Chapter 35 Chapter One

The Three Kingdoms ended, and then the short-lived unification of the Jin Dynasty. The "Eight Kings Rebellion" kind of stupid and cruel slaughter among the ruler's family quickly paralyzed the Western Jin Dynasty, and the uprising and resistance of ethnic minorities finally led to its complete collapse.As a result, China fell into an era of great division that lasted for 286 years. The "five random China" in history took place during this period. "Hu" is a general term for all ethnic minorities except the Han in ancient China.The Five Hu, at that time, referred to the five ethnic groups of Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang.Generally speaking, ethnic minorities live in desolate areas far away from the Central Plains.After a long period of communication and integration, under the invitation or even coercion of the rulers of the Central Plains, some or most of these ethnic groups no longer lived in remote areas outside the Great Wall, and moved to the interior in a relatively independent manner.The Wuhu rebellion was not out of conscious national consciousness, but an uprising due to the unbearable corruption of the Jin Dynasty and the corruption and cruelty of government officials.Wuhuluanhua established sixteen empires successively. After a hundred and thirty-six years of disintegration, Northern China was unified by the Northern Wei Dynasty established by the Tuoba tribe of the Xianbei tribe in 439 AD.

Xianbei is an ancient nation in the big Chinese family. Because it is mostly distributed in the Xianbei Mountains, it is called Xianbei, and the Tuoba tribe is only one of them.They first lived in natural caves in the northern forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains, leading a rather primitive hunting life.Later, due to the difficulty of survival, the broadening of vision and the need for development, the Tuoba tribe slowly left the dense forest area and moved southwest to the Hulunbuir prairie, filling the void after the collapse of the Northern Huns, and shifting from hunting economy to animal husbandry. economic shift.

Although the grassland is vast, the climate is cold, barren and desolate, and there are not many resources available to nomads.When the population and livestock increase to a certain limit, they will inevitably open up space for development in the surrounding areas; in case of serious natural disasters, they will have to plunder the surrounding areas.The harsh living environment has cultivated the nomadic people's cruel and aggressive habits, and armed aggression is the only effective way for them to achieve their goals. When the power of the Central Plains was strong, the nomads in the north did not dare to act rashly. At most, they did not plunder during the harvest season, and then returned to their original places as quickly as the wind.However, whenever there was chaos in the Central Plains, they not only plundered property, but also occupied territory and established kingdoms.Xianbei Tuoba gradually became stronger in the process of annexing the surrounding tribes, and then moved south to Yinshan Hetao, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and other places in turn, and then took the opportunity to go south to compete in the Central Plains during the chaos of China.In 386 AD, Tuoba, the leader of the Tuoba tribe, changed the country name to Wei, and the Northern Wei Dynasty was officially established.In 398 AD, Tuoba established his capital in Pingcheng, proclaimed himself emperor, and established a centralized political system.After that, it took another 41 years of conquest by the Northern Wei Dynasty to end the chaotic situation of the northern division.

The Northern Wei Dynasty was the first feudal dynasty established in the Central Plains by ethnic minorities in Chinese history. At the same time, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, cramped in southern China, also died like a terminally ill old man after a long and desperate struggle—power was usurped by its prime minister Liu Yu.As a result, the early period of the great division era ended with the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms, and the later period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties began. Tuoba Hong, also known as Emperor Xiaowen, was the sixth monarch of the Northern Wei Dynasty.He was not only the most outstanding emperor in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, but also one of the most famous emperors in Chinese history.

Emperor Xiaowen Tuoba Hong only lived a short thirty-three years before he passed away in a hurry. However, the flashing light of this fleeting meteor was so dazzling that it stood out in the deep night sky of Chinese history. Like a magnet, it firmly attracts the eyes of future generations. Tuoba Hong was born in 467 AD in Pingcheng (now Datong, Shanxi Province), the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty at that time, and was established as a prince two years later. Although already in charge of the Central Plains, the Tuoba tribe still retains the custom of early marriage in the past. When Tuoba Hong was born, his father, Emperor Xianwen Tuoba Hong, was only fourteen years old.Feudal dynasties are often ruled by families. After the Tuoba tribe established the Northern Wei Dynasty, they learned some practices of the Central Plains Dynasty to maintain the imperial rule, and established strict implementation of the system. ".The intention was obviously to fear that the future emperor would ascend the throne at a young age, and the power would fall into the hands of his matrilineal relatives.This practice can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was worried that the imperial power would be threatened by his relatives after his death, so he killed the prince's biological mother, Mrs. Gouyi first.Therefore, when Tuoba Hong was established as the prince when he was more than two years old, his mother, Queen Si Li, was "give death".This barbaric practice not only cast a shadow on his young heart, but also seemed to indicate the desolation and misfortune of his family life in the future.

