Chapter 1: The Warring States PeriodThe various lords of the states contended with each other for annexation and hegemony. Qin Xiao Gong recruited men of talent.
The fate of the world is unpredictable, and prosperity does not necessarily last forever. The Xia Dynasty once flourished under Emperor Yao and Shun, but today it is the Southern Sea that shines brightly as a symbol of China's glory, spanning five thousand years in the blink of an eye.
The Zhou Dynasty originated from the Western Rong and Northern Di tribes, occupying the Central Plains to inherit the orthodox tradition. However, when the Zhou king's virtue declined and his power waned, the vassals became powerful. The Spring and Autumn period saw the rise of five hegemons who took turns ruling.
Among the five hegemons, Jin was the most prosperous, but its vast territory and strong rivers eventually led to its decline and division into three states: Han, Wei, and Zhao. The Jin royal house never recovered from this downfall, a classic case of self-destruction.
The Qin state originated from the Western Qiang and Di tribes, with a history of bravery on the western borders. It was only after Duke Mu of Qin achieved hegemony that the Qin state began to be recognized as one of the vassal states. However, Qin rapidly rose to power and eventually became the ruling dynasty, an example of how decline can lead to prosperity.
By the time of the Warring States period, the Zhou royal house had retreated to Luoyang and was no longer even comparable to a small state like Zhongshan. This is an example of how prosperity does not necessarily last forever.
In the past, the 1,800 vassal states established by King Wu of Zhou had dwindled to just a few dozen, with half of them already absorbed into the Chu state and becoming part of the two-thousand-year-old division between north and south China. At this point, only eight states were qualified to contend for hegemony: Chu, Qin, Qi, Wei, Zhao, Han, Yan, and Yue.
Wei was the first to gain heaven's favor and possessed geographical advantages and a strong population, reenacting the Spring and Autumn period as it dominated the world. However, Chu had been seeking to unify the vassal states since King Zhuang's time, Qi had been striving for hegemony since Duke Huan's rise to power, and Qin sought to inherit the Zhou tradition and occupy the Central Plains to rule the world.
It seemed that Wei's King Hui would have to face challenges from Chu, Qi, Qin, Zhao, and Yue. So, who was qualified to succeed King Hui as hegemon? The answer lay in the three states of Chu, Qi, and Qin.
Since the time of King Xuan of Chu, there had been a period of peace and rest. At that time, the three Jin states of Wei, Zhao, and Han, as well as the two states of Qin and Qi, were growing in power day by day, competing with each other, especially the two states of Wei and Qi being the most powerful. King Huiwen of Wei had been on military campaigns east and west, south and north, and had become the overlord of the world, dominating all under heaven.
At that time, Chu and Qin were related by marriage, supporting each other, jointly resisting the southern invasion and western expedition of Wei and Qi, and had achieved victories at Shangluo and Sui. In the fifth year of King Xuan of Chu, the three Jin states of Wei, Zhao, and Han launched a western campaign against Qin, and Qin fought battles with Wei and Zhao in the north of Shan, and with Wei and Han in the south of Luo. The three Jin states joined forces, defeating the Qin army repeatedly, and the Wei army took Huayin and Tongguan in the west of the river, while the Zhao army captured Yuguang and Yan'an in the north of Shan, and the Han army took Lingbao to Tongguan.
In the southeastern part of Shanxi, the two states of Wei and Han joined forces, defeating the Qin army at Luo south, and pointing their swords at Shangzhou. When King Xuan of Chu heard the news, he immediately raised an army of 100,000 men, passing through Shaoyin and Shangyi (Danfeng) to Shangzhou, where they engaged in a great battle with the combined forces of Han and Wei.
The next year, the combined forces of Chu and Qin, numbering 180,000 men, defeated the 200,000-strong combined forces of Wei and Han at Danyang in Shangzhou, and also defeated them greatly at Luo south that same year. The Wei army retreated to Tongguan and Anyi, while the Han army retreated to Luodi San Chuan.
At that time, Chu was a great power, with a territory of over 3,000 miles, and an army of over 700,000 men, and had been related by marriage to Qin for generations. Therefore, King Xuan of Chu gave the area north of Shangzhou to Duke Xian of Qin, who was deeply grateful.
Later, King Xuan of Chu led his army northward, fighting battles with the Wei army at Luyang and Yuzhou, defeating them greatly, recovering the territories of Luyang and Yuzhou, and besieging the Wei army in Xuchang. The Qin army also fought battles with the Wei army at Shimenguan and Shaoliang, but although they defeated the Wei army greatly, they were unable to recover the territory west of the river.
