Chapter 17 15. Two Kingdoms of Zhao

AD 318 was another eventful year for China as a whole. Sima Rui, who had been waiting for news from the north in the south of the Yangtze River, finally got the news that Jin Mindi Sima Ye was killed by Liu Cong after being humiliated.Therefore, the prince of the Western Jin Dynasty, supported by the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River headed by Wang Dao, became the emperor in Jiankang, and he was called the "Eastern Jin Dynasty" in history.At this time, the real land owned by the Jin Dynasty was only the part south of the Huaihe River, and its area was not even much larger than Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period. (So ​​for the sake of fairness, from now on we will refer to the Eastern Jin Dynasty as the Jin State, not the Jin Dynasty.)

Although Sima Rui vowed to send troops to the Northern Expedition when the Western Jin Dynasty fell, he has not seen any practical measures for a long time.Only Zu Ti, who was stationed in Yuzhou, had a small-scale military conflict with Shi Le's army, but they lost more than they won.Liu Kun, who wanted to maintain the anti-Han forces in the occupied areas, became in-laws with Duan Pi, and planned to use Duan's Xianbei power to continue his strategy of "using barbarians to control barbarians". At the beginning, he was excluded and suspected by Duan's Xianbei, and finally he, his nephew and others were arrested and killed by Duan Pi who listened to the slander.

Of course, the real event of the year was the split of the Northern Han Kingdom. After the Jin Zhun Rebellion broke out, Shi Le and Liu Yao went to crusade from east and west. Liu Yao met Hu Yanyan, the Taibao who had just escaped from Pingyang, on the way.As soon as everyone elected him, Liu Yao became the emperor of Han on the spot. Jin Zhun in Pingyang City was in a mess at this time, and hurriedly sent his servant Bu Tai to ask Shi Le for peace. Shi Le packed Bu Tai in a prison cart and handed it over to Liu Yao.Liu Yao said to Bu Tai: "In the last years of the late emperor (referring to Liu Cong), there was great chaos in the court. If Jin Zhun hadn't exercised power after the death of the late emperor, how could I have become emperor? Dajia, I still want to entrust political affairs, not just to avoid death? You go to the city for me to convey my meaning to him." He sent Bu Tai back to Pingyang, and persuaded Jin Zhun to surrender early.Jin Zhun consciously killed Liu Yao's mother and elder brother in Pingyang City. He was hesitant to surrender Liu Yao. Out of Yuxi, surrendered to Han.Shi Le was furious, and attacked Pingyang with troops, and defeated Jin Ming's army. Jin Ming had no choice but to take his subordinates and surrender to Liu Yao, who was stationed in Suyi, Hexi.As soon as the other side retreated, Shi Le on the other side attacked Pingyang City and set fire to all the palaces.

This time Shi Le really put on a stance to confront Liu Yao, but in the end he decided to make a test first: send his left chief Shi Wang Xiu to Liu Yao to show victory.Liu Yao's original measures were considered correct. Sending people to confer the posts of General Shi Le and King Zhao was mainly for appeasement.Unexpectedly, Cao Pingle, Wang Xiu's servant, ran to Liu Yao and informed Liu Yao of Shi Le's details and plans, saying that Shi Le's envoys were going to attack him.This statement hit the nail on the head, Liu Yao thought that his army was in the worst condition at this time, if Shi Le could figure out his background, wouldn't it be the end of it?He quickly called back the person he sent, and beheaded Wang Xiu.

When Shi Le heard the news of Wang Xiu's death, he was furious and said, "I have served the Liu family, and I have fulfilled my duties as a courtier. Is it not all their foundation that I laid down? Now, once Liu Yao gets his way, he still wants to have his own. The plan. Zhao Wang, Zhao Di, I can call it myself, why should he come to seal it?" He killed Cao Pingle and completely turned against Liu Yao. In the second year of Taixing (319 A.D.) of Emperor Jinyuan (Sima Rui), Liu Yao issued an edict saying: "The ancestors of our Huns rose in the north. Emperor Guangwen (Liu Yuan) established the Han Dynasty ancestral temple to comply with the popularity of the world. Now The north has been determined, and it is advisable to change the name of the country and take Shanyu as the ancestor." The officials said: "Emperor Guangwen was once named Lu Nubo (Lu Nu, the old capital of Zhongshan), and His Majesty was once the king of Zhongshan; The land of Zhao, please change the name of the country to Zhao."

Liu Yao then took Chang'an as the capital of the country and changed the name of the country to Zhao, which was called "Former Zhao" in history.A few months later, Shi Le also took Zhao as his country name in Xiangguo, calling himself the Great General, the Great Chanyu, and the King of Zhao. This Zhao kingdom was called "Later Zhao" in history.The two Zhao kingdoms were separated in Guanzhong and Guandong in the north, becoming the two most powerful separatist forces in China. From then on, the two countries of Zhao began a state of confrontation that lasted for ten years. In fact, during this period of time, especially in the first few years, as both countries were busy solving some minor problems within and around their own countries, frontal military conflicts occurred. There are not many opportunities for conflict.Both Zhao countries wanted to establish a new order within their own country first, and both sides took measures to emphasize the education system.Liu Yao founded Taixue, and selected good students and teachers to enter such a national highest institution.At the same time, Liu Yao accepted the suggestions of the ministers, learned the lessons of the decline and division of the Han Dynasty, stopped the project of overhauling the palace, and used the funds for military and civilian purposes.It should be said that compared to his predecessor Liu Cong, Liu Yao still made a little effort in the country to change the status quo of domestic exhaustion.

Shi Le of Later Zhao also attached great importance to education.Although Shi Le himself was illiterate, with the help of Han scholars around him, he had a relatively complete understanding and understanding of Han culture.Shi Le advocated Confucian Confucian classics very much. He established an imperial school and more than ten primary schools in China. Nine standards.Regarding the nine-rank Zhongzheng system since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it can be seen that both Liu Yao and Shi Le are reforming it.The development of the education system has had a great impact on it. Of course, it is impossible to make great progress. After all, this is just the beginning, but it is conceivable that through various historical facts at the beginning of the fourth century AD, China’s hope lies in the north. rather than the South.So I think that "five Hus chaos China" is not very accurate, and to some extent it should be "five Hus rejuvenate China".