Chapter 111: Reinstatement [Jinjiang genuine exclusive release 100% strategy...
It was not until his grandson, who was studying in the side hall, finished his morning lessons and ran excitedly to the inner hall to have lunch with him that the First Emperor came back to his senses from the thick book in his hands.
"Father, Father, have you read Zhang Liang's book on governing the Baiyue people?"
As soon as the little fat boy Ying entered the inner hall, he saw his grandfather kneeling beside the large lacquer table at the top, thinking deeply with a familiar thick book in his hand. He immediately ran up happily and skillfully to his grandfather.
The First Emperor looked at his grandson's happy expression, and was obviously concerned about the booklet he had brought into the palace. He placed the thick booklet in front of the little fellow and asked,
"Have you read the regulations written in this booklet?"
Qin Ying nodded first, then looked at her grandfather and shook her head.
"Grandfather, this morning, as Ying and I were preparing to leave for the palace, we happened to receive a thick booklet that Mr. Zhang Liang had sent to us by his soldiers. Out of curiosity, we briefly flipped through it in the carriage. Ying didn't recognize many of the words, so we only glanced over it briefly. We thought the statements in the booklet were quite clear. After Father finished reading it carefully, he was so delighted that he exclaimed to Ying three times in a row, 'Excellent, excellent, excellent!'
"My father also praised Mr. Zhang Liang, saying he was worthy of being a talented student of Han Feizi. The article he wrote in the booklet not only had some of the elegance of Han Feizi in his choice of words and sentences, but he also said that Mr. Zhang Liang was knowledgeable and insightful. The content described in the booklet was both detailed and concise, and if you think about it carefully, you will find it very practical. Given time and experience, Mr. Zhang Liang will be a candidate to take over as Prime Minister."
The First Emperor patiently watched his grandson, like a kitten wagging its tail, proudly relaying every word his eldest son had said. He then opened the booklet in his hand again, praising him generously and smilingly saying,
"Ying said it very well, and your father's summary is also very pertinent."
"In my opinion, the regulations for governing the Baiyue people outlined in this thick booklet are truly remarkable. It's remarkable that Zhang Liang, after spending so many days in prison, was able to perfectly integrate the conflicting ideas of the two factions of officials at court and even come up with a practical and feasible operational plan based on the Baiyue's terrain. His talent is truly remarkable."
Qin Ying blinked and said, "Father, I didn't understand a lot of the sentences when I was reading. Could you explain the contents of the book to me in detail?"
The First Emperor was naturally pleased to hear his grandson's eagerness to learn. He placed the booklet in front of the little guy and began to speak in a clear and melodious voice:
"Ying, look, the general framework of this charter written by Zhang Liang is divided into four steps. In the first step, Zhang Liang strongly suggests that once the war with Baiyue is over, I must immediately establish military strongholds at river confluences, mountain passes, and coastal areas throughout the Baiyue region. I will then station Qin troops there to firmly control these fortified areas and establish military control."
"Secondly, he rejected the radicals' proposal to send all the male Baiyue people to the north as prisoners to build the Great Wall. Instead, he favored the conservatives' conciliatory approach. In terms of details, he suggested that I grant the surrendered Yue chiefs a certain number of Qin titles based on the size of their tribes, grant them a certain degree of autonomy, and order them to send their sons to Xianyang to study Qin culture as hostages. Furthermore, he suggested that the families of soldiers, merchants, and craftsmen from the Seven Heroes be relocated to Yue territory, allowing Qin and Yue to merge and revitalize the local Yue population."
"If the court can complete these two key deployments with guaranteed quality and quantity, it can then proceed to implement the third and fourth steps designed by Zhang Liang, which, while slower in efficiency, will have far-reaching consequences."
