Chapter 329: Feudalism and the Commandery System

It was only when he saw it with his own eyes that Heifu realized: Qin's grand state strategy was not decided by the King of Qin or the Emperor on a whim, dictating alone. Instead, they adopted the same method as later ages — holding meetings.

For instance, in the time of Duke Xiao of Qin, Shang Yang debated with ministers like Gan Long and Du Zhi before the duke. After a round of argument, Duke Xiao leaned toward Shang Yang, and only then did the reforms begin.

During the reign of King Huiwen of Qin, Zhang Yi and Sima Cuo likewise held a debate on whether to attack Han or destroy Shu; in the end, Sima Cuo won.

Under King Wu of Qin, Shu Liji and Gan Mao debated the attack on Yiyang.

Even in King Zhao of Qin's time, regarding the crimes and the life of Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi — though King Zhao ultimately acted on his own obstinate will, he still followed the proper form by having the assembled ministers meet and vote...

Such an imperial audience was called a "Court Deliberation," and it was the main subject of every court assembly.

This was both a Qin tradition and what the *Han Feizi* — a work Emperor Qin Shi Huang esteemed above all — advocated: "The ruler, though worthy, cannot scheme alone! One man's strength cannot match the multitude, one man's wisdom cannot exhaust all things. Rather than use one man, it is better to use the whole state..."

Of course, the outcome of the meeting was never a matter of the minority obeying the majority. The process of these Court Deliberations closely resembled a debate contest. The sovereign did not personally step into the arena but acted only as host and judge, watching coldly from the sidelines, yet holding the ultimate power of decision.

The earlier deliberation on the imperial title, and the present dispute between feudalism and the commandery system, were both like this...

From where Heifu stood, the first debater for the affirmative, Wang Wan, had yet to speak when the second debater, the Minister of the Imperial Clan — one of the Nine Ministers — rose abruptly to his feet, demanding to know what Li Si had meant by his earlier remark, and whether it was intended to slander the assembled ministers.

Li Si, the first debater for the opposition, was not afraid of giving offense today. Political views are something you either refrain from voicing, or once you speak, you must stand your ground firmly and never waver or retreat.

He smiled and said, "I say: this proposal for feudalism is nothing but stale, pedantic nonsense!"

Without waiting for the Minister of the Imperial Clan to interrupt, Li Si bowed again to Emperor Qin Shi Huang. "I beg Your Majesty, allow me to explain in detail!"

"Granted."

As the judge, Emperor Qin Shi Huang gave the opposition a chance to speak. The affirmative debaters had no choice but to fall silent and prick up their ears, listening closely for flaws in Li Si's argument.

Li Si said, "Just now, gentlemen, you spoke of how Zhou possessed all under Heaven and divided the land like slicing a melon, establishing the five ranks of Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron, enfeoffing its sons and younger brothers as feudal lords. Over a hundred lords, scattered like a field of stars, spread across the four quarters of the realm, gathered around the Zhou Son of Heaven like spokes converging on a chariot hub — united, they attended court and audiences; dispersed, they were guardian vassals and frontier fences. Was it not so?"

He had stated the facts correctly, so the Minister of the Imperial Clan and the others could only nod in agreement.

Who was Li Si? A disciple of the scholarly magnate Xun Qing, and a top scholar himself, he had spent time in both Jixia and Lanling. He was thoroughly versed in that whole Confucian canon. Seeing his opponents walk into the trap, he immediately turned their own spear against their shield!

He spoke with eloquence and assurance: "But what happened next — why do you gentlemen avoid speaking of it? The Zhou house had passed down barely over a hundred years when, by the time of King Yi of Zhou, because he had been enthroned by the feudal lords, he personally descended from his hall to greet them, harming ritual and injuring dignity. Though King Xuan of Zhou had a restoration, he was still powerless to decide the succession of the Marquis of Lu. Thus it declined day by day. By the time of King Li of Zhou and King You of Zhou, the lords grew even harder to control. The Count of Gong openly exercised the Son of Heaven's authority; the Marquis of Shen colluded with the Quanrong barbarians to invade. After King Ping moved east, Zhou had already reduced itself to the rank of a feudal lord. From then on, there were those who shot an arrow into the King's shoulder, and those who inquired about the weight of the Nine Cauldrons. The feudal lords grew perverse and rebellious; no one any longer regarded the Son of Heaven as the Son of Heaven."

"Therefore, I hold that when the Erudites say Zhou endured for eight hundred years, in truth it was no more than three hundred. For the next five hundred and fifty years, the so-called Zhou Son of Heaven was nothing but an empty title! The reason for this is that Zhou divided its power among over a hundred feudal lords, until in the end the royal house was encroached upon and enfeebled, and the lords grew too heavy at the tail to be moved..."

Having laid out the harms of Zhou feudalism in a single breath, Li Si concluded: "Thus, though King Wen and King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed many sons, younger brothers, and those of the same surname, the grace of a noble man is cut off after five generations. Several centuries passed, and the feudal lords all became estranged. To annex each other's lands, they attacked one another like mortal enemies, slaughtering and warring among themselves. Even the Zhou Son of Heaven could not forbid it, and was instead devoured in turn by the lords, declining day by day."

