Since ancient times, there have been many examples of a gentleman fighting a villain. Zheng Zhaogong, who was relatively gentle and benevolent, lost to the powerful minister Gao Qumi in the political infighting of Zheng Guo and was gloomy. After killing Zheng Zhaogong, Gao Qumi, in order to hide people's eyes and ears, set up Zheng Zhaogong's younger brother Gongzi Qi as the king, acting as a puppet, and actually controlling Zheng Guo's political situation by himself.
The sacrifice Zhong is afraid of death and misleading the country, from the Qing edition of "The Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty".
Gao Qumi's behavior, even at the time of the collapse of etiquette, was a bit excessive, breaking through the bottom line of moral tolerance of ordinary people, such as Lu Guo's doctor Gongzi Da foreseen: "Gao Boqi is killed!."The revenge is too much!History tells us that if you do too much injustice, you will kill yourself. In Gao Qumi, this point was also quickly verified: in the autumn of the second year, Qi Xianggong led the army to arrive at the first end of the defense (now southeast of Sui County, Henan), "Zi Kangzhi, Gao Qu Mixiang" ("Zuo Chuan, Huan Gong Eighteen"), the two monarchs and ministers went to join in the fun, but they didn't know that this time they went, but they were looking for their own death. It turned out that Qi Xianggong and Gongzi had fought with their lives when they were young, and they had a deep hatred. Qi Xianggong is a scumbag who does all kinds of evil and will be retributed, **Will he easily forget this holiday?Therefore, this trip to the first stop of Zi Li's monarch and minister is an adventure with a very high risk factor, but, considering the reality that Zheng Li, who is entrenched in Liyi, is just and fierce, and is trying to make a comeback and restore the upper position, in order to prevent Zheng Ligong from colluding and winning over Qi Xianggong and citing him as foreign aid, Zi Qi and Gao Qumi had to ignore their previous suspicions and go to Shouzhi to meet with Qi Xianggong.
The result can be imagined, Zheng Guojun's ministers are gone, and they are in the hands of the enemy. The evil of Qi Xianggong can be described as incisive, "In July Wuxu, Qi people kill their sons" ("Zuo Chuan: The Eighteenth Year of Duke Huan"). Gao Qumi was even more miserable, and after the other party was captured alive, he was tortured to death by car splitting. As the saying goes, "the wicked have their own grinding". At this point, this powerful minister, who committed the crime of killing the monarch and rebelling against the monarch and fell in power for a while, finally ended his shameful life tragically.
In this way, Zheng Guo had to re-establish a new monarch. Gao Qumi died, and the real political power of Zheng Guo completely fell into the hands of the elders of the Three Dynasties and the left-behind minister Sai Zhong. The priest has experienced too many political storms and waves, and has long been tempered to be invulnerable to all poisons and scheming. He had already learned about Zheng Ligong's power, but he didn't dare to let the tiger return to the mountain and raise the tiger's legacy. Therefore, Sai Zhong bypassed Zheng Ligong and welcomed Gongzi Yi, another younger brother of Zheng Zhaogong who was in exile in Chen State, back to Zheng Guo, supported him as the monarch, and let him take over Gongzi Qi's class. However, Gongziyi's strength and ability are very limited, and he is helpless against Zheng Ligong, who occupies Liyi and openly confronts him, and Zheng Guo still continues the "double-headed competition" pattern since Zheng Zhaogong, which is quite similar to the confrontation between the Yicheng Dazong of the Jin Kingdom and the Wugong of Quwo.
The side-by-side competition between Zheng Ligong and Gongziyi lasted for 14 years. In this process, Zheng Ligong exchanged time for space, and gradually completed the transformation of the advantages and disadvantages of the two sides. In 680 B.C., that is, in the fourteenth year of the reign of Duke Lu Zhuang, Zheng Ligong, who looked forward to his self-pride, thought that his wings were full, enough to kill his opponents and realize his dream of restoration. In addition, the biggest obstacle in the way of progress, the pillar of the Zheng regime, Sai Zhong, had died two years earlier (682 BC), and Zheng Ligong was so happy that he killed his killers and launched a large army to attack the capital of Zheng State. When the army marched to Daling (now Linying Juling, Henan), Zheng Ligong captured Zheng Guo's important minister Fu Fang, "and Daling, and won Fu Fang" ("Zuo Chuan: The Fourteenth Year of Zhuang Gong"). Fu Fang is a soft bone, greedy for life and afraid of death, he immediately re-chose a side and stood in line, begging for his life, and even did not hesitate to betray his master and act for the tiger: "Sacrifice me, I please accept you." Of course, Zheng Ligong would not give up the opportunity to buy Neiying, so he agreed to Fu Fang's plea. In order to solemnly commemorate the matter, they also swore an alliance as a basis to show their sincerity: "Forge an alliance with them and forgive them." (Zuo Chuan, 14th year of Zhuang Gong).
This Fu Fang was extremely ruthless, at the moment of life and death, he succumbed to Zheng Ligong's death threat and surrendered on his knees, but as soon as he met the monarch who was originally loyal to him, the weak and weak Gongziyi, he immediately changed his face, extremely vicious, cruel and ruthless, and completely threw the morality and ethics of "Junyi and Loyalty" out of the clouds, showed the butcher's knife, and opened a killing ring: "June Jiazi, Fu Fang killed Zheng Zi and his two sons, and Na Li Gong." (Zuo Chuan, the fourteenth year of Zhuang Gong) used the heads on the necks of Gongziyi and his son as a welcome gift and a letter of nomination to welcome the restoration of Zheng Ligong.
