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The turning point from the autumn to the Warring States period was the division of the Three Kingdoms into the Jin Dynasty, and the previously powerful Jin State was divided into three small states: Zhao, Wei, and Han. In fact, this was also an important turning point in the fate of the Qin State.

Although the Qin State also competed with the Jin State for hegemony during the Autumn Period, before the Jin State was divided, the Jin State always maintained a strategic advantage over the Qin State, and the Qin State could basically only protect itself, and did not have much ability to take the initiative to attack, let alone directly threaten the Central Plains. The reason is very simple, as long as the Qin State wants to go out of the Central Plains, it must pass through the territory of the Jin State, and as long as the Jin State blocks the exit of the Guanzhong Basin, the Qin State will not be able to get out.

Where the Three Jin Dynasty were separated, Wei also had the upper hand and once suppressed Qin. But Wei's small hegemony did not last long before it declined. Because Wei relied on its own strength, it almost bullied the surrounding Qin, Zhao, and Korea, and tried to bully Qi. Finally, it was the Qi state that defeated the Wei state at the Battle of Maling, and the Wei state began to decline. Qin also defeated Wei, and Wei lost its dominant position.

After the decline of the Wei State, the Qin State began to take the initiative to attack, and Korea was also constantly defeated by the Qin State in the process, losing its troops and losing ground one after another. Moreover, Korea occupies the only way for Qin to get out of the Central Plains, so Qin State could not fight before the division of the Three Jin Dynasty, but now it is facing a weak South Korea, and there are almost no obstacles for Qin to enter and exit. Korea could only continue to cede land and sue for peace, and the border line with Qin continued to retreat.

At the same time as the Three Jin Dynasty was divided, the Qin State also became stronger after undergoing changes, and the threat to the Kwantung countries became more and more great. So there was a suggestion that the six countries would join forces to resist Qin. But at this time, as long as the six countries united and took the initiative to attack Qin, it would be very difficult. The reason is also very simple. Just as the Jin State could easily block the passage of the Qin State out of the Central Plains, as long as the Qin State could not hold out in the area of Hangu Pass, which the Six Kingdoms must pass through to attack Qin, the Six Kingdoms would be like nothing.

What's more, when the six countries jointly attacked Qin, they also had their own evil intentions, and they were all playing their own small calculations, and they were unwilling to actively attack. For example, at the critical juncture when the six countries jointly attacked Qin, the Qi State secretly transferred troops back to destroy the Song Dynasty. Before, the State of Qi, the State of Chu, and the State of Wei all coveted the State of Song, but none of them did it first. And when the six countries jointly attacked Qin, Qi, as the leader of the alliance, secretly destroyed the Song.

The continuous northward expansion of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the Chu State also made several major countries in the Kwantung region feel very nervous, especially the neighboring Wei and Qi states, which were very wary of the Chu State. Especially the Qi State. After destroying the State of Wu, the State of Chu continued to move north, and it already bordered the State of Qi, while the State of Qin was still separated by the Three Jin Dynasty in the middle of the State of Qi, so there was no direct threat at all. So, in contrast, the state of Qi was far more wary of the state of Chu than the state of Qin.

This is also the reason why the Qin State was still able to easily crack the alliance of the six countries by connecting horizontal when the theory of the alliance was popular and the discussion of the six countries jointly attacking Qin was the most popular in the six countries. The State of Qin and the State of Qi made an appointment and called themselves emperors, and the State of Qi agreed without much thought. Because for the Qi State, the Qin State did not pose a direct threat. If Qin can suppress the Three Jins, it will also be beneficial to the expansion of the Qi State, for example, the Qi State can attack the Yan State.

In contrast, Qin's geographical advantages are more obvious. When the six countries of Kwantung were relatively strong, the Qin State could close the country and make a fortune, and when the Qin State was strong, to fight out, the first thing was to attack South Korea, and South Korea could only ask the Six Countries for help, but the real troops to rescue South Korea were generally only Zhao and Wei, because the Three Jin Dynasty had already understood at this time, although they were divided, they were still in a cold relationship.

