Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Author: Cai Dongfan / Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The strategy of "reversing the flower and wood" was used to offer a beautiful woman as a gift. Using Li to replace Tao, the emperor had imperial policies, and the emperor had imperial virtue. Historians praise historical events, first and foremost the Three Emperors and Five Kings. In fact, the Three Emperors and Five Kings did not call themselves emperors or kings themselves. Later generations, because they were the first to rule the world and create civilization, turned a chaotic world into a prosperous and orderly state, truly showing the imperial policies of the emperors and the boundless virtue of the kings, so they were particularly revered and added the titles of "emperor" and "king" to them. (This idea had never been heard of before, and once revealed, it turned out to be a profound truth.)
By the time of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, if it was the Great Yu, Cheng Tang, or the Duke of Zhou, they were all virtuous and wise rulers, but they feared they could not match the ancients and dared not call themselves emperors or kings, but lowered their title to king. By the time the Eastern Zhou declined and the Western Qin rose, the tyrannical Ying Zheng, relying on the legacy of his ancestors, recruited tens of millions of strong men from Guanlong, and acted arrogantly across the land, devouring anding states. He easily gathered the map of the nine provinces into his own hands and believed himself to be unparalleled in ancient and modern times. Thus, he combined the character "emperor" of the Three Emperors and the character "king" of the Five Kings into a term called "emperor." Ah! The title of "emperor" and "king" was not achieved through merit and virtue, but was actually forged with blood and tears.
Take a look at the history of the tyrannical Qin. What imperial policies did it have? What imperial virtue did it have? It merely took advantage of the chaos and relied on some military power to achieve success by chance. It then became arrogant and self-important, thinking that only it was supreme.
There is also a matter of great commemoration in our country, which is that the autocratic monarchy of our country was completely created by Ying Zheng. Since the founding of the Yellow Emperor, the establishment of national laws was originally a monarchy, followed by generations as a standard, but it never had the idea of "no one should oppose me, acting alone and unilaterally." Yao set up the drum of advice, established the wooden stake for slander, Shun consulted the Four Great Mountains and the Twelve Pastors, Yu listened to the words of Chang, Tang did not hesitate to change his ways, and the Zhou Dynasty had the system of consulting the ministers, officials, and the people. The slips of bamboo have been passed down to this day without change. It can be seen that the ancient sages and wise kings, although revered as the Son of Heaven and governing the nine provinces, still had to gather wisdom and follow public opinion, liking what the people liked and disliking what the people disliked, in order to achieve lasting peace and become a peaceful ruler, leaving a legacy for future generations.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is called enlightened autocracy, not absolute autocracy. (The voice is grand and vast.)
Since Ying Zheng took the throne, he was solely focused on imperial power and treated the people like cattle, dogs, pigs, and pigs. He did and carried out all the commands for supervision and suppression, and all the severe and brutal punishments, thinking that life and death were entirely in his hands. Naturally, the people submitted and dared not resist. From then on, the position of the emperor became unshakable, allowing his descendants to inherit it for generations.
But who knew that pursuing one's desires was difficult, and offending the people was difficult. Fortunately, he died quickly and did not lose his head, but within one generation, the court was in chaos. The soldiers rebelled, the pass of Hangu was raised, and the Chu people set fire to it, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth. Thus, Chu and Han fought for dominance, and Liu Bang and Xiang Yu competed for supremacy. Xiang Yu was a mighty warrior who could lift a tripod and inspire thousands, but he was a hero of the times, without wisdom or strategy. Instead, he allowed the village head from Si to rise to prominence, using several strategists, ministers, and fierce warriors to finally eliminate the Xiang, and peacefully took control of the Central Plains. Historians said he was magnanimous and indeed extraordinary. Moreover, he promulgated laws after entering the capital, abolished all harsh regulations, and won the hearts of the people, so he swept away Qin and defeated Xiang in five years.
But I trace the history of the Han Dynasty and find that it mostly followed the Qin system, without any major reforms. Xiao He was originally a clerk, and Sun Jun was also a student of cotton and reed (cotton and reed were standards for positions, cotton was for setting up cotton ropes, and reed was for planting on the ground to practice rituals, so that people knew the hierarchy). What they saw and heard was all the stories of the pre-Qin era, and they knew nothing of the grand plan of governing the state and the land. Therefore, when they helped the Han to make laws, it was still the same old wine in a new bottle, strictly enforcing the autocratic system and suppressing the people.
