Zhang Yi
DiplomacyThe people of Wei used "Lian Heng" to persuade other countries to favor Qin, and lured Chu to seize Qi by doing business in a land of six hundred miles, causing Chu to suffer heavy defeats in Danyang and Lantian.
Dynasties of ChinaWarring States periodEastern Zhou royal family
King NanJi Yan
Reign 314–256 BCE
The last emperor of the Zhou Dynasty reigned for fifty-nine years and lived in Western Zhou; in 256 BC, Qin attacked Western Zhou, King Nan died, and the Zhou Dynasty was destroyed.
IBiography
- Reign
- 58 years
- Order of accession
- Ruler #11 · Eastern Zhou royal family
- Life dates
- ?–256 BCE
- Titles
- Posthumous title King Nan · The last emperor of the Zhou Dynasty
Ji Yan is the son of King Shenjing. He has reigned for fifty-nine years and is the longest reigning King of Zhou. At this time, Wang Ji already belonged to the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties. King Nan moved to the royal city where the Western Zhou Dynasty was located and relied on others. At the beginning of his accession to the throne, Yan State was in chaos due to Yan Wangkuaiabdication, and Qi State took the opportunity to attack Yan; Qin State used Zhang Yi and Lianheng's strategy to deceive Chu and seize territory. King Wu of Qin even entered the capital of Zhou and competed with strong men to lift a tripod, but he died in silence.
During the reign of King Nan, major events such as Zhao Wulingwang and Hu Fu riding and shooting, Le Yi defeated Qi, Tian Dan restored the country, Bai Qi defeated Ying, and the Battle of Changping happened one after another. Qin gradually established its overwhelming advantage. The Zhou Dynasty could only survive among Qin, Han, and Wei. According to legend, King Nan once borrowed debt to raise troops to join forces to attack Qin, but he was unable to repay the debt and took refuge in a high platform. In 256 BC, Qin attacked Western Zhou, and the king of Western Zhou entered Qin Xianyi to ask for surrender. King Nan died in the same year, and the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for about 800 years, was destroyed.
King Nan was the last emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. Although he reigned for fifty-nine years, he was always a bystander to the strife of various countries. He lived in Western Zhou, relied on others, and even the capital could not be saved. The fall of the Zhou Dynasty at his hands was not so much the fault of one person as it was the end of hundreds of years of decline of royal power. During this period, the seven heroes competed fiercely. The Qin State established its advantage in unifying the world through the battles of Yique, Yanying, and Changping. The Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for about 800 years, gave way to the coming era of great unification.
IITimeline
During the reign · 314–256 BCE
MilitaryQi Poyan
The Crown Prince of Yan State attacked Zi Zhi, and the country was in chaos. King Xuan of Qi took the opportunity to send troops and conquered Yan in fifty days. Both Yan Wangkuai and Zi Zhi died. The Qi army was violent, the Yan people resisted, and the Qi army was forced to withdraw.
DiplomacyZhang Yi bullies Chu
Zhang Yi sent an envoy to Chu State and used Qin State's business area of 600 miles 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 him six miles. Chu was furious.
MilitaryBattle of Danyang Lantian
Chu Huaiwang was angry and attacked Qin. He was defeated in Danyang, and his general Qu Gai was captured. Qin seized the land of Chu and Hanzhong. Chu sent all its troops to attack Lantian again, but was defeated again.
PeopleYan King Zhao Zhaoxian
King Zhao of Yan came to the throne and was determined to avenge Qi's defeat of Yan. He built a palace for Guo Wei and treated him as a teacher to show his sincerity in seeking talents. Le Yi, Zou Yan, Ju Xin and others came to join him one after another.
Lasting legacyThe allusion of "A Thousand Gold Market Bones" comes from Guo Wei; the "Golden Terrace Sunset" in the Eight Scenes of Yanjing is attached to the Golden Terrace of King Zhao of Yanjing.
