In 237 BC, King Qin Yingzheng deposed Lu Buwei, took power personally, and began a plan to unify the six countries. The plan is to attack Zhao, Wei, and South Korea from near to far, and then take over Yan, Chu, and Qi. In 236 BC, troops were sent to the State of Zhao, and in 229 BC, the State of Zhao was destroyed. When Qin attacked Zhao, its army was so powerful that South Korea was very worried, so it took the initiative to surrender to Qin. The Qin State captured South Korea without spending a single soldier. It was later classified as Sichuan County by the Qin State, and South Korea was officially destroyed. In 225 BC, Ying Zheng sent his trusted general Li Xin to lead 200,000 soldiers to attack the Chu State. He was originally determined to win, but who would have thought that he would be defeated by the Chu State. The next year, Ying Zheng sent another 600,000 troops to attack Chu, and finally destroyed the Chu state in 222 BC. During this period, other countries were wiped out one after another, and it took 10 years. It was really not easy. But the Qin Dynasty only lasted for a short period of fourteen years, and it disappeared in a hurry like a flash in the pan. In fact, it was really not easy for Qin to unify the world. It was more difficult than any previous dynasty. Why do you say this?
It took such a long time for Qin to unify the world, which is also related to the geographical location of Qin. Qin is in the northwest, and many people think that Qin people are barbarians. The Qin State was located in Guanzhong, which was originally an abandoned place of the Zhou Dynasty. It was invaded from time to time. No matter from any angle, the resources of the entire country were not as good as those of other countries. Although Qin Mugong attacked some lands, it was of little use and did not bring many resources to Qin.
The Qin State unified the six countries, ended the chaotic situation of feudal separatism for more than 500 years since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and established the first centralized country. It has given people a relatively stable social environment, solved many factors of division and instability, and laid the foundation for long-term reunification, which has a huge impact on China's development.
Before the unification of Qin, each country had its own army and its own national ideology. The establishment of a country must first unify the army. Therefore, when the Qin State was established, it began to build a powerful army. In order to destroy the remaining power of the Six Kingdoms, the Qin Army was stationed across the country to protect the country's frontiers and was a key force to manage. In order to manage the army, Ying Zheng made a tiger talisman and cut it into two halves. The right half was kept by the emperor, and the left half was kept by the generals who commanded the army. Only when the left and right sides are combined can the army be mobilized. This is an important means and system to ensure that military power is not lost outside the country.
In terms of politics, a relatively complete centralized system was established. On the other hand, a county system was established. The country was divided into 36 counties. Each county was set up, and Shou, Wei, and Jian were respectively responsible for administrative management. , military, supervision. There are counties under each county, and the places where ethnic minorities live are designated as "roads". The chief executive of the county is the county magistrate, or the county head. There are other chiefs below the county head, with responsibilities at each level. distinct.
Before unification, each country had different measurement standards, so Qin Shihuang unified weights and measures. The power of the Qin Dynasty that we can see now is engraved with the edict issued by Qin Shihuang in the 26th year of his reign to unify weights and measures. A large amount of this kind of weight has been unearthed, and it has also been found near the Great Wall. Moreover, Qin Shihuang also stipulated the limit of error in law, which shows that the law is really very detailed. At the same time, Qin Shihuang also stipulated that six feet was a step and 240 steps was an acre. However, this system was only used in the old Qin period, but the standard of one hundred steps per mu was still used in the old Zhao area until the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty's unification of weights and measures had a great impact on later generations and also promoted economic development.
Unified currency. During the Warring States Period, each country's currency had different colors, sizes and shapes. Therefore, in order to facilitate management, Qin Shihuang abolished the currencies of other countries and unified the use of gold as the top currency, with yi (two The unit is ten liang (twelve liang); the round square hole copper coin used in the Qin Dynasty is used as the lower coin. The inscription is half a liang, which is as heavy as its inscription.
In terms of culture, the language of each country is different. From your own country, people from other countries speak a foreign language. Just like now, the dialects of each province are different. , such as Shandong and Xinjiang, the regional characteristics are very obvious. Therefore, unified language is very necessary. After Shang Yang's reform, Qin began to slowly invade other countries, hoping to use culture to enter other countries. After unification, Xiaozhuan or official script were adopted as the official script, which further promoted the cause of culture. There is a story that the order issued by Qin Shihuang was transmitted to the lower counties, but people could not understand it. This also reflects the necessity of unifying the writing. In the early Han Dynasty, the character structure of the Qin Dynasty still followed the character structure of the Qin Dynasty, but the seal meaning was gradually removed, and the traces of the official script became more and more heavy. Although the official documents of the Qin Dynasty were all written in Xiaozhuan, the most widely used font in practice was official script. In fact, it doesn’t matter which font is used. The important thing is to abolish the characters of other countries, break down the boundaries between China and other countries in people’s minds, and let them gradually adapt to the fact that no matter which country they were originally from, they are now from the Qin Dynasty.
During the Warring States Period, the vassal states were divided, and Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms. In fact, people still had great ideological and political tendencies to separate themselves. Qin Shihuang was actually very concerned about this aspect. He also knew in his heart that the idea of ??unification was of great benefit to the country. is very important. However, Qin Shihuang did not take good measures and methods to unify his thoughts, and instead adopted a high-pressure policy.
Some people put forward the suggestion of enfeoffment, which was strongly opposed. Confucian scholars were also strongly condemned for quoting "Poetry", "Book" and the works of hundreds of schools of thought, and regarded the past as not the present. Later, books were burned to embarrass Confucian scholars. This move was really a catastrophe for cultural classics and academic development, and it also aroused dissatisfaction among people from all walks of life.
In fact, I think it is not difficult for Qin Shihuang to unify the six countries. What is really difficult is how to manage a multi-ethnic unified country. Before the Qin Dynasty, all countries were divided and no one had the ability to manage a unified country. Experience, so any rules and regulations are slowly figured out. When the country was first established, it was not easy for Qin Shihuang to unify the language, writing, weights and measures, formulate laws, and at the same time make people adapt to the model of unifying the country. The dynasties after the Qin Dynasty all improved on the basis of the Qin Dynasty. With a ready-made management model, Qin Shi Huang was actually a pioneer for subsequent dynasties. Moreover, the people have adapted to this national model after such a long time, so it will be easier for the rulers to manage it.
The dynasties after the Qin Dynasty all improved on the basis of the Qin Dynasty. With a ready-made management model, Qin Shi Huang was actually a pioneer for subsequent dynasties. Moreover, the people have adapted to this national model after such a long time, so it will be easier for the rulers to manage it.