Preface
In Chinese history, the state of Qin played an extremely important role. The Qin State "Fen VI Yu Lie", six monarchs ascended the throne one after another, and their political achievements and influence during their reigns should not be underestimated.
Some monarchs focus on conquest and wars and national unification, while others focus on governing the country and implementing reforms, while others focus on cultural construction and etiquette systems. So the Qin State "Fen VI Yu Lie", the six monarchs have their own outstanding achievements, but who among them is the most brilliant?
Counting the six from Qin Shi Huang upwards, the main prominent roles are: Qin Xiangong, Qin Xiaogong, Qin Huiwen King and Qin Zhaoxiang King. King Wu of Qin, King Xiaowen of Qin, and King Xiang of Qin Zhuang were not included in the scope of this comparison due to the length of their reigns.
Qin Xiangong: A pioneer of awakened thought
In that turbulent era, Qin's domestic and foreign troubles could be described as the end of the road. Just when people lost hope for the future, a keen monarch stepped forward - Qin Xiangong. He was the first to realize that the Qin state had to shake off the shackles of old ideas in order to regain its vitality.
Before Qin Xiangong, the Qin State was in a very embarrassing situation. Internally, the privileges of the aristocracy were expanding day by day, and the common people were living in hardship, while externally, the surrounding vassal states were eyeing the territory of the Qin State at all times. This situation not only brought the development of the Qin State to an impasse, but also made people lose confidence in the future.
It was in this context that Qin Xiangong stepped forward and began a series of reforms. He first realized that in order to change the fate of the Qin state, it was necessary to fundamentally change the outdated ideological concepts. Therefore, he resolutely abolished the barbaric and cruel custom of human martyrdom, demonstrating his respect for life.
This was a huge breakthrough that marked the beginning of the Qin state towards civilization. At the same time, Qin Xiangong also vigorously carried out a series of reform measures: moving the capital to Liyang, opening a new chapter in the development of the Qin state; establishing household registration to lay the foundation for social management in later generations; implementing the county system to strengthen the central government's control over the localities; and establishing commercial markets to promote economic development.
Although these reforms were still at the ideological level, they laid a solid foundation for the subsequent reforms. It can be said that Qin Xiangong was a true pioneer of reform. He dared to break stereotypes and explore new paths, pointing out the direction for the future development of the Qin State. Although his reforms have not yet been fully implemented, his awakening has laid a solid foundation for his later take-off.
Qin Xiaogong: The raging tide of the law change giant
If Qin Xiangong is a pioneer of thought, then Qin Xiaogong is a doer who truly transforms ideas into action. During his reign, he drastically implemented a series of radical changes, which were later called "reforms".
When Qin Xiaogong ascended the throne, the Qin state was in a very critical period. Although the predecessor Qin Xiangong has opened the door to reform, the real change has not yet been truly implemented. At this time, there were still serious contradictions within the Qin state: the privileges of the nobility were still the same, and the common people lived a difficult life, while externally, the surrounding vassal states were eyeing the territory of the Qin state at all times.
It was in this context that Qin Xiaogong decided to implement the law reform in a big way. He found a far-sighted advisor, Shang Ying, and gave him his full support. Under the leadership of Shang Ying, the changes of the Qin State were in full swing:
First, they abolished the hereditary system and broke the privileges of the nobility. This not only allowed the gradual elimination of social class barriers, but also laid the foundation for the construction of the rule of law in the future.
Second, they established the concept of the rule of law of "cannibalism and cannibalism" and established a social credit system of "reward and punishment trust". This not only ensures the livelihood of the people, but also makes the social order more orderly.
In the end, they implemented the strict punishment law of "leaving no stone unturned", so that the whole society is full of integrity and justice. This not only greatly enhanced the cohesion of the Qin state, but also laid a solid foundation for later military expansion.
It can be said that under the joint promotion of Qin Xiaogong and Shang Ying, the reform of the Qin State completely subverted the old social order and laid a solid foundation for the later prosperity. Their changes have not only created a new situation in terms of ideology, but have also made tremendous achievements in practice. This kind of "change" has become the key to the rise of the Qin State.
