Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Liu Bingzhong, the Founding Prime Minister of the Yuan Dynasty

However, in order to gain a firm foothold in the Central Plains, any minority regime must use some capable Han officials and generals. In the minority regimes of all dynasties, such figures abound.In the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan, the founding emperor, was also surrounded by heroes. Shi Tianze and Zhang Hongfan, two Han generals, fought repeatedly in the unification war of the Yuan Dynasty, and their military exploits were no less than that of many Mongolian warriors.But in contrast, the most outstanding Hanchen in the early Yuan Dynasty was a person standing behind them-Liu Bingzhong, the founding prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty.

He didn't have the martial arts to be proud of the battlefield, and he didn't have the achievements to pacify the Southern Song Dynasty, but he was the founder of the entire political system of the Yuan Dynasty. Kublai Khan once praised him as "worthy of thousands of troops."Li Shanchang, the Prime Minister of the early Ming Dynasty, admired him very much, calling him "the person who determined the overall situation of the Yuan Dynasty".Gu Yingtai, a great Confucian in the Qing Dynasty, wrote a biography of him, calling him the "Four Prime Ministers" of the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, ranking him alongside Fang Xuanling, Zhao Pu, and Zhang Juzheng.The reason why he got such a high name is actually simple. In the era of great chaos at the end of Song Dynasty and the beginning of Yuan Dynasty, if the generals who conquered the city and the emperor who swallowed thousands of miles like a tiger were the destroyers of this era, he was the complete opposite. builders and founders.

Liu Bingzhong, courtesy name Zhonghui, was born in Xingzhou, Hebei (now Xingtai, Hebei).The Liu family has been a well-known local family in Youyun Sixteen Prefectures since the Five Dynasties period. After the Liao Kingdom occupied Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, they also respected them very much.In the Northern Song Dynasty alone, the Liu family had as many as a hundred officials in the Liao Kingdom, making it the largest family in the area.During the Jin Dynasty, the Liu family was also very respected. At the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty’s demise, the Liu family was appointed by the Jin State as an official in the local area. Later, when Mongolia went south, the Liu family was also reused. Liu Bingzhong’s father once served as a Mongolian official record.Even so, for many years, when the Liu family worked for various ethnic minority regimes, they mostly engaged in some staff and secretarial work, and never took charge of it alone, until Liu Bingzhong came to the fore.

Like many famous ministers in history, Liu Bingzhong was a child prodigy since he was a child, and he was not only very good at classics and history, but also interested in various miscellaneous studies.He is especially a "foreign language talent". When he was 8 years old, he was proficient in Sanskrit, and he was also very accomplished in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.After Liu Bingzhong's father became the Mongolian State Recorder, according to the Mongolian rules at that time, the Han people came out of the mountains to become officials. In order to prevent their rebellion and rebellion, their children were held hostage in the Generalissimo's Mansion.Liu Bingzhong became a hostage in this way, and lived in the Generalissimo's Mansion in the capital of Mongolia for 5 years.At that time, most Mongolians believed in Lamaism. Apart from all kinds of political figures, there were also religious figures such as monks who went to the Grand Marshal’s Mansion. At this time, Liu Bingzhong was only 11 years old, but he was talented and eager to learn. He often asked people for advice and met many people. friend.Taking advantage of the opportunity of staying in the Grand Marshal's Mansion, he not only read the books in the mansion, but also learned about various government affairs, and soon gained some prestige. At the age of 17, Liu Bingzhong got the opportunity to go to Hedong Jiedushi to be an aide. He was young and mature, and he was experienced in handling affairs. There is a reason for the "obedience", because Liu Bingzhong specialized in tasks that others could not do during this period, such as he was ordered to manage warehouses.During this period, in the Mongolian army, children of nobles often mobilized grain from the warehouse. After the incident, most of the officials in charge of the warehouse took the blame. Strict regulations were imposed, and for a while "the matter of warehousing was awe-inspiring."

