There are different opinions in history as to why Qin was able to win the final victory in the war. A series of facts show that Qin's eventual ability to cleanse the six eastern countries and establish a centralized and unified empire was not just a matter of one or two accidents.
In the process of Qin establishing a unified and centralized state, the clan system was undoubtedly gradually collapsing, and with this collapse, the large and small clans that had been brutally suppressed and restrained were also liberated in the process. As more and more people became the relatively free peasant class, the concept of homesteaders was gradually popularized.
So, what is the feudal, relatively free peasant class? Perhaps at the time, they were just a negligible class that could be ravaged and trampled on at will. The rulers rarely even noticed them. However, their desire to oppose the separation of princes and long for the unification of the world has been secretly growing unknowingly. Become an important force that affects the course of history.
At the same time, the rise of another force cannot be ignored, that is, the landlord class opposite to the peasant class. Of course, the rise of the landlord class was only in quantity, and it was far less powerful than the original lords. Therefore, the division and separatism of the landlord class is more difficult than the separatism and dominance of the lords. History is similar, but there is absolutely no turning back. It is like a spring water. Once it moves forward, even if it encounters countless shoals and dangers, it will never return to its original state. Therefore, once the previous divide-and-rule clan system collapsed, it would certainly be difficult to restore it. Only the establishment of a unified centralized state is the correct move in line with the trend of the times.
The determination of the landlord class to unify the world and the desire of the peasant class to unify the world were historically combined. During the 200 years of the Warring States Period, 7 such forces were born. Therefore, which force should complete the mission of unifying the world? It has become the biggest suspense left to people by history.
Facts have proved that this force is Qin. Of course, Qin's ability to take the lead in completing this magnificent transition is inseparable from Qin's special national conditions.
At that time, the geographical location of the Qin State was very remote, far away in the bitter cold land in the west, and all its undertakings were far behind the vassal states in the east. Especially compared to the East at that time, the land of Qilu where Confucius was born, the Qin State seemed even more backward. However, the people of Qin did not content themselves with falling behind. Instead, in their pursuit of success, they achieved achievements that made the six eastern countries look at them.
In the first year of Qin Xian (384 BC), the people of Qin began to gradually abolish the system of human burial. The abolition of this cruel system marked a historic step taken by Qin in the process of civilization.
In the seventh year of Duke Xiang of Qin (378 BC), markets began to appear in the State of Qin. The development of commodity trade enabled the State of Qin to exchange what they had, which not only promoted the transportation of goods in the State of Qin, but also promoted the exchange of information and personnel in the State of Qin. Circulation comes through.
In the tenth year of Duke Xian of Qin (375 BC), the State of Qin promulgated a decree and learned from the six eastern countries. Household registration began, the population was controlled, and national order began to be gradually established.
However, Qin's cross-era progress really began during the Qin Xiaogong period. At that time, Shang Yang, who was far away in the powerful Wei State, had no way to serve his country and was repeatedly framed. He had no choice but to leave his hometown and come to Qin State. Perhaps due to some secret arrangement, as soon as Shang Yang came to Qin, he was appreciated by the talented and strategic Duke Xiao of Qin. The two hit it off immediately, and an earth-shattering reform movement - Shang Yang's Reform began. During this reform, the Qin State formulated many laws and gradually established the power of the emerging landlord class. In the second year of King Qin Huiwen (336 BC), the people of Qin began to mint and use currency. After years of unremitting efforts, Qin State has transformed from a backward, barbaric, and closed small and weak country into one of the most advanced, civilized, open, and powerful countries in the Warring States Period.
Of course, all this is due to the reform power of Qin, that is, the feudal power. Compared with the six eastern countries, Qin's corrupt power is the weakest. This is objectively conducive to Qin's reform and the implementation of the new system. The Qin landlord class was the first to attack the remnants of the original lords. The peasant class obtained the land and relative freedom they needed, while the landlord class obtained the power and strength they needed, and eventually completely occupied the entire country. center of power.
