First, the process of the decline and fall of Qi State
Since Tai Gong sealed Qi State, Qi State respected the virtuous to develop economy, facilitated agriculture, mulberry, fishing and salt, and established a national foundation. Later, Guan Zhong became Qi Huangong, nine princes, and conquered the world, ranking first among the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. Jiang Mo in the Tian Dynasty, as the power to rejuvenate a great country, was second to none among the Seven Heroes in the Warring States Period, ranking first among the Seven Heroes. Mencius said that Qi Xuanwang "wants to expand its territory, go up to Qin Chu, go down to China, and care for the four foreigners." In order to accomplish this historical task, Qi Xuanwang further expanded the Jixia Academy, always listened to the opinions of people of insight, respected their personality, widely recruited talents and selected talents. With extraordinary wisdom and amazing courage, he attacked Wei and Yan, joined Han and Wei to attack Chu, and Wang Ye of Qi developed rapidly.
In 30 1 year BC, he died and ascended the throne, for the benefit of Qi and the country. At the beginning of Wang Min's accession to the throne, he was able to inherit the legacy of his ancestors, pursue the annexation of princes and unify the world, and take eclecticism and hard work as his important tasks. Therefore, the State of Qi maintained its position of being stronger than the rest of the world. He helped Korea control Chu, attacked Yan and destroyed Song, and joined forces to fight against Qin, so that Qiang Qin, which rose through Shang Yang's political reform at that time, was closed to the outside world for many years. According to Records of the Historian Tianwan Zhongjing Shijia, in the thirty-sixth year of Qi Min, the State of Qin sent an envoy Wei Ran to the State of Qi to publicize the will of the King of Qin, honoring Qi Min as the "East Emperor" and Zhao Haoqi as the "West Emperor". At that time, Qi had a vast territory, rich products, a large population and strong national strength, and the king hesitated. Just then, Su Dai came to Qi from Yan State and met Ji Min at the East Gate of Zhanghua. King Qi Min asked him, "Yes, sir, I have a question for you." ? Qin appointed me emperor. What do you think of this? "Su Dai replied," this question is too sudden. I hope your majesty will accept the request of special envoy Qin, but don't really want to be emperor. Why? If Qin proclaimed himself emperor, the world would accept it. If the king proclaimed himself emperor, it would bring a lot of trouble. Besides, it is good or bad to give up the title of emperor in order to gain a good reputation. Zhao Haoqi, king of Qin, proclaimed himself emperor, and everyone disliked him. If you don't claim to be the emperor, everyone will support you. This is a great advantage. Imagine two emperors in the world. Does your Majesty think that all countries respect Qi or Qin? Say "respect Qin". Su Dai added: "If the king gave up the title of emperor, would everyone like Qi or Qin?" "Of course, I love Qi and hate Qin," he said. He also said, "The two emperors reached an agreement, which is more favorable, attacking Zhao or fighting against Zhao?" Wang Min replied: "Naturally, it is to cut the Song Dynasty." He also said: "Being emperor with Qin * * * is the only thing that respects Qin in the world. If the throne is abolished, the whole world will love and hate Qin. It is better to attack Zhao than to defy Song, so I advised the King to give up the throne in order to accept the trust of the world. May the king think it over. " Under the analysis and persuasion of Su Dai, King Qi Min gave up the title of "East Emperor". At that time, if Wang Min could continue to carry forward the legacy of Wang Wei and Xuan Wang along this line of thinking, be proactive, listen to other people's opinions, work hard to govern, and maintain good relations with the five countries, the great cause of unifying the world would be expected to be realized.
However, in his later years, King Qi Min was arrogant, lustful, happy and militaristic, and did not listen to advice. "On Salt and Iron, On Confucianism" said that he: "Confucianism does not disperse. Shen Dao, Jiezi is dead. Vernon is like Xue, in the right place. " The Warring States Policy of Qi recorded the fact that Wang did not listen to advice and killed the counselor: "Are the people of Qi lonely? Those who are discussing Wang Min and those who are going to cut Tan are not attached. Chen Ju, the son of the Qi Sun family, said bluntly when he was killed that the family was centrifugal. Sima Yi is also a politician. If you kill him, I will not kiss him. " It can be seen that the good political style of valuing the virtuous and respecting the old and loving the young formed in the Wei and Xuan Dynasties has been destroyed.
