In the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, how big is South Korea's territory? Why is it not comparable to the other six countries?

As we all know, the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period is the collective name of the seven most powerful vassal states in the Warring States Period. After the protracted war for hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period, the number of princes in the Zhou Dynasty has been greatly reduced. After the three divisions, , the Kingdom of Wei, the Kingdom of Wei, and South Korea were among the strongest countries, and the Tian clan took the place of the Qi, and the seven heroes of the Warring States Period were formally formed: , the Kingdom of Qin, the Kingdom of Qi, the Kingdom of Yan, and the Kingdom of Zhao Kingdom, Wei Kingdom, South Korea. Among them, in the eyes of many people, South Korea is the weakest vassal state among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period.

, especially the map of the Warring States Period, you can find that South Korea's territory is not as good as the other six countries. It is precisely because of South Korea's weakness that, in 230 BC, South Korea became the first vassal state among the six Shandong nations to be destroyed by Qin. That is to say, in , the battle of the Qin Dynasty to destroy the Six Kingdoms, Korea was the first to be eliminated. So, the question is, how big is South Korea's territory in the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period? Why is it not comparable to the other six countries?

一

​​First of all, in 453 BC, the three doctors of Han, Zhao, and Wei of the Jin Kingdom of killed the Zhibo Xun Yao and divided up the land of Jin for the battle of Jinyang. After the Battle of Jinyang, the three families of Wei, Zhao, and Han completely mastered the power of the Jin Kingdom, and the division of the three families was an unstoppable trend. In 403 BC, the three doctors of Han, Zhao, and Wei were recognized by King Zhou Weilie and formally ranked among the lords. Thus, South Korea, like Wei and Zhao, officially became a vassal state under the Zhou Dynasty. For South Korea, the capital was initially established in Yangdi (now Yuzhou, Henan).

​​In 375 BC, Han Aihou destroyed Zheng Guo and moved the capital to Xinzheng (now Xinzheng, Henan). For South Korea, it can be said that it is a vassal country with less changes in the territory of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period. In the history of the Warring States Period, the territory of South Korea was basically fixed in the area of ​​Shanxi and Henan today. Of course, in the late Warring States period, especially after the Battle of Changping, South Korea gradually lost its territory in today's Shanxi Province, that is, Korea at that time, and its territory was mainly concentrated in current Henan Province.

二

​​Because South Korea's territory only includes parts of Shanxi Province and Henan Province today, South Korea's overall territory is very limited, making it the smallest of the seven heroes of the Warring States Period. In contrast, the six countries of Qin, Chu, Qi, Wei, Zhao, and and Yan, and all span several provinces at their peak. For example, when the Kingdom of Yan was in Leyi's invasion of Qi, its territory included Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, and Liao. Another example is the Wei Kingdom and Zhao Kingdom in the Three Jin Dynasties. Their territory at their peak was at least twice that of Korea.

​​So, the question is, why is Korea the smallest territory in the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period? What factors limit the expansion of South Korea's territory? In this regard, in my opinion, in the early days of the three divisions of Jin, the boundaries of the three kingdoms of Wei, South Korea, and Zhao were actually not much different. Moreover, in the three divisions of Jin, neither Qi nor Qin rose. This is undoubtedly a good time for South Korea to expand its territory. However, it is a pity that, compared with Wei, Korea clearly missed this period. That is to say, in the early days of the Warring States period, most of the South Korean monarchs did nothing, especially when compared with those in the early Wei Dynasty.

​​Three

​​After the three schools were divided into Jin, Corporal Wei Wen Hou Lixian, under the supervision of Confucian students Bu Zixia, Tian Zifang , Duan Ganmu and others, appointed Li Di, Zhai Huang as the relatives, Le Yang, Wu Qi, etc. as generals. Through the "Li Li Reform", the Wei State took the lead in the rise of the Three Jin Dynasty and even the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period. On this basis, the State of Wei went west to seize the land of Hexi in the State of Qin and expanded its territory to the present Shaanxi Province. To the east, the State of Wei and the State of Qi confronted each other, and eliminated the State of Zhongshan, and to the south, the State of Wei repeatedly Defeated Chu State. Therefore, the territory of the Wei State is directly related to the diligent governance of monarchs such as Wei Wenhou and Wei Wuhou .

​​Corresponding to this is that after the rise of Wei, South Korea did not gain any benefits, and was once harassed by Wei. It wasn't until Han Zhaohou, the monarch, that he appointed Shen Buhu, and carried out the Shenbuhu Reform . However, Shen BuhuThe reform was a very incomplete reform, mainly to consolidate the status of South Korea's monarchy. In addition, when the Shenbuhui reform, the Qin, Qi, Chu and other princes had already reformed to become stronger. Therefore, after the reform, South Korea did not have the opportunity to expand its territory. Instead, it had to struggle against Qin and Chu.

​​Four

​​Finally, on the other hand, the reason why South Korea's territory is the smallest among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period is also directly related to South Korea's geographic location. When you open the map, you can find that due to its location in the Central Plains, South Korea is surrounded by Wei, Qi, Chu, and Qin, so there is no room for development. In contrast, although the country of Yan is not much stronger than South Korea, the country of Yan can develop eastward. For example, after the general Qin Kai defeated Donghu, he opened up thousands of miles for the country of Yan. Another example is that the Kingdom of Zhao can expand to the north, so after King Zhao Wuling defeated Lin Hu and Lou Fan, he opened up the three counties of Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Daijun, and also built the "Zhao Great Wall". As for Chu State, there are even more directions for expansion.

​​Therefore, for South Korea, it is located between Wei, Qin, Chu, Zhao and other big countries, which is an important reason for its difficulty in expanding its territory. By the same token, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng Zhuang was the first to dominate. At that time, Zheng was also very strong. However, because of its geographical location, Zheng declined in the Jin-Chu contending for hegemony. This is why South Korea can be in the Warring States period. The important reason for the elimination of Zheng Guo. However, after the elimination of Zheng Kingdom, South Korea still faces the problem of the four wars, which made its territory not only difficult to expand, but was eroded by the great powers such as Qin, and even became the first in the Qin to destroy the Six Kingdoms. Be destroyed.