Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Qin State, Five Sheepskins for Rise

If we describe the situation of the feudal hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period, then the earliest "little tyrant" Zheng Zhuanggong can be regarded as a role model in a big drama, and the first tyrant Qi Huangong is the first protagonist.Afterwards, it was Jin and Chu who were facing each other between North and South.Most of the feudal lords' competition in the Spring and Autumn Period revolved around these two countries, but under the protagonists from all walks of life, there was also an undercurrent—the Qin State. As the terminator of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, Qin State's status in the Spring and Autumn Period was not significant. It is said that he was an undercurrent because although Qin State also produced Qin Mugong who was among the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period, Qin Mugong did not break through the Jin State in the end. The barrier can only dominate the northwest region.At that time, he could only be regarded as a regional overlord, but not the overlord among the princes of the entire Spring and Autumn Period.Like Zheng Zhuanggong, he is just a "little bully".

But this little tyrant had a profound impact on the history of Qin, and even the history of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States. We can even say that although Qin's final dominant position came from the later Shang Yang Reform, it was as early as Qin Mugong. During the period, Qin State had already sounded the prelude to its rise. To understand all this, we need to look at Qin from the beginning. The status of Qin State can be said to be very humble in the early Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, slightly better than Chu State, but far inferior to other princes of the Central Plains.

The ancestors of the Qin people were also a branch of the Huaxia tribe. They lived in the eastern region in the early days, around today's Shandong and Hebei.The change in the fate of the Qin people came from the Eastern Expedition of Duke Zhou in the Western Zhou Dynasty. After the Eastern Expedition of Duke Zhou, the Qin State was moved to the Weishui River Basin in today’s Shaanxi, and was responsible for raising horses for the Zhou royal family. Therefore, the early Qin people relied on animal husbandry. For the industry.This is clearly different from other tribes of the Huaxia tribe who are engaged in farming.At that time, the Weishui River Basin in Shaanxi Province was not the traditional living area of ​​the Huaxia people. On the contrary, it was a place where barbarians lived together. .The change in the fate of the Qin State came from King Ping of Zhou's move to the east. At that time, Duke Xiang of Qin took the initiative to send soldiers and horses to escort him, so he was canonized as a marquis by King Ping of Zhou.From then on, Qin State, the nightmare of the Six Kingdoms in the later Warring States Period, had its own "name".

Although he has a reputation, compared with the princes of the Central Plains, Qin State is still a backward country, and different from Chu State, he himself appeared as a groom of the Zhou royal family, and he did not get rid of the dominance of the Zhou royal family like Chu State conditions, and faced a huge difference in identity from the princes of the Central Plains.Treating Qin State, the attitude of the princes of the Central Plains is the same as treating Chu State-barbarians.But the people of Qin State know how to endure humiliation. During the period of Qin Xianggong, Qin State was granted the power to conquer the barbarians in the northwest by Zhou Tianzi. With this opportunity, Qin State began to expand.In the era of Duke Huan of Qi's struggle for hegemony, Qin State had already expelled the nomadic barbarian tribes in today's Wei River Basin and established its own country.In the early Spring and Autumn Period, the state of Qin already included most of today's Wei River Basin.

Compared with the vassal states of the Central Plains, Qin State also has its own advantages and disadvantages.The disadvantage of the Qin State is that its status is too low. Compared with the princes and kings from all walks of life, it can be said to be 100% grassroots. The Weishui area where they lived was also a poor place where birds did not lay eggs at that time, and it was very difficult to develop.The advantage of the Qin State is that they have the geographical barrier of the Northwest Mountains, which is enough to resist the invasion of the princes of the Central Plains.The long-term war with the barbarians has also formed Qin's martial character, and the dangerous living environment has made Qin's army more hard-working, brave and good at fighting.At that time, the problem that really restricted Qin's struggle for hegemony was something that other princes in the Central Plains had never encountered. Because Qin had lived with barbarians for a long time, it was deeply influenced by barbarians in terms of living customs and etiquette traditions.The good thing is that they do not have the patriarchal system and hierarchy of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and they are more equal in the selection of talents.But the bad thing is that their various customs are very strong barbarian habits. Even the barbaric tribe's barbaric burial customs were preserved by Qin State.What's more deadly is that, compared with the traditional agricultural and settled lifestyle of the princes of the Central Plains, Qin State was still a semi-nomadic and semi-agricultural country in the early Spring and Autumn Period. Some Qin people adopted farming, but some Qin people maintained nomadic customs. It is almost impossible to talk about the accumulation of strong economic strength.All of these have become the noose for the rise of Qin, but the person who untied these nooses is ready to come out. Qin Mugong ascended the throne in 659 BC.

