Why did Shang Yang's reform make Qin the strongest of the Seven Heroes?

During the Warring States period, the vassal states tore off the veil of "respecting the king", mercilessly abandoned the ethics of respecting ceremony and keeping promises, and were no longer satisfied with being the overlord, but annexed the world to replace the Zhou royal family, thus achieving the "the glory of the king". Big countries want to dominate the world, and small countries want to survive in the cracks of big countries, but it is always inevitable to be annexed by big countries. Just as Sima Qian said, "Zhou Xiao, the princes are in power, vying for merger." This is an era of great struggle for blood shed. How to stand out in the era of powerful countries like forests and survive in the cracks of big countries, the answer is reform and political reform. Therefore, all countries strive to enrich Qiang Bing, sort out their internal affairs and embark on the road of reform. Therefore, the Warring States period is an era of competition, reform and progress.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Qin was once strong and dominated Xirong area, but it was still a second-rate country. Three clans, Jin and Wei, rose, and Wei occupied a large area on the west bank of the Yellow River, exposing the hinterland of Qin at once. Although some reforms were carried out under the leadership of Qin, Wei was defeated several times, but due to the late start, small scale and early death of the reform, Qin gradually fell behind in the competition with the reforming countries in the Central Plains. When this situation appeared in Qin Xiaogong, it changed radically. Qin Xiaogong vowed to restore the glory of his ancestors and realize the great "Dream of the State of Qin", so he released the post of hero to attract talents. At this time, Wei Yang appeared. This man will change the history of Qin and Qin Xiaogong in the Warring States Period.

Two Reforms of Reformer Shang Yang

In 356 BC, Shang Yang was appointed as Chang, presiding over the reform of Qin State. Shang Yang first learned from Wu Qi, directed a drama of "moving wood from the south gate to win the trust of the people", ordered people to erect a wood at the south gate, and promised to give ten gold if someone moved the wood to the north gate. There is such a reward for moving a piece of wood. People think it must be another "trick", and no one believes it. Shang Yang also ordered that the reward be raised to fifty gold. At this time, someone moved the wood to the north gate, and Shang Yang immediately sent someone to cash the reward. The people believe that the government and Shang Yang are trustworthy, so they support the reform and make the new law of Shang Yang implemented smoothly. Shang Yang carried out two political reforms in Qin State. Mainly in six aspects. First, reward farming and develop agriculture, which is the general principle of his political reform. Shang Yang believes that "the country is prosperous, the agricultural war is also", and encourages people to actively grow grain, so that food can be planted well. You can also buy officials with surplus grain. For a time, all Qin people were big grain growers and everyone was an agricultural expert. The second is to crack down on industry and commerce, so that ordinary people can stop thinking about doing business to make money and go home to farm honestly. The third is to encourage military achievements and develop armaments. Ordinary people kill an enemy on the battlefield, the title is upgraded by one level, and nine acres of land and houses are added; Killing five can become the village leader who manages five farmers, and so on. Qin people are very tough. When such a policy comes out, everyone will be like cold-blooded killer. The fourth is to limit the privileges of the old aristocracy. The people killed many enemies, but there were not enough positions. Shang Yang restricted the privileges of the old nobles, and if the nobles did not make new contributions, they would all cancel the aristocratic treatment. Anyway, if you want to resume treatment, please show your head. The fifth is to establish the law of sitting, so as to rule the people strictly. Shang Yang defined five as one and ten as one. The common people supervise each other. If one family breaks the law, the other will be promoted. If they don't report it, they will be cut off. The sixth is to move the capital to Xianyang and prepare to attack the eastern countries. Seventh, popularize the county system. Instead of enfeoffment, the monarch's relatives and friends brought all the grass-roots units in the country under the rule of the central government, which greatly strengthened centralization and laid a solid political foundation for Qin to realize the reunification of the six countries.

The fate of reformers is always embarrassing. The State of Qin changed from a "poor man" who couldn't eat and was looked down upon by people to a "Gao Fushuai" among the vassal states, and became a famous thug in the Jianghu, to which Shang Yang contributed. But he harmed the interests of the nobility, and he was so cold that he had no friends. After Qin Xiaogong's death, Shang Yang was falsely accused of rebellion. On the way to escape, Shang Yang couldn't even stay in a hotel, because he didn't have an ID card, and good people didn't dare to take him in, for fear that others would report that he was beheaded. Shang Yang wanted to escape to Wei, but Wei didn't want to, because Shang Yang once cheated Wei with intrigue when he was in Qin. Finally, in order to show his loyalty to the State of Qin, Shang Yang led his troops to attack the State of Zheng, only to be caught back, punished by a car chop, and his family was ruined.