Fu Jian died two years and the country was destroyed, why is there the most hope for reunification?
In the autumn of 385 AD, Fu Jian, the former king of Qin, was on Wujiang Mountain in Linyou County, Shaanxi Province, facing his former subordinate and now the rebel general Yao Chang, looking up to the sky and sighing.
Two years ago, he was the commander of the former Qin who led hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and was determined to win. Today, he was captured by traitors, and his reputation was ruined, and it was sad and lamentable.
Although Fu Jian was full of pathos at that time, he may never have thought that the "Battle of Huangshui" in which he led his troops to attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty would become a classic battle in history in which fewer won more, spanning thousands of years of vicissitudes.
And this defeat will give birth to many idioms such as "throwing the whip and breaking the stream", "the grass and trees are soldiers", and "the wind is roaring", which will be passed down from generation to generation. Although Fu Jian left an image of self-defeating and ambitious talent in the eyes of many people due to the defeat of Weishui, we cannot deny that Fu Jian is actually not a laughing stock, but a tragic virtuous man.
Officials only catch thieves, not children who are playing. Xu Tong was surprised by this, and from then on he had a strong impression of him, thinking that he had the appearance of an emperor. In less than 20 years, Fu Jian developed the former Qin into a great power that unified the north and divided the world into three-quarters, ending the 70-year war in the north since the Yongjia Rebellion at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, and realizing a rare situation of military strength and wealth in the troubled times.
The formation of this situation is inseparable from his right-hand man, Prime Minister Wang Meng, who is comparable to "Zhuge Liang".
Wang Meng lived in seclusion in Huayin when he was young, and although he was poor and lowly, he had an extraordinary bearing. His master admonished him: "You are the dragon and phoenix among men, and you will become a great weapon in this place, why bother to seek the near and far!" ”
Wang Meng listened to his teacher and stayed in Guanzhong. However, after the news of Huan Wen's unsuccessful recruitment spread, Fu Jian learned of Wang Meng's name. Fu Jian and Wang Meng, who have not yet become the kings of heaven, met each other, just like the monarchs and ministers of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang more than a hundred years ago.
After Fu Jian ascended the throne, Wang Meng quickly became his right-hand man to display his ambitions, and he was immediately sent to Shiping County (now 19 miles northeast of Xingping City, Shaanxi Province) to pay close attention to the public security problems of the local heroes and nobles.
In Shiping, Wang Meng used thunderous means to attack the powerful who violated the law and discipline, and was strong by the local heroes for whipping a dirty official. Fu Jian blamed him for not using morality to transform people, while Wang Meng believed that the rule of law must be used to calm the troubled times and cut through the chaos quickly.
Since then, Fu Jian has regarded Wang Meng as a virtuous person like Guan Zhong and respected him. The nobles who insulted and slandered Wang Meng were demoted and dismissed, such as Qiu Teng and Xi Bao; In the worst case, he was executed in accordance with the law, such as Fan Shi.
In the midst of the opposition of the Di magnates, Wang Meng went against the wind, was promoted five times in a year, and was awarded the high position of prime minister by Fu Jian, becoming the second in command of the former Qin regime.
Fu Jian treated Wang Meng with a high degree of trust, and Wang Meng reciprocated him with his martial arts. In China, Wang Meng governed fairly, advanced and used energy, "cultivated the military revolution outside, synthesized Confucianism inside, persuaded agriculture and mulberry, and taught honesty and shame", so that the northern land, which had been devastated by the war, was full of vitality.
In foreign countries, Wang Meng changed from a virtuous minister to a virtuous minister of the country, and became the commander of the former Qin expedition to the Quartet, and made great martial arts.
In 367, after Fu Jian ascended the throne, Wang Meng led his army to the west to conquer Liangzhou, successfully quelled the rebellion of Qiqi, and then defeated the army of Zhang Tianxi of the former Liang State, surrendered Li Yan, who had been in Longyou for a long time, and occupied the important land of Caohan in Hexi.
Subsequently, in 368, Wang Meng successfully quelled the Four Princes Rebellion launched by the Fu clan and swept away the rebel forces in the former Qin. In 370, Wang Meng led 60,000 troops to the east against Qianyan, defeated Qianyan's 300,000 troops in the first battle, successfully captured Murong, the lord of Qianyan, and fulfilled his promise to Fu Jian before the war to return to the dynasty with a quick victory.
In Fu Jian's heart, Wang Meng's status has reached the level of a sage, and he even asked the crown prince and eldest son to serve Wang Meng as if they were his own, which shows his respect for Wang Meng. With the assistance of Wang Meng and other virtuous ministers, the former Qin under the rule of Fu Jian achieved the grand occasion of "thieves stopped", "the people were happy", and "the soldiers were strong and the country was rich".
In that martial era, there were few such monarchs who made a name for themselves in history with great prosperity and nurturing the people. In the history books of the Tang Dynasty, which cherished words like gold, the entire paragraph was also used to describe the prosperity of the time, saying that the Guan and Longqing Yan at that time were rich and happy, which shows the prosperity of the former Qin and the tranquility of the people.
Under Fu Jian's governance, the former Qin culture, education, and production developed unprecedentedly, social security was good, the country was rich and the people were safe, and he became the most powerful person in the Wuhu regime. In the future, when Fu Jian was caught in a bitter battle with the rebels, the people in Guanzhong all over the country had loyal actions to resist the rebels for the former Qin, transport military rations, and act as internal responses, reflecting Fu Jian's benevolent government.
