Chapter 2 preface

Organization of Chinese Civilization The Yellow River has been recognized as the birthplace of the Chinese nation since ancient times. In fact, strictly speaking, it can only be regarded as the birthplace of Chinese civilization. The water of the Yellow River is of course indispensable for human survival and farming, but "the water of the Yellow River comes from the sky", which also points out that the Yellow River is characterized by flooding for many years. In order to control this serious flood, the various tribes living beside the big river, It is necessary to form a certain degree of "community of destiny", which is the beginning of Chinese civilization."

From the legendary Youchao, Suiren, Fuxi, Shennong (Yandi Dynasty), Huangdi Dynasty, Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty, to the Zhou Dynasty, it reached the peak of the development of Chinese civilization. Since the management of floods requires the pooling of manpower, Chinese civilization emphasizes organization and is managed in layers by fixed leaders. The highest leader is called the "co-lord".According to the situation and the rotation of power, the "co-lord" will be taken by the powerful after a period of time. From the Chao family to the Zhou Dynasty, it symbolizes the rotation of the leadership of the co-lord.Of course, under the "co-lord", many "little leaders" were arranged in this leadership "political system" according to the closeness of the tribe's blood and the size of the tribe.With the development of time, this organization has changed from loose to gradually tight. After the formation of the "patriarchal system" and "feudal system" of the Zhou Dynasty, the integrity and systematization of the organization has reached a rather surprising degree. Social order and organizational strength The performance also reached the climax.

Chu civilization with its own system The traditional view of history always focuses on the Chinese civilization system, calling the area where they were active "the Central Plains, and only regards them as representatives of the Chinese nation." In fact, when the Chinese civilization was flourishing, there were tens of thousands of tribes in various regions of the current Chinese territory, among which the Chu civilization was the most distinctive. In the past, many historians always regarded the Chu civilization as a remote secondary civilization attached to the Chinese civilization, and attributed it to the "princess" of the Zhou Dynasty. Even Sima Qian's "Historical Records" fell into this pattern. To some extent, the psychology of "Greater Chinese chauvinism" is at work. However, the new materials discovered by archaeologists have gradually proved that the Chu civilization is not only different from the Chinese civilization, but also has a self-contained culture very early, which is quite delicate and special. , even better than Chinese civilization."

Different from the "fire" and "bird" totems of the Chinese civilization, the Chu civilization is dominated by "snake" and "beast" totems, which are distributed almost from the south bank of the Yellow River to the north and south banks of the Yangtze River.Perhaps because there are too many mountains and swamps, the tribes of this civilization are usually small, with high independence and strong combat mobility.At present, there are many historical materials showing that the Fuxi clan and the Yellow Emperor Dynasty may also come from the northern tribes of this civilization system (see my work "Management in Troubled Times" for details. That is to say, this totem tribe participated in the "struggle for power and profit" of the Chinese civilization in the Central Plains ".

However, since Emperor Yao, the last co-lord of the Yellow Emperor Dynasty, was usurped by Emperor Shun, who originally belonged to the Eastern Wutotem tribe, the remnants of Emperor Yao were exiled to the south and returned to the Chu civilization.After the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties continued for nearly a thousand years, except for a few tribes who stayed in the Central Plains, this totem tribe almost withdrew from the political situation of Chinese civilization. The Two Great Civilizations Confronting the North and the South When the Western Zhou Dynasty was established, the state of Chu already had a fairly complete political system. It was in a state of confrontation between the North and the South with the Zhou Dynasty very early."

The future kings of Chu all have the word "Xiong" in their names, which should be related to the beast totem clan. Some historians believe that they may belong to the same tribe as the "Youxiong clan" of the Yellow Emperor. The book "Emperor Century" records the legend that Emperor Yao was exiled to the Yangtze River Basin by Emperor Shun. Perhaps this is also the action of "returning leaves to roots" after "Youxiong" withdrew from the political situation in the Central Plains.It is believed that at that time, many important elders of the Yellow Emperor Dynasty also returned to the south, and the Chu royal family may have been developed from these tribes.

