In the long river of Chinese history, there is a historical turning point from the expulsion of the tyrant King Zhou Li to the eastward migration of King Zhou Ping, which opened the great turmoil of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. This period has been called a watershed in China's history, as the dramatic changes not only swept the political landscape, but also profoundly affected social mores and cultural traditions.
From a tyrannical monarch to a peaceful eastward migration, the turmoil and change brought about by this transformation have far-reaching implications, and have become a thought-provoking chapter in ancient Chinese history. During this period of historical change, the expulsion of King Li of Zhou marked the end of an era, while the eastward migration of King Ping of Zhou heralded the beginning of a new era.
The huge contrast between these two monarchs not only makes people reminisce about the political situation at that time, but also provokes deep thinking about the social system, moral concepts and the fate of the country. Let's go through the fog of time, uncover the historical disputes of the Spring and Autumn Period, and explore what kind of historical code is contained in the turbulent and chaotic times, the expulsion of King Zhou Li and the eastward migration of King Zhou Ping.
When it comes to the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, I am afraid that many people only know that there are mediocre monarchs and the troubled times that entered the Spring and Autumn Period, but they do not necessarily understand the causes and consequences of this. In fact, the Zhou Dynasty has experienced nearly 800 years of history from its establishment to its prosperity, to its decline and finally its demise, which contains many twists and turns and the profundity of human nature.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, Ji Shang destroyed the Yin Dynasty and made great contributions, so he got the position of the co-ruler of the world. Ji Shang has the prestige of a god, and the vassal states obey him. In Ji Shang's later years, he passed on the throne to his son Ji Gui, known as the king in history. King Cheng was young and promising, and he also made three chapters of the law for the princes of the world, so that the national strength of the Zhou Dynasty reached its peak.
But after the death of King Cheng, the situation of the Zhou Dynasty began to change. His two sons, Ji Jia and Ji Fa, rebelled and were killed in failure. Such a brotherly rivalry is constantly staged within the royal family, and the royal power is gradually weakened. By the time Li Wang Jihu ascended the throne, Zhou Tianzi was just an empty shell, and his name was greater than his reality. Ji Hu just wanted to revive the royal power, but failed, but the Eastern Zhou era opened and the dynasty came to an end.
So, why did the Zhou Dynasty go from its heyday to decline and finally fall? The key is that the side forces within the Ji clan are rising day by day, these princes and relatives restrain and erode the power of the descendant monarch, and Zhou Tianzi has gradually become a puppet.
The vassal states also looked down on the Zhou Dynasty with such a fictitious head, and some even openly betrayed and rebelled. Ji Hu tried to reverse this situation, but failed. Later, in order to fight for the world, the princes put Zhou Tianzi to death. It can be seen that the fall of the Zhou Dynasty was caused by many factors, among which the internal strife of the sect was the most important reason.
Zhou Li Wang Jihu was the tenth monarch of the Zhou Dynasty, with many hearts and ambitions, and he was quite wise when he ascended the throne in his early years, and was deeply praised by his fathers. However, the good times did not last long, and he gradually revealed some ideas that did not meet the standard of "virtuous king"—he believed that as the Son of Heaven, he should monopolize the interests of the world, and other countries should follow his instructions; He was also eager to increase the royal family's income and strengthen his position among the princes.
In fact, this implies that the Zhou Dynasty at that time was facing a huge crisis, and Ji Hu was eager to firmly control power through economic means. To this end, he appointed a minister who advocated nationalizing the economy and promoting mercantilist policies, and in one fell swoop collected the property and interests of the noble bosses of the court and the central government into the royal family, which aroused the strong dissatisfaction of the nobles.
These hereditary princes have always been arrogant, how could they be willing to give up their ancestral inheritance to the royal family? They secretly colluded, ready to find an opportunity to give Ji Hu a dismissal. However, Ji Hu himself was extremely proud of this, and he boasted to Zhao Mugong: "I have successfully stopped the complaints and slander of the people, and now no one dares to talk about me!" He thought it was his wise decision to force the people to comply.
Zhao Mugong severely accused him of breaking the levee and causing floods, which would only lead to a greater disaster in the end. However, Ji Hu didn't listen to it at all, he was full of confidence and thought that he could take it all in. In fact, this can only say that he has completely fallen into the fog of paranoia and lost the ability to judge the situation rationally.
Soon, a vigorous "Chinese riot" broke out. Ji Hu was driven out of **, fled to the countryside in a hurry, and spent the rest of his life there. Zhao Mu Gong and Zhou Dinggong, who acted on his behalf, quelled the turbulent situation. However, if you think about it, is this "Chinese riot" really initiated by ordinary people? Or is there a hidden aristocratic power in it? After all, Jihu's reforms seriously violated their vested interests.
