In the early Warring States period, the Chu State's agriculture was very backward compared to that of the Central Plains. In addition, there were many tribes in the south, and a large number of troops needed to be dispersed to suppress and defend. Therefore, in the eyes of the Central Plains princes, the Chu State was not something to worry about. But the subsequent development of Chu State was really eye-catching. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, Chu State has successively annexed many small princes and tribes and continuously expanded its territory.
For example, in 334 BC, taking advantage of the opportunity of Wu and Yue's struggle for hegemony, King Wei of Chu seized the land of Yue in the west of present-day Zhejiang with lightning speed, greatly increasing the influence and strength of Chu. He was the most ambitious monarch since Chu's struggle for hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period. At the time of King Qingxiang of Chu, he sent General Zhuang to lead the Chu army into Yunnan. Starting from Dianchi Lake (now Kunming, Yunnan), he spread his conquests to the surrounding areas and expanded thousands of miles in a few years. Unfortunately, the powerful army of Qin later set out from Shu and captured Qianzhong County of Chu. Zhuang's return route was blocked, so Zhuang Sui established a country in Dian and called himself the King of Dian.
After King Wei of Chu, the territory of Chu ranked first among the princes. It reached the seaside in the east and faced the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. In the west, there were Qianzhong County, which was located in Yuanling County, Hunan Province today, and Wu County, which was located in Wushan, Chongqing. It is adjacent to the ancient Ba Kingdom and Qin Kingdom; to the south is Cangwu (now Jiuyi Mountain in southern Hunan), and is adjacent to Baiyue; to the north to the Central Plains, it is bordered by Wei, Song, South Korea, Qi and other countries. adjacent.
Taken together, the Chu State is a multi-ethnic vassal state. Within its vast territory, there are mainly Miao, Tujia, primitive Huaxia, Zhuang and many other ethnic minorities. Within the unified country, various cultures exist. Through exchanges and interactive influences, the unique Chu culture was finally produced, which was based on the integration of shaman culture and Chinese culture. Under the common cultural factors, the prospect of a unified country emerged. It can be seen that the Chu State at this moment has the ability to unify. cultural basis. Over a period of more than 800 years (the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the end of the Warring States Period), the Qin Dynasty was established for the Qin State by continuously expanding its operations externally and reforming the old and promoting the new internally. Later, the Chu people destroyed Qin and the Han Dynasty was established, creating a unified state. The establishment of the feudal empire was inseparable from the influence left by the management of Chu State. Qin's military strength and Chu's culture both laid a solid foundation for unified China.
It's a pity that later Bai Qi's army became more powerful. Under the shadow of Shang Yang's reform, the Qin army was invincible and finally conquered Ying, the capital of Chu. The king of Chu had no choice but to move the capital to Ying (today's Yicheng, Hubei), and soon after The capital was moved to Chen, and finally settled in Shouchun (now Shouzhou, Anhui) in 241 BC. At this time, the strength of Chu State has been greatly reduced, but its influence is still there, and the penetration of its culture has not decreased but increased. Even the land area of Chu State at this time can still compete with Qin State. Especially after Lord Chun Shen destroyed Lu and assisted Zhao in attacking Qin, Chu's land area once again became the largest in the Warring States Period, followed by Qin and Zhao, and smaller by Qi, Wei, and Yan. , and South Korea was originally not large in area, and Qin continued to invade and gnaw it, reducing it to the smallest country in terms of land area.
The Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty were able to establish and consolidate a unified feudal empire because of another crucial factor: the total population at that time reached 25 million. The huge population and huge mobility allowed countries to communicate with each other while , and enough to control the vast land with unified thoughts. From the configuration of the military forces of various countries in "Historical Records", we can roughly see the population of each country.
Around 280 BC, the power of Qin had not yet been fully reflected. Chu, Wei and Qi were still the most powerful countries. At that time, Wei's total military strength reached 700,000. If five people sent one soldier, its population would be at least 4 million. There are more than 70 cities in Qi State. In the Battle of Jimo in 279 BC, Tian Dan got more than 5,000 warriors in Jimo city. This shows that the entire Jimo city has a population of almost 50,000, and the population of the entire Qi State is The total number should reach more than 3.5 million. Qin State in the west and Zhao State in the north. In the Battle of Changping, Qin State used 600,000 to 700,000 troops, while Zhao State also lost 450,000 troops. It can be seen that the population of the two countries exceeds at least 8 million. Other countries such as South Korea have a military strength of 300,000, and their population can naturally reach more than 1.5 million. In the later war between Yan and Zhao, the prime minister of Yan led an army of 600,000 to attack, which shows that its population has reached about 3 million. . The strength of the Chu State is also reflected in its population. Before Bai Qi destroyed the Chu army, the total number of Chu State's troops, regardless of their combat power, reached a terrifying 1 million, and the population was naturally as high as 5 million.
