Jing Ke assassinated the King of Qin

The King of Qin appointed Wei Liao in a political position. He wanted to unify the Central Plains and constantly attacked other countries. He broke up the alliance between Yan and Zhao, causing Yan to lose several cities.

Prince Dan of Yan State originally stayed in Qin State as a hostage. When he saw that King Qin was determined to annex other countries and seize the land of Yan State, he secretly fled back to Yan State. He hated Qin so much that he wanted to avenge Yan. However, he did not train his troops, nor did he plan to contact the princes to fight against Qin. Instead, he pinned the fate of Yan on the assassins. He took out all his family property and looked for someone who could assassinate the king of Qin.

Later, Prince Dan found a very capable warrior named Jing Ke. He accepted Jing Ke as a guest, gave Jing Ke his carriage and horses to ride on, and let Jing Ke enjoy his own meals and clothes together. Of course Jing Ke was very grateful to Prince Dan.

In 230 BC, the State of Qin destroyed South Korea; two years later, General Wang Jian of the State of Qin occupied Handan, the capital of the State of Zhao, and marched northward, approaching the State of Yan.

Prince Dan of Yan was very anxious and went to find Jing Ke. Prince Dan said: "Using troops to deal with Qin is like throwing eggs at rocks; it seems impossible to unite all countries to fight against Qin. I think it is best to send a warrior dressed as an envoy to see the King of Qin. Get close to the King of Qin and force him to return the land of the feudal lords. If the King of Qin agrees, it’s best to stab him to death.”

Jing Ke said, “Yes, but it’s okay.” To get close to the King of Qin, we must first convince him that we are seeking peace from him. I heard that the King of Qin had long wanted to get the most fertile land in the Yan State, Dukang (in the Zhuoxian area of ????Hebei), and the Qin State General Fan Yuqi. Now he is in exile in Yan State, and the King of Qin is offering a reward for him. If I can present General Fan's head and Dukang's map to the King of Qin, he will definitely receive me, and I can deal with him."

Prince Dan felt embarrassed and said, "Dukang's map is easy to handle; General Fan was persecuted by Qin and came to me. How can I bear to hurt him?"

Jing Ke knew that Prince Dan couldn't bear it. , so he went to Fan Yuqi privately and said to Fan Yuqi: "I have an idea that can help the Yan Kingdom get rid of the disaster and avenge the general, but I just can't tell him."

Fan Yuqi Qi hurriedly said: "What's your idea? Tell me quickly!"

Jing Ke said: "I decided to assassinate you. What I'm afraid of is that I won't be able to see the King of Qin. Now the King of Qin is offering a reward for your arrest. If I can Take your head and present it to him, and he will definitely be able to meet me."

Fan Yuqi said, "Okay, just take it!" Then he pulled out his sword, wiped his neck and committed suicide. .

Tai Zi Dan prepared a sharp dagger in advance and asked the craftsman to boil it with poison. Anyone who draws a drop of blood from this dagger will immediately die. He gave the dagger to Jing Ke as a weapon for assassination, and sent Qin Wuyang, a thirteen-year-old warrior, to be Jing Ke's deputy.

In 227 BC, Jing Ke set out from Yan State to Xianyang. Prince Dan and a few guests put on white clothes and hats and went to Yishui (in today's Yixian County, Hebei Province) to say goodbye. Before leaving, Jing Ke sang a song for everyone:

"The wind is rustling and the water is cold.

A strong man will never return once he is gone."

< p>Everyone was so sad that they shed tears after listening to his tragic singing. Jing Ke pulled Qin Wuyang into the car and left without looking back.

Jing Ke arrived in Xianyang. As soon as Qin Wangzheng heard that Yan sent an envoy to send Fan Yuqi's head and Dukang's map, he was very happy and ordered to meet Jing Ke in Xianyang Palace.

