Chapter 118 Brother, Times Have Changed
On the first page of the "Simplified Chinese and Large Seal Script Comparison Table", the title is written with two characters, "strokes", and the content is 一, 丿, 丨, 丶...
On the second page of the "Comparison Table of Simplified Chinese Characters and Large Seal Characters", the title says radicals, which are 钅, 犭, 宀...
The third page of the "Simplified Chinese Characters and Large Seal Characters Comparison Table" is a comparison between simplified Chinese characters and large seal characters. One simplified Chinese character can often be compared with three or four large seal characters.
The First Emperor read it very carefully.
After about a cup of tea, the First Emperor closed the book.
The First Emperor thought carefully for a while and said, "Cheng Jiao, is this the writing you invented?"
"I am just a carrier. These are the words in my dream."
"Whatever you say." The First Emperor patted the book in his hand, looked at Ying Chengjiao with a look of amazement, and said, "You created a writing system by yourself, which is beyond the current writing system."
"Now it seems that when Li Si praised you, he said, 'I have never seen anyone like you, I have never known anyone like you in history, and I have never heard of anyone like you'. Not only was it not an exaggeration, but it was actually an underestimation of you. If this character is circulated throughout the world, you will be a saint who surpasses the sages of all generations and is on par with our ancestor Cangjie."
Ying Chengjiao narrowed his eyes and said, "Royal brother, you don't need to flatter me. Just say 'but' directly."
"Haha, you brat." The First Emperor shook his head and laughed.
"But you overlooked a very important issue. Unifying the writing system must be done, and it must be done as soon as possible. Who should do it? You or me? No, it should be done by those who can read and write."
"Your simplified characters are developed from strokes to radicals, and then from radicals to simplified characters. This simplified character, which progresses from the shallow to the deep, is simpler than the seven languages. It is much easier for people who don't know the characters to learn than to learn the seven languages."
"But who will teach these people who don't know how to read?"
The First Emperor paused for a moment and saw that there was no change on Ying Chengjiao's face, and he had no intention of interjecting.
He frowned and answered himself: "It's those scholars I mentioned earlier. I can chop off the heads of those scholars, but I can't force them to learn your simplified characters and spread them throughout the world."
"Cheng Jiao, the world is too big. If you want your simplified characters to become the unified writing system in the world, you need a group of people who can master your simplified characters thoroughly."
"It will take at least five years to train these people. These five years are the first five years of the unification of the world, and they are too important for the Qin Empire. I can't wait, and the Qin Empire can't wait."
"My Royal Brother, do you want to stop me from promoting simplified Chinese characters, just like you tried to stop me from promoting movable type printing and paper?"
The First Emperor patiently explained: "Why did I stop you from promoting movable type printing and paper? It is because once you promote it, everyone in the world will be able to read and write, and the people will be enlightened. When the people are enlightened, they will be strong."
"The Book of Lord Shang says: When the people are strong, the country is weak; when the people are weak, the country is strong. When the people are strong, the country will be weak. Only when the people are weak, the country will be strong."
"Powerful people are difficult to rule. When they begin to think about the rightness of the decrees issued by the court, it means that their obedience to me will be greatly reduced."
"How can such Qin people still be fearless when they go to the battlefield? If the Qin people are afraid of death, how can the Qin Dynasty unify the world? You have read more books than I do, so you should understand this principle."
Ying Chengjiao sat on the ground opposite Ying Zheng, a rare sitting upright.
"The Tao Te Ching says: Those who were good at governing in ancient times did not make the people wise, but made them stupid. People are difficult to govern because they are too smart. Therefore, to govern a country with wisdom is a traitor to the country. Not to govern a country with wisdom is a blessing for the country. Laozi believes that those who were good at governing a country in ancient times did not make the people wise, but made them stupid. People are difficult to govern because they know too much. Therefore, to enlighten the people's wisdom is a traitor to the country. Not to enlighten the people is a blessing for a great country."
If Ying Fusu were here, he would definitely be shocked.
In his eyes, this uncle who only knew how to sophistry actually had such a side to him.
But the First Emperor did not show the slightest surprise, instead he seemed very much used to it.
He smiled and interjected.
"I haven't seen you so serious for a long time. It seems that you really care about this matter. Go on, I'm listening."
"The Guanzi says: The ruler is wise and trustworthy, the five officials are solemn, the scholars are honest, the farmers are ignorant, and the merchants and craftsmen are willing to work. It says what the five types of people in a strong country should be like: the ruler is wise, the prime minister is trustworthy, the officials are honest and solemn, the farmers are ignorant, and the merchants and craftsmen are willing to work."
"Here, Guanzi also believes that it is better for the country if the people are ignorant. Confucius said: The people can be directed, but they cannot be made to know why they should do so. Confucius said: The people can be directed, but they cannot be made to know why they should do so."
The First Emperor put his index finger upside down and knocked on the table, interrupting Ying Chengjiao again.
"Cheng Jiao, what you said today is a bit off the mark. You just need to convince me to use your simplified characters, no need to elaborate so much. I know all you said, and this is what I have always done - impoverish the people to strengthen the country, weaken the people to strengthen the country."
