S07: Great Unity

• How to stop Qin: Discussing Hero
• “The Great Unity”: Was the unification of China inevitable?
• What is the relevance of ancient Chinese philosophy in an age of great power rivalry?

• The first century of the Warring States period saw the state of Wei dominate, ruled by one of the three ministerial families that divided the former hegemonic state of Jin.
• Under ruler Wen (around 445 BC), Wei implemented extensive reforms, focusing on agricultural productivity, market price stabilization, and a codified legal system.
• Wei’s hegemony through military conquests that would last into the early fourth century BC.

• The alliance between Wei, Han, and Zhao deteriorated when Zhao attacked Wei in 383 BC, driven by envy over Wei’s territorial gains.
• This conflict marked a significant shift in the power dynamics among the five major states in North China.
• In 362 BC, Wei moved its capital from southern Shanxi to eastern Henan, signifying a pivotal change in the Warring States history.

• As Wei’s power waned in the late fourth century BC, the Qin state began to rise.
• The reforms of Shang Yang (359-338 BC) transformed Qin’s social and political structures.
• After Shang Yang’s reforms, Qin expanded its territory by defeating Wei and taking control of towns in Shaanxi.

The law

• Double taxes on families with two or more adult males
• Prohibiting adult males from living in the same household as their fathers.

The Effects - Aimed to weaken familial solidarity and enforce a universal administrative structure, while also serving the state’s economic interests. - First instance of the state regulating the size of peasant families through legislation.

• The relationship between the state and farmers was facilitated through laws, taxation, and military service.
• The state established direct contact with individual farmers and took on a moral responsibility for their well-being.
• A universal ranking system was implemented to reward farmers for their service, fostering a long-lasting bond between the state and individual farmers.

• The primary goal of territorial states was to acquire new territory, which was predominantly achieved through warfare.
• There were rarely two years without a major battle between states, with many years witnessing multiple military campaigns: A total of 358 inter-state wars from 535 to 286 BC, averaging a frequency of 1.37 wars per year.

• Military service extended to the entire population, primarily composed of small farmers.
• Warfare evolved from a contest of individual fighting skills to one focused on the sheer number of soldiers a state could mobilize to overwhelm its enemies.

• Major battles commonly saw 100,000 to 200,000 soldiers engaged on each side, with casualties easily reaching 30,000.
• Brutal tactics: Between Qin and Zhao in 260 BC, where the Zhao army of approximately 400,000 surrendered after their commander was killed. Only 240 young soldiers were spared the massacre.

• By the end of the fourth century BC, Qin had amassed territory equivalent to the combined areas of Wei, Han, and Zhao, establishing itself as the dominant superpower among the Warring States.
• In 314 BC, Qi took advantage of internal strife in Yan and successfully captured its capital, further shifting the balance of power among the states.

Horizontal Alliance:

• Individual states aligned with one of the superpowers, most often Qin, for their own security.
• It was primarily promoted by Qin diplomats, allowing them to manipulate alliances and weaken rival states.
• The Qin–Wei alliance around 320 BC led to the military disaster for Chu in 312-311 BC.

Vertical Alliance:

• Weaker states formed alliances to collectively defend against the more powerful Qin in the west and Qi in the east.
• Joint attack on Qin in 318 BC by five states: Wei, Han, Zhao, Yan, and Chu. However, Qin undermined this alliance by persuading Wei and Han to join Qin.
• The vertical strategy was repeated in later campaigns against Qin in 296 and 287 BC but ultimately failed to stop its success.

Cast of Characters: (Clockwise from top)

• King of Qin (Chen Daoming)
• Fading Moon (Zhang Ziyi)
• Broken Sword (Tony Leung)
• Nameless (Jet Li)
• Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung)
• Long Sky (Donnie Yen)

• Why did both Broken Sword and Nameless give up their mission to kill the Qin king?
• Would you have done it if you were the assassin? Why or why not?

• Broken Sword asks Flying Snow: Why can’t the King of Qin be killed?
• Why did the King of Qin ultimately shoot Nameless?
• Why must Broken Sword die at the hands of Flying Snow?
• Why did Flying Snow scold Broken Sword: “All you know is tianxia (all-under-heaven, the world)?

The Master said, “The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete.”

• In 227 BC, Prince Dan sent Jing Ke to assassinate king Zheng of Qin to prevent the conquest of his state, Yan.
• The assassination failed, leading to the annihilation of Yan.
• Despite his failure, Jing Ke’s posthumous reputation rivaled that of the First Emperor.

• Who is the hero?
• What makes him/her a hero?
• How does this ideal of heroism compare with that in other ancient civilizations?

Sima Qian: “Jing Ke immortalized as hero”

“The winds howl sadly and the waters of the Yi River are frozen. Brave men, once gone, Never come back again.”

But Majority of the imperial literati deplored Jing Ke:

Despite “right to rebel”, assassination of the ruler seen as not just morally unacceptable, but also difficult and politically ineffective.