The 3rd century BC was a century of strife and war, and the East and West of Eurasia, the Qin Kingdom and the Roman Republic, were all undergoing the same changes and battles!
In the east of the world, Qin Shi Huang, who was the sixth emperor of The Sixth Dynasty, stood on the shoulders of his ancestors and laid the map of the Qin Empire with a big victory that drove out one after another!
(Emperor of the Ages)
Ten years, laying the foundation of the sigh of the later generations of poetry immortal Li Bai
"The King of Qin swept Liuhe, and the tiger looked at He Xiongya!" Swinging his sword to break the clouds, the princes came to the west. ”
In the west of the world, the equally strong Roman legions and soldiers are also following the footsteps of their predecessors, galloping through the Apennines, drinking horses in the Mediterranean, and expanding the territory of the empire.
In the end, they defeated their old enemies, the Macedonians, the barbaric Gauls, Egypt, a republic, became an empire, and achieved great things spanning the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa!
The history of The East and the West is so similar that in almost the same period of time, two distant empires developed simultaneously, and finally changed the history of the East and the West for thousands of years to come!
(From Fishing Village to Empire)
So what are the similarities and differences of such a powerful empire?
One: Traceability
The Great Qin Empire and the Roman Empire had almost the same birth starting point, and the formation also took a long time!
Originally, they were weak city-states and princes!
The former birth of the Qin Empire, the State of Qin, was not in the sequence of the Zhou Wu Kings in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Even the princely states are not, just a tribe for the King of Zhou to herd horses, the Western Zhou Era is almost dispensable, and the knighthood was also obtained in the early years of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, because of the merit of helping the King of Zhou Ping move east, he was rewarded with the zhou dynasty's hometown!
And the zhou dynasty homeland of this reward has long been occupied by the enemy of the Zhou Dynasty, Inuyasha, and this reward is just empty mouth and white teeth!
(Qin state in the Spring and Autumn Period)
The State of Qin was like this, using the empty cheque of the Zhou Dynasty and through its own efforts, it achieved the cornerstone of the kingdom!
At the beginning of the cornerstone of the kingdom, the newly established Qin state was poor and weak, without the prestige of later generations, and the entire Spring and Autumn Period was regarded as barbarian by the eastern countries and was not included in the mainstream sequence of Central Plains civilization.
In times of crisis, seek the way to be strong, and seek the merit of the eyes of contempt!
The Qin people who faced the white-eyed Qin people used countless efforts to finally achieve the status of the overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period during the time of Qin Mugong.
However, the times rotated, the vicissitudes changed, the former superpower Jin state was divided into three, the Spring and Autumn Era entered the Warring States era, in the face of the Wei State that initiated the change of law to eliminate the Central Plains, the weakness and powerlessness of the Qin State were fully displayed, and the Wei State also had the impulse to swallow Qin and destroy Qin!
The courage of the old Qin people has become synonymous with incompetence in the face of technology and changes in the times, how to do it? What to do?
Qin Xiaogong, who hoped that the powerful country would change the law, and Shang Martin, met, one talking about the emperor's way, the second talking about the king's way, and the third talking about hegemony!
Before there was filial piety to see Shang Martin, three talks to become things, and then there was Liu Bei to see Zhuge Ge, and the three to see each other!
The story of a fish winning the water is always the reincarnation of history, a plot to save and change the law, and the feat of strengthening the country and rejuvenating the army has become a legend under the unity of the monarch and the subject.
(Such as a monarch who has a fish in the water)
The State of Qin became stronger, and it was out of control.
The state of Wei, once a strong enemy, bowed down and once despised its own eastern states, and had to unite to seek self-preservation under the great martial arts of the Qin Empire, but this was not a problem for the Qin state that completely changed the law and cultivated the war first.
The great cause of reunification, after hundreds of years, has finally come true!
On the other hand, the Roman Empire actually had the same opportunity as the Qin Empire!
The Roman Empire traces back to its source, but it is a small city-state on the tiber river, ding is not more than ten thousand, soldiers are not more than a thousand, saying that it is a city-state is actually lifting it!
