Chapter 6 Chapter 5 The capital city other than the capital city - the accompanying capital

In ancient Chinese history books, the word "accompanied capital" is often seen.The so-called accompanying capital refers to the capital city established outside the capital.Sometimes, the accompanying capital is also called Xingdu, Liudu and Biedu.Xingdu means that the imperial court will stay there temporarily when necessary, Liudu is generally the name of the old capital after the capital is moved, and Biedu refers to another capital city besides the capital.There is generally no central government agency in the capital, and it is not the national political center.However, the establishment of accompanying capitals in the past dynasties all had their own political intentions, and they were not all in vain.

The earliest accompanying capital was Luoyi, which was established in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty.After King Wu of Zhou destroyed Shang, he was worried about how to stabilize the East.Because after the demise of the Shang Dynasty, the Shang nobles were unwilling to fail and had many rebellions, and Fenghao, the capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty, was located in Guanzhong, which was still more than a thousand miles away from the main distribution area of ​​​​the merchants.Later, Zhou Gongdan took a fancy to "living in the middle of the world" so that he could control Luoyi in the east, and built it as the companion capital of Chengzhou, so as to relieve his worries.After the completion of Cheng Zhou, the Zhou Dynasty gathered the Shang nobles here, and stationed heavy troops to monitor the Shang nobles. King Zhou Cheng himself often lived here.The establishment of this accompanying capital is of great significance to maintaining national unity and collecting tribute from various places.Since then, some dynasties imitated the two-capital system of the Western Zhou Dynasty and set up a separate capital besides the capital.The number of accompanying capitals has also continued to increase, from the system of two capitals to the system of three capitals, the system of four capitals, and the system of five or six capitals at most.

During the Warring States Period, the capital of the Yan State was in Jicheng. In order to facilitate its expansion to the south, it set up its capital in Wuyang (southeast of Yixian County, Hebei today). Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was called Tokyo, and Chang'an, the capital of the Western Han Dynasty, was called Xijing.The emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty were surnamed Liu. They believed that they were descendants of the Liu family of the Western Han Dynasty, and they often came to Chang'an, Xijing to worship their ancestors and mausoleums.Since the founding emperor Liu Xiu was from Nanyang (now Nanyang City, Henan Province), the Eastern Han Dynasty took Nanyang as its southern capital.

Cao Wei of the Three Kingdoms still used Luoyang as the capital.In the second year of Huangchu (AD 221), because Qiao (qiaoqiao) (now Bozhou City, Anhui Province) was the hometown of Cao Cao, the founder of the Wei State, Yecheng was the place where Cao Cao proclaimed the King of Wei at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Xuchang was dedicated to the last emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Chang'an, the old capital of the Western Han Dynasty, was promoted to the accompanying capital at the same time, and together with Luoyang, it was called the five capitals. During the Three Kingdoms period, Wu State in the south also had an accompanying capital.In the first year of Huanglong (229 A.D.), the State of Wu moved its capital from Wuchang (now Ezhou City, Hubei Province) to Jianye (now Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province).

Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital to Luoyang (now Luoyang City, Henan) from Pingcheng (now Datong City, Shanxi). Pingcheng was called Beijing, but it was not officially established. General Gao Huan of the Northern Wei Dynasty raised troops from Jinyang (now southwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province) and supported some members of the royal family of the Northern Wei Dynasty to go north to establish the Eastern Wei Dynasty. The capital was Ye, which was called the upper capital, and Jinyang was the lower capital.The Northern Qi Dynasty prospered on behalf of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and the capital city system was the same as that of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and Jinyang was still used as the accompanying capital.

Daxing City was established as the capital in the Sui Dynasty, and Luoyang was moved to Luoyang during Emperor Yangdi's reign. Luoyang was called Tokyo, also known as the Eastern Capital, and the old capital was Xijing. The Tang Dynasty established Chang'an as its capital, but still attached great importance to Luoyang.Taizong Li Shimin built a palace in Luoyang, and Gaozong designated Luoyang as the eastern capital in the second year of Xianqing (AD 657).Empress Wu Zetian set it as the northern capital because the vicinity of Taiyuan (now Shanxi) was her hometown, and it was later abolished.However, Taiyuan was the base of Tang Gaozu's army, and soon it was set as the northern capital.Xuanzong regarded Chang'an as Xijing and Luoyang as Tokyo.After Xuanzong used Hezhong Mansion (now Puzhou Town, southwest of Yongji City, Shanxi Province) as the central capital several times.After the Anshi Rebellion, Xuanzong fled to Shujun (now Chengdu, Sichuan) for refuge, and Suzong went to Fengxiang (now Fengxiang County, Shaanxi).Therefore, in the second year of Suzong Zhide (757 A.D.), Shu County was called Nanjing, Fengxiang was called Xijing, respectively, and Chang'an was called Zhongjing.At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Jingzhou (now Jiangling County, Hubei Province) had an important strategic position and was designated as the southern capital.Soon, the accompanying capital was re-determined, with Luoyang as the eastern capital, Fengxiang as the western capital, Jiangling as the southern capital, Taiyuan as the northern capital, and Chang'an, the capital called the upper capital, collectively called the five capitals.

