Qin Shi Huang was an important emperor in Chinese history, who achieved the first unification in Chinese history by conquering the Six Kingdoms. Under his rule, China entered a new era. This article will elaborate on the background, process, and significance of Qin Shi Huang's conquest of the Six Kingdoms.
1. Background. Before Qin Shi Huang unified the Six Kingdoms, China was in the Warring States Period, and the countries were divided and wars were continuous. According to the "Historical Records", there were 149 wars during the Warring States period, with an average of 2 per year3 times. Such years of war have brought great suffering to the people and hindered socio-economic development. In this context, people are eager for reunification and hope to put an end to this ** situation.
Second, the process. During the reign of Qin Shi Huang (Ying Zheng), a series of effective measures were taken to gradually achieve unification. He successively appointed Li Si, Wang Jian and other virtuous ministers and good generals, and formulated a series of policies, such as the implementation of the rule of law, the unification of weights and measures, the same book and the same text, and the same track of the train, etc., which laid the foundation for the unification of the six countries.
Defeat Han, Zhao, and Wei.
In the sixteenth year of Qin Shi Huang (230 BC), Qin Shi Huang ordered Wang Jian to lead the Qin army to destroy Korea. Korea was the weakest of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, and the Qin army was on the offensive strongly, and Korea was soon destroyed. Immediately afterwards, Qin Shi Huang ordered Wang Ben, the son of Wang Qian, to attack and destroy the Zhao State. Zhao was located in the Central Plains and was relatively strong, but it was still unable to withstand the powerful offensive of the Qin army. In the eighteenth year of Qin Shi Huang (228 BC), the state of Zhao was destroyed. After that, Qin Shi Huang ordered Wang Ben, the son of Wang Qian, to attack and destroy the Wei state. Wei is located on the south bank of the Yellow River, adjacent to Korea and Zhao. The Qin army broke through the Yellow River defense line and attacked Daliang, the capital of Wei, and Wei was destroyed.
Defeat Chu, Yan, and Qi.
In the nineteenth year of Qin Shi Huang (227 BC), Qin Shi Huang ordered Li Si and Meng Tian to lead the Qin army to destroy the Chu State. The state of Chu is located in the south and was the largest country in terms of area during the Warring States period. After a hard battle, the Qin army finally conquered Shouchun, the capital of Chu, and the Chu state was destroyed. After that, Qin Shi Huang ordered Wang Ben, the son of Wang Qian, to attack and destroy the Yan Kingdom. The Kingdom of Yan is located in the north, adjacent to the Kingdom of Zhao. The Qin army invaded Ji, the capital of the Yan State, and the Yan State perished. In the end, Qin Shi Huang ordered Wang Jian and Meng Tian to lead the Qin army to destroy the Qi state. Located in the east, Qi was the most economically developed country during the Warring States period. The Qin army invaded Linzi, the capital of Qi, and the state of Qi perished.
3. Significance. Qin Shi Huang's defeat of the Six Kingdoms and the realization of the first unification in Chinese history are of far-reaching significance.
The years of war during the Warring States period were ended, and the people were able to live and work in peace and contentment. After Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, he implemented a series of policies to promote social and economic recovery and development.
It unified writing, weights and measures, etc., and promoted exchanges among various regions and ethnic groups. This laid the foundation for the unification of Chinese history.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, he implemented the rule of law, strengthened the centralization of power, and made the country's political system more stable. This provided a reference for the development of China's political system in later generations.
Qin Shi Huang conquered the Six Kingdoms and basically shaped the map of China. After that, Chinese history entered a unified feudal society, which laid the foundation for the development of the country.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, he began to build the Great Wall of China to strengthen national defense and protect it, which provided a reference for China's national defense construction in later generations.
In short, Qin Shi Huang conquered the Six Kingdoms and achieved the first unification in Chinese history, which had a profound impact on Chinese history. Under the reign of Qin Shi Huang, China entered a new era, laying the foundation for the prosperity and development of China in later generations.