In his later years, King Qi Min was still overjoyed and pursued militarism, which led to the destruction of the country and the unbearable suffering of the people. "Memorabilia" said: "Qi's attack on the Song Dynasty was also initiated by the Soviet Dynasty. Qin saved Song, but was stopped. Take the position of Yan, be proud of you, work hard for the people, and die quickly. He said, Yan Yue:' The King of Qi is the Lord, but for his own use; South attack Chu for five years, accumulated; The west has been trapped in Qin for three years, and the people are haggard and tired; He also won the Song Dynasty with the strength of more than 5,000 soldiers, including 12 princes. This is your desire, and the people are tired. "From this historical data, we can see that King Qi Min refused to remonstrate, but he was overjoyed. Under the conspiracy of Su Dai, the lobbyist of Qin State, he was trapped, defeated Qi State, and made Qi State harm the people. As a result, Qi Min was killed in his own drum, which opened the prelude to the decline of Qi.
In the seventeenth year of Qi Min (284 BC), Le Yi, the general of Yan State, led the allied forces of Yan, Zhao, Qin, Wei and North Korea to attack Qi State, and defeated Qi Army in Jixi. King Min fled to Weiguo, and King Wei took him in politely, but he still posed as an "Eastern Emperor" and put on airs. Wei ren no longer gave preferential treatment, so he fled from Zou and Lu, and neither country took him in. Finally, he fled to Jun 'an and was killed in the drum by Commander Chu. Le Yi's army entered Linzi, plundered all the treasures and jewels accumulated in 6700 years, and occupied more than 70 cities in Qi. During the war, Wang Min's son, Zhang Fa, disguised as a servant, hid in the home of Jutai Normal University and made a private life with his daughter. Once upon a time, when the war broke out, I discussed the establishment of a new king with my son, who was looked for by the ministers of Qi. So the law chapter recognized him as Wang Min's son, and all the ministers made a legislative chapter for Wang Qixiang. After Wang Xiang acceded to the throne, he made Taishigong's daughter a queen and established a king.
Wang Xiang died in 265 BC, and his son Jian 'an was the last generation of Wang Qi. Qi is weak and has no ambition. All state affairs are decided by the king and queen. After the monarch came to power, he was cautious and tried to maintain the situation. "Qi Ce Warring States Policy": "After the monarch's funeral, Qin Jin believed with the princes, so he stood for more than forty years without fighting." Bao Biao said in his notes: "Qin adopted the strategy of attacking from afar and attacking from near, and Qi was willing to live in peace for the time being, so Qi was more cautious when dealing with Qin, but did not understand Qin's strategy." As for Qi's "loyalty to the monarch", I am afraid this may not be the case. Historical Records says that Qin attacked Sanjin day and night, and the five countries of Yan and Chu rescued each other, so Qi has not suffered from war for more than 40 years, which is true. If Qi really believed in the princes, how could it not help the five countries?
The State of Qin adopted the policy of making friends far away and attacking near, attacking Korea first and then Wei. Fan Sui, the prime minister of Qin, said to the king of Qin, "We often say that the king of Qi is a man of virtue. I want to test her. " So he ordered the messenger to bring the jade chain to Qi, and said that if someone could untie the jade chain, the king of Qin would give up. The King of Qi knew that after testing her, the King of Qin picked up the golden hammer in his hand and hit the jade chain with the hammer, and the jade chain suddenly broke. The king later said to the emissary of Qin, "Go back and tell the king of Qin that the old woman has untied the jade chain." Fan Sui was also a heroine among women after knowing the King of Qi, so she made an alliance with Qi.