The newly born Rome was even more desolate than the Qin Empire, the Qin Empire was only despised and was not in danger of annihilation, while Rome was constantly attacked by the Wolschi and the Equi!
Growing up in the midst of encroachment is the only way for every great people, and so is Rome.
(History of Roman Expansion)
The weak are destroyed, the strong strive to be strong, and the risers are the first!
The Romans belonged to the ascendants, who braved strong enemies, fought hard, and after sweeping through the surrounding city-state tribes, began the era of marching into the Apennine Peninsula, after defeating the Samonaites. Finally controlled almost all of Italy, becoming a power in the Mediterranean region that was no longer neglected!
Then there's the war for supremacy with The Rising Enemy of Rome, Carthage!
If Rome is the Qin Empire, then Carthage is the Wei kingdom that Rome faced!
Whether there is my invincibility or the enemy without me is a question.
After three consecutive "Punic Wars", Rome finally won the final victory and swept away the biggest obstacle to hegemony. Since then, Rome has embarked on the road of external expansion, and the last empire has been established!
(Establishment of the Empire)
Two: war style
In the classical imperial era, the key to determining combat effectiveness was population, and what determined population was food output and territory, so the difference in national strength became a comparison of population, especially in the world of great strife, the situation was more obvious, and benevolence to the enemy was cruelty to oneself!
Therefore, the Qin Empire and Rome both had a common feature in foreign wars, that is, cruelty!
The cruelty of the Qin people can be explained by one person, that is, the god of war is white, and his nickname is called human slaughter!
The Battle of Yique defeated the Han and Wei allies and beheaded 250,000!
In the Battle of Changping, the Zhao army was defeated and 400,000 people were beheaded!
Yancheng broke the water, flooded the city and flooded the Chu army, drowning 200,000!
At the Battle of Huayang, the Wei army was defeated, and 130,000 people were beheaded;
As for the other people who died in small battles, it will not be expressed one by one, it can be said that Bai Qi is synonymous with the cruelty of Qin Guoqiang Henghe!
(Killing God White)
And the Same was true of the Roman Empire in its external struggles!
The famous First Punic War was a war against all its nations, and in the African battlefield alone, the number of Roman legionnaires killed was as high as more than 100,000 people, and the enemy's losses were not too much, so was the land battle, and the same was true for the sea duel!
In the vast waters of the Mediterranean Sea, nearly 700 five-oared warships on both sides competed to fight and perform a grand sea battle in the classical era!
According to the ancient Greek historian Polybiu:
"This war lasted 24 years without interruption. This is the longest, least intermittent and most brutal war I have ever known. ”
Isn't the war that lasted for 24 years comparable to the Warring States period, when there were wars?
In the face of the brutality of the big countries, and in the face of the brutality of the small countries, there is the same expression in the Qin State and Rome!
The Roman Empire, the conquest of weak peoples is also very thorough, defeated to be treated as slaves, is the Tradition of Rome!
Rome occupied Capua, the whole city was inhabited by slaves, Rome occupied Sardinia, and more than 80,000 people became slaves!
Annihilation and enslavement both express the common way in which Rome and the Qin Empire succeeded, that is, constantly weakening each other in war and eliminating each other's population, which is the best way to war!
(Roman Legionnaires)
Three: The Ethnic Policy of the Qin and Han Empires and Rome
In the above traceability and conquest, the Qin Empire and Rome have countless similarities, but after becoming the most powerful country in the future, they have a completely different attitude!
The different attitudes of the Qin, Han and Romans towards other countries or nations determined the continuation of civilization and the continuation of the country!
In the era of the Qin Empire, whether it was for conquered countries or nations, there was a significant feature, that is, there was no discrimination!
This is related to the inheritance of Chinese traditions and culture since ancient times.
Although the six eastern countries have different country names and different scripts, they are all of the same origin in the cognition of the ancients, and they are the symbiosis of Chinese civilization, so the choice of the Qin Empire after the conquest is also very direct, that is, the land of the six kingdoms is directly set up counties and counties, and incorporated into the central management system!