Before Qin Mugong ascended the throne, his ancestors had already left him a very rich family property.Before Qin Mugong, the Qin State had successfully occupied most of the Guanzhong Plain through conquests from east to west, and its territory had advanced to the eastern end of the Guanzhong Plain.But because of this, Qin State and the early Jin State also had constant military conflicts. Qin Mugong's elder brother, Qin Chenggong, had a large-scale war with Jin State, which ended in failure.After Qin Mugong ascended the throne, he took the initiative to adopt a friendly policy with Jin and married with it, and the good relationship between Qin and Jin was formed.After that, Duke Mu of Qin turned to the west and continued to annex various barbarians in the northwest to expand his own power.In the early process of starting up, Qin State and Chu State followed the same path. After trying to enter the Central Plains and being blocked, they turned around and annexed the surrounding nomadic barbarians, expanding their power step by step, and gaining momentum. .However, the conditions of Chu State are obviously more convenient than that of Qin State. Chu State learned the culture of the Central Plains earlier, and its economic transformation was earlier. When Qin State was still in a semi-nomadic economy, Chu State already had a rich economy and developed agriculture. .Qin State is better than Chu State because of their geographical advantages. Qin State, which is related to the central barrier, is better than Chu State in terms of national security, and the barbarian enemies that Qin State faces are much stronger than the barbarians that Chu State faces. The tempering Qin Jun got from it is far from comparable to that of the countries in the Central Plains.

For Qin Mugong, the most important problem he faced was not expansion, but to lift the noose tied to Qin.To do this seems to be more difficult than to expand the territory, because any change will have to face the pressure of the strong conservative faction in the country, and the Qin people who started as nomads, the authority of the monarch is not as powerful as that of the Central Plains vassal states. His martial character makes coup d'état a common occurrence. In such a situation, it is impossible to not use your brain. Qin Mugong found the most correct way - he used a person, a person who was exchanged for five sheepskins - Bailixi.

Just like Duke Huan of Qi had Guan Zhong, and King Zhuang of Chu had Sun Shuao, Duke Mu of Qin's success lies in his having Bailixi. Baili Xi is a native of the State of Yu, and this State of Yu is the State of Yu that was destroyed by the State of Jin with the strategy of "falsely attacking Guo".Bailixi was very poor when he was young, and he didn't go out to make a living until his middle age. However, because of his humble background, he was not reused even though he traveled around the world.Later, after being recommended by a friend, he finally became a doctor in the State of Yu, but not long after he became an official, he caught up with the State of Jin's plan to "conquer Guo with false doctrines". Bailixi saw through this plan, but his opinion was not Accepted by the monarch, he can only watch the motherland perish.After the fall of Yu State, Bailixi was taken to Jin State as a prisoner of war.The reigning monarch of Jin State at this time is Jin Xiangong, and Jin Xiangong does not wait to see this humble captive.At this time, it was the time when Qin and Jin made good marriages. The eldest daughter of Jin Xiangong was betrothed to Qin Mugong, and Baili Xi followed as a "dowry".But he didn't want to be a dowry, so he simply ran away on the road, and ran to the state of Chu, where he was captured by the people of Chu and made a slave, responsible for raising cattle and watching horses.

If there were no accidents, Bailixi would probably end up in Chu State as a slave, but an "accident" happened.Qin Mugong is a very careful person, and the way to be careful is to count, even how many slaves were sent by the Jin Kingdom, he must also be counted carefully. This count found the problem-one is missing.This was not a big deal at first, but Qin Mugong was too talkative and asked who was missing?The answer I got was Baili Xi.At this time, Bailixi was not well-known, but the officials of Jin who accompanied him had someone who knew his details. When they told him about him, Qin Mugong was shocked on the spot: "You are a talent!"Find!

