Among the seven major warring states, the state of Qin lagged behind the various feudal states in the Central Plains in politics, economy, and culture. Its neighboring state of Wei was stronger than Qin and had seized a large area of land west of the Yellow River from Qin.
In 361 BC, Duke Xiao of Qin, the new ruler of Qin, ascended the throne. Determined to strengthen his state, he first sought out talented individuals. He issued an edict stating: "Whether a native of Qin or a foreign guest, whoever can devise a way to make Qin rich and powerful shall be appointed to an official position."
Duke Xiao's call indeed attracted many capable people. A nobleman from the state of Wei named Gongsun Yang (the later Shang Yang), who had not been given important roles in Wei, fled to Qin, secured an introduction, and was granted an audience with Duke Xiao.
Shang Yang said to Duke Xiao: "For a state to become rich and strong, it must focus on agriculture and reward its soldiers and commanders. To govern the state well, there must be rewards and punishments. With clear rewards and punishments, the court will gain credibility, and all reforms will become easier to implement."
Duke Xiao fully agreed with Shang Yang's proposals. However, some Qin nobles and ministers strongly opposed them. Seeing so much opposition and being newly enthroned, Duke Xiao feared causing unrest and temporarily shelved the reform plans.
After two years, when Duke Xiao's position was secure, he appointed Shang Yang as Zuo Shuzhang (a Qin official title) and declared: "From today on, all decisions regarding institutional reforms will be made by the Zuo Shuzhang."
Shang Yang drafted a reform decree but feared the common people would not trust him and thus fail to comply with the new law. Therefore, he first ordered a three-zhang-tall wooden pole erected at the south gate of the capital and issued a command: "Whoever can carry this pole to the north gate will be rewarded with ten jin of gold."
Soon, a large crowd gathered at the south gate, buzzing with discussion. Some said, "Anyone can carry this pole; who needs a reward of ten jin of gold?" Others said, "This is probably the Zuo Shuzhang deliberately making a joke."
People looked at each other hesitantly, but no one dared to step forward and carry the pole.
Knowing the people still did not trust his orders, Shang Yang raised the reward to fifty jin. Unexpectedly, the higher the reward, the more unreasonable it seemed to the onlookers, and still no one dared to carry the pole.
Just as the crowd was discussing noisily, a man stepped forward from the throng and said, "I'll give it a try." Saying this, he actually lifted the pole and carried it all the way to the north gate.
Shang Yang immediately sent someone to announce that the man who carried the pole would receive fifty jin of gleaming gold, not a single fen less.
The incident quickly spread, creating an immediate sensation throughout Qin. The common people said, "The Zuo Shuzhang's orders are reliable and unambiguous."
Shang Yang knew his orders had now taken effect and promptly announced the new reform laws he had drafted. The new laws clearly stipulated rewards and punishments, setting military achievements as the standard for determining official ranks and noble titles. Nobles without military merit would not receive titles; those who produced more grain and cloth would be exempted from corvée labor; and anyone who became poor through commerce or laziness, along with their wives and children, would be punished by becoming government slaves.
Since Shang Yang's reforms, Qin's agricultural production increased and its military strength grew stronger. Soon, Qin attacked the western regions of Wei, advancing from west of the river to east of the river, and captured Wei's capital city, Anyi.
In 350 BC, Shang Yang implemented a second round of reforms, the main contents of which were:
1. Abolish the well-field system and open up the阡陌 (qianmo, the large roads between fields). Qin leveled these wide阡陌 and planted crops on them. It also reclaimed former boundary markers such as earthen mounds, wastelands, forests, and ditches. Whoever reclaimed wasteland would own it. Land could be bought and sold.
2. Establish the county system, merging towns and villages into counties administered directly by state-appointed officials. This centralized the power of the central government.
3. Move the capital to Xianyang. To facilitate expansion eastward, the capital was relocated from the original Yongcheng (present-day Fengxiang County, Shaanxi) to Xianyang, north of the Wei River (present-day northeast Xianyang City, Shaanxi).
Such large-scale reforms naturally provoked intense struggles. Many nobles and ministers opposed the new laws. Once, the crown prince of Qin broke the law. Shang Yang said to Duke Xiao: "State laws must be uniformly observed by all, high and low. If those above cannot comply, those below will not trust the court. Since the crown prince has broken the law, his tutors must be punished."
As a result, Shang Yang punished the crown prince's two tutors, Prince Qian and Gongsun Jia: one had his nose cut off, and the other was branded on the face. After this, some nobles and ministers dared not violate the new laws.
After ten years of this, Qin indeed became increasingly rich and strong. The Son of Heaven sent an envoy to present sacrificial meat to Duke Xiao and conferred upon him the title of "Fang Bo" (leader of the regional lords). The feudal states of the Central Plains纷纷 sent congratulations to Qin. Wei was forced to cede the land west of the river and move its capital to Daliang (present-day Kaifeng, Henan).