King Qin Huiwen: The leader of both wisdom and courage
If Qin Xiaogong was a giant of ideology and military, then King Qin Huiwen was an all-round leader who combined ideology, politics and military affairs. During his reign, he not only inherited and carried forward Qin Xiaogong's concept of changing the law, but also established outstanding military achievements.
When King Huiwen of Qin ascended the throne, the situation in Qin was still very complicated. On the one hand, although the Shang Dynasty reform made great achievements, it also caused some discontent, and on the other hand, the surrounding vassal states were eyeing the territory of the Qin state at all times. This situation of internal and external troubles brought great challenges to King Qin Hui.
Faced with such a situation, King Huiwen of Qin first set out to reorganize the rule of law and order in Qin. He resolutely executed Shang Ying and set about reorganizing and improving the law. This not only demonstrated his insistence on the authority of the central government, but also laid a solid foundation for later development.
At the same time, King Qin Huiwen also showed his outstanding ability to recognize and employ people. He reused Gongsun Yan, a strategist abandoned by Wei, appointed Zhang Yi as prime minister, and used Sima Cuo to balance him. This kind of wisdom not only made the political situation of the Qin State more stable, but also laid a solid foundation for later military expansion.
Militarily, King Qin Huiwen was equally heroic. He successively eliminated the Shu State, defeated the Chu State, and crusaded against Yiqu, making these countries all bow down. The victories in these battles not only expanded the territory of the Qin state, but also greatly enhanced the strength of the Qin state.
It can be said that King Qin Huiwen is a true all-round leader. He not only inherited and carried forward the reform ideas of his predecessors ideologically, but also displayed outstanding wisdom politically, and even made outstanding military achievements. It was this all-round excellence that made him one of the most outstanding monarchs in the history of the Qin state.
King Qin Zhaoxiang: An expert in city strategy
If the first three Qin monarchs were superior in ideology, politics and military, then King Qin Zhaoxiang focused on one thing - conquering cities. During his 56-year reign, he waged wars and attacked cities almost every year.
In the eyes of outsiders, King Qin Zhaoxiang may just be a greedy and lustful and incompetent faint king. But in fact, he had a persistent pursuit of expanding the territory of the Qin state. He was well aware that only by constantly expanding his territory could the Qin state truly become a powerful empire. As a result, he waged wars almost every year during his reign, attacking various cities.
Although these wars seemed to have no purpose, they were actually launched by King Qin Zhaoxiang in order to realize his own ambitions. He successively captured important cities of Shu, Chu, Yiqu and other vassal states, and constantly expanded the territory of Qin. This unremitting effort eventually made the territory of the Qin State more and more extensive, laying a solid foundation for later unification.
Of course, this approach of King Qin Zhaoxiang has also attracted a lot of criticism. Some people think that he is just a money-hungry and lustful dumb gentleman, without any vision or wisdom. But if we analyze it carefully, we will find that he is actually a very persistent monarch.
Although he does not have the courage to change the law like Qin Xiaogong, nor does he have the resourcefulness of King Qin Huiwen, he has an indelible desire to expand. It was this persistence that allowed him to constantly wage wars during his reign, and eventually made the territory of the Qin State more and more extensive.
It can be said that although King Zhaoxiang of Qin was not an outstanding monarch, he also made important contributions to the development of the Qin state. His strategy of attacking the city laid a solid foundation for later unification. Although his way may not be appropriate, his persistence and courage are worthy of our learning and admiration.
epilogue
Through the review of these Qin monarchs, we can see that each of them has made outstanding contributions in different fields and jointly promoted the take-off of the Qin State. From the precedent of Qin Xiangong's awakening of his thoughts, to Qin Xiaogong's great act of changing the law, from the leadership of Qin Huiwen and Wang Zhiyong, to the efforts of Qin Zhaoxiang to conquer the city, step by step, the Qin State finally moved towards glory.
It was the convergence of these six generations that allowed the Qin State to finally realize the great cause of unifying the world. Their stories not only show the rise and fall of a country, but also highlight the greatness of human nature and the spirit of unremitting pursuit of human beings.