Chapter 3 Platforms

237 BC. The civil strife has just subsided, and external worries are spreading again.

At this time, a spy was found out, he was a hydraulic engineer from South Korea named Zheng Guo. It turned out that the Han royal family was worried about being annexed by Qin, and in order to preserve their country, they sent spies to Qin to build water conservancy projects, intending to consume Qin's national strength.

However, what the Han royal family did not expect was that this expedient measure would instead open up a vast new world for the Qin State. Zheng Guo is probably an honest and professional hydraulic engineer, very committed to his profession, and works conscientiously and diligently. But his political consciousness does not seem to be high, because he seems to have forgotten the purpose of his trip. He did not drag down the economy of Qin, but devoted himself to building channels for Qin.

He dug a large irrigation channel between Jingshui and Luoshui, the main rivers of the Qin State, and filled the silt water to irrigate the brine land and increase the soil fertility of Guanzhong. This greatly improved the agricultural production of this land of Qin, agriculture developed rapidly, grain production increased significantly, and Guanzhong, where rainfall was scarce and the land was barren, gradually became rich.

After Ying Zheng learned of Zheng Guo's identity as a spy, he was extremely angry and wanted to break his body into pieces.

But he didn't end up doing it.

He is probably not a murderous demon, but if other monarchs find out that there are spies in their country, and their dignity is ruthlessly trampled on, these spies may be killed.

But Yingzheng didn't. He graciously expelled all the other foreign officials from the Qin State, even though these people already had the top secrets of the Qin State, such as a high-ranking official named Li Si on the list of expulsion orders. Ying Zheng didn't know what kind of impact and harm would be caused to Qin if these officials, who were well aware of Qin's political and social conditions, defected to other countries. He did not assess these risks.

The spy Zheng Guo was not killed by Ying Zheng in the end. He told Ying Zheng very directly and frankly that although he was a spy, he was incompetent as a spy. On the contrary, as a hydraulic engineer, he is conscientious. Although the construction of the canal can last for several years for Korea, it can establish a permanent contribution for the Qin State. (The first minister is the middle, and then the benefits of Qin are also good.) The minister is the life of Han Yan for several years, and for the merit of Qin Jian's eternal life)

Indeed, this water conservancy project not only solved the problem of starvation among the common people of Qin, but also greatly increased Qin's national strength, and also laid a solid economic foundation for Qin's unification of China in the future. This channel was used until the later Tang Dynasty. (On November 8, 2016, Zheng Guoqu was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List and became the first World Irrigation Engineering Heritage Site in Shaanxi Province.) ）

Ying Zheng knew how to weigh the pros and cons, and all his measures were from the perspective of strengthening the power of the Qin State. As long as it is beneficial to the Qin state, he will gladly adopt it; And as long as it is harmful to the Qin State, he will not hesitate to eliminate it.

The spy Zheng Guo was left in Guanzhong to continue to serve the water conservancy projects of the Qin State, while South Korea had to be worried again.

Among the expelled Qin officials was a high-ranking official named Li Si, who would be a figure in shaping the course of Chinese history. He had been serving and living in the Qin State for many years, and he was very reluctant to leave, and he felt a deep nostalgia at this moment.

【Lis】

Li Si, whose name is Tonggu, was a native of Shangcai County, Chu State (now Shangcai County, Henan). Originally, he was just a clerk in the grassroots government of Chu State, and he didn't even have a formal establishment. But he is very ambitious, and he thinks about the meaning of his life all the time. He is not satisfied with the life of "a cup of tea and a newspaper for a day", and he does not want to see himself at the age of 50 at the age of 30. He didn't want to be chaotic for the rest of his life.

Platform and opportunity are the two most important words in Li Si's belief, and they are also his life creed. If the rat lives in the toilet, it will be shouted and killed all day long, embarrassed and frightened; If you live in the rice warehouse of the government, you will be accompanied by corn, and you will be full of food and worry-free, and you will be calm (people are virtuous and unscrupulous, such as rats, in their own ears).

Being on different platforms, there will be different opportunities, and you will be able to enjoy different lives. Platform and opportunity are the two most critical things in life. Only by being on a good platform can we grasp good opportunities, create our own achievements, and enjoy glory and wealth.

At the age of 30, it was the most critical period in Li Si's life, he still had a dream in his heart, and he made the most critical decision in his life - to resign and go to graduate school for further study and continue to polish himself. Obviously, the grassroots government of Chu is not a platform that satisfies him. He needs to find a higher platform for himself, and now is the time for him to seize the opportunity. If you miss it, you may never get the chance again. If time slips through for Lees for a few more years, he may no longer have the motivation to pursue his dreams.

Being young is his capital and his biggest opportunity. There are many possibilities to change your fate, and at this time, you should seize the time and opportunity, rise head-on, and work hard.

He resolutely resigned from his public office.

He knew that in order to find a higher platform, his current ability alone was far from enough. Because at this time, he has no core skills, and he does not have high-quality network resources. He wants to find the best teacher and learn the best skills.

He came to the country of Qi.

