Dynasties of ChinaWarring States periodQin State
Reign 246–221 BCE
He came to the throne at the age of thirteen. In addition to Lü Buwei and Ping Lao Ai, he was appointed Li Si and Wang Jian. In ten years, he destroyed the six countries and unified the world.
Ying Zheng was the son of King Zhuangxiang. He was born in Handan, State of Zhao. He spent difficult years in Zhao State with his mother when he was young, and ascended the throne at the age of thirteen. The government was initially presided over by Lü Buwei, the Prime Minister, who was respectfully called "Zhongfu" by Ying Zheng. During this period, the Qin State continued to advance eastward and built the Zheng Guo Canal. Lü Buwei's guests compiled the "Lü Family Spring and Autumn Period". In 238 BC, Ying Zheng took office in Yongcheng and immediately put down the rebellion of Lao Ai, the Queen Mother's favorite, and dismissed Lü Buwei the following year.
After taking office, Ying Zheng once ordered to expel guests due to the Zheng State incident. Li Si wrote the "Book of Remonstrance and Expulsion of Guests". Han was destroyed in 230 BC, Zhao was defeated in 228 BC, Wei was destroyed in 225 BC, Chu was destroyed in 223 BC, Yan was destroyed in 222 BC, Qi was destroyed in 221 BC, and the six countries were annexed in ten years, ending the more than 500 years of division in the Spring and Autumn periodWarring States period. After reunification, Ying Zheng called himself "First Emperor". For details of his subsequent deeds, see "Qin dynasty".
Ying Zheng took over an already dominant Qin state at the age of thirteen. He relied on Lü Buwei to stabilize the situation in the early stage. After taking charge, he quickly eliminated the forces of Lao Ai and Lü Buwei. He boldly recruited Li Si, Wei Liao, Wang Jian and others to wipe out the six kingdoms in just ten years. He was able to accept remonstrances and withdraw the order of expulsion, and he was also able to recruit talents from the Legalist family and transform the long-term accumulated advantages into the realization of unity. However, the abuse of severe sentences and the treatment of Han Fei and others have shown signs of being excessively harsh in the future.
PoliticsAscended to the throne at the age of thirteen
The King Zhuangxiang died and the thirteen-year-old Crown Prince Ying Zheng ascended the throne. The state affairs are presided over by the Prime Minister Lü Buwei, and the Queen Mother Zhao Ji also participates in the state affairs. Ying Zheng respects Lü Buwei as "Second Father". One theory is that Ying Zheng ascended the throne in 247 BC. According to the genealogy diagram here, 246 BC is the first year.
Science & technologyConstruction of Zheng Guo Canal begins
South Korea wanted to bring down the Qin State with a large project, so it sent water engineers to invade the Qin State and persuaded the Qin State to build a canal that diverted the Jingshui River from the east and injected it into the Luoshui River. When something went wrong during the project, Zheng Guo argued that "the canal will also benefit Qin" and Ying Zheng ordered him to continue the construction. The canal irrigated more than 40,000 hectares of saline-alkali land.
Lasting legacyThe Zheng Guo Canal Head Site is located in Jingyang, Shaanxi Province, and was listed as a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage in 2016; today the Jinghui Canal Irrigation District still irrigates the Guanzhong Plain in this area.
SocietyQin's laws are becoming more and more complete
The laws of the Qin State cover land laws, warehouse laws, industrial laws, corvee laws, military nobility laws, etc., and have detailed regulations on officials, farming, warehousing, handicrafts, and corvées. Officials must judge cases in accordance with laws and regulations, and whether they abide by the law is directly related to promotion assessment.
Lasting legacyIn 1975, more than 1,100 bamboo slips were unearthed from the Qin Tomb in Suihudi, Yunmeng, Hubei Province, including "Eighteen Types of Qin Code" and "Chronicle", etc., which are now in the Hubei Provincial Museum.
MilitaryMeng Ao attacks South Korea
Meng Ao led the Qin army to capture twelve cities in South Korea, and then captured Wei's Chang and Yougui. Qin's borders continued to advance eastward, and the conflicts with the Shandong states became more acute.
MilitaryFive Kingdoms Attack Qin
The five kingdoms of Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, and Yan jointly attacked Qin. Chunshenjun Huang Xie was the commander. The coalition attacked Hangu Pass, but was repulsed by the Qin army. After that, the Kwantung princes were no longer able to organize a large-scale alliance. This was the last time the six countries jointly attacked Qin.