"Now, the five-hundred-and-fifty-year age of chaos left by Zhou has at last, by His Majesty's divine brilliance, been unified, and all of it has become Qin commanderies and counties. For the princes and meritorious ministers, it is enough to reward them generously with public tax revenues. Why must we repeat the Zhou house's downfall? Therefore, I hold that feudalism is no sound policy. Establishing commanderies and counties in every region — that is the true art of bringing peace to all under Heaven!"

When Li Si finished speaking, the hall fell so silent one could hear a pin drop. The only sound left was the scratching of the historian Humu Jing, who stood before Heifu's position, excitedly recording the words on silk with his brush.

As a historian, one had to record every word and deed of the assembled ministers at court. The dullest thing was a day with nothing happening, filling the record with a heap of empty praise and flattery.

On the contrary, a scene like this, where court officials held starkly opposing views and debated openly in the hall, was far more interesting to record.

To Humu Jing's disappointment, however, after Li Si finished, the assembled ministers and great Confucian scholars on the pro-feudalism side failed to mount any decent counterattack.

As expected of the famed writer who had once penned the masterful "Petition Against the Expulsion of Guest Officials," Li Si's argument was so lucidly reasoned that not only could the Erudites find no flaw in it, even Wang Wan, for the moment, could think of no rebuttal...

Fortunately, Emperor Qin Shi Huang did not let Wang Wan's embarrassment linger too long. He neither endorsed the commandery system nor categorically rejected feudalism. Instead, he issued an order: the Chancellor, the Imperial Secretary, the Nine Ministers, the Metropolitan Superintendent, and the other key officials were to return home, each submit a memorial discussing the pros and cons of feudalism and the commandery system, along with their own views, to be delivered to the forbidden palace the next day.

Then he signaled the herald to call out, "Withdraw the wine; court is dismissed!" Thus ended the first great court assembly after he assumed the imperial title...

After the Emperor's carriage, escorted by the Gentlemen of the Guard, left the great hall, Wang Wan breathed a sigh of relief. With this buffer of time, he could at least sort out his thoughts and refute that inconsistent scoundrel Li Si!

He shot a glance at Li Si, with whom all pretense was now torn, flicked his sleeve, and left the hall in a huff alongside the Minister of the Imperial Clan, other high officials, and the numerous Erudites.

Li Si merely smiled, utterly unafraid. He had long chafed under Wang Wan's authority. For some time now, he had been humoring Wang Wan on minor matters, lulling him into complacency. Today, by suddenly declaring his stance, he had prepared fully for a decisive contest.

In oral debate, he would only dare claim to be in the top three. But when it came to writing memorials and manipulating rhetoric, in the present court — no, in the entire realm — who could be his match?

Unless, that is, the dead soul who perished in the Yunyang prison were to come back to life. Only then would Li Si feel a twinge of dread...

"While you lived, it was day and night like a thorn in my back. Yet now that you are dead, sometimes I find it is truly... lonely."

Li Si shook his head and sighed. Unlike the hurried shuffle of his arrival, the Commandant of Justice loosened the leather belt at his waist, straightened his back, and strode out of the great hall with bold steps!

As the dispute between feudalism and the commandery system was laid bare on the table, the court power struggle between Wang and Li had reached the point where the dagger was drawn. The assembled ministers were of divided minds — some arguing for feudalism, others praising the commandery system. Throughout the entire process, Heifu, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, felt he had once again broadened his understanding.

After the court assembly, as Heifu, Meng Yi, and Wang Li led the Gentlemen of the Guard, arrayed front and rear, left and right, escorting the Emperor's carriage back to his bedchamber, he secretly reflected:

"That last part of Li Si's speech was truly vicious. Especially that phrase 'meritorious ministers' — he was clearly hinting like mad that many of the ministers support feudalism because they themselves are dissatisfied with the status quo and harbor the selfish desire to carve out territory and be enfeoffed as lords..."

At present, Qin no longer granted substantive fiefs. Even Wang Jian's was a nominal fief, at most enjoying the empty title of a town-lord.

"Heh, although the Emperor told the ministers to go back and reorganize their arguments, to fight it out in their memorials, those military officials who earlier supported feudalism — as long as they're smart enough — surely no longer have the nerve to openly back it?"

At the same time, Heifu looked up at the Emperor's tall figure, silhouetted in the carriage, and suddenly discovered a particular hobby of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's.

Unlike King Xuan of Qi in the story "Be There Just to Make Up the Number," Emperor Qin Shi Huang did not enjoy listening to the ministers' grand ensemble. Because that way, he could not tell who among them was superior and who inferior.

The Emperor was like King Min of Qi, who liked to listen to them one by one — singling out the ministers individually to state their views on a given matter, just like making the court musicians play the reed pipe solo. Thus he could understand each man's talent, kick out the Mr. Nanguo who was merely filling a position, and grasp each man's political leanings.

He had guessed right. This method was precisely what Han Fei had described: "When the ruler makes his ministers speak, he must know the basis of their words; when they remain silent, he must question their choices. Then the ministers will dare not speak recklessly, nor dare they remain silent..."

This was the southern-facing art of a shrewd sovereign.

"This way, an official like Ye Teng, who just watched the show the whole time, will have no way to keep his silence any longer."

Heifu gloated, but it never occurred to him that when night fell and he was on guard duty within the forbidden palace, he — who originally had no standing to discuss such matters — would also be singled out by Emperor Qin Shi Huang and asked to give his views on enfeoffment and the commandery system...

(End of chapter)