Chapter 25 Fourth, Yikang loses power

Tuoba Tao put an end to the disputes among the sixteen countries. For more than a hundred years, the situation in which the tribal leaders of the northern Hu people could separate themselves, proclaim themselves emperor or even dominate with a few cavalry is gone forever.Compared with the previous two unifications of Shi Zhao and the former Qin Dynasty, the unification of the Northern Wei Dynasty was much more stable and lasted for nearly a century.Why is it that the ultimate overlord of the Central Plains is this weak and backward force that originated in Mobei, and was not favored by many forces at the beginning?

The first is "time".When the Tuoba family first used the country name "Wei", they had the determination to conquer the world.From Tuoba Gui, Tuoba Si, to Tuoba Tao, the overall quality of the three generations of emperors may not be better than that of Shi Le, Fu Jian, Murong Chui, etc., but their average quality is definitely higher than most of the monarchs among the sixteen countries.The balance and consistency of the leader's quality is unmatched by any country in the north, and even the Song and Qi dynasties in the south at the same time are far from reaching this point.There is an element of God's will in this, and it can also be attributed to the relatively reasonable Northern Wei Dynasty prince system. Basically, every generation of monarchs has experienced the baptism of the battlefield and political tests before taking the throne. The system of "the death of the son and the mother" further guarantees the authority of the royal family.With a good monarch, strategic guidelines and policies can be passed on from generation to generation without being abandoned halfway.In the fifty years from the founding of the Northern Wei Dynasty to the unification of the north, we can see that the expansion of the Northern Wei Dynasty has a clear stage and gradual nature.This tribe on horseback did not only use cavalry to fight and guerrilla like Helian Bobo did, but took steps one step at a time, gaining land on the battlefield while consolidating their achievements off the battlefield.Except for the main use of troops against Rouran in the Tuoba Si era, a new battle result was obtained every four to five years. This time interval is quite appropriate, which not only gives the own side time to consolidate and digest, but also does not leave enemies behind. Too many opportunities to take advantage of.In addition, the Northern Wei Dynasty also often received God's favor and made a lot of money. For example, the Yellow River suddenly froze during the Battle of Canhepi, and the battle to capture Helianchang alive happened to be turbulent, and so on.The process of history is inevitable, but it is often changed by some accidental small events at critical moments.

The second is "geography".The birthplace of the Northern Wei Dynasty is located in the remote Mobei, and its economy and culture are backward, which seems to be a big disadvantage.However, it turns out that geographical conditions are precisely an advantage that makes Tuoba stand out.Most of the surrounding areas in this area are primitive nomadic tribes such as Xianbei and Gaoche, who were no more advanced and powerful than the Tuoba clan. In the process of military development and expansion in the Northern Wei Dynasty, they were able to first be easy and then difficult, and first weak and then strong. Failed, but also plundered a lot of resources, especially people and livestock.The conflict between the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Later Yan stemmed from the contradiction in horse resources. After a long period of war, the number of horses in the Central Plains had been greatly reduced. Murong Bao and others' demands for horses reflected the insufficient number and low quality of war horses in Yan State at that time. , In the cavalry battle where horses determine victory or defeat, the Northern Wei Dynasty, with its strong soldiers and horses, can be said to have an absolute advantage, not only far surpassing its southern neighbors where horses are scarce, but also better than its nomadic northern rival Rouran.The only way for the separatist forces to fight against them is to defend the city, and this method, after the power of the Northern Wei Dynasty has grown stronger, will no longer be an obstacle to the victory of the Wei army.

Of course, victory is also inseparable from "human harmony".The organizational structure at the beginning of the Northern Wei Dynasty was very primitive, and it actually gave those Han people who had received "advanced cultural education" more room to display their skills.The cultural attainment of Tuoba Xianbei is not high, but its leaders are more knowledgeable. They realize that only by relying on people from the Central Plains can they rule the Central Plains, and they highly respect the Central Plains culture.In the annexation war to subdue the separatist forces, they continued to receive the support and submission of the nearby Han scholars.The Northern Wei Dynasty also paid great attention to recruiting talents. As long as the scholar-officials asked for an interview, no matter how young or old they were, the emperor would personally meet them and discuss them in detail.Faced with the almost blank rules and regulations of the Northern Wei Dynasty, these insightful people could not only introduce the successful ruling methods of the Han people, but also learn the lessons of the Han people's failures, so as to gradually establish a political system that was more complete than the traditional system.By the time of Tuoba Tao, the status of Han scholars in the Northern Wei Dynasty had become very important. The ruling class of the Northern Wei Dynasty formed a model of cooperation between Xianbei nobles and Han scholars and bureaucrats: the generals were mainly Xianbei people who were good at riding and shooting, such as Changsun Song, Changsun Han, Xi Jin and other fierce generals, while civil servants are mostly Han scholar-bureaucrats, such as Cui Hong, Cui Hao, Zhang Gun, Liu Jie and other celebrities. Invincible.