Liu Bingzhong, who has excellent work ability, is actually a very high-spirited person. He is not reconciled to just being a small official in the yamen, but looks forward to making contributions.But the Mongolian rulers at this time would not give him this opportunity. During this period, the Mongolian Empire was sweeping all directions, and the status of Han officials was low, and it was rare to be promoted. I have worked in the Yamen for many years, but I have always been depressed.As time went on, Liu Bingzhong's heart was worn out: quit. At the age of 21, Liu Bingzhong resigned from public office and made another unexpected decision-to become a monk.

The so-called becoming a monk means becoming a Taoist priest. The sect he joined was the famous Quanzhen Sect in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. When it comes to Quanzhen Buddhism, modern people often get their impressions from Jin Yong's novels, and most think it is a "jianghu sect".In fact, Quanzhen Sect is the most famous Taoist organization in the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty. It originated from Wang Yangming (not a martial arts master) in the Jin Dynasty, and grew stronger than Qiu Chuji in the Genghis Khan period.The main idea of ​​Quanzhenism is to advocate "cleanness and inaction, self-interest and benefit to others", and its other important content is to promote "Laozi Huahu", that is, to spread preaching among minority groups and attract believers.The growth of Quanzhen sect benefited from the support of Genghis Khan in the early days.In 1220 AD, Quanzhen Sect Qiu Chuji met Genghis Khan in Daxue Mountain in the Western Regions. At this time, Quanzhen Sect had already had a large number of believers in the Jin Dynasty ruled area.Genghis Khan knew that the support of Quanzhen Sect would be beneficial for him to enter the Central Plains, so he treated Qiu Chuji with courtesy, respected him as "Qiu Immortal", and ordered him to "be in charge of monks in the world".After the Mongols invaded the Central Plains, the main function of Quanzhen Sect was to help the Mongolian army recruit and surrender the rebels who resisted the Mongolian army from all walks of life in the Central Plains.With the support of the Mongol rulers, the Quanzhen Sect has since then "become a mysterious wind, and the believers are like a cloud".Liu Bingzhong is also one of them. He entered Taoism in Qinghua, Wu'an. During these days of "peace and inaction", his knowledge gradually became famous, and he was soon "poached".In 1238 A.D., Zen Master Xu Zhao of Tianning Temple heard about Liu Bingzhong's talents and learning, and strongly invited him to become a monk. Liu Bingzhong readily agreed and became a "secretary" in Tianning Temple. This encounter also changed his life's destiny.Zen master Xuzhao was an eminent monk who had attained the Tao at that time, and he even made friends with Kublai Khan, who was still the prince of Mongolia at that time.A year later, Liu Bingzhong got the opportunity to go north with the Zen master and Lin to meet Kublai Khan.During this short meeting, Liu Bingzhong was appreciated by Kublai Khan for his excellent eloquence and profound knowledge, and Kublai Khan actually "talked freely with him for several nights without getting tired".When it came to the end, Kublai Khan said: Don't go, leave me as a counselor.

How could Liu Bingzhong be appreciated by Kublai Khan?The reason is simple, he is too versatile. Liu Bingzhong, who met Kublai Khan, was no longer the humble official many years ago. Years of monastery life smoothed his mind and accumulated his talents.At this time, Liu Bingzhong not only had many attainments in Buddhism, Taoism and religious thought, but also analyzed the world's major events in detail. What's rare is that his knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and geography was also exceptional.In the talks with Lin and Kublai Khan, he was able to explain all the dangerous areas on the border between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Central Plains one by one, and the analysis was precise.Even the dry season and rainy season in various defense areas in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the climatic conditions in different provinces in the Central Plains, he is familiar with it.Of course, Kublai Khan would not miss such a treasure. From then on, he followed Kublai Khan all his life and never left him.