Culture"Lu's Spring and Autumn period"
Lü Buwei gathered his disciples and compiled "Lü's Spring and Autumn period", which is divided into twelve periods, eight readings, and six treatises, and brings together Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, Agriculture, Yin and Yang and other schools of thought. According to reports, he hung the entire book at the gate of Xianyang City, claiming that anyone who could change a single word would be rewarded with a thousand gold coins.
Lasting legacy"Lu's Spring and Autumn period" has been handed down to this day, and its chapters such as "Cha Jin" and "Qui Si" are still quoted; idioms such as "A word of gold" and "Carving a boat to seek a sword" come from this book.
PoliticsQin Zheng Ping Lao Ai
Ying Zheng held a crown ceremony in Yongcheng and began to take charge. Changxinhou Lao Ai held the Queen Mother's Seal and launched a rebellion and attacked Qinian Palace. The Ying Zheng Prime Ministers Changping Jun and Chang Wenjun led their troops to put down the rebellion. Lao Ai was captured and his car was broken up. Thousands of his members were moved to Shu.
PoliticsFree of Lü Buwei
The Lao Ai case implicated Lü Buwei, and Ying Zheng dismissed him from the post of prime minister and ordered him to leave Xianyang and return to his fiefdom of Henan. In 235 BC, Ying Zheng ordered him to be moved to Shu. Lü Buwei was afraid of being executed and drank poison to commit suicide.
PeopleLi Si admonishes and chases away guests
After the incident in Zheng State, the ministers of the Qin State requested that all guests be expelled. Li Si's "Book of Remonstrance and Expulsion of Guests" states that the Qin State has become stronger due to guests in the past dynasties, and expelling guests is equivalent to "stealing food through the use of invaders." Ying Zheng accepted it and ordered the expulsion order to be cancelled.
Lasting legacy"Book of Remonstrance and Chasing Guests" was selected into "Guwen Guanzhi" and is a famous political treatise of the Qin Dynasty.
PeopleWei Liao entered Qin
The people of Daliang entered the Qin Dynasty for Liao and offered advice to Ying Zheng: they would not hesitate to bribe the dignitaries of various countries and destroy the alliance of princes, and they could destroy the six countries with less than 300,000 gold. Ying Zheng treated him with equal courtesy and appointed him as a national captain.
MilitaryBattle of Pingyang
Qin general Huanjue attacked Zhao and defeated the Zhao army in Pingyang, beheading 100,000 people. The following year, he captured Zhao Guo's Yian, Pingyang and other places, but was defeated by Zhao general Li Mu in Feixia.
PeopleDeath of Han Fei
Han Fei wrote the book, and Ying Zheng was impressed after reading it, so he attacked Han and forced it to enter Qin. After Han Fei entered Qin, Li Si and Yao Jia slandered him, and he was imprisoned. Li Si sent poison and Han Fei committed suicide. Ying Zheng regretted it and sent someone to pardon him, but it was too late.
Lasting legacy"Han Feizi" has been passed down to this day, and fables such as "self-contradiction" and "waiting for rabbits" all come from this book.
SocietyThe first order for men to read the New Year
The Qin State ordered men to declare their age and register themselves in the household registration, so that the country could accurately understand the source of the population and military service.
Lasting legacyThe household registration system has continued since the Qin Dynasty, and the basic ideas of today's household registration management can still be traced back to this.
MilitaryDestroy Korea
In the Qin Dynasty, Shi Teng led his army across the river to attack Han, captured Han Wangan, took all the Korean land, and established Yingchuan County. South Korea was the first country to perish among the Six Kingdoms. It was founded more than 170 years ago.
Lasting legacyThe name Yingchuan is still used today, and the area around Xuchang and Yuzhou in Henan is still called "Yingchuan".
MilitaryBreak Zhao
Qin generals Wang Jian and Yang Duanhe attacked Zhao. Li Mu was killed by Zhao Wangqian because of his slander, and the Zhao army lost its support. The Qin army captured Handan and captured Zhao Wangqian. Zhao Prince Jia fled to Dai and proclaimed himself king. Ying Zheng personally went to Handan to kill the enemies of his mother's family.
PeopleJing Ke thorn King of Qin
Crown Prince Dan of Yan sent Jing Ke to Qin with Fan Yuqi's head and Dukang Tu. When Tu Qiong saw him, he pursued Ying Zheng and was killed by the guards. Ying Zheng was furious and sent Wang Jian to attack Yan.