Qi has a long and rich historical and cultural heritage, and its scholarship is very famous, which is beyond the reach of other countries. Top talents from all over the world have come from afar to gather here to study. The history of the state of Qi can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty, where it was once the fief of Jiang Taigong Lü Wang. After years of governance, the state of Qi became civilized and powerful. At that time, it was not like now, you were given a paperwork and you could take office, there was no ready-made set of institutions and personnel waiting for you. You go there, and there is no ex to give you a detailed introduction, one by one. The place you're going to is likely to be a hostile, risky place. Jiang Taigong brought a group of soldiers and horses, as well as advanced ruling and management techniques. Later, Qi developed the fastest, had the highest degree of civilization, was relatively developed economically and militarily, and was also the first country to dominate.

At this time, Qi founded an international academic forum in the capital Linzi, which discussed the hottest topics of the moment, such as politics, military affairs, philosophy, and other topics of most interest to elites. There is freedom of speech here, there are no forbidden areas, everything can be talked about, anything can be said. A lot of people are lecturing here, and a lot of people are debating here. They learned a lot of the latest knowledge here.

This place is called Kishita Gakunomiya. Li Si came here and found the most famous top master today - Xunzi. At that time, Xunzi also came all the way to study here, stayed for more than 20 years, came into contact with experts and scholars of various schools, and later became the principal here. He has been taught in all schools, is familiar with them, and has studied them, so he can be said to be a master. Some people say that he is a Confucian, and some people say that he is a Legalist, but in fact, he has all factions, but none of them are.

Xunzi considered himself to belong to Confucianism. Sexual goodness and sexual evil were the focus of the mainstream debate at that time. Mencius, the Confucian teacher, believed that human nature was originally good, so the state could guide it through education; However, Xunzi proposed that human nature was originally evil, so the state should suppress it through the legal system. It is precisely because of this that Xunzi is so unpopular with Confucianism. The theory of good and evil in nature, whether to govern the country with etiquette or to rule the country by law, has also become a topic of debate between Confucianism and Legalism in later generations.

Li Si was personally taught by the master Xunzi. During his studies, he was exposed to the world's most advanced ruling techniques and theoretical ideas, and also met a group of the brightest young elites.

After completing his studies, Li Si faced the problem of choosing a platform. With so many countries in the world, where should you choose as your platform?

He weighed seven countries at that time and finally chose the state of Qin. Because he believed that the six kingdoms were all weak, and only Qin could annex the world.

At that time, there was no national political education in all countries, and their people were not proud of their country. Many intellectuals even turned their back on their homeland, took refuge in other countries, and led armies to attack their own homeland. Perhaps, they do not have the concept of a homeland. Although everyone has the same language, the same customs, and the same clothes, it does not mean that they are a community. For the aristocracy, the state is both the country and the home. For civilians, the state is a state, not a home. In Li Si's concept, the state of Chu was only the property of the king of Chu and his family, and he did not need to be loyal to the state of Chu. (So during the Warring States period, many of those who defected to other countries were commoners, and most of those loyal to the country were nobles, such as Qu Yuan, who never thought of fleeing to other countries even when he was extremely disappointed in his homeland.) ）

Li Si resolutely chose the Qin State and took refuge in the actual ruler of the Qin State at that time, Xiangguo Wenxin Hou Lü Buwei. Later, he successfully served in the court of Qin, and with his outstanding political talent and alert political wisdom, he rose to prominence until now he can participate in military affairs.

During his tenure in the Qin State, Li Si worked hard, diligently, and constantly put forward policy strategies. During this time, he felt very satisfied, because he was on the right platform to be able to play.

However, when he saw the eviction order issued by King Yingzheng of Qin, he was 48 years old and his heart was heavy, because he was extremely nostalgic for Qin, and he always thought that only Qinguo was the most suitable platform for him. An eviction order almost ruined his future.

Therefore, on the way to leave, he reluctantly wrote a letter to King Yingzheng of Qin, trying to make a final attempt. He really wants to stay on this platform.

After so many years of theoretical study in the Qi State and so many years of political experience in the Qin State, he has figured out the general trend of the world today and the psychology of the monarch of the Qin State. He knew what the Qin royal family needed, and he also knew what he needed.

He profoundly analyzed the historical development process of the Qin State, and proposed that the reason why the Qin State was able to become strong was because it did not shy away from the nationality of officials, and it was precisely because of the reuse of ministers from foreign countries that it was able to establish brilliant achievements. He criticized Ying Zheng's indiscriminate expulsion of all foreign officials as stupid. He believes that this will only lead to the loss of popular support and weakening Qin at home, and the resentment of foreign capital against the enemy, which will seriously endanger national security. (The famous historian Huang Renyu wrote in the book "The Great History of China" that the important ministers of the Qin king himself were all Hakkas, even after the unification of the world.) Qin Zhi's records do not show that the people were treated differently because of their original nationality. ）

These truths are right to the crux of Yingzheng. Li Si knew that Yingzheng cared most about his country and his power.

After Ying Zheng read this letter, he immediately came to his senses and immediately ordered someone to recover Li Si, who had already embarked on the road to the east, to reinstate him as an official, and to revoke the expulsion order. Other foreign officials who were on their way home also returned to Qin and continued to serve Qin. As a result, the Qin State avoided a large-scale brain drain.

Li Si was also appreciated by Yingzheng because of this, and his position continued to rise until he became prime minister. From the original small clerk of the grass-roots government of the Chu State to the prime minister of the central government of the Qin State, Li Si's experience can be described as quite inspiring.

He finally found the best platform for himself and realized his life dream.