After the death of the King of Qi, Wang Jian even lost his backbone and let the greedy and lecherous prime minister win the battle. Housheng is the younger brother of the monarch. Due to the prestige and influence of the monarch, the sword of the King of Qi is more dependent on waiting for life than others, which can be said to be obedient. Seeing this situation, Qin sent people to cheat each other, bribed them with a lot of gold and silk to win, then took bribes, secretly followed Qin, and sent envoys to Qin, and then made them brag about how powerful Qin was and how willing they were to receive a visit from the King of Qi. After the victory, he often excused Qin from invading other countries. At that time, Wang Ben, the general of Qin, attacked Wei, and Wei sent people to make peace and fight with Qi. However, Hou Sheng was bought off by the State of Qin, so he advised the State of Qi: Don't promise to unite with the State of Wei, and don't provoke the State of Qin, so as not to get burned. The timid Qi listened to Wei's words and did not agree to his request. Wang Ben soon destroyed Wei and became Sanchuan County.
In the sixth year of Qi Wangjian (259 BC), the State of Qin attacked Zhao, and Qi and Chu sent troops to rescue him. However, Zhao had no food to continue, so he borrowed it from Qi, and Qi refused to lend it to him. It can be seen that this rescue is just a show. As a result, the battle of Changping was defeated by Zhao, and Qin killed Zhao with 400 thousand people. Qin constantly attacked Korea, Wei, Zhao, Yan and Chu. Qi not only did not help the five countries, but also sent people to Qin to congratulate every country destroyed by Qin. In the 16th year of Wang Jian's reign, the state of Qin destroyed the Zhou royal family, the master of the world. Qi was ruled by Wang Jian, a bad king, and Hou Sheng, a traitor, without any warning, unlike Huan Gong, the former monarch of Qi, who was "busy with westernization". What a huge contrast it has formed in the hegemonic era of "nine kings dominate the world"! In order to disintegrate the State of Qi, Qin sent a lot of gold, silver and property to Hou Sheng, and Hou Sheng sent many people to visit Qin. These people accepted bribes from the State of Qin and spoke for the interests of the State of Qin.
In the twenty-eighth year of Qi, Qi will go to the State of Qin to worship heaven. Sima Yongmen asked, "Is it for the country or for the monarch himself to help the monarch?" Wang Jian said: "for the country." Yong Men Sima said, "Since you are the king of the country, why do you abandon your country and worship the king of Qin?" Wang Jian had to return the car to Qi Wangfu. When Dr. Jimo heard that Sima prevented Wang Jian from going to the State of Qin, he remonstrated and said, "Qi is a thousand miles away, and there are millions of soldiers. Most officials of Korea, Zhao and Wei are unwilling to surrender to Qin. They gather between Afghanistan and Laos, and the king can recruit them, give them a million people and recover the hometown of Sanjin. So you can earn money in Jin. The ministers refused to surrender to Qin and gathered at the south gate. The king can recruit them, give them millions of troops and recover the old land of Chu. So property management can make money. In this way, the strength of Qi can be re-established and the Qin of Tiger and Wolf can be eliminated. I don't think the king would do it if he gave up the dignity of being king in the south and was willing to work for Qin in the west. " But Qi refused to listen, and finally entered Qin. The King of Qin bought wine in Xianyang to entertain Wang Jian of Qi.
In the thirty-fifth year of Qi Dynasty, that is, in 230 BC, the State of Qin destroyed South Korea. In the thirty-eighth year of Qi Dynasty (228 BC), Zhao was wiped out by Qin. In the thirty-ninth year of Jian 'an, the state of Qin broke Yan, and the prince fled to Chen. Forty-one years Qin destroyed Chu. In forty-three years, the king of Qin worshipped Wang Ben, the son of Wang Jian, as a general. He crossed the Yalu River, surrounded Pyongyang, captured the prince alive and destroyed the state of Yan. Then he moved west to attack the country and committed suicide on behalf of Wang Jia. Dai Wang was the only heir who inherited and retained Zhao Zongsi, and committed suicide on behalf of Wang Jia.
After Wang Ben destroyed Zhao, he sent a letter to Xianyang, and the king of Qin gave Wang Ben a warrant, saying, When the general sent out his troops, he wiped out Yan and Dai, sweeping more than 2,000 miles, comparable to your father, General Jian. But from Yan to Qi, it is the road back to Li, and Chyi Chin's reunification is like a person missing an arm. May the general muster up the remaining strength and exhaust it in one drum. Wang Ben went south, took Yanshan Mountain, and looked south at Hejian.