However, Chu State did not complete the social system reform like Qin State in the end, although there were buds during the period. Even since King Wei of Chu, the kings of Chu State also learned to recruit talents from all over to help Chu State become strong and prosperous. However, those measures only achieved certain results in a short period of time. Chu State urgently needed a system that could maintain its continuous progress and strength. It's a pity that the opportunity passed by like this, and Shang Yang brought the opportunity to Qin.
After King Huai of Chu, the state of Chu was in decline. By the time of King Chun Shen, it was already in decline.
In 249 BC, the Qin State took advantage of the remaining power of destroying the Western Zhou State and sent a large army to the Eastern Zhou State, destroying the last symbol of the Zhou royal family. The entire Qin State truly realized its ambition to dominate the world. In the past, when the King of Chu aspired to the throne, it aroused criticism from people all over the world. Today, the state of Qin has blatantly held Jiuding in its own hands. In the past, the Qin State and the Qi State were called the two emperors of the East and West. It was just a false name and they were still wary of it. Looking forward and backward, the current Qin State already has the power to dominate the world. In the near future, it is not a problem for the King of Qin to ascend the throne of the emperor.
The Chu State was so powerful in the past. This time Chun Shenjun attacked the Qin State one after another and destroyed the Lu State, which greatly increased the strength of the Chu State. Seeing Qin growing bigger, Chu would naturally not sit still and wait for death. As a result, another vertical alliance occurred. This alliance took place in 242 BC. The participating countries mainly included Chu, Zhao, Wei, South Korea and Yan. King Chu Kaolie deservedly served as the head of the six-nation alliance. It is worth mentioning that Qi, which has always been close to Qin, seems not to have realized the deepening crisis and still chose not to participate in the joint vertical alliance. Chun Shenjun was elected by the six countries and became the commander-in-chief of the five-nation coalition forces.
This time it seemed to go well. The five-nation coalition took advantage of Wei and South Korea and soon reached Hangu Pass. It is a pity that although the Five-Nation Allied Forces are powerful at this time, they have lost the centripetal force to fight for a goal under their magnificent appearance. Although Chun Shenjun was ambitious, he was unable to unite the forces of various countries. Moreover, every time other countries arrived outside Hangu Pass, it would be difficult to conquer it, otherwise Qin would have perished several times. At first, each country thought that others would contribute and take advantage of themselves, so in the end the Qin army took advantage. In addition, Hangu Pass is a pass that cannot be opened by one man and cannot be opened by ten thousand people. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and it is difficult for all countries to capture it. The Qin army also understood that once the allied forces of the princes captured Hangu Pass, there would be a vast plain, and the enemy troops would march straight in and attack directly at the gate of Xianyang City. Therefore, no matter how heavy the price paid, the Qin army will definitely defend this place.
Over the years, few princes have been able to conquer Hangu Pass. When Qin Xiaogong seized the land of Hexi from Wei, he paid great attention to Hangu Pass.
To the surprise of the Qin army, compared to the last combined army led by Lord Xinling, Lord Chunshen's army was simply vulnerable. As soon as the Qin army opened the gateway and made a little trial, the armies of various princes dispersed. It is said that a defeat is like a mountain falling. Lord Chun Shen suspected that the mountain fell too fast.
Lu Buwei made a more concise summary of the united resistance against Qin: What was united was a mob. Is this an opponent of the mighty and powerful Qin army?
This collaboration was like a farce and ended in nothing. But King Kaolie of Chu did not intend to let others go just like this. This other person was not Qin, because he was powerless. What the King of Chu wanted to blame was Lord Chun Shen, the pillar of Chu State.
The King of Chu believed that the reason why He Zong was defeated this time was because of Chun Shenjun's improper command. Little did he know that even a genius or military genius would have to think twice before facing the elite soldiers and generals of the Qin army. What's more, there are also the suspicions of the monarchs of various countries and the suspicion of colleagues. It is really difficult to defeat the Qin army.
The centipede is dead but not stiff. Although Chun Shenjun failed to show his great power in this alliance, his influence in the country cannot be underestimated. The king of Chu could not rule out his crimes, but blamed him for his incompetence and ignored Chun Shen.
