At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, countries merged, and the remaining big countries were mainly Qin in the west, Jin in the north of the Central Plains, Qi and Yan in the east, and Chu, Wu and Yue in the south.
In the early Warring States period, all the above-mentioned great powers were preserved except Wu was destroyed by Yue in 473 BC. Qin Yan's strength is weak, and the stronger ones are Jin, Qi, Chu and Yue. Among them, the state of Jin, after the merger of six ministries, formed the situation that Zhao, Wei and South Korea "promoted three ministries" and "destroyed four ministries" in 453 BC, which was called "Three Jin" in history. Sanjin was the most powerful in the early Warring States period and often joined forces to attack other countries. In 403 BC, King Wei Lie of Zhou officially appointed Sanjin as a vassal. Since 48 BC1year, Tian Heng (also known as "") killed Qi and ruled Qi exclusively, forming a situation of "Shi Tian replacing Qi". But in the early Warring States period, Qi was temporarily weaker than Sanjin. Although Chu expanded eastward in general, it failed to compete with the northern Sanjin for Zheng. After the death of Wu, the State of Yue was once strong, but after entering the Warring States period, it declined due to long-term civil strife. It was destroyed by the State of Chu in 333 BC.
Initial stage:
In the mid-Warring States period, the pattern of hegemony among Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han and Yan gradually took shape. At first, Wei was the strongest among the great powers, but it gradually declined under the attack of Qi and Qin, which came from behind. Chu appointed Wuqi to reform, and the country was quite strong, dominating Jiangnan. Zhao and South Korea also conquered the surrounding small countries, and in 367 BC, taking advantage of the civil strife in Zhou Dynasty, they split Zhou into two small countries, namely, the Western Zhou Dynasty (with its capital looking at the city) and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (with its capital looking at the city), and gradually occupied the surrounding areas. Only Yan is weaker in all countries. Due to the success of domestic political reform, Qin and Qi became two great powers in the East and West. Although he was king in 369 BC, he was twice defeated by Qi in the Battle of Guiling (353 BC) and the Battle of Maling (34 BC1year), so he was forced to be king of Xuzhou in 334 BC. In 325 BC, King Qin Huiwen also called himself King. Subsequently, Han, Zhao, Yan, Zhongshan and Song also became kings. The major powers have been wooing China, resulting in the climax of the United Front. The essence of uniting Lian Heng is the struggle between Qin and Qi and Chu. During this period, Qin basically gained the upper hand, subdued Korea and Wei successively, hit Chu hard and destroyed Bashu. Qi did not confront Qin directly, but still maintained the dominance of the East. Zhao also has great strength. King Wuling of Zhao once practiced "riding and shooting" with Khufu to destroy Zhongshan and Alakazam.
Fierce confrontation:
In the late Warring States period, the merger between countries became more intense. Chu violated the treaty and made an alliance with Qin, but under the attack of the backup alliance of Qi, Han, Zhao and Qin, it was devastated. Zhao destroyed Zhongshan. Strong national strength. Although Qi was at war with Han, Wei and Qin, it was difficult to stop Qin from encroaching on Han and Wei. In 288 BC, Chyi Chin was called the Emperor of the East and the West, and Xuandu gave up his title. The following year, Su Qin and Li Dui joined forces with Zhao, Qi, Chu, Wei and Han to attack Qin, ending at the elevation (now Xishui and Xingyang in Henan). Qin returned some of the lost land of Zhao and Wei as a sign of reconciliation. The following year, Qi destroyed the Song Dynasty. Qin hence mastermind attack together. In 284 BC, Yan Zhaowang made Le Yi a general, joined forces with Yan, Qin, Han, Zhao and Wei to attack Qi, invaded the capital of Qi and occupied Qi for five years. In 279 BC, the State of Qi organized a counterattack against Tian Dan to recover lost territory. Although Qi restored the country, it was weakened and unable to compete with Qin. After that, Qin's opponent was mainly Zhao. On the basis of further weakening the State of Chu, the State of Qin actively developed eastward and confronted the State of Zhao. From 262 BC to 260 BC, Qin and Zhao fought fiercely in Changping (now Gaoping, Shanxi), and Qin defeated Zhao (the battle of Changping). In 259 BC, Jin Qin surrounded Handan, the capital of Zhao State, for three years. In 257 BC, Wei Xinling and Chu Chunshen saved Zhao and defeated Qin, and lifted the siege of Handan. Although Zhao turned the corner, he suffered heavy losses.
