After Qin Shihuang inspected Xiaoguan, he led his chariots south along the Huanjiang River and arrived at Yiqu, the county seat of Beidi County. Yiqu is another place with many stories. The Yiqu people were already a branch of the Qiang Rong people in the West before the Shang Dynasty and lived on both sides of Guyuan Grassland and Liupan Mountain and Long Mountain in Ningxia. During the Shang Dynasty, they and the Gui Fang, descendants of the Di people living in Longdong, were neighbors and attacked each other. Later, they also clashed with the Bin Kingdom established by the Ji tribe living in Bindi, and continued to encroach on its territory. Around the 12th century BC, during the Kangding period of the Shang Dynasty, due to the invasion of the Di people from the north to the south, Zhou Zugugong Danfu led his people to leave Bindi and move south to Qishan. The Rong and Di tribes took the opportunity to occupy most of Longdong. In the last years of King Wen's reign, Jiang Taigong sent his envoy Nangong Shi to Yiqu. King Yiqu sent horses, chickens and rhinos to King Wen. Since Yiqu had a relatively harmonious relationship with the Zhou people, while Guifang (烃狁) was in opposition to the Shang Dynasty, after each war, Guifang failed and fled, fleeing to Hetao, while Yiqu took the opportunity to move inland. In this way, Yiqu gradually occupied the Dayuan area of Longdong (Qingyang, Ningxian, Zhenyuan and other places). The land here is fertile, the water and grass are luxuriant, the animal husbandry has developed unprecedentedly, and the population of Yiqu has also increased significantly, and people have settled down from the nomadic state. While living together with the local descendants of the Zhou people, they learned farming techniques and Zhou culture, and imitated the Zhou people in building castles and villages, thus developing into the Yiqu people that were different from other Qiang people. After the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, Yiqu surrendered to the Zhou Dynasty.
On the anniversary of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Quan Rong rebelled against the Zhou Dynasty and killed King You at the foot of Lishan Mountain. The Yiqu people took advantage of the internal chaos in the Zhou Dynasty to declare their independence from the rule of the Zhou Dynasty and formally established a county. They established their capital in Xigou Village, Jiaocun Township, Ning County today. From then on, the name Yiqu State came into being in Chinese history. Not long after the establishment of the Yiqu Kingdom, it immediately sent troops to annex other Xirong tribes such as Penglu and Yuzhi, expanded its territory, and built dozens of cities and stationed troops. Its national boundaries extend from Xihaigu Grassland in the west, Qiaoshan in the east, Hetao in the north, and Jingshui in the south. During the turbulent Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it directly participated in the political and military competition between Hezong and Lianheng in the Central Plains. In particular, it experienced repeated military contests with the powerful Qin for more than 400 years, and became Qin's main opponent for domination of Xirong at that time. .
The Yiqu Nation existed for more than 800 years from the establishment of the tribal country during the Wu Yi period of the Shang Dynasty to the time of King Zhao of Qin, of which the slave county was established in Qingyang for more than 500 years. In 650 BC, after Yiqu annexed the northern armies, it further developed to the southeast, first targeting the Qin State. The next year, Yiqu took Yu Yu, a Jin native, as an envoy and sent him as an envoy to Qin. After Yu arrived in Qin, Duke Mu of Qin entertained him and asked him for advice on how to govern the country. Yu Yu said: "The superiors are sincere and virtuous to meet those below, and the subordinates are loyal and trustworthy to serve those above. The governance of a country is like the governance of a person who does not know how to govern. This is the governance of a true saint." After hearing this, Duke Mu was greatly appreciated. He summoned and surrendered Yu Yu through a plan of alienation. After that, Qin used Youyu's strategy to attack Yiqu in the north, "benefiting the country twelve times and opening up thousands of miles of land". After Yiqu's defeat in the war, he learned his lesson, recharged his batteries, and built a city to defend himself. In 430 BC, Yiqu sent a large army to attack Qin, attacking directly from Jingbei to Weinan, forcing the Qin soldiers to withdraw from the lower reaches of the Wei River. The next thirty years were the most powerful period for Yiqu. Its territory reaches northern Shaanxi in the east, Hetao in the north, Longxi in the west, and Weishui River in the south, with an area of about 200,000 square kilometers. In 352 BC, Qin sent troops to attack Wei and captured Wei Xihe County and Shang County in one fell swoop. Then the friction between Qin and Yiqu broke out again. The State of Qin took advantage of the civil strife in Yiqu, sent troops to attack Yiqu, and quelled the civil strife in Yiqu, so Yiqu surrendered to Qin. Since then, the two sides have been at war and at peace.
