Chapter 3 3. The first case of regicide
Zhou Yu is Shu Duan's kind, even an accomplice.Sima Qian said that as soon as Shu Duan fled to the Communist Party, Zhou Xu offered to be friends with him.In fact, both of them were in exile at that time, but Shuduan fled because of defeat, and Zhouxu fled because of dismissal.But it is exactly the same if he wants to kill his brother and come on stage by himself.Therefore, Zhou Xu recruited surrenders and rebels outside and formed a gang.On March 16th in the fourth year of Duke Yin of Lu (719 BC), Zhou Xu, who had planned for a long time, led a group of people to attack the capital, killed his half-brother, and became the king himself.
This is Chunqiu's first regicide case.
Later, other monarchs were killed one after another.Some were killed, and some fled. Either they were defeated or their reputations were ruined.There are also quite a few who killed the king and became self-reliant, such as Xia Zhengshu, the son of Xia Ji mentioned in the fourth volume.But the instigator was Zhou Yu.
So, who is Zhou Yu?
Zhou Xu is the younger brother of Duke Huan of Wei.
Wei, one of the earliest feudal states in the Zhou Dynasty, was surnamed Ji, and the first king was Kang Shufeng, the younger brother of Duke Zhou.By the time of the eighth monarch, Qinghou, he was promoted from earl to marquis.By the eleventh monarch, Duke Wu, he was promoted to Duke.Duke Wu's son is Duke Zhuang.Duke Zhuang's main wife is the princess of Qi.Qi State is the descendant of Jiang Taigong, whose surname is Jiang; Wei State is the successor of Zhou Wenwang, and his surname is Ji.This is another case of long-term intermarriage between the Ji and Jiang clans.Therefore, the princess of Qi State was later called Zhuang Jiang.Zhuang is the posthumous title of Duke Wei Zhuang; Jiang is her own maiden's surname.This is the same naming method as Zheng Zhuanggong's mother is Wu Jiang.
Zhuang Jiang is a beautiful woman."Shuo Ren" in the book is her hymn.But Zhuang Jiang was infertile, so he adopted the son of one of Duke Zhuang's side concubines as his own.The son's name was Wan, who was later Duke Huan of Wei.As for Zhou Yu, he was the son of another concubine of Duke Wei Zhuang, who was also younger than Duke Huan.This is the difference between Zhouxu's case and Shuduan's case.Uncle Duan and Duke Zhuang have the same father and mother, and are both legitimate sons.Zhouxu and Duke Huan were both concubines.It's just that Duke Huan was claimed by Zhuang Jiang, and he is the eldest son in terms of title.
The more important difference is the background boss.Uncle Duan's backer is his mother, but Zhou Yu's backer is his father.Zhou Yu has been mischievous and mischievous since he was a child, and he also likes to wield knives and guns and study the art of war.This is actually very dangerous.But despite Zhuang Jiang's disgust and the minister's advice, Zhuang Gong let him go, and there is no way to teach his son in a down-to-earth manner.
For this reason, after Duke Zhuang passed away and Duke Huan came to the throne, Zhou Yu became more arrogant and domineering, and he didn't pay attention to his elder brother who was the monarch at all.Duke Huan had no choice but to dismiss him as an official.On the other hand, Zhou Xu escaped from the capital, formed cliques outside the country, and became ambiguous with his uncle.In this way, after fourteen years of operation, Zhouxu's anti-government armed forces overthrew Duke Huan's legal regime and became the tyrant of Weiguo himself.
However, within half a year, Zhou Yu also decapitated.
Why?
Mainly because of his own iniquity.
The first thing Zhou Xu did after he came to power was to fight Zheng Guo.This is not surprising.First, Wei and Zheng are feuds.To defeat Zheng, you can flaunt that you have inherited the legacy of your predecessor and are politically correct.Second, he can help his buddy Uncle Duan vent his anger, and if he is lucky, he may even be able to make a comeback.Third, you can please certain princes.Due to the rapid development of Zheng Guo at that time, there were many people who were envious and jealous.More importantly, Zhou Yu's position is not right, and people's hearts are not convinced.Waging war abroad can divert attention and ease domestic conflicts.This is also the usual trick of the rulers of the past dynasties.Therefore, "Zuo Zhuan" said that Zhou Yu's move was "to repair the former emperor's grievances to Zheng, and to seek favor from the princes, so as to harmonize with his people."
Coincidentally, at this time, a contender for the throne in Song State happened to take refuge in Zheng State.So Zhou Xu united with the State of Song, together with the States of Chen and Cai, formed a coalition to attack Zheng, and besieged Zhengdu for five days.This happened in the spring of Lu Yingong's fourth year.In autumn, this group of people went there again and robbed all the crops in Zheng Guo's fields.
Now, is Zhou Yu sitting still?
No.
Although Zhouxu launched two wars, he still had a small gain, but Weiguo's hearts were still floating.He himself was uneasy about this, and one of his buddies was also anxious.This buddy is called Shi Hou, the son of Shi Que (pronounced Ruque).Shi Que was a veteran of the previous dynasty, and now he is retiring and returning to his hometown. He is at home and has been retired for sixteen years.
Shi Hou went to see his father and asked Zhou Xu how he could secure the throne.
Shi Que said that it is enough to meet the emperor.
This makes sense.At this time, Zhou Tianzi, although he had passed away, was still the nominal co-lord of the world after all.If the king of Zhou received Zhou Yu, the other princes would have to admit it, and Zhou Yu's throne would be secure.
So Shi Hou asked again: How can I meet the emperor?
Shi Que said, through Chen Guo.Chen Jun is the favorite minister of the emperor and an ally of our country.Ask Chen Guo to come forward, and the emperor will definitely reward him.
Both Zhou Xu and Shi Hou agreed and decided to follow suit.
As the saying goes, if the sky does evil, you can still say it; if you do it yourself, you can't live.Both Zhou Xu and Shi Hou had forgotten that Shi Que hated Zhou Xu very much.When Duke Zhuang was alive, he urged the emperor to strictly discipline Zhou Xu.Shi Hou is fooling around with Zhou Yu, and he also strongly opposes it, but he repeatedly prohibits it.Zhou Yu and Shi Hou came to him for advice, isn't it sick?
Of course, no one thought that Shi Que would kill his relatives righteously for the sake of the country.In fact, when Zhou Xu and Shi Hou rushed to Chen Guo excitedly, Shi Que's secret letter had already arrived.Shi Que's letter said that the country of Wei is weak, but the old man is decayed and powerless.These two people are rebellious kingslayers.Rebellious ministers and thieves are punished by everyone.Please support justice in your country and take it down!
As a result, Zhou Xu and Shi Hou were executed on the spot in Chen State.
Of course, Chen Guo arrested him, but Wei Guo killed him.According to the international law at that time, the state of Wei did not need to extradite such criminals back to the country, but sent personnel to execute them.To this end, Wei Fang sent two supervisors and execution officers.The one who supervised the beheading of Zhouxu was the right minister of the state of Wei, and the one who supervised the beheading of Shihou was Shi Que's steward.
After that, the people of Wei appointed Prince Jin as the king, who was Duke Xuan of Wei.
The Wei civil strife that lasted for half a year came to an end.
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