T
he Qin, like the Zhou before it, grew powerful on the West-
ern fringe of what was then considered the developed world.
Whereas the central states were surrounded by potential and
real threats, the Qin had more freedom to develop its power uncontested
by strong neighbors. Another consequence of its relatively “backward”
status was that the Qin court did not have a wealthy and entrenched
nobility to contend with; thus it was much quicker to centralize power
than were its rivals. The Qin kings were much rougher types than the
aristocratic rulers of the other states. One Qin king reportedly died
from overexertion in a weight-lifting contest, an activity unimaginable
in a court fashioned in the Confucian mold.
The great buildup of Qin power began in earnest in 361 bce with
the arrival in the capital of Lord Shang, a young nobleman defector from
the state of Wei. A shrewd and ambitious politician, Lord Shang quickly
gained the confi dence of the Qin king and began to institute a series of
reforms to increase the power of the king and the reach and effi ciency
of the central government. Lord Shang abolished hereditary feudal
ranks and made all ranks and titles dependent upon job performance
in warfare and government administration. He oversaw the institution
of strict laws, which were carved in stone and circulated to all parts of
the kingdom. Punishments for infractions included cutting off the nose
or feet, death by boiling in a cauldron, tearing apart by chariots tied to
the limbs, slicing in half, and burying alive. The Legalists argued that
these severe punishments were necessary to deter any and all breaking
of the law. Peasants were now free to buy and sell land and were taxed
a low enough percentage of their produce so as to encourage them to
increase production. Lord Shang was killed in 338 bce, but by then the
Qin state made up nearly 30 percent of the territory and population of
the Warring States and was much wealthier than any of its rivals. As a
result, it took less than 120 years for the Qin to mobilize its growing
chapter 2