" It's easy for me to convince you to use simplified Chinese characters. You're just worried that without the first batch of people who can read simplified Chinese characters, it will be difficult to spread them."
"That's right." The First Emperor sighed and said, "Your eyes are too far ahead and have lost touch with this era. The simplified characters you designed are really too simple. They are so simple that if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't even consider them as characters."
"This is indeed the best writing system for people all over the world to learn, but it is destined to not be spread out. There are not many scholars in the world who will spread it for you. I plan to use From now on, all people in the world need to write in small seal script, and the writing will be the same as the writing."
Being half a step ahead is a genius, being one step ahead is a madman.
And Ying Chengjiao was at least a hundred steps ahead of the Qin Dynasty.
These one hundred steps equal two thousand years.
"What if I tell you, my brother, that I can see further ?" Ying Chengjiao chuckled and said, "If I train a group of people who can recognize simplified Chinese characters, will you still let Li Si create small seal characters?"
Have you trained a group of people who can recognize simplified Chinese characters?
If this is true, and this simplified character is distributed everywhere, it will be much easier for people to learn this character than to learn the characters of the seven countries.
It takes five years to fully understand this writing, but it takes years to recognize it. In this way, the Qin Dynasty can be stabilized at least three years earlier.
The First Emperor widened his eyes in disbelief.
He grasped Ying Chengjiao's hand tightly and said in a solemn voice: "How many people have you taught? If I don't create small seal script, the number of people in your Chang'an Junfu alone is not enough!"
"Didn't my Royal Brother just ask me how I was defeated in Tunliu? I was indeed defeated by Guo Kai's 5,000 men. I didn't lie to you. But even though I was defeated, none of the 50,000 men died."
Ying Chengjiao stretched out five fingers.
"Can 50,000 Qin warriors who are fully versed in simplified Chinese characters be responsible for spreading simplified Chinese characters?"
During the Qin Dynasty, the world's population was between 25 million and 30 million.
The ratio of 50,000 people to the total population of the world.
It is between 1:500 and 1:600.
In other words, if we want everyone to know simplified Chinese characters, it seems difficult for one person to teach five hundred or six hundred people.
But in fact, it is not the way to calculate it.
First of all, the First Emperor's requirement for unified writing did not mean that he required everyone in the world to be 100% familiar with simplified Chinese characters.
That would be equivalent to enlightening the people and strengthening them, which is inconsistent with the idea of weakening the people that the First Emperor has always implemented.
The purpose of Emperor Qin Shihuang's unification of writing was to make the people of the six kingdoms no longer think about the six kingdoms, but to work together to maintain the rule of the Qin Dynasty.
To achieve this, the proportion of people who can recognize simplified Chinese characters can be controlled within a certain range.
The scope is that the original number of literate people in the world can be tripled to five times - as long as the six languages are suppressed, it will be a success.
And to achieve this, 50,000 people are enough.
"Enough! Enough! Enough!"
The First Emperor looked extremely excited and said "enough" three times in a row.
Compared with those scholars, the First Emperor trusted the Qin elite warriors more.
With the help of the Qin warriors who promoted simplified Chinese characters and won the hearts of the people, he felt at ease.
"Good defeat, good defeat!"
The First Emperor walked around the study excitedly.
"If you had not been defeated, how could you have hidden 50,000 elite soldiers in front of Lü Buwei! Cheng Jiao, how did you manage to survive the battle? No, no! Qin law stipulates that if a general is captured or killed, his personal guards will be executed. How come you didn't kill a single soldier? Did you deliberately let yourself be captured by Guo Kai?"
The Battle of Tunliu, in which 5,000 Zhao troops defeated 50,000 Qin soldiers, was the battle that brought Guo Kai to the peak of his power, popularity among the people, and respect from the royal family in Zhao State.
Once the Battle of Changping happened, the resentment that had been pent up in the hearts of the people of Zhao was released.
This made Guo Kai a national hero of the State of Zhao and he held great power in the State of Zhao from then on.
Could it be that Cheng Jiao was the one who manipulated Guo Kai to cause chaos in Zhao?
Ying Chengjiao watched the First Emperor gradually recover from his excited state. Just as his wisdom had just taken over the high ground, he was immediately driven down by shock.
"We each take what we need. I am the number one playboy in the Qin Dynasty, and he is the number one god of war in the Warring States Period."
It turned out to be Cheng Jiao's doing...
How far can Cheng Jiao see?
Defeating Zhao, this kind of tactic is unheard of!
How could Cheng Jiao be so sure that Guo Kai would rise to prominence?
Can you sideline King Qian of Zhao?
Can you order the assassination of Li Mu?
Can you sell out Zhao State in exchange for mercy?
Can Cheng Jiao predict the future?
The First Emperor was still in shock.
Ying Chengjiao didn't take this matter to heart at all.
Now that the world is settled, it's time to change my brother's thinking.
A weak people but a strong country?
No!
The people are rich and the country is strong!
The policy of keeping the people ignorant must never be carried out again!
"This is not important. Let's talk about the topic we left off earlier. I don't agree with the theory of the weak people and strong country of various schools of thought. I think they are all wrong."
Ying Chengjiao knocked on the table regularly, again and again, and said with a smile: "Brother, times have changed."
