Dynasties of ChinaWarring States periodEastern Zhou royal family
Reign 368–321 BCE
During the forty-eight years of his reign, the Shang Yang Reform and the Battle of Guiling and Maling took place one after another. The princes proclaimed themselves kings one after another, and the Emperor of Zhou became one of the nations.
Ji Bian is the son of King An and the younger brother of King Lie. The year after he ascended the throne, the Western Zhou Kingdom split into the Eastern Zhou Kingdom, and the kingdom was divided into two, with the Emperor of Zhou living in between. King Xian reigned for forty-eight years, which was a period of drastic changes in the Warring States period: Duke Xiao of Qin appointed Shang Yang to reform, and the Qin State rose rapidly; Wei Huiwang moved the capital to Daliang and dominated the Central Plains, but was defeated by Sun Bin of Qi twice in Guiling and Maling, and it turned from prosperity to decline.
The situation of the Emperor of Zhou became increasingly embarrassing: in 343 BC, King Xian gave Qin Duke Xiao the title of "Uncle", in 336 BC he congratulated Qin Huiwenjun on his accession to the throne, and in 334 BC, he sent him meat to sacrifice King Wen and King Wu. In the same year, Qi Weiwang and Wei Huiwang met the Prime Minister of Xuzhou. In 325 BC, Lord Qin Huiwen became the king. In 323 BC, there was the "Prime Minister of the Five Kingdoms". The princes proclaimed themselves kings one after another. The emperor of Zhou was no different from ordinary small countries.
In terms of ideology and culture, Shen Buhai governed the country with "skills" in Korea, the Jixia Academy in Qi gradually prospered, Mencius traveled around the world to promote benevolent government, Zhuangzi lived in seclusion and wrote books to expound Taoist thoughts, and the contention of a hundred schools of thought reached its climax. King Xian died in 321 BC, and his son Ji Ding succeeded him as King Shenjing.
King Xian has been in office for nearly half a century and has been almost a bystander to the changes in various countries. He showed favor to Wei and Qin in turn, giving the title of "Bo" and sacrificial meat to the strong in exchange for nominal respect; but after the princes became kings one after another, even this name no longer existed. During this period, the Shang Yang Reform and the Battle of Guiling and Maling profoundly changed the world structure. The Qin Kingdom has since embarked on the road to unification, while the Zhou Dynasty can only survive in the cracks of the great powers.
PoliticsEastern and Western Zhou partition
After the death of Duke Hui of Western Zhou, Han and Zhao supported their youngest son to establish himself in Gong, who was named Hui Gong of Eastern Zhou. The Western Zhou Kingdom was thus divided into the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties, and the Emperor of Zhou lived in them, acting like a vassal.
MilitaryBattle of Stonegate
Qin Duke Xian defeated the three Jin coalition forces at Shimen and beheaded 60,000 people. King Xian sent someone to send a dress embroidered with fur patterns to express his congratulations, and Qin's eastward march began.
PeopleShang Yang entered Qin
Duke Xiao of Qin issued an order seeking talents, and Gongsun Yang, a native of Wei, entered Qin from Wei. He was introduced by his favorite minister Jing Jian and met Duke Xiao several times. Finally, Duke Xiao was impressed by his ability to enrich the country and strengthen its army.
PoliticsWei moved to Daliang
Wei Huiwang moved the capital from Anyi to Daliang. The Wei State was also called Liang State thereafter, and Wei Huiwang was Liang King Hui in Mencius (the year of moving the capital is said to be 340 BC).
Lasting legacyThe former site of Daliang is in today's Kaifeng, Henan Province, and the ancient name of Kaifeng "Daliang" originated from here.
PoliticsShang Yang's first reform
Duke Xiao of Qin appointed Shang Yang as the chief of Zuo Shu, and promulgated a new law: the number of households should be numbered as many as five, and military merit should be rewarded, private fighting should be strictly prohibited, and agriculture should be emphasized while business should be suppressed. In order to win the trust of the people, Shang Yang "moved a tree to establish trust" at the south gate of the capital.
MilitaryBattle of Guiling
Wei general Pang Juan besieged Handan, the capital of Zhao. Qi, with Tian Ji as general and Sun Bin as strategist, marched straight to Daliang, the capital of Wei. The Wei army rescued him, but the Qi army defeated him in Guiling. This is known in history as "Besieging Wei and rescuing Zhao".
Lasting legacy"Surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao" was later included in "Thirty-Six Strategies" and is still a commonly used allusion today.
PoliticsShen Buhai Prime Minister Han
Han Zhaohou appointed Shen Buhai as his prime minister, emphasizing that the monarch used "skills" to control his ministers and abide by his name and responsibilities. According to "Historical Records", Shen Buhai was prime minister of Korea for fifteen years. "The country was well-run and the army was strong, and no one invaded Korea."