In 327 BC, Yiqu made the country a county of Qin and the emperor a minister of Qin, and officially became a dependent territory of the Qin State. In 318 BC, Yiqu took advantage of the melee between the Central Plains countries and broke away from Qin's control, uniting the five eastern countries to attack Qin. In order to eliminate its worries, the State of Qin used strategies to win over Yiqu and presented them to King Yiqu with thousands of pieces of brocade and hundreds of beauties. However, King Yiqu was not fooled and still raised troops to attack Qin. He defeated the Qin soldiers and recovered some of the lost territory. Four years later, Qin won the battlefield in the Central Plains, and mobilized heavy troops to attack Yiqu from the east, south, and west. They successively captured 25 cities in Yiqu, and the territory of Yiqu was greatly reduced. In 306 BC, King Zhao of Qin was established as king. Because he was still young, his mother, Queen Mother Xuan, was the regent. She was also the famous heroine Mi Yue in history. She changed her strategy of conquering Yiqu Kingdom head-on and adopted the art of gentleness to defeat the ambition of the Rong King. She wrote to King Yiqu to allow him to live in Ganquan Palace for a long time and entertained him with generous treatment. Later, she lived with him and gave birth to two children, which made King Yiqu completely lose his vigilance. Thirty-four years later, Empress Dowager Xuan suddenly launched an attack in Ganquan Palace and killed King Yiqu. The great hero of the generation died under a woman's pomegranate skirt. Then the Qin State sent troops to attack the Yiqu State. Yiqu was destroyed and the territory was merged into the Qin State.
The First Emperor stayed in Yiqu for a few days and discussed some historical events with ministers. Someone said: "In "Mozi's Festival Burial", there is a saying: "There is a Yiqu country in the west of Qin. If his relatives die, he gathers firewood and burns it, and the smoke is called Dengya." "Dengxia" means ascending to a distant place. Tianbian means that the soul ascends to heaven. This is a record about cremation and one of the customs of Yiqu. The Yiqu people are strong and brave. They 'take fighting to the death as auspicious and dying from illness as unlucky'. Therefore, they are very brave in fighting and would rather die than surrender. This It is also one of the important reasons why the Yiqu Kingdom can last for hundreds of years. All the people in the Yiqu Kingdom are soldiers, and in the event of war, young and strong men must go to the battlefield. It also stipulates that the same clan can intermarry with each other after the twelfth generation. After the death of the elder brother, the younger brother You can marry your sister-in-law as your wife. These rules and customs have always been popular among the people." Emperor Qin said: "This is mainly because their population is small. If they want to fight, it is impossible without soldiers. Yiqu Country also has a strong name. Clan, it's a pity that they eventually embarked on the road of extinction!" This is why Emperor Qin naturally had a deeper understanding of a woman, that is Empress Dowager Xuan. Is the Queen Mother Xuan conspiracy or indulgence, talented or treacherous, she can actually destroy a powerful country. After Emperor Qin thought about it, the Empress Dowager thought of his mother again: his mother, Zhao Ji, had also given birth to a child with another man, and almost killed herself. These past events made him both worried and sad when he thought about it, so in the future, Over the years, he has not established a queen because of these concerns, and his purpose is to prevent women from taking power.