In 22 1 BC, Wang Ben led an army to attack Qi, firmly believing that Chyi Chin would make friends with Qin. Hearing that all five countries had been wiped out, he panicked and began to send troops to guard the western boundary to prevent the invasion of Qi. But surprisingly, Wang Benjun went south from the north, crossed Wuqiao and went straight to Jinan. Since Wang Jian ascended the throne, there has been no war and no military strategy in Qi for more than forty years. Soldiers don't practice for a long time and have no fighting and defense ability. Wang Ben Tiger and Wolf Division brought Zichuan from Lixia to Linzi, the capital of Qi State. After the Qi army marched in, they had to surrender after hearing his victory. Although everyone in the city was angry, no one dared to fight. Wang Ben fought without bloodshed. Within two months, all the leaders of Qi were occupied. The king of Qin was overjoyed when he heard Jie Li's words, and sent a message saying: Zhou used the rear to defeat his plan, and he resolutely refused to let Jie Li be the messenger of the king of Qin. Now his soldiers are desperately fighting for chaos. Qi was destroyed by me, and all the kings of Qi should be beheaded. Miss Wang Jian's respect for Qin for forty years, lest Wang Jian die. I can move to * * * with my wife and supply him with a bucket of millet every day to keep him alive. After winning the wrong country, it is located in the chop. "Wang Ben after command beheaded, the treacherous court official who took bribes by mistake, finally got the punishment.
According to the record that the sword entered Qin in Qi Ce of the Warring States Policy, the Qin faction lured the sword to the State of Qin and promised him a fief of 500 Li. Qi didn't listen to Dr. Jimo's advice to attack Qin, but listened, so he went west to Qin and was imprisoned among pines and cypresses in the city of * * and starved to death.
Qi, who was moved to the city of * * *, lived in a remote place, with only a few huts, surrounded by dense pine trees and uninhabited. Wang Jian also took dozens of people up and down, and he couldn't eat enough just by playing millet. He was hungry and cold at night, listening to the sound of pines around him, and he felt even more desolate. I thought I had made a fortune for the king of Qi, and after listening to it, I regretted winning. I have become a humble conquered people, suffering from this hunger and cold, and my life and death are unpredictable. He died of depression in a few days and fled from everyone. Qi people heard that Wang Jian was captured and died of hunger and cold, so they made up a song to sing:
Pine tree, photo tree!
You can't eat when you are hungry!
Who made the King Jian of Qi come this far?
It's a pity that the people he uses himself are not virtuous!
Second, the reasons for the homogeneous decline.
Qi, which had the conditions to unify the six countries and establish a unified empire, perished in the fatuity of the last monarch, Qi Wang Jian, and the bribery and flattery of traitors. The general trend of the world will be divided for a long time, but under the historical conditions at that time, we should explore the historical reasons and lessons of who will unify China and why Qi was destroyed from the top of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period and the top of the seven outstanding men in the military exploits.
"Huai Nan Zi Tai Xun" says: "The sword is three unique, and Qin is trapped without knowing virtue." This shows that predecessors have discussed the reasons for the demise of Qi from a political point of view: the more direct reason is that Qi failed to appoint sages, was incompetent, and blindly listened to the treacherous words and tricks of traitors, which led to the political failure of Qi in two aspects: first, it catered to Qin's strategy of "making friends far away and attacking near", destroyed the alliance, lost the support of other vassal States, and gave Qin the opportunity to divide and rule; The second is to alienate the relationship between the monarch and the minister, disperse the internal combat effectiveness, and let the fortress die from the inside. The more indirect reason is that since Wang Min's later years, the State of Qi has destroyed the fine tradition of respecting the virtuous and valuing the virtuous, appointing people on their merits, and has been arrogant and extravagant, extravagant and desperate, which has led to poverty and the outflow of wise men, making the country's political economy strong and rapidly falling into a trough. Wang Xiang was jealous of talents, which made Yan Fu and Anping Tian Jun, who had made great contributions and were brave and upright throughout the ages, unable to settle down in Qi, and had to take refuge in Zhao. After the death of King Xixiang, Wang Jianli and the king were in charge of state affairs, and they also lacked the foresight and courage to revitalize Qi. The so-called "keeping promises to vassals" is actually a wrong policy of striving for self-protection, which laid the groundwork for Wang Jianxian's surrender and death.
