In the early Warring States period in China, which country ranked first in military strength among the vassal states?

From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, the dividing line was artificially defined by later generations. What was its landmark event? Are the three families divided into Jin? And then what? What about Tian? Jin, the old overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period, was replaced by Korea, Zhao and Wei, while the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period was replaced by Qi named Tian. A new pattern has been formed. The original dominance of one country has been replaced by the coexistence of the seven chivalrous men. Confrontation between vassal States has become more frequent and cruel. How to become powerful became the most urgent thing for the governors at that time.

In the early Warring States, the first powerful country was Wei, and the power of Wei was created by Wei Wenhou, Li Kui and Wuqi. Wei Wenhou was one of the greatest monarchs in the Warring States Period. Wei Wenhou first appointed Li Kui to reform internal affairs, change his mind, appoint talents and weaken aristocratic politics. Later, he reformed the military system through Wuqi and formed a powerful Wei Wuzu, making Wei the first military power.

By the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, in fact, the merger between vassal States had almost gone on, and most of them disappeared, leaving only a dozen vassal States. If these vassal States want to continue to develop and expand their territory, they must find other breakthroughs. In fact, many monarchs have already discovered the disadvantages of the old aristocratic politics and clan politics, especially the three vassal states, namely Korea, Zhao and Wei, which were promoted to monarchs by the Qing dynasty. They understand the truth better, but they want to completely change this point.

Wei Wenhou didn't attend? Three families make wisdom? However, the situation at that time was very clear. Han, Zhao and Wei carved up the land of the official, and then began to carve up the land of the State of Jin, and finally formed a situation in which the three ethnic groups were divided. In order to survive in the Warring States period, they could not rest on their laurels, but realized long ago that the status of Wei, a truly independent country in the future, was surrounded by powerful enemies. It may be simple to protect yourself temporarily, but it is extremely difficult to expand outward, which puzzles Wei Wenhou.

In 425 BC, Wei Wenhou became an official of Jin State, that is, the actual ruler of Jin State. Although the State of Jin existed in name only at that time, this position made Wei Wenhou gain many benefits for the State of Wei. For more than 20 years from 425 BC to 403 BC, Wei Wenhou was both the monarch of Wei State (though not recognized by the Zhou Emperor) and the ruler of Jin State, which laid a solid foundation for the future strength of Wei State. Wei Wenhou initially selected Huang Zhai as Prime Minister.

Maybe many people are not familiar with Huang Zhai, but the talents he recommended to Wei Wenhou are really famous, such as Li Kui, Ximen Bao, Wuqi and Yang Le. These are famous figures in the Warring States Period, who made great contributions to the prosperity of Wei, among which Li Kui and Wuqi were the most prominent.

Because Wei took the lead in political reform, which is the famous political reform. The root of political reform is Qiang Bing, a rich country. It directly aimed at the system of "guarding the world" that had been implemented in the Spring and Autumn Period, that is, the big cake of the nobles was removed and distributed to the new class, so that they could better serve Wei. During the Jian 'an period, agriculture and the rule of law were emphasized, so that Wei became strong in politics, economy, military affairs and the rule of law. Wei became the first country to reform in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and this reform had a far-reaching impact. Of course, this influence is extremely important not only to Wei, but also to other countries.

Later, major reforms such as Wuqi Reform and Shang Yang Reform all had the shadow of Li Kui's reform. Unfortunately, Wei was the first to become strong through political reform, but it did not persist until the end, so that it was overtaken by other vassal States. This is after Wei Wenhou.

Li Kui's political reform provided fertile soil for Wei's strength, while Wuqi contributed to Wei's military strength. In about 409 BC, Wu Qi came to Wei from Qi State, which was highly valued by Wei Wenhou. After Wu arrived in Wei, his main task was to launch a war against Qin in the west of Wei. After several victories, he took the land in Hexi as his own and became the first chief of Hexi. After Wuqi reformed the military system, Wei Wuzu was established in Wei State, and the selection of Wei Wuzu was very strict. Of course, once you become a member of Wei Wuzu, the treatment is still quite generous, and Wei Wuzu's toughness made the enemy frightened in the early Warring States period. No army can compete with Wei Wuzu in infantry fighting. Later, in the battle of Yin and Jin with Qin, Wuqi led 50,000 soldiers who had never made the meritorious military service, and defeated 500,000 Qin Jun. What a terrible battle effectiveness.

At that time, the political reform and Wei Wuzu brought out the best in each other. Wei's power was powerful, which provided various guarantees for Wei Wuzu, and Wei Wuzu's power made Wei's power a higher level. Therefore, Wei became the first powerful country under the leadership of Wei Wenhou in the early Warring States Period.

In 403 BC, the Emperor of Zhou officially recognized the status of Han, Zhao and Wei as vassal states, and Wei was the first powerful country at that time. A large number of talents were introduced to Wei, which made Wei get rid of the rigidity of door politics and become powerful. However, after Wei Wenhou's death, Wei Wuhou succeeded to the throne. Although Wei Wuhou was also a good monarch, his comprehensive ability could not be compared with that of Wei Wenhou. Although the legacy inherited in internal affairs made Wei by going up one flight of stairs, he did not have a strategic vision in diplomacy.

And from Wei Wuhou, especially in Wei Huiwang, aristocratic politics began to rise, Wei Guogong was in power, and talents were excluded. The decline of Wei is inevitable, especially after Wuqi left Chu, Wei made several major mistakes in the military, and the failure of the Battle of Guiling and the Battle of Maling made Wei's toughness a thing of the past.

Wei's power seems to be a flash in the pan, which is a pity.