After Jin's hegemony collapsed, all the countries in the Central Plains were evenly matched, and no one could stand out and become the next overlord. At this time, an inconspicuous and weak border country in the west was quietly rising. This was the Qin State that later unified the world.
Qin is a branch of the Huaxia tribe, and the legends about its origin are very oriental. Only its mother is known but not its father's characteristics. Legend has it that the ancestor of the Qin people, named Daye, was born to the granddaughter of Zhuanxu, one of the Five Emperors and the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, after she swallowed an egg dropped by a mysterious bird in the sky. Daye's son was named Dafei. He once assisted Dayu in flood control and made great achievements, and was praised by Emperor Shun. Later, Dafei trained birds and beasts for Emperor Shun. After his training, the birds and beasts were obedient and docile, so Emperor Shun He named him Bai Yi and gave him the surname Ying.
At the end of the summer and the beginning of the Shang Dynasty, the Ying family abandoned the dark side and surrendered to Shang Tang. Fei Chang of the Ying family also drove a chariot for Shang Tang in the decisive battle between Xia and Shang Dynasties, and helped Shang Tang win the war. Meng Xi Zhongyan of the Ying family was highly valued by Shang Emperor Taiwu and drove Taiwu for him. From then on, the Ying family assisted the emperors of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, and made great achievements in the past dynasties. There were countless prominent ministers, and later they became princes. The famous treacherous ministers Fei Lian and Erai during the Shang Dynasty were descendants of the Ying family.
After entering the Zhou Dynasty, the father of the Ying family gained the favor of King Zhou Mu because he was good at driving. He drove for King Zhou Mu during the rebellion of King Xu Yan, traveling thousands of miles in one day, and finally put down the rebellion in time. In order to commend Zaofu's achievements, King Zhou Mu granted the city of Zhao to Zaofu. From then on, the Zaofu family was changed to the Zhao family and became the ancestors of the later Zhao family.
Feizi, who lives in Quanqiu, is another ethnic group of the Ying family. He likes horses and livestock, and is especially good at raising and training horses. Later, someone from Quanqiu told King Zhou Xiao about this matter, so King Zhou Xiao sent him to the area between Lishui and Weishui to take charge of horse-raising work for him. Under Feizi's careful care, King Zhou Xiao's horses were It's a good time to recuperate and the population has expanded. King Xiao of Zhou was very satisfied with this, so he wanted to reward him. King Mu of Zhou found Marquis Shen, the king of Shen State, and discussed with him to establish Feizi as the heir of Daluo State.
Daluo is a descendant of the Zhao family from Zaofu's branch. Marquis Shen's daughter is the wife of the king of Daluo Kingdom, and her child is the heir of Daluo Kingdom. Naturally, Marquis Shen does not want Feizi, who raises horses, to replace his grandson as the successor. The heir to the Great Luo Kingdom. So Shenhou said to King Xiao of Zhou: "My ancestor, a woman from Lishan, married Xu Xuan of the Xirong tribe and gave birth to Zhongyi. Because of kinship, she submitted to the Zhou Dynasty and defended the western frontier for the Zhou Dynasty. The western frontier Therefore, there is peace and harmony. Now I marry my daughter to the king of Daluo and give birth to the heir Zhao Cheng. The Shen State, which is related to Xirong, has many marriages with Daluo, so that all the Xirong tribe surrendered to Dazhou, and you can be called King. You’d better think about it again.”
After hearing this, King Zhou Xiao felt that for the sake of the stability of the western frontier, he could not forcibly depose Zhao Cheng, the grandson of Shen Hou, and replace him with Feizi. He had no choice but to tell Marquis Shen: "Back then, Boyi was in charge of livestock for Shun, and his livestock multiplied a lot, so he got a land reward and was given the surname Ying. Now his descendants also breed horses for me, so I will follow the precedent and give them to them." The land is a vassal of the Great Zhou Dynasty." So he gave the land of Qin to Feizi as a fief, and ordered him to continue the sacrifices of the Ying family, calling him Qin Ying. From then on, he established the Qin State's seven hundred years of foundation.