Therefore, Qin's continuous attack on Korea was not only a constant ravaging and attack on Korea, but also a constant consumption of Zhao and Wei. At this time, the Qin State conquered Bashu again, and the supply in the rear was more stable, and the strategic depth was also increasing. And Zhao, Wei, and South Korea have no strategic depth, and there is no space for them to continue to explore and expand, so they can only tap their potential internally, and consume a little less.

But the importance of the Three Jin Dynasty lies in the fact that when the Qin State continued to consume and weaken the Three Jin Dynasty, the Qi State and the Chu State were indifferent, watching from the wall, and each was busy with its own, and when the Qin State began to enter the harvest stage, the Three Jin Dynasty were eliminated one after another, and the Qi State and the Chu State were in an absolutely dominant position, and the Qi State and the Chu State had no chance to resist. The State of Qi even surrendered directly after Qin destroyed the Three Jin and Yan Kingdoms. Although the state of Chu resisted for a while, it was already lonely.

The three kingdoms of Zhao, Wei, and Han were so powerful, why didn't they carve up the Qin state?

At the beginning of the Qin state, it was not respected among the vassal states, and everyone always thought that it was far away from the Central Plains, located in the west, mixed with nomads, and was not much different from the barbarians. It was not until the Zhou Dynasty moved eastward that the Qin people made meritorious contributions, and then they were named princes to establish the country. But the state of Qin was still too weak. Compared with Qi and Lu, which are rich and talent-rich countries, Qin seems to have nothing.

Especially in the face of the Three Jin Dynasty, the early Qin state was in danger of being swallowed up at any time. The Sanjin region was where the original Jin State was located, and after the Zhao, Wei, and Han kingdoms divided the Jin Kingdom, they became a strong enemy that the Qin State had to face. Although the territory of these three countries was not as good as that of the original Jin Kingdom, they experienced their own reforms, and their national strength increased greatly. Moreover, they all regarded the weak Qin State at that time as an object that could be divided. The two sides fought repeatedly and each suffered damage. However, Zhao, Wei, and Han failed to succeed until the end, why is that?

This has a lot to do with the position of the Qin State and the history they have experienced. The rise of the Qin people is a history of bloody struggle. In addition to facing the Three Jins, they also have to face Qiang Rong. For a period of time, Qiangrong was a major disaster in the Central Plains. In order to motivate the Qin people to pacify Qiangrong, Zhou Tianzi once made a promise that as long as the Qin people could drive away Qiangrong, then the land of Qiangrong could be owned by the Qin people.

The first kings of the Qin state died in the battle with Qiangrong. Although the Qin people were often considered a backward country by the princes of the Central Plains, their organizational form was still relatively advanced compared to that of the Qiangrong. And the Qin people have also formed a very strong combat effectiveness in the nearly 100 years of fighting with Qiangrong. After the Qin people pacified Qiangrong, they had a stable rear.

The Guanzhong where the Qin State is located is not as rich as the Qi State and the Lu State, but it is very dangerous. This is a land of four stops, except for contact with the Sanjin region, other vassal states can't beat it at all. Later, Jia Yi praised the danger of Qin in "On Passing Qin". "According to the solidity of Cuihan, the land of Yongzhou is embraced." After the Qin Dynasty, many dynasties set their capital in Guanzhong, and they also took a fancy to the dangerous geographical environment here.

However, relying on these alone, it still could not allow the Qin State to truly avoid being carved up and annexed. The armies of the Three Jin Dynasty were eyeing each other and were ready to enter the Qin State at any time. The Wei State in the Three Jin Dynasty, under the leadership of the famous general Wu Qi, repelled the Qin army one after another, occupied the Hexi Land of the Qin State, and waved the army in Guanzhong. The Qin state was defeated.

And the root cause of this defeat is still the poverty and weakness of the Qin state. Therefore, the fundamental solution is to make the Qin State rich and strong. And the existence of the Sanjin region has also been stimulating the Qin State, making them walk on thin ice and dare not relax.

During the period of Qin Xiaogong, Shang Ying stepped onto the stage of Qin's transformation of the law and the strength of the country. Shang Ying was originally a patriot and lived in Wei for a long time. When he was in Wei, he was greatly influenced by Li Kui and Wu Qi of Wei. Both of these people were key figures in Wei's transformation of the law and the strengthening of the law. Different from the changes in the past, Shang Ying's changes were not just knocking on the corners of the Qin State, but renovating them from the inside out.