Tuoba Hong lost his mother since he was a child, and was raised by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Feng.Empress Dowager Feng is not a blood relative, but a grandmother in name only.She is of the Han nationality, "sex is smart", "studied in calligraphy", and has been educated in traditional feudal culture.She has a strong personality, is decisive in her actions, and has the demeanor of a politician. "Wei Shu·The Queen's Biography" says that she is "more intelligent, guessing and forbearing, capable of great things, life and death rewards and punishments, and decisiveness."Tuobahong's father, Tuobahong, was only twelve years old when he succeeded to the throne. He was an orphan and widow in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the political situation was unstable. Empress Dowager Feng showed her talents for the first time. Linchao called the system and mastered the power of the court.

As soon as Tuoba Hong was born, Empress Dowager Feng "dismissed orders and refused to listen to political affairs".At first glance, she no longer listened to the court, but handed over state affairs to Xianwen Emperor Tuo Bahong. It seemed that she wanted to be a good grandmother, raise Tuoba Hong wholeheartedly, and enjoy the family happiness in the world.After Emperor Xianwen Tuo Bahong came to power, he lifted the ban on mountains and rivers, opened warehouses to rescue victims of disasters, and led the army to conquer Rouran in the north. He soon showed his youthful, promising, rebellious demeanor.As a result, Empress Dowager Feng, who had a strong desire for power, could not rest assured of the teenage emperor, so she often intervened and interfered in the political affairs of the Northern Wei Dynasty.This would naturally arouse Emperor Xianwen's dissatisfaction. In addition, they were not in a mother-child relationship, so a common court power struggle broke out unconsciously, and the result was naturally that Empress Dowager Feng, who was deeply rooted and full of political strategies, won.Emperor Xianwen ordered the throne of Zen to be passed on to Tuoba Hong. "Wei Shu Tianxiang Zhi" wrote about this: "The queen mother was forced to pass on the crown prince, and it was Emperor Xiaowen."

Tuoba Hong was only five years old when he came to the throne, and he was carried on the throne of the emperor when he held a grand enthronement ceremony in front of the Taihua Hall of Pingcheng Imperial Palace.For a five-year-old baby, Empress Dowager Feng naturally had nothing to worry about, so she once again came to the court to listen to the government and controlled all power in her own hands.At the same time, she also learned lessons from Emperor Xianwen who was "Zen" because of disobedience, and guided, shaped, and cultivated the young Emperor Xiaowen according to the model imagined in her heart.

Although Tuoba Hong's veins flowed with the blood of the Xianbei Tuoba clan, what he had received since childhood was the edification and education of Han culture.The grandmother who raised him was Han, and the ministers around him were also a group of highly educated Han scholar-bureaucrats.He has been fond of reading since he was a child, and he is very talented. "Wei Shu·Gao Zu Ji" said that he "can explain the meaning of the Five Classics at a glance, and explore its essence without learning from the teacher. There are hundreds of historical records, and all of them should be involved."Empress Dowager Feng also personally wrote articles such as "Song of Admonishment" and "Emperor's Instruction" to urge him to read and recite, and taught Tuoba Hong feudal ethics such as loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness of Confucianism, and infected and influenced him with her words and deeds.For example, Empress Dowager Feng lived a frugal life, "not adorned with luxury", and treated her servants more leniently, and Tuoba Hong followed suit.

The childhood life accumulated deep in Tuoba Hong's heart, affecting his whole life.Since then, Emperor Xiaowen loved poetry all his life, and created a large number of poems and essays about forty volumes; he was diligent in politics, worked hard, and his personal life was quite frugal; Not only do it personally, but also require the subjects to do so.These are the internal basis and guiding ideology for his future implementation of a comprehensive Sinicization policy. Of course, Emperor Xiaowen Tuoba Hong did not completely abandon Xianbei customs.Wenzhiwugong is an ideal model of the traditional culture of the Central Plains.Moreover, at that time, the North and the South were facing each other and wars were frequent, which also required the emperor to have the excellent ability to lead troops to fight.Therefore, Tuoba Hong also practiced martial arts while studying Chinese.He was good at shooting since he was a child, "as long as he shoots animals, he will kill them at will"; his arm strength is also good, and he can smash the shoulder bones of sheep with his fingers when he was more than ten years old.

It is the Xianbei lineage, nomadic heritage and special living environment that created Emperor Xiaowen's ability to have both riding and shooting martial arts, as well as rich Han culture.