Qin

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Qin (秦)
Alias(es)	Great Qin; Qin State; Qin Empire
Affiliation	Ying Clan / Qin royal family
Occupation/Role	Warring State; later the empire that unified the Under Heaven Vassal Lords
Status	Imperial rule ended under the Second Emperor Fusu; the Ying Clan retained Yong City and Qin ancestral rites under a Qin King before the title was later abolished. The clan survived as the Yong City Qin Clan. 54 105 151
First Appearance	20

History

Rise during the Warring States

Verdant Green Maiden sent her disciple Zhang Yi through Hangu Pass to Qin, providing him with the Zongheng Ce. Zhang Yi became Qin's Prime Minister and used the Horizontal Alliance strategy to advance Qin's interests against the other states. 20

Under King Ying Si, Zhang Yi served in a harmonious ruler-subject relationship for more than twenty years. He was dismissed after Crown Prince Dang became king, declaring that Qin's diplomacy would rely on the Qin Sword rather than eloquence. 20

After King Ying Dang's early death, Ying Ji returned from Yan and became King of Qin. Under his rule, Qin became the dominant force among the Warring States, with its Auspicious Fortune increasingly converging on Xianyang. 21

Changping Campaign

In the forty-seventh year of King Zhaoxiang Ying Ji's reign, Qin fought Zhao at Changping after the Han region of Shangdang was ceded to Zhao. Both states committed more than a million troops in a struggle of national strength. 21

King Ying Ji secretly appointed Bai Qi to command the Qin Army. Bai Qi surrounded Zhao's forces, and Qin conscripted extensively from Hedong and Henei to sustain the campaign. 21

Zhao Kuo's starving army attempted a breakout after forty-five days of encirclement. Zhao Kuo died, and the surviving Zhao soldiers surrendered to Qin. 22

Unification

King Xiaowen Ying Zhu secured Verdant Green Maiden's support for Ying Zheng's future rule. He ordered the suppression of the Yin Yang School within Qin, granted Ying Zheng the title of Royal Grandson, and established the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple in Xianyang. 29

Under Ying Zheng, Qin conquered Han in his seventeenth regnal year and Zhao in his eighteenth, then continued its campaigns against Yan and the remaining states. 36 37

In the twenty-sixth year of Ying Zheng's reign, Qin unified all Under Heaven Vassal Lords. Ying Zheng adopted the title of Emperor, becoming Qin's First Emperor, while Fusu was established as Imperial Crown Prince. 41

Decline and Fall

Qin's later years were devastated by drought. Bashu suffered reduced harvests in the First Emperor's thirty-sixth year, followed by famine in Guanzhong during the First Emperor's thirty-seventh year and the first two years of the Second Emperor. Qin eventually lacked sufficient food even for its army. 52

Fusu, the Second Emperor, died after declaring that Great Qin would end with him. His son Ziying became Qin King rather than emperor. 54

With Liu Bang's forces approaching Xianyang, Verdant Green Maiden opened Wuguan Pass and negotiated a settlement: Liu Bang would rule Guanzhong, while the Ying Clan would retain Yong City and continue Qin's ancestral sacrifices. 54

The Qin court later supported Liu Bang's campaigns against the rival vassal lords. Ziying provided Han with experienced Qin officials, including Li Si, enabling the Han court to make use of Qin's administrative capacity and Guanzhong's resources. 57

Later Legacy

The King of Qin remained a recognized guest of the Han court, with a dedicated Qin Palace and Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple maintained in Chang'an. 61

The Han court eventually abolished the Qin King after demanding an unaffordable payment from the Qin royal family. Although the royal title ended, the Qin Clan endured. 105

By later generations, descendants of the Yong City Qin Clan had migrated to Jiankang and still preserved legends of the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden. 151

Government and Military

• Qin's state system, initiated by Lord Shang, gave its rulers a clear accounting of civilian labor and available resources; this administrative knowledge was presented as a foundation of Qin's repeated military victories. 41
• Qin's army was associated with black armor, strict formations, and black banners bearing white characters at Hangu Pass. 20
• Hangu Pass served as Qin's western gateway and a major symbol of its expansion beyond Guanzhong. Zhang Yi entered Qin through it, while later Qin armies marched eastward through it. 20 57
• Qin's conquest of the Six States was driven by a combination of centralized administration, large-scale conscription, and experienced commanders such as Bai Qi, Wang Jian, and Meng Tian. 21 37 41
• The Qin court's archives, canons, and civil registry remained valuable after the dynasty's fall; Verdant Green Maiden prevented their destruction during the struggle over Xianyang. 56 57

Rulers

Ruler	Position in Qin history	Notes
Ying Si	King of Qin	Ruled alongside Zhang Yi for more than twenty years. 20
Ying Dang	King of Qin	Dismissed Zhang Yi and died young after injuring himself while lifting a cauldron. 20 21
Ying Ji	King Zhaoxiang of Qin	Restored Qin's stability and established the momentum for its eventual unification of the realm. 21
Ying Zhu	King Xiaowen of Qin	Secured Verdant Green Maiden's support for Ying Zheng and founded the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple in Xianyang. 29
Ying Zheng	First Emperor of Qin	Unified the Under Heaven Vassal Lords and established the imperial title. 41
Fusu	Second Emperor of Qin	Faced Qin's terminal famine and declared that Qin would end with him. 52 54
Ziying	Qin King of Yong City	Retained the Ying Clan's position and Qin ancestral rites after the empire's fall. 54

Relationships

• Verdant Green Maiden / Qing Nü — Qin's long-term supernatural protector and adviser. She trained Ying Zheng, accepted the role of Imperial Tutor after unification, and later preserved the Ying Clan's survival at Yong City. 29 41 54
• Ying Clan — Qin's ruling house. Its members ruled Qin through the Warring States and imperial eras, then continued as the Qin Clan after the royal title was abolished. 54 105 151
• Zhang Yi — Qin's Prime Minister and a major advocate of its Horizontal Alliance policy. 20
• Bai Qi — Qin general appointed by Ying Ji to command at Changping. 21 22
• The Six States of Shandong — Qin's principal rivals during its eastern expansion and eventual unification campaigns. 20 21 36
• Han / Liu Bang — Qin's successor regime and eventual ally. Liu Bang received Guanzhong while allowing the Ying Clan to retain Yong City and Qin ancestral rites. 54 57
• Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple — A cult institution founded in Xianyang under Ying Zhu, binding Verdant Green Maiden's fate to Qin's Auspicious Fortune. 29

Notable Locations

Location	Significance
Xianyang	Qin's imperial capital and the center toward which Qin's Auspicious Fortune converged. 21 41
Hangu Pass	Strategic pass marking Qin's approach to the eastern states; Zhang Yi entered Qin through it. 20
Changping	Site of Qin's decisive campaign against Zhao under Bai Qi. 21 22
Wuguan Pass	Opened to Liu Bang during Qin's collapse, allowing his forces to enter Guanzhong. 54
Yong City	Qin's former capital and location of its ancestral temple; retained by the Ying Clan after the imperial state's fall. 54 57
Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple	Temple established in Xianyang for Qing Nü, later also maintained near the Qin Palace in Han Chang'an. 29 61

Trivia

• Qin's altered history differs from the history known to Verdant Green Maiden: Fusu became the Second Emperor, and Ziying survived as Qin King rather than meeting his historical fate. 54
• The Yong City Qin Clan eventually became connected by marriage to descendants of the Cao family. 151
• Verdant Green Maiden regarded the Qin Clan's survival as a significant improvement over its historical extermination, even after the Qin King title was abolished. 105