Emperor Qin constantly summarized the experiences and lessons from history, and then led the brigade to march westward, passing through Chaona, Wushi, and Jingyang, and then continued southward. One day, the car was driving bumpily. From the car window, Emperor Qin saw from a distance a red peak with a flat top and a steep neck. It was surrounded by clouds and fog. It was very spectacular. He said: "Looking from a distance, this mountain looks like a flowing elixir." Yicai, I wonder what the name of the mountain is?" The guide said: "This is the Kongtong where the Yellow Emperor once climbed!" Emperor Qin was very happy, and the majestic peaks made him have a strong desire to climb, so he urged the car to come At the foot of the mountain. After the king and his ministers got off the car, they walked down the mountain. When Emperor Qin saw the stone as white as jade, he named it Sabao Village. Then he asked: "The Yellow Emperor came to Kongtong in the west, what is the evidence?" Prime Minister Wei Zhuang replied: ""Zhuangzi" records: Huang Emperor was emperor for nineteen years, and his decrees were universal. He heard that Guangchengzi was practicing Taoism in Kongtong, so he went to see him. After Huang Di heard about the Tao, he wrote two scriptures, "Yin Fu" and "Dragon Tiger", to express his experience. After his death, it is said that a giant dragon with its long beard came down from the sky to greet him, and Huang Di climbed up The dragon ascended to the sky on its back." The First Emperor became even more excited and said eagerly: "The Yellow Emperor united with the Yan Emperor, fought against Chiyou, and unified all the Xia. It can be said that his achievements have surpassed the world, and his merits are immeasurable. Naturally, he can become an immortal. Now I am destroying the six countries and confounding China. The bureau of prefectures and counties has been established across the country, and the credit is no less than that of the Yellow Emperor. I also want to climb Kongtong, can I hear the truth?" The officials laughed and said: "The Yellow Emperor rode a dragon to heaven. It is just a legend. He died and was buried. At Qiao Mountain, he did not ascend to heaven." Emperor Qin asked again: "Apart from the Yellow Emperor, what other sage has ever made a tour of the West?" Wei Zhuang replied: "It is said that there are Yao stele and Yu Jie on Kongtong Mountain. It can be deduced from this that Emperors Yao and Yu also visited Kongtong. King Mu of Zhou Dynasty also visited Kongtong during his expedition to the west." After hearing these stories, Emperor Qin was overjoyed and urged: "Come here quickly, I want to come too. Pay homage to the traces of the immortal shadow." Emperor Qin came to the foot of the mountain, and the officials gathered around him and climbed the stairs. The roadside is lined with dense shade and towering pines and cypresses. Cranes are flying and birds are chirping in the mountains, and the clouds are steaming and the clouds are glowing. The monarchs and ministers climbed up from the east to the place where Huangdi asked Guangchengzi. They felt reverence for the deeds of their distant ancestors, so they rested on the roadside. Someone saw that the emperor was having a hard time climbing the mountain, so he advised him to stop climbing. However, Emperor Qin said with great pride: "When a man climbs high, he will reach the top. How can he give up halfway?" So he climbed to the top. But seeing mountains surrounded by vast seas of clouds, the loess mountains in the northwest are majestic and vast, stretching out, giving people a feeling of strong, majestic, rough and broad. As the saying goes: Kongtong Mountain in the northwest is majestic, and its realm has been grand for thousands of years. The stone steps on its east side stand out and the road is narrow, which is the gateway. People of later generations opened a steep stone path here and named it "Ladder to Heaven". To the west is Jitou Peak, and you can see the green pines and cypresses in the distance, like a girl's hair bun rising high, against the background of the painted screen, which is fascinating. Emperor Qin looked around and felt relaxed and happy. He couldn't help but praise: "It's magnificent. It is indeed the first mountain in the West!" Later generations carved stones and praised Kongtong Mountain as the "No. 1 mountain in the West". It was also seen that the patrolling team on the Jitou Ancient Road was like a long dragon with no end in sight, so later generations called the mountain to the east "Wangjia Mountain".
When Emperor Qin was feeling elated, he suddenly saw a colorful auspicious light that was neither smoke nor fog appearing in the southeast, and he was very surprised. The official in charge of astronomical phenomena quickly stepped forward and replied: "Your Majesty, this is cloud gas!" Emperor Qin said: "Please give details." The official said: "There are many types of cloud gas, including slight clouds, formation clouds, Zhu clouds, axis clouds, When the clouds appear, they are extremely spectacular. I looked at the clouds just now. They are colorful and steaming, just like the sign of a dragon. If it comes true, it will be a big deal!" Emperor Qin asked in surprise why it was so big. The official did not dare to answer. Emperor Qin asked him. The official timidly said: "This is the spirit of the emperor! Your Majesty must go to the east to suppress it personally, otherwise there will be endless troubles." Emperor Qin was suddenly stunned.
After a while, the ministers saw the emperor's thoughtful look and said disapprovingly: "The clouds are just a celestial phenomenon. Your Majesty, you don't need to worry? I think our Qin State has established another country after Xia, Shang and Zhou. This This is an achievement that cannot be matched by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. As long as your Majesty follows the example of the previous king, does good to the people, and implements benevolent policies for the superiors and subordinates, so that the people can live a stable and prosperous life, they will be happy. When the people are happy, the world will be peaceful. Since King Ping moved the capital, the world has been in constant war and the people are in dire straits. Your Majesty saved the people from the fire and water. This is the fulfillment of the old saying that "a king will rise in five hundred years, and during this period there will be a famous person." Now that the world is at peace, the war is over, and peace must be restored. The people were traumatized by the war, and the ministers believed that good government can bring peace to the people. Now we should let the wandering people go home to engage in agriculture, and then let the soldiers go home to recuperate, and then encourage them to freely cultivate land, practice agricultural warfare, and be exempted from corvee labor. In this way The farmers will have fixed land, and when they are full, the warehouses will gradually be filled. This is what the ancients said, 'Govern the people with virtue, and the people will be convinced', 'Practicing kindness is enough to preserve life' "Sihai". In addition, the State of Qin established the Xiangxu to educate the people. As long as your Majesty provides convenience to the people, the people will definitely return to the court sincerely. In a few decades, the State of Qin will surely be invincible in the world! As for the vast and deep clouds, please don't bother your Majesty. , I’m just guessing about good or bad luck.”