The system of the Qin State at that time was still far behind the three countries of Zhao, Han and Wei in the Sanjin region. Therefore, the reform of Shang Ying, in fact, to a certain extent, introduced the system of the Sanjin region. In particular, the system adopted by Li Kui of Wei when he changed the law. Shang Yang used a lot. For example, the "Book of Law" compiled by Li Kui, which was later obtained by Shang Yang to the Qin State and became the source of the law of the Qin State.

The county system, the military merit knighthood system, and the abolition of the hereditary official system can all see the traces of the introduction of Shang Yang from the Sanjin region. Of course, the advantage of Shang Ying's transformation compared with other changes is that it is more durable. Even after Shang Ying was killed, the changes he implemented could still be implemented.

In addition to the Qin state, the three states of Zhao, Han, and Wei in the Sanjin region also had their own defects. Although they split from the Jin state at the same time and formed an alliance, they were not monolithic. There are contradictions between each other. Once these contradictions are deliberately provoked and intensified, their plastic friendship will collapse in an instant. This caused them to miss many good opportunities to destroy Qin. When the Qin State became truly rich and strong, the relationship between the Three Jin and Qin was reversed. They became a country that was destroyed by the Qin state.

How did Wei decline, as a superpower in the early years of the Warring States period?

The time dates back to 406 B.C., when the Han, Zhao, and Wei families were divided, marking the Warring States period in which the land of China entered the Seven Heroes competing for hegemony. Due to the fact that when the Jin State was divided, the Wei State obtained the richest land in the Jin Dynasty, and the founding monarch of the Wei State, Wei Wenhou, reused Li Kui, Wu Qi, Ximen Leopard, Le Yang and other capable generals to take the lead in implementing the law reform in the country, and the relatively favorable international situation at that time, the Wei State rose rapidly in the early Warring States period. At that time, the strength of Han, Zhao, and Yan was still weak, the State of Qi was busy with the Tian clan to represent Qi, the State of Qin experienced the rebellion of the Fourth Dynasty, the State of Chu was forced to temporarily rein in its edge due to the heavy blows of Wu and Yue, and the State of Wei was extremely dazzling for a period of time.

Militarily, relying on the elite Wei soldiers, the Wei State was invincible in foreign wars. In 409~408 B.C., Wei Wenhou took Wu Qi as the general, seized the five cities of Qin, Linjin, Yuanli, Luo, etc., drove straight to Zheng, and broke the Qin army of 500,000 in Jin in 389 BC, collected the land west of the river, and locked Qin in the west of Luoshui for 80 years. In 404 BC, Wei Wenhou took advantage of the death of Qi Xiangtian He and the civil strife of the Tian family, and waved his army to the east to invade the Qi State, and the troops came to the Great Wall of Qi to contain the power of the Qi State on the Shandong Peninsula, and in 406 BC, he sent the general Le Yang to destroy the Zhongshan State across the border. During the reign of Wei Wuhou, the son of Wei Wenhou, the army of the three Jin Dynasty marched south to occupy a large area of land in the north of the Chu State, and defeated this great country that had competed with the Jin for hegemony for a hundred years, and begged for peace.

Culturally, Marquis Wen of Wei respected Confucius's disciple Zixia as his teacher, and greatly promoted Confucianism, and Wei replaced Confucius's hometown of Lu and became the cultural center of the Central Plains. It can be said that in the early Warring States period, Wei was a well-deserved overlord of the Central Plains, and its momentum was even better than that of the Jin State of that year. However, by the time of the reign of King Wei Hui, the son of Marquis Wu of Wei, the situation had changed dramatically. After the Battle of Maling, Wei was besieged by other countries, suffered a series of defeats, and the national strength was exhausted, and King Wei Hui had no choice but to first meet with King Qi Wei in Xuzhou, calling each other kings, and then forced to form an alliance with Qin to resist Qi Chu.

The overlord who swept the world in the past became a bargaining chip for the hegemony of Qin, Qi and Chu, so that King Wei Hui sighed sadly: Defeated by Qi in the east, the eldest son died, 700 miles of Qin land was lost in the west, Hexi was mourned, humiliated in Chu in the south, lost Bayi, and was ashamed!

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