In the history of Qin, King Qin Huiwen, who succeeded Duke Xiao of Qin and became the king of Qin, was also a promising king.

King Huiwen of Qin was named Si, the son of Duke Xiao, also known as Huiwenjun, Wenwang, Huiwang, and was also posthumously called emperor. He ascended the throne in 337 BC and reigned for 27 years.

For the development of the Qin State, the political and historical role of King Qin Huiwen was a link between the past and the future. When King Qin Huiwen came to the throne, he killed Shang Yang in order to ease domestic political conflicts. However, he did not abolish the legal system established by Shang Yang. On the contrary, in terms of domestic affairs, he still insisted on and improved the employment system of treating guests as ministers and continued to Implementing the principle that those who have meritorious service will be honored, and those who have no meritorious service will be rich but have no glory, thus gathering a large number of advisers and good generals. What is especially praised by later historians is that the measures to seek talents and accept guests since Duke Mu of Qin formed a relatively complete guest system during the period of King Hui of Qin, which played a major role in the rapid development of the Qin State.

Specifically speaking, the guest system during the period of King Qin Huiwen was very different from the guest system during the Warring States Period and the guest system during the Shang Yang period and before. It showed the reform of the employment system by King Qin Huiwen. Awareness and innovation initiatives.

We know that since the Warring States Period, all the vassal states have competed to support guests in order to enrich the country and strengthen the military and dominate the world. Among the four princes of the Warring States Period, Lord Mengchang of Qi, Lord Xinling of Wei, Lord Pingyuan of Zhao, and Lord Chunshen of Chu were all famous for having a large number of guests. These adopted guests are also called diners. They may have special skills, have supernatural powers, be criminals, or be rogues. They do not distinguish between nationalities, good or bad. Their ingredients are relatively complex, and they have no special skills. They are mostly all There are many people who gather together for profit and take advantage of the situation. As the saying goes, if you have power, I will follow you, but if you don’t have power, you will leave. According to historical records such as Warring States Policy and Lu's Spring and Autumn Period, there are also many intelligent people among these diners. For example, Feng Xuan, a diner raised by Lord Mengchang as recorded in Warring States Policy and Qi Ce, burned the city justice and lobbied the Liang Dynasty to build three caves for Lord Mengchang. Potential political risks can be preserved forever.

Compared with the other six countries, Qin seems to be much more rigorous in caring for guests. According to the Book of Shang Jun, "Not every wealthy family is qualified to keep customers. To keep customers, they must have 600 households and fiefs, otherwise it is illegal." In addition, Qin State also had special granaries for guests. It can be seen that the social status of Ke in Qin is much higher than that of the other six countries, and he has already been supported by officials.

Just as the guests supported by Lord Mengchang have different levels, such as those who have no fish, those who eat fish, and those who ride in cars, so the guests of Qin also have different levels. Generally speaking, those who are more valued and treated with higher courtesy are considered to be superior guests, and those who are treated with higher courtesy are considered to be inferior guests. But whether you are disembarking or receiving guests, you are still a person without an official position. Only when you become a guest and become a guest minister can you become an official. This institutional process of using guest officials was King Qin Huiwen’s innovation and contribution to Qin’s political system.

The institutional innovation of King Qin Huiwen is also reflected in that on the one hand, he continued to implement the military merit conferment system formulated by Shang Yang. For example, after Zhang Yi and others paid homage to guest ministers, they were mainly able to do so only after they had achieved military merit. However, on the other hand, when King Qin Huiwen was worshiped as guest minister by a guest, he often awarded him an official position based on the guest's political comments, and used this as another way to advance in officialdom, providing an opportunity for intelligent people to display their political talents. The stage has broadened the road to official career. Because of this, marked by the appointment of Zhang Yi to the Qin Dynasty in the tenth year of King Huiwen, the Qin State experienced a climax of using guests to serve as officials. A large number of foreign talents entered the Qin State, and more of the senior officials in the Qin State came from guests. The guest Qing system formed with Zhang Yi as Prime Minister to Qin Dynasty played a huge role in ensuring human resources for the rapid development of Qin Dynasty. When Mr. Huang Liuzhu commented on King Qin Huiwen's move, he said: It is the continuation and development of Qin's traditional characteristics of breaking through the cocoon of patriarchal system earlier and employing outsiders. It is also the continuation and development of Qin's rulers who constantly summarize the experience and lessons of official advancement and correct their military achievements. The inevitable result of the disadvantages of getting an official position. In this sense, King Qin Huiwen's institutional innovation has the function of connecting the past and the future.

