Towards a United Empire: The Struggle for Supremacy among the Warlords of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods

Author: Zhou Shifeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were the most brilliant times in the development of ancient Chinese thought, marked by the flourishing "Hundred Schools of Thought." The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods refer to the historical era of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. From 770 BC, when King Ping of Zhou moved east to Luoyi, to 475 BC, this period saw the Five Hegemons compete for dominance, known as the Spring and Autumn period. The Warring States period began with the division of Jin by the three families, marking the start of competition among the Seven Hegemons, which continued until the state of Qin unified the country and ended the long-declined Eastern Zhou Dynasty. This was a period that ended the fragmented state of the feudal lords and led to the establishment of a true unified empire. From the challenge to authority with the "disintegration of rites and music" to the various feudal states vying for the Central Plains and constantly merging with each other. In one war after another, outstanding military thought and strategic theories emerged in the battlefields. War propelled the wheels of history forward.