The meeting ceremony began. Jing Ke held the box containing Fan Yuqi's head, and Qin Wuyang held Dukang's map and walked up the steps of Qin's court step by step.

When Qin Wuyang saw the majestic look of the Qin court, he could not help but tremble with fear.

When the guards around Qin Wangzheng saw it, they shouted, "Why did the envoy change his face?"

Jing Ke turned around and saw that Qin Wuyang's face was green again. When he turned pale again, he apologized and said to the King of Qin: "Rough people have never seen the majesty of the king, so they are a little scared. Please forgive me."

Qin Wangzheng was a little suspicious after all, so he said to Jing Ke: "Call Qin Wuyang will give you the map. Come up alone."

Jing Ke took the map from Qin Wuyang's hand, went up with the wooden box, and presented it to Qin Wangzheng. Qin Wangzheng opened the wooden box, and it turned out to be Fan Yuqi's head. Qin Wangzheng also asked Jing Ke to bring the map. Jing Ke slowly opened a roll of maps. When all the maps were opened, a dagger that Jing Ke had rolled into the map in advance was revealed.

Qin Wangzheng jumped up in shock when he saw it.

Jing Ke quickly grabbed the dagger, held Qin Wangzheng's sleeve with his left hand, and pierced Qin Wangzheng's chest with the dagger with his right hand.

Qin Wangzheng turned back hard and broke the sleeve. He jumped over the screen next to him and was about to run out. Jing Ke caught up with him with a dagger. When Qin Wangzheng saw that he couldn't run away, he ran around the big copper pillar in the court hall. Jing Ke pressed hard.

The two people walked around like a revolving lantern.

Although there were many officials nearby, they were all unarmed; according to the rules of the Qin State, the warriors at the foot of the steps were not allowed to go to the temple without the order of King Qin. Everyone was so anxious that no one summoned them. warrior.

Among the officials, there was a doctor who was serving Qin Wangzheng. He picked up the medicine bag in his hand and threw it at Jing Ke. Jing Ke raised his hand and the medicine bag flew aside.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Wangzheng took a step forward, pulled out his sword, and cut off Jing Ke's left leg.

Jing Ke could not stand and fell to the ground. He took the dagger and threw it directly at Qin Wangzheng. Qin Wangzheng just dodged to the right, and the dagger flew past his ear and hit the copper pillar with a "boom" sound, and sparks shot out.

Qin Wangzheng saw that Jing Ke had no weapon in his hand, so he stepped forward and slashed at Jing Ke several times. Jing Ke suffered eight sword wounds on his body. He knew that he had failed, so he smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't take action earlier. I originally wanted to force you to return the land of Yan State first."

At this time, the accompanying warriors They had already rushed to the palace together and ended up killing Jing Ke. The Qin Wuyang at the bottom of the steps had also been killed by the warriors long ago.

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On paper

In 262 BC, King Qin Zhaoxiang sent general Bai Qi to attack South Korea and occupied Yewang (now Henan Qinyang). The connection between Shangdang County (the administrative seat of present-day Changzhi, Shanxi) and Handu was cut off, and the situation of Shangdang was critical. The Korean general of Shangdang was unwilling to surrender to Qin, so he sent an envoy with a map to dedicate Shangdang to Zhao.

King Zhao Xiaocheng (son of King Zhao Huiwen) sent troops to take over Shangdang. Two years later, the State of Qin sent Wang Lu (sound hé) to surround Shangdang.

When King Zhao Xiaocheng heard the news, he quickly sent Lian Po to lead an army of more than 200,000 people to rescue Shangdang. They had just arrived at Changping (now northwest of Gaoping County, Shanxi), and Shangdang had already been captured by the Qin army.

Wang Lu also wanted to attack Changping. Lian Po quickly defended his position, ordered his soldiers to build fortresses, dig deep trenches, and confront the Qin army from afar, preparing for a long-term resistance.

