What is the reason for the chaos of the four generations of the Qin State
In 385 B.C., something incredible happened in the state of Qin.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a prince of Qin who had been in exile for many years returned to China, claiming that the current throne of the Duke of Qin was illegal and that he had the right to fight for it. Although it is common for high-level infighting in various countries to snatch the right of inheritance, it is rare for this prince to return to China to seize power in a grand manner.
Upon learning of this, the State of Qin quickly sent a large army to intercept it. However, the results were unexpected. The army sent to the front line not only did not attack the prince, but surrendered directly and escorted him back to the capital to fight for the throne.
On the way back to the capital, these people also helped Childe spread the word and invited their families to come and support him.
A historical legend tells the story of how a prince who returned from abroad successfully overthrew the then monarch with the support of the people of Qin, ascended to the throne as Qin Xiangong, and opened the end of Qin's sixty-year-long political chaos.
His accession to the throne was seen by the Qin people as an epoch-making symbol, marking the end of four generations of chaotic government. In the history books of later generations, this turmoil of Qin's domestic ministers for decades was called the "Four Generations of Rebellion", and the accession to the throne of Qin Xiangong was the end of this chaos.
Historically, the Qin State has experienced decades of political chaos. Why there was continuous civil strife at the top of the Qin State, and why Qin Xiangong was able to return to the Qin State and gain everyone's unanimous support, the answers to these questions can be found from Qin Xiangong's grandfather's grandfather, Qin Li's Gonggong's generation.
Qin Li reigned for thirty-four years, and although the Qin state failed to cross the Hangu Pass to the east, it reached a new height west of the Hangu Pass. The Qin state became increasingly powerful in the west, forcing Yiqu, Shu and other countries to submit and become the overlord of the west.
Qin Li's reign of more than 30 years is the essence of history. In the early days of his accession to the throne, the struggle for hegemony between Wu and Yue had come to an end, and the Yue Kingdom defeated the Wu State. At that time, the strength of the Yue Kingdom was overwhelming.
In the middle of the Qin Li Gonggong period, the Jin Kingdom had a shocking "Battle of Jinyang". Han Wei, the Zhijia alliance within the Jin Kingdom, wanted to destroy the Zhao family, but the Zhao family joined forces with Han Wei to fight back against the Zhi family, and finally the Zhi family was defeated in the Jin Kingdom.
After the defeat of the Zhi family in the Jin Kingdom, the only remaining family members fled to the Qin State and were protected by the Duke of Qin Li, thus avoiding the danger of extinction. If it weren't for Qin Li's acceptance of these exiles, the Zhi family might have disappeared completely.
In the context of the great history of the late Spring and Autumn Period, Qin Li's performance was remarkable. Under his leadership, the state of Qin not only did not decline, but gradually became stronger. In the later part of the reign of Qin Li, the Yue State courted the Qin State, and the Chu State also took the initiative to form an alliance with the Qin State against the Jin State.
In addition, Qin Li Gonggong also led an army to defeat Yiqu and went south to occupy the Hanzhong region, accumulating experience for the later Qin state to further occupy Hanzhong.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Qin State was the most prominent after Qin Mugong, and its power can be seen. However, during this period, when Qin Li Gonggong, the monarch of Qin, was dealing with the issue of heirs, there was an omission, which laid a hidden danger for Qin.
This omission led to the later "four generations of chaotic government", which had far-reaching consequences. Gong Gong Qin Li had two sons, who were called Duke Qin and Duke Huai of Qin by later generations.
After the death of Gonggong Qin Li, his eldest son, Gong Qin, ascended the throne as the new monarch. During the fourteen-year reign of the Duke of Qin, his main task was to fight against the Yiqu behind him.
Although many people believe that Yiqu was not a powerful force and was only annexed by Qin in the middle of the Warring States period, in fact, Yiqu was still a threat that could not be ignored when the Jin state east of Hangu Pass was divided by the Han, Zhao and Wei families, and the Chu state in the south went north to contain the attention of the Han, Zhao and Wei families.
