01/
Jiang Taigong is fishing, and Tian is coming to take over?
In other words, this Qi country was originally the fief of Jiang Taigong, and it was a "time-honored" power in the Spring and Autumn Period.
But who would have thought that a down-and-out son from the Chen State would successfully stage a big drama of "Snake Swallowing Elephant" with the efforts of several generations, replacing the Jiang Qi State and becoming the new overlord of the Warring States Period.
The story of this Tian clan is even more exciting than those bloody dramas!
Back then, Chen Wan's ancestor was the son and brother of Chen Guo, but because of a palace coup, he had to flee his hometown and came to Qi State.
At that time, the country of Qi was the world of Duke Qi Huan, and he probably didn't expect that this kid who fled would become his country's "pick-up man" in the future.
After Chen Wan arrived in Qi State, he changed his name and surname to Tian Jingzhong and began his road of "entrepreneurship". With the help of the power of the Qi State, he developed his power step by step.
In Tian Qi's generation, he successfully grasped the real power of Qi by buying people's hearts and stealing by tricks. This is really called a "corner overtaking", which makes people have to admire Tian's "means".
02 /
King Wei and King Xuan went into battle together, and the hegemony began to appear
After the Tian dynasty became Qi, the state of Qi did not decline because of this, but ushered in a new era under the governance of King Qi Wei and King Qi Xuan.
These two kings were truly remarkable figures! Not only did they possess extraordinary wisdom and ability, but more importantly, they knew how to use people and how to give advice.
During the reign of King Qi Wei, he reused Zou Ji, Tian Ji and others to implement a series of reform measures, which greatly increased the national strength of Qi. At the same time, he is also adept at using diplomacy to get the best out of himself.
For example, in the Battle of Maling, he skillfully took advantage of the contradictions between Korea and Wei to defeat the Wei army, and in the Battle of Guiling, he successfully broke the siege and captured Pang Juan, the main general of the Wei army, with the strategy of encircling Wei and saving Zhao.
These achievements not only made the State of Qi famous among the vassal states, but also made King Qi Wei a generation of heroes during the Warring States Period.
And in the period of King Xuan of Qi, he pushed the hegemony of Qi to a new peak. He inherited and developed the policies of King Wei, further expanding the scale of the Jixia Academy, making the Qi Kingdom one of the cultural centers of the time.
At the same time, he also actively expanded his territory externally, attacking Yan to the north, Chu to the south, and Qin to the west. This series of measures made Qi a powerful country that could not be underestimated during the Warring States Period.
These two kings really understood the principle of "following the trend"! They understood that only by constantly reforming and making progress could they gain a foothold in this fiercely competitive Warring States era.
As a result, they recruited talents and humbly accepted advice, making Qi a country full of talents and vitality. This also laid the foundation for the later hegemony.
03 /
齐湣王野心膨胀，“作死”的节奏？
However, the good times did not last long, and the state of Qi also began to show signs of decay after a period of glory. And the source of this decay is the King of Qi who is ambitious but also fatally flawed.
At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, King Qi had great ambitions! He wanted to inherit the hegemony of King Wei and King Xuan, and even wanted to surpass them and become the overlord of the world.
So he began a series of operations of "making death": first proclaimed the emperor, then destroyed the Song Dynasty, and then invaded the Three Jin Dynasty...... This is simply challenging the bottom line of the nations!
At this time, King Qi was probably carried away by his own ambitions! He thought that he was strong enough to ignore any country, but he did not know that this was the beginning of his decline.
Because his actions have aroused strong dissatisfaction and vigilance among other countries, an "anti-Qi alliance" against Qi is quietly forming.
04 /
As soon as Le Yi came out, the "Five-Nation Alliance" came to attack Qi
Finally, under repeated provocations and suppression, those countries that had been bullied by Qi began to unite to resist.
They elected Le Yi of Yan as the commander-in-chief, and formed a huge army with the participation of the combined forces of Yan, Qin, Han, Zhao, and Wei, and slaughtered Qi in a mighty manner.
This is really a fulfillment of the old saying: "If you don't die, you won't die." King Qi thought that he was strong enough to deter the nations, but he didn't know the truth of "the righteous help more and the unrighteous help less".
His ambition and arrogance eventually cost him dearly: the Five-Nation Coalition was overwhelmed and soon captured most of Qi's territory, leaving only the two isolated cities of Ju and Jimo still struggling to hold on.
At this time, King Qi probably just woke up from a dream! He began to regret his arrogance and ignorance, but unfortunately it was too late.
He could only flee to Jucheng with the remnants of the defeated army, and was killed by Chu General Naoya there, ending his controversial life.
05 /
Between rise and fall, are both "doing" and "not doing" sinful?
Looking back on the rise and fall of the Qi State, it is not difficult for us to find an interesting law: that is, whether it is "doing" or "not doing", it seems to lead to the decline and destruction of the country!
I think that the Tian clan was born because they knew how to "do" and how to develop their own power in accordance with the times, and later the hegemony of King Wei and King Xuan was also because they knew how to "not do", how to humbly accept advice, and recruit talents to stabilize the foundation of the country.
But when he came to King Qi, he was too "doing" and led to the decline and destruction of the country, and if he had chosen to "not do" and not provoke the nations, perhaps the result would have been different!
But history has no ifs, only results and consequences. The rise and fall of the Qi State tells us that the fate of a country often depends on the monarch's decision-making and the way of employing people;
At the same time, it also reminds us that in the face of challenges and opportunities, we must know how to judge the situation, weigh the pros and cons, not too aggressive, not too conservative, only to find a development path that suits us, in order to ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of the country!