Wang Lu challenged Zhao Jun several times, but Lian Po refused to fight them. Wang Hao couldn't think of any way, so he had to send someone to report back to King Qin Zhaoxiang, saying: "Lian Po is an experienced veteran and does not come out to fight easily. Our army has come all the way here. If it continues for a long time, we are afraid that we will not be able to provide food and grass. How can we do this?" What?"

King Qin Zhaoxiang asked Fan Ju for advice. Fan Ju said: "To defeat the State of Zhao, we must first ask the State of Zhao to transfer Lian Po back."

King Qin Zhaoxiang said: "How can we do this?"

Fan Ju said: "Let me think of a way."

A few days later, King Zhao Xiaocheng heard the comments from the left and right, and said: "Qin is afraid of letting the young and powerful Zhao Kuo lead the army. "Use, we are about to surrender!"

The Zhao Kuo they are talking about is the son of Zhao She, the famous general of Zhao State. Zhao Kuo loved to learn the art of war when he was a child. When talking about the principles of using troops, he was very clear and logical. He thought he was invincible, and even his father did not regard him.

The King of Zhao listened to the arguments on the left and right, and immediately called Zhao Kuo and asked him if he could repel the Qin army. Zhao Kuo said: "If the Qin faction becomes white, I have to consider dealing with it. Now it's Wang Lu who is here, and he is just Lian Po's opponent. If it were me, defeating him would be a piece of cake."

King Zhao was very happy after hearing this and appointed Zhao Kuo as his general to succeed Lian Po.

Lin Xiangru said to King Zhao: "Zhao Kuo only knows how to read his father's military books and cannot adapt to the situation. He cannot be appointed as a general." But King Zhao could not listen to Lin Xiangru's advice.

Zhao Kuo’s mother also sent a memorial to King Zhao, asking King Zhao not to send his son. King Zhao summoned her and asked her why. Zhao's mother said: "When his father was dying, he repeatedly told me, 'Zhao Kuo, this kid, regards fighting with soldiers as child's play. When he talks about the art of war, he is arrogant and arrogant. In the future, it will be better if the king does not use him. If he becomes a general, I am afraid that the Zhao army will be destroyed in his hands. 'So I ask the king not to let him become a general."

King Zhao said, "I have already decided, so just leave it alone. "

In 260 BC, Zhao Kuo led 200,000 troops to Changping and asked Lian Po to inspect the military talismans. Lian Po completed the transfer and returned to Handan.

Zhao Kuo commanded 400,000 carts with great momentum. He abolished all the systems stipulated by Lian Po and issued an order: "If the Qin State comes to challenge again, it must be fought back head on. If the enemy is defeated, it must be pursued. It will not be finished unless they are killed until every piece of them is left."

Over there, Fan Ju got the news that Zhao Kuo had replaced Lian Po and knew that his counterintuitive plan was successful, so he secretly sent Bai Qi as general to command the Qin army. As soon as Bai Qi arrived in Changping, he arranged an ambush and deliberately fought several defeats. Zhao Kuo didn't know what the plan was and chased after him with all his strength. Bai Qi led the Zhao army to a pre-ambushed area and sent 25,000 elite soldiers to cut off the Zhao army's retreat. He also sent 5,000 cavalry to charge directly into the Zhao army's camp and cut the 400,000 Zhao army into two sections. Only then did Zhao Kuo realize how powerful the Qin army was, so he had to build a fortress and wait for reinforcements. Qin sent troops again to cut off Zhao's road to rescue troops and transport food.

Zhao Kuo's army had no food and no reinforcements inside. After defending for more than forty days, the soldiers complained endlessly and had no intention of fighting. Zhao Kuo led his troops to break out of the siege, but the Qin army fired thousands of arrows and shot Zhao Kuo to death. When Zhao Jun heard that their general had been killed, they also threw down their weapons and surrendered. All 400,000 Zhao troops were wiped out in the hands of the armchair commander Zhao Kuo.