From 1239 AD, Liu Bingzhong became Kublai Khan's staff, and this period was also a critical period in Kublai Khan's life.As the prince of Mongolia, Kublai Khan's territory at this time is mainly the "Monan Han land" south of Mongolia and north of the Yangtze River.At this time, Mongolia’s ruling method was still the traditional Mongolian system, so the rule was not firm. Liu Bingzhong first suggested that Kublai Khan recruit a large number of talents from the Central Plains. There were more than 50 Han officials recommended for him, many of them From the official to the Xuanfu envoy, a class of feudal officials.At the same time, he persuaded Kublai Khan to adopt the political system of the Central Plains, and believed that "safety and solidarity" is the key to winning the world.Before the death of Meng Ge Khan in 1259 AD, Liu Bingzhong had one of his most important tasks-running the Central Plains.

In 1251 A.D., Kublai Khan was appointed "in charge of general military affairs in Monan". The number one figure in the Jinlianchuan shogunate.Although the Central Plains had fallen into the hands of the Mongol Empire at this time, the long-term wars had caused severe economic damage, especially the population, which had dropped by 80% compared to the heyday of the Jin Dynasty, with only a few million people. Such an economic foundation , Obviously unable to support the long-term war of the Mongolian Empire.More importantly, most of the common people and gentry in the Central Plains still harbored resistance to the Mongolian regime, so that the upper and lower government orders could not be communicated, and Kublai Khan's decree was once difficult to implement.In order to solve the problem, Liu Bingzhong found a unique way and proposed to set up a "special economic zone" in his hometown of Xingzhou, Hebei, that is, to pilot in Xingzhou, Hebei, adopt new economic policies to resume production, and then promote it to the whole country.At this time, Xingzhou was a well-known poor place in the Central Plains, with empty warehouses, displaced people, and rising prices.After Liu Bingzhong arrived in Xingzhou, he first adopted an iron-fisted policy and vigorously rectified the administration of officials, and then posted notices in surrounding counties and counties, recruiting farmers who had fled famine to return to their hometowns for reclamation, and promised that the government would give economic compensation to those who returned to their hometowns.In order to raise funds for reconstruction, Liu Bingzhong even took out all his savings and ordered the Mongolian nobles who had opened up pastures here to retreat.After some rectification, Xingzhou's economy is booming. In just two years, the situation of "fertile fields" appeared.At the same time, Liu Bingzhong vigorously promoted the iron smelting industry in Xingzhou, turning the small Xingzhou into the "smelting center" of the Mongol Empire. In the later wars of the Mongol Empire, more than half of the weapons used came from Xingzhou At that time, the sabers of the Mongolian cavalry were known for their sharpness and hardness, and they were called Xingzhou swords at that time.The success of the Xingzhou pilot was soon extended to the entire Central Plains by Kublai Khan, and a wave of land reclamation was set off in the Central Plains.By 1254 A.D., the "Monan Han area", which was originally severely damaged economically, had a scene of "abundant storage, which can support a big war".The Central Plains area not only became the rear to support the Mongolian army going south, but also became the capital for Kublai Khan to compete for the Khan position in the future.

In the fourth year of Liu Bingzhong's management of Monan Han, Mongolia launched a war against Dali, Yunnan, and Liu Bingzhong accompanied Kublai Khan on his expedition as an aide.At this time, the Mongolian army still retained the brutal customs of the early years. Wherever the army conquered, they massacred the city and looted all their property.Unexpectedly, this time, the Mongolian army encountered tenacious resistance and surrounded Dali City after paying a huge price of casualties.Liu Bingzhong, who used to talk eloquently in front of Kublai Khan, was dissatisfied with this policy, so he kept "not saying a word" in the early stages of the Southern Expedition, but when it came to the siege of Dali City, Liu Bingzhong finally spoke.At this time, Kublai Khan was annoyed at the stubborn resistance of Dali City, and ordered the city to be massacred after Dali was broken on the spot.At this moment, Liu Bingzhong stood up bravely and shouted: "Those who refuse orders will be heard by the king, and the people are innocent." With a roar, Kublai swallowed back his anger.Then Liu Bingzhong talked eloquently, thinking that the conquering of Dali should be based on attacking the mind. He suggested that the Mongolian army set up a list to calm the people, abolish all kinds of harsh laws and regulations in the Dali period, and promulgate strict military discipline. Written on the flags everywhere, so that the people of Dali can know.Kublai Khan adopted Liu Bingzhong's suggestion.As a result, within a few days, Dali City voluntarily surrendered.Kublai Khan was so happy that he praised Liu Bingzhong on the spot: "Your strategy is enough to win thousands of troops."

