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Qin's Wars Of Unification
Qin's wars of unification were a series of military campaigns launched in the late 3rd century BC by the Qin state against the other six major Chinese states — Han, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu and Qi. Between 247 BC and 221 BC, Qin had emerged as one of the most powerful of the Seven Warring States in China. In 230 BC, Ying Zheng, the King of Qin, unleashed the final campaigns of the Warring States period, setting out to conquer the remaining states one by one. Following the fall of Qi in 221 BC, China was unified under Qin control. Ying Zheng declared himself "Qin Shi Huang" (meaning "First Emperor of Qin") and established the Qin dynasty, becoming the first sovereign ruler of a unified China. Background Rise of Qin and early conquests Over the course of the Warring States period, the Qin state had evolved to become the most powerful of the seven major states in China, particularly after Shang Yang's reforms in the mid 4th century BC. The other six states would repe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warring States Period
The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BC as the first unified Chinese empire, known as the Qin dynasty. Although different scholars point toward different dates ranging from 481 BC to 403 BC as the true beginning of the Warring States, Sima Qian's choice of 475 BC is the most often cited. The Warring States era also overlaps with the second half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, though the Chinese sovereign, known as the king of Zhou, ruled merely as a figurehead and served as a backdrop against the machinations of the warring states. The "Warring States Period" derives its name from the ''Record of the Warring States'', a work compiled early in the Han dynasty. Geogra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huan Yi
Huan Yi was a general of the state of Qin in the late Warring States period (5th century – 221 BCE). Background General Pang Nuan of Zhao occupied several towns of the state of Yan in 236 BCE, whereupon Yan asked the state of Qin for help. Huan Yi, Yang Duan, and Wang Jian commanded the relief campaign against Zhao and took its towns Ye (today's Linzhang, Hebei) and Anyang (Hebei), as well as Eyu (Heshun, Shanxi), and Liaoyang (Zuoquan, Shanxi). In 236 BC, the Qin generals Huan Yi and Wang Jian seize nine cities in the Yecheng region. In 234 BC, Huan Yi attacked Pingyang (Linfen, Shanxi) and Wucheng (Cixian, Hebei), killed general Hu Zhe and massacred 100,000 troops of Zhao. He then left Shangdang, passed the Taihang Ridge and invaded Zhao by taking Chili and Yi'an (Gaocheng, Hebei). Zhao thereupon laid the supreme command in the hands of Li Mu, who defeated Huan Yi in the battle of Fei ( Jinxian, Hebei). No record of Huan Yi is found in the Shiji after his defeat at F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
China Warring States Period
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land, the most of any country in the world, tied with Russia. Covering an area of approximately , it is the world's third largest country by total land area. The country consists of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The national capital is Beijing, and the most populous city and financial center is Shanghai. Modern Chinese trace their origins to a cradle of civilization in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. The semi-legendary Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE and the well-attested Shang and Zhou dynasties developed a bureaucratic political system to serve hereditary monarchies, or dy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
China Proper
China proper, Inner China, or the Eighteen Provinces is a term used by some Western writers in reference to the "core" regions of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China. This term is used to express a distinction between the "core" regions populated by the dominant Han population and the "frontier" regions of China, sometimes known as "Outer China". There is no fixed extent for China proper, as many administrative, cultural, and linguistic shifts have occurred in Chinese history. One definition refers to the original area of Chinese civilization, the Central Plain (in the North China Plain); another to the Eighteen Provinces of the Qing dynasty. There is no direct translation for "China proper" in the Chinese language due to differences in terminology used by the Qing to refer to the regions. The expression is controversial among scholars, particularly in China, due to issues pertaining to territorial integrity. Outer China usually includes the geographical regions of Dzunga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Sovereign
The Chinese sovereign was the ruler of a particular monarchical regime in the historical periods of ancient China and imperial China. Sovereigns ruling the same regime, and descended from the same paternal line, constituted a dynasty. Several titles and naming schemes have been used throughout Chinese history. Sovereign titles Emperor The characters ''Huang'' (皇 huáng "august (ruler)") and ''Di'' (帝 dì "divine ruler") had been used separately and never consecutively (see Three August Ones and Five Emperors). The character was reserved for mythological rulers until the first emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang), who created a new title ''Huangdi'' (皇帝 in pinyin: huáng dì) for himself in 221 BCE, which is commonly translated as ''Emperor'' in English. This title continued in use until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912. From the Han Dynasty, the title ''Huangdi'' could also be abbreviated to ''huang'' or ''di''. The former nobility titles ''Qing'' (卿), ''Daifu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Of China
