An Imperative Political Reform – A Brief Discussion on the Far-Reaching Effects of Zhao Wuling's King HuFu Riding and Shooting
King Wuling of Zhao was a monarch of the State of Zhao in the late Eastern Zhou Dynasty, who ascended the throne at the age of fifteen after the death of his father Marquis Suhou of Zhao in 326 BC. And he was Zhao Yong, who later became famous in Huaxia and was known as the king of reform. At the beginning of the reign of King Wuling of Zhao, the State of Zhao was facing external and internal troubles. Especially when the funeral was held for Zhao Suhou, the five kingdoms of Wei, Chu, Qin, Yan, and Qi used the name of the funeral to figure Out Zhao, which is the more famous "Five Congresses Burial" in history, and at this time the Zhao State was facing the crisis of the new king's young age.
In order to be able to get rid of this situation of being destroyed, the fifteen-year-old King Wuling of Zhao, with the help of his assistant minister Fei Yi, decided to take tough measures, he ordered martial law throughout the Zhao state, and the Zhao army was also on a state of first-level alert and ready to fight.
Under this dangerous situation of internal and external troubles, this fifteen-year-old Zhao monarch was able to deal with it with superhuman calm and rational methods, which laid a very solid foundation for the "Hufu Riding Shooting", "Attacking Zhongshan" and "Opening Up the Three Counties" that he would carry out in the future.
He was a politically trained monarch, so after the Zhao state was stable, he was able to carry out sharp reforms and lead the Zhao state to become the hegemon of the north at that time. From the perspective of historical development, some of the reforms made by King Wuling of Zhao for the prosperity and strength of the Zhao state were actually in line with the national conditions of the Zhao state at that time, and also fully in line with the historical background at that time. In particular, the "Hufu Riding Shooting" not only laid the foundation for the future development of the Zhao State, but also laid the groundwork for the unification of the Central Plains in advance.
First, Hufu riding and shooting
"Hufu Riding and Shooting" was one of the many powerful policies and reforms carried out by King Wuling of Zhao in order to make the weakened Zhao state strong again. In fact, from the perspective of realism, "Hufu Riding Shooting" should be divided into two major blocks: "Hufu" and "Riding Shooting". The so-called "Hufu" refers to the costume with long sleeves that is different from the wide clothes of the Central Plains, and is similar to the narrow sleeves of the short clothes worn by the Rongdi Hu people in the northwest.
This kind of clothing eliminates the cumbersome steps of dressing and hatping, and can make people easier and cleaner in comparison. In particular, after the "Hu costume" became the standard clothing of the Zhao army, it not only made the army's training more convenient, but also improved the combat effectiveness of the Zhao army to a certain extent.
"Riding archery" is understood in this sense to be riding on a horse to shoot arrows. This reform was also completely different from the foot archery of the Central Plains powers at that time, and King Wuling of Zhao found that the nomadic tribes around the country basically rode on large horses to shoot arrows, although the difficulty of archery in this sports environment would be relatively higher, but it could shorten the distance between the arrows and the enemy, and could increase the speed and lethality of killing the enemy. King Wuling of Zhao not only gave the Zhao state a new look through the reform of "Hufu Riding and Shooting", but also greatly improved the military quality of the Zhao army.
According to the Warring States Strategy, Zhao Ce II, "Imago (King Wuling of Zhao) rode and shot at Hufu to teach the people. According to the "Zhao Shijia" in volume 43 of the "Records of History", "In the first month of the nineteenth year, the Great Dynasty Letter Palace, summoning Fei Yi and discussing the world, after five days, ordered Yi Hu to obey, change the military system, and learn to ride and shoot."
The idea of the monarch is decisive for the development of the whole country, if a country wants to be strong, it should constantly carry out correct reforms, and in the process of reform, the will of the Chinese monarch should be firmer. King Wuling of Zhao vigorously promoted the "Hufu Riding Archery" in Zhao, and after the reform, the Zhao state did indeed weaken from a weak and weak country to a powerful country in the north at that time
However, the "Hufu Riding Shooting" has not been smooth sailing in the process of reform. When King Wuling of Zhao had not yet issued the reform order of "Hufu Riding and Shooting", he was strongly opposed by the domestic nobles. Among them, Gongzicheng was the most fierce, and the "way of the ancients, the heart of the contrarian" resolutely resisted the reform.
Under many pressures, he still did not change the determination of King Wuling of Zhao, and he advised the opposition that "people with moral integrity and ability should take countermeasures according to the actual situation, and do whatever is conducive to the prosperity of the country." As long as it is beneficial to rich countries and strong soldiers, why stick to the old laws of the ancients. King Wuling of Zhao gradually got Zhao Guo out of the predicament by promoting "Hufu" and coaching "riding and shooting", and the opposition that saw the effectiveness of the reform had nothing to say from then on.
