Chapter 6 6. The overlord is coming

The battle of Changge between King Huan of Zhou and Duke Zhuang of Zheng was indeed a landmark event.It marks that the old system and order are difficult to maintain and will eventually collapse.From the emperor to the princes, from the princes to the officials, all political forces will be reshuffled in the fierce turmoil, and a new national system will be born. This is a long process that lasted from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period. In the first stage, Xeon replaces Supreme. What is Xeon?What is Supreme? We have to start with the system. From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, our nation practiced the "state system".States come from feudalism.Feudalism means that the emperor "feuded the country and established the country" and the princes "feuded the soil and established their families".Specifically, the emperor divided the world into dozens of units and granted them to the princes.What is established in this way is called a country, or a state.The princes redistributed again, dividing the country into several pieces and entrusting them to the big officials.The one established in this way is called home, also called fiefdom.This is called feudalism.

The result of feudalism was the birth of the world, the country, and the family.The family and the country are integrated into one, that is, the state; the union of states and countries is one, that is, the world.The family belongs to the officials, the country belongs to the feudal lords, the world belongs to the emperor, and it belongs to the third class.However, the Son of Heaven is the co-owner of the world only in name and ownership, while the sovereignty of states is exercised by the princes.The emperor himself also has a state, but the largest territory and the highest level are kingdoms.The rest are the Principality, Marquis, Bo, Zi, and Nan.A family below the state has the right to govern but not sovereignty.Sovereignty belongs to the country, and property rights belong to the Son of Heaven.It can be seen that the real political entity and economic entity is the state, so it is called the state system.

The Zhou Tianzi in the state system is the co-lord and the monarch.It's just that his state rank is the highest, the prince; his status is also the highest, the co-lord.The king of Zhou is a man above a man, and the state of Zhou is a state above a country, which is called "Supreme".At the same time, his strength is also the strongest.In other words, it is precisely because of its strong strength that it becomes the co-lord of the world, which is called "Xeon".That is to say, in the Western Zhou Dynasty, Zhizun and Xeon were one. Below the supreme and the strongest, there are the second noble and the second strongest, which are the princes.Next, it is the sub-principal and the sub-strong, this is the doctor.From the emperor to the princes to the doctor, the status and strength are decreasing.Therefore, the great officials are ministers to the princes, and the princes are ministers to the emperor.Of course, doctors also have ministers.A minister of a doctor is a scholar, called a retainer.

The retainers are often the family members of the doctor, and the doctor is their family lord.The retainers embrace the ruler like stars surrounding the moon.So the doctor's home or fiefdom formed a structure of stars and moons.By extension, the big officials support the princes, and the princes support the emperor, and the same is true.In other words, the Son of Heaven is the big moon, the princes are the big stars; the princes are the middle moon, the doctor is the middle star; the doctor is the small moon, and the retainers and family members are the small stars.Such a triple pattern of stars supporting the moon is called "feudal order".

It can be seen from this that if the feudal order is to be maintained, the precondition is that the superiority and inferiority will never change.The Kingdom of Zhou will always be the strongest, the fiefs of the doctors will always be the weakest, and the vassal states will only have a small scale from the beginning to the end, and everyone is about the same.Even if we want to develop, we must go in step, and the proportions cannot be out of balance. This is of course impossible. The reason for the impossibility is that all states, including the Zhou Kingdom, have independent accounting, independent management, and are responsible for their own profits and losses.Hundreds of years have passed, and it is inevitable that it will be uneven.Some are thriving and growing stronger; some are getting worse and worse, and even become insolvent and face bankruptcy.

At this time, according to the law of the jungle, the program of the jungle will start automatically.The method is annexation, and the means is war.There were at least 200 wars in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it was not only big countries that waged wars.For example, Ju (read Ruju), although pitifully small, also annexed Xiangguo, and it was at the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period. Ha, before the big fish opened its mouth, the little fish ate the dried shrimps. In fact, the annexation of major powers is even more numerous.In the first half century of the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Zheng annexed Dai (read Ruzai, in today’s Minquan County, Henan Province), and the State of Qi also annexed Tan (in today’s Jinan City, Shandong Province), Sui (in today’s Ningyang County, Shandong Province) Northwest), Chu State annexed Xi (now Xi County, Henan Province), and also occupied Mrs. Xi.

Countries are no longer evenly matched. The balance was broken, and society began to be in turmoil. A turbulent society needs someone to settle the rivers and lakes, and maintaining international order and world peace was originally the duty of King Zhou.It's a pity that at this time, Zhou Tianzi also changed from a living Bodhisattva to a clay Bodhisattva.The battle of Changge proved that he is a paper tiger.The fundamental reason, of course, is that the land and population of the Zhou Kingdom continued to decrease, resulting in a continuous decline in economic strength.Those with long sleeves are good at dancing, and those with wealth are bold.If the royal family is stretched everywhere, and even has to rely on the princes for help, how can it be tough?Supreme is no longer Xeon.It is not easy to save the last bit of face.

Of course, King Zhou's face was well maintained in the early Spring and Autumn Period.Because this face is a banner and a banner, it can be used as a tiger skin or as a spear.In 714 BC (the ninth year of Lu Yingong) and the second year, Zheng Zhuanggong attacked Song Dynasty, and the reason given was that "Songgong is not king" (Song Shanggong did not meet the emperor).This is the so-called "disputing the court with the king's order", and the public opinion at the time thought it was justified.In fact, although Duke Shang of Song Dynasty did not pay attention to the emperor, how could Duke Zhuang of Zheng really respect the king?Six years ago, didn't he send troops to cut off King Zhou's wheat and millet?

There is no need to pretend to be confused.Everyone knows that no matter how good the face is, it is nothing but self-deception.What really works is strength; what counts is a big country.As a result, big countries rise and small countries stand in line.What a small country needs is an umbrella; what a big country wants is leadership.Possessing the actual command power to order the world, becoming the boss and leading brother of the international community, this is "hegemony".The princes who have achieved hegemony are the "overlords".The way of overlord is "hegemony".Overbearing is not kingly, and overlord is not co-lord, so the emperor Zhou has to be there to support the facade.All overlords must also play the banner of respecting the king and fighting the barbarians.But everyone knows that what they are really looking for is their own political interests.The face of the royal family is just a fig leaf.

A fig leaf has no authority, no matter how good-looking it is.It will be the rising superpowers that keep their promises. Overlord is about to be born. The age of kingship ends and the age of hegemony begins.What kind of drama will be performed on the land of China? Duke Huan of Qi said, have you seen the team of widows? With this kind of battle, who can resist it; if you attack a city with this, what city can't win? Chu Shuai replied neither humble nor overbearing: Your Majesty, if you convince others with virtue, who would dare to disobey? If force must be used, Although your army has a large number of people, I am afraid that it will be useless.

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