What was the difference between Handan and Jinyang during the Warring States Period? Why did Zhao make Handan the capital?

In 403 BC, Han, Zhao, and Wei were officially divided into Jin, that is, King Weilie of Zhou officially ennobled the three princes of Wei, Han, and Zhao. Among them, as far as the Zhao State is concerned, it successively established its capitals in Jinyang (today's Taiyuan), Zhongmou (today's Hebi), and Handan (today's Handan). In 372 BC, Xindu (today's Xingtai) was established as the other capital of Zhao. Among them, as far as Jinyang is concerned, it is in the area of ??Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province today. Taiyuan is surrounded by mountains on three sides in the west, north and east, with river valleys and plains in the middle and south. The entire terrain is high in the north and low in the south, and is shaped like a dustpan. The highest point above sea level is 2670 meters, the lowest point is 760 meters, and the average altitude is about 800 meters. The urban area is located on the Fenhe River Valley plain at an altitude of 800 meters. The Taihang Mountains are on the left, the Luliang Mountains are towering on the right, the Yunzhong and Xiezhou Mountains are hugging each other at the back, the Taiyuan Plain is spread out in the front, and the Fen River runs through the entire territory from north to south.

From this, it is very obvious that Jinyang is easy to defend and difficult to attack due to its geographical location. This is also an important reason why the Zhao family can hold on to the city of Jinyang for a long time in the Battle of Jinyang. reason. Compared with Jinyang, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack, Handan, located in the Central Plains, is easy to attack and difficult to defend. So, here comes the question, why did the State of Zhao abandon Jinyang, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and chose Handan as its capital?

1

First of all, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Dong Anyu, the retainer of Zhao Jianzi, the great minister of Jin State, built Jinyang City on the north bank of Jinshui River at the northern end of Taiyuan Basin, on the east side of Xuanweng Mountain. In 454 BC, Zhibo led the Han and Wei families to besiege Jinyang (now Nanjinyuan Town, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province). Zhao Xiangzi defended the city and instigated rebellion against the Han and Wei families to destroy the Zhi family. In 453 BC, the three families of Zhao, Wei, and Han divided the Zhi family's territory. From this, it is very obvious that Jinyang, a city that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, is directly related to the survival of the Zhao family. If Jinyang was captured by the Zhi clan in the Battle of Jinyang, then the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period would naturally not have a place for Zhao.

However, after the three families were divided into Jin, Zhao still chose Handan as the capital instead of Jinyang. The reasons are mainly divided into the following points. On the one hand, the reason why the State of Zhao, or more accurately the Zhao family, established its capital in Jinyang was that it was relatively close to the capital of the State of Jin, and it would help compete with other Qingdafu families for power in the State of Jin. In 585 BC (the fifteenth year of Jin Jinggong), Jin Jinggong moved the capital to Xintian at the confluence of Fenhe and Huihe rivers in the north of Jiangshan Mountain, which was called Xinjiang. The last capital of Jin Dynasty was Tunliu. For the Jin State, its capital has long been located in today's Shanxi Province.

二

On this basis, the Zhao family established its capital in Jinyang, which was naturally closer to the capital of Jin. This made it easier for Zhao to travel between Jinyang and the capital of Jin. It also helped the Zhao family to compete for power with the Wei family, Han family, Zhi family and other Jin Dynasty officials. Therefore, by the same token, from the late Spring and Autumn Period to the early Warring States Period, Wei and South Korea also had their capitals located in today's Shanxi Province. However, after the three families were divided into Jin, Zhao State needed to compete in the Central Plains. Compared with Jinyang, Handan was obviously closer to Henan and other Central Plains places. Handan City is located at the southern end of Hebei Province, at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, between 36°20′-36°44′ north latitude and 114°03′-114°40′ east longitude. It borders the Taihang Mountains to the west, the North China Plain to the east, and the three provinces of Shanxi, Shandong and Henan.

During the Warring States Period, many of the more prosperous cities were in today's Henan and Shandong Provinces, such as Daliang in the Wei State, Dingdu and Shangqiu in the Song State, Linzi in the Qi State, Xinzheng in South Korea, etc. In this regard, in the author's opinion, Handan is geographically closer to these cities than Jinyang, which will also help Zhao State to compete for hegemony in the Central Plains. For this reason, not only the State of Zhao moved its capital to Handan, but the State of Wei also moved its capital from Anyi to Daliang, which is now the area around Kaifeng City, Henan Province.

Three

On the other hand, as for the capital of Zhao State, Handan, there are middle mountainous areas in the northwest, low mountainous areas in the west, low mountainous areas in the middle, central basin areas, and alluvial alluvial areas in the east. plain. Moreover, Handan borders the North China Plain to the east, which means it is close to the grain producing areas. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the supply of grain and grass had undoubtedly a great impact on various countries. If the State of Zhao established its capital far away from the grain and grass producing areas, this would obviously increase transportation costs and bring unnecessary risks.

At the same time, Handan contains a wide variety of mineral resources and is a famous coal and high-grade iron ore producing area in the country. It is known as the modern "Steel City" and "Coal City" and has rich "Two blacks" - coal and iron resources, with coal and iron ore reserves reaching 4 billion tons and 480 million tons respectively. In this regard, in the author's opinion, these mineral resources are also resources that Zhao State attaches great importance to. According to documentary records, cast iron appeared and was used in my country in the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, that is, around the 7th to 6th centuries BC. This kind of iron is smelted using the "pig iron smelting and casting method", which produces a large amount of iron, less impurities, and better quality. Therefore, these mineral resources help to build weapons and equipment, thereby enhancing the combat capabilities of Zhao soldiers.

Four

Finally, in addition to this, the Zhao State established its capital in Handan in order to better deal with the Zhongshan State and compete with the Seven Warring States Heroes of Wei, Qi, and South Korea for hegemony in the Central Plains . During the Warring States Period, Zhongshan State was a serious concern of Zhao State. Before King Wuling of Zhao came to the throne, Zhongshan State relied on the support of Qi and Wei to harass Zhao State and became the biggest threat to Zhao State. Therefore, King Wuling of Zhao at that time said with emotion: "Now Zhongshan is in my heart, and there is Yan in the north." , there are Hu in the east and Linhu, Loufan, Qin and Han in the west, and there is no strong army to rescue them. "Therefore, if Zhao State continues to make Jinyang its capital, it wants to destroy Zhongshan because it is far away from Zhongshan State. In the country, naturally it is not that easy.

If Handan is the capital, we can undoubtedly concentrate all our efforts on destroying the Zhongshan Kingdom. In the middle of the Warring States Period, after the Zhao State eliminated the Zhongshan State, it was able to expand its territory and become stronger.