During the Warring States Period, the development of productive forces made progress, focusing on iron. Among them, the weapon manufacturing technology of Chu was the most developed. At this time, the crossbow machine for archery was also invented, and Luban also invented the ladder for siege and the hook of the boat battle tool.
The main arms of the Warring States were infantry and cavalry, and chariot units gradually took a back seat. The earliest cavalry established in the Central Plains recorded in ancient historical books was the Hufu cavalry of King Wuling of Zhao. During the Warring States Period, the county conscription system was widely implemented in various countries, and the number of soldiers in each country increased greatly, and Qin and Chu were both at that time"With a million"。
During the Warring States period, field warfare and encirclement warfare, which were dominated by infantry and cavalry, gradually replaced chariot warfare. The war has also taken on a protracted and long-term character.
During the Warring States period, the means of defense also improved. In order to resist the invasion of the northern nomads, the three kingdoms of Qin, Zhao and Yan all built the Great Wall. The North Great Wall of Qin was built by King Zhao of Qin, and the North Great Wall of Zhao was built after King Wuling of Zhao broke Lin Hu and Lou was annoying. Yan's Great Wall was built after Yan opened Qin and broke Donghu.
The wars of the Warring States period belonged"Annexation"The purpose of the war is not only to annex some small and medium-sized countries, but also to annex land between large countries.
The development of annexation wars gradually transformed into feudal unity. The common yearning of the ruling classes of all countries is to end the division and achieve national unity. Wei, Qi, Chu, and Zhao all worked hard for the cause of the king, but they all failed in the end, and in the end it was the Qin State that unified China, because the Qin State's Shang Dynasty reform was the most thorough.
The Warring States Period moved from annexation to feudal unification, which can be roughly divided into four stages: the period of Wei hegemony, the period of confrontation between Qin and Qi, the period of the Great War between Qin and Zhao, and the period of unification of Qin.