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A blockbuster

After Qin defeated Jin, there was no war between the two countries for more than ten years. However, the Chu State in the south is becoming stronger day by day, and is determined to compete with the Jin State, the overlord of the Central Plains.

In 613 BC, King Chuzhuang, the grandson of King Chu Cheng, ascended the throne and became the king. The State of Jin took this opportunity to draw several countries that had always been loyal to the State of Chu over to form alliances. The ministers of Chu State were very unconvinced and asked King Zhuang of Chu to send troops to fight for hegemony.

Unfortunately, King Chuzhuang did not listen to that. He hunted during the day, drank wine and listened to music at night, and paid no attention to any important national affairs. He lived like this for three years. He knew that the ministers were very dissatisfied with his actions, and issued an order: Anyone who dared to dissuade him would be sentenced to death.

There was a minister named Wu Ju who really couldn't stand it and decided to go see King Zhuang of Chu. King Chuzhuang was having fun there. When he heard that Wu Ju wanted to see him, he summoned Wu Ju and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Wu Ju said, "Someone asked me to guess. I can’t guess the riddle. Your Majesty is a smart man. Please guess.”

When King Chuzhuang heard that he was asked to guess the riddle, he thought it was interesting, so he smiled and said, “Tell me.” "Listen."

Wu Ju said: "There is a big bird on the mountain of Chu State. It looks very impressive, but it has not flown or screamed for three years. What kind of bird is it?"

King Chuzhuang knew who Wu Ju was talking about. He said: "This is not an ordinary bird. This kind of bird, if it doesn't fly, will reach the sky when it flies; if it doesn't sing, it will be amazing. Go ahead, I already understand."

< p>After a period of time, another minister Su Cong saw that King Chuzhuang had not moved, and went to persuade King Chuzhuang.

King Chuzhuang asked him: "Don't you know the ban I issued?"

Su Cong said: "I know. As long as the king can listen to my opinion, I will He violated the ban and was sentenced to death willingly."

King Chuzhuang said happily: "You are all really for the good of the country. How can I not understand?"

After this, King Zhuang of Chu was determined to reform politics. He dismissed a group of flatterers from their posts and promoted Wu Ju and Su Cong who dared to remonstrate with him to help him handle national affairs. At the same time, he made weapons and trained soldiers and horses. At that time, many tribes in the south were conquered. In the sixth year, he defeated the Song Dynasty. In the eighth year, they defeated the Rong tribe of Lu Hun (in the northeast of present-day Song County, Henan Province) and fought all the way to the vicinity of Luoyi, the capital of Zhou Dynasty.

In order to show the military power of Chu State, King Zhuang of Chu held a grand review on the outskirts of Luoyi.

This frightened the nominal Emperor Zhou. He sent one of his ministers, Wang Sunman, to the outskirts to comfort the Chu army.

When King Chuzhuang and Wang Sunman were talking, King Chuzhuang asked about the size and weight of the Jiuding hidden in the palace of King Zhou. Jiuding is a ritual vessel that symbolizes the authority of the Zhou royal family. When King Chuzhuang asked about Jiuding, it meant that he had the ambition to seize the power of the Emperor of Zhou.

Wang Sunman is a person who is good at dealing with things. He persuaded King Zhuang of Chu: The prosperity of a country mainly depends on persuading people by virtue, and there is no need to ask about the importance of the tripod. King Chuzhuang himself knew that there was no condition to destroy the Zhou Dynasty at that time, so he led his troops back to his country.

Afterwards, King Zhuang of Chu invited Sun Shuao, a famous hermit of Chu State, to be the Ling Yin (the Prime Minister of Chu State). After Sun Shuao became the commander-in-chief, he reclaimed wasteland, dug rivers, and rewarded production. In order to avoid floods and droughts, he also organized the people of Chu to open rivers, which could irrigate millions of acres of crops and harvest a lot more grain every year. Within a few years, the Chu State became more powerful, suppressed two civil strife in the Zheng State and Chen State, and finally came into conflict with the Jin State, the overlord of the Central Plains.

