King Wuling of Zhao - Rule and Reforms

Rule and Reforms

During the early years of his reign the Kingdom of Zhao was constantly harassed by the Donghu, the Linhu (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 林胡), the Liufan (Simplified Chinese: 楼烦) and the Xiongnu, all nomadic animal husbandry tribes. This might have been the inspiration for his later reforms.

In 307 BCE Wuling started his reforms. Mostly military, they concentrated on making the military more suited to fighting battles. Up to that time Zhao commanders riding on horseback still wore robes and normal court attire. Wuling ordered all commanders - in fact, the whole court and military - to wear the Hu dress - pants, belt, boots, fur caps and fur clothes. He created a cavalry division in the army and trained them not only in the ways of a cavalry charge, but in horse archery as well.

His reforms did not go unopposed. While many reformists and officials supported the reforms, seeing it as a way to greatness and power, conservative members of the royal family such as Zhao Wuling's uncle Lord Cheng (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 公子成) disliked it, claiming that there should not be any "Copying of barbarian clothing and changing of old rules" (Simplified Chinese: 不该 "袭远方之服, 变古之教"). Lord Cheng even went so far as to be absent from court.

Wuling did much to check the opposition. He said, "There is not only one way to rule the world, nor is there any need to copy the old to benefit the country" (Simplified Chinese: "理世不必一道, 便国不必法古") and "Those who use the old to define the new do not achieve change" (Simplified Chinese: "以古制今者, 不达于事之变"). He wore the "barbaric" clothes on court and persuaded others to do the same. He even visited Lord Cheng and gave him a suit of the "barbarian" clothing. Finally, Lord Cheng relented, and the controversy stopped.

Wuling's reforms greatly improved the fighting capability of the Zhao military. The same year the Zhao attacked the barbarian country of Zhongshan and took several cities. In 306 BCE the Zhao military launched expeditions into barbarian territory in the north. The northern expedition was highly successful: the kings of the Liufan and Linhu surrendered and their territories became administered by a governor of Dai (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 代). In the next year, parts of Zhongshan were annexed. In 304 BCE the upper reaches of the Yellow River were invaded and taken from the barbarian tribes like the Hezong (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 河宗氏) and the Xiu (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 休). In the conquered areas King Wuling created two prefectures in 302 BCE - Yunzhong (Simplified Chinese: 云中) and Jiuyuan. In a little over five years Zhao Wuling had expanded his country to the border with the Yan, the upper reaches of the Yellow River and into the north, and had forced two tribal leaders - the Liufan and Linhu kings - to surrender. King Wuling took control of their armies and added them to his military, creating extra divisions made up entirely of hardy Mongolian warriors.