The First Emperor

China. He was the greatest emperor in Chinese history. Suffering great humiliation and strife, this beleaguered child became a man of great ambition and resolve of steel. His ambition fueled by the desire to unify his country. Discover China reveals the tale of one of China's most iconic figures, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor. In 221 BC, General Wang Ben led the armies of Qin south and attacked the state of Qi. Upon arriving to Qi, his army headed straight to the capital city of Linzi without encountering any resistance. During Qi Emperor Jian, Qin declared it the end of the ten years of ongoing warfare and bloodshed. This was the final note in the Warring States period and the unification of the six states was finally taking place. Chaos ensued by the brutal wars beginning in the spring and autumn period finally came to an end. China entered into a new era of unification. The emperor of the kingdom of Qin, Yin Zheng, accomplished all of this. He is regarded as the greatest emperor in Chinese history. Yin Zheng united the warring nations and ascended to the top, realizing the unfulfilled wishes of his ancestors. It's almost impossible to believe that this first emperor was a man born in a foreign country who has suffered great childhood humiliation. What was Yin Zheng's childhood like? How did he become the emperor of Qin? 265 BC is known as the Warring States period in Chinese history. It was a time when wars between the states were frequent and frenzied. Qin was one of the seven most powerful states at that time. Emperor Zhao, Yin Zheng's great grandfather, adopted Fan Jun's strategy of attacking adjacent states and becoming allies with distant states. Hence, Qin's military first attacked the states of Han and Wei and then contracted an alliance with the remote state of Zhao. According to treaty conventions, the states could freely exchange hostages after forming alliances. Emperor Zhao had to choose one of his sons or grandsons to serve as a hostage and send him to the state of Handan. After careful consideration, Emperor Zhao decided to choose Zichu, the grandson of Emperor Zhao, son of Prince Ange. Prince Ange did not favor Zichu's mother. Moreover, Prince Ange had over 20 sons. Because Zichu was not his eldest, he was considered inferior and therefore dispensable. He was selected as a hostage and was sent to Handan. Though he was the son of a prince, being a hostage in another state still posed a significant risk to Zichu. If a country violated the treaty, the hostage it had sent would certainly meet his or her doom. When Emperor Zhao made up his mind to send Zichu as a hostage, Zichu had no alternative but to accept his destiny. Since Qin and Zhao had recently waged war, the people in Zhao became excited when the Qin hostage arrived. A crowd of onlookers gathered to gawk. Among them was a man called Lu Buwei. Lu Buwei was a well-known merchant and a skilled speculator. When Lu Buwei met Zichu for the first time, he stared at him for a moment. And then he said the hostage was a rare bird. This later went on to become a famous Chinese idiom, meaning, here's a rare commodity worth holding on to. Lu Buwei was actually quite familiar with what went on behind the scenes in the state of Qin. Hua Ying, one of the favoured wives of Prince Ange, had no sons. As a merchant skilled in speculation, Lu Buwei realised that he had a rare opportunity. If Hua Ying adopted Zichu as her son, Zichu would become the crown prince once Prince Ange inherited the throne. That way, Lu Buwei could profit immensely using Zichu's renewed political powers. Lu Buwei went home and told his father about his idea. The conversation that ensued became a famous discussion in Chinese annals. How many times can you profit by farming, Lu Buwei asked his father. Ten times, replied his father. How about by selling jade and jewels, added Lu Buwei. A hundred times, answered his father. Then how many times can you profit by fostering an emperor and stabilising a country? An infinite number of times, answered his father. This response further strengthened Lu Buwei's resolve to go on with his plot. Lu Buwei soon put his idea into action. He invested 1,000 gold coins, half of it was given to Zichu to establish the friendship between them. The rest was invested in jewels that were taken to the state of Qin. Cunningly, Lu Buwei did not go straight to Prince Ange and Hua Ying. Instead, he handled his business cautiously and efficiently by bending the ear of Hua Ying's sister. Lu Buwei eloquently convinced her that Zichu was sage and smart. He also described Zichu as sociable and ambitious. He went on saying that although Zichu was far away from his hometown, he missed kind Prince Ange and virtuous Hua Ying. Lu Buwei also mentioned that Zichu regarded Hua Ying as his goddess and sometimes he even burst into tears when thinking of her. Upon hearing that, Hua Ying's sister was deeply moved. Lu Buwei then asked her if he could deliver his gift to Hua Ying. Hua Ying accepted the gift that Lu Buwei presented on behalf