There has always been a misunderstanding about the perception of Yiqu. In fact, the historical Yiqu was an incomparably powerful regime. In the heyday of the Zhou Dynasty, it fought fiercely with Xirong and was the predecessor of Xirong.
Of course, strictly speaking, Yiqu is only a branch of Xijon. However, in the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, Yiqu almost unified the entire Xirong, and its national power also reached its peak.
In terms of land area, it was even larger than the Qin State at that time. In the face of such an enemy, the Qin State naturally had to be doubly careful. Although his father had defeated Yiqu, this did not mean that Qin Yangong could also win easily.
At that time, the Qin Dynasty was facing decline, and its national strength was declining year by year. The reasons for why this is the case are complex. To put it simply, it is roughly that the Qin State has been blocked by the Jin State for a long time to the west of Hangu Pass, unable to expand, and there has been a class solidification in the country.
Therefore, in the late Spring and Autumn Period, the Qin State will naturally continue to decline. After 14 years of reign, Qin Yigong passed away for unknown reasons. There are very few records of the life of Qin Yigong in the official history.
As for the cause of his death, we have no way of knowing. But what is certain is that during the period of the death of the Duke of Qin, many important events took place in the Qin State.
It seems a little strange that the death of Qin Yangong was not in accordance with the normal inheritance system, so that his son **, but his younger brother **. It is common sense that the father should inherit after his death, unless the father has no son.
However, according to later historians, Qin was at least forty years old when he died, and he should have had a son at such an age. Therefore, the most likely scenario is that after the death of the Duke of Qin, for some unknown reason, the high-ranking nobles of the Qin state united and prevented his son from succeeding to the throne.
While there is no conclusive evidence yet, it is highly likely that this will happen, judging by later developments.
Qin Li's nickname revealed the problems that existed in the Qin State at that time. In ancient times, after the death of a king, the epithet was a summary of his life, and it needed to be treated with caution. "
Great"It means ruthless killing, implying that Qin Li Gonggong is not a benevolent king"altogether"It means that there is a mistake that can be corrected. Therefore, this epithet probably means that from the time of the Qin Li Gonggong, problems began to arise at the top of the Qin state, with the nobles fighting for power with the monarch, and the monarch violently suppressing the nobles, resulting in instability at the top.
Despite the lack of relevant historical data, we are still unable to determine the truth of the matter. It is not without doubt that after the death of the Duke of Qin, the high-ranking nobles of the Qin State supported his younger brother Qin Huaigong as the new monarch.
Before Qin Huaigong ascended the throne, he was not in the Qin State, but in the Jin State. Later historians speculated that he may have been there as a hostage. After Qin Huaigong returned to China, it would be an unusual thing if he could quickly seize power.
However, for the next four years, Qin Huaigong remained in power, but according to historians, he may have been just a puppet, and all the power of the court was in the hands of high-ranking nobles.
After four years, this Qin Huaigong committed suicide mysteriously under the pressure of the nobles. Although the record of this history is extremely brief in the history books, and the cause and process are not recorded, we know that four years after Qin Huaigong ascended the throne, he was forced to commit suicide by Qin Guoshu Chang Mo and other nobles.
We don't know anything about the identity of this mole and the specific means of forcing Qin Huaigong to death. After the death of Qin Huaigong, because his son died before him, he could only be succeeded by his grandson, Qin Linggong, who was the grandfather of Qin Xiaogong, who later implemented the Shang Dynasty reform.
This passage reveals that after the death of the Duke of Qin, the power of the Qin state fell into the hands of the old nobles, due to the failure of his son to ascend the throne during the lifetime of the Duke of Qin. This can also be seen as the outbreak of problems and contradictions in the Qin State during the reign of the Duke of Qin.
Qin Huaigong, the younger brother of Qin Mangong, has no son when he has grandchildren, and Qin Mangong, as the elder brother, has no son, which is incomprehensible. This proves that after the death of Duke Qin, a lot happened in the Qin State, which led to his son failing to ascend the throne.
