中英雙語話歷史 第21期:東周(從諸侯稱霸到秦朝統一中國)

Wei held a dominant position during the early stage of the Warring States Period.

戰國初期，魏國勢力最強。

However, with the growth of Qi and Qin, it became the victim of attacks and declined gradually.

隨着齊、秦相繼強盛，魏不斷遭到兩國的輪番進攻，逐步衰落。

In 354 B. C. , Wei launched a punitive expedition against Zhao, besieging its capital Handan.

公元前354年，魏伐趙，圍之於邯鄲，趙請救於齊。

Qi sent out troops to rescue Zhao at the latter’s request. Having Tian Ji as the commander, and Sun Bin as the military advisor, Qi launched a sudden attack on Daliang the capital of Wei (the modern Kaifeng, Henna Province) instead of Zhao.

齊以田忌爲將，孫臏爲軍師，出兵未去韓而直趨大梁（今河南開封）魏的都城。

The Wei forces had to withdraw to defend their capital.

魏軍不得不回師救樑。

When marched to Guiling(the northwest of modern Changyuan County, Henan Province), they were intercepted by Qi army. Wei suffered crushing defeated with his general, Pang Juan captured by Qi.

行至桂陵(今河南長垣西北），遭齊軍截擊，魏軍大敗，主將龐涓被擒。

This is the Guiling Battle famous for the strategy of “besieging Wei in order to rescue Zhao” in Chinese militar-y history.

這就是歷史上以“圍魏救趙”的戰法著名於世的“桂陵之戰”。

Wei launched an attack on Han in 342 B. C. ； once again Qi dispatched troops to help Han.

公元前342年，魏又伐韓，韓亦請救於齊，齊再次出兵。

This time, Sun Bin lured the enemy to Maling (the southwest of modern Fan County, Shandong Province), where Qi gave the Wei forces a severe blow.

孫臏誘敵至馬陵（今山東範縣西南），大敗魏軍。

At the battle, Wei * s crown prince, Shen was captured, and its general, Pang Juan, committed suicide.

龐涓自殺，太子申被虜。

Soon after the defeat at Maling, Wei was conquered by Qin, ceding its land on the west of the Yellow River to Qin.

魏在馬陵失敗不久，又爲秦擊敗，並被秦奪回河西之地。

At that time, Qin was the biggest menace, so Wei removed the capital to Daliang from Anyi for the sake of safety in 339 B. C., and negotiated peace with other states in the Northeast at the same time.

當時秦對魏的威脅最嚴重。魏爲了安全，於公元前339年（魏惠王三十一年)將國都自安邑東遷大梁，並與關東各國議和。

Threatened by Qin, they allied with each other, and soon a military alliance to Qin came into being, which was known as vertical coalition.

關東各國也畏於秦的東侵，就互相結盟，迅速形成了關東各國與秦的對抗。關東各國爲了抗拒強秦,組成軍事聯盟，稱爲“合縱”。

The formation of vertical coalition succeeded in holding back the eastward invasion of Qin for 15 years.

“合縱”的形成，曾使秦兵不敢窺函谷關(今河南靈寶東北農潤河畔王垛村）十五年。

However, the allies suspected each other, and confrontations were numerous, thus the alliance was anything but solid.

可是關東各國之間互相猜疑，矛盾重重，在對抗秦的進攻方面，各有打算。

In order to destroy the vertical coalition, and pave the way for its eastward development, Qin took advantage of this situation. It managed to form an alliance with the other six powers respectively through exerting military pressure or sowing political discord, which was called horizontal coalition.

秦爲了破壞關東的“合縱”，便於其向東方發展，就用軍事壓力和政治離間等手段，在關東爭取盟國，稱爲“連橫”。

According historical contexts, important figures engaged in vertical coalition was Su Qin of Luoyang ， while in horizontal coaH-tion was Zhang Yi of the Wei state.

文獻記載,從事於“合縱”運動的主要人物是洛陽人蘇秦，從事於“連橫”運動的是魏人張儀。

As wars went on, the horizontal coalition among Qin, Wei and Han and vertical coalition between Qi and Chu finally came into being.

隨着戰事的不斷髮展，最終形成秦、魏、韓三國“連橫”，齊與楚兩國“合縱”的對抗形勢。

In 313 B. C. , sending Zhang Yi as an envoy to Chu, Qin succeeded in breaking off relations between Qi and Chu.

爲了破壞楚、齊聯盟,公元前313年，秦派張儀出使楚國，使楚與齊絕交。

When finding cheated, King Huai of Chu dispatched troops to attack Qin.

當楚懷王察覺受騙，又發兵攻秦。

Unfortunately, Chu was not only defeated at Danyang, but also a large piece of land was captured by Qin as well.

秦軍在丹陽打敗楚軍，攻取楚國的漢中地600裏。

Zhang Yi also convinced Han, Zhao and Yan to have an alliance with Qin.

張儀又說服韓、趙、燕與秦連橫。

In 301 B. C. , the alliance of Qi, Han and Wei attacked Chu.

