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China – Warring States. State of Chu
Warring States Period (circa 350-250 B.C.)
Dang Jin Type Flat Handle Square Foot Spade Money
Bronze 55x22mm (13.93 grams) Cast circa 350-250 B.C.
Reference: cf. Hartill 3.473
The State of Chu was an ancient Chinese state in the Yangtze valley during the Zhou Dynasty. Originally Chu was considered a viscounty but, starting from King Wu in the early 8th century BC, the rulers of Chu declared themselves kings on an equal footing with the Zhou rulers. Originally known as Jing and then as Jingchu, Chu occupied vast areas of land at its height, including most of the present-day provinces of Hubei and Hunan, along with parts of Chongqing, Guizhou, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai.
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 Chu (Chinese: 楚, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: *s-r̥aʔ) was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. The Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted during the Spring and Autumn period. At the end of the Warring States period it was destroyed by the Qin in 223 BCE during the Qin’s wars of unification.
Also known as Jing (荆) and Jingchu (荆楚), Chu included most of the present-day provinces of Hubei and Hunan, along with parts of Chongqing, Guizhou, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. For more than 400 years, the Chu capital Danyang was located at the junction of the Dan and Xi Rivers[3][4] near present-day Xichuan County, Henan, but later moved to Ying. The house of Chu originally bore the clan name Nai (嬭 OC: /*rneːlʔ/) but they are later written as Mi (芈 OC: /*meʔ/), also had the and lineage name Yan (酓 OC: /*qlamʔ/, /*qʰɯːm/) which would later be written Xiong (熊 OC: /*ɢʷlɯm/).
Warring States period
Freed from its difficulties with Wu, Chu annexed Chen in 479 BCE and overran Cai to the north in 447 BCE. However, eventually Chu was completely obliterated by the Qin dynasty (Lu was conquered by King Kaolie in 223 BCE). By the end of the 5th century BCE, the Chu government had become very corrupt and inefficient, with much of the state’s treasury used primarily to pay for the royal entourage. Many officials had no meaningful task except taking money and Chu’s army, while large, was of low quality.
In the late 390s BCE, King Dao of Chu made Wu Qi his chancellor. Wu’s reforms began to transform Chu into an efficient and powerful state in 389 BCE, as he lowered the salaries of officials and removed useless officials. He also enacted building codes to make the capital Ying seem less barbaric. Despite Wu Qi’s unpopularity among Chu’s ruling class, his reforms strengthened the king and left the state very powerful until the late 4th century BCE, when Zhao and Qin were ascendant. Chu’s powerful army once again became successful, defeating the states of Wei and Yue. Yue was partitioned between Chu and Qi in either 334 or 333 BCE. However, the officials of Chu wasted no time in their revenge and Wu Qi was assassinated at King Dao’s funeral in 381 BCE. Prior to Wu’s service in the state of Chu, Wu lived in the state of Wei, where his military analysis of the six opposing states was recorded in his magnum opus, The Book of Master Wu. Of Chu, he said:
Chu’s military formations are complete but cannot be maintained for long.
“ Wuzi, Master Wu
The Chu people are soft and weak. Their lands stretch far and wide, and the government cannot effectively administer the expanse. Their troops are weary and although their formations are well-ordered, they do not have the resources to maintain their positions for long. To defeat them, we must strike swiftly, unexpectedly and retreat quickly before they can counter-attack. This will create unease in their weary soldiers and reduce their fighting spirit. Thus, with persistence, their army can be defeated.
“ Wuzi, Master Wu
During the late Warring States period, Chu was increasingly pressured by Qin to its west, especially after Qin enacted and preserved the Legalistic reforms of Shang Yang. In 241 BCE, five of the seven major warring states “Chu, Zhao, Wei, Yan and Han “formed an alliance to fight the rising power of Qin. King Kaolie of Chu was named the leader of the alliance and Lord Chunshen the military commander. According to historian Yang Kuan, the Zhao general Pang Nuan (庞煖) was the actual commander in the battle. The allies attacked Qin at the strategic Hangu Pass but were defeated. King Kaolie blamed Lord Chunshen for the loss and began to mistrust him. Afterwards, Chu moved its capital east to Shouchun, farther away from the threat of Qin.
As Qin expanded into Chu’s territory, Chu was forced to expand southwards and eastwards, absorbing local cultural influences along the way. By the late 4th century BCE, however, Chu’s prominent status had fallen into decay. As a result of several invasions headed by Zhao and Qin, Chu was eventually completely wiped out by Qin.
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