In 597 BC, King Zhuang of Chu led an army to attack the State of Zheng, and the State of Jin sent troops to rescue Zheng. A great war broke out between Bi Di (now east of Zhengzhou City, Henan Province) and Chu State. The Jin Kingdom had never suffered such a tragic defeat. Half of the troops died, and the other half fled to the Yellow River. There were few boats but many people. The soldiers scrambled to cross the river, and many people were squeezed into the water. The people who fell into the water climbed onto the boat. The soldiers on the boat were afraid that the boat would capsize, so they used knives to cut off the fingers of the soldiers who climbed onto the boat.

Some people advised King Zhuang of Chu to pursue him and drive out the Jin army. King Zhuang of Chu said: "The Kingdom of Chu has been unable to lift its head since the defeat of Chengpu. This time we won such a big victory and finally washed away the previous shame. Why kill more people?"

Said Then, he immediately ordered the withdrawal of troops, allowing the remaining Jin soldiers to flee back.

After that, the blockbuster King Chuzhuang became the overlord.

From Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Xiang of Song, Duke Mu of Qin to King Zhuang of Chu, there were five overlords in succession. Historically, they are often called the "Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period".

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Stand back

After Jin Wen Gong came to the throne, he rectified the internal affairs, developed production, and made Jin The country gradually became stronger and stronger. He also wanted to be like Duke Huan of Qi and become the overlord of the Central Plains.

At this time, King Zhou Xiang, the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, sent someone to ask for reinforcements.

King Zhou Xiang had a half-brother named Taishu Dai, who united some ministers and borrowed troops from the State of Di to seize the throne. King Zhou Xiang fled to Zheng with dozens of followers. He issued an order asking the princes of various countries to escort him back to Luoyi. The princes of various countries sent people to express condolences to the emperor, and some sent food, but no one was willing to send troops to fight against the Di people.

Someone said to King Xiang of Zhou: "Among the princes, only Qin and Jin have the power to repel the Di people. Others may be useless." King Xiang sent an envoy to ask Duke Wen of Jin to escort him back. towards.

Jin Wengong immediately sent troops to fight eastward, defeated the Di people, killed Taishu and his group, and escorted the emperor back to the capital.

Two years later, Song Chenggong, the son of Song Xianggong, came to ask for reinforcements. He said that Chu had sent general Cheng Dechen to lead the troops of Chu, Chen, Cai, Zheng, and Xu to attack Song. The ministers all said: "The Kingdom of Chu has always bullied the princes of the Central Plains. My lord, I want to help the countries in difficulty and establish a hegemony. This is the time."

Jin Wengong had long seen that he wanted to become the overlord of the Central Plains. , we must defeat Chu. He expanded his team, established three armies, and went to save the Song Dynasty.

In 632 BC, the Jin army captured two small countries that had surrendered to the Chu State, Cao State and Wei State, and captured both kings.

King Cheng of Chu originally did not want to fight Jin Wengong. When he heard that Jin was sending troops, he immediately sent an order to Cheng Dechen to retreat. However, Cheng Dechen believed that the Song Dynasty would be able to win it sooner or later and refused to give up halfway. He sent his generals to say to King Chu Cheng: "Although I dare not say that I will definitely win the battle, I still have to fight to the death."

King Chu Cheng was very unhappy and only sent a small number of troops to win the battle. The minister commanded.

Cheng Dechen first sent someone to notify the Jin army, asking them to release the kings of Wei and Cao. However, Duke Wen of Jin secretly informed the monarchs of the two countries and promised to restore their thrones, but he asked them to break off diplomatic relations with Chu first. Cao and Wei really did what Duke Wen of Jin wanted.