Years later, Qin Xiangong died and his son Xiaogong succeeded him at the age of 21. In the first year of Qin Xiaogong's reign, there were six powerful countries east of the rivers and mountains of Qin: Qi Weiwang, Chu Xuangong, Wei Huiwenwang, Yan Daowang, Han Aihou, and Zhao Chenghou stood together. There were still more than a dozen small countries between Huainan and Sishang. Chu, Wei, and Han bordered Qin. Wei built the Great Wall from northwest of present-day Shaanxi Huaxian to north along the Luohe River basin, passing through Jingbian and Yulin, northeast to the Hequ area, occupying the land of Shangjun in the north. Chu had Hanzhong and Shangyang in the south, with Ba Wu and Qianzhong. The Zhou royal house was weak, and the vassals competed for hegemony, competing to annex each other. Qin was still a remote and backward country in Yongzhou, subject to Wei's bullying in the east, relying on Chu's support in the south, and unable to participate in the alliances of the Central Plains vassals. Therefore, Qin Xiaogong worked hard to govern, lived frugally, widely bestowed favors, recruited soldiers and bought horses, and made rewards clear. He also issued a proclamation to the world saying: "In the past, my Qin Mugong governed from Qishan to Yongzhou, cultivated virtue and used military force, took Guanzhong and Shanbei, pacified the Jin chaos in the east, with the Yellow River as the boundary, and dominated the Rongdi in the west. The land was expanded by a thousand miles, the Son of Heaven enfeoffed him as a viscount, and all vassals congratulated him, laying the foundation for the great cause of the state. This is how glorious it was! In the past, when Duke Xian, Duke Wu, and Duke Jian were in power, family affairs were not peaceful, the country had internal worries, and there was no time to deal with external matters. The three Jin states attacked and seized the land west of the river from my ancestors, and all vassals looked down on Qin and its people. This is how hateful it was! When Xiangong ascended to the throne, he pacified the borders, moved the capital to Yongcheng, and wanted to launch a campaign eastward to recover the former territory of Mugong and restore his policies. I often think of my ancestors' intentions and feel pain in my heart. If there are guests, officials, or scholars from all over the world who can come up with extraordinary plans to make Qin strong and prosperous, I will respect their seniority, share land with them, and enjoy the prosperity together." Then, he sent troops to besiege Shencheng in the east and behead the Rongdi king in the west. However, Wei Huiwenwang was the strongest in the world at that time, and Qin Xiaogong had no power to resist him, suffering repeated humiliation from the state of Wei.
At that time, Wei Yang heard the Qin Xiaogong's edict to the world and immediately sold his pots and pans, borrowed money from all sides, and managed to meet with Qin Xiaogong. Wei Yang was originally a person from the state of Wei, who for the sake of fame and fortune, did not hesitate to sell out his wife, daughter, ancestors, and masters, seeking glory and spreading his notorious name far and wide. Previously, he had relied on someone to meet with King Huiwen of Wei, in order to curry favor with the king of Wei, he cut off his ties with the state of Wei, changed his surname to Wei and his given name to Yang, to show his loyalty. When King Huiwen of Wei carefully listened to Wei Yang's so-called rich country strong army tactics, he said: "Have you not heard that a benevolent person has no enemies, and a righteous person can conquer all?" He then did not use Wei Yang. Wei Yang went to Qin and changed his surname to Qin and his given name to Yang again. When Duke Xiao of Qin summoned Wei Yang, he was able to be reused. Therefore, Wei Yang began to reform the law and repair the punishment, imposing various cruel punishments on the people of Qin that were unbearable to see. The result of the cruel officials' harsh punishments could only treat the people of Qin as tools for killing and slaughter. Wei Yang's military achievements were recorded by cutting off heads and occupying cities, on the surface, the Qin army was very brave, but in reality, they were all motivated by fame and fortune, treating human lives like food, and exterminating humanity. As a result, the state of Qin and its army won the reputation of being a country of tigers and wolves, and an army of jackals and wolves, which was completely opposite to Duke Xiao's so-called filial piety. However, can training people to become evil wolves really make them invincible in the world? The ministers of Qin, Gan Long and Du Zuo, did not think so, they said to Duke Xiao: "If Qin wants to go east and form an alliance with the feudal lords, it should first eliminate the misunderstanding of the people of the Central Plains towards Qin, practice great righteousness in the world, spread virtue and kindness to all people, and gain trust from the four seas. This is the foundation for enriching the country and strengthening the army. Wei Yang's law is a technique without ruler or father, when Qin becomes the overlord of the world, it will also be the end of its strong crossbow." Duke Xiao was eager for quick success and immediate benefits, so he did not listen to the advice of Gan Long, Du Zuo and others.
