In 1025 B.C., King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, led 800 vassals to Zhaoge to overthrow the Shang Dynasty. Then, he adopted the enfeoffment system and divided the nine provinces of China into 170 vassals. Although these vassal states had to pay tribute to the Zhou royal family every year, each country was an independent political entity. On the other hand, the Emperor of Zhou maintained his authority as the ruler of the world. All the vassals in the four directions wanted to submit to him, so the world was still considered peaceful.
In 771 B.C., King You of Zhou deposed Queen Shen and Crown Prince Yijiu, conferred the title of Empress Baosi, and Baosi's son, Bofu, became Crown Prince. He also ordered the abolition of the title of Marquis Shen, the queen's father, and prepared to send troops to attack him. When Shen Hou received this news, he took the initiative to attack first, joining forces with Zeng Hou and the Northwest Yi Quan Rong soldiers to break through Haojing. Before this, King You of Zhou had tried to make Baosi smile and had toyed with the vassals several times, thus breaking his promise to them. As a result, the vassals were unable to rescue him in time, and King You of Zhou died at the hands of Quan Rong. The Zhou Dynasty (Western Zhou Dynasty), which had existed for more than 270 years, was declared to be destroyed.
The following year, Marquis Shen and some other vassals made Yijiu King Ping of Zhou. King Ping was forced to move his capital from Haojing to Luoyang, the eastern capital, due to civil strife and frequent invasions by Quanrong. Because Luoyi was in the east of Haojing, the history of the Zhou Dynasty later called it the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
"When the world has a way, the rites and music of conquest come from the Son of Heaven. If there is no way in the world, then the rites and music of conquest will come from the princes.”
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Zhou royal family was declining day by day. Although they retained the title of the ruler of the world, they had no actual control over the vassals.
In order to strengthen themselves, the vassals of the world began to invade and annex each other, launching endless wars. One weak country after another was destroyed in the dust of history, and one overlord after another appeared above the Zhou emperor. This period was called the Spring and Autumn Period.
Countless weak vassal states were wiped out by the endless flames of war. The current Zhou royal family had long been ignored by the vassals. On this land, seven strongest experts appeared. Chu. Yan. Zhao. Wei. Han. Qin! These seven had their own independent cultures. Folkways. The traditional kingdoms were known as the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period. This period was the Warring States Period.
As the saying goes, the times create heroes. In this war-torn Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, the slavery system collapsed and the feudal system was formed. The social economy developed rapidly and the social class relationship changed drastically.
Scholars and ideologists representing various social classes and political forces emerged one after another. For example, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Sun Tzu, and many other famous figures. These scholars or ideologists all hoped to explain the universe, society, and everything in the world according to the interests and requirements of their own class (stratum) or group. Therefore, he wrote books and widely accepted disciples. For a time, academic thinking was unprecedentedly developed, and schools of thought sprang up like bamboo shoots after the rain. For example, militarists, Daoists, Confucians, Mohists, Legalists, Yin-Yang School…History books say that there are hundreds of schools of thought.
The schools of thought relied on the feudal lords and vigorously developed their own theories. They regarded themselves as the orthodox and argued with each other endlessly, forming a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contending". This period was the most brilliant and prosperous period of the entire feudal era of the Celestial Empire.
During the early Warring States Period, the Qin Kingdom in the west was the weakest among the seven heroes and was bullied. After Duke Xiao of Qin succeeded to the throne, he was determined to reform and recruit talents. Later, the Legalist Wei Yang entered Qin and was put in an important position by Duke Xiao of Qin. He absorbed the experience of Li Kui, Wu Qi, and other Legalists in the Wei, Chu, and other countries to carry out a reform in Qin, which was the " Shang Yang's reform." After Shang Yang's reform, the Qin State's economy had developed, and the military's combat strength had been continuously strengthened. It had gradually become the strongest country among the seven countries, laying the foundation for the Qin State to unify the six countries in the future.
However, although Qin was far stronger than any of the six eastern countries, it was weaker than the alliance of the six countries. There were often wars between the six Eastern countries, but they knew that if the lips were lost, the teeth would be cold. When facing the weak and barbarian country that they had once looked down on, they were quite united against a common enemy. Therefore, the six Eastern countries consciously restrained each other, and the Qin country could not truly destroy a country or even wipe out the six countries. The Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period stood firm in this turbulent and chaotic world with this delicate and strange balance.
This balance had lasted for more than a hundred years, and was finally broken by the appearance of a man-Ying Zheng!
That was the name that was remembered by the river of time-Qin Shihuang!
In 247 B.C., King Zhuang Xiang of the Qin Dynasty passed away, and the 13-year-old Ying Zheng was appointed as the King of Qin under Lu Buwei's manipulation. At this time, Lu Buwei was the prime minister, granted 100,000 households, known as Wenxin Marquis. The king of Qin, Sima Zheng, was young. Under him was Lv Buwei, who controlled the state affairs. Above him was Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, who listened to the government behind the curtain. And Lv Buwei and his mother Zhao Ji have an affair, Qin Zheng also respect Lv Buwei as Zhongfu. The power was monopolized by Lu Buwei alone, and the government of the King of Qin was almost empty.
Under such circumstances, the King of Qin, Zheng, had been patiently waiting for Lu Buwei to eliminate his consort, the Mi family of Chu, and put down the rebellion of his younger brother, Cheng Jiao (in fact, Cheng Jiao was forced to surrender to Zhao).
In 238 B.C., the ninth year of the First Emperor of Qin, the 21-year-old King of Qin, Zheng, held his coronation ceremony in the Qinian Palace of Yong City. Marquis Changxin Lao Ai took the opportunity to launch a rebellion. However, he did not expect that this was a trap set by Ying Zheng. The rebellion was easily suppressed, Lao Ai was torn apart, and his mother, Zhao Ji, was locked up in the Muyang Palace in Yong City (after Mao Jiao persuaded him, Ying Zheng welcomed her back to Xianyang). Ying Zheng officially took over the government. In October of the following year, Ying Zheng removed Lu Buwei from his post as Prime Minister due to the rebellion. He then sent him out of Xianyang to Luoyang, Henan.
At this point, Ying Zheng had defeated all his political opponents and was in charge of military and political affairs. His ambition, which had been hidden for many years, was rapidly expanding.
He wanted to wipe out the Six Nations!
He wanted to unify China!
He wanted to build a unified and complete country!
He wanted to be the only king who could conquer the world!
And all those who stood in his way would become his enemies and be eliminated!
In 236 B.C., in the eleventh year of the First Emperor of Qin, the large-scale irrigation canal under the leadership of the State of Zheng was finally completed after ten years. It was named the State of Zheng Canal. The 300-mile-long Zhengguo Canal led Jingshui from the west to Luoshui from the east, irrigating more than 40,000 hectares of farmland in Guanzhong, greatly increasing the grain income of Qin and strengthening its economic strength. It solved the biggest and last problem that had troubled the Qin country for many years, the lack of grain in Guanzhong, and allowed the Qin country to complete the war preparations to unify the Chinese Empire.
In the same year, the King of Qin, Ying Zheng, who had solved the last problem of starting a war, no longer had any worries. At this time, the Zhao and Yan countries were fighting fiercely. The Qin country took advantage of the situation and attacked the cities of Eyu, Muyang, Ye, Anyang, and so on. After that, the King of Qin Zheng led his army to attack Zhao. He sent Wang Jian, Huan He, and Yang Ruihe to lead the army west out of Taihang Mountain to attack Handan.
The Qin Emperor's war to unify China had begun!
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