During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the heroes rose together, deceitful and deceitful, openly and secretly fighting, both the politicians in the court and the court, stirring up the wind and clouds, and the loyal and brave warriors in the battlefield fought to the death, and the bloody wasteland. Every country is in this chaotic music, trying their best to make their own voice heard, even if it is a momentary swan song, they can die without regrets. Compared with later generations, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, human life was like a mustard, and it really deserved to add a "more" word. No matter the people, no matter the soldiers and generals, in this troubled era, everything in every vassal state can become a bargaining chip for the ruler to seek benefits, whether it is a thing, or a person, whether it is poor and humble or noble and graceful, no one can escape the fate of becoming a bargaining chip.

At that time, it was customary that if the relations between the two countries were not harmonious but it was inconvenient to start a war, they would often send people who were more important in their own country or considered more important by the other side to live in other countries as hostages. And for the game between countries, the identity of this more "important" figure is very wonderful. First, the person must have the value that will make the other party recognize the person, and secondly, the person must not touch the vital points of the country. In this way, the only one who can meet such conditions, but after the two countries truly and completely break up, will not shake the foundation of the country because of the killing of the enemy country where he lives, only the prince remains.

It's not that princes aren't important enough, and not all monarchs are willing to let their own sons go to a foreign land and be held hostage by their opponents. It's just that in this chaotic world, let alone a son, at a critical juncture, in order to achieve a certain goal, even his own life is very likely to be thrown away at the gambling table without hesitation. Although family affection is indeed worth cherishing, it is not enough to see in the face of politics and interests, at least in this era.

Just like trading, trading in the wilderness era was often bartering, and it was not the first guy who chose to exchange a cow for a fish that did lose money, it was just that he thought that the value and benefits that his cattle could bring to him were lower than that of the fish in someone else's hand. So, he will approve the deal. In fact, all the intersections of human society are essentially a transaction, even if it is the use of physical strength to snatch a toy from the hands of a weak child.

And the so-called Ming Jun or Sage, they all did this transaction to the extreme. They can give what they think is the least possible price and give the majority of people maximum satisfaction so that they are willing to provide everything they need. Of course, the reason why human beings were able to quickly become the masters of the entire world from hundreds of thousands of years of evolution time compared to other living beings is obviously not by virtue of the strong flesh given by God, after all, if a person competes with a tiger for strength and minions, he should not be an opponent.

The reason why human beings have been able to evolve by leaps and bounds is because they have superior intelligence and have gradually learned to make rules to control and concentrate the power of the team. When the first clan tribe began to dance around the burning flames and worship unknown gods, the whole became a more powerful species condensed by the rules.

Although the existence of rules cannot feed the stomach of human beings, rules can integrate the power of groups and begin to obtain objective means of production that can sustain life from nature more effectively through certain means and techniques. As a result, there were gradually tools, farming, and a human society that was moving towards the peak step by step.

Obviously, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the system of obtaining food from farming, craftsmen making tools, and the army protecting the interests of the country was extremely perfect in the rule basis of human society. With the maturing production techniques and fighting techniques, humanity can already begin to move slowly towards the next area of need.

The trading system of human society is becoming more and more mature, and a profession that is detached from the creation of basic means of production, and does not protect the country by force, nor can it put forward advanced ideologies to promote social progress, has quietly emerged, that is, merchants. With the advent of money, a new medium of exchange that can condense the value of undifferentiated human labor, commerce has gradually become active. After all, the germination, growth, and even perfection of any thing or system is to meet the needs of human beings at a higher level of survival. Businessmen, of course, are no exception.

However, the act of merely converting the fruits of the peasants' labor from cultivating the land into money through certain channels and means, and then using the money to purchase products of higher value recognized by the public, and continuing to carry out the next step of the transaction, seeking more exchanges, and seeking money in the exchange, is not very respectable by the people. Because the value of their labor is hidden in the process of transaction and is not easily discovered, both the seller and the buyer of the commodity feel that they have benefited from this channel, although they are helpless, but naturally they are not too satisfied. In addition, the monetary system that serves as a medium of exchange cannot be unified and imperfect, and the entire transaction pattern is full of various loopholes. In addition, the most fatal factor is that the value of the currency itself is recognized by the public, and it does not have the most important basic condition of stability due to the joint interference of various reasons such as geography, war, and politics.

In times of war, both currency and merchants are at an absolute disadvantage compared to the warriors who can literally fill their stomachs with food and have the strength to kill their enemies. Even precious metals, in the face of hunger, cannot immediately realize their purchasing power through the expensive value that is recognized by the public. Of course, no matter how much currency there is, it doesn't make much sense in front of the sword, because the value of buying "the other party doesn't kill himself" will never be equal in the transaction process.

In the state of Qin, the reform turmoil of the Shang monarch's reform had just been experienced, and after years of foreign wars, the whole country was filled with the smell of gunsmoke. Although Shang Jun died, his decrees and ideas were passed down extremely thoroughly. Under the Shang monarch's plan, it seemed that the state only needed cultivators who could diligently provide food, officials who properly connected production and war, and an army that was not afraid to kill people, and merchants did not have enough value in this powerful empire with the rudiments of militarism, of course, matched by this professional system, which was in an extremely low social status in the whole country.

