As we all know, the division of the three families into Jin was a watershed event between the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Since 633 BC, when Duke Wen of Jin established Liuqing, Liuqing has always held the power of the Jin State. By the time of Jin Pinggong, Han, Zhao, Wei, Zhi, Fan, and the six Qings of the Bank of China were tilting against each other. Later, Zhao destroyed Fan and Zhongxing, and in 453 BC, he united Han and Wei to destroy the Zhi clan, and the Jin State Office existed in name only. In 403 BC, Wei, Zhao, and Korea were canonized by the Zhou royal family and officially became vassal states during the Warring States Period. In 376 B.C., Han, Zhao, and Wei abolished the Jing Duke of Jin and moved to Duanshi (now Qinshui County, Jin City), dividing up all the remaining land of the Jin State Office. Therefore, the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao and Wei are collectively known as the "Three Jins".
After the division of the three families, the geographical location of Wei was relatively poor, but it became the first vassal state to dominate among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. At the beginning of the Warring States period, both Korea and Zhao needed to follow Wei by their side. In this regard, in the author's opinion, the reason why Wei can take the lead in dominating the Central Plains is that the monarch Wei Wenhou is naturally indispensable.
One: Wei Wenhou's resourcefulness led to the rise.
Specifically, Wei Si (472 BC, 396 BC), the grandson of Wei Huanzi and the father of Wei Wuhou, inherited his grandfather's family business in 446 BC. When the three families were divided, the Zhao family benefited the most, and the Wei family and the Han family got less. The Zhao clan obtained a large area of land in the northern part of the Jin Kingdom, and crossed the Taihang Mountains to the east, occupying Handan and Zhongmu. The Wei clan and the Han clan were shrouded in the south of the Zhao clan, and the Zhi clan territory occupied by the Zhao clan was pressing on the territory of the Wei clan, and the Wei clan was very depressed.
To the west of the Wei clan was the Qin state, across the river, to the north was the powerful Zhao clan, to the east was the emerging Han clan, and to the south, across the Zhongtiao Mountains and the Yellow River, was the Shaanxi land fought for by the Qin, Chu, and Zheng states. Wei was tightly wrapped in a corner of the southwest of Jin. The first thing Wei Wenhou had to do was to be self-reliant and not to be encroached upon by the surrounding powers, and then to break the deadlock and promote the rise of Wei.
In 403 BC, after being canonized by the Zhou royal family, the state of Wei was officially established, and Marquis Wen of Wei also became the first monarch of Wei. In order to make the rise of Wei, when Wei Wenhou was in power, Corporal Lixian appointed Li Kui and Zhai Huang as Xiangguo, and Le Yang and Wu Qi as generals. The influence and role of talents on various vassal states is very huge, and for the Wei State, which rose in the early Warring States period, it is also inseparable from the promotion of Li Kui's reforms.
2: Li Kui's reform led the rise of Wei.
After the three families were separated, Li Kui, with the support of Wei Wenhou, carried out the "Li Kui Reform", which mainly included four aspects.
First of all, officials were selected according to their ability to improve the operational efficiency of the Wei state. In this process, Li Kui's reform also focused on restrictions on the Wei clan.
Secondly, the common people were encouraged to reclaim the land and abolish the well field system implemented by the Zhou Dynasty. The well field system is a land distribution system, and after Li Kui's abolition, it helped the common people to reclaim land.
Third, the "Book of Laws" was promulgated to consolidate the achievements of the law reform. The appearance of the "Book of Laws" helped to standardize the promotion of officials and the military exploits of the soldiers of the Wei State.
Finally, the establishment of Wei Wushu to enhance the combat effectiveness of Wei soldiers. The rise of Wei Wushu allowed Wei to achieve more victories in wars.
In the eyes of historians, Li Kui's reform was one of the earliest changes in ancient history, and it had a profound impact on the development of ancient history. During the Warring States Period, the Qin State rose to prominence due to the Shang Dynasty reforms, the Zhao State became strong because of the Hufu cavalry and archery, and the Wei State was also rejuvenated by Li Kui's reforms.
Three: External expedition and internal consolidation, Wei Wenhou defeated strong enemies many times.
After Li Kui changed the law, Wei Wenhou used troops abroad, winning more and losing less. First of all, Wei Wenhou ensured the alliance of the Three Jins, so that while Wei ate meat, Zhao and Korea could also drink soup and fight against the other Warring States Seven Heroes.
