Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve There Are Civilian Uprisings in the Spring and Autumn Period

Among the major events in Chinese history, civilian uprisings have always played an important role.The final collapse of the dynasties of the past dynasties and the uprising of the common people were the fuse, and the same was true for the Spring and Autumn Period when slavery fell apart. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, the famous civilian uprising in Chinese history was the "Chinese riot" in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but it was only a small-scale riot, not a large-scale war.In the case of hierarchical slavery, it is usually difficult for civilian uprisings to occur.Because under the slavery system, the status of the working people was low, the number of self-cultivating farmers was extremely limited, and their power was very weak, while the slave class had no social status, no sense of resistance, and no conditions for uprising.Therefore, since the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the major events have been the feudal hegemony and the royal family's struggle for supremacy, and there were very few anti-violence movements from the lower classes.

However, with the collapse of slavery, the rise of feudalism, and the sharpening of class conflicts, the Chinese people at the bottom officially stepped onto the forefront of resistance for the first time.Large-scale civilian and even slave riots finally occurred in the Spring and Autumn Period.Although a series of anti-violence struggles did not play a role in changing the dynasty, the basic structure of China's slavery society has been crumbling in a series of resistance. When it comes to civilian uprisings, I have to say that the Spring and Autumn Period was a miserable period for the people at the bottom of China.

How miserable were the Chinese people in the Spring and Autumn Period?Just look at the history.All countries are engaged in large-scale wars. Big countries want to fight others, and small countries are attacked by others. Whether they fight others or are attacked by others, the people who suffer first are the common people.The common people in the Spring and Autumn States had to bear heavy corvees, heavy taxes, and endless military service.With the expansion of the scale of the war, the oppression of the people in the territory by the princes of various countries has become increasingly heavy, and there have been more and more tortures.During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Qi State was known as a prosperous country. In the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a strange situation in the market that "shoes are cheap and fake feet are expensive".The reason is actually very simple. The laws of Qi State are strict. Anyone who fails to pay taxes or evades hard labor will be tortured by cutting off his feet.Because of heavy taxes and labor, many people break the law, and many people have their feet cut off. People who have their feet cut off can only buy artificial feet in order to walk. The demand for artificial feet in the market is increasing day by day, but no one wears shoes. Yes, because there are too many people without feet.The state of Jin, which has long been the protagonist of the struggle for hegemony, is no exception. Even during the reign of Duke Jinxiang, the roads outside the country of Jin were full of hunger and death. It is conceivable.The people in small countries are even more miserable. The country is weak, and it is common for people to destroy the country. Once the country is destroyed, they are taken as captives and taken away as slaves of others.For example, when Bailixi, the famous prime minister of the state of Qin, was a slave, his worth was only 5 sheepskins.

Therefore, as early as the early Spring and Autumn Period, the resistance of the common people at the bottom occurred from time to time.But the people at that time were relatively honest, and the main way they resisted was to flee, which is what the history books call "the collapse of the people." The first "collapse of the people" recorded in the Spring and Autumn Period should have been in 644 BC.That year was the time when Duke Huan of Qi was in full swing, and no one dared to offend his dignity.But the resistance of the common people happened. This year, Duke Huan of Qi joined forces with eight vassal states including Lu State and Cai State, and prepared to join forces to go south to Huai River and attack Chu State. , Build combat fortifications.Unbearable to bear the heavy labor, people from all over the world began to flee one after another as if they had made an agreement.As a result, in just a few days, most of the civilian husbands fled. On the way to escape, there were even rumors that there was a rebellion in Qi State. In desperation, Duke Huan of Qi had to cancel this military operation.

The collapse of the Huai Shui people is not a big deal from the perspective of the incident itself, but its significance is extraordinary. It proves at least one thing.From then on, the common people in China are no longer "small people who are insignificant", they are no longer lambs to be slaughtered by princes and generals. Three years later, a larger-scale civil collapse occurred in Liang State, which is adjacent to Qin State.At that time, Liang State mobilized a large number of migrant workers to dig trenches in order to guard against Qin's attack.This was originally a matter of defending the country, but Liang Guoguo abused the people's power and withheld food from the laborers, and the laborers complained.Everyone deliberately grinds foreign labor, and the progress of digging trenches is very slow.When Qin's army arrived, the laborers scattered, and Liang Guoguo became a polished commander.In this way, Liang State was annihilated by Qin State, and it became the first country to be subjugated because of the people's resistance, not only the first in the history of the Spring and Autumn Period, but also the first in Chinese history.