The political and historical contribution of King Qin Huiwen is also reflected in the foreign wars of expanding borders and opening up borders. Specifically, King Qin Huiwen’s achievements in expanding borders and opening up borders are concentrated in the following aspects:

1. Force Wei to surrender the land west of Hexi and 15 counties in Shangjun. In 341 BC, the Wei State attacked South Korea, and South Korea asked Qi for help. The Qi State sent Tian Ji and Sun Bin as generals to lead an army to attack Wei and save Han. Sun Bin used the strategy of reducing the stove to lure the Wei army and set up an ambush in Maling. The Wei army fell into the trap and was defeated by the Qi army, with the loss of 100,000 troops. The leading generals Prince Shen and Pang Juan fought Death, this battle was called the Battle of Maling in history. After this battle, Wei's military strength was greatly weakened, while Qin and Qi's military strength grew stronger, forming a three-power confrontation with Chu. In 333 BC, King Huiwen of Qin appointed Gongsun Yan, a native of the Yin Jin Dynasty of the Wei State, as the leader of Daliang. The following year, in order to please the Qin State, the Wei State took the initiative to dedicate Yin Jin to the Qin State. Qin changed its name to Ning Qin and gained the opportunity to advance eastward. Strategic location. In 331 BC, Prince Qin led an army to fight against the Wei army, captured the Wei army's general Long Jia, and beheaded 80,000 people. The following year, King Qin Huiwen continued to send troops to attack Wei. After several major defeats, Wei's army was exhausted and was forced to cede the land in Hexi to Qin.

In 329 BC, Zhang Yi, a native of Wei, entered Qin as prime minister. After Zhang Yi became the Prime Minister of Qin, on the one hand he continued to attack the Wei State, and on the other hand he took advantage of the difficult situation of the Wei State and adopted a strategy of liaison to induce the Wei State to submit.

In 328 BC, Zhang Yi sent his son Sang to attack Wei and take Puyang, and then returned it to Wei. Then he sent his son Yao to Wei as a hostage to express goodwill. After Zhang Yi fought and pulled him, he went to Wei in person and told King Hui of Wei: Qin's treatment of Wei is very friendly, and Wei cannot be rude to Qin. Wei had no choice but to surrender 15 counties of Shangjun to Qin. As a result, Wei lost all its territory in Hexi, and even the capital had to move to Daliang. The following year, Qin changed Shaoliang's name to Xia Yang. After acquiring Wei's Hexi, Shangjun and other places, Qin's prestige increased. In 325 BC, King Qin Huiwen officially proclaimed himself king.

2. Defeated the five kingdoms of Zhao, Yan, Han, Chu, and Wei and jointly attacked Qin. In 319 BC, after the four countries of Zhao, Yan, Han, and Chu helped Gongsun Yan become the prime minister of Wei and chased Zhang Yi, the relationship between Qin and Chu underwent a fundamental change. Fight for tension. The main reason for this is that the Qin State has risen rapidly since Shang Yang's reform and successively succeeded in attacking the three Jin Dynasties. The Chu State has felt that Qin, a country of tigers and wolves, is inaccessible, so it has adopted a preventive and confrontational policy towards Qin. In 318 BC, Chu and other five kingdoms attacked Qin. King Chu Huai was elected as the leader of the alliance. However, King Chu Huai's leadership was poor and the countries did not work together. The Qin army faced the five kingdoms at Hangu Pass. The troops of the five kingdoms They were no match for the Qin army and were defeated one by one by the Qin army. King Huai of Chu's indecisiveness and weakness of character were fully exposed. King Huiwen of Qin recognized the weakness of King Huai of Chu, and used both civil and military tactics to attack the Chu State, advancing step by step. He first captured Bashu, and if he captured Shu, he captured Chu. He also controlled Jingchu from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to frighten Chu. He also used Zhang Yi to deceive Chu. The promise of 600 miles away from the Shang Dynasty caused Chu to break up with Qi, cutting off the alliance between Chu and Qi, and leaving Chu in an isolated and vulnerable position. King Huai of Chu was out of his wits, and fell into the trap. He defeated Qi first and then attacked Qin. As a result, Qin was defeated at Danyang and Lantian. The state of Chu was unable to recover from the fall, going from prosperity to decline.