After the long-term wars in the Spring and Autumn Period, many small vassal states ceased to exist, and several large vassal states became increasingly powerful and fought endlessly. During the Warring States Period, "there was no emperor above and no magistrate below. The winner was on the right after fighting for power." In order to obtain more land, wealth and population, the vassal states continued to engage in annexation wars with each other and compete for living space. The war situation is unprecedentedly fierce, and rulers of various countries are looking for ways to survive in the competition. The first way to defeat the enemy is to enrich the country and strengthen the army. The rulers of the vassal states scrambled to recruit talents and constantly adjusted national policies, hoping to achieve their goals in the shortest time. The spark of reform spread across the countries with an unstoppable prairie fire.
The split of the Jin Kingdom, a great country in the Spring and Autumn Period, made the monarchs during the Warring States Period begin to be wary of those powerful families. Their increasingly powerful power posed a great threat to the monarchs. The monarchs of various countries urgently need to establish a bureaucratic team that is completely loyal to them. As a result, some talented scholars who came from the lower class and had no foundation became the first choice of the monarchs for important tasks. Due to the monarchs' desire for talents, during the Warring States Period, a scholar who was unknown in the morning was likely to be wearing a gold seal on his waist and calling the shots in the court at night. The gap between rich and poor attracted scholars one after another to find a "good employer" for themselves.
Under the concept of impermanence of scholars at that time, scholars did not need to be loyal to the monarch. He will serve whoever appreciates him. Talents flowed frequently among the vassal states. Some people even acted unfavorably to their "old club", which was understandable at the time.
"Historical Records" records that the rustic Yu Qing, wearing straw sandals and an umbrella on his shoulder, went to lobby King Zhao Xiaocheng. After the first meeting, King Zhao gave him a hundred yi of gold. A pair of white jade. After meeting the King of Zhao for the second time, Yu Qing became the minister of Zhao. Su Qin, who was so poor that he could only eat leftovers at home, was looked down upon. After successfully lobbying other countries to promote himself and forming a joint alliance, he soon became the chief of the joint alliance. He wore the seals of many countries and made the princes fear him when he was angry. . Military strategist Sun Bin first served in the State of Wei. He was persecuted by Pang Juan and tortured and became physically disabled. Later, with the help of the envoys of the State of Qi, he defected to the State of Qi. He was appointed as a military advisor by King Wei of Qi and assisted General Tian Ji of Qi in defeating him twice. Pang Juan established Qi's hegemony.
Yu Qing, Mingxin, a native of Handan (now Handan, Hebei), was a famous scholar who was good at strategic planning during the Warring States Period.
Originally a retainer of the minister Gong Shucuo of the Wei State, he was not taken seriously in the Wei State and was transferred to the Qin State. Through reforms, the Qin State became the richest and most powerful country in the late Warring States Period. Wu Qi, who was well versed in military strategism, Legalism, and Confucianism, presided over military reforms in the Wei state. Although he defeated the Qin army, he was jealous of Wei Hou Wu and defected to the Chu state. He personally experienced the Wei State's reform and was assigned by King Chu Mou to preside over the Chu State's reform, standing at the top of power. Changes in the system bring about great changes in social atmosphere.
Gu Yanwu, a famous scholar in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, wrote in "Rizhilu": "In the Spring and Autumn Period, etiquette and trust were still respected, but the Seven Kingdoms never talked about etiquette and trust; in the Spring and Autumn Period, they still respected the Zhou Dynasty. King, but the Seven Kingdoms never talk about kings; in the Spring and Autumn Period, there were still strict sacrifices and heavy employment, but the Seven Kingdoms had nothing to do; in the Spring and Autumn Period, they still talked about clans, surnames, and clans, but none of the Seven Kingdoms mentioned it; in the Spring and Autumn Period, no one in the Seven Kingdoms mentioned it At that time, there were still banquets and poems, but the seven countries did not hear them; in the Spring and Autumn Period, there were still letters of advice, but the seven countries had no fixed friends."
When the princes abandoned their background and selected their officials based on their talents, people from poor backgrounds saw their own hope. "Princes in civilian clothes" and "nurturing scholars" became the unique landscape of the Warring States Period. The wanderers traveled among various countries without any regard for propriety, justice and shame, and made suggestions for the monarch and powerful ministers purely from the perspective of profit. During the Warring States Period when Shi Wu Chang was the Lord, the monarchs offered favorable conditions one after another to attract talented people to join them. For a time, "courtesy of virtuous officials" and lobbying the monarch became the trend. Later facts also proved that if a country does a good job of respecting the virtuous and raising its scholars, then the country will definitely become stronger.
Historian Professor Xu Zhuoyun’s research found that after entering the Warring States Period, those noble families that dominated the Spring and Autumn Period had disappeared except for a few who became new princes and kings.
He found that unlike in the Spring and Autumn Period, when the rulers of various countries came from specific Shiqing families, and the monarch basically had no right to appoint the ruler, high-ranking officials such as prime ministers during the Warring States Period were mostly appointed by the monarch of the country, and the prime minister was either the monarch's closest descendant or in-law. Or it may be held by a scholar from a humble background who does not belong to any big family. Compared with the ministers of the Spring and Autumn Period, the prime ministers of the Warring States Period were not lifelong and did not have a fixed term of office. They must rely on the king to execute the king's power.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, education was monopolized by the nobility, and government was also controlled by the upper-class nobility, which was inherited from generation to generation. During the Warring States Period, education was no longer the exclusive preserve of aristocrats. Famous scholars gathered to give lectures and promote their political and academic ideas. Various schools of thought emerged and hundreds of schools of thought contended with unprecedented enthusiasm. Scholars who are diligent and ambitious also eagerly follow various academic masters, and outstanding talents have the expertise of several majors.
Among them, a group called "Legalism" by later generations was reused by monarchs of various countries. Unlike other schools of thought during the Warring States Period, Legalism was a loose system that never had a substantive sect, but Legalism scholars mostly combined the strengths and talents of various schools. Although the Legalist scholars during the Warring States Period did not have a particularly clear teacher-student relationship, they had similar political views. While abandoning "rule by etiquette" and advocating "rule by law," they advocated enriching the country and strengthening the army through farming and war, advocating a high concentration of monarchy, and managing the people through severe punishments and laws.