Qin Xiaogong

Also known as Ying Quliang

Duke Xiao of Qin, named Quliang, was the son of Duke Xian and, according to the 'Basic Annals of Qin' in the *Records of the Grand Historian* (*Shiji*), was twenty-one when he succeeded his father. He began by relieving orphans and widows and issuing a call promising high office and land to any guest or minister who could make Qin strong. Wey Yang, later known as Shang Yang, came from Wei and in 359 BC persuaded him to reform the law, putting farming first and rewarding valor in war. The annals record that in 350 BC Qin built Xianyang and moved its capital there, merged small villages into forty-one counties, and two years later began levying a military tax. In 340 BC Wey Yang defeated Wei, captured its prince Ang and was enfeoffed at Shang. Duke Xiao died in 338 BC, and his son King Huiwen soon had Shang Yang torn apart by chariots. Jia Yi's *Faults of Qin* (*Guo Qin lun*) opens with Duke Xiao.