Jin, No States Are Stronger Than Her
The Jin (晋) State was an important feudal state of the Spring-Autumn Period in modern-day Shanxi Province. This state developed from a small country to a large and powerful one by unceasing reforms and constant expansion. In the early days of the Warring-States Period, this great country divided into three separate countries, and each of these were strong states at that time.
In the 11th Century B.C., Zhou Cheng-King (周成王), the second king of the Western Zhou Dynasty, enfeoffed his younger brother Shuyu (叔虞) to Tang (唐) State. Afterwards, Shuyu’s son was enfeoffed to Jin State. In 745 B.C., the state sank into turmoil. The young monarch Jin Zhao-Hou (晋昭侯) had to enfeoff his uncle Huanshu (桓叔) to Quwo (曲沃), which was the location of the ancestral temple of Jin’s ruling house. In 739 B.C., Panfu (潘父), who got friendly with Huanshu, killed Zhao-Hou and wanted to admit Huanshu. But the people of Yi (翼, where was the capital of Jin) killed Panfu and supported Xiao-Hou (孝侯) to be a monarch. Afterwards, there were many armed conflicts between Quwo and Yi. Several monarchs were killed or expelled, but one of their sons or brothers were supported to be the new monarch by the people of Yi or the king of Zhou Dynasty. After the disorder of decades, in 678 B.C., when Quwo Wu-Gong (曲沃武公) reigned for twenty-eight years, he defeated Jin-Hou Min (晋侯湣) and annexed the whole Jin State. Zhou Hui-King (周惠王) had to admit Quwo Wu-Gong to be the monarch of Jin, so Quwo Wu-Gong was called Jin Wu-Gong (晋武公). In that time, Jin State was limited to keeping only one army by the king of Zhou. According to the system of Zhou Dynasty, the Heaven-Son, the king of Zhou, could have six armies; the large states could have three armies; the medium states could have two armies; and the small states could only have one army.
The order of the king didn’t limit the great ambition of Jin’s monarchs. In 661 B.C., Jin Xian-Gong (晋献公), the son of Jin Wu-Gong, built two armies. He led the upper army (上军) and let his son lead the lower army (下军) (“upper” and “lower” showed locations, not ranks). They led the two armies to annex three states Geng (耿), Huo (霍), Wei (魏). In 655 B.C., Jin State annexed Guo (虢) State and Yu (虞) State. In 633 B.C., Jin Wen-Gong (晋文公) built three armies. Xi Gu (郤縠) led the middle army (中军, “middle army” was the main force and the commander of this army also could command the other two armies), and Xi Qin (郤溱) assisted him; Hu Mao (狐毛) led the upper army, and Hu Yan (狐偃) assisted him; Luan Zhi (栾枝) led the lower army, and Xian Zhen (先轸) assisted him. In 632 B.C., Jin State allied with Song (宋) State, Qi (齐) State and Qin (秦) State. At the same time, Chu (楚) State allied Chen (陈) State and Cai (蔡) State. There was a fierce battle between the two alliances in the area called Pu (濮). Chu State was defeated, and the commander Ziyu (子玉) who was the prime minister of Chu State killed himself. During the winter, Jin Wen-Gong convened a meeting of states in the city Wen (温). He dispatched messengers to request Zhou King to come to this city for the audience of monarchs. This didn’t accord with proprieties, but Jin Wen-Gong was admitted to be a hegemon. In 629 B.C., Jin Wen-Gong built five armies for resisting the Di (狄) Nation. In 588 B.C., Jin Jing-Gong (晋景公) built six armies. The six armies included the middle army, the upper army, the lower army, the new middle army, the new upper army and the new lower army. In 560 B.C., the new middle army was merged into the lower army, because the suitable commander of the new middle army wasn’t found. In 541 B.C., in the battle of Taiyuan (大原) against the Di Nation, Jin’s armies abandoned using chariots and used infantries. They defeated the allied armies of Di’s tribes utterly.
Jin State defeated Chu Sate, Qin State and Qi State by several battles and became the strongest country. In the later stage of the Spring-Autumn Period, there were four thousand chariots in Jin State. The clan of Jin’s monarchs was weakened by Li Ji (骊姬) who was a woman of Li-Rong (骊戎) tribe and the wife of Jin Xian-Gong. Afterwards, the monarchs of Jin actually conferred the privileges of ruling clan on some important ministers, and then the families of these ministers got stronger and stronger. Jin Li-Gong (晋厉公) wanted to weaken the powers of ministers, and killed three ministers of Xi (郤) family. But he was not resolute, and forgave Luan Shu (栾书) and Zhonghang Yan (中行偃). Soon he was killed by the two men. When Jin Dao-Gong (晋悼公) who was the brother of Li-Gong ruled Jin State, ministers obeyed him because of his good qualities of leadership. After his death, the power of his offspring declined. In the last days of the Spring-Autumn Period, Zhi Yao (知瑶) held the power of Jin State. Because of his greed, he was killed and his family was eliminated by three families Zhao (赵), Han (韩) and Wei (魏). 
This was in the early days of the Warring States Period. Jin State was controlled in three parts by the three families, and Jin’s monarchs were confined to Quwo. Later, they directly dismembered the state. In 403 B.C., the heads of the three families were admitted to be the monarchs of three states by Zhou Weilie-King (周威烈王). In 376 B.C., the three states deposed the last monarch of Jin State, and Jin State stopped existing at last.
Though Jin State disappeared, its legacies were rich. Zhao, Han and Wei all became the strong countries during that time. Wei State was the strongest country in the early days of the Warring-States Period, because what it got from Jin State was most plentiful. The monarchs of Wei regarded themselves as the successors of Jin State, so they called their state “Jin”, and said, “Jin, no states are stronger than her.”
