96 The End of Zhou Dynasty

A4.81|82

King Nan of Zhou died, and the people of Zhou fled eastward. Qin seized the Nine Tripod Cauldrons and treasures of Zhou and moved the Duke of Western Zhou to Danhu. Seven years later, King Zhuangxiang of Qin destroyed the Eastern Zhou. The Eastern Zhou and Western Zhou were annexed by the Qin State, and the Zhou Dynasty's sacrifices were discontinued from then on.

The Grand Historian said: "Scholars all say that the Zhou people lived in Luoyi after defeating King Zhou the Tyrant. After comprehensive investigation of the actual situation, I found that it is not true. King Wu built Luoyi, and King Cheng ordered Duke Shao to divine whether Luoyi was suitable for living, and placed the Nine Tripod Cauldrons there. After King Cheng, the Western Zhou Dynasty always set its capital between Feng and Hao. It was not until the Quanrong defeated King You that the Zhou Dynasty moved eastward to Luoyi. The so-called "Duke Zhou was buried in Bi", "Bi" is in Du, southeast of Hao. After the Qin State destroyed the Zhou Dynasty, the Han Dynasty rose to power over ninety years later, the emperor would offer sacrifices to heaven on the top of Mount Tai, and then travel eastward to the Henan region to look for the descendants of the Zhou Dynasty. He would grant the descendants of the Zhou Dynasty an area of ​​thirty lis (roughly 90 miles), and call them the Southern Lord of Viscount Zhou, and enjoy the same treatment as the marquises, so as to offer sacrifices to the ancestors of the Zhou Dynasty. 

周君、王赧卒，周民遂东亡。秦取九鼎宝器，而迁西周公于{单心}狐。后七岁，秦庄襄王灭东周。东西周皆入于秦，周既不祀。

太史公曰：学者皆称周伐纣，居洛邑，综其实不然。武王营之，成王使召公卜居，居九鼎焉，而周复都丰、镐。至犬戎败幽王，周乃东徙于洛邑。所谓“周公葬毕”，毕在镐东南杜中。秦灭周。汉兴九十有余载，天子将封泰山，东巡狩至河南，求周苗裔，封其后嘉三十里地，号曰周子南君，比列侯，以奉其先祭祀。