The drastic reforms put Qin at the forefront of other countries in all aspects. Xunzi, the last master of the Warring States Period, highly praised the simplicity of the Qin people's customs, the loyalty of the officials, the law-abiding of the high officials, and the tranquility of the court in his famous work "Boundary States". In his eyes, there is no doubt that the six eastern countries all have political flaws that are difficult to correct or even fatal. Only Qin's politics is relatively perfect. This, to a large extent, determines the development trend and advanced level of Qin. In particular, the military system of the Qin State is more advanced than that of the six eastern countries. This is why the Qin State can repeatedly produce world-famous generals and talents, and why the Qin Army can be invincible in the world. Most of these views on the advanced nature of Qin's military system are reflected in Xunzi's "Yi Bing Pian":
Since Shang Yang's reform, the State of Qin has established a system of promotion based on military merit. This system, regardless of origin or past, allows ambitious people in the State of Qin to show off their talents, and allows those living at the bottom to have A platform to realize your ideals or change your predicament. The Qin system with strict rewards and punishments made those people strive to be the first. As long as he gets military merit, he can become a person of social status in one fell swoop. In this way, Qin's fighting power, especially its fighting will, is undoubtedly the most powerful among the six countries.
On the other hand, Qin's neighbor Wei established a powerful Wei military force after Wu Qi's reform. Different from the Qin State's policy of almost all people being soldiers regardless of their origins or conditions, the selection conditions for Wei soldiers are very harsh, although after being selected, the conditions are very generous. In addition to the military soldiers of Wei and the Zhao army currently confronting Qin in Changping, there is also a powerful country in the far Qin region, Qi. The Qi State is different from the Wei and Qin States. Its military strength pays more attention to bravery. If the enemy's head is beheaded, there will be a bounty of one 锱 (one or two twenty-four baht, six baht is one 锱). Interest motivates soldiers to fight bravely on the battlefield, but it is not enough to be driven by interests on the battlefield, and sometimes it can be a wrong guide. If dealing with ordinary armies, this provision is naturally very effective; but if it encounters strong ones like the Qin Army and the Wei Army, the drive for profit will appear vulnerable, and the only thing waiting for it is failure.
There is an old saying: The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people. As mentioned before, Qin had great advantages both politically and militarily, which laid a stable foundation for Qin's victory. What cannot be ignored is that Qin has three people who take this advantage to the extreme: the military myth Bai Qi, the political and diplomatic legend Fan Ju, and the eternal wise king Qin Zhaoxiang who controls both of them. In order to achieve the common goal of wiping out the Zhao State, which has the strongest military strength among the six eastern countries, the three people worked together and worked tirelessly.
In terms of military affairs, Qin Zhaoxiang King Ying Ji naturally fully supported Bai Qi. Almost all the military power of the Qin State in the Guanzhong area - these are the main force of the Qin army, and most of the sergeants are direct descendants of the old Qin people; at the same time, King Qin Zhaoxiang also mobilized money and food from far away in the Bashu area, and collected these troops. The people in a region are responsible for escorting the transportation of grain, grass and baggage. In this way, the Qin army could confront the Zhao army for three years while the Zhao army was waiting for work and could not move out. Just imagine, including the logistics and supply personnel, the total number of the Qin army exceeds one million. They are thousands of miles away and face the Zhao army day and night, causing huge losses. Without the support of Qin's powerful national power, the unreserved trust of King Qin Zhaoxiang, and the unity of Qin's army and people, all this would be unimaginable.
After three years, the Qin army only achieved a temporary victory. Although in the long run, it is inevitable that the Qin army will defeat the Zhao army, how to speed up this inevitable occurrence has become a top priority for the top decision-makers in the capital Xianyang.
The top decision-makers here refer to two people, one is the King of Qin, King Qin Zhaoxiang, and the other is the Prime Minister of Qin, Fan Ju.