Secondly, the predecessors also discussed the reasons for the demise of Qi in the military: "If we don't prepare for the attack and help the five countries attack Qin, Qin will perish the five countries. The five kingdoms have died, and the Qin army has entered Linyi, and the people dare not do it. " (Historical Records Tian Zhongjing's Family). In the era of international disputes, strong military strength is the guarantee of national security, and failure to prepare for war and help the five countries resist Qin is undoubtedly the military reason for the final demise of Qi.
After further discussion, we will also find that the fundamental factor that determines political and military factors lies in the differences in cultural concepts.
(1) Qi customs are luxurious, while Western Qin is simple.
"Geography of Hanshu" records: "Taigong is responsible for the sea and salt, and the food shortage is for the people. Is to persuade his female workers to make a living and talk about the rest of the figures. In the last 40 years, the Duke of Huan used Guan Zhong to make the country rich and strong, and the princes made great contributions, while the accompanying ministers received three rewards. Therefore, it is vulgar and extravagant, woven into the pure beauty of ice embroidery, and crowned with clothes. "
At the beginning of Qi's business, due to the limitation of natural conditions, production was underdeveloped and people were frugal. With the increasing development of productivity, Qi became a "big country" and the wind of extravagance gradually spread to the whole country. The source of this extravagant wind may be Guan Zhong who "takes three returns with the minister". Liezi Yang Zhu said: "Guan Zhong's phase is also neat, and the monarch is also lewd and extravagant." With Guan Zhong's help, Qi's luxury escalated step by step. By the Warring States period, luxury goods were getting worse and worse, and they also had a wide market among the people. When talking about the King of Qi, Zhang Yi said: "There are no powerful countries in the world, and there are no fathers and brothers, and Yin Zhong is also." "Qi Ce of the Warring States Policy" records: "Linzi is very rich and practical, and all his people are drums, harps, playing the piano, fighting cocks, running dogs, six blogs and stepping on bows." It can be seen that there was a habit of playing with toys everywhere in Qi at that time, which directly affected the national defense security and the combat effectiveness of the army. In this case, the monarch of the State of Qi "failed to prepare for war" and the people completely lost their fighting capacity. When Qin's army attacked the city, the result was that "the people didn't dare to be".
The situation in Qin is just the opposite. According to Gou Zi Qiang Guo, "Won Hou asked Sun,' How about joining Qin?' Sun said:' Because of the danger, the situation is convenient, the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the power of natural materials is great, which is also a victory. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, the folk customs are simple, the vocal music is not dirty, and the clothes are not picky. I'm afraid there will be smooth progress, and so will the ancients. ""Sun see Qin Feng folkway is simple, dressed calmly, often without fancy clothes. This kind of folk custom will make "a hundred officials fear, show great disrespect, be frugal and respectful, be loyal and disloyal" and make the scholar-officials "go out of their doors, enter their public doors, go home, and be selfless." (same as above). In this way, it will also make people form the habit of "preparing for war, improving their strength and putting hunting first" (Hanshu Geography). Zhu Yue said, "The custom of Qin Dynasty is to respect the spirit, be brave first, and forget to die when you are alive." (Note to Biography of Qin Feng) This will undoubtedly greatly improve the quality of Qin soldiers and their combat effectiveness on the battlefield. The different influences of Chyi Chin's customs and habits on their combat effectiveness in reunification can be seen here.
(2) The greed of Qi people and the kindness of Qin people.
