In 334 BC, the Zhou dynasty Su Qin waded through the mountains and came to the Yan kingdom to ask to see Marquis Wen of Yan.
Although it was after the summoning of the Duke, after entering the Spring and Autumn Period, because it was far away from the Central Plains, the Yan State had been in an embarrassing position of marginalization. For a long time, the national strength of the Yan state was even inferior to that of the second-rate princely states such as Zheng and Song. However, the geographical disadvantage has become the advantage of the Yan state to some extent. Many countries in the Central Plains were constantly eroded and even destroyed in the long-term war for hegemony among the great powers; but the Yan state, which was far away from the Central Plains, rarely encountered foreign invasions, and survived peacefully to the Warring States, and stepped into the ranks of the "Seven Heroes of the Warring States" in one fell swoop. The Yan kingdom became one of the "Seven Heroes", not because it was strong, but because it lived longer than many other princely states.
Before coming to the Yan Kingdom, Su Qin lobbied the princes everywhere for many years, but he failed to fly Huang Tengda, but instead returned home in poverty and suffered the shame of his family. To this end, Su Qin endured the humiliation and buried his head in hard study for a year, and then traveled again. This time he had traveled to many countries, but he still failed to convince those in power. The State of Yan was already the fourth country that Su Qin had traveled to this time. If he doesn't succeed again, he may roll back to Luoyang and learn from his brothers to do business! The State of Yan was Su Qin's last hope. Therefore, even if Yan Wenhou was reluctant to see him, Su Qin was still unwilling to leave, and spent a full year here!
Since the Spring and Autumn Period, in the Eastern Zhou Yan Kingdom, it has always been a "soy sauce"-like existence, so that lobbyists rarely come here. This time, a guest from the royal family suddenly visited, and stayed for a year, Yan Wengong finally had some intention of not going, so he personally received Su Qin.
Seeing that Yan Wenhou was willing to see him, Su Qin, who had repeatedly lost battles, was suddenly excited. However, what exactly did he have to say to convince Yan Wenhou?
During the year that he had been wandering in the Yan Kingdom, Su Qin had always been thinking about this issue.
After meeting Marquis Wenhou of Yan, Su Qinxian touted the State of Yan: "The yan country is more than two thousand miles away, with hundreds of thousands of armor, 600 chariots, 6,000 cavalry, and corn can support for several years." To the south were the rich products of Jieshi (碣石; in present-day Changli, Hebei), Yanmen, and in the north, dates and chestnuts were abundant. The people are not engaged in production, and the dates and chestnuts are enough to feed the people. This is the so-called 'Kingdom of Heaven'. ”
Most of the more than two thousand miles of land in the Yan Kingdom were bitter cold lands; it was not too reliable to use dates and chestnuts as staple food for the people. Is it too far-fetched to call the Yan Kingdom the "Kingdom of Heavenly Palace"?
Seeing that Yan Wenhou did not hate this set of remarks, Su Qin suddenly turned his words sharply and promoted the idea of "hezhong": "The country is happy and uneventful, there is no worry about overthrowing the army and killing the general, and no other country can surpass the Yan state at this point." However, did the Great King know the reason why Yan Guo could sleep in peace? This is because Zhao Guo made a barrier in the south! Qin and Zhao fought five battles, the Qin state won twice, and the Zhao state won three times. The qin and zhao kingdoms were tired, but the king controlled the rear of the Zhao state with the entire Yan state, so the Yan state rarely encountered foreign invasions. Moreover, if the State of Qin wanted to attack the State of Yan, it would have to cross Yunzhong (northeast of present-day Tokto, Inner Mongolia), Jiuyuan (present-day Jiuyuan District, Baotou City, Inner Mongolia), and pass through Daidi (present-day Wei County, Hebei) and Shanggu (present-day Huailai County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei). Even if the city of Yan was captured, the Qin people could not hold on, so it was obvious that Qin could not harm the Yan state. And the Zhao state attacked the yan state, and within ten days after giving the order, hundreds of thousands of troops arrived in Dongyuan (東垣, in present-day Shijiazhuang, Hebei); and then crossed the Tuotuo River and Yishui, but in four or five days, they could directly reach the capital of the Yan state! Therefore, when the State of Qin attacked the State of Yan, it fought thousands of miles away; when the State of Zhao attacked the State of Yan, the war occurred within a hundred miles. There is no worse plan than not to worry about the scourge of a hundred miles away, but to pay attention to the distant worries of thousands of miles away. Therefore, I hope that the great king can be "united" with the Zhao kingdom, and the princes of the world will become one, then the Yan kingdom will certainly be in trouble. ”
Facing the Yan Kingdom, Su Qin did not tell the grand strategy of "combining the verticals" in the world, but only let the Yan State and the Zhao State ally, which can be described as "completing a small goal first". The State of Yan was originally weak, and in the Spring and Autumn Period, it had little contact with the surrounding countries and rarely formed a vendetta. However, in the same year that Su Qin arrived in the State of Yan, the State of Qin came to marry, and King Hui of Qin (who was still Hui Wenjun at this time) married his daughter to the Prince of the State of Yan, apparently intending to unite with the State of Yan to attack the Three Jins. However, Su Qin's words clearly expounded the advantages and disadvantages of Lian Qin (Lian Heng) and Lian Zhao (Hezhong), and Yan Wenhou immediately understood the stakes. Therefore, Yan Wenhou immediately accepted Su Qin's idea of combining and indulging: "The widow country is weak and small, and in the west it is forced by the strong Qin, and in the south it is close to the State of Qi and the State of Zhao." Qi and Zhao are both powerful countries, and today I am fortunate to be taught by you to stabilize the Yan kingdom with the art of connivance, please follow the whole country. ”
Su Qin successfully took the first step with the strategy of resisting Qin.
