King Xuan's missteps led to a series of political disputes and cultural developments. At that time, Mencius's advice was ignored by King Xuan of Qi, which made him so ashamed that he did not even dare to see Mencius again. When the minister Chen Jia learned of this incident, he went to talk to Mencius. Chen Jia asked about the deeds of the Duke of Zhou, and Mencius called the Duke of Zhou a sage.
After destroying the Shang Dynasty, the Duke of Zhou sent Uncle Guan to manage the Shang Dynasty's lands. However, Uncle Guan didn't know how to raise and used his position to rebel. Chen Jia took this as an example to criticize Zhou Gong for making mistakes, implying that other people were more likely to make mistakes, including King Qi Xuan. When Mencius heard this, he was disappointed by King Qi Xuan, who pointed out that when the ancients made mistakes, like solar and lunar eclipses, they were openly exposed to the eyes of the people, while the people of today choose to cover up their mistakes and are unwilling to correct them.
Although King Xuan of Qi did not heed Mencius's advice, he made important contributions to the development of culture during the Warring States period. Qi is not only an eastern power, but also a cultural power. During the reign of King Xuan of Qi, the Jixia Academy cultivated many outstanding talents, making the reputation of the Qi State far and wide.
In the "Historical Records", it is recorded that King Xuan of Qi loved literature and attracted many talented people to go to the Jixia School Palace. At one time, the number of people in the Jixia School Palace exceeded 1,000. The Yin and Yang family Zou Yan, the Taoist figures Tian Piao, Jieyu, Shen Dao and Huan Yuan were all treated favorably by the Qi State, they did not have to participate in government affairs, and their only task was to ** academic issues. Such treatment made the later Sima Qian also admire the contribution of King Qi Xuan.
However, the reason why Qi was able to become the overlord of the East and the Qin State alongside Qin not only relied on the Jixia Academy, but also the outstanding contributions of Meng Weijun and his diners. Although Meng Weijun had conflicts with King Xuan of Qi, he played an important role in the process of Qi's hegemony. Meng Weijun's idea of harmony originated from Gongsun Yan, who put it into practice and explicitly pointed it to the Qin state in the west.
Under the leadership of Meng Weijun, the alliance of the Three Kingdoms launched an invasion of Chu in 301 BC. In the Battle of Drasa, the two sides fought each other for more than six months. The coalition forces were at a stalemate because of the Chu army's defense of the river, until the chant of a woodcutter revealed the mystery of the depth of the river. Upon learning of this news, the coalition forces adopted an effective strategy and succeeded in defeating the Chu army, as a result of which the state of Chu suffered serious losses.
On the other side of the war, the state of Qin also dealt a blow to the state of Chu. In the Battle of Xincheng, the state of Chu suffered heavy losses again, losing a large amount of territory and its main generals. There was also chaos within the state of Chu, and Zhuang Qiao led a peasant uprising, which put the state of Chu in even greater trouble.
Therefore, after the Qi State annexed the Yan State in the north, it successfully defeated the Chu State and eventually became the overlord of the East. This series of events highlights the political and cultural power of the Qi state during the Warring States period, as well as the important role of Meng Weijun in this process.