In the time of King Li of Zhou, some princes rebelled because the emperor was immoral and the government was dark. Xirong took the opportunity to rebel, attacked the Zhou Dynasty's border, and destroyed the Daluo Kingdom in Quanqiu. After King Xuan of Zhou came to the throne, he named Qin Zhong, the great-grandson of Qin Ying, as a doctor and ordered him to conquer the Xirong. Unexpectedly, Qin Zhong was killed by the Rong instead. King Xuan of Zhou ordered Qin Zhong's eldest son Zhuang Gong to summon his five brothers and sent them 7,000 soldiers to attack the Xirong. This time they finally defeated the Rong and annexed the Quanqiu land of Daluo Kingdom, becoming Dr. Xicui.
Although the Qin State defeated the Rong people, they did not kill their leader, so Zhuang Gong's eldest son, Shifu, swore: "The Rong people killed my grandfather, and I must kill the Rong King to avenge him, otherwise I will never return home." ." Shifu gave up the position of crown prince to his younger brother, Duke Xiang, and prepared to attack the Rong people himself. Unlike Shifu, Duke Xiang clearly understood that if Qin wanted to develop, it must have a stable and peaceful external environment, so it had to turn enemies into friends with Xirong and settle down in their respective positions. In order to show goodwill to Xirong, Duke Xiang even married his sister Mu Ying to King Feng of Xirong soon after he ascended the throne.
But the Xirong people seemed dissatisfied. Rather than living in peace with Qin, they coveted Qin's land more, so they sent troops to besiege Quanqiu the next year. Obviously, tolerance for the enemy is cruelty to oneself. Shifu had a lot of passion but not enough strength. He hurriedly led his troops to fight against the Rong people, but was captured instead. He was released after more than a year.
A few years later, King You of Zhou abolished the elders and established younger ones, playing tricks on the princes, which finally led to rebellions among the princes, the world fell into chaos, and the people suffered misery. Xirong and Quanrong colluded with their in-laws, the king of Shen State, to attack the border of the Zhou Dynasty. They marched all the way and killed King You of Zhou Dynasty in Lishan Mountain. In this troubled time, Qin Xianggong knew very well that this was a great opportunity to change his destiny and promote the rise of Qin. So he personally led his army to the capital of Zhou Dynasty to support him. He fought bravely and effectively and made many meritorious deeds.
In order to avoid the attacks of the dogs and Rong, King Ping of Zhou decided to move the capital to Luoyang after he came to the throne. Qin Xianggong personally led the troops to escort him, and made great contributions to protecting King Zhou and reviving the royal family. Therefore, King Ping of Zhou personally made Qin Mugong a vassal, and granted all the land west of Qishan to Qin. He also promised: "The Rong have no way and invade our Qi and Feng lands. If Qin can attack the Rong, he will have the land." !" King Ping of Zhou made an oath to Duke Mu of Qin and granted him a title. From then on, Qin became a true vassal state. It exchanged envoys with other princes and exchanged greetings and gifts. Qin Xianggong also enjoyed the same rights as other princes. treatment.
Later, Qin Xianggong's son Qin Wengong led troops to attack the Rong people, and defeated the Rong people and fled. Therefore, Qin Wengong followed the previous promise of King Ping of Zhou and took back the people of the Zhou Dynasty who occupied the land to himself, and the territory also expanded. When they arrived at Qishan, all the land east of Qishan was dedicated to the Zhou royal family. After driving away the troubled Rong people, the Qin State finally gained a peaceful and stable external environment, and the soldiers and civilians were finally able to recuperate and recuperate. The Qin State has since embarked on the road to prosperity.
After that, through the hard work of Ning Gong, Wu Gong, De Gong, Xuangong, Cheng Gong and other generations of kings, the Qin State defeated the Rong tribes, wiped out the surrounding small countries, and pushed the territory all the way eastward. And moved the capital to Yongyi (today's Fengxiang, Shaanxi). At this time, Qin had occupied a large territory in Guanzhong and became a newly rising Western power.
