Chapter 178 Chapter 177: Emperor Wen Yuanbao Torch

When Emperor Xuanwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty was in power, Yuan Yu, king of Tingzhao, was imprisoned in Zongzheng Temple because he was dissatisfied with the corrupt politics at that time.In the fourth year of Shiping (507 A.D.), his wife Yang gave birth to a son. His parents hoped that when he grew up, he could rekindle the glory of the Yuan family like a torch and illuminate the land of the Central Plains, so they named him Baoju. In the second year of Yuan Baoju's birth, his father Yuan Yu was killed for treason. At the age of 10, Emperor Xuanwu ordered him to return to Jiuquan, and Yuan Yu's family was rehabilitated.From then on, Yuan Baoju began to study diligently.Yuan Baoju, who was sixteen or seventeen years old, had already cultivated a lot of economics and was a man of excellence. Emperor Xiaoming appreciated him very much and promoted him to be the general of Zhige.At that time, Empress Dowager Hu was in full power, and her male favorites ran amok in the palace, which caused widespread dissatisfaction among the clan.Emperor Xiaoming was unwilling to be enslaved and manipulated by Queen Mother Hu, and conspired with Yuan Baoju to kill Queen Mother Hu.Unexpectedly, when the incident was revealed, Yuan Baoju was dismissed from his post, and soon became the Marquis of Shaoxian County, and was granted the title of King of Nanyang.After Emperor Xiaowu succeeded to the throne, he was promoted to important positions such as Taiwei, Taibao, and Shangshuling.At this time, Prime Minister Gao Huan raised his troops to rebel. In the third year of Yongxi (534 AD), Gao Huan captured Luoyang, and Emperor Xiaowu fled to Guanzhong to seek refuge in Yuwentai.Gao Huan made Yuan Shanjian emperor and established the Eastern Wei Dynasty.

At the end of the year, Emperor Xiaowu was poisoned to death in Chang'an. Yu Wentai made Yuan Baoju the emperor, changed his year name to Datong, and established the Western Wei Dynasty.Li Baoju concubine Yifushi was the queen, the eldest son Yuanqin was the prince, and Yuwentai was named the prime minister and the Duke of Anding. In the early days of the establishment of the Western Wei Dynasty, the land was only a corner of today's Shaanxi and Gansu. The power was weak and the economy was fragile. Externally, it was always necessary to be on guard against the attacks of the Eastern Wei Dynasty and the intrusion of ethnic minorities, which was full of worries and crises.Faced with such a severe situation, Yuan Baoju and Yu Wentai's monarchs and ministers first stepped up internal adjustments, reformed finances, and did everything possible to develop production and strengthen the country's economic strength.Under the auspices of Yu Wentai, the government of the Western Wei Dynasty formulated 24 new regulations, and added 12 more during the implementation process, making a total of 36, which were promulgated and implemented nationwide.They appointed a courageous politician like Su Chuo to reform the financial system, conduct a national census, register them one by one, and implement the rent and tax budget method to equalize the tax and labor.At the same time, a large number of incompetent officials were cut off, and efforts were concentrated on the development of agricultural production.In order to fully tap the potential of the land, the land equalization system was vigorously promoted throughout the country.These measures have achieved good results, revitalized the economy, strengthened the national power, and enabled the Western Wei Dynasty to initially have the conditions to compete with the Eastern Wei Dynasty.

Yu Wentai is a resourceful politician, he knows that in order to occupy a stable seat in the brutal merger war, he must have strong economic and military strength.In the 16th year of Datong (550 A.D.), Yuwentai implemented a major reform in the military, and established eight generals of the Zhu Kingdom throughout the country, and he served as the supreme commander.Yuanxin, the king of Guangling, gave up his false name, and each general state led two Kaifu, each Kaifu had a total of 24 armies. This new military system is called the Fubing system.This reform made the combat effectiveness of the Western Wei army stronger and stronger.

In this year, Gaoyang of the Eastern Wei Dynasty abolished Emperor Xiaojing and made himself emperor, and established the Northern Qi Dynasty. Yu Wentai immediately led his troops to crusade, and the army entered Jianzhou.Unfortunately, there was continuous rain and snow, and the plague was prevalent, and they were forced to return without success. The common people settled down because they saw that Northern Qi could stand on its own.So the areas south of Luoyang and east of Pingyang belonged to the Northern Qi Dynasty. In March of the seventeenth year of Datong (AD 551), Emperor Yuan Baoju of the Western Wei Dynasty died of illness at the age of 45. He was buried in Yongling and was given the posthumous title of "Emperor Wen".