Emperor Gaozu of Han was proud of himself, saying, "Today I finally understand the greatness of the emperor." From this perspective, the Qin and Han dynasties were roughly the same in scale, but the severe laws and punishments were only slightly better than the tyrannical Qin. Historians may praise and exaggerate, but it is mostly flattery and not entirely believable.
After Emperor Gaozu's death, Lü Zhi seized power and almost destroyed the Liu family, continuing the legacy of the fallen Qin. Fortunately, there were still a few loyal ministers who restored order and preserved the foundation of the Liu family. Emperor Wen ascended the throne and was a wise ruler who was humble, quiet, frugal, and prosperous. He relaxed the laws, encouraged agriculture, and filled the treasury while emptying the prisons. The vitality of the Han Dynasty was indeed restored by Emperor Wen. Emperor Jing followed his legacy, but was somewhat stern, fought against the seven states, which was a burden on the people, but it was still an unavoidable measure and could not be criticized for being militaristic. In addition, he still had the legacy of his father, remembering to be humble and frugal.
The Zhou Dynasty's Cheng and Kang were comparable to the Han Dynasty's Wen and Jing, both being wise rulers. By the time of Emperor Wu, he was completely different from his ancestors, being fond of grandeur and ambition, like Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang loved to fight, Emperor Wu also loved to fight; Qin Shi Huang loved to travel, Emperor Wu also loved to travel; Qin Shi Huang was suspicious, Emperor Wu was also suspicious; Qin Shi Huang loved to execute, Emperor Wu also loved to execute; Qin Shi Huang loved construction, Emperor Wu also loved construction; Qin Shi Huang loved immortals, Emperor Wu also loved immortals; Qin Shi Huang loved wealth and beauty, Emperor Wu also loved wealth and beauty. Later generations often compared Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu, thinking that they expanded the territory through military campaigns and that the foreign tribes in the east and west, north and south, fled at the mere mention of their names, which was considered a great military achievement and a heroic ruler of two dynasties.
Who knew that the fall of Qin was not due to Hu Hai, but due to Qin Shi Huang; and the fall of Han was not due to Emperor Ping, but due to Emperor Wu. (This book lists the Qin and Han dynasties, implying this meaning.) The 40 years of accumulation by Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing were spent by Emperor Wu in one life, exhausting the wealth of the country and exhausting the people.
Emperors Zhao and Xuan were still able to renew the people and govern diligently, but by the time of Emperor Yuan and Emperor Cheng, Hong Gong and Shi Xian were almost like Zhao Gao, and Du Qin and Gu Yong were like Li Si. The royal family of Wang gradually seized the opportunity to enter the court and hold power. Emperors Ai and Ping were ignorant and weak, and the fate of the Han Dynasty began to change. Wang Mang pretended to be humble and deceived the scholars and the people. The court and the people praised the merits of the "Prince of Anhan" to an extent of 8,000 people. Although Wang Mang was good at making connections and gained this meaningless reputation, it was also because the people's hearts had gradually turned away from the Han Dynasty, unwilling to return to the Han, and were deceived by the rebellious Wang Mang, who stole the throne of the Han family.
To trace the root of the disaster, it cannot be blamed on Emperor Wu. If it is said that the Qin lasted for two generations and the Han lasted for eleven generations, the length of time was greatly different. This was because the Han ancestors and Han zong had accumulated virtue and benevolence for one or two generations, unlike Qin Shi Huang, who was purely tyrannical and unfeeling, so there was a difference between the short and long durations. (The comment is indeed correct.)
