Chapter 2 2. The sun rises again

Like Zhou, Qin was also "the sun rising in the west". The people of Qin probably lived in the West all the time, but the origin is not very clear.It is said that their ancestor was named Da Fei, that is, Boyi who followed Dayu to control the water.Boyi's father was Shun's minister of justice, Gao Tao, also named Daye.Gaotao's mother was Zhuanxu's granddaughter, Nvxiu (read Ruxiu), who conceived and gave birth to Gaotao because she accidentally ate a black bird egg. This story is exactly the same as the legend of the Shang family, which makes people suspect that it is a "shanzhai version".However, it is worth noting that Boyi was "given the surname Ying" by Shun.

Of course the surname of the Qin family is Ying, but it may not be bestowed by Shun.Ying Zi Congnu is obviously not a patrilineal surname, but a matrilineal surname, just like Emperor Yan's Jiang and Huangdi's Ji.Jiang is the shepherdess, and Ji is a beautiful woman, so what is Ying? Please see the word Ying in the bronze inscription—— Such complex and varied glyphs are really dazzling.There are two explanations for philologists. Most scholars believe that Ying is a dragon (read if bare, thin-waisted bee), but some people think it is a dragon.In any case, it proves that the Qin nationality originated very early, and it was transformed from a matriarchal clan into a tribe.

This ethnic group that became a tribe, like the Yandi and Huangdi clans, has its own totem.It's just that we don't know whether the totem is a dragon or a dragon.Perhaps, just as the totem of the Chu people is a bear, the totem of the Qin people is a dragon.If this statement is true, then the Qin people are actually "descendants of the dragon".Among them, a "ancestral dragon" (Qin Shihuang) appeared, which seemed to be God's will. However, in the era of Yao, Shun and Yu, Qin was just a "hidden dragon".Among the later Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, their starting point was even lower than that of Chu.Chu was enfeoffed in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, although he was only a viscount, or he was called a son of Chu because he was regarded as a barbarian.However, Qin was not conferred until the time of King Zhou Xiao. He was called Qin Ying, and the most title was a doctor, and the feudal city was called Qin.Its place is in today's Zhangjiachuan Hui Autonomous County, Gansu Province, and some people say it is Qinting, Longxi County, Tianshui City, Gansu Province.

Qin Jun was officially named a prince in 770 BC.At this time, King Ping had moved east to Luoyang, and the old base of the Zhou people was also occupied by Xirong.So King Ping of Zhou said to Qin Xianggong, who had meritorious escort: If Qin can recover the lost land from those barbarians, then everything west of Qishan Mountain will belong to you. what!The fiefdoms obtained by the Qin people were actually occupied areas. It is impossible to know exactly what King Zhou Ping was thinking at that time.Perhaps in his opinion, the area around Qishan and Fengshui occupied by Xirong was beyond his power to take back, so he might as well write it out as a bad check.It is good for the people of Qin to be able to cash in, but they are not at a loss if they can't.At least, favors are always done, and it doesn't cost a penny, it's a favor.

Qin's predecessors were very competitive. They really took back Zhou's lost land, and then dedicated the land east of Qishan Mountain to Zhou Tianzi as promised, and expanded their territory to the foot of Qishan Mountain.At this time, Qin had officially become the westernmost state in the Zhou world, with not only a title, but also a territory. This happened in the sixteenth year of Duke Wen of Qin (750 BC).Later Qin continued to develop eastward.In 714 BC, Duke Ning of Qin moved his capital to Pingyang (now Yangping Town, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province).In 677 BC, Qin Degong moved his capital to Yong (now south of Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province).By the time they moved their capital to Xianyang, Qin had already become one of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, and Duke Xiao was named Xibo (Western Overlord) by King Zhou Xian.

At the same time, they also became Zhou's gravediggers. Of course, this is something that many people did not think of.Because even if the Zhou royal family is doomed, it may not necessarily be in the hands of Qin.Qi, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Yan, Han, which one is not ambitious, which one is not eyeing tigers, and which one is not strong?Since it is known as "Seven Heroes", it will not be a fuel-efficient lamp. In fact, it was Chu that had the widest territory at that time.Second, is Qin, and Zhao.It is Qi, Wei and Yan again.But even Qi also annexed Song, owning seventy-two cities.Han, who had the smallest territory, also destroyed Zheng.Chu destroyed more countries, and the old states of Chen, Cai, Lu, and Yue, which annexed Wu, were all included in their pockets.Is this the weak?

Let's talk about military strength.According to statistics, among the Seven Kingdoms, Chu has the most soldiers, one million.Followed by Qi, Wei, 700,000.Qin again, 600,000.Then Zhao, four to five hundred thousand; Han and Yan, three hundred thousand.Therefore, even if the weakest Yan and Han join forces, their strength is comparable to that of Qin.If the six kingdoms join forces, the total force can reach 3.45 million people, which is five times more than Qin's. How can they not be able to resist it? Obviously, this requires an explanation.

---

Notes: Book 1, page 199.