MilitaryHufu riding and shooting
In order to fight against the nomadic tribes in the north and increase the military strength, Zhao Wulingwang, against all opinions, ordered to train the cavalry by wearing Hu people's short clothes and long trousers that are convenient for riding and shooting. After that, Zhao State conquered Zhongshan and expanded its territory to the north.
PeopleQin King Wu Juding
King Wu of Qin sent Gan Mao to conquer Yiyang, South Korea, open the road to the capital of Zhou, and then entered Luoyi in person. He competed with the strongman Meng Shuo to lift a tripod and broke his tibia. He died in August of that year.
DiplomacyChu Huaiwang entered the Qin Dynasty
The King Zhaoxiang of Qin made an appointment with Chu Huaiwang to form an alliance at Wuguan. Chu Huaiwang did not listen to the dissuasion of Qu Yuan and others and went there. He was detained by Qin and demanded the cession of Wu County and central Guizhou. King Huai refused, and the guest died in Qin three years later.
MilitaryBattle of Yique
Qin general Bai Qi defeated the combined forces of Han and Wei at Yique, beheading 240,000 people and capturing Wei general Gongsun happy. Yique is located south of Luoyi, the capital of Zhou, and the Qin army has already arrived at the door of Zhou's chamber.
Lasting legacyYique is now Longmen in Luoyang. The Longmen Grottoes, which were excavated on the cliffs on both sides of the Strait after the Northern Wei Dynasty, were listed as world cultural heritage in 2000.
PoliticsEmperors of East and West
The Qin King Zhaoxiang claimed to be the Western Emperor and sent people to honor King Qi Min as the Eastern Emperor. The Su Dynasty persuaded King Min of Qi to give up the imperial title and unite other countries to attack Qin. Both countries soon canceled their imperial titles.
MilitaryQi destroys Song Dynasty
King Kang of the Song Dynasty was tyrannical and was called "Jie Song". King Min of Qi took the opportunity to attack and destroy the Song Dynasty. The territory of Qi State greatly increased, but it aroused the fear of other countries and paved the way for the Five Kingdoms to conquer Qi.
MilitaryLe Yi breaks Qi
General Le Yi of Yan led the allied forces of Yan, Qin, Han, Zhao, and Wei to attack Qi, and defeated the Qi army in Jixi. Then the Yan army captured more than 70 cities and invaded Linzi. King Min of Qi fled and was killed.
DiplomacyThe perfect jade returns to Zhao
The Qin King Zhaoxiang offered fifteen cities in exchange for Zhao's He's Bi. Lin Xiangru entered Qin with the bi, and found out that King of Qin had no intention of making contact with the city. He sent someone to sneak back to Zhao with the bi, and stayed to deal with it himself. King of Qin had to send him back as a gift.
Lasting legacyThis is where the idioms "returning the perfect jade to Zhao" and "priceless" come from.
MilitaryTian Danfuqi
Qi general Tian Dan stood firm in Jimo, used counterintuitive tactics to make Yan King Hui replace Le Yi, and used the Fire Ox Formation to attack the Yan army at night, regaining more than 70 cities in one fell swoop, and erecting the Qi King Xiang, and the Qi state was restored.
DiplomacyMianchi Meeting
King of Qin and King Zhao met in Mianchi. King of Qin asked King Zhao to play the harp, and Lin Xiangru forced King of Qin to play the fou for King Zhao. After returning to China, Lin Xiangru worshiped him as Shangqing, but Lian Po refused to accept it, so he went to plead guilty and the two became close friends.
Lasting legacy"Bearing under a thorn to plead guilty" has become a commonly used idiom, and the story "General Harmony" has been selected into primary school Chinese textbooks.
MilitaryBai Qi Po Ying
Qin general Bai Qi conquered Ying, the capital of Chu, and burned Yiling, the tomb of the first king of Chu. The state of Chu was forced to move its capital to Chen. It is said that after hearing the news, Qu Yuan was so angry that he sank into the Miluo River.
Lasting legacyThe customs of racing dragon boats and eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival are said to be related to commemorating Qu Yuan. In 2009, the Dragon Boat Festival was included in the Representative List of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage.
