Enlightenment of Shang Yang's Reform

During the Warring States Period, Shang Yang's political reform in Qin State was very successful, which made Qin State grow up rapidly from a small border country. In the great era of change, every vassal state is working hard and running with all its strength. Then, since Shang Yang's political reform was so successful, why didn't other vassal states learn from Shang Yang's experience and make themselves stronger?

To understand this problem, we must first look at the reasons for the success of Shang Yang's political reform.

The success of Shang Yang's political reform was first related to the geographical environment and political system of Qin State. Qin has no patriarchal tradition and does not implement the enfeoffment system, so the influence of nobles is relatively weak. Therefore, the state of Qin suffered little obstacles in the process of political reform, and there were not many sequelae of reform.

Because Qin is adjacent to Xirong and other ethnic minorities, influenced by them, there is no tradition of eldest son inheritance. The principle of their choice of monarch is "choose the brave and stand." Because the patriarchal clan system has not penetrated deeply, the nobles of Qin state have no deep power to exclude foreign talents, and foreign talents can be reused in Qin state. Talent is the foundation of a country's development. Only in this way can Shang Yang gain a foothold in the State of Qin.

Being close to nomadic people, Qin faced frequent wars and had a small population, so Qin did not implement the system of enfeoffment. In this way, the land of the whole country is controlled by the monarch, and there is no aristocratic family in Qin that can fight against the royal family, so the resistance of Shang Yang's political reform is relatively small.

Secondly, Shang Yang's effective political reform measures inspired the vitality of the people throughout the country. Shang Yang practiced a military title system for the whole class, that is, all soldiers, regardless of their origins, can get titles by relying on excellent military service. The higher the length of military service, the higher the title. This move directly stimulated the vitality of the grassroots, opened the rising channel for the grassroots, and greatly stimulated Qin Jun's fighting capacity and fighting will.

The knighthood system gradually formed a new aristocratic class in Qin State. No matter how powerful the old aristocrats are, they dare not offend the upstarts who started from military service and the vast number of foot soldiers who hope to be promoted through military service.

Shang Yang's political reform is like a shuffle. On the one hand, it washes away the power of the old aristocracy, on the other hand, it points out a way out for the people. As long as you make meritorious deeds in the war, you can live like a nobleman.

Although Shang Yang himself was dismembered in the end, the new noble he fostered has become a new force. In order to protect their vested interests, these people will of course support Shang Yang's political reform. Therefore, although Shang Yang died, his political reform continued.

On the other hand, in the other six vassal States, due to the deep influence of patriarchal clan system, the nobles controlled the national army. If the military title system is fully implemented, their power will be increased. Therefore, most of them adopt the method of mixing the military service system with the hereditary system. In this way, their reform is far less thorough than Qin's.

Finally, Xinjiang has vast land and good conditions for developing agriculture. During the Warring States period, agriculture was the foundation of the country. Qin adopted a series of measures to emphasize agriculture and restrain commerce. According to the national conditions of Qin State, Shang Yang put the emphasis on wide planting, high yield and high land utilization rate. At the same time, vigorously recruit Sanjin immigrants and open up wasteland in Qin State. This method of attracting investment soon received good results.

In addition, the extensive use of ironware and the construction of large-scale water conservancy projects have enabled Qin's land resources to be developed and agricultural production to grow rapidly, far exceeding that of other countries. There was a scene of fertile land and rich people in Guanzhong area, which became the richest area in China at that time. The economy is the strong backing of the army. With economic support, Qin has the capital to destroy the six countries in the future.

The success of Shang Yang's political reform was determined by Qin's special geographical position and unique political system. Even if the other six countries copied Shang Yang's political reform, they would not have achieved such success in their own countries. The enlightenment of Shang Yang's political reform to future generations is that only by adapting to local conditions can we succeed.