The Bohai State in the Tang Dynasty also implemented the five capital system.In addition to Longquan Mansion in Shangjing, the capital, four other capitals were established: Zhongjing Xiande Mansion (southwest of Dunhua City, Jilin today), Nanhai Mansion of Nanjing (now Xianxing City of North Korea), Longyuan Mansion of Tokyo (southwest of Hunchun City of Jilin Province today), and Xijing Duck Mansion. Lufu (the southeast bank of the Yalu River in North Korea today). The first dynasty of the Five Dynasties, Hou Liang, used Kaifeng as its capital and called it Kaifeng Mansion as the eastern capital, and Luoyang as its accompanying capital and called it Luoyang Mansion as the western capital.

Although the Tang Dynasty, the second regime of the Five Dynasties, only existed for 14 years, it attached great importance to the establishment of the accompanying capital, and often changed with the changes in the political and military situation.In April 923 AD, Zhuang Zong Li Cunxu (xuxu) founded the country and proclaimed himself emperor in Weizhou (in the north of Daming County, Hebei today). With Weizhou as the capital, it was called Xingtang Mansion, and it was built as Tokyo; Taiyuan Mansion (in the southwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province) was built as Xijing, and Zhending Mansion (now Zhengding County, Hebei Province) was built as Northern Capital.In November of the same year, Houliang was destroyed, and the capital was moved to Luoyang, which was called Luojing, and Jingzhaofu (now Xi'an, Shaanxi) and Taiyuanfu were used as accompanying capitals, respectively called Xidu and Beijing.In the third year of Tongguang (925 A.D.), Luojing was changed to the eastern capital, and Xingtang Mansion was used as the accompanying capital to be called Yedu.In the fourth year of Tiancheng (929 A.D.), Yedu was changed to Weizhou again, and it was no longer the accompanying capital.

Shi Jingtang unified the Central Plains with the power of Khitan, and established the third dynasty of the Five Dynasties, the Later Jin Dynasty. With Bianzhou (now Kaifeng City, Henan) as the capital, it was called Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo; with Luoyang as the secondary capital, it was called Xijing, and Yedu was once restored. The Later Han Dynasty was established after the Later Jin Dynasty, and the capital city system was the same as that of the Later Jin Dynasty, with Tokyo, Xijing and Yedu respectively.In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Kaifeng was still the capital, and it was called Tokyo, and Luoyang was also called Xijing.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, Kaifeng was still the capital, and it was called Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo, and Luoyang was the Henan Prefecture in Xijing.When Zhenzong, the third emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, was established as Nanjing because Yingtianfu (now south of Shangqiu, Henan) was the place guarded by the founding emperor Taizu before he ascended the throne.The fourth emperor, Renzong, rebuilt it as Beijing because Daming Mansion (now Daming County, Hebei Province) was the place that Zhenzong personally conquered. Emperor Gaozong traveled south and established the Southern Song Dynasty. He called Lin'an Mansion (now Hangzhou City, Zhejiang) as his place of residence, that is, the place where he lived temporarily, and Kaifeng was still respected as the capital.In fact, the imperial court just used this to show that it did not forget to restore the Central Plains. Kaifeng had been under the occupation of the Jin Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty court never returned to the north.In addition, since Jiankang (now Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province) is just across the river from Huainan, the front line of the Anti-Golden War, and Gaozong also stayed here, the Southern Song Dynasty used Jiankang as its capital.

