Chapter 14 6. The Qi of the Dynasty

From Qin Shihuang's unification of the world in 221 BC to the surrender of power by the Qing court in 1911 AD, dozens of dynasties, large and small, were established on the land of China in the past 2,100 years.These dynasties generally implemented a centralized imperial system.So what is their fate?Or, what about the history of the empire? Let's do a review. If the so-called "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" is used as the boundary, the history of the empire can be divided into upper and lower sections.From Qin Shihuang's destruction of Qi in 221 BC to Zhu Quanzhong's (also known as Zhu Wen and Zhu Huang's) destruction of Tang in 907 AD, a total of 1128 years is the first half.From this year to the 1911 Revolution of 1911, a total of 1004 years, is the second half.There is only a difference of more than 120 years between the upper and lower periods, and they are generally symmetrical, which can be called "the upper and lower two thousand years".

The structure of the upper and lower sections is also very symmetrical.There were four unified dynasties in the first half, namely Qin, Han, Sui and Tang.There are also four unified dynasties in the second half, namely Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing.Between the Qin, Han and Sui and Tang Dynasties in the first half, there is a semi-unified Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties; between the upper and lower sections, there is a semi-unified Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is an anomaly in the history of empires—five small imperial courts in the Central Plains with a mixture of Han and Hu, and ten unsound small empires (actually kingdoms) around them, like five hot dishes plus ten cold dishes.The five small imperial courts in the Central Plains were revolving around like "you sing and I will appear on stage", and the country titles all have the word "hou": Houliang, Houtang, Houjin, Houhan, and Houzhou.The reason why it is called "Hou" is because there have been Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou before.It can be seen that these warriors who founded the country have no creativity at all.Ten small kingdoms around, Wu (Yangzhou), Southern Tang (Jinling), Former Shu (Chengdu), Later Shu (Chengdu), Wuyue (Hangzhou), Chu (Changsha), Min (Fuzhou), Southern Han (Guangzhou), Nanping (Jiangling) and Northern Han (Taiyuan) were even more pitiful, and one after another, it was a farce.The lifespan of these small imperial courts was also very short: 17 years in the Houliang, 14 years in the Houtang, 12 years in the Houjin, 5 years in the Houhan, and 10 years in the Houzhou. They were very short-lived.The history of the Ten Kingdoms is a bit longer: Wu 46 years, Southern Tang 39 years, Former Shu 35 years, Later Shu 40 years, Wuyue 86 years, Chu 56 years, Min 53 years, Southern Han 67 years, Nanping 57 years, Northern Han 29 years year.But these small countries are only divided into one side, lingering on their last legs, and they don't count.Moreover, according to the "orthodox" calculation method, the entire Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms only lasted 53 years, so we would rather regard it as a small episode in the history of the empire.

The history of the empire separated by this vignette is also very interesting.Of the four dynasties in the first half, the Sui and Tang dynasties are copies of Qin and Han; in the four dynasties of the second half, Ming and Qing are the copies of Song and Yuan; and the Song in the second half can be regarded as a copy of the middle and Jin Dynasties in the first half.Both Jin and Song were left with only half of the country, but one was east-west (Western Jin and Eastern Jin), and the other was north-south (Northern Song and Southern Song).Even the way they seize power is exactly the same.Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty Sima Yan forced the palace from the fifteen-year-old young emperor Cao Huan (Emperor Wei Yuan), while Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin seized power from the seven-year-old baby emperor Chai Zongxun (Emperor Zhou Gong).They are all "usurpers", all "rebellious", all are palace coups, all bully orphans and widows, or in other words, all use "non-force means".However, although Sima Yan easily seized other people's power, he failed to arrange his own affairs well, and as a result, he became a short-lived and divided dynasty.In Chinese history, there were short-lived dynasties (Qin 15, Sui 37) and split dynasties (Song).However, although Qin and Sui were short-lived but not split, Song was split but not short-lived (319, second only to Han), and only Jin was short-lived and split.Although the Jin Dynasty is said to have 155 years, the Zhenger Bajing can be regarded as a unified dynasty, that is, from the eradication of Wu by Emperor Wu in 280 AD to the rebellion of the Eight Kings in 291 AD. , Mr. Huang Renyu believed that it was "always not a formal dynasty" ("Talking about Chinese History by the Huxun River"), and we also advocate that it be regarded as an integral part of the special period of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