In the history of the Song-Mongol War, the conquest of Dali is of great significance.Throughout the Song Dynasty, Dali was a firm ally of the Song Dynasty. The acquisition of Dali made the Southern Song Dynasty lose an important barrier in the southwest. The Mongolian army could use two sides to attack from the north and the southwest at the same time. , In the war that finally destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, Kublai Khan did just that. For the Mongolian army, the Battle of Dali was also a turning point in the way the Mongolian army fought.Compared with the brutal way of fighting in the past, from this time on, the Mongolian army has strict discipline and began to focus on "heart attack".Take Kublai Khan's army as an example. The brutal and brutal army started from Liu Bingzhong's establishment of military discipline.This not only reduced the resistance of the Mongolian army in subsequent conquests, but also led many intellectuals from the Central Plains to defect.In 1258 AD, Liu Bingzhong participated in Kublai Khan's attack on Ezhou in the Southern Song Dynasty as a counselor.On the one hand, he was ordered to formulate military regulations, making "no bloodthirsty" the first article of the Mongolian military regulations. On the other hand, he drafted documents and distributed them to Confucian scholars along the road, persuading them to serve the Mongolian army.As a result, not only the Mongolian army succeeded in attacking Ezhou, but also the Confucian scholars along the way "come to vote".Compared with the tyranny of the Mongolian army in the previous war, this time Kublai Khan’s army discipline is very strict. Not only are there fewer indiscriminate killings of civilians, but even if the fleeing civilians are caught, most of them "get their lives and let them know." .Liu Bingzhong was also appreciated by many people for this reason, and the people even nicknamed him Liu Bodhisattva at that time. Recommending talented people, developing production, restoring the economy, formulating military regulations, and preventing indiscriminate killings were all things Liu Bingzhong did when he defected to Kublai Khan in the early days. The grand plan began in 1259 AD. This year, a major event that shocked the Mongolian Empire happened first—when the Mongolian Khan Mengge Khan attacked the Diaoyu City of Hezhou in the Southern Song Dynasty, he was unexpectedly killed under the city.Because of the sudden death, there was no time for the connecting squad to make appointments.In this way, the unattainable position of the Mongolian Khan suddenly became a vacuum.Princes from all walks of life took action one after another, and Kublai Khan was no exception. He pulled his horse back from the Ezhou battlefield to the north on the spot, and returned to the grassland to compete for the Khan position.At that time, Kublai Khan had a high reputation and possessed the rich Central Plains region as his capital, but at this time the recognized "successor" was his youngest brother Ali Buge.Mongolia implements the "young son inheritance system". When the Mongolian Khan was alive, Aribuge stayed in Helin as an "agent Khan". At that time, the entire Mongolian grassland army was under his command.Most of the Mongolian nobles also supported his succession.Just one month after Mengge Khan's death, he announced his successor Khan in Helin.In the spring of 1260 A.D., he held the Mongolian royal family meeting in Kaiping again, and held the enthronement and succession ceremony. "Succession" has become a fact, and Kublai Khan's "Khan Dream" seems to have come to nothing.At the critical moment, Liu Bingzhong advised Kublai Khan not to be discouraged, and gave Kublai Khan a careful analysis of the strength comparison between the two sides, and firmly advocated Kublai Khan's northern expedition to Mobei to conquer Ali Buge.In order to ensure success, Liu Bingzhong formulated a policy for Kublai Khan to "go straight to the lair and disintegrate and disintegrate".In the winter of 1260 AD, Kublai Khan launched a crusade against Ali Boke.Kublai Khan first sent troops out of Hetao to cut off the supplies of Brother Alibu, and then led the main force to go straight to Helin, defeating Brother Alibu in one fell swoop.Brother Ali fled to the Yeseni River and ordered his confidant Aluhu to go to Chahatai to raise food and grass. However, according to Liu Bingzhong's plan of "disintegrating and disintegrating", Aluhu was instigated by Kublai Khan