WI/AHC: Ba and Shu unite the Sichuan Basin.

[Jon the Numbat]

Shu and Ba were two regional states of ancient Sichuan. During the Warring States Period, the basin aided Qin's position immensely. After its conquest in 316 BCE, the area provided a wealth of agricultural surplus and manpower for the burgeoning state. But what if Sichuan unites into a powerful kingdom before Qin ever got around to attempting to annexing it?

What changes would need to come about for Shu or Ba (or a mix thereof) to manage to unify the basin before Qin's expansion into the area. Moreover, what would be required by this state to persist as long as possible or for it to be troublesome for it's conqueror to hold?

Perhaps the POD should occur before the ascension of Duke Xiao of Qin. Shang Yang was invited into Qin under his reign and became a prominent advisor, laying the groundwork for Sichuan's incorporation.

How might Qin develop during the Spring and Autumn and Warring states period with a powerful united neighbor to the southwest? Even if this united Shu/Ba state finds itself eventually conquered could it's culture leave a lasting imprint on China?

 

[Jon the Numbat]

I've given this a few more ideas.

The Ba peoples were known as great warriors and their artifacts reveal an an importance to martial activities. The Ba were were also employed by Chu as mercenaries. So perhaps we can work with this. In around the 600s-500s B.C. A mixed Ba-Shu mercenary of exceptional cunning travels across Chu and then to more of China, learning numerous tactics throughout his life. He returns one day as an advisor to Shu and eventually succeeds in creating a professional army of Shu and allied Ba peoples.

After defending Shu-Ba against an assault of Chu or Qin and a coalition of enemy Ba peoples, our mercenary takes command of Shu-Ba following a coup. His successors take in refugees from the courts of other states and gradually increase the agricultural production of the Sichuan Basin. Most importantly, they each create and maintain a series of impressive defensive works. By the late Spring and Autumn Period this United Shu- Ba state has become strong enough to present a serious challenge to large efforts to conquer it.

I imagine the main antagonist to our Shu-Ba state might be Chu, raiding down the Yangtze at Chu's expense. However, when faced with powerful neighboring states to the east and north, might Shu-Ba direct it's efforts further south towards central Yunnan into what would be the Kingdom of Dian?

The worst nightmare for this Shu-Ba power would be an alliance between Chu and Qin, taking immense resources to defend against a two pronged attack. However, I doubt either would let the other take all of Sichuan. Cooperating long enough to fully destroy Greater Shu-Ba may prove problematic, giving the kingdom the chance to buckle down and prepare for a counter attack. Especially if the states further east use the unexpectedly long war in Sichuan to attack Qin or Chu.

I guess what I'm really interested in speculating about is the course of the Warring States period with a strong kingdom in Sichuan. Qin has less resources than OTL, while Chu's efforts to the north and south are hampered by a worthy adversary to the west...

Thoughts?