The remaining eight unified dynasties can be divided into four stages.The Qin and Han Dynasties are the first stage, the Sui and Tang Dynasties are the second stage, the Song and Yuan Dynasties are the third stage, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties are the fourth stage.The first stage and the second stage are the same pattern, that is, a long period of turmoil in the front (501 years of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States, 369 years of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties), and a short but pioneering dynasty in the latter (Qin 15, Sui 37), followed by a powerful and prosperous dynasty (Han 426, Tang 289).Moreover, these two powerful and prosperous dynasties broke once again.A lesser-known dynasty was inserted into the Han Dynasty, that is, Wang Mang's "Xin", which was clearly divided into the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty.Tang inserted a less counting dynasty, Wu Zetian's Zhou.However, although the Tang Dynasty was not divided into "West Tang", "Eastern Tang", or "Northern Tang" and "South Tang" (the "Southern Tang" in history is another matter), many scholars believe that the The "Anshi Rebellion" is the boundary, the early Tang Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the middle Tang Dynasty, and the late Tang Dynasty are actually divided into two parts.In this way, the first and second stages of the empire are completely in the same pattern.

The third stage and the fourth stage are both of another model, that is, the former is a Han dynasty, and the latter is a minority dynasty.Zhao Song (319) was followed by Yuan (97) of Borjijin clan, and Zhu Ming (276) was followed by Qing (267) of Aixinjueluo clan.Of the four great empires of Han, Tang, Song, and Ming, the first two mainly died of internal strife, and the last two mainly died of foreign invasion.Of course, in the late Han and Tang Dynasties, foreigners also took advantage of the fire to loot; in the late Song and Ming Dynasties, civil strife also broke out.As a result, the two ethnic minorities in the north took advantage of the situation and overthrew the Han regime.

The history of the empire is roughly like this. This is a process of continuous maturation and improvement of the imperial system.It manifests itself in the increasing centralization of power.The Qin Dynasty created the system of prefectures and counties, which was adopted in the Han Dynasty; the Sui Dynasty created the imperial examination system, which was adopted in the Tang Dynasty;But the more centralized it is, the worse it is.The second half of the empire's history cannot be compared with the first half at all.In the Song Dynasty, power was lost and the country was humiliated, in the Yuan Dynasty, the sky was angry and people complained, in the Ming Dynasty, it was sluggish, and in the Qing Dynasty, it was lifeless.The so-called "prosperous age of Kang, Yong, and Qian" is just a flashback before the complete destruction of the imperial system. In terms of tolerance, mind, and spirit, it cannot be compared with the "atmosphere of the Han and Tang Dynasties".Therefore, this is another process from strong to weak, from prosperity to decline.It is marked by the rule of Wenjing and the rule of Zhenguan, which is "accumulated and strong".Too strong to be stronger, collapsed.Symbolized by the Alliance of Shanyuan and the Treaty of Xin Chou, it is "weakness".Weak enough to be weak, disintegrating (please refer to Chapter 5 of this book).The first four dynasties (Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang) smothered themselves to death; the latter four dynasties (Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing) smothered themselves to death.In short, the more perfect the imperial system is, the more mature, the more refined and complete it is, the more it will die.

In fact, the empire should have died long ago.After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "respected only Confucianism", it actually no longer had creativity and vitality.Those "inventions and creations" later were nothing more than trivial tricks.The reason why there was a "Great Tang Dynasty" was because there was a 369-year Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties between the Han and Tang Dynasties. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were a great anomaly in the history of the empire.Great changes have taken place in the economic base, superstructure, and ideology.First, the edifice of the Eastern Han Empire collapsed in the court coup and warlord melee, and then a series of dynastic changes and foreign invasions, swords and swords turned upside down, and the king's banner on the top of the city changed.In the north, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Shi? ? ? , Qiang, Wuhu Luanhua.Ethnic minorities have won the Central Plains one after another, and have continuously established various new regimes with a very short duration and tinged with tribalism and slavery.In the Central Plains area where Han and Hu are mixed, the proportion is upside down.Ethnic minorities are gradually sinicized, and the Han nationality is also constantly "Huhua".In the south, there are many manors and forts, and the heroes support themselves to strengthen themselves. The self-cultivating farmers who lost their land and the protection of the central government have turned to the rich and powerful, and have become "parties" and "shady households" other than the state registered households. The landlord economy degenerated into a lord economy. .The superstructure built upon this economic foundation is in turmoil.The dynasties changed repeatedly, and the political situation was extremely unstable. The only unified dynasty, the Western Jin Dynasty, even re-implemented the "feudal system".In 277 A.D., Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, enfeoffed the sons of the clan as princes, county princes, county lords, and county kings. They also had positions and powers, and could manage civil affairs, finance, and military affairs within the territory, and granted as many as 21 countries.In the past, there were three kingdoms, and then there were six dynasties. The entire Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties became a hybrid version of the Han and Hu in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States.

