Why was Wang Mang's head collected by the royal family for 272 years? What's so special about it?
Wang Mang, a figure who caused an uproar in Chinese history, was indeed beheaded for such a long time. Today, when we look back at the story of the first emperor who was beheaded, we can't help but ask: what is so special about a man who has been decapitated for a long time?
Wang Mang and the rise and fall of the new dynasty.
In 45 BC, Wang Mang was born into a family of relatives. His sister was the empress of Emperor Zhao of the Western Han Dynasty. With this status as a relative, Wang Mang gradually climbed to the pinnacle of power and grasped the power of the dynasty. In 7 AD, he helped the crown prince Xuan Emperor ascend the throne and became Emperor Ping. In 9 AD, Emperor Ping died, and Wang Mang supported the hundred-year-old Liu Ying, the king of Lu, as emperor.
A year later, Wang Mang deposed the little emperor, proclaimed himself emperor, and called his own country"New"and claimed to have ushered in a new era. However, his new policies often led to popular uprisings, and peasant armed forces rose up across the country. In 23 AD, the Green Camp Army and the Red Mei Army attacked Chang'an, and the rebels killed Wang Mang in battle. Wang Mang was killed by rebels in the war, and the emperor who compared himself to Qin Shi Huang and tried to change the world disappeared from the stage of history.
How was Wang Mang beheaded?
In March of this year, Wang Mang worshipped his ancestors in Weiyang Palace. Suddenly, a ** ran to report in a panic:"It's not a good thing, Your Majesty, the Green Forest Army has broken through the palace gate and marched towards the North Palace! "Wang Mang was shocked, his face was pale, and he didn't know what to say. He asked the left and right officials to escort him out of Weiyang Palace with a few personal guards, preparing to flee elsewhere.
However, ten thousand arrows were fired, the palace gate was wide open, and a group of heavily armed rebels rushed into the palace, and Wang Mang was surrounded in Mangdang Mountain, with no way to escape. The general of the rebel army was called Du Wu.
His eyes were red, and he looked at Wang Mang like a wolf:"A traitor and scoundrel who usurped the throne and brought disaster to the country and the people! I'm going to take your life today! "I'm going to kill you today! "With that, he plunged his sword into Wang Mang's neck.
Wang Mang screamed and fell to the ground. Blood poured out of the top of his head, separated from his body, and rolled on the ground. Du Wu raised Wang Mang's head, raised it high, held the long sword in his hand, and danced a somersault in front of Wang Mang, and the rebel soldiers cheered loudly. The rebels soon devoured Wang Mang's body, and Wang Mang was wiped out.
The emperor's head fell into the hands of the enemy.
When Du Wu dedicated Wang Mang's head to Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty Liu Xuan, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty was holding Wang Mang's head thoughtfully. Liu Xuan is a descendant of the Han family, and after Wang Mang usurped the Han dynasty, he rebelled, and finally overthrew the new dynasty and revived the Han dynasty. Liu Xuan saw Wang Mang's head and was silent for a long time.
Liu Xuan sighed softly. He still remembers Wang Mang, when Wang Mang staged a military coup d'état and seized the throne, no one was invincible in front of him. Now, this invincible person in the world has become a target on the gallows, and he can't even put his whole body down, which is really heart-wrenching.
But after thinking about it, Wang Mang deserved it! When he first ascended the throne, he was not a fuel-efficient lamp, and directly got rid of the little emperor who had just turned 100 days. Now that he has fallen under the sword of the rebels, I cannot but say that he was wronged. "Greed and arrogance will be rewarded. I hate the treacherous villains in the court! I want to take Wang Mang's head to show that I, Liu Xuan, really hide the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty"。
Liu Xuan ordered Wang Mang's head to be hung in the streets of Wancheng for people to publicly express their anger and insults. A few days later, the head, kicked like a cannon, was brought back to the palace and permanently stored in the armory as a sign of legitimacy.
Wang Mang was beheaded by Emperor Guangwu.
In 25 AD, the reigning emperor Liu Xuan died. Two years later, Liu Xiu, the queen of the Western Han Dynasty, raised an army, and finally defeated the remnants of Wang Mang, unified the world, and established the Eastern Han Dynasty. Liu Xiushi is known as Emperor Guangwu.
