Chapter 23 5. Tian Chen Daiqi

It was Tian Chen who seized the power of Qi State. Qi was originally a barbarian.Their ancestor was surnamed Jiang, who belonged to the Qiang Rong, and belonged to the Qiangs, not the Xias.Only because of the close relationship with Ji Zhou, intermarriage for generations, and sharing weal and woe, did he become a member of Huaxia.The enfeoffed land of Qi State is in Dongyi, and it is the old nest of Yin Shang.When Jiang Taigong came here, he did not want to "change its customs and rituals" like Zhou Gong's son Boqin did when he came to Lu State. ".That is to say, Jiang Taigong took advantage of the situation and adapted measures to local conditions, combining different cultures such as Xirong, Dongyi, Yin Shang (business), and Ji Zhou (agriculture), and embarked on a unique development path.

This is the secret of Qi being able to rise as a great country. Therefore, although Qilu is a close neighbor, the styles and traditions of the two countries are quite different.The state of Lu implemented the public clan system, while the state of Qi implemented the Qing clan system.Later, Qi Jun was replaced by the Tian Chen family of the Qing family. The first ancestor of the Tian Chen family was named Wan, who was originally the son of Chen Guo. He defected to Duke Huan of Qi due to domestic turmoil.Chen Hetian had the same pronunciation at the time, and they were the same thing.It's just that it was called Chen in the Spring and Autumn Period, and Tian in the Warring States Period; Chen was called in "Zuo Zhuan", and Tian was called in "Historical Records", so it might as well be called Tian Chen's family.

So, how does Tian Chen replace Jiang Qi? Peaceful evolution. The evolution is actually a coup, which is the same as the state of Lu.It's just that Sanhuan turned the public into private, while Tian Chen bought people's hearts.This thing started at least in the Jinggong era.Qi Jinggong is a greedy person.At that time, two-thirds of the income of the people of Qi State was handed over to the public, and only one-third was left to themselves.As a result, in Jinggong's treasury, there was too much food, and worms and maggots; too much clothing, which was broken and rotten.The common people, however, had nothing to eat, no clothes to cover their bodies, and died of cold and starvation on the road.The criminal laws in Qi State are strict, and people will have their legs and feet cut off at every turn, so that "in all the cities of the country, the cheapest and the expensive", shoes cannot be sold, and prosthetic limbs cannot be bought.

Tian Chen's family did the opposite.When ordinary people borrow from their families, they use special large containers to pay more; when collecting rent, taxes, and loans, they use small legal containers to collect less.Buy wood from the mountains, buy fish salt from the sea, the buying price is the same as the selling price.If people's families are in trouble, they will give relief.This is not only giving benefits to the people, but also giving universal favors.It's no wonder that the people of Qi State "love them like their parents, and return them like flowing water" to Tian Chen's family.In Qi State, Tian Chen is simply "the great savior of the people".

Therefore, in the ninth year of Qi Jinggong (539 BC), Yan Ying, a statesman of the state of Qi who was sent to the state of Jin, told Shu Xiang, a statesman of the state of Jin, that the king abandoned his own people, and they could only go to Tian Chen.I don't guarantee that the Chen family will get Bangguo in the future.But we are all together, it must be the end of the world. However, Qi Jinggong didn't seem to be very vigilant about this.On the contrary, Chen Huanzi, the fifth generation head of the Tian Chen family, followed Yan Ying's suggestion and returned all the assets he had obtained from the civil strife to the public.He also recalled the princes in exile, increased their salaries, and granted them fiefdoms.For the sons and grandsons who have no titles, he privately distributes the fields; for the lonely and vulnerable groups, he privately distributes food.

Tian Chen's family is very popular. Qi Jinggong finally began to feel that something was wrong.Once, Jing Gong chatted with Yan Ying.Jing Gong said that the widow's palace is beautiful, but he doesn't know whose future it will be.Yan Ying said, Tian Chen's, right?Although the Tian Chen family has no great merit, the people have already sang and danced to their family's spring wind and rain. Jing Gong asked: Is there a way? Yan Ying said, yes.The solution is to rule by etiquette.The ruler makes his ministers respectful, the father is kind and the son is filial, the brother loves the younger brother and respects the younger brother, the husband and wife are gentle, the mother-in-law is kind and the daughter-in-law is obedient, this is etiquette.

Jing Gong said, I know that etiquette can govern a country. In fact, Confucius also expressed the same opinion.Just a year before the dialogue between Duke Jing and Yan Ying, Duke Zhao of Lu defeated the Jisun family and fled, and Confucius also went to Qi State.Qi Jinggong asked Confucius about politics, and Confucius' answer was "junjun, ministers, fathers, sons".The meaning is very clear, the king should be like the king, the minister should be like the minister, the father should be like the father, and the son should be like a son.Everyone abides by the etiquette and abides by the norms, and the world will be peaceful.

It's a pity that Confucius said "if you don't say it, you don't say it, and if you say it, you say it for nothing", while Yan Fuzi "don't ask me, don't say it, and if you say it, you don't do it."In fact, it was none other than Yan Ying who obstructed Confucius from implementing the rule of rites in Qi.Yan Ying told Jing Gong that the royal family was in decline and could not be saved; the rituals have been broken and the music has collapsed for many years.What Confucius did was useless. Confucius had no choice but to go back home. Why Yan Ying rebelled against Confucianism, readers can see the wisdom of different people.But he said that the collapse of rites and music has been entrenched for a long time, which is true.Therefore, with Yan Ying's wisdom, he could neither save Jiang Qi's decline, nor prevent Tian Chen from growing stronger, so he could only resign himself to fate.Because of this, he strictly maintained neutrality in the political struggles of Qi State, and he did not support, oppose, or meddle in any coup d'état, and finally died well.

The Tian Chen family, which gradually became stronger, has become more and more involved in politics.After Qi Jinggong passed away, they first killed Guozi and Gaozi, the two largest Qing clans in Qi State, and then took control of the power of Qi State by abolishing the monarch.Duke Mourning of Qi and Duke Ping of Qi were established by their family; Duke Jian of Qi was killed by them.It was Xi Zi, the sixth-generation head of the Tian Chen family, who established Mourning Duke; Cheng Zi, the seventh-generation head, killed Jian Gong and established Ping Gong. Chengzi, like his ancestors, had a talent for politics.He said to Qi Pinggong that it is human nature to like to be rewarded and hate to be punished.Therefore, you and I, the ruler and ministers, may wish to divide the work like this: the good deeds of rewards should be done by the ruler; the bad reputation of punishment should be carried down by the ministers.Seeing that the reputation belongs to him and Chengzi is a villain, Pinggong readily agrees.But how did he know that it is natural for people to like rewards, but they are more afraid of punishment.The power of punishment is in the hands of Chengzi, and what the people of the country fear is not Pinggong, but Chengzi.

What's more, if you can live or kill, you can take it away.So Chengzi took the opportunity to eliminate all dissidents, and took a large piece of land of Qi into his own pocket.The area of ​​the fief is so large that it far exceeds the land that Pinggong can control.When Tian He Xiangqi, the tenth head of the Tian Chen family, Tian Chen Daiqi, only needs one procedure. In 386 BC, the king of Zhou conferred Tianhe the title of vassal.Seven years later, Duke Kang of Qi, who had only one city left, died, and Jiang Qi was completely destroyed.Later Qi, Qi of the Warring States Period, was no longer surnamed Jiang, but Chen or Tian.

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