While Mengzi was on his way to Wei State, a great war suddenly erupted between Qin and Wei. In their struggle, Qin State had held the upper hand ever since Hexi changed hands, especially as Wei State's rulers began to falter. If the ruler was unwise, even the strongest ministers were of no use.
At this critical juncture in the fortunes of Qin and Wei, Heaven did not favor Wei State, and defeat followed. To evade Qin State's cutting edge, Wei State even moved its capital to its eastern territories.
Most crucially, Hangu Pass had fallen into the hands of the Qin people!
The defensive line envisioned years ago in Xianyang Palace, running from the Plateau to the Yellow River and then to Hangu Pass, had finally been completed.
From Duke Xuan's vigorous construction of this mighty pass, to its transfer to Jin State, and finally its inheritance by Wei State, more than six hundred years had passed. Throughout that time, this mighty pass had guarded the gateway to the states East of the Passes.
But now this mighty pass had fallen. For the first time, the Xiaohan Passes were in Qin hands, and the whole world turned its gaze toward this event.
The King of Qin's passing had little impact on Qin State. From the moment Wei Yang, who had created a powerful Qin, completed his reforms, his importance to Qin State had diminished.
Forged by Qin Law, the Qin people had completely transformed into a war machine. The farming-and-war system permeated every aspect of Qin State. Although this system left almost no usable talent among the Qin people, while Qin State lacked talent, the six states had it. Recruiting their great talents into Qin State and pairing them with its virtually invincible farming-and-war system, which squeezed its potential