However, Zheng Ligong is a cruel and thick black man who has no moral bottom line, and any oath and faith, in his eyes, can be discarded like a piece of. His creed is: Those who do great things do not have to believe in their words and deeds, and they can be informal, not honest! Therefore, as soon as he entered the capital and the restoration was successful, the first thing he did was to take revenge, overturn the oath he had just made a few days ago, and kill Fu Bian, who was a traitor and beggar: "Li Gong entered, so he killed Fu Bian." (Zuo Chuan, Fourteenth Year of Zhuang Gong) and the reason is eloquent and righteous: Fu Fang has two hearts for the monarch, and the Western Zhou Dynasty stipulates that there is a punishment for such traitors, and I am now seriously enforcing the law and letting Fu Fang suffer the crime and ambush, he is worthy of death: "Fu Fang Er, Zhou has a permanent punishment, and he is guilty of his crimes!" (Zuo Chuan, 14th year of Zhuang Gong).
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the spirit of aristocracy still existed, and one of the important manifestations was to regard "faith" as the highest ethical criterion for dealing with people, as the most valuable sentiment and morality. The so-called "words must be believed, deeds must be fruitful", "people have no faith, do not know what they can do". "Faith" is also a necessary condition for coordinating the relationship between heaven and man and praying for the blessing of the gods: "If you believe in a small letter, God will be blessed." Confucius believed that in order for a country to consolidate and develop, it needs three basic elements: strong national defense, "foot soldiers"; Abundant economic foundation, "sufficient food"; and credibility, "the trust of the people". If you have to leave only one of the most important ones, it is only "faith": "Since ancient times, there has been death, and the people cannot stand without faith!" Therefore, Confucius repeatedly emphasized: "Be faithful in word and respectful in deeds, although the state of barbarians will do it; Words are not faithful, deeds are not respectful, although the state is not good? Gu Yanwu's "Rizhilu" volume 13 "Weekend Customs" wrote, "As in the Spring and Autumn Period, respect and respect for faith", which is a concise summary of this historical and cultural phenomenon.
However, the social and historical phenomenon is very complicated, and even at that time, there were many people who did not regard "faithfulness" as the same thing, and they were noble princes and generals, but they went back on their word and broke their promises. In them, the concept of honor and disgrace based on the spirit of the aristocracy was completely reversed, and the sense of right and wrong and awe was almost gone; In its place, there is a very loud and enveloping utilitarian heart. Zheng Ligong is a typical example of this kind of character, and the later Yue Wang Goujian is also similar.
Zheng Ligong not only has no "faith" to speak of, but also has no "benevolence" to speak. After the successful restoration, the death of the minister Yuan Fan further reflected his ruthlessness and cruelty. When Fu Fang died, he ordered someone to say to Yuan Fan: I promised to give my subordinates the position of doctor who helped me return to China without two hearts, and I am willing to discuss with you. But I regret that when I was in Liyi, you didn't report to me about the situation in the capital, and now that I have returned to China and re-ascended the throne, you don't take the initiative to attach yourself to me, I really don't think it's a taste!
If you accept me without two hearts, I will promise the doctor above, and I am willing to work with my uncle. And the widow came out, and the uncle had nothing to say. enter, and don't miss the widow, the widow regrets! (Zuo Chuan, 14th year of Zhuang Gong).
Yuan Fan is a smart person, and immediately understood the subtext behind Zheng Ligong's words. Death, of course, is possible, Yuan Fan is not afraid of this; But the truth must be explained clearly, and it cannot be unclear to die. So, he made a righteous and solemn deathbed speech: The ancestor Huan Gong ordered my ancestors to manage the throne of the ancestors of the temple. The country has a monarch and its own heart is abroad (in yours), is there a greater heart than that? If he presides over the country, who of the people in the country is not his subordinate (Zheng Zhaogong to Gongziyi)? It is only natural that subordinates should not have two hearts. Gongziyi has been on the throne for fourteen years, and now someone is planning and helping you return to China, isn't this a double heart? There are eight sons of Zhuang Gong, and if they all use officials as bribes and bait to persuade others to be half-hearted, and they may succeed, what should you do, the king? Can you approve of it? I understand what you mean, and I'm going to die right before your eyes!
The first monarch Huan ordered my ancestor to be the ancestor of the priest Zongyi. The community has a master, but its heart is outside, how can it be like this? Gou Zhu Sheji, the people of the country, who is not a minister? There are no two hearts, and the system of heaven is also. Ziyi reigned for 14 years; And the one who conspires to summon the monarch is not mediocre? There are still eight sons of Zhuang Gong, if they all bribe and persuade the officials to help them, what is the king? The minister is commanded! (Zuo Chuan, 14th year of Zhuang Gong).
After saying that, he hung himself on the ground without hesitation. The death of Yuan Fan vividly contrasts with Zheng Ligong's shamelessness, narrow-mindedness and cruelty!
However, it is such a monarch of Zheng Guoguo, who does not pay attention to benevolence and righteousness, and does not keep his promises, gritted his teeth and persevered in the political turmoil and infighting that lasted for many years after the death of Zheng Zhuanggong, the "little tyrant", and had the last laugh. Not only that, but he also stood on the right side in the civil strife of the Zhou royal family, assisted King Hui of Zhou to quell the rebellion of the prince, and received a rich reward for the meritorious service of King Qin, and obtained a large area of territory east of the Tiger Prison, "The strategy of the king and the martial prince, from the east of the Tiger Prison" ("Zuo Chuan: Twenty-one Years of Zhuang Gong"), so that Zheng Guo was revived again after Zheng Zhuang Gong, which can be described as a double harvest of fame and fortune.
It's a pity that the real history is so cruel: the villain is reckless, and the gentleman is out. Zheng Zhaogong failed, Zheng Ligong succeeded, which is sighing.
This article is excerpted from "The World of the Princes", written by Huang Pumin, published by Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House in January 2024, with permission, The Paper**.
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