From the hidden dangers during the reign of Qin Li Gonggong to the full-scale outbreak of the generation of Qin Mangong and Qin Huaigong, it can be seen that the problems and contradictions in Qin have reached the point where they cannot be ignored.
Qin Yigong and Qin Huaigong were the first generation of the four generations of chaotic government, and after their death, the wind of chaotic government soon spread to the third generation due to their grandson's succession. Qin Linggong reigned for ten years, and although he was not very old, he was close to adulthood, and he gave birth to a son two years after his accession to the throne, that is, Qin Xiangong, who later returned to China to seize power.
During this decade, the three families completed the division in the Jin Kingdom and became independent into three vassal states, but they did not receive the official canonization of the Zhou royal family. The Wei family, a family that became independent from the Jin Kingdom, first began to recruit celebrities from all over the world, opening the style of raising scholars during the Warring States Period.
In the process of the Wei family's recruitment of celebrities, Li Kui's arrival played a key role. He assisted the Wei family in carrying out internal reforms, which is the famous Li Kui reform in history.
This reform activity opened the vigorous history of reform during the Warring States Period, and during the reign of Qin Linggong, the Wei family's reform had begun to achieve initial results. As a result, the Wei family, which had not yet been officially canonized, began a large-scale attack on the Qin State to compete for the Hexi region.
Therefore, during the ten years of Qin Linggong's reign, the main work of the Qin state was to block the Wei family along the Yellow River and fight against the Wei family. Although the Wei family was only a family separated from the Jin State, in the battlefield at that time, the Qin State did not have any advantage, and was even pressed and beaten by the Wei family.
Before Qin Linggong ascended the throne, his grandfather Qin Huaigong was already in a state of being elevated. Therefore, Qin Linggong has been in power for ten years, and how much real power he has in his hands has become a big mystery. Historians generally believe that Qin Linggong may have been a puppet within the Qin state and could not control the country.
In 415 BC, Qin Linggong died, and according to convention, his son should ascend the throne. However, his son Yingshi Xi (Qin Xiangong) was only nine years old.
If it was in the era of the monarchy, the nine-year-old son might have the possibility of inheriting the throne. However, his father was just a puppet, and after his father's death, the Wei family's attack on the Qin state became more and more fierce, and those nobles naturally did not support him on the throne, because their own interests would be affected.
Therefore, after the death of the third generation of Qin Linggong, the high-ranking nobles of Qin decided to support Qin Linggong's uncle Yingmourning Zi as the new monarch, and he was Qin Jiangong. This sequence can be described as a chaotic cycle: the first generation is confused, the third generation is also confused, and then the second generation comes to power, causing chaos again.
Although there is very little historical information about the reign of Qin Jiangong, according to the available records, he should have had some political ability to reclaim at least some power from those nobles.
During the reign of Qin Jiangong, a series of major reforms were implemented, including the breaking of the tradition of the sword of the lower class and the common people, and the recognition of private ownership of land, which undoubtedly touched the rights and interests of the old nobles of Qin.
Qin Jiangong's real power was the key to accomplishing these reforms, but even so, his efforts could not stop the decline of the Qin state. During his reign, Wei continued to invade and occupy the Hexi region, which had originally belonged to Qin, and at the same time, the Yiqu in the west also posed a threat to the rear of Qin.
Faced with an existential crisis, the Qin State in the Spring and Autumn Period, under the leadership of Qin Jiangong, chose to build the Great Wall to resist the invasion of foreign enemies. During this period, in 403 BC, the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao and Wei successfully obtained the household registration canonization through the Zhou royal family**.
Since then, the Three Kingdoms have officially been founded, opening a new chapter in history.