Although in the early Spring and Autumn Period, there were more and more civil disintegrations, most of these resistances were in the form of ordinary people fleeing and non-violent non-cooperation.What really brought a huge blow to the rulers was that the common people began to take up arms and fight head-to-head with the superior rulers for their own lives and dignity.The earliest recorded event of this kind in Chinese history occurred in another country during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods—Weiguo. The state of Wei is one of the countries in the Spring and Autumn Period where the common people rioted and resisted more times.A nobleman in the state of Wei once lamented: "Whenever there is disaster in the state of Wei, the common people will rise up to rebel." But the people really took up arms and rebelled, which first occurred in the period of Wei Zhuanggong in the state of Wei.

During the reign of Duke Wei Zhuang, the endless construction and abuse of people's power, the craftsmen who had not been rested for a long time were finally angry.In 478 BC, craftsmen angrily took up weapons and surrounded Duke Wei Zhuang's palace. Duke Wei Zhuang was so frightened that he jumped over the wall and fled in a hurry, even breaking his thigh.Only 9 years have passed since the incident. The Marquis of the State of Wei, Wei Zhe, healed his scars and forgot the pain, and began to overhaul the palace again. This time, the craftsmen's resistance became more violent. attack.During the battle, the craftsmen took tools to make weapons, and fought bloody battles with the soldiers of the state of Wei, scaring the marquis of Wei to flee in a hurry.Some ministers of the state of defense wanted to use force to suppress it, but more ministers said in despair that "the anger of all people is hard to offend" now.The two artisan riots dealt a heavy blow to the country of Wei, and the large-scale civil anti-riot movement was even more imminent.

Compared with the artisans, it is the slaves who have no status who are oppressed more heavily by the rulers. Although the craftsmen had a difficult life, they still had the guarantee of food rations. In contrast, the slaves in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods had no social status, dignity, or even the guarantee of life.In the situation where slavery is increasingly collapsing, large-scale slave rebellion is also destined to come. An important phenomenon in the middle period of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was the large-scale escape of slaves.Compared with the rare "people's collapse" in the early days, in the middle and late Warring States period, it was very common for slaves to escape.These fugitive slaves first obtained their freedom through the destruction of the domestic clans in various countries, and later they simply formed groups and escaped from the rule of the slave owners.The escaped slaves mainly adopted the way of floating life, or a group of thirty or fifty people, or a group of hundreds of people, and moved at the junction of various countries. They mainly lived by robbery, and some people fled to uninhabited mountains and swamps. Jungle, to farm for a living.Beginning in the middle of the Spring and Autumn period, the punishment for slaves fleeing in various countries has become more and more severe, and even developed to the point where the whole family sits together. However, there are more and more large-scale "thieves gathering".During this period, there were more and more wars among the countries, and the countries were still unable to cope with foreign wars, and they had no time to take care of the issue of fugitive slaves.By the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, gangs of fugitive slaves with as many as 10,000 people had appeared in the Central Plains. They mainly robbed the rich and even robbed the slave owners to maintain their lives.The scene of this period was clearly recorded in the writings of the early Warring States thinker Mozi.

The earliest slave rebellion movement recorded in Chinese history was the slave uprising of Zheng State in 522 BC. At that time, thousands of Zheng State slaves gathered in the middle of a large lake in Zhongmou, Henan Province, and fought against the ruler of Zheng State. Zheng State sent nobles Uncle Zi led an army to suppress it. Facing the overwhelming enemy, the slaves rose up to resist. Thousands of slaves fought to the end, but no one surrendered, and all of them were martyred in the end.This resistance movement, which lasted for several days, was the harbinger of a large-scale slave uprising in the Spring and Autumn Period. 16 years later, the slaves of the Chu State made another big move. This year happened to be when the capital of the Chu State fell, and the army of the State of Wu took Yingdu in one fell swoop. , but did not want to be attacked by the exiled slaves entrenched here. Tens of thousands of slaves launched a brave charge against the remnants of Chu. I was also stabbed by slaves.Later, Qin State sent troops to rescue Chu State, and wiped out this slave uprising team in Yunmengze.Even so, the slave uprisings during this period were still scattered and small-scale, and the large-scale slave uprisings were in the late Spring and Autumn Period.

