Introduction: The geopolitics of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, the Qin State is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the Chu State has a vast territory, the troops are scattered, and the Qi State is located on the periphery.
During the Warring States period, when the Zhou Tianzi existed in name only, the princes stood side by side, the seven heroes chased after the deer, and the wars rose and fell, all countries were adopting various effective ways to deal with the other six countries, and the foreign strategies they implemented were also different, and at this time, the Zongheng family appeared in history, no matter what, they either crossed the line or joined the vertical and horizontal, some in order to save the survival, some to annex the land, some to survive in the narrow seams of the powerful countries, in short, what kind of diplomatic strategy to adopt, how to use the advantages of regional resources, It determines the future direction of the Warring States Seven Heroes.
Let's analyze the geopolitical comparison of the foreign strategic resources of the Qin, Chu, and Qi states in the Seven Heroes of the Warring States:
The "Art of War and Counting of Sun Tzu" records, "Therefore, the scriptures are based on five things, and the school is calculated by its feelings, one, two days, three places, four generals, and five laws, and those who know win, and those who do not know do not win." ”
Geopolitical comparison
That is, the influence of geographical location and geographical advantages on state power; Sun Tzu's Art of War makes the influence of geographical advantage (geopolitics) on state power crucial. So what are the characteristics of the seven warring states and geopolitics?
The State of Qin was easy to defend and difficult to attack
In the early days of the Warring States period, the territory of the Qin state was not large, however, its geographical location was the most advantageous of the six kingdoms of Shandong, the Qin state was on the flank of the Central Plains, far away in the west, separated from the other six countries by the mountains and rivers, the war could advance, and the retreat could be defended, especially after the Qin state annexed the state of Pakistan and the state of Shu, the land area increased, connecting Guanzhong and Hanzhong, and was in a more favorable situation in the geostrategic environment. At this time, the State of Qin, the southeastern territory broke into the flank of the State of Chu, and the eastern territory was wedged into the combined part of the State of Korea and the State of Wei, from here it could detour to attack the State of Chu and look at the Central Plains.
After the Qin state occupied Bashu, which is known as the "kingdom of heavenly capital", coupled with the fertile Guanzhong Plain, the Qin state had a vast territory and rich products, laying a material foundation for the unification of the six kingdoms. From the perspective of defense alone, the territory of the Qin State is surrounded by mountains and rivers, bordering the Qin Mountains in the south, the Longshan Mountains in the west, the Yellow River in the northeast, and the Hangu Pass and Wuguan Pass bordering the Three Jins and the Chu State in the east, so the Qin State can rely on the geopolitical environment that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, so that in wars with other six countries, according to the choice of timing, it can be attacked and defended.
The territory of the Chu State is vast,
Among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, the territory of the State of Chu was the largest, and the State of Chu in the period of strength encompassed almost the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, bordering the State of Qin in the northwest, the State of Korea, the State of Zheng, and the State of Song in the north, the State of Yue in the east, and the Baiyue State in the south; especially after the Wu Qi's change of law, the State of Chu increased its national strength and expanded to the south, expanding its territory to the Lingnan region.
Among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, the Chu State was second only to the Qin State in terms of geographical superiority, occupying most of the rich southern part, possessing strategic depth, which could threaten the countries of the Central Plains, and could defend the territory by territorial depth and the strength of one country. In the early warring states period, the geopolitical environment of the Chu state was more favorable, surrounded by Qianzhong Wu County, Xiazhou Haiyang in the east, Dongting Cangwu in the south, and Fenjing in the north; however, when the territory of the Chu state was expanded, the border line was long, and there were many bordering countries, resulting in the dispersion of troops, coupled with the imperial court's war mobilization and poor military deployment, so that the Chu state was often in a passive state.
Although the State of Chu was vast and populous, it was economically poor and weak, and after the State of Qin obtained the strategically important Hanzhong County, the geostrategic environment of the State of Chu deteriorated rapidly, allowing the State of Qin to directly insert itself from Hanzhong into the core area of the State of Chu; when the general of the State of Qin, Bai Qi, led his troops into the important towns of the State of Chu, the belly of the State of Chu was attacked, and the imperial court was fragmented, and the troops were more dispersed, so that the countries of the Central Plains took the opportunity to continuously encroach on the territory of the State of Chu. After all, the State of Chu was a big country, the territory was vast, and the population was difficult for other countries to match, until the end of the Warring States period, the State of Qin had to touch 600,000 troops to annihilate the State of Chu.
The State of Qi is located on the outskirts
In the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, the State of Qi was once listed with the State of Qin as the hegemon of the East and West, in addition to the strength of the State of Qi, but also benefited from the geographical advantages of the State of Qin, the State of Qi was bordered by the sea in the east, the State of Yan in the north, the State of Zhao in the west, the State of Wei in the west, and the state of Lu and the State of Yue in the south, and the State of Qi lacked powerful neighbors around it, so there was no worries when expanding abroad.
However, although the State of Qi was on the flank, with few territories bordering powerful powers, and there were several small countries in the middle as cache areas, the State of Qi was located in the North China Plain, lacking the mountains and rivers like the Qin State and the defense system such as guankou, and when the five kingdoms joined forces to cut down Qi, they rarely encountered obstacles on the plains, and drove straight in, almost destroying the State of Qi.
References: Warring States Policy, History, etc