After looking around and digging three feet into the ground, they found the state of Chu, but the people of Chu state are not fools. If you find a slave with such a big fanfare, people will definitely suspect it if it gets out.Qin Guo simply pretended to pursue Bailixi, and negotiated with Chu State, saying: "We have a slave named Bailixi who escaped to you, and we will redeem him for punishment." At the price of 5 sheepskins, Baili Xi was redeemed from the Chu people.In the eyes of Chu people, this is just a trivial matter.As a result, it became a major event affecting the history of Qin.

After Bailixi arrived in Qin State, he was immediately treated with courtesy by Qin Mugong.Of course, Qin Mugong is not a person who can just listen to people fooling around. After Bailixi arrived, he dragged him to talk for three days and three nights, and finally he was convinced that this is a talent!After confirming the matter, Bailixi was appointed as the prime minister of the state of Qin. His official position was very interesting. He was called Wuyang doctor, that is, a doctor who was exchanged for 5 sheepskins.Later facts proved that Qin Guo made a lot of money by exchanging 5 sheepskins for Baili Xi. Regarding Baili Xi’s achievements in assisting Duke Mu of Qin, similar to many virtuous ministers, he rewarded farming and developed production. However, his greatest influence on Qin State was to promote Qin State from a semi-nomadic and semi-agricultural barbaric country. , into a civilized country. The first thing Bailixi did was to introduce the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty, re-revise the official system of the Qin State, establish the patriarchal system of the Qin State, and advocate "education", that is, to advocate the construction of spiritual civilization and the development of culture.In this way, Qin State began to transform from a nomadic country to a civilized country. But at this time, the two most important "nooses" restricting the development of Qin State, one is Qin State's backward military system, and the other is Qin State's backward economic system.Qin's army in this period is also in the hands of various clans. The military power that the monarch can mobilize is very limited, and most of the so-called clans in Qin are from hunting backgrounds. If you are not happy, you will raise the flag to rebel, so this has always been a big trouble for the king of Qin.After Baili Xi took office, he made his first cut at the military system. He imitated the "Three Armed Forces System" in the period of Duke Huan of Qi, and went a step further. He not only deployed soldiers in agriculture, but also in tribes. Whether it is a nomadic tribe or an agricultural village, all have the obligation to perform military service.In this way, the country's control over the army falls into the hands of the monarch.The rebellion of local clans will hardly happen afterwards.Qin’s economy at that time was divided into two types: agricultural economy and nomadic economy. Among them, the nomadic economy accounted for a considerable proportion. Bailixi’s policy was that the state actively paid money to reward nomadic tribes for converting to farming, and set up a monopoly system. The state monopolizes the trading of various materials and rewards farming villages, especially nomadic tribes who are willing to convert to farming. The state not only allocates land, but also distributes farm tools.The period when he served as prime minister was an important transition period for Qin's economy, and the effect was immediate.In the early days of Qin Mugong's accession to the throne, Qin's agricultural production was very backward, and it often needed to borrow food from neighboring vassal states to overcome the shortage. However, after Baili Xi's reform, Qin became rich and powerful. When a famine occurred, the Qin State gave a large amount of grain at one time, and transported it to the Jin State by ship. The transport fleet lined up from Yongdu, controlled by the Qin State, all the way to the territory of the Jin State, which shows that Qin State has abundant agricultural reserves at this time. If there is food to lend to others, there will naturally be food for war.The military strength of Qin State also improved rapidly. During the Bailixi period, Qin State imitated the princes of the Central Plains and established a three-army system. The military and political power was directly controlled by the monarch. At this time, the generals who controlled the three armies of Qin State were Meng Mingshi and Bai Yi. C. Western begging technique.Among them, Meng Mingshi is Bailixi's son.During this period, the Bailixi family was already a powerful family with power in the Qin Dynasty.But on the issue of foreign wars, Baili Xi kept a clear head. He knew that Qin State's current power did not have the capital to challenge Jin State, so Qin State in this period still focused on keeping a low profile. To establish a good-neighborly and friendly national image.As Bailixi persuaded Qin Mugong: "Now the countries in Shandong are fighting each other. We strictly guard the border and develop production. There will always be a day when we dominate the world." Judging from the hegemony situation of the Central Plains princes at that time, Bailixi's judgment was correct. The Jin State to the east of Qin State was far stronger than Qin State in terms of power, but faced a serious threat from Chu State. It can only be a loss for both sides, and that day is the day when Qin Guodong goes out to fight for hegemony. But Qin Mugong couldn't stand it anymore. In his eyes, the reason why Jin was strong was because of Chong'er, and the best chance for Qin to fight for hegemony was Chong'er's death.In 627 BC, this day finally came. Jin Wengong Chonger died of illness. Qin Mu believed that the time had come to go east to fight for hegemony, so he couldn't wait to tear up the friendly covenant with Jin.This was also the only time in his life that he didn't follow Baili Xi's advice.When Bailixi's son Meng Mingshi was ordered to go to Jin, Bailixi escorted him all the way, weeping bitterly, and told his son: "You will be defeated if you go here." The facts were as expected by Bailixi. In the subsequent battle of Xiaoshan, the Qin army suffered a catastrophe. Three generals were captured by the state of Jin, and the entire Qin army was wiped out.But fortunately, although Qin Mugong made a mistake in his judgment, he was a monarch who was willing to admit his mistakes. After Meng Mingshi and the three men were released by Jin State, Qin Mugong took the initiative to lead his officials in white clothes to greet them, and expressed his pardon for the crime of defeating the three men. , He reviewed and said: "The failure of this battle is entirely because I did not follow Bailixi's advice. The responsibility for the failure lies with me, and you are innocent." But Qin Mugong, who admitted his mistake, did not modify his original plan to go east.On the contrary, he worked harder and determined to compete with the state of Jin. His painstaking efforts were hit again two years later.In 626 BC, the State of Qin went east again, and this time it was defeated by the State of Jin. He is a snobbish eye in himself, seeing that Qin State suffered another defeat, he immediately announced that he would separate from Qin State to stand on his own, and attacked Qin State's border.Therefore, in such a situation, if Qin State cannot defeat Jin State in the next war, the situation will be out of control, so the battle that could have been avoided with Jin State now becomes necessary. After another setback, Qin Mugong still didn't blame Meng Mingshi and others. The three generals who had suffered consecutive defeats were grateful and continued to train the troops seriously.After two years of careful preparation, Qin State launched the Eastern Expedition again. This time they won a big victory, defeating the Jin State army in Xiaoshan, which was devastated that year.But the national power of Jin State is still strong, after they failed in the field battle.Immediately closed the border and turned to a comprehensive defense. Qin State challenged many times, but Jin State did not dare to fight. It's okay, and after paying homage to the victims of the year in Xiaoshan, the teacher returned to the dynasty.The victory of this battle is very important for Qin to consolidate its dominance in the northwest. Those snobbish barbarians in the northwest saw that Qin had defeated Jin, and immediately swarmed to Qin's side again. In this period of historical records, it seems that Bailixi is unknown, but in fact his status is quite important. It should be noted that in the defeat of Qin State at Xiaoshan, tens of thousands of Qin troops died in battle, and the entire army was wiped out. It is difficult for the population and resource conditions of the vassal states to recover in the short term after suffering a catastrophic defeat.For example, after the Battle of Chengpu, Chu State did not dare to advance northward for about 5 years. In the earlier Battle of Suge, King Huan of Zhou lost all his family property after only losing the first battle.However, after Qin Mugong's Battle of Xiaoshan, Qin's military power was fully restored after only two years. The first contribution here is naturally to push Bailixi. The main job is to develop production, appease the gentry, restore the economy, and provide Qin with a steady stream of money, food, soldiers and horses. It is precisely because of this that Qin Mugong was able to quickly recover after two consecutive defeats.In the glory of Qin Mugong's defeat of Jin, Baili Xi was the unsung hero behind it. Another major contribution of Baili Xi to Qin Mugong is his strategic vision. After Qin Mugong's three battles with Jin, Qin was faced with the problem of how to go.After Meng Mingshi defeated the state of Jin in Xiaoshan, a minister of the state of Qin also suggested to take advantage of the victory to pursue and continue to attack the border towns of the state of Jin, so as to