Chapter 36 A Beginning That Lin Fengzhi Would Never See...
A conversation between the First Emperor and Li Si, which Lin Fengzhi never had the chance to see, took place on an official boat.
The First Emperor's style was to leave no hidden dangers.
No one knows what the First Emperor said to Li Si.
All that is known is that Li Si was a completely different person the next day. Even when traveling from a calm waterway to a more bumpy land route, Li Si handled official business in his carriage. Sometimes, even at night, the lights in Li Si's carriage could be seen burning.
Lin Fengzhi was both surprised and astonished.
Presumably, it was the First Emperor who ultimately decided to keep Li Si, allowing him to continue to shine. This did not surprise Lin Fengzhi; Zhao Gao and Huhai were replaceable, but Li Si was not.
Li Si was the core strategist of the First Emperor.
He made unparalleled contributions to the Qin Dynasty. When the First Emperor wanted to expel the foreign ministers of the six states because of the Zheng Guo Canal spy case, Li Si persuaded the First Emperor to rescind his order with a "Memorial on Expelling Foreign Ministers", thus preserving the talent pool of the Qin Dynasty and preventing the great cause from being cut short.
It was he who proposed the military strategy of "first destroying Han to intimidate other countries," and he spearheaded the bribery of powerful ministers in the six states to dismantle the alliance, paving the way for Qin to sweep across the six states.
As for his achievements after unification, such as resisting the enfeoffment system and promoting the prefecture-county system, leading the standardization of writing and cart tracks, and participating in the formulation of Qin law, etc., I will not go into detail.
In Lin Fengzhi's view, his merits outweighed his demerits, but his demerits ruined a great cause for generations to come. His strengths and weaknesses were both very obvious.
In his early years, the young Li Si realized from the different treatment of "toilet rats and hamster rats" that environment determines status. Utilitarianism determined that he would pursue power throughout his life and would stop at nothing to ensure power.
Li Si was like the moon, and the First Emperor was like the sun. The moon shines through the ages by borrowing the sunlight, but when the sun sets, the moon falls into the abyss.
Although it is unknown how the First Emperor disciplined Li Si, in any case, the over-sixty-year-old Prime Minister Li Si displayed both skill and composure.
This instilled great fear in the young people who followed Lin Fengzhi.
During the rest, the young people gathered in front of Lin Fengzhi's carriage, looking at the stern-faced Prime Minister Li, whose carriage carried countless bamboo slips of official documents that flowed to other places, making him seem like a central figure.
Sheng Kuan sighed, "There seems to be a reason why the Mohists couldn't defeat the Legalists." He himself couldn't win. Getting up earlier than the rooster and sleeping later than the dog—this is hardly the behavior of a powerful minister.
"That's not entirely true." Lin Fengzhi stretched her shoulders and neck. Although the carriage was beautifully decorated and had thick cushions, it was still bumpy.
Lin Fengzhi held the First Emperor and his entourage in high esteem. Given the transportation conditions, it was truly remarkable that they were able to make their way east from Xianyang.
It could also be that rights nourish people, making them forget their physical discomfort.
However, the Mohists' inability to defeat the Legalists stemmed purely from their incompatibility with the Qin Dynasty's doctrines. The Legalists thoroughly instrumentalized the state to serve warfare, while the Mohists attempted to restrain power with morality and peace—this contradiction, in an era of the survival of the fittest, destined the Mohists to be marginalized.
There's no point in saying more; Seungkwan himself knows that.
She glanced at the black-armored Qin soldiers riding tall horses beside her and felt a little tempted to get on and ride one.
Eager to try.
Xiao Shui stood with her arms crossed, somewhat relieved: "Luckily, my superior is Magistrate Feng. Ah, no, Magistrate Feng has been promoted. He should be called the Assistant Minister of Grain Administration."
Feng, formerly the magistrate of Qianling County and now the assistant magistrate of the Imperial Grain Administration, is currently under the command of the Imperial Grain Administration. Although he has not yet arrived in Xianyang, he has already started working on the various details of planning the official residences in Xianyang.