At the beginning of the founding of Qi State, Taigong wrote the first letter. The rule of Qi State was based on respecting sages and making contributions, which played an important role in the establishment and governance of Qi State and formed a fine tradition of respecting sages and making contributions. However, in the middle and late period, due to the influence of economic development and luxury, and the situation that countries east of the Central Plains did not attack each other. "The Five Kingdoms were saved by Qin, so that the King of Qi was established for more than forty years without soldiers." The tradition of Qi people attaching importance to their work was gradually replaced by the pursuit of interests, and it developed in the direction of self-interest and profit-seeking. Its pursuit of material benefits is better than its yearning for military achievements. Both the ruling and the opposition have a tendency to pursue fame and gain. "Every ordinary man takes greed for profit as a common custom" ("Xunzi Powerful Country"), and those who betray the country for profit directly ruin the fate of Qi. After winning, it was a mistake. Qi didn't lend money to Zhao's downfall, which shows this point.
Qin people, on the other hand, paid great attention to military exploits, cultivated land, legislation and preparation for war. It turns out that Qin is located in Xixiang, and its customs have a strong character of Rong Di. "If people don't let them, they all have a fighting heart." "The savage of Qin, because of small profits, his brothers are in prison and his relatives are homesick." (Lv Chunqiu Gao Yi) is its characteristic. Especially since Qin Xiaogong used Shang Yang's political reform, he has been "cultivating punishment at home, persuading people to die outside, being filial and kind" and "cultivating soldiers and fighting princes outside Lian Heng." The rulers of Qin encouraged the people to fight for production with military and material interests, which aroused the enthusiasm of Qin people to bravely kill the enemy and made them the bravest and most effective army at that time, which made Qin gain the advantage of victory in the situation of disputes among countries at the end of the Warring States Period.
(3) Qi Lao's theory of Yin and Yang and Qin's emphasis on the legal system.
A Study of Yellow and Old Roses under Xia Ji in Wang Xuan Period of Qi Weiwang. At first, out of political needs, it was claimed that Tianqi was the yin stomach of the Yellow Emperor, which played a certain role in maintaining Tianqi's rule as an ideological weapon. However, it puts forward the idea that "the whole law is based on Tao", pointing out that "Tao" is the static cause of "no root, no foundation, no glory, all things are spiritual and all things succeed", and advocates imitating heaven and earth and taking nature as the highest criterion. This theory was disputed with other countries at the end of the Warring States Period. In the social environment where everything is superior to the battlefield, Qi is not only out of date, but also a poison that distracts people's hearts and discourages morale, which directly affects the maintenance of Qi's comprehensive national strength.
In the late Warring States period, Qi also had the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements represented by Zou Yan. It emphasizes the "five laws" and "five virtues transfer, and each treatment is appropriate, but Fu Yingzi." Zou Yan's words are mostly "strange and tortuous changes", which is far from reality and hard to believe. At the same time, his theory of "five virtues and constancy" regards the success of dynasty replacement and reunification as an arrangement of God's will. At that time, under the situation of competing with each other and ethnic disputes, the morale and people's hearts of Qi were actually dispersed, which was very harmful to the cause of Qi's reunification. The prevalence of Huang Lao's theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements has a more direct impact on society with the emergence of a large number of immortal alchemists. "Yan Qi's people, release the thunder and fight for the immortal alchemist" ("On Salt and Iron, Lack of Scattering"), the emergence of a large number of pedantic and sycophantic people and the Chinese people put down their hoes, ignored agriculture and mulberry, and devoted themselves to empty talk about the immortal wind, making Qi a leader among the pack.
However, Qin's social thoughts showed another scene: they were autocratic kings, centralized, and focused on power and punishment. Ideologically, it advocates rejecting a hundred schools of thought, practicing cultural autocracy, advocating naked utilitarianism, showing a strong ethical tendency and emphasizing practical interests. This idea of advocating autocracy, emphasizing magic, attaching importance to utility, and advocating severe punishment and severe law is undoubtedly a very timely ideological weapon in the process of unifying the world by force and under the overwhelming situation of military victory and defeat. Greatly strengthened the unity of thought and pace, and greatly improved the combat effectiveness of Qin.
Based on the above analysis, in 22 1 year BC, the state of Qin was destroyed, and after waiting for the five countries, it attacked the helpless state of Qi. Qi has no good ministers, no good soldiers in the wild, and people's hearts are divided. Only after the first fall, there is an end.