(An illustration of sociopolitical reality)
Image Credit: https://pixabay.com/en/hand-puppet-snowman-political-alex-784077/
Han, Reign of Gaozu year 1, Luoyang, Imperial Palace
“I need more wine. Why was Fusu exiled to the Ordos Loop?”
“. . . exile . . .?”
“Yes, Fusu was sent to the outer limits of the Qin and later executed by Qin Shi Huang. Such reaction over mere disagreement regarding killing of a few academics seem disproportionate.”
“Ah yes. Indeed, Li Si has been very clever!”
“Li Si?”
“The chancellor of Qin under Qin Shi Huang, your Majesty. Quite a capable minister, albeit a bit self-serving and ruthless.”
“I know full well who Li Si is!”
“. . . oh, yes, as the chancellor of Qin . . .”
“Yes! We’ve already established that! What of him?”
“Consider the circumstances of the crown price’s appointment as governor of the Ordos Loop, your Majesty. The Ordos Loop was to be the showcase of Qin civilization for the primitive barbarians of the North. Limitless resources were being poured into this project to transform the frigid desert into a lush paradise. Even the empire-wide declaration proscribing corvee, specifically exempted the Xiongnu slaves and the Ordos region. Meng Tian’s northern command was increased in size to encompass fully one-third of Qin imperial regiments. Fusu was being placed in charge of an area that was to be the forward base in Qin northern expansion, which could possibly also replace Xianyang as the center of government. If your Majesty were to establish a new administrative prefecture with the delegated authority to select its functionaries, fully one-third of total Han imperial regiments as defense force, and limitless guarantee of resource subsidies, to which of your much disfavored ministers would your Majesty entrust governorship?”
“. . . was Qin Shi Huang in doubt regarding Meng Tian’s loyalty?”
“Consider also, your Majesty, that Qin Shi Huang was poisoned at the imperial court in Xianyang, the heart of his empire, by an unknown clique within his government. Though he culled much of his intelligentsia, could Qin Shi Huang be truly content to believe that all of the conspirators were processed? He had survived dozens of assassination attempts throughout his life, yet this latest conspiracy succeeded in administering poison to his very person. If the clique could get to him, surely, the conspiracy could get to the crown prince.”
“If Fusu was sent to the Ordos Loop for his protection, then why the demand for the crown prince to commit suicide barely three years later?”
“Qin Shi Huang may have been an idealist, but he was no fool. Is your Majesty suggesting that having established and governed his empire through his belief in meritocracy for much of his life, Qin Shi Huang suddenly reversed a lifetime of political philosophy in the final years of his life? That of the eighteen potential successors to the imperial throne, Qin Shi Huang would designate as heir, his youngest, most incompetent son, whose instruction was delegated to a glorified stable boy?”
“Then why the later decrees? It is not uncommon knowledge that Qin Shi Huang doted on his youngest son.”
“Qin Shi Huang executed his half-brothers, who were but children, after Lao Ai’s coup, ignoring the pleas from his own mother; the emperor blinded the famous musician, Gao Jianli, after the latter’s failed assassination because practically, musicians do not need eyes to play the lute; the emperor ordered all subjects living within thirty li of Dongjun be executed because of an unfavorable prophecy. Does your Majesty truly believe that such a figure as Qin Shi Huang would allow sentimentality to cloud his political policies?”
“. . . then . . . Li Si!”
“Precisely, your Majesty. Even as Qin Shi Huang was draining the conspiratorial elements from his imperial court, the effects of our poison were steadily intensifying. He gradually lost senses in his limbs, his skin began peeling, his movements became increasingly uncoordinated, his speech became increasingly difficult to understand, and his already suspicious mind was further driven into paranoia from difficulties in recollection. As expected, Qin Shi Huang hid himself from public view, interacting primarily, and solely, through his chancellor, Li Si. For the last three years of Qin Shi Huang’s life, Li Si was the de facto Son of Heaven.”
“Why did Li Si betray his liege? He had been fervently loyal throughout his service to the emperor.”
“We are not certain as to Li Si’s motivation. It could be that hereditary office was anathema to the Legalist drivel of meritocracy. It could be that Li Si recognized the monumental failure of Qin northern expansion and believed the Meng family would be opposed to withdrawal from the Ordos Loop. It could be that having experienced ultimate power, he was not willing to become a mere chancellor to another master. These and many more interpretations may explain Li Si’s behavior following Qin Shi Huang’s incapacitation. The only relevant issue for your Majesty would be: which of these interpretations will serve the narrative your Majesty wishes to propagate regarding the Qin and his Han.”
“I think you are not telling me all that you know.”
“Aha ha ha! Your Majesty is quite perceptive! Consider, your Majesty, does not my omissions reveal as much as my lies?”
“I am not yet certain of your intentions to gauge which of your tales are lies and which are true.”
“Perhaps, your Majesty, ought also to adopt a demeanor that conceals His intentions under multiple layers of facade.”
“Ha! You are instructing me on principles of rulership . . . I will learn and accept what you proffer in the manner in which it was intended.”
“You honor me greatly, your Majesty.”
“It seems that you do not think highly of meritocracy.”
