There have been so many changes in Chinese history, why is it that only Shang Ying's reform has succeeded?

In China's history, there have been many changes. This was especially true in the era of great changes in the Warring States period, when each country made its own changes in order to strengthen the country. For example, Li Kui of Wei changed the law, South Korea's Shen Buxiao changed the law, Wu Qi changed the law of Chu State, Qi Wei King of Qi State changed the law, Zhao State Zhao Wuling King "Hu Fu Ride", Yan State Yan Zhao King changed the law under the auspices of Le Yi. However, among these changes, none of them can compare with the Shang Ying reform of the Qin State, even in later generations, people have such and such criticisms of Shang Ying's behavior, but they have to admit that his change is the most successful change in history, and the most far-reaching influence. Why, then, did Shang Ying's reform succeed, while his contemporaries, and even his subsequent reforms, ended in failure? I think there are several reasons for this.

First, the Qin State was the weakest at that time. Why is it said that Qin's weakest national strength has become a factor in his success? At that time, the power of the Seven Kingdoms had been basically formed, and the other small countries could not make an impact, so they would not be counted. At that time, the Wei State, which had undergone Li Kui's reform and had the Wei Wushu trained by Wu Qi, was the most powerful, but this country was the sworn enemy of the Qin State. During the period of Qin Xiangong, he sent troops to Hexi many times to regain his homeland, but he was beaten back to his hometown by the powerful Wei State, and the national strength was seriously consumed. Therefore, when Qin Xiaogong ascended the throne of Qin. It can be said that it was when the Qin state was at its weakest that it was wounded by Wei Han bī) in Liyang. It can be said that it is precisely because of the weakness of the Qin State that there is an urgent desire from top to bottom to change this unfavorable situation and hope that the Qin State will be strong. In addition, the country is weak and the people are poor, in fact, the situation is handled very well. That is, the so-called old people can actually have not many privileges, they are only a little better than ordinary people, and they can eat enough, which is very similar to the beginning of the founding of the country. Therefore, this provides the soil for Shang Ying's change, seeking change from top to bottom, not unchanged, but just needs a person to light this fire, and guide it well, so as not to hurt himself.

Second, Qin Xiaogong's full support. Those who can entrust a country to one person, Qin Xiaogong. As an outsider, Gongsun Martingale wants to gain a foothold in the Qin State, and it is impossible to do so without the support of Qin Xiaogong. It can be said that without Qin Xiaogong's support, he is nothing, let alone making changes. This can be seen from the fact that after the death of Qin Xiaogong, Shang Ying was easily killed by the clan.

Third, Shang Ying's changes did make the Qin State live a good life. Shang Ying's change: ordered the ten families to be organized into one family, and five families to form a team, monitor and report each other, one family broke the law, and the ten families were jointly punished. Whoever does not denounce evil is punished with the punishment of being cut off by the waist, and whoever denounces evil is rewarded with the same punishment as he who beheads the enemy, and whoever hides evil is punished with the same punishment as he surrenders to the enemy. If there are two or more strong men in a family who do not live separately, the tax shall be doubled. Those who have military merits will be promoted and rewarded according to their standards; Those who fight for private matters shall be punished according to the severity of the punishment. Those who are committed to agricultural production, so that the grain harvest and the increase of cloth production are exempted from labor or taxes. And those who were poor because of their business and laziness were confiscated from their wives as slaves. Those who do not have military merits in the royal family cannot be included in the family register. Clarify the rank of respect and humility, each occupies land and real estate according to the difference in rank, and the clothes and clothing of the retainers and slaves are determined according to the rank of each family. Those who have military merits are illustrious and glorious, and those who do not have military merits cannot be honored even if they are rich. In the eyes of today's people, these contents are simply devoid of human rights, not at all. And the punishment is too much, there is no human smell. But in an era of war, people's needs have actually been reduced to a minimum, and that is...... Eat well and live. Shang Ying's "one-size-fits-all" removal of those lazy and cunning people from the ranks of the Qin State may have caused some people to be wronged, but it has brought new vitality to the country that was once full of private fighting, so that those who are truly loyal live well, and the cunning people dare not break the law. As the saying goes, "troubled times use heavy codes".