"As the head of all officials, Prime Minister Li oversees the Nine Ministers and various departments, handling the daily affairs of the nation." Guan Yue leaned against the carriage shaft, blending into Lin Fengzhi's group and speaking eloquently. Because she had stopped practicing her voice magic, her voice gradually returned to normal: "He's very busy every day. What kind of arrangements for the weaving workshop, blast furnace, salt and iron industries hasn't he reviewed? Don't worry, he probably doesn't have much time to bother with you."
Besides, Xiao Shui is a clansman brought out by Lin Fengzhi, so no matter how upset Li Si is, he wouldn't make things difficult for her.
Oh dear, young people are so prone to overthinking. Having a powerful backer is so satisfying. If she had a powerful backer, she wouldn't have been so hesitant when Meng Yi held a sword to her neck.
"Sister Guanyue, I heard from Liu Ji that you were appointed Grand Diviner because you presented a prescription to relieve dysentery. What does a Grand Diviner do?" Xiaoshui had never been an official, nor had she ever witnessed the transformation of a high-ranking shaman into a court official. Only after feeling that her relationship with Guanyue had improved on the journey did she dare to ask the question.
Guan Yue glanced at Liu Ji, who was still following in the group, and raised an eyebrow.
She never expected that Liu Ji would be kept by Meng Yi, and she never expected that this person would be so good at socializing that he was accepted by everyone.
Liu Ji, with a blade of grass in his mouth, noticed Guan Yue's gaze and smiled nonchalantly.
Before leaving Xiangshan, Meng Yi had asked him about his future plans. Would he leave with rewards and promotions in hand, or would he bravely venture to Xianyang to seek more opportunities?
Liu Ji chose the latter without hesitation.
He understood that Meng Yi was neither greedy for credit nor reckless, acted methodically, and always recognized the merits of his subordinates. Such a capable and well-connected superior was hard to find.
Who in the world could become a high-ranking official in their early twenties, and even a trusted minister of the First Emperor?
Liu Ji knew that talented horses were common, but discerning judges of horses were rare; opportunity was the most important thing.
Lin Fengzhi is currently highly valued by the First Emperor and is known as a divine envoy. Liu Ji, who previously infiltrated the territory of the Keluo people with Meng Yi, witnessed firsthand this woman's power and realized she was no ordinary person. Having been sent by Meng Yi to follow Lin Fengzhi, now is the perfect time to curry favor with her.
He was able to blend in so smoothly with the group because Lin Fengzhi was so familiar with the name Liu Ji.
Before his identity was revealed, Lin Fengzhi was curious why the upright and honest Meng Yi had a seemingly irresponsible subordinate. She only found out after asking that it was the butterfly effect of the black bird that sent Liu Ji, who was supposed to return to Pei County, to Meng Yi's side.
There are probably many people with the same name as Liu Ji. However, he also had the added advantage of having served as the head of Pei County and having a wife named Lü Zhi.
There has only been one throughout history.
Liu Ji refers to Liu Bang before he rose to prominence.
Historically, Liu Bang had some rogue tendencies, but the current Liu Ji is cunning and magnanimous. Lin Fengzhi nodded secretly, agreeing that this was quite reasonable.
Emperor Gaozu of Han was also a very accomplished ruler. Lin Fengzhi was deeply impressed by Liu Bang not only because he was the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, but also because his attitude towards death was unique among all emperors throughout history.
Even a historically renowned emperor like the First Emperor feared death and sought out immortals and alchemists, but Liu Bang did not.
He refused treatment on his deathbed and offered money to the doctors to send them away. He acknowledged that all mortals must die and refused to make a futile struggle. However, this only applies to Liu Bang on his deathbed. When he was conquering the world, Liu Bang pushed his children off the chariot to escape, and it was Xiahou Ying, who was driving the chariot, who pulled the two children out.
"I only found out when I got there that it was nothing more than doing some divination work, predicting good and bad fortune, and so on. It's their old profession." Guan Yue stroked her chin and asked Liu Ji, who was idling beside her, "I'm quite curious, is it true that the First Emperor is determined to conquer the Baiyue?"
Liu Ji spat out the grass core that had lost its sweetness and looked at the crowd of onlookers.
The First Emperor's trusted divine messenger, the messenger's confidants, friends, and subordinates...
Yes, I can speak.