Since Qin Chenggong had not been in power for a long time, although he had seven sons when he died, they were all very young. In order to avoid being suspected of causing domestic turmoil, he was even attacked by other countries. After Qin Chenggong died, he did not appoint his son to succeed him, but appointed his younger brother Ren Hao to ascend the throne as king. This is the famous Qin Mu Gong in history.
When Duke Mu of Qin came to the throne, the Qin State was in an unprecedented state of prosperity and strength, but its political, economic, cultural and other development levels were still unable to compete with the vassal states in the Central Plains. Whether the Qin State should be content with being a powerful country in the West, or whether it should seek development and target Guanzhong and the world, this path lies at the feet of Duke Mu of Qin.
After Duke Mu of Qin came to the throne, in order to close the relationship between Qin and the powerful countries in the Central Plains and enhance Qin's influence, he sent people to Duke Xian of Jin to request a marriage. Seeing that the Qin State was developing rapidly and its national power was rising day by day, Duke Xiang of Jin also wanted to have a good relationship with this powerful neighbor, so he married his legitimate daughter and the sister of Prince Shen Sheng to Duke Mu of Qin. This marriage not only gave Duke Mu of Qin a lovely wife and beautiful wife, but also established an in-law relationship with Jin, a powerful country in the Central Plains. It also gave Duke Mu of Qin an unexpected chance to gain a famous and virtuous minister who would assist him in pushing Qin to its peak. Baili Xi.
Baili Xi was a senior official of the Yu State. Duke Xian of Jin borrowed a road from the Yu State to attack Guo and then returned to the army and destroyed the Yu State. Baili Xi was captured together with the monarch, so Baili Xi was reduced from a senior official to a slave. After Duke Xian of Jin agreed to Duke Mu of Qin's proposal, he prepared a large dowry for his daughter according to the etiquette at that time, which not only included various exquisite and expensive treasures, but also many male and female slaves, and Baili Xi was charged as a dowry. As dowry slaves, they were sent to Qin along with the wedding procession.
Bailixi couldn't bear the humiliation and escaped quietly on the road. However, Bailixi was already nearly 70 years old and had difficulty moving. When he walked to Wandi (now Nanyang, Henan), he was caught by the farmers of Chu State and became a slave of Chu State. . King Chu Cheng didn't know that this old slave turned out to be a wise minister with a big heart. He just heard that Baili Xi was good at raising cattle, so he asked him to raise cattle for himself.
After the daughter of Duke Xian of Jin was married to the State of Qin, Duke Mu of Qin heard that one of the slaves in the dowry, Baili Xi, was a virtuous minister captured from the State of Yu, but he had escaped and was captured by the people of Chu and sent to raise cattle, so Duke Mu of Qin wanted to pay a large sum of money to redeem Baili Xi's life. But then I thought that the people of Chu did not know that Baili Xi was a wise minister, so they asked him to raise cattle. If he really spent a lot of money to ransom him, it would attract the attention of the King of Chu. If the King of Chu had understood that Baili Xi was a worthy and worthy minister, he probably would not have sent him back to Qin.
So Qin Mugong sent an envoy to Chu State and said to King Chu Cheng: "My wife's dowry slave Baili Xi has escaped to your country. Please allow me to redeem him with five black ramskins." Five black ramskins were the most common means of buying and selling slaves at that time. At a normal price, the people of Chu had no doubts about him, so they generously gave Baili Xi to Qin. Baili Xi was already over seventy years old at that time.
In order to deceive the people of Chu, the envoys of Qin imprisoned Baili Xi like a slave. When the group arrived in Qin, Duke Mu of Qin personally unchained him and discussed state affairs. Bailixi's life was full of ups and downs, and he was reduced to a slave in his later years. He was already disheartened, so he said: "I am a person who has subjugated the country, why should the king ask!" Duke Mu of Qin said firmly: "The king of Yu will not listen to your advice. , then the country will be destroyed, and the destruction of Yu State is not your fault." Then he repeatedly inquired about state affairs. Baili Xi saw that Duke Mu of Qin was very sincere and did not look down on him, so he told him all the strategies in his heart.