Cheng Dechen originally wanted to save these two countries, but unexpectedly they came to break off diplomatic relations with Chu first. This time, he was so angry that he jumped on his feet. He shouted: "This is obviously what the old thief Chong'er forced them to do." He immediately ordered the whole army to rush to the place where the Jin army was stationed.

As soon as the Chu army advanced, Duke Wen of Jin immediately ordered to retreat. Some soldiers in the Jin army were confused and said: "Our commander-in-chief is the king, and the people leading the army are ministers. How can the king let his ministers do it?"

Hu Yan explained: "The battle begins first. The king of Chu once helped the lord, and the lord promised in front of the king: If the two countries go to war, the Jin Kingdom is willing to retreat, just to fulfill this promise. If we lose faith in the Chu State, then we are in the wrong. If we withdraw our troops, if they don't give up and press forward step by step, then they have lost the trust and it will not be too late for us to fight with them again."

The Jin army retreated ninety miles in one breath, and then stopped when they arrived at Chengpu (now southwest of Juancheng, Shandong) and arranged their formation.

Some generals in Chu State wanted to stop the attack when they saw the Jin army retreating. However, Cheng Dechen did not agree and chased to Chengpu step by step, facing the Jin army from a distance.

Cheng Dechen also sent someone to write a letter of war to Duke Wen of Jin, and his wording was very arrogant. Duke Wen of Jin also sent someone to reply: "We never dare to forget the kindness of your country, so we have to give in here. Now since you are unwilling to forgive us, we have no choice but to compete on the battlefield."

The war begins. As soon as they fought, the general of Jin used two big flags to direct the army to retreat. They were still dragging the fallen branches behind the chariot. When the chariot retreated, bursts of dust rose from the ground, showing a very panic.

Cheng Dechen has always been arrogant and does not take Jin people seriously. He pursued them regardless of the front or rear, and was ambushed by the Jin army. The elite troops of the Jin army rushed over and cut off Cheng Dechen's army from the waist. The Jin army, which had pretended to be defeated, turned around and attacked from both sides, killing the Chu army to pieces.

Jin Wengong quickly ordered the soldiers to just drive the Chu army away and not to pursue them anymore. Cheng Dechen took the defeated soldiers and remnants back halfway. He felt that he could not explain to King Chu Cheng, so he committed suicide.

The Jin army occupied the Chu camp. After eating the food abandoned by the Chu army for three days, he returned home in triumph.

The news of Jin's defeat of Chu reached Luoyi, the capital of Zhou. King Zhou Xiang and his ministers all believed that Duke Wen of Jin had made great achievements. King Zhou Xiang also personally went to Jiantu (now southwest of Yuanyang, Henan, Jianyin jiàn) to express condolences to the Jin army. Duke Wen of Jin took this opportunity to build a new palace for the emperor in Jiantu, and also invited the princes of various countries to hold a conference and make an alliance. In this way, Duke Wen of Jin became the overlord of the Central Plains.

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Nanmen Limu

Among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, Qin was the leader in politics, economy, and culture. It was lagging behind the other vassal states in the Central Plains. The neighboring state of Wei was stronger than Qin, and even took away a large area of ??Hexi from Qin.

In 361 BC, the new king of Qin, Qin Xiaogong, came to the throne. He made up his mind to work hard and first recruit talents. He issued an order, saying: "Whether he is a native of Qin or a foreign guest, whoever can find a way to make Qin rich and powerful should be made an official."

Qin Xiaogong's call was indeed true. It attracted many talented people.

There was an aristocrat of the Wei State, Gongsun Yang (later Shang Yang), who was not reused in the Wei State, so he ran to the Qin State, asked someone to introduce him, and was received by Qin Xiaogong.

Shang Yang said to Qin Xiaogong: "If a country wants to be prosperous and strong, it must pay attention to agriculture and reward its soldiers; if it wants to manage the country well, it must have rewards and punishments. With rewards and punishments, the court has prestige, and everything The reform will be easier to carry out."