"The Yue people have rebelled many times, and His Majesty is determined to eliminate the border troubles. He has ordered General Tu Sui to lead an army of 500,000 to conquer the Baiyue. The Grand Shaman was able to obtain the position of Grand Diviner because his prescriptions were very useful. Minister Meng said that after the southern expedition against the Baiyue is victorious, we will then recommend the Grand Shaman for credit." Liu Ji was filled with emotion.
The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war. If he were in his original position, he would have had no way of knowing about such important matters.
Guan Yue's heart stirred. She never expected that Meng Yi would remember a favor for so long, and that he would even ask for credit a second time.
"The southern expedition against the Baiyue?" Lin Fengzhi suddenly asked, "When did this happen?"
The southern campaign against the Baiyue tribes was the largest war of foreign expansion waged by the Qin state after its unification of China.
Some argue that after Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin state became a war machine, and only war could maintain the operation of the "military meritocracy" system and ensure the renewal of its internal structure. War was seen as the best way to keep the Qin state functioning normally.
Was the First Emperor's southern expedition against the Baiyue merely an attempt to eliminate border troubles? No. After Qin unified the six kingdoms, the war dividends disappeared, and the country faced the predicament of having no military achievements or land rewards to bestow upon those who had made contributions. It had to find new targets to maintain its military system.
The First Emperor astutely sensed the undercurrents beneath the surface and believed that new battlefields had to be opened. This would both deplete the excess military strength and maintain the merit-based system of ranks and titles.
Just then, the Baiyue and the Xiongnu clashed.
In fact, unlike the Xiongnu, the Baiyue were like a quagmire, causing the newly established Qin Dynasty to sink deeper and deeper.
The First Emperor deployed not only 500,000 troops to the Baiyue region, but also 100,000 laborers conscripted for the construction of the Lingqu Canal, and an additional 300,000 troops deployed in succession. Most of the 500,000 troops were former soldiers who had surrendered from the six states (especially the Chu people). Deploying them on the expedition served both to divert internal conflicts and to deplete potential resistance forces.
The southern campaign against the Baiyue began in 219 BC and only ended in 214 BC.
After conquering Lingnan, Qin established the three commanderies of Guilin, Xiang, and Nanhai. This marked the first time that Lingnan was incorporated into the rule of a central dynasty, laying the foundation for the governance of the south by the Han and Tang dynasties and preventing the region from becoming an independent political entity. The Baiyue people were rich in luxury goods such as rhinoceros horn, ivory, jade, and pearls, which they used to supply the Qin court's needs through trade.
It took Qin only ten years to unify the six states, but five years to conquer the Baiyue.
However, the rewards that Qin received were far less than those that came from conquering the six states.
The generals who conquered the Baiyue underestimated the destructive power of Lingnan. Soldiers suffered from acclimatization problems and dysentery. In the initial stage of the war, Tu Sui's eagerness to achieve merit led to reckless advances, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Qin soldiers, including Tu Sui himself.
Soldiers lost their source of military merit, and the limited land in the newly occupied territories prevented them from being fully allocated land, leading to a class stratification crisis of "merit without reward," and the Qin system was on the verge of collapse.
Furthermore, agriculture in Lingnan was primitive, and the garrison needed provisions from the Central Plains to sustain itself. The cost of ruling Lingnan was too high, and it relied heavily on the Central Plains for supplies, leading to a surge in taxes from the Central Plains.
Scholars have estimated the population of the Qin Dynasty to be between 20 and 30 million. The troops sent to conquer the Baiyue in the south were mostly young and middle-aged laborers.
It's truly heartbreaking.
Meng Yi said that after the victory of the southern expedition against Baiyue, he would ask for credit for Guanyue again, but he didn't know if Guanyue would remember it five years later.
Lin Fengzhi fell into thought. It was impossible to stop the southern expedition against the Baiyue. Lingnan had been part of the Chinese territory since ancient times, and the first historical record of this was from the Qin Dynasty.
Instead, we should think about how to maximize the Qin army's gains in Lingnan.
Lin Fengzhi slapped his thigh. "That land in Lingnan can yield two harvests a year! Further afield, it can yield three harvests a year!"