公元前301年，齊、韓、魏聯合攻楚。

In 299 B. C. , being deceived, King Huai of Chu went to Qin with which he was hoping to form an alliance，but he was detained at Qin ’ s capital Xianyang, where he later died.

公元前299年，楚懷王受騙往秦，被扣留，最後死於咸陽。

Since then, Chu had never recovered from the setback.

從此，楚國一蹶不振。

Consequently, it was more difficult for the other states in northeast to ally.

關東各國雖還想合縱,情況更困難。

As Qin and Chu fought against each other, great changes took place in Zhao, Qi and Yan simultaneously.

秦、楚抗衡之際，趙、齊、燕的國內形式也發生了巨大變化。

In 307 B. C. , King Wuling of Zhao carried out military reforms. He organized a powerful cavalry, clothing the cavalry men in the style of nomadic people, making it easier for them to ride and to shoot. This consolidated the military strength of Zhao, which became a new barrier on Qin * s way to the east.

公元前307年，趙 武靈王實行胡服騎射，改傳統的甲兵爲騎兵，使趙國的軍事實力大爲增強，成爲秦 國向東發展的新障礙。

In 314 B. C. , taking advantage of the internal disorder of Yan, Qi attacked Yan and conquered it in fifty days.

公元前314年，齊乘燕內亂，出兵伐燕，50餘日，就攻取燕國全境。

As Qi’s forces slaughtered a lot of inhabitants，the people of Yan rose up to rebel, and Qi was forced to withdraw.

由於齊軍大量殺戮平民，燕人奮起反抗,齊軍被迫撤退。

However, it indicated Qi* s great potential.

但此事證明，齊國的力量仍相當強大。

In 284 B. C. , King Zhao of Yan dispatched general Yue Yi to launch a retaliatory war against Qi and in five years, took more than seventy cities, leaving only two cities, Ju and Jimo(the present Jimo city, Shandong), still in Qi’s control.

公元前284年，燕昭王爲報仇雪恨，以樂毅爲帥出兵伐齊。5年間，除莒和即墨（今山東即墨市）兩個城外，攻下齊70餘城。

Later，Qi’s general Tian Dan recovered the lost territory，but the war between Qi and Yan, lasting 35 years, exhausted the energy and weakened their strength in confrontation with Qin.

雖然後來齊將田單收復了失地，但齊國與燕國長達35年的戰爭耗盡了兩國的精力，削弱與秦抗衡的力量。

Qin took the opportunity to adopt a policy of befriending distant states while attacking those nearby, and unfolded a swift and fierce attack on the six powers.

秦乘機採取遠交近攻之策，展開了對六國的凌厲攻勢。

In 278 B. C. , Qin’s general Bai Qi captured Chu’ s capital, Ying, compelling Chu to move its capital to Chen (modern Huaiyang, Henan Province), and raised the curtain on the unification of China.

公元前278年，秦將白起攻破楚都郢城，迫使楚遷都於陳（今河南淮陽），揭開了秦國統一戰爭的序幕。

In 260 B. C. , Bai Qi attacked Han, and then fought for Shangdang County with Zhao.

公元前260年（秦昭王四十七年），白起攻韓，又與趙爭奪韓的上黨郡。

At the battle of Changping (modern Gaoping County，Shanxi Province)，Bai Qi routed Zhao’s troops, killing more than 400 000 men, including Zhao’s general Zhao Kuo.

在長平（今山西高平），大破趙軍，殺趙軍統帥趙括，其士卒40餘萬人。

Changping battle was decisive to Qin and it was the war with his last powerful opponent on the central plain, and it also was a final large-scale batle in the Warring States Period, which laid foundation for Qin to unify China.

長平之戰是秦國與他在中原最後一個強手的決戰，也是戰國最後一次大戰。此戰役的勝利奠定了秦滅六國統一中國的基礎。

In 246 B. C. , 13-year-old Prince Ying Zheng ascended the throne, and the new ruler was later known as the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty.

秦王政於公元前246年即位，時年13歲，他就是後來的秦始皇。

The prime min-ister L0 Buwei served as regent.

由相國呂不韋掌權。

In 238 B. C. Qin King was in power. He put down the rebellion of Laoai，and then removed LO Buwei，who committed suicide later.

公元前238年，秦王親政，鎮壓了謬毐的叛亂。次年，免除呂不韋的相國之職,後呂不韋自殺。

After putting internal affairs straight, Qin launched the final attack on his six rivals.

秦王政整頓了國內的政治之後，就展開了對六國的進攻。

In 230 B. C. , Qin conquered Han with the Neishi, whose name is Teng as the leader and, in the following nine years, conquered the other states such as Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi as well.

公元前230年,秦滅韓，此後9年分別滅趙、魏、楚、燕、齊。

Consequently, China, a former feudal separatist ruled country, became unified and centralized.

中國終於由一個諸侯割據稱雄的封建國家轉變爲一箇中央集權的封建國家。