Chapter 32: Enlightening the People, Establishing Education

Li Nian continued, "This is precisely the principle that 'if we do not occupy the high ground of public opinion, the enemy will.' If the Great Qin does not take the initiative to guide the people correctly, it will provide an opportunity for those with ulterior motives, and the harm caused will be no less than an open rebellion."

"Throughout history, monarchs have feared the power of prophecies and omens, and a major reason for this is that the imperial court failed to guide the people properly. Instead, it merely suppressed the spread of rumors through brute force. Yet, human nature is such that the more something is forbidden, the more suspicious people become, which only causes rumors to ferment."

Thinking of certain aspects of the modern internet, Li Nian added, "Once it reaches a certain point, even if the court tries to proactively debunk the rumors, it is already too late; the rumors have already taken root in the hearts of the people."

"The world has just been unified. The people of the former six states may harbor prejudices against the Great Qin and Your Majesty. Prejudice leads to suspicion and fear, which makes guidance even more essential. Only by allowing them to understand the Great Qin can the people of the six states be transformed into the people of the Great Qin, rather than simply becoming subjects because Your Majesty destroyed their former kingdoms."

"In the words of later generations, we must instill in them a sense of 'identity'—a recognition that they are citizens of the Great Qin, no longer viewing themselves as people of the six states. In this way, even if the nobles of the six states conspire to incite trouble, they will not succeed."

Ying Zheng asked, "And how should we guide them to believe they are the people of the Great Qin?"

Li Nian replied, "Promise them benefits and explain the principles. Let officials in every region speak of the various advantages of living under the rule of the Great Qin, and propagate the idea that although they once belonged to different states, they are all descendants of Huaxia. To truly achieve this, the benefits promised by the officials must be put into practice."

Seeing Ying Zheng nod, Li Nian continued, "As for enlightening the people, it is true that an ignorant populace is easier to govern, but they are also more easily deceived. Regarding those prophecies, the people believe in them precisely because they lack wisdom and cannot distinguish truth from falsehood. As soon as they are stirred up by someone with an agenda, it can lead to disaster."

"Does Your Majesty wish to know how the first 'rebellion' against the Great Qin came to be?"

This "first rebellion against the Great Qin" clearly referred to the uprising that led to the fall of the empire.

"The first?" Did that imply there would be a second or a third? And according to his words, this rebellion was related to the lack of enlightenment among the people?

Ying Zheng became intrigued and said, "Tell me about it."

Li Nian recounted the story of the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising as recorded in the *Records of the Grand Historian*.

When Li Nian explained that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebelled because they were late due to rain and feared execution, Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow. How could his Qin laws be so unreasonable? However, this only deepened his understanding of Li Nian's point that the law must not be too draconian; excessive cruelty could indeed drive people to revolt.

When he heard the phrase "the world has long suffered under the Qin," and that this group of rebels dared to use the banner of Prince Fusu to incite the masses—despite Fusu already being dead—he felt a strange sense of comfort that someone still remembered his son's virtues, even if the son himself had been a bit foolish. As for Xiang Yan, a cold glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes. The Xiang clan were nobles of Chu; he was well aware of them. It seemed the fall of the Great Qin in just two generations was inseparable from the nobles of the six states.

"I have been too benevolent toward them!" he thought.

When Li Nian spoke of how Chen Sheng and Wu Guang hid a scroll in a fish's belly, lit bonfires at night, and had someone mimic the cry of a fox in the ancestral temple to prepare for their rebellion, Ying Zheng understood the purpose of the story. Because the people were unenlightened, they mistook the scroll in the fish and the "speaking" fox as divine omens, which bolstered Chen Sheng's prestige among the conscripts and laid the foundation for the rebellion.

Li Nian said, "This is the consequence of an unenlightened populace. It may be easier to govern, but it becomes a weakness for others to exploit. Conversely, if the people were enlightened and understood that the fish and the fox were human tricks, would they have been so willing to join Chen Sheng in rebellion?"

Ying Zheng pondered this and asked, "After enlightening them, they would indeed no longer be deceived by such tricks. But if the Qin law truly stipulates execution for missing a deadline, wouldn't they be even more determined to rebel with Chen Sheng?"

He meant that if the people became smart, understood the law, and saw that the law was indeed cruel, they would have even more reason to revolt.

To this, Li Nian replied, "Your Majesty, that is no longer a question of whether the people are enlightened or not; it is a problem with the Qin law itself. It is the law that should be changed!"

That actually made sense.

Li Nian continued, "Your Majesty’s concern is simply that an enlightened populace might be difficult to govern. That is precisely why I say the people need official, proactive guidance. Only under correct guidance will the people not lose their way."

Ying Zheng then asked, "Is the future you come from a time where the people are enlightened?"

Li Nian answered, "Yes, but the era I come from cannot be compared to the Great Qin; the two are fundamentally different."

The biggest difference was that there was no supreme monarch who could arbitrarily control the life and death of others. Everyone was equal under the law; no one was more noble or more base.

Ying Zheng, clearly grasping the implication of a world without monarchs, fell silent for a moment before asking, "If I am to enlighten the people, what must I do? And how should I guide them correctly?"

Li Nian replied, "Your Majesty, it relies on 'education.' Education is the act of teaching and nurturing. By imparting knowledge and principles, one leads the people onto the right path. Most people are born without an innate sense of good or evil, and thus they can be educated and guided."

"For example, if one includes teachings of patriotism and loyalty to the throne in the classics, those who study them will naturally become loyal and patriotic. If one includes teachings on the importance of obeying the law, those who read them will understand the necessity of doing so."

Li Nian used Su Xu and Chunyu Yue as examples. "Men like Master Su and Scholar Chunyu, who study Confucian classics, are influenced by the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, which is why they hold their current views, believing that restoring the Zhou rites is the best way to govern the world."

Ying Zheng said, "I understand. You mean to create classics suitable for our Great Qin, so that people study them and, influenced by them, become patriotic, loyal, and law-abiding!"

In truth, it would be better if "loyalty to the monarch" were excluded, but in the era of the Great Qin, Li Nian dared not say such things. Everything must fit the times; to be one step ahead is to be a genius, but to be three steps ahead is to be a monster. Li Nian had not lived enough, nor did he want to be sliced into human carpaccio, so he would not proactively preach anti-monarchism to the First Emperor unless the Emperor himself showed curiosity.

Ying Zheng looked at Li Nian with a strange light in his eyes. This was a fascinating path. Had any nation ever created its own classics for the people to learn before? Yet, the method seemed truly feasible. Perhaps that country in the future used this exact approach, which is why they did not fear that enlightening the people would plunge the nation into chaos.

*Ah*, Ying Zheng discovered a point he hadn't considered: the fact that this person cared so much for Huaxia must also be a result of that education in the future, right?

Thinking of this, a mysterious smile appeared on Ying Zheng's face.