The success of Shi Huangdi's is diminished because he murdered hundreds of scholars for reading about Confucianism. During his reign, he supported the philosophy of Legalism influenced by philosophers like Shang Yang, Li Si, and Han Feizi. The Legalists advocated for a government that gave out strict punishments and rewards for specific behaviors. The most infamous acts of the Emperor Shi Huangdi that diminished his opponent were recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian through the “burning of books,” that Shi ordered in 213 BCE, and the “execution of scholars,” ordered in 212 BCE.
