In 678 BCE, Quwo Wugong succeeded in becoming the king of the Jin state, but his short reign lasted only one year before his death. Duke Wu's son, Jin Xiangong, took over the power of the country, but faced a dilapidated situation left by the long civil war. The first problem to be solved by Jin Xiangong was how to govern the ruined Jin Kingdom. In order to ensure the long-term peace and stability of the country, Jin Xiangong implemented a series of internal rectification measures.
First of all, Jin Xiangong decided to strengthen the power of the monarch in order to prevent the recurrence of the rebellion of the small sect against the large sect. The first step he took was to eliminate the clans of Quwo Huan Gong and Quwo Zhuangbo. To this end, Jin Xiangong established a city and moved all these clan members to live in the city. Then, he suddenly sent troops to besiege the city, exterminating all the members of the clan, and only a few fled abroad. This cruel and decisive move laid the foundation for Jin Xiangong's governance.
In the process of the elimination of the clan, Jin Xiangong Shensheng was the crown prince, and the heir was determined in advance to ensure the stability of the rule. At this time, Jin Xiangong formed the principle of "no clan in the country", not only expelling members of the clan from the country, but also stipulating that they could not live in the country, let alone hold positions of power. The formulation of this policy led to the formation of a stable and orderly political system in the Jin state.
After Jin Xiangong stabilized internally, he set out to strengthen the external strength of the Jin state. He built up a large army, numbering more than 20,000 men, and began to expand abroad. First of all, Jin Xiangong personally led the army and conquered the three small states of Huo, Wei and Geng, and annexed them. In this campaign, important generals such as Zhao Shu and Bi Wan performed well and became the ancestors of the Zhao and Wei clans who later divided the Jin Kingdom.
With the conquest of the surrounding small states, the Jin state gradually rose to become a powerful power. The wisdom and determination of Jin Xiangong laid a solid diplomatic foundation for the Jin state. He then divided Geng to Zhao Shu and Wei to Bi Wan, making these two families important forces in the politics of the Jin Kingdom in the future. During this period, although there was no situation in which the emperor was dominant, the Jin State presented a situation of abundant talents and strong military strength.
While expanding externally, Jin Xiangong gradually consolidated his domestic power. By co-opting capable people in families with different surnames, he ensured the stable operation of **. Jin Xiangong's careful layout made the strength of the Jin Kingdom significantly enhanced. At this time, the kingdom of Yu gradually declined, and the hard-line attitude adopted by the prince of Qiu hastened its demise. Jin Xiangong followed the timing and began to prepare to clean up the kingdom.
In 658 BC, Jin Xiangong borrowed the state of Yu to exchange for the support of the state of Yu through diplomatic means. Yu Guojun objected to this, but finally agreed to borrow it. Jin Xiangong sent troops to conquer Shangyang, the capital of the Kingdom of Qiu, and occupied half of the country. However, this was not the ultimate goal of Jin Xiangong, and he borrowed the Tao from Yu again three years later, by which time the Imperial Doctor Gong Zhiqi of Yu Guo had already sensed that the situation was not good, but the monarch still borrowed the Tao from the Jin army.
After the fall of the Kingdom of Yu, the Kingdom of Yu also became the target of the Kingdom of Jin. The Jin army again besieged the capital of Yu and succeeded in destroying Yu after besieging the city for two months. During this period, Jin Xiangong led his army to destroy seventeen small states, laying the foundation for the expansion of the national power of the Jin State.
The expansion of territory during the Jin Xiangong period laid the conditions for the hegemony of the Jin Wengong. After the Battle of Chengpu in 632 BC, Duke Wen of Jin officially became the overlord of the meeting of the princes of the Alliance of the Soil. The strong foundation laid by the Jin Xiangong enabled the Jin State to stand proudly in later history and become a powerful hegemon. His political wisdom, decisive decision-making, and keen grasp of the internal and external situations together constitute an important historical chapter in the rise of the Jin state.
Conclusion
During the period of Jin Xiangong, the Jin State attacked and destroyed the surrounding seventeen countries, and the national strength expanded sharply, laying a solid foundation for the hegemony of the Jin Wengong and the continuation of the hegemony of the Jin State in the later period.