No matter which country you belong to, after being incorporated into the central management system, you belong to the Qin people, and such a non-discriminatory policy gives the foundation for the great unification of the nation!
(Unification of the Qin and Han Dynasties)
The subsequent Han Dynasty further advanced this policy, and the Western Han Dynasty implemented the policy of "compiling households and qimin".
This is the manifestation of this trend!
The so-called "Qimin" is to compile all residents (except the princes, nobles and slaves) into the household registration, and "Qimin" is also well understood, giving all residents the same equal status!
In this way, under the efforts of the rulers in the Qin and Han dynasties, the people of various ethnic groups and regions continued to communicate in depth, and integration and unification became a trend!
Not only for the six eastern kingdoms, but also for the Qin and Han Empires, they also held the same policy and attitude towards the newly conquered regions!
During the qin shi huang period to open up Lingnan, he set up counties such as Guilin, Xiang, and Nanhai, and relocated inland residents to enrich the border counties and assimilate ethnic minorities!
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, he helped the Dong'ou people to attack Minyue, and in the face of the Eastern Ou people's move to move internally, Emperor Wu of Han gladly accepted.
The centripetal force of the national contract is thus formed!
(Emperor Wu of han)
The Roman Empire, on the other hand, is completely different!
In the expansion of the Roman Empire, the conquered areas would be governed by provinces, within which the social status of the Roman inhabitants and the natives was unequal, and the Romans as conquerors had many privileges!
Although the perfection of Roman law was widely praised in later generations, this perfect law was limited to the Romans and not to others!
Roman citizens are the beneficiaries of the law, they have the right to participate in the government, they have the right to military service, and the citizens of other provinces, no matter how rich or how much you contribute, you are conquered, you can neither participate in politics, nor can you become a soldier, there is no transfer of rights, only the exploitation of wealth, so how can the people of the Roman Empire other than Roman citizens see the hope of existence?
And the Attitude of the Romans to this question is also very interesting!
According to the Roman statesman Cicero:
The Roman occupation of Asia Minor was freed from the scourge of internal conflicts and external wars, and they should be pleased and exchange a part of their income for permanent peace."
These words came from the mouth of a Roman politician, and I saw the feeling that the underworld in later generations charged protection fees to merchants!
For non-Roman citizens, even if you offer me peace, without the same rights and wealth and being plundered, everyone will feel uncomfortable!
Political inequality, along with the emergence of the Roman discrimination against foreign peoples!
The same is what the Roman statesman Cicero said:
The Romans were the best race, and no other people could match the Romans. The Sardinians were barbaric bastards, the Jewish people were destined for hard labor, and the Gauls were arrogant and unbelieving.
Because of this arrogant and discriminatory remarks, there is a saying in mainstream Roman society.
Glory belongs to Greece, and greatness belongs to Rome.
From these values, we can see how contemptuous the Roman Empire's attitude towards other peoples was!
(Roman provincial system)
Four: The Cultural Policies of the Qin and Han Empires and Rome
The same conquerors, the Roman and Qin and Han Empires, also had this completely different difference in the construction of the ideological and cultural field!
During the Qin and Han dynasties, everyone knows that it belonged to the period of the First Chinese Empire, which was the period when the foundation of the great unification of Chinese culture was formed!
There are many important events that have happened in this!
For example, Qin Shi Huang adopted Li Si's suggestion of "book with text" and the subsequent implementation of "car with the same track", unified weights and measures, so that the original Warring States Seven Heroes era chaotic text weights and measures have been unified, and overhauled the chi road throughout the country to improve central control!
For example, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion to "depose the Hundred Families and respect Confucianism alone."
This has led to a unified ideological Confucianism in China, which ultimately affected the entire history of Chinese civilization and is also the source of resilience and centripetal force in Chinese culture.
For example, the county system in the Qin and Han dynasties, although in the Han Dynasty period there were past repetitions, sub-feudal and county-based systems, but by the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, after the efforts of several generations of emperors, the sub-feudal system was swept out of China's history through the "Tuien Order"!
