As for Zhao Gao's role in this, from what he did, we can see how much he destroyed the Qin empire:
According to historical records, when Qin Shihuang was alive, Zhao Gao was only a favorite of CRRC government. At a young age, it has little influence on the Korean Bureau and even the whole empire. He is just a talented, proficient and conscientious attendant, responsible for the management and accompanying driving of the emperor's chariots and horses.
The change of his identity and status occurred after the sudden death of the first emperor during his fifth prison tour, and it was also the first time that it had a major impact on the Qin empire.
A, tampering with letters, made Hu Hai emperor ii. According to historical records, Qin Shihuang felt that his time had come, so he called Zhao Gao, who was in charge of the emperor's seal, and asked him to draw up an imperial edict to let his eldest son Fu Su succeed to the throne, and Meng Tian was responsible for military affairs stability. Unexpectedly, Zhao Gao pretended to obey, but secretly withheld the testamentary edict. Conspired with Prime Minister Reese, under the guise of the life of the first emperor, made Hu Hai a prince. He also sent a letter to Shang Jun, accusing Fu Su and Meng Tian of "disloyalty and unfilial".
Fu Su, the son, was honest. After receiving the letter, he was heartbroken and committed suicide. According to historical records, he is "resolute and brave, with strong trust and hard work", generous and kind, and has political foresight. Compared with the actions of Qin Ershi and Hu Hai, who later led to national subjugation, he was at best a diehard.
Second, the elimination of the Montessori brothers is equivalent to self-defeating "martial arts." The Montessori brothers were born in a military commander's family, and their parents and grandparents were both famous soldiers of Qin State. By the time the Montessori brothers reached the most glorious period, because of the esteem and appreciation of the first emperor, "Meng Tian was a foreign minister and Meng Yi often fought against each other", which can be said to hold up half the sky of the Daqin Empire.
1, Meng Jun
After the Qin Empire unified the six countries, Meng Tian was ordered to lead 300,000 troops (Great Wall Corps) to attack the Xiongnu in the north. Recover Henan (now Hetao, Inner Mongolia) and set up 34 counties from Yuzhong to Yinshan. He was stationed in the border of nine counties for more than ten years and became the first commander-in-chief of the Qin Empire, with General Ren Bi as his assistant.
After Meng Tian's death, Wang Li succeeded to the throne, but his abilities were not half as good as those of his grandfather Wang Jian and his father Wang Ben. He was ordered to lead a 200,000-strong army into the customs to counter the rebellion. The defeat and capture of Julu by the Chu army of Xiang Yu directly led to the rapid collapse of the Qin empire, and also made Xiang Yu, the overlord of the land of Western Chu, reach its peak among the princes. After the flag was raised, Qin suffered from the wind.
Meng Tian's death, Zhao Gao is the culprit. His harm not only made Daqin lose an invincible commander-in-chief, but also caused a series of serious consequences, which led to the rapid collapse of the Qin empire and had a very far-reaching impact on the later Central Plains dynasty. Meng Tian's achievements in guarding the border for more than ten years were destroyed, and the land of Hetao was occupied by Xiongnu. In the end, Xiongnu unified the northern grassland and became the biggest enemy of several generations of Chinese empire.
Meng Yi has the final say.
Meng Yi assisted Qin Shihuang to pay homage to the supernatant. "If you go out, you will participate, and if you enter, you will command." Relying on the trust of the first emperor, Meng Yi strictly enforced the law and never favored the powerful. When he was in power, the ruling and opposition parties were impartial.
After he was killed by the imperial edict of Zhao Gao, the Qin Empire went to the point of no return. The imperial court is full of smoke, and the second is fatuous, and the ministers in the DPRK are even more flattering. "Pointing at a deer as a horse" emerged in an endless stream, and Zhao Gao was able to monopolize power, kill the royal family and murder his ministers. Forced Prime Minister Reese to death, murdered Hu Hai and died six months later.
Third, against Zhang Han, the Qin Empire lost its last hope. Zhang Han was ordered to worship the general in a crisis, and he was the last outstanding member of the Qin Empire. He led an army of criminals from Lishan, and successively attacked and destroyed the rebel ministries, almost successfully.
However, Xiang Yu came from the sky. In the Battle of Julu, Wang Li was defeated by the elite of the Great Wall Corps, and Zhang Han failed to rescue him, so he was forced to retreat to a dangerous place and confront the rebel leader led by Xiang Yu.
The army was demoralized and isolated. Sima Qian, who has a long history, returned to Xianyang and asked for reinforcements and materials, but Zhao Gao was not seen, and Hu Hai was also deceived. Sima Xin had to report back to Zhang Han: "Zhao Gao is autocratic and jealous of talents. Now that the battle has been won, Zhao Gao must be jealous of our exploits; If we lose, he will make an excuse and we will die. I hope the general will consider it carefully! "
Zhang Han hesitated and finally surrendered to Xiang Yu. Alas, 200,000 soldiers in Qin Jun were killed and buried in the south of Xin 'an, and the last elite of Qin was wiped out, which also indicated that the demise of Qin Empire had entered the countdown.
Conclusion: Historical Records recorded all the above historical materials. Zhao Gao's ambition and greed made him climb the power peak of Daqin Empire step by step, and at the same time pushed Daqin Empire to the brink of collapse step by step. If Zhao Gao did not exist, although the Qin Empire itself had many drawbacks in the system, it would continue to be passed down and would not die the next year. Unfortunately, there is no if. As long as there is Zhao Gao and there is no effective way to restrict it, there is only one possibility in history-the demise of the Qin Empire.