After hearing this, Emperor Qin pondered for a long time and said: "The way of heaven is deep and deep, and it is okay not to observe it. But the history of the past is the guide of the future! Qin used Shang Yang to enrich the country and strengthen the army; Chu and Wei used Wu Qi to defeat powerful enemies; the mighty king used Sun Wu. , King Xuan used Tian Ji, and the princes came together. At that time, all the countries in the world used the strategy of combining vertical and horizontal to attack each other, and those who knew how to open and close vertically and horizontally to persuade the world were called sages. Now although the world is unified, within Liuhe It is not necessary to completely surrender to the Qin State, but it should be prevented before it happens. Those who have been exiled due to the war should be registered and managed uniformly, but the soldiers cannot be disbanded? Thinking about the previous dynasties, it is not difficult to know: Shang conquered Xia Jie, Zhou, Yin, and Zhou all used benevolence to defeat violence, which naturally led to the return of the world. Now Qin has destroyed the six kingdoms and cleared the sea, so it is violent and violent. The nobles of the six kingdoms will definitely not accept it, so they must be cautious everywhere and guard against the slightest mistake. The soldiers are the country's leader. What should we do if the six kingdoms rebel once they are disbanded? We don’t need to pay attention to the celestial phenomena, but we must study the art of governing the country deeply. Moreover, when the Qin State governs the world with the theory of water virtue, it should not be overly accommodating to the people and overly focused on benevolence. I listen. It is said that if you are slow to act, you will not be famous; if you are hesitant to do things, you will not be successful. A fool cannot understand the thing before it is done, but a wise man has observed the result before the thing has sprouted. The people cannot argue with them. Considering the beginning of things, we can only enjoy the joy of success with them.' The laws of the sage are to care for the people, and the rituals of the sage are conducive to state affairs. Therefore, when the sage governs the country, as long as the country is prosperous, he will not use the old laws; as long as there are If it is beneficial to the people, we will not abide by the old etiquette. Now if we use virtue to govern the people, even if the people can be grateful to Qin, can those nobles who have perished say good things about Qin? I am familiar with ancient and modern books, and I know how difficult it is to govern a country. . "Yi" said: "Things cannot be poor, so they will end up receiving nothing." If the world is unified, can we sit back and relax? Is the war over? No! The universe is endless, and the struggle will not stop. The old forces of the Six Kingdoms are still a major hidden danger, and everyone must always be vigilant. I believe that there must be rebellious people among the Six Kingdoms, so we must not abandon the rule of law and replace it with the rule of virtue. That will be a way to indulge the enemy for a while and cause eternal harm. . Therefore, disbanding the soldiers and accommodating the people will not work. I must patrol the east and demonstrate constantly to all directions, so that I can frighten those people from the six countries who do not surrender." After hearing this, the ministers even claimed that it was true. Dare not say anything more.
After visiting Kongtong, we stopped at the foot of the mountain. The next day Emperor Qin ordered to march south again. Because the road was rugged, the team moved very slowly and did not make any major stops. The car drove through the current Huating, Huizhong, Qianxian and Yongxian counties, and did not return to Xianyang until the autumn. After careful consideration, Emperor Qin ordered the Xin Palace on the south bank of the Wei River to be changed into a Ji Temple, symbolizing the ends of heaven. A galloping road was built from Ji Temple to Lishan Mountain, and the main hall of Linguang Palace was built.
Emperor Qin returned to Xianyang. Because he saw Yunqi in Kongtong, he seemed to have a heart disease and was always uneasy in his heart, so he ordered the opening of a patrol road in the east and prepared to continue the patrol. At this time, the weapons that had been confiscated from all over the country were piled up into hills in the large square in front of Xianyang Palace. Emperor Qin ordered a five-foot-tall giant warrior model to be made at a designated location, then melted all the weapons in a large wok, poured the solution into the model, and cast twelve bronze giants. Copper is yellow in color, so it is also called the golden man. He is five feet tall and weighs more than 20,000 kilograms per weight. He stands tall on both sides of the palace gate with extraordinary momentum and guards the country's gate.
