In the torrent of history, there are always moments like meteors crossing the sky, short and gorgeous, but disappearing into endless darkness in an instant. The period of "four generations of chaotic government" after the death of Qin Li Gonggong is such a suffocating history. It was an era of great decline in national strength and turbulent weather, and in stark contrast, it was Wei that was taking advantage of the east wind of "Li Kui's reform" to advance all the way, as if the world was under its control.
However, the course of history is always full of unpredictability. Just when everyone thought that Wei would take this opportunity to defeat Qin in one fell swoop, the result was unexpected. In the end, the Qin State, which came out of the quagmire of "four generations of chaotic government", dominated the world, while the once ambitious Wei State gradually dimmed in this historical chess game. So, what is the reason for Wei to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
In my opinion, the reason why Wei failed to take advantage of the chaos to completely defeat Qin was first of all because of the limited strategic vision of its monarch Wei Wenhou. Although Wei Wenhou was a generation of heroes, after taking power, he had to face various problems left by the "three divisions", such as the division of territory and the reconstruction of power. These problems consumed a lot of his energy, causing him to miss the best time to attack Qin. By the time he was ready to move westward, the Qin state had gradually recovered and began to show its tenacious vitality.
In addition, there were many problems with Wei's war strategy against Qin. Although Wei Wenhou appointed Wu Qi, a brilliant military strategist, as the chief general of the Qin attack, in the course of the war, Wei focused too much on tactical victories and neglected long-term strategic planning. As a result, although Wei achieved some victories in the war against Qin, it was never able to shake the foundation of Qin. At the same time, with the victory of Wei in the eastern battlefield, it aroused the vigilance and joint resistance of other vassal states, which made Wei have to disperse its forces to deal with it, and the offensive against Qin naturally weakened.
More crucially, after the death of Marquis Wen of Wei, the successor Marquis of Wei Wuhou underwent a fundamental shift in the strategic focus of the Qin state. He shifted his focus to the struggle for hegemony in the east and took a defensive position against the Qin state in the west. This strategic shift undoubtedly gave the Qin state a respite, allowing it to quickly recover and rise after the end of the "Four Generations of Chaotic Governance". And Wu Qi's departure brought Wei's strategy towards Qin into a state of stagnation and lost important strategic support.
When Qin Xiangong returned to China to overthrow Qin and put an end to the "four generations of chaotic government", Wei had forever lost the historical opportunity to completely defeat Qin. As Shang moved from Wei to Qin and implemented a series of reforms, Qin's national power rose rapidly and eventually dominated the world. The Wei State gradually lost its dominant position in this historical chess game, and finally became a vassal of the Qin State.
Looking back on this period of history, we can't help but sigh at the ruthlessness and unpredictability of history. Wei had a golden opportunity to defeat Qin in one fell swoop, but for various reasons, it missed this opportunity. This is not only due to the strategic mistakes of the monarch, but also to the background of the times and the influence of the external environment. But in any case, history is in the past, and we cannot change it. However, we can draw profound lessons and lessons from this history.
As leaders or decision-makers, we must have a long-term strategic vision and decision-making ability. In the face of a complex and ever-changing situation, we should not only focus on the immediate gains and losses, but ignore the long-term strategic planning. At the same time, we need to be good at seizing opportunities and acting decisively. Opportunities are often fleeting, and success can only be seized if decisions are made quickly and acted upon. In addition, we need to be humble and cautious and constantly learn and improve. History is a mirror that allows us to see our own shortcomings and mistakes. We should learn from the experience and lessons of history and constantly reflect on whether our actions and decisions are correct.
In short, Wei missed the opportunity to use the "four generations of chaotic government" to completely defeat the Qin state, which is a history that makes people sigh. But this history has also brought us profound revelations and lessons. We should draw wisdom and strength from this to better face the challenges and opportunities ahead.