Although he was known as the head of the Warring States Zongheng family, later generations had many doubts about Su Qin's deeds. Because in the pre-Qin literature, there are too many historical materials hanging in the name of Su Qin. Among the many historical sources, Su Qin's political career lasted for nearly eighty years; some historical materials even occurred after the year of Su Qin's death recorded in the "Records of History". With the emergence of new historical materials (such as the "Warring States ZhonghengJia Book"), modern historians have even given birth to a new view: Su Qin and Zhang Yi are not from the same era, and Su Qin should be after Zhang Yi.
In order to enhance the credibility of this conclusion, it has also been pointed out that in the Su and Qin era recorded in the "Records of History", there was no need for the Six Kingdoms of Shandong to comprehensively "unite" to resist the Qin. On the one hand, this was because the Qin state at that time was not enough to dominate the world, on the other hand, the Qi and Chu states in the six kingdoms of Shandong were strong, and there was no need to "unite" to resist the Qin state. Therefore, at that time, the political basis for the comprehensive "integration" of the six countries in Shandong did not exist.
Is this really the case?
334 BC is actually a somewhat special year. Ten years earlier, the Qi people Tian Ji and Sun Zhen had defeated the Wei army at Maling (马陵山, in present-day Changge, Henan), after which the Zhou royal family had sent a letter to Qin Xiaogong; six years earlier, Qin, Zhao, and Qi had jointly attacked Wei, and the Qin had broken through the natural dangers of Kunhan, seized the land west of the Wei state, and gradually expanded to the east of the river; in 334 BC, King Zhou Xianwang again bestowed Wenwu on King Hui of Qin (now Huiwenjun), and King Hui of Wei was forced to bow to King Qiwei and come to Xuzhou (in present-day southern Tengzhou, Shandong) to ally with the Qi huihui and proclaim himself king with the king of Qiwei; the following year, Because Tian Bao deceived Chu, the King of Chu Wei made a big move against Qi and defeated the Qi army in Xuzhou; six years later, the King of Chu Wei led his army north to the Mountains of Xin (present-day south of Xinzheng City, Henan) to attack the State of Wei, and as a result, with the help of the Qin army, the Wei people won a great victory, and even the King of Chu Wei died of illness on the way to the expedition...).
Ten years ago, the overlord of the early Warring States period, the State of Wei, fell to the altar of hegemony; after that, King Hui of Wei took the initiative to show weakness and went to the pilgrimage to The King of Qi Wei; the Qi people were happy less than a year later, they suffered the defeat of Xuzhou; six years after the great victory over the State of Qi, the State of Chu suffered a major setback at Mount Qi! From this point of view, 334 BC is a special turning point in the rotation of strength and weakness in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Although such a special, it is purely a coincidence.
However, behind the frequent changes in the "Great King Banner of Chengtou" in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the only constant is the rapid rise of the Qin State.
While the great powers frequently attacked and defeated each other, the Qin state not only steadily gained the position of hegemon, but also broke through the natural dangers of Kunhan and strongly expanded its power to the Central Plains.
Born out of the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao and Wei in the Jin Dynasty, the Spring and Autumn Period formed a feud with the Qin State. Now that the most powerful state of Wei in the Three Jin Dynasties had been seized by the Qin army, and the important town of Yiyang in the west of Korea had been attacked twice by the Qin army, the Zhao state, although there was no major war with the Qin state for the time being, also felt the threat from the Qin army. Therefore, the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao, and Wei, which directly faced the threat of the Qin state, naturally had a strong need for "combined indulgence" to resist the strong Qin.
Although the State of Chu in the south was the largest state in Eastern Zhou at that time, and it was only a few years after Su Qin's visit to the State of Yan that it suffered the defeat of Mount Xuan, in the year of seizing the Wei state of Hexi (340 BC), the State of Qin had already extended its claws to the State of Chu. The aggressiveness of the Qin state made the newly enthroned King of Chu Wei feel deeply overwhelmed, and even complained to Mo Ao Zihua that there was no one around. Therefore, the King of Chu Wei also had a desire to "join forces" in his heart to resist Qin.