She completely forgot that there were no early-maturing rice varieties at that time, and only extensive single-season farming was possible. It wasn't until the introduction of Champa rice in the Song Dynasty that double-season rice farming became possible.
The so-called Champa rice is a high-yield, drought-resistant, and early-maturing rice variety that originated in central Vietnam. However, the fatal flaw is that the Kingdom of Champa was established during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Champa rice may not have been cultivated during the Qin Dynasty.
"It happened in May." Liu Ji glanced at the black-armored soldiers patrolling back and forth. Why did he feel like these guys had come and gone several times?
"Qi, after the ceremony for Qu Yuan, did I make some candy?" Lin Fengzhi suddenly turned to ask Qi, who was learning how to drive from a servant. She was always thinking about making new things, and she had almost forgotten the simple ones she had made before.
"Sugar?" Qi paused for a moment, then handed the reins back to the charioteer: "The Great Shaman is talking about maltose, right? Xiangjun Bu made some money, and you, Great Shaman, took out your own money to buy wheat, and later made sugar as a reward for outstanding female workers."
After Qi reminded her, Lin Fengzhi also remembered.
She didn't need a lot of money to rely on; after the county magistrate gave her her share of the profits, she mainly used it to improve the lives of her clansmen and laborers. Making maltose was also one of her experiments.
She originally intended to use sugarcane, but she forgot that sugarcane matures after the first frost.
Miscalculation, miscalculation.
But it's okay, it's good to remember now.
The Lingnan region, also known as Baiyue, has abundant sugarcane. Sugarcane is difficult to transport out, but it becomes a different story when it is processed into sugar.
In this era of underdeveloped productivity, a small piece of sugar was worth almost as much as a fortune, if not a fortune.
"What's wrong, Great Shaman?" Qi asked, puzzled.
Lin Fengzhi shook her head, telling him to continue learning to drive, while she fell silent, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Sheng Kuan knew that he had come up with a good idea, so he stopped chatting and pushed the person away.
Sure enough, not long after, Lin Fengzhi was seen strolling leisurely to find the First Emperor.
Liu Ji watched silently and noticed that the number of black-armored soldiers patrolling around had decreased. Looking again at his clansmen who had come out with the divine messenger, they all went about their own business as if they hadn't noticed anything amiss.
He shook his head. These people...
Guan Yue taught Xiao Shui to familiarize herself with the Qin Dynasty's governance and how to recognize people's official positions by their clothing and crowns.
The disciples of the farming family were still recording their experiences in the fields this season on bamboo slips. Sheng Kuan watched them casually for a while, listening to them discuss how to compile a farming book.
The person in charge seemed rather anxious.
They must have firsthand experience with the techniques, methods, varieties, and phenology being recorded, avoiding hearsay or mere imagination. Descriptions of operational steps, timeframes (especially dependent on solar terms), quantities (such as seed quantity and fertilizer amount), and tool usage for each stage of cultivation, sowing, fertilization, irrigation, field management, harvesting, storage, and processing must be specific, clear, and actionable.
They must clearly specify the applicable regions, soil types, and climatic conditions for the technology. China is a vast country with significant differences; a method that works in Xiangshan may be harmful in Xianyang.
Lin Fengzhi promised to publish a book for them, but with conditions. She quoted Jia Sixie's preface to "Qimin Yaoshu" to emphasize to the agricultural disciples: "Collect classics and records, as well as folk songs, consult with elders, and verify with their deeds."
The disciples of the Farmer's School possessed a strong sense of social responsibility and compassion for farmers, hoping to improve people's livelihoods and avoid famine by disseminating advanced agricultural knowledge. Their motivation and determination to compile agricultural books were far stronger than Lin Fengzhi had imagined.
Because agricultural books are intended for farmers, few of whom are literate, the disciples of the agricultural school discussed striving for simplicity, plainness, and accuracy, avoiding overly ornate or obscure language. The goal was to make them understandable to literate scholars and grassroots agricultural officials, and to convey them to the farmers. If possible, it would be best to supplement them with rhymes and diagrams to enhance their intuitiveness.
Just like teaching the Korlo people to grow ramie and rice in their homeland.
The core of compiling agricultural books lies in seeking truth and being pragmatic, basing them on practical verification to ensure the authenticity and reliability of the knowledge. Their farming family has a long history, and their predecessors have accumulated a wealth of valuable experience; these should be thoroughly verified before being compiled.