In historical records, the division of the three Jin families is regarded as the watershed between the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the three families of Han, Zhao and Wei really carved up the Jin Kingdom until the year when they were canonized. That is to say, the reign of Qin Jiangong was the period of alternation between the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
After the canonization of the three families of Han, Zhao and Wei, Qin Jiangong died two years later, and his son Qin Huigong successfully ascended the throne. According to historical records, Qin Huigong was barely a Ming monarch, as his father won a lot of power from the old aristocracy.
After Qin Huigong ascended the throne, he was able to control a lot of real power, and he could even mobilize the main army of Qin.
After Qin Huigong ascended the throne, it took ten years to rectify the internal situation, although there is no detailed record of this in the history books, but a major event changed the situation ten years later. In 389 BC, Qin Huigong mobilized 500,000 elites from all over the country to attack Wei, aiming to recapture the Hexi region seized by Wei.
According to the analysis of historians, Qin Huigong's motive for launching this war was to wash away his shame and establish his prestige in the Qin State, so as to achieve the highest centralization.
Unfortunately, Qin Huigong encountered the most powerful opponent of his career this time - Wu Qi. When Qin Huigong sent 500,000 elite Qin troops to attack Wei, Wu Qi happened to be in charge of the Hexi region controlled by Wei, and he helped Wei train 50,000 new elite troops in his own unique way.
Subsequently, the 500,000 elite troops sent by Qin Huigong were brutally defeated by Wu Qi with 50,000 recruits, which was the famous battle of Yin and Jin in history. The Battle of Yin and Jin was undoubtedly the most important battle in the early Warring States period, which proved to the whole world the correctness of Wei's national strength and reforms, and caused frenzied imitation and army reform in various countries.
At the same time, this battle also forced the Qin state into a dead end.
After this war, everyone was surprised to find that Qin, one of the four great powers of the Spring and Autumn Period, was now much less powerful than before. Although the former Qin State was able to compete with the Jin State, now even the Wei State, which was a division of the Jin State, could not be defeated, and was even easily overthrown.
In this war, the prestige that the two generations of Qin monarchs had worked so hard to build also collapsed. Regrettably, less than two years after the war, Qin Huigong unfortunately passed away.
What's worse is that when his eldest son ascended the throne, he was only two years old, and this was Qin Zhugong. The two-year-old monarch was naturally unable to handle the government, so his mother ruled on his behalf.
However, in order to prevent the Qin clan from seizing power, his mother had to reuse eunuchs and relatives during her reign.
The four generations of chaotic government of the Qin State were like a spark and a grain of sand, which fell little by little in the long history of the Qin State, and finally formed a huge rift. The protagonists of this chaotic government are Qin Man, Qin Huai, Qin Ling, Qin Jian, and Qin Chugong.
Among them, Qin Zhugong was the end of four generations of chaotic government, and he was also the youngest, and his mother was mainly in power during his reign.
After Qin Zhugong succeeded to the throne, the Qin State was at a critical juncture of life and death. The Wei State in the east is eyeing the tiger, and the Yiqu in the west is in full swing. The internal high-level struggle was fierce, and the queen mother had to rely on her relatives and eunuchs, and the contradictions became increasingly intensified.
The only thing to be thankful for is that Qin Huigong occupied Hanzhong on his deathbed and sealed the gate of Shu, preventing the two countries of Bashu in the south from taking the opportunity to attack. In such a historical background, Ying Shixi, who had been watching from the sidelines, that is, Qin Xiangong, decided to return to China to seize power and reverse the fate of Qin.
Ying Shixi, the third-generation son of Qin Linggong, is actually *** When his father died, he was only nine years old and could not inherit the country. He is now 38 years old and has the ability to regain power.
Due to the unstable situation in the country, he chose to go into exile in Wei after his father's death, where he grew up**. He once proposed to Wei that he wanted to return to China, and Wei also expressed his willingness to help him regain power, but this was actually only Wei's selfishness, which wanted to interfere in Qin's internal affairs.
In the end, Ying Shixi refused Wei's help and chose to return to China on his own.