completely open the way for Qin to advance eastward. Under the frenzy, Baili Xi clearly believed that this was extremely unrealistic of. The unrealistic reason is still the economic strength of Qin State.During this period, the Jin State was the country with the most powerful economic and military strength in the Central Plains.In the battle between Qin and Jin, Qin was in an obvious disadvantage, and the victory of a war could not change the balance of power between the two sides.On the Qin-Jin border at that time, the Jin State even had a geographical advantage, and strategically important places were in their hands. As long as the border was well guarded and there was no war, the Qin State would have nothing to do.Moreover, Qin's own national economic conditions were not enough to support a long-term war at that time. In the later period of Qin Mugong's three wars against Jin, because of financial constraints, Bailixi himself had to take the lead in wearing coarse cloth, saving his salary, and using To support the expenditure of front-line warfare.If this war continues, Qin's national financial reserves are likely to melt away like an iceberg in the war. In such a situation, Bailixi put forward his own opinion-advancing east and west.The so-called Donghe refers to the Jin State in the east, focusing on defense and repairing the friendly relationship between the two sides, while the strategic focus of the Qin State is to wipe out the barbarian tribes that rebelled and surrendered in the west. This is the history of the entire Chinese territory. A thing of great significance.After the Battle of Xiaoshan, Qin Mugong turned his spearhead to the west and attacked the Rong tribes in the west of the Guanzhong Plain.Bailixi first offered advice to Duke Mu of Qin, and used beauty tricks to recruit Yaoyu, an important minister of the Western Rong people. Then Yaoyu led the way, and Bailixi personally led the army and launched a war of conquest against the Western Rong people.In 623 BC, the Qin army marched westward in a large-scale, and the battle situation was extremely smooth. After a year of fighting, all the 12 Rong countries in the west of Qin State were subordinated.From then on, the land of Qin State crossed the Guanzhong Plain, reached the Lintao area of ​​Gansu to the west, occupied the Yanchi area of ​​Ningxia to the north, and directly bordered the Hetao Plain.This westward movement enabled Qin Mugong to expand thousands of miles west, and received 12 golden drums as a reward from Zhou Tianzi, so Qin Mugong was called the overlord of the west. Qin Mugong's hegemony, although he did not complete the great cause of marching into the Central Plains, had a huge impact on the entire Qin State. Historians of later generations have been discussing one question, why Qin State was able to use the land of the Guanzhong Plain to support the later flat land. A great war to destroy the six kingdoms.Many people attributed all this to the result of Shang Yang's reform, but before that, Baili Xi was already doing the same thing.What Baili Xi established for the State of Qin is a system in which the central government absolutely holds economic power, especially the monopoly and other laws and regulations, which ensure that the central government can obtain huge economic benefits. However, he promoted agriculture in the State of Qin and transformed the nomadic people into farming tribes. , not only turned a large number of nomadic barbarians into farming peoples at that time, but also integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation, and made the newly expanded land of Qin State become the most reliable rear area for Qin State. Compared with Chu State, which also expanded its territory, although Qin State was not as large as Chu State in terms of land area at this time, but the degree of national unity and the rigor of the organization were far stronger than Chu State. This gap did not highlight the importance in the Spring and Autumn Period. The era has become a key factor in Qin Chu's decisive victory. Qin Mugong died of illness in 621 BC. Behind him, the fact is that as Baili Xi expected, in the long north-south struggle for hegemony, the state of Jin gradually declined.Afterwards, Qin Kanggong, Qin Gonggong, and Qin Henggong all took the opportunity to launch wars against Jin. However, Jin, which still had power, repelled Qin's attempts to advance eastward time and time again.After the Xiangrong Mibing Conference in 546 BC, the Qin State, which suffered repeated setbacks, temporarily gave up its attempt to advance eastward.At this time, Qin Jinggong, who was in power, took the initiative to repair with the state of Jin and resumed their marriage relationship.At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Qin State was satisfied with Pianan Guanzhong, and there was no other major move for hegemony other than helping the Chu State recover its foreign countries.But after a long dormant period, it was the blockbuster after Shang Yang's reform in the Warring States Period.