The scale of hunting tribes is usually small, but they are highly active and have a large influence. Their political organizations are all loose alliances. Therefore, their prestige is far greater than their strength, and the Chu State belongs to such an organization (the Indians in the western pioneering era of the United States can also see this type of alliance tribe)." During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Chu State had almost integrated the entire area from the south bank of the Yellow River to the Yangtze River Basin, and the population under its jurisdiction was by no means comparable to that of the vassal states in the Central Plains.Moreover, all the tribes of the Chu State are brave and ruthless, good at fighting and serious, and there is no prince in the Central Plains who is not afraid of them.Fortunately, the state of Chu is a decentralized organization, and the king of Chu can really mobilize limited troops. Otherwise, even if the great princes of the Central Plains unite to fight against each other, they may not be the opponent of the state of Chu.

However, the tribes in the Central Plains have always been arrogant. No matter how strong the Chu State is, the "co-lord" of the Central Plains will never give equal treatment.Therefore, when the Western Zhou Dynasty was established, the "co-lord" of Chu congratulated King Wu of Zhou based on courtesy, but the emperor of Zhou actually granted him a "zi" noble, the lowest rank among the princes, because he was a foreigner.Fortunately, the king of Chu at that time could not figure out what "viscount" meant, so there was no dispute. The Hegemony of the Vassal States and the Resistance to Chu

The Spring and Autumn Period was the period when these two civilizations confronted the North and the South. During this period, after the Yellow Emperor Dynasty, the Chu Kingdom took advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains and actively expanded its power to the Central Plains. The defensive side. Duke Huan of Qi used the slogan of "respecting the king and destroying the barbarians" and became the first "substantial co-lord" of the non-Zhou royal family in the Central Plains. Apart from a few alien races in the north, his main target was Chu. Guan Zhong used the "Eight-Power Allied Forces" to march south , but the thunder and rain ended with peace talks, the main reason is that he was not sure about defeating Chu with his strength, so he cleverly avoided the upcoming formal duel, in order to maintain Qi's hegemony in the Central Plains, and temporarily blocked Chu. Live northward ambition of King Cheng of Chu."

Song Xianggong considered himself the successor of Duke Huan of Qi's hegemony in the Central Plains, so he did his best to prevent Chu's northern invasion of Hongshui. Knowing that he would lose, he fought hard and became a tragic hero defending the Central Plains. There was a short-term fault in the hegemony of the Central Plains, but Song Xianggong's desperate efforts led to a political struggle between King Cheng of Chu and Cheng Dechen, which made the integration of the Chu State weak and unable to send troops northward. ten years. The rise of Jin Wengong enabled the princes of the Central Plains to resist the offensive of King Cheng of Chu again.Jin Wengong Chonger himself had received political asylum in Chu State, so he knew the advantages and disadvantages of Chu State quite well.After becoming the leader of Jin State, he took advantage of the conflict between King Chu and Cheng Dechen to defeat Chu State skillfully in the battle of Chengpu, and completely extinguished King Chu Cheng's ambition for hegemony.

