The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were not the same period, but two separate periods. Although the two periods are adjacent in time, the differences in various aspects are so significant that they cannot be described in terms of similar periods.
Among them, the character of the monarch is the most obvious.
During the wars of the Spring and Autumn Period, although countries fought each other, handshakes and peace often occurred. The purpose of war is not to invade, but to submit to the other side.
This point-to-point style of warfare originated from the fact that people received the education of "rites" in the Spring and Autumn period and were constrained by "rites". "Rites"It was created by Zhou Gongdan of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which stipulates the basic principles of respect and inferiority, orderliness of the young and old, fairness and integrity, and not taking advantage of people's danger.
After hundreds of years of baptism, "rites" have been deeply rooted in the hearts of every Spring and Autumn people, and have become a unique cultural feature of this period. This style of war fully embodies the "rite" culture of the Spring and Autumn Period.
The war will not be directly dispatched, but will first issue a war letter, and then agree to be carried out on flat ground. On the flat ground, after the two sides were ready, the commander gave an order, and each sent chariots to attack each other first, and then the whole army was dispatched, competing for the degree of bravery, and not playing conspiracy during the period.
The princes of the Warring States period often described this era as "etiquette collapses and happiness is bad". At that time, the war was no longer about forcing the other side to submit, but about seizing the other side's land.
Intrigue has become the new mainstream, replacing the traditional "rites". The purpose of war is no longer to seek justice, but to compete for military might. The battlefield shifted from flat ground to a precipitous geography.
The state of Qin is the most outstanding representative of the Warring States period. Since the Zhou Dynasty moved its capital, the situation has deteriorated. The monarchs of the Spring and Autumn Period received the education of "rites" from an early age, and were guided by the example of their parents, so they naturally accepted the idea of "rites".
However, as time passed, the power of the Zhou king became weaker and weaker, and the monarch's ambition became greater and greater, and in the Warring States period, although the princes and royal families still used "rites" to educate their descendants, they themselves were doing things contrary to "rites" and calculating with each other.
The power of the king of Zhou is declining day by day, and the power of the princes is becoming stronger and stronger, their ambitions are surging like a flood of beasts, and they all want to unify the world, and gradually, the Zhou royal family is ignored by them.
If the monarchs who lived in the Warring States period did not regard deceit as a wise saying, then their fate would be very miserable. King Chu Huai is a typical example of this.
The first overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Qi Huan, with extraordinary wisdom and mind, reused his rival and courtier Guan Zhong. Guan Zhong lived up to his high expectations and made good use of Qi's geographical advantages to vigorously support the development of fisheries and salt industry, accumulate wealth, and use it to improve the strength of the army, so that Qi gradually became a powerful country in the east.
Fighting in the south and in the north, no one is invincible. The state of Lu in the south of the state of Qi, due to its poor military ability, was defeated one after another, and the state of Qi occupied a large amount of territory of the state of Lu. Not to be outdone, Lu decided to form an alliance with Qi in Kedi and cede land for a truce.
However, when Kedi met with the alliance, Cao Mo, the general of the Lu State, who had lost three games in a row, rushed towards the Duke of Qi Huan with a dagger when the Duke of Qi Huan was not paying attention, threatening him to return the territory occupied by the Lu State.
Faced with Cao Mo's threat, Duke Qi Huan had to agree to his request and return the territory of Lu for the sake of faith. This incident allowed Duke Qi Huan to win the trust of the princes and further consolidate his supremacy.
The statue of Qi Huan Gong Qi Huan Gong was held for the first time, and the princes from all over the country rushed to respect Qi Huan Gong as the overlord and obey the orders of Qi Huan Gong. Duke Huan of Qi "respected the king and upheld the dignity of the Zhou royal family, and in the face of the rude behavior of the Chu State not paying tribute and calling the king, the Duke of Qi Heng united the princes to attack and forced the Chu State to pay tribute to the Zhou royal family.
Lead the princes to attack and try to invade the barbarians of the Central Plains countries. In the seventh year of "Historical Records: The Family of Taigong of Qi", the princes will meet Duke Huan to Zhen, and Duke Huan will be the first to dominate Yan. Attached: The Spring and Autumn Five Tyrants, the five strong overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period, are Qi Henggong, Song Xianggong, Jin Wen Gong, Qin Miao Gong, and Chu Zhuang Wang.