In the early Liao Dynasty, Shangjing Linhuang Mansion (in the southeast of Balin Zuo Banner, Inner Mongolia today) was the capital.Since Shangjing is located in the north, Youzhou (now Beijing) is Nanjing, also known as Yanjing, which manages the eastern region of Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures where the economic center is located; Yunzhou (now Datong City, Shanxi) is Xijing, which manages Yanyun The western region of the sixteen prefectures; taking Liaoyang (now Liaoyang City, Liaoning) as Tokyo, it managed the survivors of the former Bohai State.In the 25th year of Tonghe (1007 A.D.), the Zhongjing Dading Mansion (now southwest of Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia) was built and used as the capital, with Shang, South, West and East capitals as accompanying capitals. The Jin Dynasty followed the old system of the Liao Dynasty and also built five capitals.At first, Huining Mansion (now south of Acheng City, Heilongjiang) was the capital and called Shangjing, Linhuang Mansion was Beijing, Liaoyang Mansion was Nanjing, Dading Mansion was Zhongjing, and Datong Mansion was Xijing.In the first year of Zhenyuan (AD 1153), the capital was moved from Huining Mansion to Beijing, and it was called Daxing Mansion in Zhongdu. Nanjing was changed to Tokyo, Linhuang Mansion’s Beijing name was abolished, Zhongjing was changed to Beijing, and Kaifeng became Nanjing, combined into six capitals. Beijing was the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and it was called Dadu. It also took the old capital of Kaiping Mansion (now the north bank of the East Lightning River in Zhenglan Banner, Inner Mongolia) as the accompanying capital, and called it the two capitals.Since Shangdu is located on a high plateau, the weather in midsummer is cooler than that of the metropolis. The emperors of the Yuan Dynasty brought all the civil and military officials to Shangdu to escape the summer almost every year. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, established his capital in Yingtianfu (now Nanjing, Jiangsu).In the first year of Hongwu (AD 1368), Yingtianfu was designated as Nanjing, and Kaifeng, the former capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, was established as the accompanying capital, which was called Beijing.Soon, the Beijing name of Kaifengfu was abandoned, and it was no longer used as the accompanying capital, and Yingtianfu was renamed the capital.In the second year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown Linhao Mansion (later renamed Fengyang Mansion, now Fengyang County, Anhui Province) was established as the accompanying capital, which was called Zhongdu.Chengzu, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, moved the capital to Beipingfu (now Beijing) and changed it to Beijing.By the time of the sixth emperor Yingzong, Beijing was officially renamed the capital, and Ying Tianfu was renamed Nanjing as the accompanying capital. The capital was moved to Beijing in the Qing Dynasty, and it was called Jingshi Shuntian Mansion, and the old capital Shengjing was used as the accompanying capital. To sum up, the above-mentioned cities were selected as companion capitals mainly because they are: —the capital of the previous dynasty.For example, Chang'an in Xijing in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Xuchang in Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms. ——The emperor's hometown or "Land of the Dragon".Nanyang, the southern capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Qiao of the Cao Wei Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms, and Fengyang Mansion, the central capital of the Ming Dynasty, are all the hometowns of the founding emperors.Taiyuan, the northern capital of the Tang Dynasty, was the place where Gaozu raised his troops, and it was called the "Land of Longxing". ——The capital of the early dynasty.Such as Nanjing after Yongle in Ming Dynasty and Shengjing in Qing Dynasty. ——The place where the emperor once went to war or stayed temporarily.Such as Shu County and Fengxiang Mansion in Tang Dynasty, and Daming Mansion in Northern Song Dynasty. - Centers of regions with very different political conditions.Such as Liao's east, south, west and other capitals. — Places of great political and economic significance.Such as the Eastern Capital of the Tang Dynasty and Luoyang, Tokyo. ——Military town.Such as the lower capital of Yan and Wuchang of Wu in the Three Kingdoms. ——The actual center of power, such as Jinyang, the lower capital of the Eastern Wei Dynasty. In terms of political functions and status, the capital cannot be compared with the capital at all. Under normal circumstances, the capital does not have the function of the national administrative center.Most of the accompanying capitals only have political symbolic significance, especially those who were promoted to the accompanying capital because they were the hometown of the founding monarch, the "land of dragon prosperity", or because of the experience of a certain monarch. Generally, they only have the name of the capital city, but not the whole country. The reality of the administrative center.The Eastern Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms and other dynasties used the capital of the previous dynasties as the accompanying capital, mainly to reflect the political legitimacy of the new dynasty inheriting the previous dynasties, and to cater to the orthodox concept of the scholar-bureaucrat class.Each of Bohai, Liao, and Jin is actually just the political center of each specific region. There are only a few accompanying capitals that are of great significance in national politics, and Luoyi in the Western Zhou Dynasty, Jinyang in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty, and Nanjing in the Liao Dynasty are the most famous.In the Western Zhou Dynasty, Luoyi was used as the political and military center to control the East, which played an irreplaceable role.Gao Huan of the Eastern Wei Dynasty held a heavy army and built the prime minister's mansion in Jinyang, where he gave orders and Jinyang became the actual capital.The purpose of establishing Luoyang as the eastern capital in the Tang Dynasty was that Luoyang was the national grain center and an important place to control the east.Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian once stayed in Luoyang for a long time. During that time, major state affairs were decided in Luoyang, and Luoyang actually became the political center of the country.Wu Zetian changed Tang to Zhou and simply moved the capital to Luoyang.In the Liao Dynasty, the Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing was just a political and military fortress in a small corner. The economic center of gravity was in the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun in the south. Nanjing was actually the economic center of the country, and it also had a major political influence.