The Yongjia Rebellion, the final blow to destroy the Western Jin Dynasty
Yongjia" is the name of the reign of Emperor Sima Chi of Jin Huai, because of the turmoil during his reign, later generations called it "Yongjia Rebellion". In 311 AD, the Xiongnu Liu regime in the Central Plains captured Luoyang and captured Emperor Huai of the Jin Dynasty, which exhausted the main force of the Western Jin Dynasty and finally declared its demise in 316 AD.
So, what was the cause of the "Yongjia Rebellion"? Perhaps it was the destruction of the foundation of the Western Jin Dynasty by the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, especially after the death of Emperor Sima Yan of Jin Wu in the first year of Taixi (290), when the crown prince Sima Zhen ascended the throne and became Emperor Hui of Jin.
Emperor Jin Hui has insufficient IQ, 'Why don't you eat minced meat?' The allusion came from his mouth. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, the contradictions within the Western Jin Dynasty had already been surging, and although there was no major struggle on the surface, the contest between the various forces had already begun.
After the death of Emperor Wu of Jin, for the Western Jin Dynasty, Emperor Hui of Jin was not a person who could fully control the overall situation, and the weakening of the central force would naturally lead to the struggle of the surrounding forces.
The first conflict to erupt was the contest between Emperor Wu's Empress Yang and her father Yang Jun and Emperor Hui's Empress Jia. Emperor Wu of Jin chose Yang Jun as one of the auxiliary ministers, which was the result of his careful consideration. ”
Although the historical records record that Yang Jun "has no good hope" and "small weapon", Emperor Wu still chose him to assist Emperor Hui, first, because Emperor Hui's mother is Yang Jun's niece, and he will do his best; The second is because Yang Jun's character will not pose a threat to Emperor Hui's throne.
However, power is unstoppable, especially imperial power, once you taste it, it is difficult to let go of it. Emperor Hui's stupidity gave Yang and others the opportunity to manipulate the government, and the purpose of these people was to enjoy the satisfaction and happiness brought by imperial power.
Therefore, when the Yang family manipulated the government, Empress Jia Nanfeng naturally could not sit idly by.
Jia Nanfeng's desire for power is strong and full of scheming. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin, Emperor Hui passed several tests, and Jia Nanfeng contributed a lot. After unremitting efforts, she sat in the position of empress, hoping to manipulate Emperor Hui and participate in court politics.
How could she give up this rare opportunity so easily? In order to weaken the power of the Yang family, Jia Nanfeng secretly contacted the clan Chu Wangwei. After Chu Wangwei learned the news, he realized that the struggle between the two factions in the palace was fierce, and of course he would not miss this opportunity to control power.
So, he quickly led his army to Luoyang, Yang Jun was killed, and the power of the Yang family was severely damaged. This was the first year of Yuankang (291), and the Rebellion of the Eight Kings began.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, he allowed the children of the clan to control the military at the local level, a decision that laid the groundwork for the subsequent social unrest. At the same time, the military power of the prefectures and counties was gradually abolished, which led to the weakening of local control over the military controlled by the clan, which led to the gradual growth of the military power of the clan.
Therefore, after learning the information of Empress Jia, Chu Wangwei had the confidence to compete for power. However, even after the Yang group was eradicated, both Empress Jia and Wang Wei of Chu were unable to fulfill their original wishes, and a new struggle began.
The power struggle escalated, and more and more of the clan's children were involved. In order to improve their chances of victory, these clan disciples began to introduce Hu people living in the Central Plains to participate in the war.
However, this move also left a hidden danger for the subsequent infiltration of the Hu forces.
After 16 years of chaos, Emperor Sima Chi of Jin Huai finally ascended the throne, Sima Yue, the king of the East China Sea, took power, and the rebellion of the Eight Kings came to an end. In this melee, the originally powerful clan disciples were almost wiped out, the court was also torn apart, and the Western Jin Dynasty was crumbling.
The Rebellion of the Eight Kings caused huge military and economic losses to the Jin Dynasty, and the people in the war zone lived in hardship, and there was a scene of desolation and ruin everywhere. The ** of the ruling group, the attrition of the main forces, and the socio-economic destruction all indicate the fragility of the Western Jin Dynasty, and its demise is inevitable once it encounters a strong opponent.
After the bloody storm of the Eight Kings Rebellion, Sima Yue finally sat on the throne of the government, but this was not an easy task. Even if he succeeded in weakening the power of the clan, it did not mean that everyone would support his autocracy.
So, he chose Emperor Hui, who had a low IQ, as the emperor to consolidate his position of power. However, that doesn't mean he can sit back and relax. In order to declare his authority to the world, Sima Yue resolutely decided to poison Emperor Hui.
Regardless of the public's reaction to the matter, the country cannot be left without a king for a day, so the choice of an heir to the throne has sparked a debate. As the actual ruler, Sima Yue could not be stupid enough to sit on the throne himself, otherwise his charge of killing the emperor would be confirmed, causing a series of troubles.