Duke Qi Huan has already made it clear that it is "respecting the king". And Song Xianggong's own strength is the weakest among the five tyrants, relying on his personality charm and desire for peace, he has won the respect of all the princes.
During the reign of Duke Wen of Jin, he reused virtuous ministers, and his national strength increased dramatically, and he fought in the south and in the north, and dominated the princes. After Duke Wen of Jin escorted King Xiang of Zhou back to Beijing, he offered chariots, soldiers and horses to Zhou Tianzi, and especially respected Zhou Tianzi.
Qin Miao Gong was the head of Rong Di in the West, and escorted Jin Wengong back to China to succeed to the throne during his reign, and his own strength was strong, and he expanded his territory for thousands of miles during his reign. King Chuzhuang was regarded as a barbarian by the Central Plains countries, and he was unruly, and then he became a blockbuster and won the Central Plains.
Since winning the Central Plains and being subdued by Wang Sunman, he also began to support the Zhou royal family, accepted the aristocratic ideas of the Central Plains, and was no longer as unruly as before, despising the Zhou royal family.
The Spring and Autumn Five Tyrants all have a common characteristic, they respect the Zhou royal family and will not despise the Zhou royal family. King Qin Hui of Qin, the first powerful state during the Warring States Period, sent Zhang Yi to Chu to deceive King Huai of Chu into offering 600 li of land in exchange, hoping that King Huai of Chu would break off diplomatic relations with Qi.
After King Huai of Chu severed diplomatic relations with the State of Qi, Zhang Yi refused to keep his promise and refused to hand over Shang Yu 600 li, only 6 li. "Historical Records: The Biography of Zhang Yilie" "The minister has six miles of Fengyi, and he was originally dedicated to the king. ”
The envoy of Chu said: "The minister is ordered by the king to negotiate in the land of six hundred miles, and he does not hear of six miles." "King Wu of Qin, who won and was martial by nature, and soon after succeeding to the throne, he sent Gan Mao to attack Yiyang in South Korea, and finally captured Yiyang in South Korea.
Conquering the Qin State of Yiyang will be able to reach the Zhou Dynasty directly. King Wu of Qin led his troops into the Zhou Dynasty and asked the courtiers of the Zhou Dynasty about the weight of the Zhou Dynasty's Supreme Treasure Jiuding. The answer of the courtiers of the Zhou Dynasty made King Wu of Qin very dissatisfied, and King Wu of Qin sent his wrestlers to take turns to raise the crown.
As a result, none of them were lifted. King Qin Wu raised the tripod himself, and the tripod was raised, but his hand slipped, and the tripod fell from his head and was directly stoned to death.
King Wu of Qin died young after ascending to the throne, and King Zhaoxiang of Qin succeeded him, inheriting the royal concept of King Hui of Qin and King Wu of Qin. He lured King Chu Huai to Qin with the intention of forcing King Chu Huai to cede land.
This kind of shameless method was carefully planned by King Qin Zhaoxiang, but he didn't expect that King Chu Huai would rather die than give in, and resolutely refused to cede the land. King Zhaoxiang of Qin, in a fit of rage, detained King Huai of Chu in the state of Qin and did not allow his body to be returned to the state of Chu until his death.
What King Zhaoxiang of Qin did in his later years touched the bottom line of morality, regardless of the opposition of the world, he directly sent troops to attack the Zhou Dynasty, brought the Jiuding of the Zhou Dynasty back to the Qin State for his own appreciation, and deposed the Western Zhou Jun.
His actions made the princes of the world feel angry and helpless. According to the "Historical Records of Qin Benji", in the fifty-second year of King Xiang of Qin Zhuang, the Zhou Dynasty collapsed, and Jiuding was brought into the Qin State. The Zhou Dynasty, a country that lasted for more than 800 years, finally came to an end under the rule of King Xiang of Qin Zhuang.
The stills of King Zhaoxiang of Qin reveal the differences in the behavior of the overlords during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the strong paid attention to credit, and the promised things must be kept, and the princes respected each other, even the powerful five tyrants respected Zhou Tianzi.
In contrast, the overlords of the Warring States period paid more attention to interests and treachery, which was also the reason why the alliance could not last long and the Qin State was able to dominate the world. During the Warring States period, the strong Qin even dared to challenge the authority of the Zhou Dynasty.
Duke Qi Huan led the army to the expedition.