From 230 BC to 221 BC, after several years, King Yingzheng of Qin successively defeated the six kingdoms of Shandong, unified China, and established a unified multi-ethnic dynasty - the Qin Dynasty.
In the face of this immortal feat, Ying Zheng was full of spirits and believed that his authority should be reflected in the title, so he abandoned the title of King of Qin and replaced it with "Emperor", he thought that "virtue and three emperors, merit of five emperors", so he called himself "the first emperor", and was therefore respected by later generations as Qin Shi Huang.
Qin Shi Huang planned a beautiful name for future generations, Qin II, Qin III, Qin IV, and until Qin Wanshi, he believed that his empire would be passed on for eternity. Qin Shi Huang's idea was not naïve, but the inevitable mentality of the founding emperor, hoping to enjoy power and the beauty of the country forever.
However, Qin Shi Huang's dreams were shattered after his death, and the country he had worked so hard to build collapsed after his death, and his beautiful vision was also in the hands of Qin II.
The death of Qin Shi Huang II is a deeply painful realization. Although Qin Shi Huang did not feel it, every time we talk about this period of history, we feel sorry.
Therefore, we often blame Hu Hai, Zhao Gao, and Li Si for the fall of the Qin Dynasty, thinking that if it were not for the conspiracy of the three of them, Gongzi Fusu might have become Qin II, and then the Qin Dynasty might still have hope.
However, if we delve into the history of the Qin Dynasty, we will find that even if Gongzi Fusu succeeds to the throne, Great Qin is doomed. This is why Li Si wants to support Hu Hai's succession.
In 211 BC, Qin Shi Huang began his sixth tour, accompanied by Li Si, the prime minister on the left, and Feng Quji, the prime minister on the right, who stayed in Xianyang. Hu Hai also wanted to go on a parade with him, so Qin Shi Huang took him with him.
And Zhao Gao, who was Qin Shi Huang's personal attendant, was naturally also among the entourage. They cruised in Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Hebei.
During his 12-year reign, Qin Shi Huang had already made five comprehensive tours, covering almost the entire territory of the Qin Dynasty. Although he had already reached the age of 48 when he decided to go on his sixth cruise, this was undoubtedly a dangerous signal for an emperor who had worked hard for a long time.
But he still persevered, and even hoped that he would find the elixir that would make him immortal during the cruise. However, despite the world's desire for eternal life, the reality is cruel and no one can escape the call of death.
After all, Qin Shi Huang could only accept the call of death like ordinary people.
Qin Shi Huang fell ill during the sixth parade, and knowing that he was dying, he wrote a secret letter to his eldest son, Fusu, who was in Biansai, asking him to immediately return to Xianyang to preside over his funeral so that Fusu could take over the power of the Great Qin Empire.
However, Zhao Gao, who was in charge of the sigil, secretly withheld the letter and failed to hand it over to the messenger. A few months later, Qin Shi Huang did not return to Xianyang and died of illness in the sand dunes. Prime Minister Li Si considered that the princes might cause trouble, so he decided to handle the funeral secretly and rushed to Xianyang.
The tragedy of Fusu: Fusu, the prince who was misunderstood by his father, was the eldest son of Qin Shi Huang, and was deeply respected and loved by the people for his benevolence and gentlemanly style. However, due to a fortuitous incident, Qin Shi Huang's trust and expectations of him changed.
The tragedy of Fusu is that he was misunderstood and abandoned by his father, and was eventually forced to commit suicide, becoming a forgotten historical figure.
Dissatisfied with the warlocks' behavior in Xianyang, Qin Shi Huang ordered the imperial historian to arrest and interrogate them. The warlocks denounced each other for self-preservation, which eventually led to the discovery of more than 400 people.
Qin Shi Huang showed no mercy and killed them all. At this time, Fusu wrote to exhort that the newly unified country needed stability and that the punishment of Confucian scholars should be reduced in order to appease the people.
Dissatisfied with this, Qin Shi Huang sent Fusu to Shangjun to supervise Meng Tian's army and assist in the construction of the Great Wall and the defense against the Xiongnu. The core idea remains the same: to describe Qin Shi Huang's punishment of the warlocks, and the situation in which Fusu wrote to advise Qin Shi Huang.
Qin Shi Huang's original intention was to send Fusu to Biansai to let him experience the cruelty of war firsthand, so as to temper his will and prepare him for the future succession to the throne. However, he did not expect that Zhao Gao, Li Si and others would go against his dying wishes and establish Hu Hai as Qin II.
Despite the fierceness of the Great Qin system, Fusu's worship of Qin Shi Huang made him believe that this forged letter was true, and he did not hesitate to prepare for suicide. Meng Tian sensed that something was wrong, so he suggested that Fusu not act for the time being, at least to confirm the authenticity of the news first.
Because Meng Tian had an army of 300,000, if the news was not true, they could lead the army into Xianyang.
At the urging of the envoys, Fusu had no choice but to commit suicide, and then Meng Tian was also executed, and the thousands of miles of the Qin Dynasty fell into the hands of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao. Everything has been settled, Hu Hai is incompetent, Zhao Gao is autocratic, and the fall of the Qin Dynasty is inevitable.
So if Fusu ascended the throne as Qin II, would the Qin Dynasty be able to avoid its demise? The answer is no, because the Qin Dynasty's system was too strict and could exert great power in troubled times, but it could not be maintained permanently.
Although Fusu was resolute and brave, and was able to implement benevolent government after succeeding to the throne, he would not go against the established policy of Qin Shi Huang, after all, a forged edict could take his life, how could he oppose his worshipping father?
During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the Qin Empire had squeezed the power of the people to the limit, which was like pulling a bowstring to the limit, and it would break with a little force.
Although Fusu's benevolence can alleviate this pressure slightly, in the long run, the bowstring will still break. In addition, as the first unified multi-ethnic empire in Chinese history, the nobles of the Six Kingdoms of Shandong did not completely succumb, they had been waiting for the opportunity, even if Fusu implemented benevolent government, it would not eliminate their desire to resist, after all, the feeling of being a courtier and being a prince was completely different.
Let's talk about Lees. Li Si is a prime minister who is unwilling to be subordinate, if Fusu succeeds to the throne, then the position of prime minister will definitely not be his turn. Compared with Meng Tian, Li Si is not a person who helps Su after all.
Zhao Gao shrewdly took advantage of this, so he dared to tamper with Li Si and the edict. Li Si was a wise man who understood Hu Hai's abilities and also foresaw the collapse of the Qin Dynasty.
For him, as long as he can enjoy wealth and power, he doesn't need to think too much about the future, so he chose to support Hu Hai. However, he never expected Zhao Gao's ambition to be so big, crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, and ended up being cut in half, which is also his own fault.