"He frankly stated in the booklet that the land of Baiyue has a hot and humid climate and fertile soil. If the Qin and Yue people could reclaim the land of Baiyue and design a good canal layout, it would become a very important grain-producing area in the south for the Qin. They could bring advanced farming methods and sophisticated agricultural tools from the lands of the Seven Heroes to the land of Yue, teach the Yue people how to farm, and gradually lure these Yue people, who once loved to retreat to the mountains, out to become serious farmers. They could also take advantage of the coastal area to collect sea salt and tap into the rich resources of Baiyue, trading with the nobles and wealthy families of the Qin. Part of the profits could be kept for construction in Baiyue, and the rest could be used for the national treasury."
"The last step he mentioned was for me to send people to Yue to subtly enforce Qin laws. First, encourage the nobles of the Yue tribes to learn to speak the Qin language and observe Qin rituals. Then, train the descendants of these nobles, generation after generation, to become pro-Qin people who are proficient in Qin culture. If these four steps are implemented unwaveringly, perhaps in sixty years, or three generations, we can transform the barbaric land of Baiyue into a remote county of the Great Qin."
"If the Qin people can develop resistance to the miasma of the Baiyue, the rules written in Zhang Liang's booklet will indeed be quite practical."
"Ying's efforts and persistence over the past two years have been very fruitful. If Zhang Liang were an enemy, he would greatly harm Qin. If he were a minister, he would greatly benefit Qin. The talent he has demonstrated to the outside world has truly lived up to his reputation as Han Feizi's disciple."
When hearing his grandfather praising Zhang Liang, he did not forget to mention his own white moonlight.
Qin Ying forced herself to hold back a smile, looking at her grandfather's thoughtful expression, and asked curiously:
"Grandfather, a few days ago, when I went to Dongcheng to see Zhang Liang, he confessed to me, Grandfather, the mistakes he had made over the years."
"My grandson sees that he's quite honest. He truly knows he's wrong. Now he's come to his senses and wants to work for the Great Qin and be loyal to you, father. Father, I think it would be better if we let those remnants of Zhang Liang's organization go this time, considering that they're Han Feizi's former fellow villagers. Bring Zhang Liang back to the court to do his job and help you. And restore the remaining remnants of the fallen nation who are locked up in prison to their commoner status in Hanyangli, making them ordinary laborers and sending them to build the Great Wall. But we won't pay them any Qin money, we'll just let them do the work for free. After all, they've been imprisoned for almost two years, so it can be considered a punishment, right?"
"Father, what do you think?" Qin Ying said with a smile.
Qin Shi Huang saw that his grandson was obviously interested in Zhang Liang, and nodded after thinking for a moment. Those remnants of the fallen nation imprisoned were just ordinary small shrimps to His Majesty the Emperor. Since his grandson could make Zhang Liang, a big fish, work for Qin, he could let those small shrimps go just like that. If he wanted to control them again, it would be done with just a word.
"Okay, let Ying handle those people. Next month, I'll have Zhang Liang reinstated and let him return to the palace as a court official."
When he heard his grandfather's agreement, the little fat boy immediately cheered with joy.
When the imperial edict from the palace was delivered to the small courtyard where Zhang Liang lived, Zhang Liang heard that the emperor's eldest grandson had actually pleaded for him with the emperor. The First Emperor was not only willing to show leniency to those followers of his, but also to reinstate him to his original position and return to the palace to work under his real identity.
Zhang Liang felt extremely complicated. He put himself in the other person's shoes and thought about it. If it were him, he would never be so magnanimous. Compared with the notorious King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Qin Shi Huang was indeed more broad-minded than his great-grandfather.
In the hot summer, the night sky is dotted with stars.
Ying Xiaopangdun'er also clearly heard the mechanical electronic voice echoing in his mind: [Congratulations, host! After testing by this system, the host has 100% captured the historical figure Zhang Liang. You have successfully completed the temporary mission of capturing Lü Zhi, Zhang Cang, and Zhang Liang. Reward the host with 500 blind box coins! Please keep up the good work!]
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