“Meritocracy is a self-centered, myopic approach to life, your Majesty. Inherent within the poisonous concept lies the toxin of individuality. The assumption of merit is based upon the concept that individual ability is disconnected from social circumstance, accident of natural talent, blessings of family, and gifts from Heaven. The Legalists somehow accept the premise that man created himself ex nihilo with the necessary attributes for his current station in life. Such vicious philosophy engenders a mindset that encourages man to seek selfish entitlements and to ignore his obligations. Meritocracy is merely an excuse for those in positions of sociopolitical peerage to rationalize their positional abuse and corruption. After all, if station in life is determined solely by individual worth, ability, merit, then what does man owe to any one or any system? Such delusional philosophy creates a sociopolitical matrix more rigid and oppressive than the feudal hereditary aristocracy of the Xia. Unlike feudal societies, however, meritocracy ensures unrestrained abuse of power and wealth, as these meritocratic cretins do not even feel compelled to heed to the traditions of their forebears. Such meritocratic society will inevitably implode in excess and corruption from their self-centered social elite.”
“Hmm . . . perhaps Li Si succumbed to the belief of his own merit.”
“Perhaps, your Majesty. Li Si sinking into depravity from the delusion of the belief in his own godhood would make for a great cautionary tale for your Confucian subjects.”
“Yes, truth is irrelevant. It is the narrative that is critical.”
“The implosion of the Qin can be presented as an inevitable consequence of a society inebriated with the delusion of its members’ individual merit. From selfish myopia of Li Si to mercurial incompetence of Zhao Gao, the Qin society following Qin Shi Huang’s death can serve as illustrious examples of human failures.”
“Indeed! Qin can serve as a warning against a society devolving into chaos without any sense of loyalty or community, an antithesis of a Confucian utopia . . . why are you interested in establishing Han as a Confucian state?”
“As a Confucian scholar, it is in my duty to serve your Majesty with my knowledge. Besides, is not a Confucian state in accord with your Majesty’s desire for a stable realm?”
“But what is your interest? Is it a ministerial position you desire?”
“Your Majesty wounds me with such accusations! I have no desire for any worldly gains, save for the privilege of service as my only desired reward.”
“Hmf! Somehow I doubt that, but for now, our goals align . . . and it was a very Confucian answer.”
“I am a Confucian scholar, your Majesty.”
“Right . . . in any case, why did Fusu accept the imperial execution decree without resistance?”
—to be continued—
That's how I feel when I read this series, as I'm not at all conversant with the actual history of this time and place, so I can't tell truth from tale!
I've considered myself for a long time a meritocrat, and maybe still do. But to me one of the things the 'superior' man does is help elevate all those below him, so I don't see it as a resting on one's laurels and using one's position to abuse others, or disregard the wisdom of the past, or the usefulness of the system. The system is not an end in itself, after all; it exists to allow individual merits to flourish. Meritocracy, at the end of the day, I think means just that decisions on matters should be made by the people most qualified to make them. Why should anyone other than climate scientists have a say in whether climate change is real, for instance?
According to an egotist of monumental proportions, Napoleon Bonarparte, history is but a set of lies agreed upon, so maybe all of it are lies. :-). According to conventional recollection, the Qin emperor died from mercury poisoning (somehow his physicians thought mercury pills will grant immortality), his chancellor and his carriage supervisor conspired to issue a forgery and convinced the crown prince to commit suicide. The eighteenth son of the dead emperor was elevated to the Qin throne, and either he or the carriage supervisor, now elevated to high office, killed off the remaining sixteen princes and unknown number of princesses.
What you seem to be describing is reality, not the contrived term meritocracy. Practically, men tend to hire individuals proficient at the field needed to accomplish an end. When sick, men seek assistance from physicians; when seeking to fix plumbing issues, men hire plumbers; when desiring entertainment, men browse fiction/comic section of the library. Though these behaviors are economic reality, the conception that somehow the ruling class are comprised of men of individual merit divorced from any conception to their sociocultural milieu (the pernicious and tenacious Anglo-American concept of "self-made man") is highly toxic to a society for reasons listed in the post.
The problem with establishing a social hierarchy based on merit is that the determination of merit seems to be subject to populist ignorance. It is remarkable to witness, in the supposedly "meritocratic" societies in the West, the peasants flocking to clowns opining upon complex geopolitical issues, rather than listening to dedicated policy think-tanks; the mob protesting science based on ignorant opinions of capitalist industrialists; and the electorate voting enthusiastically for men who just happened to possess money (Trump, Macron, Cameron, etc.).
I guess I rely too much on the definition - which seems hard to argue with, as it almost tautologically sounds like a good idea - rather than how meritocracy was applied.
I agree that the term 'self-made man' is mostly and most often toxic and simply untrue.
The part about convincing the crown prince to commit suicide is arresting. I wonder if you weave this into the story in later posts, rather than a mere mention.
Hmm . . . now I need to search through the archive of treachery for inspiration and examples.
Pull your finger out, Soo. I want more :D
Sorry, I was doing research into power consolidation. The new episode is up now.
Yay! I'll go and look now :D
Thanks
Thanks for this latest episode. I read this with my first coffee (twice). I love the interwoven history (it seems a common occurrence for past aristos to bump off their siblings) and I especially love the Confucian advisor. What a brilliant and evasive character. Is that you? :D
I am too emotional to be a cynical strategist.
Me too. You're doing a great job bringing these characters to life. So realistic!
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Great! Thank you.
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