After the long war for hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period, many small vassal states were annexed by large countries. Some countries had internal changes, and power gradually fell into the hands of a few doctors. These doctors were originally slave owners and nobles. Later, they adopted feudal exploitation methods and transformed into the landlord class. In order to expand their power, some even used the method of reducing taxes to win over the hearts of the people. In this way, their power became stronger and stronger. The State of Jin had always been known as the overlord of the Central Plains. By the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the power of the monarch had also declined. The real power was controlled by the six great officials (Han, Zhao, Wei, Zhi, Fan, Zhongxing), and the other big families such as Xi and Luan. They each had their own territory and armed forces, and they attacked each other. Later on, two clans (Fan and Zhong Xing) were broken up, leaving behind the Zhi, Zhao, Han and Wei clans. Among these four clans, Zhi clan was the most powerful.
Since 633 B.C., Duke Wen of Jin had set up six ministers in the three armies. The six ministers had always held the military and political power of Jin. By the time of Duke Ping of Jin, the six ministers of Han, Zhao, Wei, Zhi, Fan and Zhongxing were in conflict with each other. Later, after Zhao destroyed Fan and Zhongxing, they joined forces with Han and Wei to destroy Zhi in 453 B.C., and the Duke of Jin only existed in name. [1]
The Zhi family's doctor, Zhi Boyao, wanted to occupy the land of the other three families. She said to the three doctors, Zhao Xiangzi, Wei Huanzi, and Han Kangzi,""Jin was originally the overlord of the Central Plains, but it was later taken away by Wu and Yue. In order to make the State of Jin strong, I propose that every family take out a hundred miles of land and household registration to the public.”
The three doctors all knew that Zhi Boyao had bad intentions and wanted to use the name of the government to force them to hand over the land. However, the three clans were not united. Han Kangzi first ceded the land and ten thousand households to Zhi clan. Wei Huanzi didn't want to offend Zhi Boyao, so he gave up his land and household register.
Zhi Boyao asked Zhao Xiangzi for land again, but Zhao Xiangzi refused, saying,""The land is the property left behind by the previous generation. No matter what, I won't give it away.”
Zhi Boyao was so angry that she immediately ordered the Han and Wei families to attack the Zhao family together.
In 455 B.C., Zhi Boyao led the central army, the Han Clan's army took the right path, and the Wei Clan's army took the left path. Three groups of people headed straight for the Zhao Clan.
Zhao Xiangzi knew that he was outnumbered, so he retreated to Jinyang (now Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province) with the Zhao army.
Not long after, the three families led by Zhi Boyao had surrounded Jinyang City. Zhao Xiangzi ordered the soldiers to defend the city firmly and not to fight. When the soldiers of the three families attacked the city, the arrows on the city wall fell like locusts, making it impossible for the three families to advance. Jinyang City had been defending with bows and arrows for more than two years. The three armies had never been able to take it down.
One day, Zhi Boyao went out of the city to inspect the terrain. When she saw the Jin River northeast of Jinyang City, she suddenly thought of an idea. The Jin River bypassed Jinyang City and flowed downstream. If the Jin River was led to the southwest, wouldn't Jinyang City be flooded? He ordered the soldiers to dig another river beside the Jin River, all the way to Jinyang, and build a dam upstream to block the water upstream.
It was the rainy season and the dam was full of water. Zhi Boyao ordered the soldiers to dig a hole in the dam. In this way, the water rushed straight into Jin Yang and poured into the city.
The houses in the city were flooded, and the people had to run to the roof to take refuge. The cooking stove was also submerged in the water, and people had to hang up the pot to cook. However, the people of Jinyang hated Zhi Boyao to the core. They would rather drown than surrender.
Zhi Boyao asked Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi to check the water situation together. He pointed at Jinyang City and said to them proudly,"Look, isn't Jin Yang almost done for? Previously, I thought that the Jin River could block the enemy like a city wall. Now I know that the flood can also destroy a country.”
Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi agreed obediently on the surface, but they were secretly shocked. It turned out that there was a river beside the Wei family's fief, Anyi (now northwest of Xia County, Shanxi Province), and the Han family's fief, Pingyang (now southwest of Linfen City, Shanxi Province). Zhi Boyao's words reminded them that since the Jin River could flood Jinyang, perhaps An Yi and Ping Yang would suffer the same fate as Jinyang one day. After Jin Yang was flooded, the situation in the city became more and more difficult. Zhao Xiangzi was very anxious and said to his henchman Zhang Mengtan,""The people's hearts have not changed, but if the water rises again, the entire city will be lost.”
Zhang Mengtan said," I don't think the Han Clan and Wei Clan will be willing to cede their land to Zhi Boyao. I'll think of a way to talk to them."”
That night, Zhao Xiangzi sent Zhang Mengtan to sneak out of the city to find Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi. He asked them to attack Zhi Boyao together. The Han and Wei Families were hesitating, but after Zhang Mengtan's explanation, they naturally agreed.
The next night, after the third watch, Zhi Boyao was sleeping in her own camp when she suddenly heard the sound of killing. He quickly got up from the bed and found that his clothes and blanket were all wet. When he looked again, the barracks were full of water. At first, he thought that it was probably a breach in the dam and that the water had poured into his camp, so he quickly called the soldiers to repair it. But soon, the water became stronger and stronger, flooding the entire camp. Zhi Boyao was still panicking. In an instant, war drums sounded from all directions. The soldiers of Zhao, Han, and Wei rushed over on small boats and rafts. The Zhi family's soldiers had been hacked to death or drowned in the water. Zhi Boyao was completely annihilated, and he himself was captured and killed by the three clans. Zhao, Han, and Wei wiped out Zhi tribe, not only did they take back the land that Zhi Boyao had occupied, even Zhi tribe's land was divided equally among the three tribes. Later, they divided up the other lands left by the Jin Kingdom.
In 403 B.C., Han, Zhao, and Wei sent emissaries to Luoyi to meet King Weilie of Zhou, asking the emperor of Zhou to make them princes. Prince Weilie thought that it was useless not to admit it. He might as well do them a favor and officially make the three families dukes. After that, Han (the capital was in Yu County, Henan Province, and later moved to Xinzheng, Henan Province), Zhao (the capital was in the southeast of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and later moved to Handan, Hebei Province), and Wei (the capital was in the northwest of Xia County, Shanxi Province, and later moved to Kaifeng, Henan Province) all became great powers in the Central Plains. Together with Qin, Qi, Chu, and Yan, they were known as the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period in history.
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