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, two large-scale slave uprisings occurred one after another in the south and the north of China.One is the "Robber Zhi Uprising" in the northern state of Lu. "Root" is what historians call the insurgents, and "Zhi" is the name of the leader of the uprising. This insurgent named Zhi was originally a fugitive slave from the state of Lu. There are various versions of his identity, but the common The record is that he was punished for fleeing and had one foot cut off. Later, he gathered a team of a thousand people and fought in the Central Plains countries. slave owners, freed the local slaves, and distributed the wealth of the slave owners to the common people.His team was not many, only a few thousand at its peak, but he persisted in fighting for more than 10 years. During these 10 years, a large number of slave owners and nobles died under his sword, and a large number of The slave got his release.His uprising deeds were widely recorded in the works of various schools of thought at that time, such as "Mencius", "Book of Shang Jun", and "Lu Shi Chunqiu", all of which are clearly recorded, which shows the great influence at that time.As famous as Robber Zhi, it was the Zhuangjiao uprising that occurred in the southern state of Chu. This uprising probably occurred at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period of Chu. According to Han Feizi, at that time, Zhuangjiao had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and the nobles of Chu were beaten to the ground. Divided into three or four", even the capital of Chu State was conquered by him for a time, and a large number of slave owners and aristocrats were executed by him. Ordinary soldiers, low-level craftsmen, and urban handicraftsmen.The traditional slavery system is crumbling under previous blows.

Corresponding to the anti-riot movement was the "democratic movement" of various countries during the Spring and Autumn Period, and the main body of participation was the "Chinese people." In slavery society, "countryman" is a very special group.They mainly include the civilian class living in the capital. These people include businessmen and civilians in the capital. Compared with slaves, their status is higher, and slave owners cannot buy and sell them casually.But the oppression they suffer is also heavy, and they have to bear high taxes and corvees.At the same time, the slave owner class itself was differentiated from the people of the country, so they did not have the same awe that slaves treated their masters towards the superior rulers. The riots of Chinese people happened in Haojing, the capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty. At that time, it shocked the whole Western Zhou Dynasty.However, the first successful Chinese uprising was during the Battle of Chengpu in 633 BC. On the eve of the battle, the Wei State attempted to abandon the alliance with the Jin State and seek refuge in the Chu State.After the news came out, it aroused the dissatisfaction of the "nationals" in the capital. In the eyes of the Chinese people, the Jin people, like them, belonged to a branch of the Huaxia tribe. In their eyes, the Chu country was a barbarian. Abandoning the ancestors.Therefore, under the agitation of the crowd, not only the treacherous plot of the Wei state went bankrupt, but the king of the Wei state was even blasted away by the "people of the country".Among the major events recorded in Chinese history, this is the first time that the common people successfully deposed the ruler. In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, the number of Chinese riots increased and the methods became more violent.For example, in 555 BC, Zikong, the ruler of Zheng State at that time, was overthrown by the people of the country because of his brutality, and his family property was also divided up by the people of the country.In 480 B.C., Situ Yuanpo of the Chen State was expelled by the people of the country because of excessive expropriation.More and more riots among the people in the country made the slave-owner nobles at that time frightened.Hua Chen, a doctor of the Song Dynasty, did many evils on weekdays. One day he saw a group of Chinese people running towards his house, thinking that the Chinese people were about to riot again, and was so frightened that he immediately ran abroad. It should be noted that the biggest difference between Chinese riots and slave riots is that Chinese riots are often led by enlightened slave-owner nobles in the capital. These so-called enlightened slave-owner nobles are the emerging feudal class.More typical, such as the Tian family of Qi State, the Ji family of Lu State, etc., and in the early Warring States period, it was precisely because of the support of the Chinese people that the emerging landlord classes in the Central Plains countries were able to successfully seize power, or coups or political reforms , Complete the feudalization reform of the big country.