As we all know, the three branches of the Jin Dynasty were a watershed event between the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States. From 633 BC, when Duke Wen of Jin established Liuqing, Liuqing has always held the power of the Jin state. By the time of the Jin Dynasty, Han, Zhao, Wei, Zhi, Fan, and the six secretaries of the Zhonghang clan were tilting against each other. Later, after Zhao destroyed the Fan and Zhongxing clans, in 453 BC they united with Han, and Wei destroyed the Zhi clan, and the Jin state office survived in name only. In 403 BC, the kingdoms of Wei, Zhao, and Korea were crowned by the Zhou royal family and officially became princely states during the Warring States period. In 376 BC, Han, Zhao, and Wei deposed the Duke of Jing of Jin and moved to Duanshi (present-day Qinshui County, Jin). Divide up all the remaining land in the Jin Dynasty. Therefore, the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao, and Wei were collectively known as the "Three Jins".
After the three families were divided into Jin, although the geographical location of the State of Wei was relatively poor, that is, it was located between the great powers of the State of Qin, the State of Qi, the State of Chu, and the State of Zhao. However, what people did not expect was that the State of Wei became the first princely state to dominate among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. That is, in the early Warring States period, Korea and the Zhao state needed to follow the wei state. In this regard, in the author's opinion, the reason why the State of Wei can take the lead in dominating the Central Plains is that the monarch Of Wei Wenhou is naturally indispensable.
One
Specifically, Wei Wenhou Weisi (472 BC – 396 BC), grandson of Wei Huanzi and father of Wei Wuhou, inherited his grandfather's family business in 446 BC. When the three families were divided into Jin, the Zhao clan made the most profits, and the Wei clan and the Han clan got less. The Zhao clan acquired a large area of land in the northern part of the Jin Dynasty and crossed the Taihang Mountains to the east, occupying Handan and Zhongmu. The Wei and Han clans are shrouded in the south of the Zhao clan, with the Wei clan to the west and the Han clan to the east. The Zhi clan territory occupied by the Zhao clan was pressing on the territory of the Wei clan, and the Wei clan was very depressed.
To the west of the Wei clan was the Qin state across a river, to the north was the mighty Zhao clan, to the east was the emerging Han clan, and to the south was the Shaanxi region where the Qin, Chu, and Zheng kingdoms were fighting for the tug-of-war between the Qin, Chu, and Zheng states (in present-day Sanmenxia, Henan Province). The Wei clan was tightly wrapped in a corner of the southwestern Jin Dynasty. The Wei clan was concentrated in the southwest of Jin, and although there were still several enclaves in the east, they were all unstable and difficult to form a solid foundation. Such a terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it is also easy to be suppressed and blocked. Therefore, the first thing Wei Wenhou had to do was to strengthen himself and not be cannibalized by the surrounding powers, and then to break the deadlock and thus promote the rise of the State of Wei.
In 403 BC, after receiving the canonization of the Zhou royal family, the State of Wei was officially established, and Marquis Wenhou of Wei became the first monarch of the State of Wei. Considering that the State of Wei was surrounded by many princely states, Wei Wenhou was worried for a long time. Just as the so-called "born in sorrow, died in peace", in order to make the State of Wei rise later, during the reign of Marquis Wenhou of Wei, Corporal Li Xian appointed Li Wu and Zhai Huang as Xiangguo, and Le Yang and Wu Qi as generals. Throughout the Warring States period, the influence and role of talents on various princely states was naturally very great. For example, without the help of Shang Martingale, the Qin state could not have risen in the middle and late Period of the Warring States. For the Wei state that rose in the early stage of the Warring States, it was also inseparable from the promotion of Li Wu's transformation method.
Two
After the three families were divided into Jin, Li Wu carried out the "Li Wu Transformation Method" with the support of Wei Wenhou. The content of Li Wu's transformation method mainly includes four aspects.
The first is to select officials according to their ability, which naturally helps to improve the operational efficiency of the Wei state. In this process, the Li Wu Transformation Method also paid attention to the restrictions on the Wei State Sect.
The second was to encourage the common people to reclaim the land and abolish the well field system promoted by the Zhou Dynasty. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, roads and channels crisscrossed each other, dividing the land into blocks, shaped like the word "well", so it was called "well field". Ida belonged to the King of Zhou and was assigned to the common people for use. By the Spring and Autumn Period, the well field system gradually collapsed due to the emergence of iron farming tools and the popularity of cattle farming.
The third is to promulgate the "Law Classic" and consolidate the results of the change of law. Moreover, the emergence of the "Book of Laws" also helped to standardize the promotion of officials and the military achievements of the Wei state.
