The first era in Chinese history that was able to unify multiple nationalities and achieve absolute monarchy was the Qin Dynasty, and that era was so brilliant because there were many talents who shined in it. Three generations of Meng's ancestors and grandchildren were engraved on the list of famous generals, making great contributions to the Qin Dynasty.
Meng Tian was the grandson of the Qin general Meng Xiao, because he had been practicing martial arts for generations, he was talented and brave, and he was interested in practicing martial arts from an early age, and was later appointed by Qin Shi Huang and was named a general.
Meng Tian had many achievements in his life, especially in the fight against the Xiongnu, he was indeed called "the first warrior in China".
How did Meng Tian, the "First Warrior of China", defeat the Xiongnu twice?
Meng Tian was proficient in the art of war from an early age, and exerted the potential of "good war" to his achievements in resisting the Xiongnu. "Biography of the Xiongnu" Zhongyun: The First Emperor made Meng Tian attack Hu with 100,000 people in the north, and the "Chronicle of Meng TianLie" records that "it was when Meng Tian wei shocked the Xiongnu" and "the violent division was outside for more than ten years, and the upper county", here it can be seen that Meng Tian resisted the Xiongnu, and the effect achieved was "Wei Zhen Xiongnu".
The Xiongnu were once a major hidden danger to Qin Shi Huang, according to the records, "the customs of the Xiongnu." Man eats the flesh of the animals, drinks their juices, and clothes their skins; the animals eat grass and drink water, which can be transferred at any time. Therefore, if it is anxious, people are used to riding and shooting, and if they are wide, people are happy, and their constraints are light and easy to do."
The Xiongnu were good at riding and shooting, and had a rough personality, and when qin unified the whole country, they went south to occupy Henan and other places, directly approaching the heart of the country, Xianyang, thus seeing the great hidden danger of the Xiongnu to the Qin state.
Meng Tian was young and vigorous, although the combat experience was insufficient, he accumulated a lot of valuable experience in the previous battles, coupled with the fact that Meng Tian was a general for generations, he was deeply influenced by his ancestors from an early age, so soon Meng Tian was brave and good at fighting on the battlefield against the Xiongnu, and he was invincible.
Meng Tian had two major wars with the Xiongnu, one was in 215 BC, the Qin Dynasty's 300,000 troops engaged the Xiongnu, the Qin army under the leadership of Meng Tian was like a broken bamboo, Yu Xuanang, nearly 10,000 Prisoners of War Xiongnu, and recovered Henan and other lost lands;
The other time was in 214 BC, when Meng Tian led his army across the Yellow River, and fought a major battle north of the Yellow River against Shan Yujun, and finally returned with a great victory. These two victories demoralized the Huns and retreated north.
The northern border of the Qin Dynasty took the opportunity to expand to the area around inner Mongolia today. Meng Tian not only eliminated troubles, but also expanded the scope of Qin Shi Huang's rule. Resisting the invasion of the Xiongnu, it can shock the four directions and make the Huns fearful.
In the "Taishi Gong Self-Introduction", Sima Qian praised Meng Tian for "benefiting the people for the Qin Kaidi, the Xiongnu in the north, the river as the plug, the mountain as solid, and the Yuzhong in the construction". Meng Tian made outstanding military achievements in this regard of external troubles, which was enough to make Qin Shi Huang "very fond of Meng Shi Huang and trust the sages" for him.
What projects did Meng Tian, the "First Foreman of Great Qin", do during his time in the Qin Kingdom?
Meng Tian led the construction of the Great Wall, reducing foreign invasion and making the people's lives stable. The "Chronicle of Meng TianLie" records: "The construction of the Great Wall, because of the terrain, with the use of dangerous plugs, started in Lintao, to Liaodong, extending for more than 10,000 miles. So cross the river, according to yangshan, and go north with snakes. ”
The construction of the Great Wall consolidated the strength of the Qin state and ensured the livelihood and productivity of the people in the north. In the area north of the Yellow River, Mengtian established forty-four counties, relocated 30,000 households, and vigorously developed farming.
