History of Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period

On January 2th, 146 BC, Ji Fa, Zhou Wuwang, crusaded against the monarch Zhou at the end of Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty, which is the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the son of heaven was the supreme ruler, and all the land and people in the country belonged to him. He gave it to governors and doctors by sealing Hou Jianguo. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, agriculture was more developed than that of the Shang Dynasty, and handicrafts such as bronze casting, pottery and textiles also developed considerably. Many words were engraved on bronzes, called Zhong Dingwen or bronze inscriptions, and the historical materials handed down were richer.

The Western Zhou Dynasty has been passed down for more than 3 years. By 77 BC, the King Youwang died and Ping Wangdong moved to Luoyi (Luoyang) to begin the history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. The Eastern Zhou Dynasty was divided into two parts, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The Spring and Autumn Period is about 3 years from 77 AD (some people think that it should be counted from 722 BC) to 476 BC (some people say that it is 43 BC).

during the spring and autumn period of the eastern Zhou dynasty, the princes dominated the emperor. It is said that at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, hundreds of vassal states were enfeoffed, and by the Spring and Autumn Period, only over 1 were left. Among them, there are more powerful countries such as Qi, Jin, Chu, Qin, Lu, Wei, Yan, Song, Chen, Cai, Zheng, Cao, Wu and Yue. This country wants to be the hegemon, so successive years of mergers and wars have caused chaos in the world. In the course of the struggle, five hegemons appeared in the vassal States, one being: Qi Huangong, Jin Wengong, Qin Mugong, Song Xianggong and Chu Zhuangwang; The other is: Qi Huangong, Jin Wengong, Chu Zhuangwang, King He Lv of Wu, King Gou Jian of Yue. This is the "five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period" mentioned in the history books.

Despite the social turmoil and wars in the Spring and Autumn Period, great progress has been made in social history. During the war, people of all ethnic groups frequently came and went and influenced each other, which accelerated the pace of infiltration, assimilation and integration of people of all ethnic groups. The merger of many small countries unified the world for the end of the Warring States Period by Qin Shihuang in 221 BC.

during the spring and autumn period, the turbulent and complicated politics resulted in a large number of various historical figures. Among them, there are ambitious overlords like Qi Huangong and Jin Wengong; There are also dissolute and heartless bad kings like Wei Yigong and Jin Linggong; There are great politicians like Guan Zhong and Yan Zi. And Tu'an Gu, a schemer like Bo (hi or no); There are military strategists like Cao Gui and Sun Wu; There are also capsules, so we should first ask such a stupid defeated general; There are saints and scholars like Kong Qiu and Mencius; There are also stupid and wise martial artists like Du Rong and Gu Zhizi .................................................................................................................................................................. Historical Records designated the first year of Zhou Yuanwang (476 BC) as the historical beginning of the Warring States Period. From this year to Qin Shihuang's destruction of six countries, it was the Warring States period in China's history.

There were more than 1 countries in the Spring and Autumn Period. After continuous annexation, there were about a dozen countries in the early years of the Warring States Period. The great state owned Qin, Wei, Han, Yan, Zhao, Qi and Chu, that is, the "Seven Heroes of the Warring States". In addition, there is Yue, a relatively powerful country. Small state-owned Eastern Zhou, Song, Wei, Zhongshan, Lu, Teng, Zou and so on. In addition, there are many ethnic minorities in the surrounding areas, such as Linhu, Loufan, Donghu and Yiqu in the north and northwest, and Ba, Shu and Yue in the south.

now, let me briefly talk about the territory geography of the seven countries:

Qin: it occupies present-day Guanzhong in Shaanxi and southeastern Gansu

Wei: it occupies present-day southern Shanxi, northern Henan, central and eastern

Zhao: it occupies present-day northern Shanxi, central Hebei, southwest and part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Han: it occupies present-day central Henan, western Henan and eastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. And southeastern Shanxi

Chu: occupies a part of Hubei province, Henan, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang

Yan: occupies a part of northern Hebei, Liaoning and Jilin

In the early Warring States period, the "Seven Heroes" were formed, and all countries put their energy into internal arrangement. Countries recruit talents and make great efforts to govern, such as Li Kui, Wuqi, Shang Yang and other people's political reform and reform took place in this period.

the middle of the warring States period is the time of the great war. It's really a melee situation: "There is no peace in the country, no peace in the old age" and "there is no fixed relationship between the state and the land."

In order to maintain their own survival and expand the power of their territory, monarchs have successively become kings and dominated one side. On the one hand, strengthen centralization, reform and strengthen armaments; On the other hand, in diplomacy, we frequently strive for the "integration" and "Lian Heng" of other countries.

In the late Warring States period, King Zhao Xiang of Qin took Fan Sui as the prime minister and adopted the strategy of "making friends far away and attacking near", which destroyed the "union" of all countries, strengthened the national strength and military of Qin, and became the first power in the Warring States period, weakening the strength of all countries.

in 237 BC, the king of Qin ruled personally, assisted by Reese, and began to use troops on a large scale. At the same time, he bribed the ministers of the six countries to divide their internal affairs to cooperate with the military.

The time when Qin Shihuang destroyed the Six Kingdoms:

In 23 BC, Qin destroyed Korea, and took Korea as Yingchuan County.

in 228 BC, Li Mu, the general of Zhao, was killed by a double agent. Handan, the capital of Zhao, was captured the following year, and Zhao Wang was moved alive. Gongzijia fled to the generation and became king on his own. In 226 BC, the Qin Dynasty broke Yan, and the Yan Wang Xi fled to Liaodong. The following year, the Qin River flooded the girder of Weidu, flooded the city, and Wang Wei fell.

in 223 BC, Wang Jian, the general of Qin, led 6, soldiers to attack Chu and captured the king of Chu alive. The following year, Qin completely captured the land of Chu.

in 222 BC, Qin attacked the eastern part of Yanbian, captured Yan Wangxi alive, and conquered the two countries of Gongzijia and Yanzhao, which were completely destroyed.

in 221 BC, the capital of Qi was captured in Linzi, and Qi died. Qin ruled the country.

during the warring States period, iron tools were widely used, which greatly improved work efficiency, promoted social development, promoted agricultural production, increased land reclamation capacity, expanded planting area and improved technology.

Water conservancy irrigation projects also developed greatly during the Warring States Period. The most famous ones are: Dujiangyan (near Guanxian County, Sichuan Province) dug by Qin Zhaoxiang and Li Bing, which relieved the flood disaster of Minjiang River and made the Chengdu Great Plain area irrigated and navigable. During the Qin Dynasty, a Korean named Zheng Guo opened a canal in Guanzhong to connect Jingluo River and dig Zheng Guoqu. The canal is more than 3 miles long, making Guanzhong a fertile place.

The improvement of agricultural productivity and the application of ironware have also greatly promoted the development of handicrafts. Metallurgy, bronze and textiles, salt industry, and the production of Qin cry have all developed greatly, which has made the business more developed.

the warring States period was also an era when great men came forth in large numbers. Philosophy, literature, history, Confucianism and other academic cultures have made brilliant achievements. At that time, Confucius, Mohism and disciples were all over the world, and later Taoism, Dharma, Yin and Yang, fame, soldiers, farmers and various schools came into being. Well-known great works such as The Analects of Confucius, Laozi, Mozi, Mencius, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sun Tzu, Lu Chunqiu and Guoyu have emerged intermittently, leaving a valuable legacy for later generations of China.