After seeing clearly the troubles of the Chu State, Su Qin advised the King of Chu Wei to "join in" in this way: "The Chu State is five thousand miles, with a million armored soldiers, a thousand military vehicles, tens of thousands of cavalry, and corn can be supported for ten years, this is the capital of the overlord!" If the Chu state bowed to Qin, then no one in the world would dare not submit to Qin. At present, no one in the country that the Qin state is jealous of can catch up with the chu state. The State of Chu is weak and the State of Qin is weak, and the Weak State of Chu is strong, and the two countries are inherently inseparable. Therefore, planning for the great king, combining and isolating the Qin state is the best strategy. If the king did not agree, then the Qin state would definitely attack the Chu state in two ways: one attacked Wuguan, and the other went down the river from Qianzhong. If so, then the land of Yan and Yin is dangerous! ”
Since the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, due to the lack of institutional changes, the Chu state has entered a bottleneck of development, which has long been large but not strong. Because of this, the King of Chu Wei was deeply powerless against the rise of the Qin State. Before coming to the Chu state, Su Qin had convinced Yan, the Three Jins, and the Qi state successively. Backed by an alliance of the other five kingdoms, Su Qin persuaded the State of Chu to "unite" to isolate the State of Qin, which naturally won the heartfelt welcome of the King of Chu Wei.
Compared with the State of Chu, the possibility of the State of Qi "merging with the longitudinal" is actually the smallest.
After the two victories over the State of Wei, the State of Qi at this time was in its heyday. Compared with the State of Qin, the State of Qi, which directly pulled the State of Wei down from the altar of hegemony, actually had a higher prestige. The two kingdoms of Qi and Qin were thousands of miles apart, which could be described as "the wind and horses and cattle are not in harmony", so that the king of Qi Wei agreed to join forces to resist Qin, and there was no urgent need.
However, after the Zhou royal family made Qin Xiaogong the overlord, this stimulated the competitive spirit of the Qi Wei kings to compete for hegemony. It was the State of Qi that pulled the State of Wei down from the throne of hegemony, but the Zhou royal family did not crown King Qi Wei as the overlord but sealed others, could he be convinced? This is enough to prove that king of Zhou Xian gave King Hui of Qin (who was not yet known as king at this time) The year that King Wei of Qi invited King Hui of Wei to come to Xuzhou to jointly claim the throne.
Therefore, when persuading king Qi Wei to "join forces", Su Qin particularly emphasized that the state of Qi was a powerful country in the world, and the state of Qin could not pose a threat to the state of Qi at all: "It cannot be thought that the state of Qin cannot threaten the state of Qi, but instead wants to go west to serve the state of Qin, which is a mistake in the planning of the ministers." Now the subordinate's plan does not have the reputation of serving the Qin state, but it can get the real benefits of the rich country and strong soldiers, and the subordinates hope that the king can pay attention! "The State of Qin is strong, but is the State of Qi bad?" Why worship Qin as the overlord?
As far as the King of Qiwei was concerned, he was unwilling to admit that the Qin people were the overlords. What's more, participating in the "hezhong" to isolate the Qin state is also in line with the qi wei king's consistent idea of hegemony.
When the state of Wei was still the hegemon, King Hui of Wei relied on his national strength and frequently provoked incidents within the Three Jins, forcing the two states of Han and Zhao to unite with Qi, Chu, and other other countries to jointly oppose the State of Wei. In the end, under the intentional or unintentional "combination" of Han, Zhao, Qi, Chu, Qin and other states, through the two battles of Guiling and Maling, the State of Wei was pulled down from the hegemonic shrine. When fighting against the State of Wei, "unity and indulgence" was an unintentional spontaneous act of the nations. Now that the State of Qin had just become the hegemon, Su Qin saw the opportunity to wander among the Six Kingdoms of Shandong, and for the first time took the initiative to promote "hezhong" to resist Qin. The essence of the so-called "joint longitudinal" is "shooting the head bird", and many countries have come together to strangle the strongest of them.
Therefore, King Qi Wei joined the "Hezhong" not because he was afraid of the Qin State, but because he wanted to repeat the same trick and use the "Hezhong" to pull down the new overlord of the Qin State! Therefore, king Qi Wei happily agreed to the "hezhong".
On the whole, the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao, and Wei had a clear need to "join the longitudinal" to resist the Qin, but the two states of Qi and Chu preferred to use the "hezhong" to curb the development of the Qin state, and the Yan state hoped to "join the longitudinal" to reduce friction with neighboring countries.
The reason why Su Qin's "hezhong" plan was successful was not because the Qin state was strong enough to threaten the life and death of the six shandong countries, but because Su Qin saw clearly that the needs of the "hezhong" of the nations were not exactly the same, and then stated the advantages and disadvantages of the "hezhong" according to different needs, and finally united the six shandong countries with different needs with the strategy of "hezhong"! One of the key factors in Su Qin's success is that he can use the idea of "combining verticals" to meet the different needs of different countries.
On the other hand, the strength of the Qin state is not enough to dominate the world, which is another key factor for the six countries of Shandong to openly "unite and indulge". Otherwise, as soon as Qiang Qin threatens a little, the position of the state participating in the "joint vertical" will be shaken, and what is the significance of the "joint vertical"? The reason why it was difficult for the "hezhong" after Su Qin to reach the height of Su Qin was precisely because the strength of the Qin state had greatly surpassed the six kingdoms of Shandong.