After so much, the centralized Central Plains Dynasty was established.
(Qin Emperor Han Wu)
And how did the Roman Empire do it?
The Ideology and culture of the Roman Empire did not have the style of the Qin and Han Dynasties, but it was very chaotic!
(1) First of all, it is literal.
The eastern part of the Roman Empire was the Hellenistic world, and the lingua franca and culture were Greek and Greek culture!
The western part of the Roman Empire was a Latinized world, and the lingua franca and culture were Latin and Latin!
The last two mainstream scripts and cultures did not become the orthodox script and culture of the Roman Empire, and the final direct result was that the Roman culture belonging to Rome was almost marginalized in the huge empire, and its influence was negligible and negligible!
Without a complete cultural and written identity, how can people have centripetal force?
(Pantheon of Rome)
(2) The second is religious.
Relative to the Han Dynasty's ideological confucianism!
The religion of Rome can be described as a hundred flowers blooming on each side, and there is a famous building called the Pantheon in Rome today, which is the embodiment of this phenomenon!
When a nation is conquered, your god is invited into the Pantheon, and when there are more and more gods in Rome, the division of religion and ideology in Rome becomes more and more obvious, and no one obeys whom, and who does everyone listen to? That's a problem!
Although the subsequent development of Christianity has alleviated this trend, Christianity has become the dominant historical leader in the "four emperors and co-rule" period, and has become the state religion of Rome, but he did not save the entire Roman Empire, but only saved the national left of the Eastern Roman Empire!
(3) Again we look at the setting of the political system.
The political composition of the Roman Empire was a system of provinces, with obvious characteristics of autonomous river division, which can also be understood, in the classical era, when transportation was inconvenient, if the central authorities were not implemented, management was a false proposition, and an order was transmitted according to months or even years, how to rule!
But although decentralization is inevitable, but too much power is the root cause of turmoil, ah, if Rome learned from the Han Dynasty, set up a county system to split large provinces into small areas, perhaps they will not be because of the independence of the provinces, or turmoil and infighting!
The governor of the Roman provinces was almost the emperor of the provinces in the imperial era, with both soldiers and money and administrative power, and the result of this trinity was that if the governor was loyal to Rome, of course, there was no problem, if he was not loyal to Rome, it would be a big trouble!
(4) Finally, we look at Rome's irrational system of succession
The regime succession system of the Central Plains Dynasty had a set of etiquette norms and codes of conduct!
During the Zhou Dynasty, after the establishment of the inheritance system of the eldest son, almost in the imperial succession, there was almost no turmoil unless there was a special period!
And the succession system of the Roman Empire was called a mess!
The primogeniture system? Are you telling jokes?
The inheritance system is varied, everything is available, brothers and brothers, sons inherit their father's business (Augustus adopted son succeeds to the throne), Zen let succeed to the throne (The Five Sages), donate money to succeed to the throne, only can not think of it can not be done?
Rule ethics, what is that?
Under such a chaotic succession system, is the chaos of the Roman Empire still need to be said?
In summary, when all cause and effect are linked, the general difference between Rome and the Qin and Han Empires has already appeared!
Although Qin and Rome had almost the same historical trajectory in the early conquest era of the empire, the different styles of the reign after the subsequent growth also gave different colors to the mainstream civilizations of the East and the West!
As the famous historian Mr. Qian Mu said!
Rome is like hanging a huge lamp in a room, and Qin Han is like a lot of lights in the house reflecting each other!
What's the point: just tell us!
The light of the Roman Empire was bright enough to illuminate the whole room, but as long as this lamp was extinguished, then the whole room would be dark and there would be no light!
Although the lights of the Qin and Han Empires were not so bright, when they fused together, even if a lamp was extinguished, the room was still bright!
This light of existence is the continuation of civilization.
The lights of Rome were extinguished, and the Roman Empire ceased to exist. And even if the lights of the Qin and Han Dynasties are extinguished, there are still fire seeds left, so the Civilization of the Central Plains still exists, although the dark and bright, the era of shimmering light, and the era of strong light echo each other, but it has never been dark, and civilization has never died!