''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heaven and the autocrat of all under Heaven. Under the Han dynasty, Confucianism replaced Legalism as the official political theory and succession in most cases theoretically followed agnatic primogeniture. The lineage of emperors descended from a paternal family line constituted a dynasty. The absolute authority of the emperor came with a variety of governing duties and moral obligations; failure to uphold these was thought to remove the dynasty's Mandate of Heaven and to justify its overthrow. In practice, emperors sometimes avoided the strict rules of succession and dynasties' ostensible "failures" were detailed in official histories written by their successful replacements. The power of the emperor was also limited by the imperia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seven Warring States
The Seven Warring States or Seven Kingdoms () were the seven leading hegemonic states during the Warring States period (c. 475 to 221 BCE) of Ancient China: * Qin (秦) * Qi (齊/齐) * Chu (楚) * Yan (燕) * Han (韓/韩) * Zhao (趙/赵) * Wei (魏) During the Eastern Zhou dynasty, the weakened Zhou central sovereignty quickly lost control of its confederate vassal states, and the numerous autonomous states began overreaching and expanding their political ambitions via diplomacy and warfare, sparking a period of chaotic conflicts known as the Spring and Autumn period. After most of the smaller, weaker states are conquered and annexed by larger states, the geopolitical landscape eventually became dominated by seven most powerful states, and wars became increasingly pitched, violent and frequent. Over the Warring States period, many of the seven states underwent bureaucratic and military reforms in order to mobilise resources on a greater scale. This led to an i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Changping
Lord Changping (昌平君; died 223 BC) was an important military commander and lord of Qin, who later departed from the state of Qin and went to the state of Chu where he became the last king of Chu (223 BC) in the last days of the Chinese Warring States period. Accounts in the Records of the Grand Historian The deeds of Lord Changping was mainly recorded in Vol. 6: ''Annals of Qin Shi Huang'' of the '' Records of the Grand Historian''. In 238 BC, in the State of Qin, a pseudo-eunuch Lao Ai entered into a relationship with Queen Dowager Zhao and plotted against King Zheng of Qin (who would later ascend to Shi Huang, the First Emperor): The king found out this fact and ordered the chancellor ( Lü Buwei) to let Lord Changping and lead soldiers and attack Lao Ai. They battled at Xianyang (the capital of Qin) and killed hundreds f the rebels or this deed,they all received the peerage. Also, all eunuchs who battled gainst Lao Aireceived one higher peerage than before. Altho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Li Mu
Li Mu (; died 229 BC), personal name Zuo (繓), courtesy name Mu (牧), was a Chinese military general of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late Warring States period, along with Bai Qi, Wang Jian, and Lian Po. He's highly regarded as one of the best defensive tacticians commanders of ancient warfare. Life In 265 BC, Li Mu was stationed in Yanmen Commandery and ordered to defend northwestern commanderies of Yanshan (雁山) and Daijun (代郡) from raids instigated by the Xiongnu (匈奴) and other tribes. He initially adopted an extremely defensive strategy, for which he was accused of cowardice and thereafter replaced by a more aggressive general. The Zhao state prepared an army of 1,300 war chariots, 13,000 cavalry, 50,000 infantry and 100,000 archers. The army was scattered in the countryside. The Xiongnu sent a small force to raid the border, and Li Mu pretended to be defeat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jian, King Of Qi
Jian, King of Qi (; reigned 264–221 BC) was the last king of Qi, one of the seven major states of the Warring States period of ancient China. His personal name was Tian Jian (田建), ancestral name Gui, and he did not have a posthumous title because he was the last king of Qi. Jian succeeded his father King Xiang of Qi, who died in 265 BC. He reigned for 44 years. At the time he acceded to the throne, there were only a few states left in what is now China. Qi was one of the wealthiest, and it was on the seacoast far from the most aggressive state, Qin. For years, King Jian's mother acted as his advisor. On her deathbed she wanted to tell her son the king which ministers she thought were the best. But when the writing materials arrived she could no longer tell him. After she died, Hou Sheng (后勝) became his prime minister. It was alleged by some sources that Hou Sheng was in the pay of the state of Qin. In Strategies of the Warring States, The Book of Qi One famous a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xi, King Of Yan
Xi, King of Yan (燕王喜) (?–?) (ruled 255–222 BC) was the last sovereign of the state of Yan in the last days Warring States period of Chinese history. He was the son of King Xiao of Yan (燕孝王). He was born as Ji Xi (姬喜), the same name of King Lie of Zhou (周烈王) and Count Yi of Cao (曹夷伯). In the 28th year of his reign (227 BC), the State of Qin began its conquest of Yan, and its army approached Yishui (易水), modern-day Yi County, Hebei. Seeing the threatening situation in which the State of Yan was in, Crown Prince Dan, King Xi's son, sent assassins Jing Ke, Qin Wuyang and others to kill the Qin king Ying Zheng, under the guise of presenting him with a map of Dukang (督亢) and the severed head of the Qin general Huan Yi Huan Yi was a general of the state of Qin in the late Warring States period (5th century – 221 BCE). Background General Pang Nuan of Zhao occupied several towns of the state of Yan in 236 BCE, whereupon Yan asked the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jia Of Wei
Jia, King of Wei (, died 225 BC?) was the last ruler of the state of Wei during the waning days of the Warring States Period of Chinese history. He ruled the kingdom between 227 BC and 225 BC. Jia was the son of King Jingmin of Wei. He ascended the throne after his father's death. In 225 BC, a Qin army led by Wang Ben invaded Wei. Wen Ben directed the waters from the Yellow River and the to inundate the capital of Wei, Daliang (present-day Kaifeng). Three months later, the city wall was destroyed, Jia had to surrender. His fate was not mentioned in the ''Records of the Grand Historian''; however, according to ''Biographies of Exemplary Women'' and ''Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...'', he was executed by Qin army. References Monarchs of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