Lasting legacyExpressions such as "The picture is poor and the dagger can be seen" and "The wind is rustling and the water is cold" are still quoted today.
MilitaryConquer Jicheng
Wang Jian and Xin Sheng led their troops to conquer Jicheng, the capital of Yan. King Yanxi and Crown Prince Dan fled to Liaodong. Soon King Yan killed Crown Prince Dan as a sacrifice to Qin.
MilitaryDestroy Wei
Wang Ben diverted water from the Yellow River and Honggou to flood the beams. Three months later, the city wall collapsed. The king of Wei pretended to surrender, and the state of Wei was destroyed.
Lasting legacyDaliang is now Kaifeng, Henan Province. Kaifeng was called "Daliang" in ancient times.
MilitaryDestroy Chu
Wang Jian led an army of 600,000 to attack Chu. He stood firm and did not fight. When the Chu army retreated to the east, he pursued it. He defeated the Chu army in Qinan and killed Xiang Yan. The following year, he captured Shouchun and captured the Chu king. Chu was destroyed.
MilitaryDestroy the Yan Dynasty
Wang Ben attacked Liaodong and captured King Yanxi. He then returned to his army to destroy Dai and captured Dai Wang Jia. At the same time, the Qin army pacified the land south of the Yangtze River of the Chu state, surrendered the Yue king, and established Kuaiji County.
Lasting legacyThe name Kuaiji is still used today, and there are relics such as Kuaiji Mountain and Kuaiji Mountain Yuling in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
MilitaryDestroy Qi and unify
Wang Ben went south from Yandi and went straight to Linzi, where he surrendered to King Qi Jian without a fight. So far, all the six kingdoms were destroyed, and Ying Zheng completed the unification. He later proclaimed himself emperor, and his subsequent deeds can be found in "Qin dynasty".
Entered the official position from a businessman, assisted the King Zhuangxiang and the young Ying Zheng, destroyed the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, captured Sanchuan, and compiled "Lu's Spring and Autumn period". Later, he was implicated in Lao Ai's case and was exempted from moving to Shu. He drank poison and committed suicide.
The favored minister of the Empress Dowager Zhao Ji was granted the title of Marquis of Changxin. He controlled the land of Shanyang and Taiyuan, and his power became increasingly powerful. In 238 BC, he launched a rebellion with the Queen Mother's seal, but was defeated and captured.
A native of Shangcai in the state of Chu, he was a disciple of Xun Zi. He entered the Qin Dynasty as a member of Lü Buwei, and used the "Remonstrance and Expulsion Book" to protect the guest officials. He was promoted to Tingwei. He was the main adviser to Ying Zheng to unify the world, and later served as the prime minister of Qin Dynasty.
On the order of the King of Han, he entered the Qin Dynasty to "tired the Qin Dynasty" and presided over the construction of the Jingjing Irrigation Canal. After the incident was revealed, he insisted on completing it. After the canal was completed, the land in Guanzhong was irrigated and the Qin State became more prosperous and powerful. The canal was named after him.
The people of Daliang in Wei State proposed to Ying Zheng the strategy of "spending a lot of money to alienate the princes and destroy the six kingdoms". He once wanted to escape because of Ying Zheng's "little kindness but a tigerish heart", but was retained by Ying Zheng and served as a state captain. He wrote "Wei Liao Zi" as a military book.
Prince of South Korea, who studied under Xun Zi with Li Si, synthesized "Dharma", "Shu" and "Shi", and wrote "Han Fei Zi". After he was sent to Qin as an envoy, he was framed by Li Si and Yao Jia and died in prison.
The Pinyang people conquered Handan, the capital of Zhao, and Jicheng, the capital of Yan, and led an army of 600,000 to destroy Chu. During the expedition, he repeatedly asked Ying Zheng for good land and beautiful houses to eliminate the monarch's suspicion.
Son of Wang Jian. They destroyed Yan and Liaodong, flooded Daliang and destroyed Wei, and finally went south from Yan to destroy Qi, completing the unification.
A native of Wei, entrusted by Crown Prince Dan of Yan, he brought Fan Yuqi's head and Dukang Tu into Qin to assassinate Ying Zheng. He died before the attempt was completed and was listed in "The Biography of Assassins" by Sima Qian.
He served as King Zhaoxiang, King Zhuangxiang, and King Zheng of Qin in three dynasties, and captured large areas of land in Han, Zhao, and Wei. He died in 240 BC. His descendants, Meng Wu and Meng Tian, continued to be Qin generals.