Since ancient times, the evaluation of Qin Shi Huang has been mixed.
Qin Shi Huang Yingzheng, surnamed Zhao, also known as Zhao Zheng, Han nationality, then known as "Huaxia", was born in Handan, the capital of the Zhao State.
A famous politician, reformer, and strategist in Chinese history, the first founding emperor of the Qin Dynasty to complete the unification of China, the son of King Xiang of Qinzhuang, he took the throne at the age of thirteen, and was called emperor at the age of thirty-nine, reigning for thirty-seven years.
Qin Shi Huang established the emperor system, the central government implemented the three dukes and nine secretaries, the local abolition of the sub-feudal system, replaced by the county system, unified writing and weights and measures, attacked the Xiongnu in the north, conquered Baiyue in the south, and built the Great Wall.
He pushed China into the era of great unification, opened up a new situation for the establishment of an authoritarian centralized system, had a profound impact on China and world history, and laid the basic pattern of China's political system for more than two thousand years.
He was praised by the Ming Dynasty thinker Li Zhen as "an emperor through the ages".
During his reign, the military service was heavy and the punishment was harsh. The tyranny of the Qin Dynasty began to intensify as soon as the Qin Dynasty was established.
After Qin Shi Huang annexed the Six Kingdoms in 221 BC, he established a unified, authoritarian centralized Qin Dynasty with the capital at Xianyang.
However, after qin unified China, there were still some unstable factors.
This made Qin Shi Huang feel very annoyed, and he was thinking about a question every day - how to maintain the feudal dynasty regime he had worked so hard to establish?
According to historical records, in order to make the Qin family pass on forever, Qin Shi Huang formulated a series of policies and measures to safeguard the unity of the country.
Politically, he adjusted and perfected the unified, centralized feudal state apparatus and established a set of strict ruling institutions and feudal bureaucracies from the central to the local level; Economically, he unified money and weights and measures; Culturally, he unified the written word. These policies and measures played a tremendous role in promoting the economic development, cultural integration, and civilization development of the Qin feudal dynasty.
In addition, Qin Shi Huang also made a full military article, one of the most interesting of which was that he ordered the collection of the world's weapons, cast into twelve bronze men, and stood in Xianyang.
The Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai also mentioned this matter in his poem "Sweeping Liuhe": "The king of Qin swept Liuhe, and the tiger looked at He Xiongya. Collecting troops and casting gold people, Hangu is opening to the east..."
Among them, the phrase "collecting troops and casting gold people" refers to the fact that after Qin Shi Huang completed the great cause of reunification, he also collected the world's weapons and gathered in Xianyang and destroyed them to form twelve golden people.
In fact, these twelve "golden men" are not made of pure gold. At that time, weapons were mainly cast in copper, and the ancients called bronze gold, so these bronze people were called "golden people".
The shape of the Jin people is tall and majestic, and one stone in the Qin Dynasty is equivalent to about 37.5 kilograms today, and it is estimated that the twelve large bronze people weigh 450,000 kilograms.
According to the "Guanzhong Record", the cast gold man was three feet tall, and on his chest there was an inscription written by Li Si himself.
The golden man is empty under the seat, there is a rope connected, pulling its - end, the twelve gold people can change the palace at the same time, play music, it can be seen that the design and casting process is quite superb.
What is interesting is, why did Qin Shi Huang cast these 12 bronze men?
Opinions still vary on this issue. There are two main folk sayings.
One theory is that one day, in his dream, Emperor Qin Shihuang encountered a great change in the heavens, darkness, and ghosts and gods, so he was terrified, and on the occasion of the Ten Thousand Yuannai, a person came to instruct The Lost Jin: Only by making the Twelve Golden Men could he sit firmly in the world.
Some scholars have pointed out that Qin Shi Huang's lifelong belief in the words of fangshi Daoists is credible in connection with the worries of the founding of the country.
Another theory is that after the unification of the whole country, Qin Shi Huang was always worried and thinking about how to rule for a long time and make the country and mountains pass on to all generations.
In order to sit firmly in the world and consolidate the rivers and mountains, one of the first problems to be solved is that all kinds of weapons scattered among the people should be confiscated and destroyed.
On this point, there is also a story circulating:
One day, accompanied by his courtiers, Qin Shi Huang was watching dancing water, fire, meteors and various juggling, and while he was in a state of high spirits, he suddenly saw a group of murderous samurai with swords in their hands performing on the stage.
When Qin Shi Huang saw it, he undoubtedly touched his heart, so he thought about it day and night, and it was difficult to sleep and eat. At this time, just as the peasants sent a message saying that they had seen 12 giants, there was also a nursery rhyme in the local area: "Canal to one, manifest in gold, hundred evils, Bai Ruisheng." ”
After Qin Shi Huang listened, he was in the middle of his heart, and his emotions were lifted. So he pretended to be a sign, and with the help of Providence, ordered the confiscation of all the weapons of the people, concentrated in Xianyang, and cast 12 bronze people.
It should be said that Qin Shi Huang's collection of weapons and copper people was entirely out of consideration for political stability.
As for the false transmission of Providence, it is only a strategy to legitimize it, which is a common trick used by many rulers.
Unfortunately, these 12 bronze people can no longer be seen.