Many people believe that the construction of the Great Wall by the Qin State led to the death of the Qin State due to tyranny, in fact, the construction of the Great Wall was not the root of the demise of the Qin Dynasty, and the reason was not in Mengtian.
Meng Tian built the Great Wall and vigorously carried out infrastructure construction, which greatly promoted the economic development of the northern qin state and made indelible contributions to the economy of the qin state.
Meng Tian has been stationed abroad for a long time, and for nearly ten years, his sincerity to Qin Shi Huang is obvious, and Meng Tian has also won the trust of Qin Shi Huang.
Later, Qin Shi Huang also asked Meng Tian to build a spacious straight road from Xianyang to Jiuyuan.
"Mengtian Lie's biography" Yun: "The First Emperor wants to travel the world, dao jiuyuan, straight to Ganquan, is to make Mengtian passage, from jiuyuan to Ganquan, the valley of the mountain, 1800 miles." The road is not enough. ”
It can be seen that when Qin Shi Huang died and Meng Tian committed suicide, this road was still not completed. Regarding the great significance of this road, some scholars believe that not only can it maintain the magnificent edifice of the Qin Empire and the political situation of unification and stability at the beginning of its birth, but also for a long time after that, it has played an important and positive role in promoting national stability, economic and cultural exchanges between the central plains inland and the northern minority areas, and between the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia.
The preparation of this road is no longer just for the convenience of Qin Shi Huang, the influence behind it is more important, from the construction of the Great Wall to the construction of the highway, it is not an exaggeration to call Meng Tian the "first foreman of Great Qin".
Why was Meng Tian, who had made outstanding contributions to the Qin State, finally forced to swallow medicine and commit suicide
Because of Mengtian, Qin Shi Huang also trusted MengTian's younger brother Meng Yi very much, and at that time, the Meng brothers had great power inside and outside the dynasty, Meng Tian was stationed outside, Meng Yi was in the inner dynasty, and when Qin Shi Huang went out, he even let Meng Yi ride in the same car with him.
These outstanding achievements of Meng Tian all helped Qin Shi Huang to take the lead in other forces and show his superiority. Qin Shi Huang unified the whole country, the Meng family is indispensable to the assistance of Qin Shi Huang, and the person who can become the "first warrior in the world" is not only because of Meng Tian's combat ability, but also because of Meng Tian's long-term strategic vision.
It is precisely because Ofeman's power is so great and it has won the trust of Qin Shi Huang that after Qin Shi Huang's death, Meng Shi Huang became Zhao Gao's greatest enemy.
At that time, Qin Shi Huang originally planned to let Fu Su inherit the throne, and the Meng brothers supported Fu Su, but when Zhao Gao was in the sand dunes, he took advantage of the first news of Qin Shi Huang's death to unite with Hu Hai and said that Li Si, the general chancellor, decided to tamper with Qin Shi Huang's will, and Hu Hai gave Fu Su death after he took the throne.
Meng Tian naturally expressed doubts, and then Li Si sent people to grasp Meng Tian's military power, originally Li Si did not want to kill the Meng brothers, but Meng Yi once severely punished Zhao Gao, almost killing Zhao Gao, causing Zhao Gao's jealousy.
Under Zhao Gao's slander, Hu Hai gave Meng Yi death, and according to the Qin Dynasty's method of sitting continuously, Meng Tian could not escape death, and eventually swallowed medicine and committed suicide.
Poor Meng Tian had made so many contributions to the establishment of the Qin state, and in the end it was such a fate.
summary:
Meng Tian is talented and capable, but he still can't escape the mercy of fate. Fu Su was framed and killed by Zhao Gao, and Qin II usurped the throne, because Meng Tian was closely related to Fu Su, Hu Hai, as emperor, must get rid of Meng Tian, and in this way, Meng Tian was involved in the dispute between the government and the government, and finally died unjustly, becoming another victim of the power struggle. Meng Tian was determined to dedicate his life to Qin, his merits far exceeded his mistakes, his brilliant life was sad and lamentable, and he was passed down by people on paper and pencil, so he became the "first warrior of China".