Second, reform is imperative
After King Wuling of Zhao ascended the throne, he was deeply aware that the situation in the country was in danger, and if he did not carry out effective reforms immediately, I was afraid that Zhao Guo would be afraid that "man is a knife trick, I am a fish meat." At that time, the frontiers of the Zhao State were close to Qin, Wei, Yan, Qi and other feudal states, and the surrounding small countries such as Zhongshan, Donghu, Linhu, and Lou Fu were also like taking advantage of the difficult mechanism of the Zhao State to take advantage of the fire and looting. In particular, the Zhongshan State, located in the hinterland of the Zhao State, also seriously threatened the territorial integrity of the Zhao State, which made the King of Zhao Wuling realize that only through reform could the Zhao State be strong.
In particular, nine years after King Wuling of Zhao ascended the throne, he failed to attack Qin in conjunction with Han and Wei, and was also defeated in the "Battle of Guanze" with the State of Qi, at which point the State of Qin seized the cities of Zhongdu and Xiyang of the State of Zhao. This succession of blows made Zhao Guo like a leaf in the wind, and if he did not grasp the reform, I was afraid that he would only be overthrown in the end. At this critical moment, the reform faction, represented by the old minister Fei Yi, stepped forward and said to King Wuling of Zhao: "Those who are virtuous are not in harmony with the world, and those who have achieved great achievements do not seek the masses." After seeing King Wuling's determination to reform, he said to him: "The sages and the change." And from the aspects of national conditions and terrain, it provides a side reference for the reform of King Wuling of Zhao, which actually strengthens the determination of King Wuling of Zhao to reform.
Third, the impact of the Hufu riding archery reform on the Zhao State
Due to king Wuling of Zhao's firm implementation of the "Hufu riding and shooting" reform, this not only allowed the Zhao state to establish a cavalry army, but also played a very important role in the later wars. In the second year after the "Hufu Riding shooting" reform, in 305 BC, the State of Zhao launched a war against the former invader Zhongshan State, and drove the Zhongshan State out of the Zhao State and fought until Ningye. It was not until 296 BC that Zhongshan was destroyed by King Hui of Zhao. At the same time, it also attacked the Hu land to the west, causing the Hu regime to "open up thousands of miles of land." At this point, the original Hu land was under the jurisdiction of the State of Zhao, and provided war horses and cavalry for the State of Zhao every year.
While constantly attacking its former enemies, the State of Zhao also continued to use troops against Lin Hu and Lou Fu, especially against the Northern Xiongnu invaders. After the "Hufu Riding and Shooting" reform, the national strength of the Zhao state was continuously enhanced, and eventually became a northern power second only to the Qin state. From this angle, it is not difficult to see that the reform of "Hufu Riding and Shooting" promoted by King Wuling of Zhao not only gave the once weakened Zhao State the ability to defend the country, but also in the process of continuous national strength, it could also fight back against the former aggressors. These are actually the influence of the "Hufu Riding shooting" reform on the Zhao State.
IV. Conclusion
In ancient Chinese history, King Wuling of Zhao can definitely be called a reformed monarch. He realized from the age of 15 that "passive is beaten", so after taking the throne, he continued to pass reforms, which was the national strength, military combat effectiveness and economic level of the Zhao State, which gradually reached the level of a northern power. During his reign, in addition to vigorously promoting the reform of "Hufu Riding and Shooting", he also swallowed Zhongshan, defeated Lin Hu, and Lou Fu. The results received after these reforms and reforms have actually laid a solid and powerful foundation for Zhao Guo to become a strong country. In order to be able to consolidate the border defense of the Zhao state, King Wuling of Zhao built the "Great Wall of Zhao" under the premise of national strength.
After he had done all this for the Zhao Kingdom, he put the throne on his son King Huiwen of Zhao, which was actually a great achievement and retirement. After King Wuling of Zhao ascended the throne, his son gave him the title of "Lord Father", which was actually an affirmation and praise for the contributions made by King Wuling of Zhao to the strength of the Zhao kingdom.
From the perspective of realism, the reform of King Wuling of Zhao's "Hufu Riding and Shooting" is actually a major change in ancient military history. Through this reform, it not only effectively increases the combat effectiveness of the army, but also allows the army to save more time and steps in daily exercises.
If from the perspective of nationality, the reform of "Hufu Riding and Shooting" is actually a manifestation of the integration of national costumes, and it can be seen that King Wuling of Zhao made a contribution to the great integration of nationalities at that time. Liang Qichao commented in his "Biography of the First Great Man After the Yellow Emperor - King Wuling of Zhao": "The militarists in the Seven Xiongs are only Qin and Zhao. It can be seen that even in the eyes of posterity, King Zhao Wuling was also a monarch who could sing and cry.
bibliography
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