Dynasties of ChinaWarring States periodEastern Zhou royal family
Reign 320–315 BCE
In the sixth year of his reign, Mencius lobbied Liang and Qi, and the five kingdoms jointly attacked Qin but failed, and Qin conquered Bashu.
Ji Ding is the son of King Xian. During his six-year reign, the royal family itself has done nothing worth mentioning. At the same time, the general trend of the world was tilted towards Qin: in 318 BC, the five countries jointly attacked Qin and returned without success at Hangu Pass; the following year, the Qin army defeated the Han and Zhao coalition forces in Xiuyu; in 316 BC, Qin general Sima Cuo attacked Ba and Shu, and Qin gained a fertile rear area. After King Xuan of Qi in the East came to the throne, he expanded Jixia Academy. Mencius lobbied between Liang and Qi to promote benevolent government. Yan Wangkuai in the north gave up the throne to the Prime Minister of the country, paving the way for chaos in Yan.
CultureMencius meets Liang King Hui
When Mencius came to the Kingdom of Wei, Liang King Hui asked, "How can we benefit our country?" Mencius replied, "Why does the king need to say benefit? There is only benevolence and righteousness." He advocated implementing benevolent government and enjoying the happiness of the people.
Lasting legacyThe first chapter of "Mencius", "Liang King Hui", records this conversation; "Mencius" is one of the "Four Books" of Confucianism and has been handed down to this day.
CultureJixia Academy
King Xuan of Qi came to the throne, expanded the Jixia Academy, recruited scholars from all over the world, and gave them the treatment of senior officials without any actual duties, allowing them to "discuss instead of governing." According to "Historical Records", there were "hundreds and thousands" of scholars.
MilitaryFive Kingdoms Attack Qin
Gongsun Yan initiated a joint vertical, and the five-nation coalition attacked Qin. According to "Historical Records: The Chu Family", Chu Huaiwang was the vertical leader. However, the countries looked at each other and were repelled by the Qin army at Hangu Pass. The joint military failed to achieve success.
MilitaryThe battle of repairing fish
The Qin army took advantage of the victory and counterattacked, defeating the Han and Zhao coalition forces in Xiuyu, beheading more than 80,000 people, capturing Han generals, and severely damaging the vitality of the three Jin Dynasties.
MilitaryQin destroyed Bashu
Shu and Ba attacked each other and both asked Qin for help. Sima Cuo advocated the attack on Shu, believing that "the acquisition of its land will be enough to expand the country, and the acquisition of its wealth will be enough to enrich the people." Qin King Huiwen accepted his proposal and sent Sima Cuo, Zhang Yi and others to attack Shu and then Ba.
Lasting legacyThe Qin Dynasty established Shu Commandery and Ba Commandery in the area, and the Sichuan Basin was incorporated into the territory of the Central Plains Dynasty. "Ba Shu" is still the collective name for Sichuan and Chongqing.
PoliticsYan Wangkuai gave way to the country
Yan Wangkuai listened to the lobbyists, followed the example of Yao and Shun, and gave up the throne to the Prime Minister Zizhi. He also took back the seals of officials with more than three hundred stones and gave them to Zizhi for reappointment. The state of Yan fell into chaos.
Ming Ke, a native of Zou State, advocated "good nature" and "benevolent government", and proposed that "the people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important". He once lobbied Liang King Hui, Liang King Xiang, and Qi King Xuan, but to no avail.
He advocated taking Bashu first to enrich the country, and won a court battle with Zhang Yi in front of the Qin King Huiwen. He led his army to attack Shu and Ba, and gained a rich rear area for Qin.
Following the example of Yao and Shun, he gave up the throne to the Prime Minister Zi Zhi, which caused the Crown Prince Ping and Zi Zhi to attack each other. Qi State took advantage of the chaos to attack Yan, and Yan Wangkuai died in the chaos.