But in an environment where the entire Qin State was in an extremely fanatical pursuit of cultivation and warfare, a strange young man appeared in Anyang. It seems that there is still some surplus wealth at home. However, this boy is not doing his job at all, neither farming nor martial arts, just traveling.

He sneaked to the country of Qi for a while to see the sea salt and seafood, and then went to the country of Chu to inquire about leather and wood. didn't stop for a while, and went to the Yanguo market to see the price of dried fruits. After returning from traveling all over the country, he found that ginger was very cheap in Bashu, and when he arrived in Zhao Kingdom, a few pieces of ginger could be exchanged for a big beauty to give him a hug; The jujube chestnuts of the Yan Kingdom were surprisingly cheap when thrown in the market according to the basket, but Nan Chu regarded this thing as a luxury that only the nobles could enjoy. So, he began to consciously buy low and sell high, hoarding, and he did not participate in the politics between countries, nor did he want to label himself as a Qin person, he was very friendly to the people of all countries, and he was well versed in the way of dealing with the world, so his business channels were stumbled and established in the years of the melee of the great powers.

This strange person is called Lü Buwei.

Between Qin and Zhao, the entanglement is quite deep, and the war continues. After the baptism of several wars, the two countries were exhausted. And continuing the protracted battle is obviously not in the interests of the two countries, after all, no one wants to gamble on the fate of the country, and do their best to fight until both sides are defeated, and they are taken advantage of by other princes. As a result, Qin Zhao began to repair relations, and the Qin State sent the prince Yiren into Handan as a hostage to show his sincerity.

Obviously, the two unfriendly countries have laid down their respective weapons out of more interests, but there is still a strong smell of gunpowder between the two countries. In such a situation, it is obvious that there is no good life. After all, on the way of Qin's eastward advance, there will always be a fierce conflict of interests with Zhao, and war may break out at any time after one of them has eased up.

If the war between the two countries starts, the alien as a hostage will inevitably die. Above the court of the Qin State, he obviously knew this result, so the strangers who were sent were generally the most unpowerful among the many princes. On the surface, although this prince has a noble status, in fact, he is just an outcast who has been squeezed out and abandoned by various forces.

During the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Zhao General Lianpo defeated the Qin army twice, and the son of Qin Prince An Guojun had no choice but to live in Handan. At this time, it was only more than ten years since the death of the Empress Dowager Xuan of the Great Qin Dynasty, who leaned towards the government and the opposition, and the tiger still had residual power despite his death. Mrs. Huayang, the wife of King Qin Xiaowen, should be called Aunt Miyue in terms of seniority and blood. Obviously, in the Qin State, this lady has a pivotal position. But God gave her a lot, and naturally took some away, and she had no children in her life.

With these preconditions, Lü Buwei began to act. He first found the stranger and promised to help him ascend to the top of Qin's power, but proposed: once he succeeds, he will enter the power core of the Great Qin Empire. Inhuman felt that the current situation couldn't be worse anyway, so he agreed. So, Lü Buwei appointed himself as the spokesperson of the prince and began a wonderful marketing campaign that moved history.

Immediately afterwards, Lü Buwei bribed Mrs. Huayang's sister with a lot of money and obtained the qualification to be seen. said that Yiren, a lonely and desperate prince, has become an important fulcrum for Mrs. Huayang to continue and protect her power. No one would not care about their own vital interests, especially Mrs. Huayang, who was in the upper echelons of the empire, so Mrs. Huayang decided to meet the stranger.

Lü Buwei knew that Princess Huayang was from Chu, and through his own unblocked business channels, he immediately bought a set of Chu costumes, and let Yiren wear them, and played the identity of a filial son from the perspective of Mrs. Huayang's maiden Chu State. Subsequently, King Xiaowen was blown by the pillow wind more than once, and finally, King Xiaowen established his son Chu as the crown prince.

In this way, a down-and-out prince turned into the prince of the powerful Qin State. All of Lü Buwei's efforts were naturally rewarded accordingly. Thinking about it, why did Lü Buwei choose this seemingly unpromising hostage prince among many princes whose conditions are far better than those of Yiren?

In fact, Lü Buwei's choice is precisely the best candidate for many forces, including Mrs. Huayang and important ministers of the court. Because of his despondency, he has no foundation of his own, and for the courtiers, a full-fledged prince is obviously more difficult to control than a poor and white hostage. For Mrs. Huayang, choosing Yiren is not only the feelings of her homeland, because Yiren not only touched the softness of her heart that misses her hometown, but also, Yiren does not have her own palace power, and must rely on Mrs. Huayang, compared to those princes who have a certain foundation in the harem, Yiren relies on Mrs. Huayang, and after ascending the throne, it is the best choice for Mrs. Huayang. And under the complicated factional struggle in the harem, if the son of Mrs. Huayang's enemies ascended to the top of power, then how could Mrs. Huayang continue to maintain her honorable status in the Qin State?

What's more, the alien chosen by Lü Buwei is not optimistic about everyone, in the early operation, the possibility of being targeted and hindered by all the princes who are ambitious about the throne is the smallest, once the most dangerous early stage is passed, relying on the influence of Mrs. Huayang in the harem, the momentum of thunder, if you don't move, you will have no chance to recover.

As Lü Buwei himself said, strange goods can be lived, relatively speaking, the cheapest investment, the most convenient conditions, far more stable than other princes who are difficult to control under huge risks.