Although Ying Shiyu was alone in the early days of his return to Qin, he actually had many potential supporters, including those of the old nobles and the so-called old Qin. This is mainly because the reigning princesses of the Qin State relied too much on their relatives and eunuchs, to the detriment of the interests of the old aristocracy, and the ordinary people did not want the Qin State to be controlled by a child and a woman who only cared about themselves.
Therefore, these people naturally became potential supporters of Ying Shixi. In addition, Ying Shixi also received the support of a key figure, who was the then chief of the Qin State.
Before the Shang Dynasty reformed the law, the chief was the largest official position in the Qin state, similar to the prime ministers of other countries. This position was usually held by members of the Qin clan. Therefore, when the fungus reform supported Yingshixi's return to China to seize power, it meant that the entire old aristocratic class of the Qin State was on Yingshixi's side.
The reason why these old aristocrats supported Ying Shiyu was because the Empress Dowager at that time seriously violated their interests. They wanted to install a new ruler to protect their interests.
Therefore, when Ying Shiyu returned to China, as the chief of the concubine, he personally went to meet him. When the Queen Mother sent an army to attack them, many of the middle and senior ** in the army were from old nobles, and they also supported Yingshixi.
Therefore, when the army was dispatched, soon various rumors began to circulate in the army. At the instigation of those old nobles, most of the soldiers quickly supported Yingshixi.
Subsequently, they fought back to the capital of Qin together, and soon took control of the capital, then killed the empress dowager and Qin Zhugong, and established Yingshi Xi as the new monarch, that is, Qin Xiangong.
If according to the conventional script, such a Qin Xiangong will definitely lose most of his power after he ascends the throne, and most of the power should fall into the hands of the chief of the family. But what is interesting is that after Qin Xiangong ascended the throne, he showed superb means, and quickly stabilized the situation and avoided the risk of being hollowed out.
In order to fight against Wei, Qin Xiangong moved the capital from Yongcheng to Liyang. This move can not only control the army through war, weaken the power of the old aristocracy, but also achieve de-aristocracy, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.
After a series of measures, Qin Xiangong established a solid authority in the Qin state. After that, he led the Qin army to successive victories, and even the Wei state, which had defeated the Qin state, was defeated by his men.
Qin Xiangong's prestige is increasing day by day, and at the same time, he has also successfully centralized power and controlled the Qin ** team. The old nobles could only express their submission to Qin Xiangong, and the situation of four generations of chaotic government finally ended in his hands.
Qin Xiangong's centralized actions ended a four-generation period of chaos, and his death paved the way for reform for his son, Qin Xiaogong. If Qin Xiangong had not made the early efforts at the beginning, whether Qin Xiaogong could successfully implement the reform was still an unsolved mystery.
This period was the most difficult 60 years in the history of the Qin State, and it experienced nearly 60 years from Qin Li Gonggong to Qin Xiangong in power.
Why did the former powerful Qin State have four generations of civil strife in the era of the alternation of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period? Is it accidental or inevitable? In fact, this is entirely the inevitable trend of the decline of the Qin state itself.
Since the death of Qin Mugong, the overall national strength of Qin has been declining, especially in the mid-to-late Spring and Autumn period. The reason is that the Jin state has always been blocked to the east of the Qin state, which hinders its expansion space.
When a country's room for expansion is limited, the pie of national interests can no longer be expanded. When it was time to expand, the old nobles would actively support the monarch and try to make the pie bigger, because it would be beneficial for everyone.
However, once the growth space of the cake disappears and turns into a stock competition, the nobles will have to take it from the monarch if they want to get more. In this way, the monarch and the nobility ceased to be partners in interests, but enemies.
In this case, it became the norm for the nobles to unite to challenge the monarch in order to fight for more benefits.
After four generations of chaotic government, after Qin Xiangong ascended the throne, the foreign war was victorious, and the disappearance of the Jin State provided Qin with room for expansion. The aristocracy regained support and unity with the monarch and actively expanded, for no other reason than to drive their own interests.