At the beginning of Emperor Guangwu's accession to the throne, Wang Mang was announced"Sinners", and issued an edict to arrest the remnants of the new dynasty. At the same time, he inherited the court arsenal of Emperor Guangwu and retained Wang Mang's head. Emperor Guangwu was very curious about Wang Mang's head and sent someone to cut it off for examination.
Wang Mang's skull is very thick, indicating that he had a high IQ during his lifetime; The sides of the skull are slightly sunken, indicating that the person is lustful and extremely sensitive to beauty. What surprised Emperor Guangwu the most was that Wang Mang had no front teeth, and judging from his appearance, he must have been killed by his wife.
Emperor Guangwu looked at this head with great medical and physiognomy value, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought. As the lord of Zhongxing of the Han Dynasty, he was more qualified than anyone else to comment on the rise and fall of Wang Mang and the new dynasty"。Fate has always been like this, Wang Mang is kind-hearted, and he can't even listen to his wife's warnings. He was really responsible for her death"。
In order to prove his legitimacy, Emperor Wei during the Three Kingdoms period hung Wang Mang's head.
Wang Mang's head is still valuable in the arsenal of the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao's father and son proclaimed themselves emperors, established the Wei State, and replaced the Eastern Han Dynasty. After Cao Pi ascended the throne, he inherited the arsenal of the Han Dynasty. He occasionally took off Wang Mang's head and showed it to the civil and military officials to prove that Wei was the legitimate ruler of the Han Dynasty.
The mediocrity of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and the power of a small group of people were the main culprits that led to the fall of the Han Dynasty and the disintegration of the country. I, the Cao family, father and son, were carried by heaven and inherited the artifact of the Han family to repair the troubled times. Look, Wang Mang's head is proof of my orthodoxy. "Cao Pi nodded at Wang Mang's head and told the ministers that Wei was orthodox.
Cao Pi likes poetry and books, and is very literary. He also shyly recited a poem on Wang Mang's head:"Fame and fortune are like dew, and the impermanence of the world is always unpredictable. The head falls to the ground and digs like a ball, this is a usurpation that has suffered early! "Cao Pi was overjoyed. He sent someone to bring Wang Mang's head back to the military warehouse and continued to collect and worship.
Emperor Wu of Jin burned Wang Mang's head in the armory.
After the death of the Three Kingdoms Wei, Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty, usurped the throne of Wei, unified the Three Kingdoms, and was called Emperor Wu of Jin. He also plundered the armory of the original Wei State and continued to retain Wang Mang's head. In fact, Wang Mang's head has long been mutilated, but for an emperor, this is more commemorative.
Three hundred years later, the Western Jin Dynasty suffered the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, and the state began to collapse. In 295 AD, during the reign of Emperor Hui of Jin, a palace fire broke out in Luoyang. The armory in the palace was burned down, and the relics of Liu Bang, Han Gaozu and Confucius were destroyed. After the fire, the armory was burned to the ground, and Wang Mang's head was never found.
A ** said to Emperor Hui:"Your Majesty, the treasury is on fire, Wang Mang's head and other belongings have been burned to ashes, this must be a warning from heaven that the country is facing a catastrophe. "Emperor Hui shook his head slowly and said sadly"Wang Mang was greedy for merit and usurped the throne, setting a precedent in the hearts of later generations of elders for the destruction of the country and the extinction of the species. The burning of the armory today is tantamount to setting fire to this terrible precedent, in order to prevent future generations from repeating the mistakes of the past. "
At this point, Wang Mang's head officially disappeared from the long river of history. It has witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties and three hundred years of wind and rain. Although its owner, Wang Mang, died, his countless dreams and lives were interrupted. Eventually, the head became a symbol of history, recalling the terrible fate of those who pretendered the throne.
Today, looking at Wang Mang and his head, people can't help but think: how ambitious can a person be? How much history and symbols can a skull carry? Momentary greed and pride, power can really fan the flames and bring people to their own destruction.
Perhaps we should not hate Wang Mang, but draw wisdom from his story. As we stand at the crossroads of history and make world-changing decisions, let's think again: Where will our aspirations and those of others go?