Qin Xiaogong fully agreed with Shang Yang's proposition. However, some nobles and ministers of Qin State strongly opposed it. When Qin Xiaogong saw that there were so many opponents, he had just ascended the throne and was afraid of causing trouble, so he temporarily put the reform on hold.

After two years, Duke Xiao of Qin was firmly on the throne. He worshiped Shang Yang as Zuo Shuchang (Qin's official name) and said: "From today on, all matters concerning the reform of the system will be left to Zuo. The chief made the decision."

Shang Yang drafted a reform decree, but he was afraid that the people would not trust him and not act in accordance with the new decree. He first asked people to erect a three-foot-high log at the south gate of the capital, and issued an order: "Whoever can carry this log to the north gate will be rewarded with ten taels of gold."

After a while, a large number of people gathered around the south gate, and everyone was talking about it. Some said: "Anyone can pick up this piece of wood, how can I use the reward of ten taels?" Some said: "This is probably Zuo Shuzhang's intention to joke."

Everyone Look at me, look at you, no one dares to go up and carry the wood.

Shang Yang knew that the people still did not believe his order, so he raised the reward to fifty taels. Unexpectedly, the higher the bounty, the more unreasonable the onlookers felt, and still no one dared to carry it.

While everyone was talking about it, a man from the crowd ran out and said, "I'll give it a try." He said, really picked up the wood and left, moving all the way to the north gate.

Shang Yang immediately sent someone to spread the word and rewarded the man who carried the wood fifty taels of yellow gold, not a penny less.

This incident spread immediately and caused a sensation in Qin State. The common people said:

"Zuo Shuchang's order was unambiguous."

Shang Yang knew that his order had taken effect, so he published the new decree he drafted. The new law clearly defined rewards and punishments, and stipulated that the size of official positions and titles should be based on meritorious service in combat. Nobles without military merit will not have titles; those who produce more grain and cloth will be exempted from official duties; anyone who becomes poor because of doing business or due to laziness will be punished as slaves of the government together with his wife and children.

Since Shang Yang’s reform, Qin’s agricultural production has increased and its military strength has become stronger. Soon, Qin attacked the western part of Wei, from Hexi to Hedong, and also captured Anyi, the capital of Wei.

In 350 BC, Shang Yang carried out the second reform. The main contents of the reform were:

1. Abandon the well fields and open roads (Qianmo is the main road in the fields). The Qin State leveled these wide roads and planted crops. It also reclaimed the mounds, wasteland, woods, ditches, etc. that were used to divide the boundaries. Whoever reclaims the wasteland will own it. Land can be bought and sold.

2. Establish a county organization, merge cities, towns and villages, organize them into counties, and be directly managed by officials sent by the state. In this way, the power of the central government is more concentrated.

3. Move the capital to Xianyang. In order to facilitate development to the east, the capital was moved from the original Yongcheng (today's Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province) to Xianyang north of the Wei River (today's northeast of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province).

Such a large-scale reform will of course lead to fierce struggles. Many nobles and ministers opposed the new law. Once, the prince of Qin broke the law. Shang Yang said to Qin Xiaogong: "The laws of the country must be obeyed by everyone. If the people above cannot abide by it, the people below will not trust the court. If the prince breaks the law, his master should be punished."

As a result, Shang Yang punished the prince's two masters, Gong Zixu and Gongsun Jia. One had his nose cut off and the other had his face tattooed. As a result, some nobles and ministers did not dare to violate the new law.

After ten years of this, the Qin State became more and more prosperous and powerful. The Emperor of Zhou sent envoys to deliver sacrificial meat to Qin Xiaogong, and named him "Fang Bo" (the leader of the feudal lords). Countries also congratulated Qin one after another. Wei had to cede land in Hexi and move the capital to Daliang (now Kaifeng, Henan).