What is the history of the Great Wall used to resist foreign aggression?

The Great Wall in northern China began in Qin, Zhao and Yan during the Warring States Period.

Construction reason

Why did Qin Zhaoyan build the Great Wall in the north? This should start from the situation in the Warring States period. The Warring States period is a period of transition from slave society to feudal society in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and Yangtze River in China. With the strengthening of political and economic ties between countries, the exchange and integration between Zhu Xia culture and Qin, Chu and Wu-Yue cultures has become increasingly strong. After the seven countries of Wei, Zhao, Han, Chu, Qi, Qin and Yan, which were carrying out feudal reforms at that time, became powerful, they waged a war of annexation and sought to unify the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River by force. At this time, the Juyongguan Great Wall, the world's first male pass on the grasslands of northern Shaanxi, northern Shaanxi, northern Hebei and Inner Mongolia, was established.

Ethnic minorities have also become powerful and plundered the northern borders of Qin, Zhao and Yan. In the north of Qin, there are Yiqu and Xiongnu in the north; There are loufan in the northwest of Zhao, and Huan and Xiongnu in the north. Donghu, the northern boundary of Yan State. These northern minority regimes, apart from engaging in agriculture, make a living by nomadic and hunting. Yiqu is a powerful country on the Loess Plateau in the northwest of China. It fought with Qin for more than one hundred years from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period. Xiongnu, Donghu and other nomadic peoples have high military quality and strong combat capability. According to Records of the Historian Biography of Huns, Huns lived by nomadic and hunting, and horses, cattle and sheep were the most livestock, followed by camels, donkeys and mules. They "migrate by water plants and don't have to live in the city to farm." However, there are also points. "Men learned to ride horses and shoot at an early age." Children can ride sheep and shoot birds and mice with bows; If it grows less, it will shoot foxes and rabbits; Use it to make food. Therefore, once you are an adult, you will become a "rider". "During the Warring States period, the Huns had entered the slave society and had state power institutions. The king is called Khan, and there are left and right sages, left and right kings, left and right generals, left and right commanders, left and right leaders, and left and right leaders. Except for the right and left ministers, all the other ministers are hereditary. Donghu, Hu Lin, Huaneng and Loufan are basically the same as Xiongnu. Since the mid-Warring States period, they have been plundering Qin, Zhao and Yan in the northern region. Because they are good at riding and shooting, are good at fighting, take sudden attacks, come and go freely, haunt, and show strong combat effectiveness. In the mid-Warring States period, the combat troops of Qin, Zhao and Yan were mainly infantry and chariots, wearing big sleeves that took off their coats and moving slowly for 30 to 50 miles a day. Naturally, they could not stop the Huns and Donghu people from attacking and plundering. This not only seriously threatened the lives and property of the people in the northern part of the three countries, but also seriously damaged their production and greatly affected the cause of reunification of the three countries. In response to this passive situation, the three countries successively carried out military reforms and built the Great Wall in the north. Starting from Shang Yang, the State of Qin began to reform and promote Qiang Bing to become a rich country. The army gradually changed into infantry and cavalry, and was rewarded and promoted with military merit, so the combat effectiveness of the army increased and it was invincible. In six years (the first 332 years) and ten years, King Huiwen defeated Wei and seized Weixi County (now Luohe Valley in Shaanxi Province) and Shangjun County (now northeast Shaanxi Province). In order to prevent the Huns from plundering the south, Zhao Haoqi ordered the Great Wall to be built on the northern border of Longxi, Beidi and Shang Jun, and sent troops to station it. Zhao Wuling began to reform the military system in the nineteenth year (the first 307 years) and was riding and shooting. Since then, the troops have become more powerful. In twenty years, King Wuling traveled west to the lakeside and arrived in Yuzhong. King Hu Lin surrendered his horse before returning home. In the twenty-sixth year (the first three hundred years), Zhongshan was broken, and the prosperous place reached Yan and Dai in the north (now northwest of Shanxi), and then extended to Yunzhong and Jiuyuan in the northwest (now from Helinger County to Wujiahe in Inner Mongolia). So he ordered the construction of the Great Wall, merged with Yinshan Mountain (now Daqing Mountain and Wulate Mountain in Inner Mongolia), and went west to reach Dahe River (now Wujiahe River in Inner Mongolia). At the same time, Daijun County, Yanmen County and Yunzhong County were set up to prevent the Huns from plundering south. In order to specialize in Northwest China, the following year, he gave way to his son, Wang Huiwen He, who was named the main father. In the second year of King Huiwen (297 BC), his father went to Xihe (the Yellow River between Shanxi and Inner Mongolia), and the ruined building angered the king and sent troops. Yan State is the weakest of the Seven Heroes in the Warring States Period, bordering Qiangqi and the newly established Zhao State in the south and East Lake in the north. It was not until he ascended the throne (the first 3 1 1) that Yan became strong, recruited talents and carried out reforms. At that time, Donghu was powerful and often plundered the northern part of Yan. In order to maintain the peace in the north, the Yan army was forced to make peace with King Donghu and held the general hostage. Zhao Shi was born in East Lake. He is clever and brave, and King Donghu trusts him very much. Therefore, he is free to move, and he can understand the dangers and obstacles, protection and laws of military activities in the south of East Lake. After returning home, he led an army to attack East Lake, which was broken, but it was thousands of miles away. And "crossing Liaodong to attack Korea" was extended to Tanshui (now Qingchuan River in North Korea). So, "Yan also built the Great Wall to make Yang (now kangbao county, Hebei, Taibus Banner, Inner Mongolia) go to Xiangping; Put it in Shanggu, Yuyang, Youbeiping, western Liaoning and Liaodong counties to refuse Hu. "To sum up, the reason why Qin, Zhao and Yan built the Great Wall in the north during the Warring States Period was to defend the Xiongnu and Donghu people from the south. The Great Wall developed from cities and castles. As a military defense project, cities and fortresses began as early as the end of the primitive commune. Because it can play an effective defensive role, it has developed in general since it entered the class society. The Great Wall first appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period, such as Fangcheng of Chu State (in the present Nanyang area of Henan Province). During the Warring States Period, there were the Great Wall of Weixi County, the Great Wall of Zhangzhao Water, the Great Wall of Zhongshan West, the Great Wall of Yanyi Water and the Great Wall of Taishan Mountain. These Great Walls once played a great role in the war. The swift cavalry of nomadic people in the north is unpredictable, and no country can stop their attack and plunder, whether it is infantry or cavalry. Only by building the Great Wall and garrison defense can they be prevented from plundering south. Only by building the Great Wall in the north can we deploy the main forces in the annexation and defense war between countries and complete the great cause of reunification.