Wei took it:
In 445 BC, Wei was appointed to carry out political reform and social reform earlier, making Wei the first powerful country. In 354 BC, Wei Huiwang sent general Pang Juan to attack Zhao. Wei Jun rampaged like nobody's business, and soon approached Handan, the capital of Zhao. In this critical situation, Zhao Chenghou sent messengers to Qi for help. So he sent Tian Ji as the commander in chief and Sun Bin as the strategist to send troops to save Zhao. Sun Bin said: to untie the tangled silk thread, you can't pull it hard with your hands; Persuade two people to fight, not directly participate in the fight. When sending troops to clear up, we should take the enemy by surprise, attack him unprepared, and adopt the strategy of avoiding the real and making the virtual, which will arouse the enemy's worries. Tian Ji accepted Sun Bin's suggestion and led the troops to kill the capital of Wei. Pang Juan heard that the girder was tight, so he led the troops back to the rescue and hurried on overnight. Sun Bin and Tian Ji ambushed the Qi army in Guiling (now northeast of Heze, Shandong Province), waiting for Wei Jun to come to a decisive battle. Wei Jun was exhausted from the long March. The two sides of the first world war, Wei Jun collapsed across the board, and the Qi army won a total victory. This is the "Battle of Guiling", which is famous for its tactics of "encircling Wei to save Zhao".
Soon, Wei and South Korea joined forces to defeat Qi and turned the corner. Wei became the first powerful country in the Central Plains. In 342 BC, Wei attacked South Korea. South Korea turned to Qi for help. Qi sent Tian Ji and Sun Bin to save South Korea. Sun Bin adopted the tactics of sending more troops to reduce the number of stoves and luring the enemy deeper. The Qi army pretended to be defeated and retreated. On the first day, 654.38+100,000 people were left to cook, which was reduced to 50,000 people on the second day and 30,000 people on the third day. Pang Juan thought that the Qi army had escaped badly and pursued it. At this time, Sun Bin set an ambush in Maling, Pang Juan went out to pursue Maling, and Sun Bin gave the order, and the Qi army roared with gongs and drums, and the arrows were fired. Wei Jun was defeated and Pang Juan was killed. This is the famous Battle of Maling. Since then, Wei Huiwang and Qi Weiwang have joined Xuzhou, and the two sides compromised and shared the hegemonic position of the East.
Chyi Chin for strength:
Wei gradually weakened, and Chyi Chin became the two hegemons of East-West confrontation, and entered the period of Chyi Chin's hegemony.
After Shang Yang's political reform, Qin became the most powerful country among the seven countries.
At this time, Qi and Qin in the East were neck and neck. The two sides were constantly annexing the weak countries around them and expanding their sphere of influence, and at the same time, they were engaged in the diplomatic struggle of so-called "alliance" and "Lian Heng". "Integration" means that Su Qin unites the weak countries and prevents the strong countries from merging. "Lian Heng" means that Zhang Yi sabotaged the alliance, and the powerful country helped the weak countries merge. In fact, both "Zonghe" and "Lian Heng" are diplomatic strategies to win temporary allies, with the aim of further annexing land and expanding territory.
The focus of Chyi Chin's struggle is to win over Chu. Chu's national strength began to weaken.
Lianlianheng:
At the beginning of the Warring States Period, King Mourn of Chu appointed Wuqi as Lingyin, carried out political reform, made the country prosperous, defeated Wei in one fell swoop, and sent troops to attack Qin. Chu went to Chu Weiwang. Chu's national strength is quite strong, and it is likely to compete with Qin and Qi for hegemony. After Chu Weiwang's death, Chu gradually declined. During Chu Huaiwang's reign, the State of Qin sent Zhang Yi to Chu to preach "Lian Heng", urging Chu never to enter Qin, and verbally vowed to return the place where Chu merchants were located 600 miles away (southwest of Xichuan County, Henan Province). Chu Huaiwang believed it and broke off diplomatic relations with Qi. When Chu sent someone to ask Qin for land, Zhang Yi said slyly, "I agreed with the king of Chu that it was six Li, but I didn't expect it to be six hundred Li." Chu Huaiwang was very angry, so he sent troops to attack the State of Qin. As a result, the battle failed. Eighty thousand Chu soldiers were killed, General Chu was captured, and Hanzhong was occupied by Qin. Chu Huaiwang mobilized all its forces to fight Qin Jun in Lantian. Wei took advantage of Chu's emptiness and attacked Chu. Qi did not support Chu. Chu suffered a great loss and never recovered.