This was obviously not what he wanted to see, so he chose a marginal figure without any roots, and finally set his sights on Sima Chi. In order to compete for power, Emperor Hui's empress strongly recommended the former deposed prince Qinghe Wang Qin, but in the end Sima Yue won and successfully put his chosen candidate Sima Chi on the throne.
In 307 AD, Sima Chi ascended the throne and established the Yongjia year, which was known as the first year of Yongjia.
The main threat to the Inner Court has been addressed, but there are still forces on the ground that cannot be fully trusted. Sima Yue's grand plan was to solve local problems, and for this he decided to hand over all the key places to the people he trusted, forming a guardian force to support him in controlling the government.
Sima Yue focused his main efforts on internal rectification and power consolidation, but ignored the development and growth of the Hu forces such as Liu Yuan, or in other words, in his mind, the main contradiction was internal, and the external contradictions such as Liu and Shi were secondary problems that needed to be solved.
However, this decision made the Western Jin Dynasty miss the last chance to save themselves.
In 309 AD, Liu Yuan sent Liu Cong, Wang Mi and others to attack Luoyang, but they were repulsed both times. This shows that the Western Jin Dynasty at that time still had enough strength to fight against the Hu forces.
However, Sima Yue did not take the initiative to attack, but focused on defense. In the end, the enemy's southeastern grain route was cut off, the throat was choked, and the forces that had not completely surrendered to Sima Yue took the opportunity to resist.
Faced with this complicated situation, Sima Yue felt powerless and eventually died of fear. Sima Yue's death marked the end of the Western Jin Dynasty. The rise of the Hu people was the result of a combination of factors, and they had been active in the Central Plains since the Han Dynasty.
Nomadic peoples such as the Xiongnu, Wuhuan and Xianbei could not meet their own needs due to the nomadic nature and instability of the economic form, and in order to survive, they had to choose to migrate to the Central Plains.
The rulers of the Central Plains, on the other hand, were happy to accept these inward Hu people because of their low labor costs and the need for production. During the Eight Kings Rebellion, in order to increase the possibility of victory, the children of the clan would often rely on the power of the Hu people, which created an opportunity for the growth of the Hu people's power.
However, when the Hu tribe entered the Central Plains, they were often subjected to inhuman enslavement and **, which also provided a good opportunity for the turmoil of the Central Plains regime and became an opportunity for them to end this unfair treatment.
Why did Liu Yuan's regime have anything to do with the "Han"?Although Liu Yuan was a Xiongnu, he was deeply influenced by Han culture and knew very well the orthodoxy of the Central Plains Dynasty. He once said that he had come to help restore the orthodoxy of the Han dynasty, one of the greatest dynasties in Chinese history, and that his ancestor Liu Bang was the founder of the Han.
His regime, which was also called "Former Zhao", was thus called "Former Zhao" to show that he had inherited the lineage and traditions of the Han Dynasty.
Liu Yuan saw the possibility of overthrowing the Western Jin regime, and he believed that this move could reduce the antipathy of the Han people, so as to gain more power support.
However, after the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, Sima Yue was busy stabilizing the internal power of the Western Jin Dynasty, giving Liu Yuan the opportunity to recuperate and expand his power. Although the army he sent was defeated because the Western Jin Dynasty still existed, this did not dampen his resolve.
The elimination of the Western Jin Dynasty was an important step in his grand cause, and it was also the possibility of realizing his dream. Although his dream has not yet come true, it is possible. Unfortunately, Liu Yuan was unable to witness this moment with his own eyes, and he died in the second year of the former Zhao Herui (310).
Although Liu Yuan's death halted the demise of Former Zhao for a while, the Former Zhao regime was in turmoil due to the struggle for succession. In the end, Liu Cong ascended to the throne with important troops.
With the strength he had accumulated, and after he was fully prepared, he sent troops to attack Luoyang, which was a wish that he had failed to achieve as a general before. In the second year of Former Zhao Guangxing (311, the year was the fifth year of Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty), the Former Zhao army successfully captured Luoyang, and Emperor Huai of Jin was captured.
Five years later, Liu Cong's army further captured Chang'an, and the last emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty, Emperor Jin Chu, was captured. Since then, the Western Jin Dynasty regime has completely withdrawn from the historical stage, and the north has been completely reduced to the rule of the Hu people, and China has entered a great era.
The causes of the Yongjia Rebellion were complex, and the infighting of the ruling group was one of the key factors, and the sixteen-year-long war consumed the strength of the Western Jin Dynasty and exacerbated the contradictions between the various forces that had already existed during the time of Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty.
The struggle between the kings of the clan created the conditions for the rise of the Hu people's power, making them an important force in overthrowing the Western Jin Dynasty.