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In the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States Period, the rule of the Zhou royal family had gradually declined, and the power of the various feudal states was risen. With the development of the economy, the princely states are constantly exploring in order to consolidate territorial rule and enhance national strength.
Zhao Guo, who set his foot on the North China Plain, wanted to survive in this era of the weak and the strong, and naturally it was also a big trouble. Especially in 326 BC, when King Wuling of Zhao, who had just taken over the burden of the late Marquis Su of Zhao, it was obviously a key problem to make the Zhao kingdom survive and develop under the situation of internal and external troubles.
I. King Wuling of Zhao and the "HuFu Riding and Shooting"
For the newly taken over King Wuling of Zhao, the King of Zhao was still young and inexperienced, and his ability to handle government affairs was not sufficient; in the outer west, there was a powerful Qin state with shang martingale successfully changing the law.
In the east, the strength of the State of Qi soared and tried to misbehave, and in the north, Lin Hu and Lou Fu were in turmoil from time to time, and even the middle of the territory was divided into two by the Zhongshan State. There is no doubt that zhao is worried about internal and external troubles in this situation, and it is urgent to reform to enhance its strength.
Faced with the situation of being attacked by the enemy on his stomach and back, after many battles and the experience of losing many wars, King Wuling of Zhao finally made up his mind to carry out reforms, thereby enhancing the strength of the country and the combat effectiveness of the army. In order to be able to build a strong army to resist foreign enemies, King Wuling of Zhao's reforms were not insignificant.
King Wuling of Zhao ordered all the generals in the army to wear bearded clothes, that is, tight and narrow-sleeved clothing for training, and also wore such clothes on the battlefield. In addition, King Wuling of Zhao also reduced the training of car occupants and replaced it with horse archery.
This reform is very famous in history, that is, the famous "Hufu Riding Shooting", and even in handan, the former capital of the Zhao Kingdom, some traditions of "Hufu Riding and Shooting" are still preserved.
Compared with the traditional way of fighting by car, the way of "riding and shooting" is undoubtedly lighter and simpler. The traditional way of fighting requires more manpower and material resources, and the bulky driving of the car often affects the commander's combat. Therefore, the way of "riding and shooting" undoubtedly made the military strength of the Zhao State increase rapidly.
However, among these measures is not only a change in the way of combat, there is another reform measure that is difficult for the people to accept, that is, to change to wear "Hu costumes". From a sociological point of view, clothing represents the social psychology of a nation.
Measures that often involve folklore in a reform are therefore more difficult to implement. King Wuling of Zhao did not give up, but led by example and persuaded his uncle and son, who were also ruling the dynasty, to carry it out together.
In this way, the dynasty nobles played a leading role in demonstration, and the people slowly accepted The Hufu. King Wuling of Zhao's "Hufu Riding and Shooting" was undoubtedly a good way to govern the country for the Zhao State at that time.
On the one hand, for the military strength of the Zhao State, the light and flexible combat style and the simpler Hu costume made the military strength of the Zhao State rise rapidly. On the other hand, the Zhao state absorbed the "Hufu" custom of the nomadic people in the north, which in the long run is more conducive to ethnic integration and cultural convergence.
2. Pass on the throne as the crown prince, and the xianwang falls
The strong military strength made King Wuling of Zhao see the strong confidence of the Zhao State, and his ambitions became more and more inflated. Especially after the destruction of Zhongshan after eleven years of war and the integration of territory into one, the ambitions of King Wuling of Zhao could not be suppressed.
Therefore, King Wuling of Zhao passed on the throne to the crown prince Zhao He, and he himself led the army to fight, wanting to compete with the Qin state. Crown Prince Zhao He was not the eldest son of King Wuling of Zhao, but Zhao Zhang, who was born after the first queen. Moreover, Zhao He's position as crown prince was also changed because his mother was favored.
Therefore, the imbalance of the former prince Zhao Zhang had long been buried in his heart. After the death of the birth mother of crown prince Zhao He, King Wuling of Zhao originally wanted to fief the land, but was opposed by the courtiers and did not implement it. In this way, there was a later conspiracy between Zhao Zhang and Tian Buli as a rebellion, which also laid the groundwork for the later "Dune Rebellion".
Zhao Zhang mistakenly killed the heavy minister Fei Yi in the conspiracy, while Gongzi Cheng and Li Dui killed Zhao Zhang in the process of rehabilitation. Poor King Wuling of Zhao lost a son and a vassal in such a situation. But the matter was far from over, and King Zhao Wuling's pity had only just begun.
After Gongzi Cheng, Li Dui, and others killed Li Zhang, they did not directly report to King Wuling of Zhao, but feared that they would be punished by King Wuling of Zhao and acted first, and even starved King Wuling of Zhao to death.
Iii. The impact of the "Dune Rebellion"
The "Battle of the Dunes" was undoubtedly a huge loss for zhao guo. The first is the fall of a generation of sage kings. King Wuling of Zhao, the sage king who led the country to open up a new world when the country was attacked by the enemy, fell with the coup d'état.
This accident caught King Zhao Wuling, who had already made various strategic plans, by surprise, and all the measures and plans dissipated with the death of this sage king. The second is the death of Shigetoshi Hiyoshi. Fei Yi was the elder of the three dynasties who assisted Marquis Su of Zhao, King Wuling of Zhao, and King Huiwen of Zhao.
He was also an auxiliary chancellor entrusted by King Wuling of Zhao to seek government before his departure, and he was also the main supporter of "Hufu Riding and Shooting". Zhao Zhang's mistaken killing of Fei Yi was unexpected. Of course, Fei Yi's death was a major loss for King Huiwen of Zhao and even for the entire Zhao kingdom.
In such an era of the weak and the strong, perhaps any country wants to expand its territory and strengthen its strength. From the perspective of strength, after the destruction of the Zhongshan Kingdom and the recovery of the nomadic peoples, the Zhao State may indeed have the strength to compete with the Qin State.
And with the mind and strategy of King Wuling of Zhao, history is unknown. Unfortunately, with the coup d'état of the "Dune Rebellion", the talents and strategies of King Wuling of Zhao were also buried deep in the yellow sand of history with the fall of the Xianwang, leaving only the mottled words on the Jian Mu that allowed us to glimpse the heroic outline of this xianwang.
Reference: Chronicle of History