At this point, the internal struggle in Chyi Chin tends to be heated. From 298 BC to 296 BC, the allied forces of Qi, Wei and Han invaded Hangu Pass. Qin was forced to return some places that took away the Han and Wei dynasties, and the five countries withdrew. Qi became the leader of the Kanto countries. In 288 BC, Zhao Haoqi of Qin called himself the Western Emperor, and respected King Qi Min as the Eastern Emperor. He showed kindness to Qi with the strategy of attacking from far away and attacking from near, which destroyed the "union and vertical" alliance of Kanto.
In 286 BC, the State of Qi destroyed the State of Song, which was once very powerful and caused anxiety among countries. Qin joined forces with Yan, Chu, Han, Zhao and Wei to cut Qi together. In 284 BC, the Qi army was defeated in Jixi (now south of Liaocheng, Shandong). After Wang Zhao acceded to the throne, Yan Guangna was appointed as a general, determined to avenge the invasion of Qi. At this time, Linzi, the capital of Qi State, was captured, and even more than 70 cities were incorporated into the territory of Yan State. Later, Tian Dan, the general of Qi State, used the internal contradictions of Yan State to expel the troops of Yan State and recover the lost land. However, Qi has lost its ability to compete with Qin.
The State of Qin weakened the State of Qi in the struggle of "uniting the vertical" and began to develop eastward.
In 278 BC, the general of the State of Qin led an army to attack the capital of Chu (now northwest of Jiangling, Hubei), and the State of Chu moved the capital to Chen (Huaiyang, Henan), and the State of Qin captured Wujun and Qianzhong counties. Chu moved the capital to Shouchun again. Chu is weaker.
Battle of Qin and Zhao:
In 260 BC, General Qin led an army to attack Shangdang County in South Korea, and the chief surrendered to Zhao. Lian Po, a famous general of Zhao Guopai, led the army to defend Changping (Gaoping, Shanxi), built a base area and held his ground. Regardless of the outcome, he was at loggerheads with Qin Jun for three years. Fan Ju, the prime minister of Qin, sent people to Zhao Guoxing to engage in "double-dealing" and spread bad words about Lian Po. Zhao Xin believed it and sent an "armchair strategist" Zhao Kuo instead of Lian Po. Zhao Kuo, who is proud and underestimates his enemy, went to the front line and attacked people. General Bai Qi of the State of Qin adopted the tactics of luring the enemy in depth and outflanking him, forcing Zhao to fight under extremely unfavorable circumstances. In a breakthrough, Zhao Kuo was shot dead by random arrows, and Zhao's 400,000 troops fell to the state of Qin, all of which were buried alive. This is the famous "Battle of Changping" in the history of China.
Qin Jun moved forward and entered Handan, the capital of Zhao. Zhao asked Wei for help, and Wei sent him to save Zhao. Afraid of Qin Jun, I stopped on the road to watch. In 257 BC, Xin and Wuji, the son of Wei, stole Wang Wei's tiger symbols, falsely passed on military orders, and selected 80,000 elite soldiers to save Zhao. At the same time, Chu reinforcements arrived, defeated Qin Jun together, and lifted the siege of Handan. This is the historical event of "Xin Lingjun stole the symbol to save Zhao".
Qin merged with six countries;
Although Qin was defeated temporarily, it was powerful, and no one in the six countries could fight Qin alone. The situation of Qin's unification of the six countries is fully mature. In 25 1 BC, Yan was defeated by Zhao, sent troops to attack Zhao, and was defeated by Zhao. However, under the threat of Qin, the six eastern countries formed a temporary alliance. In 247 BC, Wei Xinling joined forces with five soldiers to attack the State of Qin, and defeated the State of Qin outside the river. In 24 1 year BC, Zhao Pangwen joined forces with Zhao, Chu, Wei, Yan and Han to attack Qin and was defeated by Qin. Since then, the six-nation alliance of the East has ceased to exist. Qin used the situation to conquer one by one. From 230 BC to 22 BC1year, Korea, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi were destroyed successively, the world was unified, and the situation of seven countries competing for hegemony ended.
After more than ten years' rest, from 23 1 year BC, the state of Qin started a war to unify the whole country, and by 22 1 year BC, it wiped out the other six countries and unified China. Since then, China has changed from a feudal country dominated by feudal lords to an autocratic county-based country.