even if I wanted to write, I don’t know how many classics I would have to consult, and I might not be able to write half as brilliantly as Chu Yian.
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