Fourth, new interest groups have been cultivated. Shang Ying's change can be said to have broken the inheritance system of the family, but a new military merit group was cultivated by him. It is still the article of the third central committee, and his implementation makes the people afraid of private fighting, and brave public war. After all, the belligerent factor was suppressed for a while, but it still existed in the blood of the Qin people, so foreign wars were obviously a good outlet. The law of Shang Ying has achieved "everyone is equal in front of military law", and even surpassed, which is far beyond that era. Therefore, the royal family and nobles were also punished, which was really convincing.

Through the war, the first batch of military merit groups began to take shape. The people who benefited from the war naturally embraced the new law. This is the new force that deals with the old forces.

Fifth, victory in foreign wars. Whether the reform is successful or not, and whether it can win the support of the people, no matter how good it is, it is useless, and even no matter how good the people's lives are, it is useless. Just like Tang Taizong, if the "rule of Zhenguan" was only the people's abundant food and clothing, and did not destroy the Turks and dominate the Western Regions, then what future generations will talk about is probably the fratricide of his Xuanwu Sect. Therefore, Shang Ying proved that his change was successful, and he must use the victory on the battlefield to show the people of Qin and the people of the Six Kingdoms, so Shang Ying used a plot to deceive his former friend Gongzi Mao, the leader of the Wei State, so that the dragons were leaderless and finally won the war. forced Wei to cede land and sue for peace, and moved the capital to Daliang. War, the process is never important, the result is the most important, Qin won the victory, and the change completely stood on its feet.

Sixth, the persistence of two generations of Qin monarchs. Although the law of Shang Ying was victorious, the law was changed for more than ten years, and Shang Yang was eradicated by the old forces. It can be said that although the new law forces of the Qin State have gained a foothold, they are at most almost the same as the old forces, or even slightly inferior. However, regardless of whether King Qin Hui wanted to borrow someone else's hand to remove Shang Ying, or was set aside at that time, King Qin Hui finally chose to adhere to the new law, so after more than forty years, that is, two or three generations at that time, the law of Shang Jun really became the foundation of the Qin State, and no one wanted to shake it, and no one could shake it. Relying on the law of the Shang monarch, the Qin State swept the **, annexed the Eight Desolations, and became the first unified dynasty. What does the success of the Qin State represent this? The answer can be found in the continent of Europe, which is still fragmented today.

Was it Shang Ying who made Qin Xiaogong, or Qin Xiaogong who made Shang Ying?

In a world of great competition, talent is crucial. During the Warring States Period in Chinese history, the Seven Heroes stood side by side, merged and expanded, and staged wonderful political and military chapters. The Qin State, one of the Seven Heroes, completely changed the national situation after the Shang Dynasty reform, went east to compete for power, swept the six countries, and finally realized the unification of the world.

There is no doubt that the Shang Dynasty reform was a turning point in the fate of the Qin State and a turning point in the situation in the Warring States period. And the one who achieved Shang Ying's change was Qin Xiaogong and Shang Ying.

Qin Xiaogong and Shang Ying, one is a male lord who is rare in five hundred years, and the other is a talent that is rare in five hundred years. Once the two were combined, they intersected in life and death, became bosom friends with each other, worked with one heart and one mind, and wrote a magnificent chapter of monarchs and ministers in the troubled and strife Warring States.

So, let's not ask: did Shang Ying achieve Qin Xiaogong, or did Qin Xiaogong achieve Shang Ying?