Thinking of this, we have to feel sorry for Ji Hu's original intention - although he has excesses, he also wants to revitalize the royal family, strengthen his own power, and deal with the crisis of weak national strength. It's just that his approach was too hasty, which eventually led to a political catastrophe and a tragedy. This "Chinese riot" may not be as simple as it seems.
Ji Zang, the king of Zhou You, after Ji Hu, can be called extremely mediocre. He indulged in drinking and flirting with the Ji family (i.e., Bao Xi) all day long, and left all the politics and education behind him, leaving the traitor and villain Yu Shi's father to rule. And what angered the public was that in order to establish his son as the crown prince, he first deposed the previous prince, and then instigated his father-in-law Shenhou to kill the prince - this is undoubtedly a heinous crime.
In the past, his father King Zhou Li was also supported by important ministers such as Zhou Gong Ji Dan, but King Zhou You was reduced to the point of misconduct, and the prestige of the royal family can be seen to be gone. This kind of nonsense of King Youwang made the important ministers and princes see clearly that their monarch was an absurd, ignorant and unscrupulous person. Shenhou decisively refused King You's order and killed the prince, and he still had to keep this bottom line.
The King of You was furious and wanted to attack the Shen Kingdom and annihilate it in one fell swoop. However, at this time, Shenhou also saw the true face of King You, and did not stop doing anything, and quickly contacted the Shanginu Rong tribe and attacked Hojing in one fell swoop. King You also counted on the Beacon Fire to gather the princes to save him, but he misestimated the loyalty of these princes to him - few countries responded, and even the most loyal Qin State was delayed.
King Zhou You, who betrayed his relatives, could only watch the dog Rong army kill in front of him, and finally died in the hands of Shenhou. After the fall of King You, Shenhou supported King Ping to succeed to the throne, but this was no longer able to return to the sky. The capital Hojing was severely damaged, the temple was destroyed, and the capital had to be moved to Luoyang.
The Eastern Zhou Dynasty officially began, and the dynasty collapsed from then on. At this time, the Zhou royal family existed in name only, and was no longer able to restrain the princes. Zheng's annexation of Hu is a testament to this, and brutal annexations between princes for profit have become the norm. The order of ritual music collapsed in an all-round way, and the so-called "Spring and Autumn Troubled Times" began. The dynasty has changed from prosperity to decline, and blood is drenched but it is inevitable.
For hundreds of years after that, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was only the nominal ruler and could no longer effectively manage the vassal states. Zhou Tianzi was reduced to an ornament, and the real power was controlled by the princes. Seeing the increasing loss of the prestige of the imperial court, people couldn't help but sigh - once upon a time, the Western Zhou kingdoms were loyal, obeyed the king's orders, and fought side by side. Now that the king of Zhou has moved east, everything has changed.
After entering the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the great powers left Zhou Tianzi behind in order to seek the world. Even ceremonial deference is only superficial. At that time, Zheng Guo, who was rich and strong among the princes, dared to annex the allied state of Hu, and no longer cared about the opinions of the Zhou royal family. This obviously indicates that the Eastern Weekend Road is coming to an end, and the princes are going to break through the feudal screen and compete to take the world.
Zheng Guo's actions were undoubtedly a blatant challenge to the system of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. It should be pointed out that after King Wu of Zhou destroyed the Yin Dynasty, it was actually a victory achieved through the power of the alliance of princes. So the Zhou royal family also had a certain dependence on the princes. Once the princes no longer respect the king of Zhou as their leader, the Zhou royal family will exist in name only, like a branch on a tree that has been cut off.
The rise of the princes in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is a clear proof of the loss of authority of Zhou Tianzi. All kinds of signs show that the fate of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty has been decided, and its destruction is only a matter of time. Perhaps the decline of the Zhou royal family itself is also to blame, and Ji Hu's reforms that year were an attempt to reverse this situation, but ultimately failed.
Throughout the whole process of the decline and fall of the Zhou Dynasty, there are certainly elements of faint kings and troubled times, but more often than not, the Zhou royal family itself is losing its prestige and weakening its national strength, so it is inevitable that it will be destroyed. In fact, not only the Zhou Dynasty, but any change of dynasties in history contains all kinds of twists and turns in the human nature plot, and many key historical turning points come from the decisions of some key figures.
We can't just look at the superficial cause and effect and ignore the undercurrents that are surging underneath. However, in any case, when the order collapses, the common people are the most innocent victims. As Zhao Mugong said, "Everyone in the country is in danger", this is the real tragedy after the chaos.
Therefore, we must not only complain about the fate of the faint king or the rise and fall of the reincarnation, but also think about how to avoid making ordinary people the price of turbulent times again. This may be the angle of thinking we should really have when we stand in the depths of history and examine the fall of the Zhou Dynasty. Because when dynasties change, the real innocent victims are always the ordinary people at the bottom.