In the ancient emperor's "family business management" competition, the two strategies of the feudal system and captivity fought to the death, who is the real "power MVP"?
Don't worry, let's go through the fog of history first and see how these two strategies staged thrilling "battles to defend the throne" in different dynasties.
In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and took the retro route, and his sons were scattered in all directions and became the bosses of their respective "small kingdoms".
But this is like opening a credit card with unlimited limit for a child, as soon as Emperor Jianwen took the throne, he was worried that these "rich second generations" would be swiped, but his uncle Zhu Di came to a wave of "headwinds", and staged the most exciting "family infighting" in history.
After Zhu Di sat on the dragon chair, he knew that "decentralization is risk", so he simply turned his brothers and nephews into "senior prisoners", eating and drinking well, but he was not allowed to do anything.
As a result, the clan population of the Ming Dynasty skyrocketed, becoming a "sweet burden" for the state.
The Qing Dynasty, when it saw the "family tragedy" of the Ming Dynasty, decisively chose the "captive luxury pension plan".
Princes, stay in the capital, eat, drink and have fun, but want to get out of the city gate? No way! In this way, the internal fighting drama of the Qing Dynasty was almost extinct, and the generals were also stared at to death, and they did not dare to act rashly.
This move of the Qing Dynasty is like a "lifetime insurance" for the imperial power, and it is stable.
In the final analysis, which is better, the sub-sealing system or the captive system? It depends on the mood of the times.
The sub-envelope system is like flying a kite, the line is in the hand, and the kite flies high, but the wind is big, and the risk of breaking the line is also real.
Captivity, is to keep the canary in a delicate cage, safety is safety, but the bird has no wings, and when the crisis comes, it can't escape.
Interestingly, these two seemingly incompatible strategies showed their own "miracles" at the end of the dynasty.
The vassal kings under the feudal system can occasionally save the dynasty from dire straits like superheroes in times of crisis, such as Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Rui of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Zhao Gou who is outside, all of whom are masters of life continuation.
And the captive princes, although they lack some "hero halo", they also avoid continuous internal strife, so that the country has a little less worry about division.
Therefore, whether it is sealed or kept in captivity is not simply black and white, right and wrong, but more like "left and right fighting" in the law of historical cycles. Each strategy has its own sparkling moments and dim shadows.
The wisdom of history tells us that there is no one-size-fits-all answer, only the most appropriate choice at the right time. Isn't this "family dispute" that spans thousands of years the best footnote to the charm of history?
As bystanders, let's take a cup of tea, laugh at the clouds, and feel the joys and sorrows behind those schemes!