Some stories about Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor in Chinese history to achieve great unification, and his life was full of legends and caused a lot of controversy. In this article, I will share some stories about Qin Shi Huang, hoping to give you a deeper understanding of this ancient emperor.
The mystery of Qin Shi Huang's origin
Qin Shi Huang's life history has always been an interesting topic, some believe that he is the biological son of King Xiang of Qin Zhuang, and others believe that he is the illegitimate son of the merchant Lü Buwei. According to the Shiji, Qin Shi Huang was born in Handan, the state of Zhao, when his father Yiren (later King Xiang of Qin Zhuang) was sent to the state of Zhao as a hostage. Lu Buwei is a wealthy businessman who takes a fancy to the temperament and identity of an alien and wants to use him to gain power. Therefore, he bought the stranger's biological mother, Lady Huayang, with heavy money, so that the stranger recognized her as his mother and changed her name to Zichu. At the same time, he used money to buy a beautiful Zhao Ji, first let her conceive his own child, and then gave it to an alien concubine. Zhao Ji was twelve months pregnant before giving birth to Huan Zheng (later Qin Shi Huang), so the stranger did not suspect the identity of the child. Later, Lü Buwei used various means to get the strangers to return to the Qin state and was made crown prince. In this way, Lü Buwei became the most powerful prime minister and Marquis of Wen Xin in the Qin state.
Of course, this story also has many holes and doubts. For example, is it reasonable for Zhao Ji to be twelve months pregnant? Does the alien really not know that the child is not his own? Did Lu Buwei really have that much ability and ambition? None of these issues are proven or denied by conclusive evidence. Therefore, whose son Qin Shi Huang really is, may never be certain.
Qin Shi Huang's war of unification
After assuming the throne, Qin Shi Huang inherited the foreign expansion policy of his father King Zhuang Xiang of Qin and his grandfather King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and appointed Li Si, Wang Yi, Meng Tian and other wise ministers and famous generals, and launched an unprecedented war of unification. Beginning in 230 BC and ending in 221 BC, it lasted ten years, destroying the six kingdoms of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi, completing the first great unification in Chinese history. After unification, Qin Shi Huang took a series of measures to consolidate and strengthen centralized power. He abolished the system of division and replaced it with a county system; unified weights and measures, currency, and writing; built huge projects such as the Great Wall and Lingqu; Tyranny such as book burning and conscription, and exorbitant taxation were practiced. These measures all reflect Qin Shi Huang's determination and means to rule and control the whole country.