13-03 Chronology of the Warring States Period

Chronology of the Warring States Period

The  Start of the Warring States Period (476-361)

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476), the dozens of big and small states coalesced into the eight that remained by 476. The eight warring states were Qin, that had a stronghold in a valley in the west, Chu, Qi, Yan, Han, Wei, Yue and Zhao.

During the first half of this turbulent era, the boundaries between the states remained about the same. Chu was the biggest state. It controlled the southern third of the entire region of the Warring States. Qin also controlled about a third of the territory in the west. The rest of the states filled in the northeastern third of the region of the Warring States.

Qin was the farthest west of the states. Initially, the rulers of Qin tried to keep out of the warfare to the east of them. There were hostile tribes around their territory. They couldn't send out large armies to conquer the states to the east lest the tribal people attacked when the armies were gone.

They first had to subdue the tribes to make sure their territory was safe. This became one of the Qin clan's main objectives

Shang Yang (361)

Shang Yang came to power as a court official in 361. During the two decades that he ruled, he made big political, philosophical and institutional changes that took permanent hold in Qin though he himself was killed.

His philosophy was called Legalism. It was adopted by the ruling court. The political reforms were revolutionary for his time, and he set the course for Qin to become militarily more powerful and ruthless than the other states.

Under Legalism, political opposition was not tolerated. One of the strengths of Qin was the tight central control.

Yang Started an Offensive Buildup

To increase production, Yang privatized land, rewarded farmers who exceeded harvest quotas, enslaved farmers who failed to meet their quotas, and used slaves for his major construction projects to create better infrastructure.

He wanted to improve the transportation system so that the armies could move more easily and to enhance internal trade. He also emphasized the creation of large armies for military offense and the production of the best armaments. The technology advanced so that iron tools and weapons became common in Qin.

For about a generation from 269 to 230 BC, they focused on building up their army and settling the land to provide food for their expeditions and to create wealth. They forced the people to build the Wei River Canal, Dujiangyan, roads and other projects and to be soldiers.

The new philosophy, weaponry, and construction projects made the large Qin armies ready for conquests.

The End of the Zhou Dynasty (230-221 BC)

King Zheng (260-210) started to rule the Qin in 246 BC when he was 13. During a short period of time, his ruling court mobilized Qin for conquests and then started invading the other states in 230 BC.

Several of the states surrendered instead of fighting. In 230, Han surrendered to Qin. They defeated Wei in 225. In 223, they succeeded in conquering Chu after a major defeat. Chu also had a large army and a lot of territory, but they were surprised by a sudden attack.

In 222 BC Qin conquered Yan and Zhao, and in 221 BC Qin conquered the last state called Qi. This is how the Qin Empire began. King Zheng declared himself to be the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty.