Sima Qian read about the history of the Qin Dynasty and the Chu-Han contention, and said: rebellion began with the rebellion of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang; the Qin's fall was achieved by Xiang Yu; the unification of China and the eventual establishment of imperial rule was done by the Han Dynasty. Power changed hands three times in just five years—unprecedented in history.
Think about how Yu Shun and Xia Yu (legendary sage-kings of ancient China) rose to power after decades of benevolent rule and proving themselves worthy. King Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou became kings because their ancestors Qi and Hou Ji had over ten generations of virtuous rule. They gathered eight hundred vassals at Mengjin, and only then did they feel the timing was right to overthrow tyranny. Starting from Duke Xiang of Qin, through the efforts of Duke Wen, Duke Miao, Duke Xian, and Duke Xiao, the state gradually conquered the six states. More than a hundred years later, it was only under Qin Shi Huang that the country was unified. Think of the effort and virtue required—unifying the country was no easy feat!
After Qin Shi Huang unified the country, fearing continuous warfare due to the existence of the vassal states, he abolished the fiefs of all vassal states, demolished their cities, destroyed their weapons, and eradicated heroes, hoping for lasting peace. However, emperors often rise from humble beginnings, uniting to overthrow tyranny and surpassing the achievements of the three dynasties of Xia, Shang, and Zhou. Qin Shi Huang's harsh rule actually gave talented individuals an opportunity to drive out tyranny. So those heroes rose up in rebellion, and even without fiefs, they could still proclaim themselves kings. Wasn't this the work of a great sage? Wasn't it destiny? If not for the great sage, who else could shoulder such a burden and claim the Mandate of Heaven?
The tables in Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) are not translated. If you are interested in these tables, you can click on the Republic of China flag above to view the Traditional Chinese page.