It's one thing that we didn't have an influential system for passing on our knowledge before, but we'll definitely work harder now. Food is the most important thing for people; why should farmers be considered inferior?
Xu Chu, a representative figure of the peasant family, said this.
Farmhouses are already declining; if they don't seize the opportunity to fight back, they may perish tomorrow.
Sheng Kuan was deeply moved and silently gathered several Mohist disciples to record the results of their experiments over the past few days.
Blast furnace production line with tipping over, millstone fireworks display machine.
Lin Fengzhi is right; a bad pen is worse than a good memory.
So what if the Mohists have the Mozi that has been passed down to posterity? It's still too few. Their disciples should have done more classics that could be passed down to posterity, just like the Confucians. The Confucians, starting with Confucius, had the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. After Confucius died, his disciples compiled the Analects, and later there were classics such as Mencius and Xunzi.
If farmers are determined to summarize their experiences and compile a unique agricultural book that benefits all people, then why can't Chu Mo write a book called "Chu Mo" that explores technical principles and summarizes practical technical achievements?
He thinks it's perfectly fine.
He had thoroughly mastered the practical technologies involved in looms, such as levers, pulleys, and mechanical manufacturing. According to Lin Fengzhi, shouldn't they write a chapter on levers and mechanical ingenuity?
Agricultural experience is invaluable, and the practical techniques of the Mohist school are also very important, okay?
Sheng Kuan is full of energy.
Qi was completely bewildered. He turned to look at the charioteer on the frame. Didn't he have something to do too?
"The charioteer must follow etiquette and control the speed of the chariot to display dignity. There are five standards for driving a chariot: First, the chariot must be harmonious and quiet when starting and stopping; second, it must follow the curves of the river, speeding along the curves without deviating; third, it must pass through narrow obstacles without hitting the walls, like passing through a city gate without bumping into a wall; fourth, it must maneuver freely at crossroads; and fifth, it must drive the chariot to the left to assist the archer in shooting, so that the prey is on the left side of the chariot, to the left of the archer." The charioteer taught him very diligently.
Seeing that he didn't quite understand, he smiled and told a little gossip: "The chariot officer who was dealt with in your clan's territory before was a master driver. He was not only excellent at driving five horses, but he could also coordinate four horses with only six reins."
However, he ultimately paid the price for his greed.
Qi looked at the four fine horses beneath him, their coats glossy and their backs strong, and said, "Difficult, extremely difficult."
He couldn't help but miss the donkey cart of the tribe. Thinking about it, he also missed his brother who had stayed in the tribe. He immediately perked up, "Hey brother, you didn't expect this, did you? I've learned to drive a cart!"
The art of "driving" in the Six Arts of a Gentleman!
He fumbled for the reins and said, "I heard from the Black Armor Army that General Wang Jian is also famous for his horsemanship. Is that true?"
"Use your waist and abdomen to exert force." The charioteer adjusted his posture and replied, "It is indeed true. In the Qin army, those with superb skills can be promoted to military commanders and control the troop deployment. Now, Marquis Wucheng is old and holds a high position, and has not driven a chariot for a long time. However, I have heard that Zhang Han, the Assistant Commander of the Imperial Guards, is also very skilled in chariot driving."
Qi Lianlian was amazed. He had previously thought the bumpy ride was due to the driver's poor skills, imagining himself driving for the Great Shaman with ease and stability. He hadn't realized how naive he was; becoming a qualified driver involved overcoming so many hurdles.
It seems the problem lies with the road. No wonder the shaman kept saying in the car that the road needed to be paved with cement. There must be a way to solve it.
He gritted his teeth, determined to learn to drive well since this was a rare opportunity.
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Author's Note: Some sources of information about alchemists and alchemists:
A Historical Examination of the Concept of Immortals in the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin Dynasties (by Wu Feng)
Fangshi and Fangshu (by Liu Houhu)
Alchemy during the Qin and Han Dynasties - Ding Yizhuang
Research on Xu Fu's Journey to the East (by Liu Ying)
A Study of the Belief in Immortals in the Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasties (by Zhang Wen'an)
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