He was magnanimous and prosperous, which led to his rule. In the war of the former Qin to unify the north, Fu Jian took many subordinates under his command and reused them, however, when they were disrespectful to Fu Jian and even rebelled, Fu Jian always embodied the Confucian idea of "benevolence".
Murong Chui, a famous general of the former Yan, was brave and good at fighting, and made great achievements for the expansion of the territory, but because he was traitorous to the ministers, he had no choice but to defect to the former Qin. Wang Meng thought that Murong Chui was difficult to control, so he designed the "Golden Knife Strategy" to get rid of it quickly.
However, Murong Ling's eldest son, Murong Ling, was deceived by Wang Meng's confidant Jin Xi, resulting in the destruction of the family. Wang Meng took this opportunity to complain to Fu Jian, intending to put Murong Chui to death.
However, Fu Jian forgave Murong Trai on the grounds that Murong Ling's defection was "incompatible" and reused him as the vanguard general of the Quartet. This incident not only showed Fu Jian's benevolence, but also made the virtuous ministers more inclined to move closer to him.
However, after Fu Jian unified the north, he had the same ambition as the Western Jin Dynasty to destroy Wu a hundred years ago, wanting to dominate the world. After Wang Meng's death, he brazenly announced the southern expedition, ignoring the advice of the former ministers.
Although both the government and the opposition opposed the southern expedition, Fu was determined and mobilized a million troops, which eventually led to the fall of the former Qin. This is Fu Jian's life, with both brilliant exploits and inevitable failures.
The Battle of Weishui in 383 completely shattered the dream of unification of the former Qin. At this critical historical juncture, the two armies confronted each other on the core battlefield of Shouyang, and before the war, Fu Jian sent the captured Jin general Zhu Xu to show off his military might to the Jin army, but he didn't expect Zhu Xu to leak the secrets of the Qin army behind his back.
The initial battle was unfavorable, and the Qin army was defeated by the Jin army, and then fell into the trap of the Jin army. When Zhu Xu returned to the embrace of the "organization" and raised his arms and shouted "The Qin army is defeated", the Qin army, which was originally not highly morale, collapsed instantly, and Fu Jian reluctantly fled to the north.
His dream of reunification for many years was shattered at this moment, and he will also pay a painful price because of his arrogance. Since then, the former Qin has fallen into chaos, and the Xianbei, Qiang, Ding Ling and other affiliated tribes have rebelled, especially the rebellion of the Qiang Yao Chang, which made Fu Jian feel extremely sad and angry.
From ancient times to the present, there have been endless usurpations, like what Fu Jian did back then, killing the king and usurping the throne, just to achieve his own higher status. But as the king of heaven, Fu Jian, he was not complacent because of this, on the contrary, he attached great importance to his position as the king, and he strictly refused the usurper, not wanting to be looked down upon by future generations.
So there was such a scene, in the face of Yao Chang's shameless request, he scolded righteously: "Zen generation, sage things." Yao Chang traitor, how dare he compare with the ancients! ”
Although he no longer had any worries and just wanted to die with dignity, he still "obeyed" his request to this rock-solid old superior and hanged Fu Jian to death in the Buddhist temple where he was imprisoned.
From beginning to end, he maintained his dignity and power, because he knew that the real king did not need to rely on usurpation to gain power. He, Fu Jian, is a truly rock-solid king.
History is a witness to Fu Jian's rise to glory, as well as his transformation from weak to strong and his successful governance of the north. His rule made the north the number one power among the sixteen kingdoms of the Wei and Jin dynasties, an achievement that no one could match.
However, history is also a witness to his forcible southern expedition and its eventual failure. The lessons left by this experience also provide a valuable historical reference for the Sinicization reform of the Northern Dynasties.
For this virtuous monarch who occupied an important position in the Wei and Jin dynasties and in Chinese history, we should take a comprehensive view of his historical merits and demerits and make an objective evaluation of him.
In this way, we can fully appreciate the high contribution of his reign in the Wei and Jin dynasties, as well as his glorious qualities despite defeat. As Mr. Bai Yang said in the preface to "The Tragedy of Fu Jian", Fu Jian's status is alongside Qin Shi Huang, Han Gaozu, Tang Taizong, Kangxi Emperor and other "emperors through the ages", and he is one of the "five great emperors" of ancient China.
His greatness will never be buried, and he is a well-deserved first monarch of the Sixteen Kingdoms.
Jiang Yafu spoke highly of Fu Jian in "History of the Former Qin", believing that he was one of the pioneers who actively promoted sinicization and ethnic integration among the ethnic minorities who migrated internally. His actions had a profound impact on many minority regimes in the later period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and his shadow can even be seen in the reforms of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
History of the Former Qin: Although Fu Jian did not realize his ambition, he started the continuous process of sinicization and ethnic integration of the northern ethnic minorities for more than 200 years, laying the cornerstone for later rulers to promote this process.
After him, the rulers of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern Dynasties successively promoted the policy of ethnic integration, such as the Hu people learning Han culture, the Hu and Han intermarriages, and the absorption of Han people into the regime, etc., it is difficult to say that there was no influence behind him.
Although he and his former Qin dynasty had fallen, the ambition of "mixing the six as one" that he tried his best to realize was finally realized more than 200 years after his death through the Sui Dynasty, which also took Guanzhong as the core and completed the integration of ethnic groups.
The wheels of history are rolling forward, and the merits and demerits are drowned in the changes of the times, leaving them for future generations to comment. But what should not be forgotten is the peace he brought to the people as a Ming monarch and his contribution to promoting national integration in later generations.
Author: Changle Weiyang.