The Great Wall was built sporadically in the Spring and Autumn Period and took shape in the Warring States Period. When Qin Shihuang became the first emperor, he was always a great success, and stood impressively as "Yan Wan Li". Historical records include Biography of Qin Shihuang, Biography of Xiongnu and Biography of Meng Tian. The biography of Xiongnu said: "Qin has Longxi, Beidi, and built the Great Wall to repel Hu. King Wuling of Zhao also became vulgar, like Khufu, learned to ride and shoot, and broke the forests and floors in the north. Build the Great Wall and descend from generation to generation to the highest point. " "Yan also built the Great Wall, from Yang to Xiangping. Put it in Shanggu, Yuyang, Youbeiping, Liaoxi and Liaodong counties to refuse Hu. " This shows that during the Warring States period, Qin, Zhao and Yan rejected Hu and built the Great Wall in sections. By the time of Qin Shihuang, "Qin had been integrated with the world, which made 300,000 people in Meng Tian chase Rong Di in the north, take Henan and build the Great Wall. Because of the terrain, it stopped the danger and stretched for more than 10,000 miles from Lintao to Liaodong". The "Great Wall of Wan Li" got its name. As can be seen from the above records, Qin Shihuang was the chief designer of the Great Wall of Wan Li, while Meng Tian was the chief engineer.
Regarding the motives of Qin Shihuang and Meng Tian in planning to build the Great Wall in Wan Li, Jia Yi has an incisive opinion in On Qin: Qin Shihuang "made Meng Tian build the Great Wall in the north, guarding the fence, and the Huns were more than 700 miles away. The Hu people did not dare to go south to herd horses, and the scholars did not dare to bow down." Qin Shihuang built the Great Wall for two purposes: first, to meet the needs of military struggle and resist foreign invasion; Second, meet the needs of internal political struggle, deter different political forces from time to time, and consolidate the rule of the Qin Dynasty. "Jianhua Weicheng, because the river is a pool, according to the city of one hundred million feet, unexpectedly solid flow. A good general will guard the key points with his crossbow; I am a loyal minister, but who is Chen Libing? The world has been decided, and the heart of the king of Qin thinks that Guanzhong is solid, Jincheng is thousands of miles away, and the descendants of the emperor are eternal. " Qin Shihuang's mentality at that time was indeed the same, and he regarded the Great Wall of Wan Li as the "No.1 Project" related to the great cause of governing the country and safeguarding the country for a long time.
The pros and cons of the Great Wall, its success or failure, were debated at the time of its construction. Meng Tian, the "chief engineer" of the Great Wall, also reflected before committing suicide after the failure of the political struggle: "For a long time, it was said,' Heaven's crime deserves death. From Lintao, it belongs to Liaodong, and the city is thousands of miles away. Can't there be no Jedi pulse? This is Tian's sin. "Building the Great Wall, the Jedi Battle Vein, I won't comment for the time being. Maybe Meng Tiandu has done research and should have a say. Birds are dying, their songs are sad, people are dying, and their words are good. As an old minister of the Qin Dynasty, he has been keenly aware of the national subjugation crisis that the building is about to collapse. What saddens him even more is that this crisis has a direct causal relationship with the No.1 project he presided over, which made him feel a deep sigh of "Jedi pulse".
However, Sima Qian did not agree with Meng Tian's reflection: "I am comfortable in the north, and I want to go straight home. I'll just look at Meng Tian's construction of the Great Wall Pavilion for the State of Qin, filling the ravines and connecting the straight roads, thus reducing the people's strength. " At the beginning of the Qin dynasty, the princes were destroyed, the heart of the world was undecided, and the injury was not healed. In the name of Tian, at this time, it is not appropriate to strongly remonstrate, arouse people's urgency, help the old and save the orphans, and repair the sum of Shu Ren, while Ah Yi prospered, so his brother was punished. What is the pulse of sin? Sima Qian's harsh criticism of Montaigne hit the nail on the head. He opposed the theory of "geographical vein" and bluntly pointed out that repairing the Great Wall was a major mistake in strategic decision-making, because people in the world are uncertain, and there is no need to "rush people", "help the elderly to save the orphans" and "repair the sum of the people" when the injured are not healed. As the host of this project, Meng Tian is a generation of superstars, and he can't escape the responsibility.
Jia Yi made a profound analysis of the rise and fall of Qin in On Qin. He pointed out: "the second generation can't do this, but it is not good for the ancestral hall and the people to focus on the road." He also opened the Epang Palace, which is characterized by heavy punishment, deep bureaucracy, improper reward and punishment, excessive collection and many troubles on earth. Officials can punish, the people are poor, and the Lord gets sympathy. Then traitors and forgeries rose together, shirking each other from top to bottom, and many people were guilty, and the punishment went to the Tao, and the world suffered. " After Qin Shihuang unified the world, he didn't know how to recuperate. Instead, a lot of money was wasted and many buildings were built. The Great Wall is the "No.1 Project", Epang Palace is the "No.2 Project", and the first mausoleum is the "No.3 Project", which drives nearly one million people at a time and takes more than ten years, which makes the people unbearable. Chen She and Guangwu rose up and sounded the death knell of the Qin Dynasty.
The Great Wall is a double-edged sword for Qin Shihuang. It is both a monument and a grave. The Great Wall was built to consolidate the rule of the Qin Dynasty, and it was also the direct motivation to end the rule of the Qin Dynasty. The contradiction between survival and extinction, stability and turmoil is wonderfully interdependent and symbiotic in the Great Wall project, which is the ruthless irony of history.
2. Cutting piles to build Dujiangyan was an important political and economic measure for the Qin and Wei Dynasties to unify China during the Warring States Period, and its key point was to solve the problems of survival and development.
Regarding the relationship between water transport and national transport, in two years, Dr. Zhou Boyang (referring to him as Laozi, the history of Zhou Zhu) once had a wonderful exposition: "The qi of heaven and earth has not been lost; If it goes beyond its order, the people will fall into chaos ... In the past, Luo died in summer, while the river died in business. This is the season of the second generation of Zhou Deruo, and his Sichuan is blocked again, and it will be exhausting to be blocked. The husband's country must rely on mountains and rivers, landslides and rivers, and the sign of national subjugation. " (Historical Records of Zhou Benji) "Yi", "Luo" and "He" are all water names, and the proposition that the national transportation system is water transportation has been clearly put forward here. It was from the rise and fall of Xia, Shang and Zhou that King Qin Zhao realized this truth. Standing at a high starting point, he made a strategic decision to build the country by relying on Sichuan, and appointed Li Bing as the commander of Shu State. "Cut out of the water and run through the two rivers and Chengdu. This canal can be used for boats, and the rest can be irrigated to feed the people." He successfully constructed "Woye is a thousand miles away and the people benefit."
From the perspective of motivation and effect, it should be that the military function of the Great Wall gradually faded after the Han Dynasty. In the historical evolution, with the national reconciliation and integration, the function of the Great Wall to resist foreign invasion has lost the necessity of political existence.
Historically, Qin Shihuang and his planned "Wan Li Great Wall" have received mixed comments. On the contrary, it is well known that Li Bing has a consistent view on repairing Dujiangyan by chiseling off the pile. From Sima Qian's enthusiastic admiration that "as for what has been done, it is often beneficial to use its water, and there are trillions of canals to irrigate farmland, but it is not enough", to Li Bing being portrayed by the people of all ages as a water god with great wisdom and courage, the trend of public opinion between Dujiangyan and the Great Wall has formed a sharp contrast. ■