MilitaryBattle of Changping
Qin attacked Han Shangdang, and the governor of Shangdang surrendered to Zhao. Qin and Zhao fought in Changping. King Zhao fell into the Qin rebellion and replaced Lian Po with Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo was besieged for forty-six days and died in battle. According to "Historical Records", 400,000 surrendered soldiers were killed by Bai Qi.
Lasting legacyA large number of corpse pits were excavated at the site of the Battle of Changping in Gaoping, Shanxi, and relics such as the "Skeleton Temple" remain in the area to this day.
MilitaryBattle of Handan
The Qin army besieged Handan, and Ping Yuanjun's retainer volunteered himself and followed Ping Yuanjun to Chu to persuade the King of Chu to send troops.
Lasting legacy"He recommended himself" and "Stealing the talisman to save Zhao" have become allusions that have been passed down to this day.
Societydebt shelter
Western Zhou Jun made an agreement with the princes to jointly attack Qin. According to legend, King Nan borrowed money from the people in order to raise military expenses. He was unable to repay the debt and was forced to hide on a high platform in the palace to avoid debts. Later generations called it the "debt escape platform".
Lasting legacyThis is where the idiom "high in debt" comes from.
PoliticsThe fall of Zhou Dynasty
The Qin King Zhaoxiang sent a general to attack Western Zhou. The king of Western Zhou went to Qin and kowtowed to apologize, offering thirty-six cities and a population of thirty thousand. In the same year, King Nan died and the Zhou Dynasty was destroyed. According to legend, Jiuding was moved to the Qin State.
After the reign / posthumous events
PoliticsThe Eastern Zhou Dynasty was destroyed
The Lord of Eastern Zhou and the princes planned to attack Qin. Qin Prime Minister Lü Buwei led his army to destroy the Kingdom of Eastern Zhou and moved the Lord of Eastern Zhou to Yangrenju. The last territory of Zhou was merged with Qin.
IIIPeople of this reign
Chu Huaiwang
RulersThe name is Sophora japonica, and he once served as the chief of Hezong. He was deceived by Zhang Yi and broke off diplomatic relations with Qi, and was defeated miserably in Danyang and Lantian. Later, he refused to listen to Qu Yuan's dissuasion and went to Qin to form an alliance. He was detained and died in Qin.
Qu Yuan
LiteratureHe advocated uniting Qi to resist Qin, but was slandered, alienated and exiled. He wrote "Li Sao", "Nine Songs", "Tian Wen", etc., and created the style of Chu Ci. According to legend, he sank into the Miluo River after the fall of Yingdu.
Zhao Wulingwang
RulersNamed Yong, he promoted Hufu cavalry and archery, established a strong cavalry, conquered Zhongshan, and expanded the territory in the north. Later, it is told that the young son, who calls himself Lord Father, is trapped and starved to death in the Dune Palace Incident.
Le Yi
MilitaryThe descendant of Wei general Le Yang was highly used by King Zhao of Yan and led the five-nation coalition to defeat Qi and conquered more than 70 cities. After King Hui of Yan came to the throne, he was replaced by counter-revolutionaries, and Le Yi fled to Zhao.
Tian Dan
MilitaryOriginally it was Linzi City. He stuck to Jimo, used counterintuitive tactics to get rid of Le Yi, and used the Fire Ox Formation to defeat the Yan army. He recovered more than 70 cities and was granted the title of Lord Anping.
Lin Xiangru
DiplomacyFenghe's jade was brought to Qin and returned to Zhao in its entirety. The Mianchi meeting forced the King of Qin to strike the fou. He put state affairs first and forbearedly gave up to Lian Po, achieving the story of "harmony between generals and prime ministers".
Ping Yuanjun
PoliticsHis name is Zhao Sheng, the younger brother of Prince Zhao of Huiwen, and one of the four Princes of the Warring States period. When Handan was besieged, he took Mao Sui and other followers to Chu to ask for help. He also spent his family wealth to organize brave men to defend Handan.