and instead led an army of 150,000 to surrender. Kublai Khan.Annoyed, Brother Ali ignores Kublai Khan and sends troops to attack Aluhu first.So far, the former Mongolian prince has finally become the Khan of Mongolia. For Kublai Khan's ascension to the throne, Liu Bingzhong strategized and worked hard.From 1260 AD, Kublai Khan changed the name of the country to Dayuan and formally established the Yuan Dynasty.Liu Bingzhong was granted the official title of Zhongshu Shengfu, and became the number one Han official in the initial period of the Yuan Dynasty.From then on, he began to wholeheartedly realize the ideal that he had always insisted on—practicing the Chinese method. For the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Bingzhong's first contribution was to build the two capitals.As early as 1256 AD, Liu Bingzhong suggested that Kublai Khan build a city between the Central Plains and the Mongolian grassland as a fulcrum connecting the Central Plains and the grassland.After investigation, Liu Bingzhong determined that the Duolun Lightning River Basin in Inner Mongolia, with its unique geographical location and developed transportation, is the first choice for building a city.He personally presided over the construction of the city.From urban planning, construction to architectural design, everything is done by yourself.As a result, the city originally planned to be built in 6 years was completed in only 3 years.This city was Kaiping, the upper capital of the Yuan Dynasty.Throughout the Yuan Dynasty, this city was not only one of the political centers of the Yuan Dynasty, but also the political hub for the Yuan Dynasty to control the Mongolian grassland. After Kaipingwei was built, Liu Bingzhong put forward the plan of establishing Yanjing as the capital in 1264 A.D. after detailed planning.Kublai Khan ordered him to expand Yanjing. The world-famous Yuan Dadu was planned and designed by Liu Bingzhong himself.In 1271 AD, Yanjing City was officially renamed Yuan Dadu and became the capital of the Yuan Dynasty.Even at that time, Liu Bingzhong was famous for building the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. Even Xu Shilong, a scholar of the Yuan Dynasty, compared his achievements in building the capital of the Yuan Dynasty with Zhao Gong of the Zhou Dynasty.At the same time, Liu Bingzhong took the phrase "Day Qianyuan" and suggested that the country's name should be named Da Yuan, and the name of the Yuan Dynasty came from this. With the title of the country, the country has its own, and the Yuan Dynasty was established in this way, but Liu Bingzhong's work is not over.The Yuan Dynasty came from a nomadic people. If the system could not be changed, the so-called Yuan Dynasty would be just a show. This is another important thing Liu Bingzhong did-establishment. Liu Bingzhong's first job in "organizational system" was to determine the salary system of the Yuan Dynasty.In fact, before Kublai Khan, officials in the Mongol Empire did not have a basic salary. The main source of income for officials was through looting during the war and distribution of spoils after the war. ring.Starting from Liu Bingzhong, the Yuan Dynasty finally learned to pay wages.In 1254 A.D., Liu Bingzhong created the official salary system of the Yuan Dynasty in the Han area of ​​the Central Plains.Related to wages is the grade of officials in the Yuan Dynasty.Just like the Mongols did not pay wages in the early days, the officials of the Mongol Empire had no clear grade differences in the early days. Except for the high and low grades of the army, the so-called civil officials were basically attached to various generals and princes, whose "boss" Whoever has a strong background has great power. Liu Bingzhong referred to the official system of the Song Dynasty, but did not blindly copy it, and combined with the actual situation of the Yuan Dynasty, he formulated the official system of the Yuan Dynasty in 1260 AD. The official system formulated by Liu Bingzhong is divided into three major institutions in the central government: "Zhongshu Province", "Privy Council" and "Yushitai".Among them, the Zhongshu Province is in charge of administration, the Privy Council is in charge of military affairs, and the Yushitai is in charge of justice. The separation of the three powers ensures that the emperor holds great power.This system fully implements the principle of "separation of powers", and each institution has equal power, which can be