Let's skip the details and get to the point. The emperor of the Qin Dynasty was Ying Zheng, whose distant ancestor was Bo Yi of the era of Emperor Shun. Bo Yi managed the mountains and marshes and assisted Yu in controlling the floods. He was rewarded with a fief and given the surname Ying. After several generations, Fei Lian had a son named E Lai, who was good at running and strong, and helped Zhou in his tyranny, and was executed with Zhou. The fifth generation of E Lai was Fei Zi, who lived in Quanqiu and was good at breeding horses. He was summoned by King Xiaohao of Zhou and ordered to manage the pastures between Kai and Wei. The horses multiplied greatly, and King Xiaohao then enfeoffed him as a vassal and granted him the land of Qin. Four generations later, Xiang Gong assisted Zhou in pacifying the and escorted King Ping to the east. He was granted the land of Qi and Feng and enfeoffed as the Duke, and the Ying Qin began to grow. After several more generations, Mu Gong unified twelve states and became the of the Western Rong. After ten more generations, when the six states were in chaos, Xiao Gong rose and used Shang Yang as the left chamberlain, reformed the laws to strengthen the state, and defeated the other states, establishing the capital in Xianyang. His son, Huiwenjun, usurped the title of king, and his successor was Wuzhang Wang and Zhaoxiang Wang, who competed with the six states of the east and west, conquered cities and land, and grew increasingly strong. When King Xian of Zhou offered land to Qin, all the nine dings were taken by the Qin people. The son of Zhaoxiang Wang, Xiaowen Wang, had a son named Yi Ren, who was sent as a hostage to Zhao. The great merchant Lü Buwei, passing through Handan, the capital of Zhao, saw Yi Ren and privately sighed that he was a rare commodity. He pretended to be friendly with him and made a close friend. Yi Ren, living far from home, had no relatives and could not help but feel lonely and sad. Suddenly, he met an unexpected good friend, who was a kindred spirit, and they became close friends. He confided in his travel hardships and life ambitions. Lü Buwei then devised a wonderful plan to help him. Yi Ren was sent as a hostage when Zhaoxiang Wang was still on the throne, and Xiaowen Wang was the crown prince. There was a concubine named Huayang who had not given birth to a son. Yi Ren was the son of Xia Ji, and he had more than twenty brothers. Lü Buwei, after learning about Yi Ren's situation, seized the opportunity to speak and said that he must please Huayang to become the heir to the throne. Yi Ren naturally agreed, but he was sorry that no one would go to plead his case. Fortunately, Lü Buwei was willing to do so, and he generously offered a thousand pieces of gold, half to be given to Yi Ren to make friends, and half to be stored in his luggage as travel expenses to the west to help Yi Ren. (This is truly a speculative business.)
Yi Ren, hearing of such help, was deeply grateful and made a secret agreement with Lü Buwei, saying that if the plan succeeded, he would share the Qin state with him. Lü Buwei then happily went west, buying all kinds of rare goods and treasures along the way and bringing them into the capital. He first went to the sister of Huayang to buy influence and asked her to persuade Huayang. He said: "The concubine has no children, she must choose a talented person to adopt. If she waits until her beauty fades and love wanes, there will be no heir to inherit, and it will be too late to regret. Now Yi Ren is a hostage in Zhao, crying and thinking of the crown prince and the concubine day and night. Take this opportunity to make Yi Ren the heir, ask him to return to the country, and Yi Ren will surely be grateful and remember it forever. This is the best strategy." This speech made the concubine wake up and deeply admire him. That night, she reported to the crown prince, using a gentle and tearful expression to persuade him, and the crown prince could not refuse. They broke the seal and made an agreement to make Yi Ren the heir. The concubine, knowing that Lü Buwei had helped her, asked him to return and teach Yi Ren, and also gave him a generous gift. (He had already earned interest.) Lü Buwei reported back to Yi Ren, and Yi Ren was naturally delighted. From then on, his friendship with Yi Ren grew even stronger. Lü Buwei, meanwhile, harbored sinister intentions and searched for a beautiful woman. By chance, there was a courtesan in Zhao who was graceful and lovely, and he spent a lot of money to take her as his concubine. With his natural vitality, he had several encounters with her and actually sowed a seed of understanding. Lü Buwei had previously predicted that it would be a male child (What technique was this? I guess Lü Buwei had a secret method of sowing seeds.) He then brought Yi Ren in and hosted a banquet for him. When the wine was half-drunk, he ordered Zhao Ji to dress up and come out to serve the wine. Yi Ren could have ignored her, but seeing her beautiful face and moon-like appearance, he could not help but be stunned and lost his composure,