In 413 BC, Li Kui led the Wei army to defeat the Qin army and won a victory in the land west of the river. Subsequently, Wu Qi led his army to attack the Weihe Plain of the Qin State. By 390 BC, after several attacks, Wei had completely occupied the land west of the river, weakening the Qin state.
Wei also engaged in a fierce contest with Qi in the east. In 405 BC, Wei, Zhao, and Han jointly attacked the Qi state, killing 30,000 Qi troops. A year later, they attacked the Qi State again, causing the Qi State to be forced to cede land and sue for peace, and the three families obtained large tracts of land.
At the same time, Wei also broke out several wars with Chu. Although the state of Chu was strong, Wei Wenhou united with Han and Zhao, plus the elite Wei Wushu, and successfully defeated the army of Chu and seized the land of Chu in the Central Plains.
Four: Outstanding results, Wei Wenhou stabilized his hegemony.
In the end, in response to the rise of Zhao, Wei Wenhou included the south bank of Zhangshui into Wei's sphere of influence and established Ye County, which blocked Zhao's strategic goal of advancing south into the Central Plains. This move also threatened the hinterland of Zhao, making it difficult for Zhao to challenge Wei's supremacy.
At the beginning of the Warring States Period, Wei attacked Zhongshan and eliminated Zhao's henchmen. During his reign, Marquis Wen of Wei defeated the great powers of Qi, Qin, and Chu, and consolidated the hegemony of Wei.
Epilogue. During the reign of Wei Wenhou Wei Si, with his wisdom and Li Kui's changes, he successfully led Wei to rise to become the overlord of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. By defeating strong enemies many times, he stabilized the position of Wei and laid the foundation for the later reign of Wei Wushu and other monarchs. Wei Wenhou's governance achievements became a model for the Warring States period and had a profound impact on Chinese history.
Wei Wenhou Weis's statecraft and leadership style undoubtedly left a deep imprint on the historical stage of the Warring States period. His resourcefulness and decisive decision-making laid a solid foundation for the rise of Wei, and he also made remarkable achievements in politics, military, and culture.
First of all, Wei Wenhou's resourcefulness is reflected in his accurate grasp of internal affairs and the promotion of Li Kui's reforms. In the face of the historical situation of the three Jin and Jin dynasties, he was well versed in the truth of "born in sorrow and died in peace", and realized that Wei must seek space for survival and development in the midst of the attacks of the surrounding powers. Through a series of measures such as corporal Lixian, the appointment of Li Kui and others, and the promotion of the "Li Kui Reform Law", the selection of officials according to ability, the encouragement of land reclamation, the abolition of the well field system, and the promulgation of the "Book of Laws", the political system of Wei was more efficient, and the social economy was steadily developed.
Second, Wei Wenhou excelled in foreign wars, especially in defeating the great powers of Qin, Qi, and Chu. Through alliances with vassal states such as Korea and Zhao, he skillfully avoided the dilemma of fighting alone, and formed a powerful force in the Three Jin Dynasty. In the case of orderly internal and external linkage, Wei Wenhou successfully defeated the powerful Qin army and seized the land west of the river, laying a solid foundation for the expansion of Wei's territory.
In addition, Li Kui's four major measures to reform the law, namely, the selection of officials, the encouragement of land reclamation, the promulgation of the Book of Laws, and the establishment of the Wei Wushu, laid the economic, legal, and military foundations for the long-term development of the Wei state. This series of reform measures not only made Wei's internal politics more orderly, but also improved the country's overall competitiveness, laying a solid foundation for future expansion and the establishment of hegemony.
However, Wei Wenhou's success also has the political wisdom and strategic vision behind it. He was able to see the situation clearly, was good at seizing opportunities, and successfully stood out in the troubled times of the Warring States through cooperation with Han, Zhao and other countries. At the same time, his accurate grasp of internal affairs enabled the Wei state to make remarkable progress in terms of economy and legal system, laying the foundation for later territorial expansion and national strength.
In general, Wei Wenhou Weis's statecraft and leadership style during the Warring States period are of great historical value. His resourcefulness, determination, and strategic vision laid a solid foundation for the rise of Wei, which made Wei stand out among the Three Jin Dynasty and became one of the leaders of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. His political achievements and philosophy of governance have had a profound impact on the development of Chinese history.
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