title: "Soochow Tuogu: The Evolution of Power and the Turmoil of the Court"
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the rise of Eastern Wu went through several generations of monarchs, among which "Tuogu" became a tradition. However, this tradition has not always been smooth in the long history, especially on the road from Emperor Sun Xiu of Wu Jing to Sun Hao, the late Emperor of Wu, which is full of twists and turns. This paper will deeply analyze the origin, development and twists and turns of Soochow Tuogu in its historical evolution.
The tradition of supporting orphans in Eastern Wu began during the reigns of Sun Jian and Sun Ce. In 192 AD, Sun Jian led an army to conquer Jingzhou and was killed in battle. Due to the young age of Sun Jian's son, Sun Ben temporarily took over military affairs. When Sun Jian's eldest son, Sun Ce, grew up, he helped his uncle Wu Jing fight against Liu Xuan, and eventually rose to prominence in Jiangdong and became a hegemon.
Sun Ce gathered talents, such as Zhou Yu, Zhu Zhi, Zhang Zhao, etc., and successfully defeated the hostile forces and laid the foundation for Jiangdong's hegemony. However, he was assassinated in 200 AD, leaving Soochow in a difficult position. On his deathbed, Sun Ce entrusted his authority to his younger brother Sun Quan and set up a tradition of "entrusting orphans".
When Sun Quan first came to power, he was troubled internally and externally. Internal rebellions and intrigues continued, and there was a threat from Cao Wei and Shanyue outside. However, Sun Quan skillfully used important ministers such as Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao to integrate the support of the clan and the family, which gradually stabilized the Eastern Wu and laid the foundation of Jiangdong.
During the reign of Sun Xiu under Sun Quan, the Jiangdong regime gradually recovered, and the reform policies injected new vitality into the development of Jiangzuo. However, after Sun Xiu's death, the Nanlu party struggle broke out, infighting continued, and Soochow fell into chaos again.
When Emperor Wu Jingdi Sun Xiu was seriously ill, he entrusted his ten-year-old son Sun Liang to Prime Minister Pu Yangxing and entrusted him to important ministers. However, Pu Yangxing, Zhang Bu and others violated Sun Xiu's last wishes and elected Sun Xiu's clan elders as emperors, and Sun Xiu's son Sun Hao was established as the late emperor of Wu.
After Sun Hao ascended the throne, there was political corruption and internal and external strife. After the Nanlu Party Struggle, the political ideas of Sun Xiu's period were gradually lost, and Sun Hao's reign became the last scene of Eastern Wu. Political infighting and the killing of kings occurred frequently, leading to the gradual decline of Eastern Wu.
The tradition of Tuogu in Eastern Wu was once a glorious political ritual, but the twists and turns of the past dynasties made this tradition lose its luster during the reign of Emperor Wu Jing's Sun Xiu. From the glorious moment of Tuogu to the special tyrant of Sun Hao, the fate of the Eastern Wu regime was turbulent and left a profound lesson in history.
In this long history, the tradition of Dongwu not only witnessed the glory and disgrace of the alternation of emperors, but also reflected the impermanence of political changes. Emperor Wu Jing's Tuo Gu left behind by Sun Xiu eventually became a joke of the Eastern Wu regime, leaving a deep reflection on later generations: the stability and development of the regime could not be separated from wise leadership, and ignoring traditional rituals could lead to political chaos and decay.