Dynasties of ChinaWarring States periodQin State
Reign 337–311 BCE
The chariot broke up and went to Yang but the new law was retained, and Zhang Yi, Lianheng and Sima Cuo were appointed to conquer Bashu. In 325 BC, they became king and the Qin State expanded its territory.
Ying Si was the son of Duke Xiao of Qin. He came to the throne at the age of nineteen in 338 BC. When he came to the throne, he broke up with Shang Yang, but Shang Yang's method was still used. He successively appointed Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi, forcing the Wei State to hand over the land west of Hexi in 330 BC. In 328 BC, the Wei State also offered fifteen counties to the Qin State, and Qin State had all west of the Yellow River. In 325 BC, he proclaimed himself king, and the following year he changed the Yuan Dynasty, which was the beginning of Qin's proclaimed king.
After becoming the king, Zhang Yi used the art of connecting horizontal lines to persuade other countries to dissolve the vertical alliance. In 318 BC, the five countries joined forces to attack Qin and were repelled at Hangu Pass. The following year, the Qin army defeated the three Jin Dynasties at Xiuyu. In 316 BC, Sima Cuo conquered Ba and Shu, and the Qin State gained a fertile rear area; in 313 BC, Zhang Yi lured Chu to seize Qi by offering trade within six hundred miles. The following year, the Qin army defeated the Chu army in Danyang and Lantian, and captured Hanzhong. In 311 BC, the King Huiwen died, and Zidang succeeded him as King Wu of Qin.
When Prince Huiwen came to the throne, he split with Shang Yang, but completely retained Shang Yang's methods, showing his extraordinary political judgment. He reigned for twenty-seven years, taking Hexi and Shangjun in the north, Bashu and Hanzhong in the south, and taking the lead in proclaiming himself king, turning Qin from a powerful country in the west into a hegemon capable of overwhelming the countries in the east. Zhang Yi's Lian Heng and Sima Cuo's Bashu strategy set the direction for the annexation war for the next hundred years. The general trend of Qin's unification of the world has initially taken shape in his hands.
PoliticsCar crack Shang Yang
Duke Xiao passed away and Crown Prince Si ascended the throne. Gong Ziqian and others reported Shang Yang for treason. Shang Yang was defeated and killed. His body was torn apart in a cart and displayed to the public, and his whole family was executed. But the new law enacted by Shang Yang is still used.
DiplomacyThe princes come to court
In the first year of Hui Wenjun, Chu, Han, Zhao and other countries, as well as people from Shu, sent envoys to the DPRK. Qin's international status was significantly improved due to the success of the reform.
MilitaryRecover Hexi
Gongsun Yan, a Jin native from the state of Wei, entered Qin and served as Daliang. The Qin army defeated the Wei army in Diaoyin, beheading 80,000 people, and captured Wei general Long Jia. In 330 BC, the Wei State was forced to hand over the land west of Hexi, and the Qin State recovered the lost territory.
PoliticsZhang Yi is the prime minister
Zhang Yi from Wei entered Qin and was appointed prime minister. In the same year, the Wei State dedicated the fifteen counties of Shangjun to the Qin State, and the Qin State owned all the land west of the Yellow River.
PoliticsBecome the king and change the Yuan Dynasty
Hui Wenjun proclaimed himself king in April 325 BC, and changed the Yuan Dynasty the following year, which was the beginning of Qin's proclaimed king. From then on, Qin was on an equal footing with the great eastern countries.
MilitaryHangu retreats the enemy
Gongsun Yan launched a joint campaign, and the five-nation coalition attacked Qin. The countries looked at each other, but were repelled by the Qin army at Hangu Pass, and the joint coalition returned without success.
MilitaryThe battle of repairing fish
Qin general Chu Liji defeated the Han and Zhao coalition forces in Xiuyu, beheading more than 80,000 people, and captured Han general Shen Chai. The vitality of the three Jin Dynasties was seriously damaged.
MilitaryDestroy Bashu
King Huiwen listened to the debate between Zhang Yi's conquest of Han and Sima Cuo's conquest of Shu in the court, adopted Sima Cuo's proposal, sent Sima Cuo, Zhang Yi and others to attack Shu, and then destroyed Ba, and established commanders and counties there.
DiplomacyZhang Yi bullies Chu
Zhang Yi sent an envoy to Chu State, using the land of six hundred miles away as bait to persuade Chu Huaiwang to sever diplomatic relations with Qi State. After Chu Huaiwang defeated Qi, Zhang Yi changed his mind and only gave Liu Li. Chu State was furious and attacked Qin.
MilitaryBattle of Danyang Lantian
Qin general Wei Zhang and others defeated the Chu army in Danyang, beheading 80,000 people, captured Chu general Qu Gai, captured Hanzhong, and established Hanzhong County; the Chu army counterattacked to Lantian and was defeated again.
Lasting legacyToday's Western Hanzhong City in Shaanxi still bears his name; Liu Bang was later granted the title of King of Han and took Hanzhong as his base, and "Han" became the name of the dynasty and nation.
CultureCurse Chuwen
The Qin State prayed to the gods before attacking Chu, listed the king of Chu's sins of betraying the alliance, and prayed to the gods to bring disaster to the Chu State. The stone was engraved with the "Curse of Chu Wen". It was unearthed during the Northern Song Dynasty and is generally believed to have been created in the late period of King Huiwen.
Lasting legacyThe original stone of "Cursing Chu Wen" has been lost, and only the Song Dynasty facsimile remains. It is an important material for studying the transition of Qin's writing from large seal script to small seal script.
SocietyBuild the city of Chengdu
According to "Huayang Guozhi", Zhang Yi and Zhang Ruo built the city of Chengdu according to the regulations of Xianyang. The city was twelve miles in circumference and officials were set up to manage salt, iron and markets. Chengdu became an important town in the southwest.
Lasting legacySince the founding of Chengdu, the city site has basically not been moved, and the city name has been used for more than 2,300 years.
PoliticsKing Huiwen passed away
King Huiwen died, and Crown Prince succeeded to the throne as King Wu of Qin. Because Zhang Yi was not favored by the new king, he soon left Qin and entered Wei.
A native of Wei, it is said that he and Su Qin learned from Guiguzi. In 328 BC, he served as the prime minister of Qin. He used "Lian Heng" to lobby other countries to serve Qin and helped Qin seize Shangjun and Hanzhong. After the death of King Huiwen, he fell out of favor and left Qin.
A native of the Yin and Jin Dynasties in Wei State, his nickname is Xishou. He once served as a great leader of the Qin State and led his army to defeat the Wei army. Later, he had a falling out with Zhang Yi and returned to the Wei State to advocate an alliance against Qin.
He advocated attacking Shu first to enrich the country and strengthen its army, and led the army to attack Bashu; King Zhaoxiang also sent troops from Shu to capture Chu State and central Guizhou.
The half-brother of King Huiwen, he is known for his resourcefulness and is known as the "think tank". He defeated the three Jin Dynasties in the Battle of Xiuyu and participated in the defeat of the Chu army. King Wu was appointed as the Prime Minister of You at that time.
He served in Qin and Chu successively, and once advised Chu Huaiwang not to trust Zhang Yi's agreement with Shang Yu, but the King of Chu refused to listen and was ultimately defeated. The fable of "adding more than necessary" comes from his words to persuade Chu general Zhaoyang.
After Qin destroyed Shu, he appointed the governor of Shu. He and Zhang Yi imitated Xianyang's regulations to build the capital city, and then led an army to capture Chu's Wu County and Jiangnan.