Before answering this question, Meng Yi thought it necessary to make an introduction to this pair of ancient monarchs:

Qin Xiaogong, surnamed Ying, Zhao, Mingqu Liang, son of Qin Xiangong, the monarch of Qin during the Warring States Period, and the key monarch who promoted the Qin State from weak to strong during the Warring States Period. After Qin Xiaogong ascended the throne, he reused Wei Ying to implement law changes, rewarded ploughing and warfare, and moved the capital to Xianyang, established a county system of administration, opened up Qianmo, and continuously increased agricultural production while strengthening centralized power. Externally, Qin made peace with Chu, signed a contract with Han, united Qi and Zhao to attack Anyi, the capital of Wei, and expanded the land to the east of Luoshui, which was strong and laid the foundation for Qin's unification of China. In fact, the reuse of Shang Ying's reform is the biggest highlight of Qin Xiaogong's life, and it is also Qin Xiaogong's lifelong career. Treating Shang Ying, Qin Xiaogong regarded him as his bosom friend, and swore to the sky, claiming that "this life is not worth it, life and death help each other", showing the responsibility of a generation of heroes.

Shang Ying was a politician, reformer, thinker, and representative of Legalism during the Warring States Period. He is a descendant of the monarch of the country, and his surname is Gongsun, so he is also called Wei Martingale and Gongsun Marting. Later, because of his meritorious service in the battle of Hexi, he was awarded the title of Shang in 15 Yi, and was called Shang Jun, so he was called Shang Ying. Shang Ying made Qin a rich and powerful country through the reform of the law, which is known as the "Shang Yang Reform Law" in history. The specific measures were as follows: politically, Shang Ying reformed the Qin state's household registration, military titles, land system, administrative divisions, taxation, weights and measures, and folk customs, and formulated harsh laws; Economically, Shang Ying advocated emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business, and rewarding farming and weaving; Militarily, Shang Ying, as the commander-in-chief, led the Qin army to recover Hexi. Through this whole reform measure, Shang Ying completely changed the Qin state, so that the Qin state completed the transition from a slave society to a feudal society, and finally dominated the world with this. Based on this, later generations have a very high evaluation of Shang Ying, praising him as: Shang Ying is a great reformer who is second to none to benefit the country and enrich the people, and is a religious sincere and idealist. The law of Shang Yang punished to protect the rights of the people, cultivated and woven to enhance the well-being of the people, and the military merit to establish the prestige of the country, and the greed and slackness to eliminate consumption. This is a great policy that our country has never had. Shang Yang can be called the first truly radical reformer in Chinese history, and his reforms were not limited to his time, but also influenced China for thousands of years.

Now, let's return to this question, Shang Ying and Qin Xiaogong, who made whom?

In Meng Yi's view, the two are mutually successful, that is: Shang Ying has achieved Qin Xiaogong's hegemony, and Qin Xiaogong has achieved Shang Ying's ambition. The details are as follows:

On the one hand, Shang Ying achieved the ambition of Qin Xiaogong and the hegemony of Qin. Since Qin Xiaogong succeeded to the throne, he has been thinking about how to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and how to restore the hegemony of Qin in the past. After the arrival of Shang Ying, through the implementation of earth-shattering law changes, the Qin State successfully got rid of the danger of national destruction, and greatly increased the national strength of the Qin State, becoming a Western power that could not be underestimated at that time. In this sense, Qin Xiaogong's ambition was fulfilled by Shang Ying, and Qin Xiaogong's ideals were realized by Shang Ying.

On the other hand, Qin Xiaogong achieved Shang Ying's lofty ambition and achieved Shang Ying's talent. Qin Xiaogong, with his extraordinary courage and firm determination to change the law, made Shang Ying show what he had learned in the Qin State without any worries. It can be said that Qin Xiaogong turned the entire Qin State into a platform for Shang Ying to practice his ambitions, and turned himself into the most solid backing behind Shang Ying. From this point of view, Qin Xiaogong undoubtedly achieved Shang Ying, his talent, and his way of governing the country.

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