The monarch and his minister met their close friends and talked together for three full days. Qin Mu agreed that Baili Xi's strategy for governing the country was very suitable for Qin, so he entrusted the country's affairs to him and made him a doctor. Since Bailixi was redeemed with five black ramskins, which were called "羖" at the time, Bailixi was called the "Five-羖Doctor" in the Qin State.
Baili Xi said to Duke Mu of Qin: "I am not as talented as my friend Jian Shu, and no one in the world knows his virtuousness. In those days, I traveled among various countries to seek officials. When I was in Qi, I encountered difficulties and could only beg. , it was Uncle Jian who took me in. Therefore, I wanted to stay in Qi and serve as an official to serve the king of Qi, Wu Wu. Uncle Jian persuaded me, so I was not affected by Wu Wu later. Later, I became a supporter of Prince Zhou. Niu, in this way, I gained Wang Zi's trust, and when I was about to be reused, it was Uncle Jian who stopped me and asked me to leave, so I was not killed together with Wang Zi'an."
"Later I arrived in the Yu Kingdom, and Uncle Jian persuaded me to leave again. Although I knew that the king of the Yu Kingdom would not listen to the advice, I still stayed for the sake of my status. I listened to Uncle Jian's words twice and survived. I didn't listen to him once, and I suffered a disaster, so I know that Uncle Jian is a rare wise man." After hearing Baili Xi's words, Duke Mu of Qin sent people with generous gifts to greet Uncle Jian and made him a senior official.
It is said that when Baili Xi was young, he had to separate from his wife Du Shi in order to travel around the world seeking official positions. After Bailixi was favored by Duke Mu of Qin, he had his own mansion, where he often had banquets and had fun with his colleagues. Once, another banquet was held at Bailixi's house, during which a singer sang, and the sound of silk and bamboo orchestras could be heard far away. When the song ended, the housekeeper led an old woman forward and told Baili Xi that she was good at singing and hoped to sing a song for him.
The more Bailixi saw, the more he felt that the old woman looked like his wife. However, after all, the couple had been separated for many years and did not dare to recognize each other rashly, so he agreed to let her sing a song. The old woman was playing the strings in the hall and singing:
Bailixi, five sheepskin. Reminiscing about the time when we were saying goodbye, we were cooking and laying down women, cooking and cooking, and today we are rich and honorable and forget ourselves;
Baili Xi, when he first married me, he had five sheepskins. Cooking breast milk chicken before parting, this is a time of wealth and selflessness;
Bailixi, Bailixi, her mother died and was buried in Nanxi. The tomb is covered with tiles, covered with firewood, the yellow lily is pounded, and the chicken is strangled.
Entering the Qin Dynasty from the west, there are five skins. Today, the wealth and honor will be donated to me!
After listening to this sad and plaintive song, Baili Xi had no doubts anymore and immediately stood up to recognize Du Shi. It turned out that after Bailixi left, his wife Du Shi found out that she was pregnant, and later gave birth to a son named Shi Mengming. Due to her poor family, Du worked hard every day to take care of Bailixi's parents and raise her young son. After Bailixi's mother passed away, she was unable to bury her and could only bury her in a crude way.
Many years later, when the Du family heard that Baili Xi had gained glory and wealth in the Qin State, she took her son Meng Mingshi to join him. But how could she, a poor woman with an aging face, easily meet Baili Xi, the new rich man of Qin Mugong and the top official of the Qin State? Mrs. Du was even more worried that Baili Xi would forget her after being rich and unwilling to recognize her. In order to find a chance to have a clear talk with Baili Xi in person, Du Shi managed to stay in Baili Xi's house and worked as a laundry maid. This time, there was a banquet held at Baili Xi's house, so she found the opportunity to compile a libretto about her past experiences and sing it to attract Baili Xi's attention and get to know her.
Bailixi gained the monarch's trust and the opportunity to show his talents in the Qin State. He found his wife and son again and lived a very satisfied life. From then on, he did his best to advise Duke Mu of Qin, helping Qin increase its national power and expand to the Central Plains. Baili Xi's suggestions played a great role in Qin's subsequent domination of Xirong.