Tuoba Tao's victory was a stimulus to the "Zhengshuo" dynasty in the south.At the beginning of Liu Song's founding of the country, the policy against the north was to pull one faction against the other. On the one hand, they accepted the vassal status of small countries such as Beiyan and Beiliang, and even signed an alliance with Xia, in an attempt to contain the gradually powerful Northern Wei Dynasty.The more chaotic the north, the safer the rule in the south. The rule of Yuanjia by Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty was exactly the situation of affluence and partial security obtained by Tuoba Tao during the ten years when he attacked all countries and had no time to look south.When Tuoba Tao ends the dispute and finally has the opportunity to go south again, the "happy life" in the south will come to an end.

After Tan Daoji's death, Liu Zhan became more and more powerful in the court.Situ Youchang Shi Liu Bin is Liu Zhan's clan, and was promoted to Zuo Changshi by Liu Yikang.Liu Yikang successively promoted Wang Lu, Liu Jingwen, Kong Yinxiu and other ministers, all of whom were flatterers.Liu Yikang's power is in the court and the public. Liu Zhan thinks that he has the emperor's younger brother as his backer, and he is becoming more and more presumptuous. He has said to Liu Bin and others in private many times: "Once the current emperor dies, he should succeed him as an adult." The royals are monarchs."

As mentioned earlier, Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty was in poor health, and once his condition turned critical again, he called Liu Yikang into the palace to discuss with him the drafting of the Gu Ming Edict.The crown prince Liu Shao was still in his teens and didn't know much about politics. Emperor Wen of Song had a lot of thoughts, and he gave his younger brother thousands of instructions.After Liu Yikang left the palace, he told Liu Zhan, Yin Jingren and others about the scene with tears streaming down his face.After Liu Zhan listened, he didn't care about the audience, so he said: "The situation in the world is difficult, how can the young master rule!" After saying this, Liu Yikang and Yin Jingren were speechless—this Mr. Liu Zhan really seemed a little bold up. (Actually, Liu Zhan should think about it before he speaks. Liu Yikang is fine. Whether he intends to usurp the throne is another matter. Yin Jingren, who was present at the time, was a close confidant of Emperor Wen of Song. How could he say such things without causing suspicion. At this time I'm afraid Liu Zhan has become obsessed with power. He only wants Liu Yikang to come to power, so that he can be a minister under one man and above ten thousand. This kind of thinking can only be hidden in the bottom of my heart, and when the time is favorable Put it into action, how can you say it casually regardless of the occasion?)

Liu Zhan didn't wake up when he said something wrong. He formed a party with Kong Yinxiu and others, plotting to seize the opportunity to abolish the prince after the death of Song Wendi and support Liu Yikang as emperor.Unexpectedly, people are not as good as heaven, and Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty miraculously recovered from his serious illness. He also heard about the conspiracy of Liu Zhan and others (commonly guessed, most of the information came from Yin Jingren).At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, he had the experience of killing three Gu Ming ministers, and he quickly had a plan for dealing with people like Liu Zhan.

From the autumn of the 16th year of Yuanjia (AD 439), Emperor Wen of Song Dynasty no longer went to Liu Yikang's house to see him.Yin Jingren, on the other hand, had been sick at home a few years ago and communicated with the emperor through secret letters.In the seventeenth year of Yuanjia (AD 440), Liu Zhan's mother happened to pass away. Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty took the opportunity to dismiss Liu Zhan.Through various signs, Liu Zhan has already guessed that it is difficult for him to save himself.In October of that year, Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty ordered Liu Yikang to live in Zhongshu Province. He secretly ordered the left and right sides to strictly "guard" him, and then issued an edict to list the crimes and order the Ting Wei to arrest Liu Zhan and his party.Yin Jingren, who had been bedridden for many years, suddenly ordered someone to prepare court clothes, and entered the Yanxian Hall in Hualin Garden overnight, and secretly asked to see Emperor Wen of Song who had been waiting for a long time to discuss matters of punishment.

Emperor Wen of Song’s action was swift and swift, which can be described as a top-to-bottom clean-up. Not only Liu Zhan, Liu Bin and their sons were punished, but Liu Jingwen, Kong Yinxiu and other party members who participated in the conspiracy to support Liu Yikang were also beheaded. Lu relied on his uncle's relationship with the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Wang Qiu, to save his life, but he was dismissed as an official, and other people involved in the case were sent to remote Guangzhou. Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty sent someone to read the crimes of Liu Zhan and others to Liu Yikang.Liu Yikang knew that the general situation was over and his political life was over, so he submitted a form and asked to resign.Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty ordered him to be the governor of Jiangzhou and guard Yuzhang.Liu Yikang stayed in the capital for more than ten days, hoping to see Emperor Wen of Song again for the last time. Emperor Wen of Song met his request, but the brothers looked at each other and said goodbye, but did not say a word. Emperor Wen of Song just cried to Liu Yikang, and Liu Yikang left Jiankang sadly.Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty also named Zhenglu Sima Xiaobin as the prefect of Yuzhang, in charge of all affairs in Jiangzhou, and was led by General Longxiang Xiao Chengzhi to guard him. In the name of protecting Liu Yikang's personal safety, he restricted his freedom of movement.

The positions of Situ and Lushang Shushi left by Liu Yikang were taken over by the fifth younger brother Liu Yigong.Liu Yigong took Liu Yikang's failure as a warning, acted extremely cautiously, and finally did not cause any more disturbances in power.