During the Warring States Period, countries competed for hegemony and heroes emerged. However, during this period, there were also some "loser" monarchs who caused the decline of the country for various reasons. Among them, King Wei Zhao, King Qi and King Xiang of Qin Zhuang are the three most prominent.
King Zhao of Wei was a monarch of Wei, and during his reign, the territory of Wei was greatly reduced, and a large number of soldiers were killed in foreign wars, almost all the achievements of his father King Wei Xiang for many years were buried. King Wei Zhao's defeat was mainly due to his lack of long-term strategic vision and prudent statecraft, and he was too eager for quick success, which led to the country falling into crisis.
King Qi was also a once powerful monarch, and in the early stage of his succession, the national power of Qi reached its peak. However, King Qi was too arrogant and eager for quick success, which eventually led to the almost demise of the Qi Kingdom. His failure was mainly due to his lack of modesty and prudence, his overconfidence and short-sightedness, his failure to learn the lessons of his predecessors, and ultimately reaped the consequences.
King Xiang of Qin Zhuang was the monarch of the Qin State, and the Qin State was already very powerful when he succeeded to the throne. However, King Xiang of Qin Zhuang did not learn the lesson of the defeat of his grandfather Zhaoxiang King Handan, and was too eager for quick success, and did not take the Six Kingdoms in his eyes, and fought whoever he wanted. In the end, the rash behavior of King Xiang of Qin Zhuang led to the crisis of the Qin state.
In addition to the above three monarchs, King Chu Huai is also a "loser" monarch. The state of Chu during his succession was at its peak, but the decline of the state of Chu began after his reign. What is even more tragic is that King Chu Huai used his life to be martyred for betraying the Lile civilization, coveted the interests of Qin's land and severed the alliance with Qi, and finally died in Qin.
What these "loser" monarchs have in common is that they are too eager for quick success, arrogant, short-sighted, and lack long-term strategic vision and prudent governance strategies. Their wrong decisions led to the decline and crisis of the country. These historical events tell us that as a monarch, we need to have foresight, sound governance and strategic thinking to ensure the long-term stability of the country.
In the era of heroes in the Warring States period, although these "loser" monarchs were once prominent, they eventually went into decline because of their own mistakes and short-sightedness. Their stories teach us that governing the country and personal life requires foresight and sound decision-making, and that we cannot only focus on the immediate benefits and ignore the long-term benefits. Only by keeping a clear head and a humble attitude can we remain invincible in this complex and ever-changing world.
Fei Wenzhong. December 25, 2023 in Suzhou Kongdeju.
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