Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

A new aerial view appears.

The scene depicts a vast, dark Qin army, their iron hooves trampling through the map as they march towards the place marked "Zhou" on the map.

Qin's crossbow fired randomly.

The city was destroyed.

The Great Zhou opened its gates and begged for surrender.

The sky slowly began to tell its story:
How did the Zhou Dynasty fall?

Did the tyrannical Qin army trample the Zhou capital?

Was it truly because they were conquered by the brutal military force of the Qin state?

As we all know, when the Qin state destroyed the Zhou dynasty, the Zhou emperor was no longer anything.

Aside from a little theoretical standing, it's practically just a roadside stall.

Then, in our history books, it is said that the Qin Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

So, was Zhou destroyed by Qin?

This matter isn't that simple.

The Zhou royal family can be considered to have destroyed itself.

When the Qin army finally breached the Zhou territory, the Zhou royal family had already disintegrated in its long decline.

[The actions of the Qin state.]

It's more like putting an end to a dynasty that existed in name only.

The last emperor of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was King Nan of Zhou, who spent his life residing in the Western Zhou state.

You might ask: The Eastern Zhou Dynasty only came into being after the Western Zhou Dynasty fell.

Why is there another Western Zhou state now?

That's because in 440 BC, King Kao of Zhou, to appease his younger brother, divided a large area of ​​the royal domain and enfeoffed it, establishing the "Western Zhou Kingdom."

This vassal state, directly enfeoffed by the Zhou emperor, was essentially no different from states like Qi and Lu.

However, this became the beginning of a rift in the power of the Zhou royal family.

Decades later, the Western Zhou state split into the Eastern Zhou state.

This marked the formation of three parallel Zhou dynasties: the Zhou emperor, the Western Zhou state, and the Eastern Zhou state.

[The Zhou emperor: possessed the smallest territory but the greatest (nominal) title.]

[The Western Zhou State: ruled by descendants of the Zhou emperor's younger brother.]

[Eastern Zhou State: Another branch that separated from the Western Zhou State.]

The Zhou emperor's directly controlled territories were actually the smallest.

The Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou states were merely small states, and they were constantly at war with each other, suffering from continuous internal strife.

This divided situation transformed the Zhou royal family from the "common ruler of all under heaven" into a mere backdrop for the power struggles among the feudal lords.

When the last emperor of Zhou, King Nan, ascended the throne, he was even unable to maintain his position within the royal domain.

Outside the sky.

Qin Dynasty.

When Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, saw this, he deeply agreed.

"Indeed, how powerful the Great Zhou Dynasty was back then?"

"In the end, the Zhou king, who was already only a small territory, forcibly divided the land into the Western Zhou Kingdom and the Eastern Zhou Kingdom."

"The so-called ruler of the world has turned himself into a complete joke!"

"This is the limitation of the feudal system—the more feudal entities there are, the weaker the country becomes."

"Then, when there is nothing left to divide, the emperor becomes a figurehead."

"This absolutely cannot become the future development direction of our Great Qin."

"It would be good if Tianmu could tell the story of the fall of the Zhou Dynasty."

"It can both educate people about the dangers of the feudal system and also tell the world about it."

"Our Qin dynasty's destruction of the Zhou dynasty was not out of disrespect for the former ruler of the world."

"They brought about their own destruction; it has nothing to do with my Great Qin."

The curtain continues to fall:

When King Nan of Zhou first ascended the throne, he was probably young and ambitious, thinking that he was, after all, the "Son of Heaven."

Even if you lack ability, you deserve respect!

As a result, King Wu of Qin sent troops, saying, "Our king wishes to come and lift your national treasure—the Nine Tripods!"

[Subtext: Let's test the weight of the Nine Tripods and see if the world needs a new master.] [King Nan of Zhou was furious! He thought, "Who do you think you are? Lifting the tripods? Lift your head, my foot! Are you crazy?"]

[It was firmly rejected on the spot.]

[The Qin army general was also hot-tempered; did he even dare to kick up his heel upon seeing this "mascot"?]

They simply kicked King Nan of Zhou out of the palace!

The poor Zhou emperor, homeless, could only slink away to the Western Zhou state to continue his life as a "parasitic emperor."

But a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after 50 years.

By 256 BC, King Nan of Zhou had probably been feeling resentful for most of his life.

Suddenly, the State of Chu sent someone, who then proceeded to deceive them.

"The King of Qin is too despicable! The people have suffered under Qin for too long! You are the Son of Heaven! You should raise your voice and organize a 'Six-Nation Alliance,' and we'll all beat him up!"

King Nan of Zhou's long-dormant heart was instantly ignited!

It's been fifty years!

[The day has finally come!]

He immediately began leveraging his remaining influence as the "ruler of all under heaven" to establish connections with various feudal lords.

[Of the seven Warring States, he theoretically "initiated" the conflict with the other six.]

King Nan of Zhou himself also borrowed a huge sum of money from wealthy merchants in Luoyang.

[It's estimated that he made a grand promise of "distributing money and land after the fall of Qin," and actually borrowed a considerable amount of money. With this money, King Nan of Zhou cobbled together an elite royal army of several thousand men.]

[The ruler of the Western Zhou state was appointed general, and an agreement was made to meet with the other feudal lords at Hangu Pass.]

However, reality is extremely cruel.

What happened to the promised six-nation alliance?

Only the states of Chu and Yan came, and their numbers were pitifully small!

The alliance collapsed before the war even began.

What's the point of even fighting like this?

Seeing this display of strength, the Duke of Western Zhou felt a chill in his heart and could only retreat with his few thousand men, looking utterly defeated.

The battle wasn't won, but the disaster has been immense!

The Qin state must have found out: "You, King Nan of Zhou, have grown bold! You dare to lead a rebellion against Qin?"

Before Qin's retaliatory army could even arrive, another, even more anxious group came—the creditors!

Those wealthy merchants who lent money to King Nan of Zhou were quite shrewd.

[Judging from this situation: the allied forces are nowhere to be seen, Qin will surely retaliate, and Great Zhou is doomed!]

If the Zhou emperor is destroyed or captured, who will I ask for my money back?

No! We have to collect the debt immediately!

And so, an extremely absurd scene unfolded in Luoyang:

A group of creditors blocked the entrance to King Nan of Zhou's temporary residence every day, banging on the door and shouting, "Pay back the money! Even the emperor has to keep his word! Pay back the money now!"

Where would King Nan of Zhou get the money to repay the debt?

[Even a hero can be brought down by a mere penny, let alone the last emperor of a dynasty.]

Driven to desperation, he produced a piece of performance art that will be remembered for all time.

[He climbed up to a high platform inside the palace to hide! To completely isolate himself from his creditors, he even removed the ladders for going up and down!]

This is the origin of the idiom "piling up debts"!

The comments section was also filled with complaints:

"It swallowed up the two Zhou dynasties and destroyed the feudal lords."

Why Did the Emperor of Qin Rebel?

The once mighty Emperor Zhou became a heavily indebted deadbeat.

It's heartbreaking to hear; it's truly tragic.

The Zhou royal family really loved bestowing fiefdoms.

The reason why King Nan of Zhou became a deadbeat was largely due to the State of Chu.

What does this have to do with the State of Chu? At least Chu sent troops.

I never expected that the State of Yan would come from so far away.

The State of Yan is a legitimate branch of the Zhou dynasty and claims to be a descendant of the Zhou people, which is why they chose to come and help.

A Tribute to the Legendary King of Hiding, King Nan of Zhou! (End of Chapter)