Qin Hen - (I)

Author: Wang Yun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The division of Jin among the three states of Han, Wei, and Zhao marked the beginning of the Warring States period. By the later stage of the Warring States, the feudal lords of various states began to usurp the title of king, forming a situation where the seven major powers—Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei—competed for dominance. Among them, Qin gradually became the most powerful feudal state, harboring ambitions to conquer the other six states. The ancestors of the Qin people were Bo Yi, who helped Yu the Great in controlling floods. Later, several generations of Qin rulers were merely vassal dukes of other states. However, because Duke Xiang of Qin played a crucial role in escorting King Ping of Zhou (Ji You) to establish a new royal court in Luoyang, he was ennobled as a marquis and ranked among the feudal lords. At the same time, Qin received land in the area around Qi Mountain, the birthplace of the Western Zhou, and drove out the Dong, expanding its territory by thousands of miles, thus becoming a major power. However, Qin was located in a remote area, neighboring the Dong, with abundant land but a sparse population. Except for their bravery in battle, the Qin people were far less developed than the states in the Central Plains. It wasn’t until King Xiaohong of Qin implemented the reforms of Shang Yang that the state truly became powerful. The key features of the New Law were:
First, emphasis on military merit. Commoners could rise to prominence through military achievements, and one person’s success would benefit the entire family. Driven by this incentive, the Qin people fought bravely and died without fear.
Second, emphasis on agriculture. Grain was the foundation of the state, and its importance was even more pronounced in warfare. Therefore, Qin soldiers were conscripted for battle during wartime and farmed during peacetime, addressing both the issue of troop recruitment and ensuring a steady supply of military provisions, laying a solid material foundation for future unification campaigns. By the time of King Wu of Qin, the state had become incredibly powerful. King Wu of Qin had ambitions to seize the capital city and replace the Zhou dynasty. At that time, King Xian of Zhou (Ji Yan, the last Zhou king) had just ascended the throne. The Zhou dynasty had weakened to the extreme, with the retaining only a ceremonial title. Han and Zhao divided the Zhou territory into two parts, and the directly ruled territory of the Zhou king covered no more than a hundred li in circumference, with a population of only thirty thousand households. The Western Zhou vassal states and the Eastern Zhou vassal states further divided the directly ruled territory of the Zhou king. The capital city, Luoyi (modern Luoyang), covered only fifteen li in circumference. The Western Zhou vassal state built a smaller city near the capital, called Chengzhou. The nominal role of the Duke of the Western Zhou was to assist the, but in reality, the Zhou court resided near the Duke’s fief, leaving no true royal territory. King Wu of Qin sent Gan Mao as a general and took one year to capture Yiyang (modern southwest Luoyang), a city of Han, opening the path for eastward expansion. Urged by his desire to see the Nine Tripod Vessels of Zhou, the Qin king ignored his ministers’ objections and personally went to the capital city. Upon hearing the news, King Xian of Zhou was terrified and, though aware of the Qin king’s sinister intentions, feared his military might and had to send an envoy to welcome him with great ceremony. The Nine Tripod Vessels of Zhou were cast from the tribute gold collected after Yu the Great controlled floods, based on the nine regions of Jing, Liang, Yong, Yu, Xu, Yang, Qing, Yan, and Ji. These precious vessels had been passed down through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties for over two thousand years, serving as ceremonial artifacts exclusively used by the. When King Wu of Qin arrived at the grand hall of the Zhou palace and saw the Nine Tripod Vessels arranged in a row, he asked, “How heavy is the vessel from Yongzhou?” The Qin capital had originally been in Yongcheng but was later moved to Xianyang, but Yongcheng remained the site for major ceremonies of the Qin royal family, such as coronations and sacrifices. The keeper of the vessels replied, “Each vessel weighs a thousand jūn. After the Shang dynasty fell, King Wu of Zhou ordered them moved from Yin ruins to Haojing. Moving each vessel required ninety thousand people and a full year.” He exaggerated the weight to discourage the Qin king from moving the vessels. King Wu of Qin, proud and eager to prove his strength, laughed and said, “A thousand jūn is nothing to me!” He stepped forward and attempted to lift the vessel with both arms, displaying his might. However, he could barely take a step before his strength failed, and the vessel fell, striking his leg. King Wu of Qin cried out in pain and collapsed unconscious. The crowd rushed to lift the vessel off his leg and carried him back to the inn for treatment. The keeper of the vessels also reported the incident to King Xian of Zhou. Due to his severe injuries, King Wu of Qin coughed up several liters of blood that night and died in the inn without leaving a will. The Zhou king was terrified, fearing a large-scale attack by Qin forces. He disregarded his own royal status to personally attend the funeral and arrange the mourning rites, sending a Zhou prince to escort the coffin back to Qin. The incident spread, and people, superstitious at the time, believed that the Zhou dynasty had not yet fulfilled its destiny. King Wu of Qin’s disrespectful behavior had angered the ancestors of the Zhou dynasty, leading to this retribution. King Wu of Qin died without an heir, and his half-brother, Prince Ying Ji, supported by his mother’s clan, competed with other brothers for the throne. Qin experienced continuous internal turmoil, leaving it unable to take action against the Zhou. Three years later, King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Ying Ji, ascended the throne, ennobling his mother as the Grand Empress Dowager Xuan, and his two maternal uncles as the Marquis of Rang and the Lord of Huayang, giving the maternal clan immense power. To regain control of the throne, King Zhaoxiang of Qin first ennobled his two brothers, dividing the power of the maternal clan, and then heavily relied on Fan Zhi. He weakened the maternal clan’s influence internally while adopting the strategy of “alliance with distant states and attacking nearby ones” externally, allying with Yan and Qi while attacking Han, Wei, Zhao, and Chu. During his reign, neighboring states suffered numerous attacks by Qin forces, greatly weakening their power. The states frequently formed alliances to resist Qin, combining their strengths to oppose the powerful state. Qin also sent envoys to implement the policy of “vertical alliances,” causing the feudal states to waver, sometimes allying with Qin to dominate the weaker states.