described as well-intentioned.At the local level, Liu Bingzhong promoted the "provincial" system as the highest administrative division in the local area, and he and the Zhongshu Province were both external and internal.It is worth mentioning that the Mongolian plateau area was the "Lingbei Province" of the Yuan Dynasty, and the judicial management of Tibet belonged to the Xuanzheng Yuan of the Yuan Dynasty.All this is of great significance to the unity of the country.At the same time, the etiquette system and court clothes of the Yuan Dynasty were also designed by Liu Bingzhong. It was from this time that the Yuan Dynasty could truly be called a "feudal dynasty". In 1274 AD, Liu Bingzhong, who was ordered by Kublai Khan to inspect Shangdu, died of illness in Shangdu due to overwork, at the age of 59.After the news came, Kublai Khan was extremely sad, and sighed to the officials: "Bingzhong has served me for 30 years. He has been careful and careful, and he has not avoided dangers. No one else will hear about it." In a grand funeral, his remains were buried by the Marco Polo Bridge with princely etiquette.With such a specification, Liu Bingzhong was the only one among the Han officials in the Yuan Dynasty. Liu Bingzhong was appreciated by Kublai Khan, not only because of his outstanding talent, but also because of his way of life.Liu Bingzhong's way of life is exactly what Kublai Khan called "careful and meticulous".Liu Bingzhong, who is very eloquent, has followed Kublai Khan for 30 years, but he rarely talks eloquently.When encountering major issues, he was often silent when everyone was arguing, and rarely had disputes with others, but when there was no one in private, he would often hit the point with one word and find a solution for Kublai Khan.At the same time, he is also a person with extremely careful thinking, and he pays attention to "plan before acting" when doing things.Before doing anything, you must plan all the steps of the matter in detail, and only do it after everything is safe.For example, when he built the two capitals, he only took 3 years to complete, but the planning time was as long as one year.And at the critical moment when Kublai Khan and Brother Ali were fighting for the world, it was also he who planned every step for Kublai Khan to put down Brother Ali.After the defeat of Brother Ali, all of Kublai Khan's cronies expressed their merits to each other, but Liu Bingzhong never said a word, and never mentioned his own labor. It was this cautious style that made him deeply loved by Kublai Khan. trust.As for Kublai Khan, Liu Bingzhong was extremely loyal in every detail.An interesting trifle is that one year the Ilkhanate sent an envoy to meet Kublai Khan, presented him with a musical instrument and performed it on the spot, and Kublai Khan was fascinated by it.After the envoys returned to the country, Kublai Khan missed the magical music again. For this reason, he didn't think about food and drink, but he called people to play the musical instrument, but no one was proficient in it. Musicians were punished.When Liu Bingzhong learned about it, he took the instrument home and took half a month off to study it carefully. As a result, after the vacation was over, Liu Bingzhong skillfully manipulated the instrument in front of Kublai Khan and played a beautiful sound. , Kublai Khan was overjoyed.But when he saw Liu Bingzhong, he was so exhausted that his face was haggard. Kublai Khan sighed and said: "I am so tired, how can I bear it?" A common suona in rural areas. However, neither Kublai Khan nor Liu Bingzhong thought that Liu Bingzhong, who had been diligent all his life, did a small thing in addition to the big things he did. It was this small thing that "dig a hole" for the demise of the Yuan Dynasty.In 1251 A.D., when the "economic experiment" was carried out in Xingzhou, in order to raise funds, Liu Bingzhong issued banknotes locally and banned gold and silver transactions, which quickly improved the financial situation.In 1260 AD, under Liu Bingzhong's support, the paper currency policy was promoted throughout the Yuan Dynasty and accumulated a lot of wealth for the Yuan Dynasty government.But after that, the Yuan Dynasty regarded paper money as a panacea to solve financial difficulties, and whenever the tax revenue dropped sharply, they issued paper money blindly.As a result, inflation and riots broke out in the last years of the Yuan Dynasty.These, I am afraid Liu Bingzhong himself did not think of.