The long-term confrontation between Jin and Chu, although each has its own outcome, has led to the decline of the power of the two countries. Consumed national power, eventually defeated by the newly emerging state of Wu in the southeast. Wuyue's succession of hegemony symbolized the great increase in the strength of the tribes in the Yangtze River Basin, and the strength of the tribes in the south also steadily surpassed that in the north.Although the State of Chu finally perished the State of Yue again and unified the regions from the south of the Yellow River to the Yangtze River Basin, the civilization of the State of Chu became more complicated after the turmoil. The pattern of the Warring States period The author once went down the Yangtze River to investigate the recently unearthed Chu civilization. In addition to the original beast and snake totems, the traces of bird totems are also quite clear. " However, diversification also increased the difficulty of integration. Therefore, after entering the Warring States Period, although the territory of Chu State was larger, its performance in competition was not as good as that of the Spring and Autumn Period. The long-term war has greatly improved the weapons of killing people. Iron weapons have replaced copper weapons, and their lethality has greatly increased; In the Spring and Autumn Period of 242 years, there were originally 3,000 vassal states, but only Han, Zhao, Wei, Qi, Chu, Yan, Qin's Warring States Seven Heroes and sporadic Ji surnames remained Small country. The fierce competition for survival has gradually changed the focus of the leaders of the princes from the struggle for hegemony in the world to the safety of their own country.In addition, after the elimination of the small princes, the buffer zone between the big princes disappeared, and the competition was no longer just for face, but a matter of life and death. The seven powers stand side by side, and no one can subdue the other. It is unlikely that one country will lead the world by relying on diplomatic skills. Instead, countries have to tend to nationalism in order to survive and develop under strong competition. Enriching the country and strengthening the army has also become the most important political goal of our time. Originally the most powerful state of Chu, during the period of Wu Yue's hegemony, in order to integrate the political forces in the Yangtze River Basin, it also temporarily withdrew from the struggle for hegemony in the Central Plains.Therefore, Han, Zhao, and Wei were able to inherit the hegemony of the Jin State under relatively small challenges, and performed relatively well in the early Warring States period. But the better the conditions, the more the crisis. Dahan, Zhao, and Wei are located in the central plains, and they are under the greatest pressure of competition. After many wars, their national power was severely consumed, and they became the earliest losers. The Qi State in the east has always been dominated by the economy, and its combat power was not strong. Therefore, in the face of fierce competition, its performance is far inferior to that of the Spring and Autumn Period, which was dominated by fighting wits.Except for the short-lived strength of King Qi Wei and King Xuan, Qi State seemed at a loss when it came to the role of Dou Ruo.After the middle period of the Warring States period, under the successive years of battles with the rising military power Yan in the north, both sides suffered losses, too busy to take care of themselves, and had no intention of participating in the hegemony of the Central Plains. The Rise of Qin The most able to stand the challenge is the original weakest state of Qin. The ancestors of the Qin state were the elders of the bird totem clan in the Shang Dynasty—the offspring of Fei Lian and E Lai. Therefore, at the beginning of the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, they became important. As a super war criminal, the ethnic groups were forced to wander around, and their fate was as tragic as the situation of the Jewish nation's subjugation. The remaining tribal leaders fled westward away from their former home - the Loess Plain in the east.Among them, the descendants of Fei Lian's descendants fled to Shanxi and lived by raising horses.Soon, because of their professional skills, they were reused by the royal family of Zhou and served as horse breeding officials; ancestor." The descendants of Feilian's eldest son, Elai, fled farther west. They did not settle down until Yongdi, and lived with the local Rong people until the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Qin, and restored the title of the Ying family (the history of Qin's difficult founding of the country is described in detail in my book "The History of the Rise and Fall of Qin Company"). When King Ping of Zhou moved to the east, the leader of the Qin State was awarded the original Haojing Jingjing District of the Zhou royal family due to his proximity to the water and his meritorious service in escorting the country, which greatly boosted the country's power.When it was passed to Qin Mugong, it even defeated the contemporary overlord Jin and became one of the five overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period. The advective competition among the states In the face of the challenges of nature, the Chinese civilizations have always emphasized organization to exert collective strength, and Zhou Gongdan's feudal and patriarchal system made the social organization structure reach the highest peak. At that time, the focus of governance was the integration of the world order, so Strive to distinguish the organizational hierarchy - kings, princes, ministers, officials, scholars, and the people. The establishment of order must rely on the identification of each other's identities. Later, Confucianism was formed based on this. In the Yangtze River Basin, the natural conditions are good, and the pressure of competition for survival is not great. Therefore, philosophers tend to advocate nature in thinking. Everything is bestowed by God, and equality has become the main spirit.Therefore, Taoism based on Laozi and Zhuangzi has become the basic outlook on life of Chu people's "anarchism or "micro-government"ism." However, with the intensification of international competition, the integration of national power poses the biggest challenge to Chu.Facing the equal distribution of power among the various tribes, the most rapid and reasonable way to integrate the Chu royal family is to put them under the command of the Chu king. "Legalism" developed in this atmosphere. Both Li Si and Han Fei were students of Gouzi, a great Confucian in the state of Chu. That is to say, Legalism is based on Taoism and Confucianism.However, in the state of Chu, where anarchy and micro-government ideology prevailed, the development of Legalism was not successful. On the contrary, the colonial culture of Qin State accepted it without any major burden. The Rise and Fall of the Qin Empire In the 26th year of Qin Wangzheng (221 BC), Qin State defeated the other six major powers including Chu State, and China regained its unified leadership. After the baptism of nationalism and centralization, Qin Wangzheng, after unifying the six countries, is no longer comparable to the power of the former ruler of the world or Zhou Tianzi. In order to give himself a title that meets the status and needs of the times, Qin Wangzheng called himself "" The first emperor, China's civilization system has also entered a new era." However, the political development of the Qin Empire did not succeed in moving towards a new civilization.The past successful experience limited her creativity, and instead became the key to failure. Although the centralized system of prefectures and counties successfully promoted the political integration of Qin State, it was able to unify the six countries.However, using this system in the huge unified territory and complex civilization system has led to severe imperial anemia.Although the military unification was considered a success, the subsequent administrative and cultural unification failed completely, and the ruling efficiency was very low.Therefore, Qin Shihuang had to use long-term tours to promote imperial power, and finally died of exhaustion on the way of the tour. The battle of wits and strength between Chu and Han After the death of the first emperor, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, who first revolted, called on the Chu army. The Xiangliang army, the most powerful rebel army in the early stage, was the descendant of Xiang Yan, the commander of the Chu army. However, the resistance group of the Chu army system not only played the main role, but also accounted for more than half of the personnel. Both Xiang Yu and Liu Bang also belonged to Chu people, and Xiang Yu was the direct descendant of the Chu army who inherited Xiang Liang's army.Most of Liu Bang's group belonged to the civilian class of Chu State. He was originally the deputy commander of Xiangliang's army, so he should be regarded as a concubine of the Chu army. The Chinese nation calls itself the Han nationality, mainly from the Han Empire established by Liu Bang, but the reason why Liu Bang's dynasty is called "Han" is an accidental factor. After the collapse of the Qin Empire, Xiang Yu's Chu army took control of the power. Xiang Yu proclaimed himself the Overlord of Western Chu and divided the princes of the world.Since the Liu Bang Group entered the customs first, it should be the king of Guanzhong according to the agreement. However, Xiang Yu was worried that Liu Bang would be too powerful and endanger his leadership position, so he divided Liu Bang into "Han". This is the origin of Liu Bang's country name. "Han is the current Hanzhong Basin, which is a part of Sichuan Province. It has almost nothing to do with the Chinese civilization. It was a remote low-development area at that time. The transportation to the Central Plains or the Guanzhong Basin, the capital of Thailand, was very inconvenient. It can be regarded as a pretty good "political freezer". Later, with the assistance of Han Xin, Liu Bang returned to Guanzhong, entered the Central Plains, and started a four-year struggle between Chu and Han with Xiang Yu. Liu Bang with unique temperament Liu Bang, the founder of the most important dynasty in Chinese history, has an unexpectedly low status in the eyes of ordinary people. If it is said that Liu Bang was not valued in the autocratic feudal society because of his low background; but even in today's democratic society, Liu Bang is still "not valued enough" in the eyes of ordinary people. The vast majority of Chinese history books are official records. As long as the emperor is described, it is inevitable that he will be regarded as a born "heterogeneous" son of fate, especially the founding king or the famous emperor of the prosperous age, almost all of which are sacred and inviolable. However, Sima Qian, who was sentenced to corruption (genital cutting), inevitably had an indelible knot with the big bosses of the Han Dynasty regime.In addition, this bloody man who wrote history, and his own arrogance that he was not afraid of heaven and earth, made him boldly describe his boss Han Wudi and Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, in his work "Historical Records". Quite frank criticism; not only is it very different from the traditional "official version" in future history books, but also allows us to have a better understanding of the emperor's human nature. For those who study history, this was originally quite precious "original data", but Chinese intellectuals who are accustomed to respectfully reading the history of emperors have been misled instead. Outstanding leader, and quite unfairly underrated. Especially the part about Liu Bang, because Sima Qian not only recognized the official status of the "national thief Xiang Yu" of the Han Dynasty and compiled it into the "Emperor's Book", but also made a fairly plain evaluation of his ability and demeanor; Insufficient leadership style.” Historians of later generations immediately criticized Liu Bang's ability and style based on this "ironclad evidence". properties are very important). Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan, had a similar historical status to Liu Bang.Based on the special care for the civilian hero Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese historians and novelists generally sympathize with the short-lived and tragic Toyotomi Dynasty. Tokugawa Ieyasu, who overthrew the regime of orphans and widows and established a peaceful and prosperous age for more than 260 years, Instead, it is described as an insidious, cunning and deceitful old fox.It was not until the publication of the long historical novel "Tokugawa Ieyasu" by Shan Gangzhuang that he described Tokugawa Ieyasu's political personality and struggle for hegemony in a vivid style, and made the Japanese people despise Tokugawa Ieyasu. In order to respect, it also set off a decades-long research "Tokugawa Ieyasu Boom." This book does not have such a huge ambition to completely reverse the case for Liu Bang, but because the author is a little curious about Liu Bang's entrepreneurial personality, and hopes to discuss Liu Bang with a new perspective, and hopes to use this to attract more people. The advanced seniors and young scholars and experts of the Han Dynasty came together to care about the historical fate of the founder of the great Han civilization. Liu Bang's personality is indeed quite interesting. Sometimes he looks like a rogue, full of foul language, fickle and cunning, but most of the time, he is quite able to suppress his temper, treats people with tolerance and measure, and does things regardless of interests, just like a well-cultivated man. Senior citizens.Just like what the elders of the state of Chu commented on him on the eve of his westward march to Guanzhong: "Pei Gong, an elder. Maybe it refers to his big and simple character. But sometimes he is not only tolerant to others, but also indulgent to himself. A little bit, and then appear to be a little less "everyone's demeanor". However, he has always been loyal, and he considers himself a hero on the road in the chivalrous circle. In his dealings with people in the early years, it can be seen that he deliberately imitated the "shadow" of Lord Xinling, so he was also respected by the heroes of the middle and lower classes in the village, as if he was a big brother in the underworld who emphasized chivalrous ethics. At critical moments, Liu Bang immediately became thoroughly rational.For group goals, he can often endure considerable pain and risks, and even has the heart to sacrifice his subordinates without hesitation.When Pengcheng was defeated, in order to speed up his escape from danger, he even threw his children out of the car.During the Xingyang confrontation, when Xiang Yu wanted to kill his father to threaten him to surrender, Liu Bang asked for a share of the pie. Just this kind of courage that is not afraid of being criticized is already qualified to become a great figure in history. In "Historical Records" "Gaozu Benji", Liu Bang has been bluffing and talking wildly since he came out, and often "bragging from the bottom of his heart, even Xiao He criticized him: "Liu Jigu speaks too much, but rarely accomplishes anything." It's just that these annoying lies are said by him, but they seem very natural, and they don't feel particularly hateful. This may be Liu Bang's most powerful place. The famous contemporary Lu Gong, when Liu Bang was not famous, was willing to give him the jewel in his palm as his wife.Xiao He, who is cautious and resourceful, has taken special care of Liu Bang since he was young, and finally dedicated his lifelong loyalty.Zhang Liang, a Korean aristocrat with a high self-esteem, publicly stated: "Pei Gong is almost a gift from heaven (meaning that Liu Bang is really a rare natural genius)." The ever-victorious general Han Xin also did not regret him until his death. lion and fox In the early years, the author once read the record of the visit to Japan by Toynbee, a great historian of the generation, in Japan. There is a paragraph about Liu Bang's point of view, which really surprised the author at the time. The master historian of the 20th century even said that the two most farsighted political figures in human history and the greatest influence on later generations are Caesar who founded the Roman Empire, and the other is Liu Bang, the founder of Han civilization. The fates of these two political leaders are also quite similar. Caesar was under the control of Pompey and Crassus in his early years, and Liu Bang was also beaten by Xiang Yu; Both of them failed to witness the establishment of the empire and the rise of civilization, but because of their vision and leadership, the history of mankind opened a new era. Caesar's position in Western history is unquestionable, but Liu Bang is much inferior to him.Due to Sima Qian's fair record, the historical status of the founder of the Han Empire has not been fully recognized by the descendants of the Han people who claim to be Han. Toynbee's remarks aroused the author's high curiosity about Liu Bang, and I have always wanted to find an opportunity to discuss it; this entrepreneur who was criticized by his family as an old fox, but recognized by foreign scholars as the world's most outstanding statesman , What is the true face under the two completely different views? Many people read the history of the struggle between Chu and Han, and they always feel very puzzled. Liu Bang was almost always defeated, but he "broke his hand bones and became braver. , the next big defeat, the child lost even his life. The difference between them, besides good or bad luck, what else is there?." There is often a considerable gap between the truth of the facts and people's impressions.In all fairness, Xiang Yu can be regarded as a rare military genius in ancient and modern China and abroad, but Liu Bang is indeed superior to him in terms of strategy and tactics. Machiavelli, a famous Italian political theorist during the Renaissance, wrote in his classic masterpiece "The Art of Hegemony": A competent king must have the ferocity of a lion and the cunning of a fox... the ferocity of a lion will not be bullied by wolves; the cunning of a fox will not fall into the trap of hunters, but if both If you can't have both, it would be more beneficial to have the characteristics of a fox.... Liu Bang and Xiang Yu's entrepreneurial personality and struggle for hegemony are the best interpretation of Machiavelli's famous saying.