of Zichu and she was also told of Zichu's admiration for Ange. From that moment on, Zichu's status began to improve. Next Lu Buwei advised Hua Ying's sister to persuade Hua Ying to adopt a crown prince as her son in order to consolidate her status when Emperor Zhao died. Lu Buwei suggested that Zichu was the right person. Lu Buwei's plot simply played into the hands of Hua Ying. Hua Ying finally made up her mind. She took advantage of Prince Ange's love for her and persuaded him to make Zichu the heir to the throne. Further improving Zichu's position, Prince Ange and Hua Ying provided him with enough money and appointed Lu Buwei as his advisor. Lu Buwei began to reside in the state of Handan. He became involved in various social activities with Zichu. As for Zichu, he had always been looking forward to the day when he could return to his hometown and eventually take the throne. To please Zichu, Lu Buwei introduced him to a striking young girl adept at singing and dancing. Since this took place in the capital of Zhao, the girl was addressed as Concubine Zhao. Later, she gave birth to a child who would later become the first emperor of China. This incident created a mystery that lasted for a thousand years. Who was the father of Yinzheng? According to historical records written by Sima Qian, Concubine Zhao, the mother of Yinzheng and beloved by Lu Buwei, had been pregnant before she married Zichu. However, since the Ming Dynasty, some scholars have doubted the rumors that Lu Buwei was the biological father of Yinzheng. They pointed out that there were no records of it in the Book of Strategies of the Warring States. Most historians think the rumor was merely a fabricated lie. Ultimately, the identity of Yinzheng's biological father was of little consequence. The unknown father doesn't alter the fact that Yinzheng became the first emperor in Chinese history. Just after Yinzheng was born, Zhao and Qin turned from allies into enemies. Yinzheng's childhood became increasingly harsh. His father was now a hostage in Zhao. Therefore, since the day Yinzheng was born, he was a hostage too. Yinzheng spent his entire childhood surrounded by hatred. In his formative years, when all he wanted was love and warmth of his family's bosom, he was instead met with a harsh and sometimes brutal reality. At the age of three, the Qin armies began intensifying their assault on Handan. When the Zhao emperor was beset by the state of Qin, he decided to execute Zichu. But Zichu escaped from the state of Handan with the help of Lu Buwei, who bribed the officer guarding the gates. Yinzheng and his mother, under the protection of his grandmother, had narrowly escaped certain death. In Handan, most of Yinzheng's peers had lost their fathers in the war. It was the Qin army that killed their fathers. How would these children treat Yinzheng, a descendant of the cruel Qin people? Under these impossible conditions, Yinzheng became a resolute and stubborn child after being bullied for a long time. However, his days of fleeing and hostile gazes he had to endure in his childhood had also made him boisterous and over-suspicious. Due to his poor living conditions and lack of concern and love from his family, Yinzheng was deprived of the happiness of a normal childhood. Instead, Yinzheng's heart became filled with fear and hatred. 6 years later, in 251 BC, Emperor Zhao of Qin died. Prince Ange ascended to the throne and made Huayang his queen and Zichu his crown prince. At the time, friendly relationships between Zhao and Qin were restored, making it possible for Yinzheng and his mother to return to the state of Qin. Prince Ange's time on the throne was brief. He mourned his father for a year and then died three days right after his official coronation. Zichu assumed the throne, calling himself Emperor Zhuangsheng. He appointed Lu Buwei as his prime minister, conferring the noble title of Marquis Wenxin on him. However, Zichu's reign did not last long either. He died after three years. In 247 BC, Yinzheng, who was only 13 years old, ascended to the throne. From that time onward, the state of Qin entered into a new era. After Yinzheng's ascension, Lu Buwei was appointed premier and was known by the respectful epithet Zhongfu. In accordance with the political practices at that time, Yinzheng could not assume power, so Premier Lu Buwei took the helm of political and military power. At that time, Lu Buwei finally confirmed his initial assessment of the man. He had deemed a rare bird. He had finally obtained the greatest reward of his political investment in Zichu. He had tens of thousands of servants under his command and a huge sum of wealth under his name. Meanwhile, in order to extend his influence, he had many followers collecting and compiling historical sources for him. This information later became Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals. From 249 BC, when first appointed as premier at the coronation of Yinzheng, in 238 BC, Lu Buwei had ruled as a dictator for nine years. During this period, Lu Buwei's blueprint for governing achieved