Sima Yan founded the Western Jin Dynasty, knowing the disadvantages of the feudal system, but the reason for the extensive division of feudal kings?
Sima Yan, the power genius who pushed the Western Jin Dynasty onto the stage of history, knew the disadvantages of the feudal system, but after dominating the world, he resolutely decided to divide the princes and kings. Is there political wisdom and scheming behind this seemingly contradictory move?
Feudal lords are to blame? Problems in the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty.
In the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, what kind of dilemma did Sima Yan face? What was the reason for his decision to divide the princes with the same surname? In the face of the bitter lessons of the Eight Kings Rebellion, should we draw conclusions about Sima Yan's behavior, as some scholars believe?
Sima Yan was born in the second year of Wei Jingyuan, inherited the talent of his father Sima Shi, and was a very smart young man. During the reign of Emperor Cao Fang of Wei, the Sima family had real power, but after Sima Shi's early death, the burden fell on the shoulders of the young Sima Yan.
In 265 AD, the 28-year-old Sima Yan finally changed the name of the country to Jin during his father Sima Zhao's Northern Expedition and established the Western Jin Dynasty, ending the situation of the Three Kingdoms for nearly a hundred years and completing the unification of the country.
At that time, Sima Yan was in the prime of life, and with his eloquence, he should have been invincible in the world. However, his resolute implementation of the feudal system led to the tragedy of the Eight Kings Rebellion. In view of this, the world can't help but ask: why did he break the feudal system when he knew the disadvantages of the feudal system? Was Sima Yan's decision wrong? Perhaps, we can look at the predicament he faced at the beginning of the founding of the country from another angle, which will help us to evaluate this historical event in a more balanced way.
Dilemma 1: The old forces of the Three Kingdoms still exist and are difficult to navigate.
The Sima clan overthrew Emperor Wei and established the capital Luoyang, but the Three Kingdoms era had just ended. The former Shu Han and Eastern Wu had not yet been controlled by the Jin Dynasty, and their power was still strong. Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, was the son of Liu Chan, the lord of Shu Han at that time, who ascended the throne at the age of seven and divided the land of Bashu. This arrangement was undoubtedly to appease the old Shu Han department. Similarly, the old Eastern Wu tribe also held a grudge against the new imperial court. In the first year of Jianwu (265), Tao Yuan, a famous general of Wu, led an army to revolt in Jiangdong. In this case, the power of the vassal kings helped to control the power of the old vassal kings and prevent them from causing great chaos.
Dilemma 2: Powerful clans are hard to control.
The consolidation of power by Sima Yi, the father of Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, depended on the support of the Great Family. Guo Huai, Chen Qun, Wang Ling and other big families participated in the struggle to overthrow Cao Shuang's dictatorship. Sima Yi and Sima **zi understood that the big family was extremely detrimental to the stability of the dynasty. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Sima Yan urgently needed to strike hard to prevent the spread of clan power. The division of clan forces has played a role in stabilizing the people's hearts and has become a sharp weapon to weaken clan power. Otherwise, the expansion of the clan's power could lead to the collapse of the Sima clan itself.
Dilemma 3: Surrounded by external threats.
In the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, the power of the ethnic minorities in the north continued to grow, the remnants of Sun and Wu in the south were not convinced, and the natives of Jiuyuan were even more afraid of losing their former privileges. The leader of Xiqiang broke through the defense line of the Jin Dynasty and took two counties in a row; Northeast Yi attacks on a small scale almost every year; Dongnanyi even attacked Fancheng on a large scale. It can be said that at that time, the Western Jin Dynasty had just been established, and there were external and internal troubles. The vassal states were able to give full play to their autonomy functions, effectively disperse the pressure of the state, and solve the border problem.
The three major dilemmas are intertwined and superimposed, and the environment in the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty can be described as turbulent. In this context, dividing the princes and kings became Sima Yan's choice as a last resort. He needs the power of the princes and kings to balance the forces and stabilize his rule.
The original intention of the feudal system was understandable, but the Rebellion of the Eight Kings was a natural and man-made disaster.
Although the ** of the princes and kings has greatly strengthened the local power, it has also buried the hidden danger of future turmoil. However, Sima Yan's predicament and desperate thoughts cannot be ignored, so his actions are not entirely unreasonable, nor can they be said to be wrong. Moreover, we cannot judge him unfavorably by the results of the Rebellion of the Eight Kings. In fact, the outbreak of the Eight Kings Rebellion was not Sima Yan's original intention, but the result of the dual effects of natural disasters and man-made disasters
Natural disasters – successive droughts and floods – have exacerbated the conflict.
In the fourth year of Zhenyuan (263), Sima Yan ascended the throne as Emperor Wei Yuan, and for more than ten years after that, the Western Jin Dynasty continued to suffer natural disasters. In the eighth year of Taikang (287), a brutal madman revolted; In the tenth year of Taikang (289), the world was hungry and cannibalistic. These natural disasters have exacerbated civil strife and infighting. The Rebellion of the Eight Kings broke out, the princes and nobles competed for resources, and the struggle intensified.
Man-made catastrophe - eunuchs and servants go hand in hand.
In the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan's political situation was unstable, and all government affairs were handled by Yang Jun, a powerful minister. Yang Jun was under the control of the eunuch Jia Nanfeng for a long time. Jia Nanfeng colluded with the royal family and bent the law for bribes, which caused great dissatisfaction among the scholars. With Jananfeng in power, even the kings feared that their power would be weakened. This undoubtedly exacerbated the contradictions within the royal family. It can be said that Jia Nanfeng and Yang Jun are the best medicine for man-made disasters, and the kings took this opportunity to create resentment, which eventually led to unhappy breakups.
The Rebellion of the Eight Kings can be said to be a product of a special period. In addition to the civil strife and infighting caused by natural disasters, there is also the scourge of Jia Yang's dictatorship. At the beginning of Sima Yan's reign, he began to divide the people, and his dilemma is understandable. He had no intention of making"The Sekigahara Rebellion", so it is difficult to predict such a tragedy. Therefore, instead of arbitrarily attacking and criticizing, we should empathize and judge calmly.
As the old saying goes: A wise man thinks a thousand times, and he must make a mistake. In the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan was troubled internally and externally, and the political situation was turbulent. In order to stabilize the situation, he decided to divide the princes. This decision may be biased, but it is not unreasonable and realistic. Rather than looking at the results over the other, we should look at the challenges in the particular context of the time, which will help us to understand history more fully.
The country** may have shortcomings, but the final chaos is also due to luck. In the face of natural and man-made disasters, internal and external troubles, can Sima Yan be alone? Even if her judgment may have been wrong, how could she be dealt with harshly because her ambition had wavered? People have their own tendencies, go to their tendencies, Sima Yanzhi is also a person, pitiful and lamentable"。There is a beginning and an end", the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty seems to have hidden mysteries from the beginning of its establishment. Perhaps due to bad luck, the demise of the Western Jin Dynasty was inevitable; Or perhaps, this is just the beginning, and there are fears that it will be repeated in later generations or in its heyday.