The fourth is to establish Wei Wu pawns and enhance the combat effectiveness of Wei soldiers. At that time, there was a saying that "Qi's skill cannot meet Wei's martial pawns", that is, the combat effectiveness of Wei's martial pawns was no opponent among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States.
In this regard, in the view of many historians, the change method opened by Li Wu in the State of Wei is the earliest change method in ancient history, which not only provides a reference for the Shang martingale transformation method and the Wu Qi transformation method, but also has a profound impact on the development of ancient history. During the Warring States period, the State of Qin rose because of the Shang Martingale Transformation Law, the State of Zhao became strong because of the Hu costume riding and shooting, and for the State of Wei, it was also renewed because of the Li Wu Transformation Law.
Three
After Li Wu changed the law, Wei Wenhou continued to use troops to the outside world, and he won more and lost less. Of course, unlike the monarchs after Marquis Wu of Wei and King Hui of Wei, Marquis Wenhou of Wei first secured the alliance of the Three Jins in the use of foreign troops, that is, the State of Wei ate meat, and also allowed the State of Zhao and Korea to drink soup, so as to jointly oppose the other princely states in the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. In 413 BC, in the land of Hexi, Li Wu led the Wei army to defeat the Qin army. Soon after, Wu Qi led an army directly into the Weihe Plain of the Qin State. By 390 BC, after many attacks by Li Wu, Wu Qi, and others, the State of Wei completely occupied the land of Hexi, which prompted the territory of the State of Wei to be significantly expanded. And this is undoubtedly a serious weakening of the strength of the Qin state. Therefore, after Qin Xiaogong ascended the throne, he felt the backwardness of the Qin state, so he was thirsty for talents, and finally won the defection of Shang Martin and other talents.
For Wei Wenhou, he not only defeated the State of Qin in the west, but also launched a fierce contest with the State of Qi in the east. In 405 BC, the Tian family, which held the power of the State of Qi, was in civil unrest. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the State of Wei, The Republic of Korea, and the State of Zhao jointly attacked the State of Qi, killing 30,000 of the State of Qi's army. A year later, the three families of Wei Zhao and Han attacked the State of Qi again, which prompted Tian He, who held great power in the State of Qi, to be forced to cut off land and seek peace. As a result, the three families of Wei Zhao and Han acquired large tracts of land in the war with the State of Qi.
At the same time, in the early warring states period, due to the development of the Zhao, Wei, and Han families on the south bank of the Yellow River, they attacked the Zheng and Song states, thus clashing interests with the Chu states that had always wanted to control the Zheng and Song states. This undoubtedly led to the outbreak of many wars between the Three Jins and the Chu State. Although the strength of the State of Chu was relatively strong, because Wei Wenhou united Korea and the State of Zhao, and had the elite Wei Wu pawns, he defeated the Chu army and seized the land of the State of Chu in the Central Plains, thus curbing the momentum of the Expansion of the State of Chu into the Central Plains.
Four
Finally, in response to the already rising momentum of the Zhao state, Wei Wenhou chose to include the southern bank of the Zhangshui River into the Wei state's sphere of influence and established Yi County, which led to the strategic goal of the Zhao state to enter the Central Plains in the south was hit head-on. In this regard, in the author's opinion, the establishment of Yi County can also threaten the hinterland of the Zhao State, which makes the Zhao State like a fish in the throat.
Moreover, the Battle of Zhongshan by Wei took place during the early Warring States Period (408-406 BC), when the State of Wei attacked a war against zhongshan. In the 18th and 20th years of King Weilie of Zhou (408-406 BC), the Wei army attacked the Zhongshan state at Gu (present-day Dingzhou, Hebei). After three years of fighting, the strength of the Zhongshan Kingdom had been exhausted. Twenty years after King Weilie of Zhou, the Wei army finally conquered Gucheng and occupied all the territory of zhongshan. As a result, the Zhongshan Kingdom, which had been regarded as a major problem by King Wuling of Zhao in the middle of the Warring States Period, was destroyed by the State of Wei in the early Warring States period. Of course, after the death of Marquis Wen of Wei, the crown prince who had originally guarded the Zhongshan Kingdom returned to the Wei State and took the throne, which led to the restoration of the Zhongshan Kingdom.
In this regard, in the author's opinion, the State of Wei eliminated the State of Zhongshan, and even made the State of Zhao surrounded by the State of Wei, making it difficult for the State of Zhao to challenge the hegemony of the State of Wei. In summary, during the reign of Wei Wenhou, he selected talents and abilities, worked hard to govern, and won many victories in battles against the great powers of the State of Qi, the State of Qin, and the State of Chu, which prompted the State of Wei to become the undisputed hegemon of the Central Plains.