remarkable results. The state of Qin's economic strength was far superior to the six countries in the east. Also during this period, Qin's military strength developed and left the competing nations far behind. The superiority of the Qin army led them to one victory after another. It is worth mentioning that the Qin dynasty had already been unified under Lu Buwei's autocracy and because Lu Buwei established a highly centralized dynasty, he is considered as one of its imperial founders. While Lu Buwei was riding high, he made a grave error and ignored a man who required reckoning, Yinzheng. During this time, Yinzheng had matured from an innocent child into a supreme emperor. His childhood experiences had molded Yinzheng into a mature, superior man far more astute than his peers. His rough childhood had also taught him how to protect himself. In the back of Yinzheng's mind was the vague thought that Zhang Fu could be posing a threat to his imperial power. But with the noble title of Zhang Fu, Lu Buwei felt quite at ease. Consequently, he made a fatal mistake and this error nullified all of his efforts. He ended up committing suicide by drinking poison. This unfortunate drama began when Yinzheng's mother, concubine Zhao, assumed the position as the queen mother. At the same time, she resumed her affair with Lu Buwei. She had long been widowed after Zichu died. By that time, Yinzheng was already an adult. Lu Buwei was afraid that his illicit affair with the queen mother would be exposed. He would be tried and executed. So, Lu Buwei found a fall guy who pretended to be a eunuch in the service of the queen mother Zhao. His name was Lao Ai. Lao was supposed to be castrated, but queen mother Zhao had bribed the doctor. Lu Buwei had the fake eunuch sent to the palace to satisfy the queen mother. The queen mother enjoyed these sexual favors. Lao Ai, who was once a gangster, began to extend his influence and power across the country. When Yinzheng found out, he flew into a fit of rage and began to plot ways to get rid of him. In 239 BC, Yinzheng was 21 years old. In accordance with the old governing system of Qin, a coronation ceremony was to be held the following year. At that time, he could settle state issues on his own. Meanwhile, relying on the queen mother's power, Lao Ai began plotting to carve up the land for himself. Facing Lao Ai's provocation, Yinzheng appeared calm and unmoved. He simply proceeded with the coronation ceremony schedule. But Lao Ai had no patience. He wanted to take this window of opportunity to plot and kill the emperor. Yinzheng was ready for him. Lao Ai's revolt was quelled and Lao Ai was imprisoned. As punishment, he was sentenced to dismemberment by horses and a death sentence was put on all of his family. Over 20 of his accomplices were also executed and more than 4,000 families were found to be involved. The two illegitimate children of Queen Mother Zhao and Lao Ai did not escape the death penalty. The queen mother was put under house arrest. When Yinzheng found out that Lao Ai's ability to access the palace to serve the queen mother Zhao was actually part of Lu Buwei's conspiracy, he was infuriated. His respect for the venerable Zhang Fu withered away. A year after having purged Lao Ai, Yinzheng deposed Lu Buwei from office and drove him out of Xianyang into exile as a private victim of Luoyang. Two years later, in order to prevent Lu Buwei's involvement with other enemies, Yinzheng sent Lu Buwei in order to commit suicide. In this letter, Yinzheng rebuked Lu. What credit have you offered the state of Qin that gives you the right to possess the land of Luoyang and be in charge of thousands of people? What kind of relationship do you have with the state of Qin that entitles you to be called Zhang Fu? Banish yourself to the west of Sichuan. Lu Buwei knew his death was inevitable and so he committed suicide by drinking poison. In spite of all his machinations, Lu Buwei stepped into the ancient Chinese political arena with a speculative mind and he actually conducted some of the finest political moves in Chinese history. Unfortunately, his dealings had cost him his life. The state of Qin's internal political struggles had thus come to an end. The emperor soon started waging military actions against the six countries to the east. In this way, not only did he inherit his ancestral lands, but he also expanded them. Many talented people in various fields served under him. Among his ministers, Li Si, Wei Liao, Yao Jie, and Dun Ruo. His generals included Meng Tian, Meng Wu, Wang Jian, and Wang Ben. Yin Zheng stuck to the strategic policy of attacking adjacent states and aligning with distant states. It took him ten years to wipe out the other six competing nations and unify China. This man, who had suffered so much humiliation and strife, had become China's first emperor. He had now positioned himself on his ancestral land as its unquestionable ruler. He renamed himself Qin Shi Huang, Emperor of Qin, and began to dominate all of China. From his reign onward, China's eons of imperial rule began.