However, this era of the most divided country, the most chaotic situation, and the most painful society in Chinese history was also a period of the most active thinking.Confucianism, which is self-respecting, is crumbling, and heresy is all the rage.Annotation of the Six Classics has replaced excerpts from chapters and sentences, unconventionalism has overwhelmed conformity, and deviant traditions have become the fashion in the academic world.Under the circumstance that the ruling class is unable to carry out strong restraint and restraint, "family abandons rules and sentences, and people value different skills" ("Song Shu·Zang Tao Biography"), debates become popular, and "right and wrong abound" (Liu Ling's "Ode to Wine and Virtue" ).Guided by metaphysical skepticism and fueled by Indian Buddhist culture, a new and advanced trend of thought swept across the country. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties became another harvest period of ideology and culture after the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

This laid the foundation for the later prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.As a matter of fact, one of the reasons for the success of the Tang Empire was that the "combination of the three religions" that "Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism co-exist" replaced the "supreme Confucianism" and the "openness" that "Hu and Han integrated" replaced the "self-styled".Just look at Li Bai, Du Fu, and Wang Wei, the three great poets of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.One of their poems is immortal (Tao), one is poem of sage (Confucianism), and the other is poem of Buddha (interpretation). Without one of them, it would not be a flourishing Tang Dynasty.It can be seen that only an open mind can have a brilliant culture.

However, when Neo-Confucianism came to be revived by Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, the empire was hopeless.This book has no intention of evaluating Song-Ming Confucianism, nor does it think that they are useless.In fact, the problem is not whether Confucianism is good or bad, right or wrong, but that even the best thoughts will inevitably become rigid once they are monopolized.The unity of the country is not equal to the unity of thought.Unification without unity will lead to prosperity, as evidenced by the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.Unification and unity will perish, and the Eastern Han Dynasty is proof.If you insist on unification stubbornly, you can only activate your vitality and creativity by committing suicide, as evidenced by the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Simultaneously with the ideological imprisonment is the strengthening of imperial power, and the instigator is the talented and bold Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, there was generally a division of labor between the head of state and the head of government.The head of state is the emperor and the head of government is the prime minister.Where the emperor resides is called the palace, and where the prime minister resides is called the mansion.The palace and the prime minister each perform their duties.The emperor represents the unity and sovereignty of the country, like the chairman of the board; the prime minister is responsible for specific affairs of administration, military affairs, and supervision, like the general manager.This was originally the best system in the imperial era, but it was destroyed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.In order to strengthen the imperial power, Emperor Wu of the Han established another "inner dynasty" in the palace, and the generals ruled it. Two governments.Once this case is opened, there will be endless troubles.In the future, as long as the emperor is strong, he will destroy the system and usurp the prime minister's power.The "cabinet" of the Ming Dynasty and the "military aircraft" of the Qing Dynasty are just copies of the "inner court" of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.However, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up another "inner dynasty", and it was only a company that appointed two general managers.The practice of the Ming and Qing dynasties was that the emperor alone served as both the chairman and the general manager.The Empire State Building cannot support itself, can it not go from bad to worse? In fact, since the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial system has ceased to flourish.The reason why it can last forever is that apart from the fact that our nation will not be able to find a better system for a while, the continuous blood transfusion of ethnic minorities is also a reason.The Five Dynasties lost once, the Yuan lost once, and the Qing lost again.Every time blood is transfused, the national spirit is activated.I can't imagine what the future of the empire would be without these ethnic minorities called "Huren" and "Fanbang".I think there are only two results: one is to be completely destroyed like the Mayan Empire, and the other is to slowly rot in a dead state.However, the latter possibility is more likely. In fact, the end result is also erosion.In the last hundred years of the Qing Empire, it was still inevitably trapped in internal and external difficulties.They are "barbarians" themselves, and they cannot expect any more "barbarians" to help them.What's more, it was the English, French, Germans, Russians and Japanese who attacked us this time.Although they are more "Yi Di" than "Yi Di", they are no longer "barbarians" but "great powers".This time, it was the turn of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu to go west to hunt (two palaces and west hunting), which was exactly the same as Tang Xuanzong's hasty escape. The dynasty is so powerful, why is it so? It seems that we must further analyze the imperial system to see how the empire is rotten day by day.