The Gathering Storm in Yangzhou and Daigu

The remote fortresses of Yangzhou and Daigu, once quiet outposts, suddenly became centers of unrest. Yangzhou had imprisoned the great general Meng Tian, and soon after, Daigu held his brother Meng Yi. These back-to-back events shocked the empire.

Since General Meng Tian’s imprisonment in Yangzhou in the eighth month of the previous year, this small fortress north of the old Qin Great Wall had become a hotbed of tension. Messengers from the Jiuyuan military headquarters came and went in droves. Officers stationed in border regions, hearing the news, rushed to Yangzhou to see their imprisoned leader. Nomads from the Yin Mountain grasslands drove their herds to the fortress, while laborers—forbidden from returning home and instead conscripted to build the Straight Road—streamed toward Yangzhou from all along the Great Wall. The small city was soon surrounded by an unending flow of people. Though they knew they would not be allowed to see the imprisoned general, they lingered outside the walls, lighting bonfires, drinking, and murmuring about Fusu, Meng Tian, and the injustices they saw unfolding.

In early September, the governor of Shangjun arrived with a cavalry escort. After ordering the local officials to ensure that the gathered crowds were fed and sheltered, he entered the prison to see Meng Tian.

“General, the court has announced mourning—the First Emperor has passed!” the governor cried, collapsing to his knees.

“Nonsense! When was the mourning declared?” a masked general beside Meng Tian demanded.

“This… this morning,” the governor stammered, producing a white silk scroll.

The masked general snatched it, read it, and slumped to the ground.

“Old Warden, give the general my heart medicine,” Meng Tian said calmly from his seat in the dim cell, unmoved by the earth-shattering news.

The Final Stand of Meng Tian

The governor and the warden administered the medicine to the masked general, who soon revived.

“General Meng, if you do not act now, we will lose our last chance!” the masked general—revealed to be Wang Li, the new commander of Jiuyuan—pleaded.

“Indeed! If you do not act, Shangjun will face disaster!” the governor added.

Meng Tian, his white hair disheveled, finally spoke in a low, hoarse voice:

“The court’s mourning announcement dispels all doubts. The situation is clear: the order to execute Fusu and myself did not come from the First Emperor but from the new ruler—the young prince Huhai.”

He then laid out four reasons why he would not rebel, despite commanding 300,000 troops:

1. Loyalty to the First Emperor – The emperor had never intended to harm his loyal ministers, and Meng Tian could now die in peace.
2. No Viable Successor – With Fusu dead, even if Huhai were overthrown, who would rule?
3. Duty to the Empire’s Defense – If the northern army marched south, the Great Wall would be left undefended, inviting a Xiongnu invasion.
4. The Meng Family’s Legacy – Three generations of Mengs had served Qin with honor. Rebellion would disgrace their name.

Wang Li, frustrated, asked if Meng Tian still held hope for Huhai’s rule.

“The young prince is no leader,” the governor scoffed.

Meng Tian warned Wang Li against rash action, urging him to work with Chancellor Li Si for the empire’s stability.

The Execution of Meng Yi

Meanwhile, in Daigu, Meng Yi was lured into captivity under false pretenses. When ordered to commit suicide, he refused, declaring:

“I have committed no crime. If I must die, let it be known that I was executed unjustly!”

With those words, he was beheaded—the first bloody execution of the Qin Empire’s decline.

The Death of Meng Tian

When Zhao Gao’s agents arrived to execute Meng Tian, he faced them with calm defiance.

“If I chose not to die, not even the emperor could force me,” he said.

Yet he accepted his fate, composing a final song on his beloved Qin zither before drinking poison. His last words:

“What crime have I committed against heaven, that I must die innocent?”

Then, with bitter irony: “Perhaps I deserve death—for building the Great Wall, for keeping laborers from their homes.”

The Aftermath and Historical Legacy

The deaths of the Meng brothers marked a turning point for the Qin Empire. Their executions shattered military morale, contributing to the empire’s rapid collapse.

### Military Consequences
– The Qin army, once invincible, faltered against peasant uprisings and Xiang Yu’s forces.
– Without Meng Tian’s leadership, the northern defenses weakened, leaving the empire vulnerable.

### Cultural and Historical Impact
– Meng Tian’s Achievements – His victories against the Xiongnu and the construction of the Great Wall secured China’s northern frontier for decades.
– Controversial Judgments – Later historians, like Sima Qian, criticized Meng Tian for “wasting labor” on the Great Wall, ignoring its strategic necessity.

### The Meng Family’s Fate
Fearing further persecution, the Meng clan fled south, possibly joining Zhao Tuo’s forces in Nanhai, cutting ties with the collapsing Qin regime.

Conclusion: A Tragedy of Loyalty and Betrayal

The fall of the Meng brothers was not just a political purge—it was the unraveling of Qin’s military and moral foundation. Their deaths exposed the empire’s fragility, hastening its downfall. While later scholars debated their legacy, one fact remains: their executions marked the beginning of the Qin Empire’s irreversible decline.

Had Meng Yi remained by the First Emperor’s side, had Meng Tian chosen rebellion—history might have taken a different course. But in the end, their loyalty sealed their fate, leaving behind a cautionary tale of power, betrayal, and the cost of blind allegiance.