I, named Ying, am a figure in the long river of history. Did you first hear my name in the course of studying ancient Chinese history? Perhaps, after reading the chapters of "Jing Ke's Assassination of the King of Qin", "A Fang Gongfu" and "On the Passage of Qin", or through film and television works such as "Qin Shi Mingyue" and "Looking for Qin", or from the story of Meng Jiangnu crying on the Great Wall, I learned about my existence. So, what is your position in my heart?
I remember that I was born in Handan, the state of Zhao in 259 BC, during that period, Qin and Zhao had just experienced the tragic Battle of Changping. The contradictions between the two countries are as deep as the sea, and why the people of Zhao can remain neutral towards the Qin people is extremely difficult in Zhao, where life is extremely difficult, always facing hunting, no friends, no laughter, and my childhood is completely different from that of my peers.
In 251 BC, I returned to the state of Qin. The eight years in Zhao were the same fog, and there were not many records left in the history books, and I don't want to delve into it, but it is conceivable that it was a time full of hardship and struggle. Every day I learn how to evade Zhao Bing's pursuit and how to survive the chaos. In 246 B.C., when I ascended the throne, I was just over ten years old, and I had to face the situation where the Empress Dowager was in charge and the Prime Minister Lü Buwei was assisted. Lü Buwei was favored by the first emperor and had great power, how could I not be afraid? Mine, who can really understand me?
When I was 17 years old, the Qin palace conquered dozens of cities of Han, Zhao, and Wei, and when I was 18 years old, the state of Chu took the lead, and many countries joined forces to attack Qin. The queen mother is in trouble in the harem, and the government is in chaos, so I can only wait quietly. I was alone, with no friends, no courtiers, just myself. In 238 B.C., I became pro-government, and in 231 B.C., I deposed Lü Buwei and exiled him to Luoyang.
People say that I, a teenager, have finally risen, endured humiliation, and hardships, and finally became a great weapon. When I was young, I had no friends, no records of the harem, I only had three years of fatherly love, and in the face of six countries that were eyeing each other, I knew that I had no way out, and I had to rely on myself. I have decided to send troops and destroy all the countries that dare to stand in my way. I know that the world has let me down, and I can only seek immortality and become an immortal, which is my most reliable reliance.
I was alone, and I began to unify all kinds of systems, with the same track, the same books, and I became the first emperor in the world. I pioneered the county system, the system of three princes and nine secretaries, and also implemented a decree of heavy punishment for minor crimes. I, Xu Fu, took thousands of boys and girls to the sea in search of the elixir of life. I've carved out this world with all my life's means, and I don't believe I'm going to give it to anyone. I know that only when I become an immortal and live forever can I be the most reliable. I began to build the Great Wall on the basis of the Great Wall built by Qin and Zhao, and after repairing, I was able to resist the invasion of the Huns.
I burned books and pit Confucianism, about the burning of books and pit Confucianism, in 212 B.C., a controversial incident during my reign. According to historical records, I ordered the burning of many classics and the killing of a group of Confucians, which was to strengthen the centralization of power and unify thoughts. However, the specific details of this incident have been controversial in later generations. Some people think that I just burned some books that were not conducive to my rule, and did not kill anyone; There are also people who think that I both burn books and kill people. Whatever the truth, that is history.
In 210 B.C., I died on my fifth winter tour at the age of 50. I have no clan support, no division of power from my relatives, no eunuch clique interfering in politics, no heirs fighting for power, no queen to help, I only have an immature bureaucracy and a ruthless throne. In the last few years of my life, I often recruited the world's manpower, I wanted to find immortals, I wanted to pursue that slim life, but it was destined that I would not wait for that day, I would return to the earth, leaving only this eternal infamy. Needless to say, I'm lonely, I just don't want this world to fall into the hands of others.
Now, a thousand years have passed away, and the world has treated me differently. Some say I'm a great unifier, others say I'm a tyrant. I don't care about these comments anymore. I just want to tell you that I'm just a lonely monarch, and I've done some great things and made some mistakes. I had the whole world, but I couldn't have a real friend. I tried to find immortality, but I found that the greatest miracle in the world is the impermanence of life. He tried to build an eternal empire, but found that the only thing that is eternal is history.