EconomyShang Yang's second transformation
The State of Qin moved its capital to Xianyang, and Shang Yang implemented the second reform: the minefields were abandoned, Qianmo was opened, land was recognized as privately owned, townships were merged into counties, county magistrates and county magistrates were established, and weights and measures were unified.
Lasting legacy"County" continues to be the basic administrative unit to this day; the name Xianyang is also still used today. The ruins of Qin Xianyang City are located in the east of today's Xianyang City.
DiplomacyMeeting at Fengze
Wei Huiwang summoned the princes in Fengze and led them to meet King Xian. According to the "Warring States Period Policy", he took the Xia chariot used by the emperor and called himself the King of Xia. The power of the Wei Kingdom reached its peak.
DiplomacyTo Duke Xiao
King Xian gave Qin Duke Xiao the title of "Bo" to recognize Qin's dominance. The next year, all the princes sent envoys to congratulate Qin.
MilitaryBattle of Maling
Wei general Pang Juan attacked Han, but Sun Bin used the strategy of reducing the number of enemies day by day to pretend that the Qi army was fleeing and lured the Wei army to pursue it with light troops. He set up an ambush on Maling Road and fired thousands of crossbows. The Wei army was defeated. Pang Juan died and Crown Prince Shen was captured.
Lasting legacyIn 1972, bamboo slips of "Sun Bin's Art of War" were unearthed from a Han tomb in Yinqueshan, Linyi, Shandong, confirming that Sun Bin indeed had military books handed down from generation to generation.
MilitaryShang Yang captures Gong Ziang
Shang Yang led the Qin army to attack Wei, and invited Wei general Gong Ziang to form an alliance as an old friend. He took the opportunity to capture him, defeated the Wei army, and Wei ceded territory to seek peace. Shang Yang was granted the title of Shangjun in Fifteen Towns due to his meritorious service, and was named Shangjun.
PeopleDeath of Shang Yang
Duke Xiao of Qin passed away and Crown Prince Si came to the throne. Gong Ziqian and other old nobles falsely accused Shang Yang of treason. Shang Yang failed to escape and was torn apart by a car to show the public, but the new law was still used by the Qin State.
DiplomacyXiang Qin Zhixun
King Xian sent an envoy to congratulate Qin Huiwenjun on his accession to the throne, and two years later gave him the pork belly sacrificed to King Wen and King Wu. Emperor Zhou had to take the initiative to show his favor to Qiang Qin.
DiplomacyKing Xiang of Xuzhou
Qi Weiwang and Wei Huiwang met in Xuzhou and recognized each other's royal titles. They were known in history as "Meeting the Prime Minister of Xuzhou". After that, the princes became kings one after another, and the King of Zhou was no longer the only "king" in the world.
PoliticsPrinces become kings
In 325 BC, Lord Qin Huiwen proclaimed himself king; in 323 BC, the five kingdoms of Wei, Han, Zhao, Yan, and Zhongshan recognized each other's kingship, and were known as the "Kings of the Five Kingdoms" in history. There is no real difference between the emperor of Zhou and other princes.
The Duke of Wei entered the Qin Dynasty and assisted Duke Xiao in carrying out two reforms, rewarding farming and warfare, implementing the county system, and unifying weights and measures, making Qin the first among the seven great powers. Duke Xiao died and was torn apart by a car.
He was named Feng and moved his capital to Daliang, so he was also called Liang King Hui. In the early days, he dominated the Central Plains and led the princes to court the emperor; later he was defeated by Qi in Guiling and Maling, and lost Hexi to Qin. In his later years, he once asked Mencius, "How can we benefit our country?"
A descendant of Sun Wu, he was framed and tortured by his classmate Pang Juan. He was secretly brought back by the Qi envoy and served as Tian Ji's military advisor. He proposed the "Tian Ji horse racing" strategy, and Guiling and Maling defeated the Wei army.
He once studied the art of war with Sun Bin, but because he was afraid of his talent, he was lured to the Wei State and framed. According to "Historical Records", he was defeated and committed suicide in the Battle of Maling (Yinqueshan bamboo slips record that he was captured in Guiling).
Appreciated Sun Bin, won the horse racing according to his strategy, and recommended him to Qi Weiwang. He served as the commander-in-chief in the battles of Guiling and Maling.
The Prime Minister of Han Zhaohou advocated that the monarch use "skills" to control his ministers and follow the name and deeds. This is an important school of Legalism along with Shang Yang's "method" and careful "power".
Because of Qi's name, he appointed Zou Ji as the prime minister, opened up the road, and reused Tian Ji and Sun Bin. Guiling and Maling defeated Wei, making Qi dominate the east, and Wei Huiwang "meeted the prime minister of Xuzhou".
A native of the Wei State, nicknamed Xishou, he served as a great leader of the Qin State. He later returned to Wei to promote the "Five Kingdoms Prime Minister" and advocated a joint vertical attack on Qin. He was Zhang Yi's main opponent.