Chang'an Ancient City Building
Since the Huangchao Uprising at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the ruling power of China's central government has declined significantly. The weakening of its control over local officials, especially the moderation, gave these military leaders the idea of separating themselves and establishing themselves, and China entered a period of great division.
Although Zhu Wen later usurped Tang and established Hou Liang, and most of the emissaries also expressed their attachment to this new regime, in fact they would not listen to Zhu Wen's dispatches, they were independent separatist regimes. Such a phenomenon is more common in the southern region, which is what we often call the "ten countries".
However, these countries often have a lot of territory, otherwise it will be difficult for them to stand on their own in this chaotic world. However, among these countries, there is one country that is very unique, that is, Jingnan (also called Nanping) founded by Gao Jichang. During the Five Dynasties period, the territory it really controlled was only the area around Gangneung City, and its area was very limited, but it existed for a long time under the siege of many powerful enemies.
Gao Jichang, the founder of the Jingnan regime
In ancient Chinese history, Jingzhou has always been a very important strategic area, on the one hand, it occupies the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and can go to the Jiangdong region of the lower Reaches of the Yangtze River through waterways. On the other hand, moving north from the Xiangfan area of Jingzhou can also threaten the hinterland of the Central Plains, which makes Jingzhou a place where soldiers must fight.
Gangneung Ancient City Building
However, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, due to the interest of the princes in the southern region, the Jingzhou area was divided up by a number of surrounding separatist regimes, among which the present-day Chongqing region of Kuizhou, Wanzhou and other places were occupied by Former Shu, while Guizhou, Jiaozhou and other places became the territory of Later Liang, which made Jingnan at that time actually only include the city of Jiangling.
Five Generations Period Power Chart
After Gao Jichang, who was appointed by Zhu Wen as the envoy of Jingnan Jiedushi, went to Jingnan, he found that although the territory of Jingnan at that time was extremely small, its location was very critical, and it was at the junction of Southern Wu, Former Shu and Later Liang territories, and it was bordered by Machu to the south. These separatist forces were very jealous of other forces, so they would not attack this strategic area, so Gangneung Castle was in a very delicate balance at that time. The Machu official Wang Huan once described the geographical location of Jingnan in this way:
Jiangling is between the Chinese Dynasty and Wu and Shu, and the land of the four wars is also suitable for existence.
This gave Gao Jichang the hope of self-reliance, and after he entered Gangneung, he began to build Gangneung Castle, in the process, he not only renovated the old city that the generals had destroyed due to the war, but also applied to Zhu Wen to build a new outer city outside it to expand its scope, and the Later Liang government, which had great trust in Gao Jichang at that time, also agreed to his request.
Later Liang's late emperor Zhu Youzhen
After the late Later Liang emperor Zhu Youzhen ascended the throne, The strength of Later Liang showed a significant decline compared to its heyday. Gao Jichang began to build warships in Gangneung City, digging trenches and making a large number of defensive equipment, and gathered all the displaced people in the surrounding areas into the city, as if they were dividing the regime. Moreover, he also sent people to communicate with former Shu and Southern Wu in the East and West, which made Zhu Youzhen very annoyed, but he did not have the strength to sanction Gao Jichang, and had to accept the fact that Jingnan was self-reliant.
From the above discussion, it is not difficult to see that although Jingnan still had a very important strategic value during the Five Dynasties period, its surrounding state of being surrounded by great powers made it a hot potato. Under such circumstances, it became a safe place, and Gao Jichang was able to stand on his own feet here.
However, such security is also at a cost, that is, its development space is also firmly locked by the powerful enemies around it, which is also the fundamental reason why Jingnan has not made much progress in the entire Five Dynasties period.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Jingnan region, which originally had eight prefectures, was destroyed by a long period of war and chaos, leaving only an isolated city in Jiangling, which is enough to show the tragic destruction of the Jingnan region at that time. When Gao Jichang first arrived in the Jingnan area, there were a large number of displaced people living there, and agricultural production in the area was almost stagnant.
So Gao Jichang ordered the people to be collected, and the land they were given to settle down and put into agricultural production. In a relatively peaceful environment, agricultural production in jingnan was restored, and the improvement of people's lives was very supportive of the rule of the Gao father and son, which provided the foundation for the long-term stability of Jingnan.
After Gao Jichang's death, his son Gao Congjie took his place, and he was a well-versed and courteous corporal, and he attached great importance to the important minister Liang Zhen. One day, Qi and Liang Zhen talked about their envy of Ma Xifan, the king of Chu, and Liang Zhen replied:
Princes of heaven, etiquette is equal to the difference. He is arrogant and extravagant, take it fast, not for the long-term worry, the danger is not a day, and it is enough to admire!
The second monarch of Jingnan, Gao Congzhi
His answer plunged Gao Congzhi into contemplation, and soon after he became enlightened, lived a frugal life, and used the time he had spent playing to read the classics of history, and his political ability was significantly improved. At the same time, he also reduced his punishment and taxes in the country, which made the people of Jingnan rejoice and support the new monarch, and the rule of Jingnan was once again consolidated.
In any country, whether the people support their rulers is the most important factor in whether the country can maintain stability, and gao Jichang and Gao Congjie's father and son, after entering Jingnan, adopted a series of policies to encourage production and rest with the people, which won the support of the people, which is also an important reason why they were able to rule the region for a long time and stably.
Since Gao Congjie ascended to the throne, the Central Plains region has experienced the rule of the Later Tang, Later Jin, Khitan and Later Han Dynasties, and the leaders of the Southern Shu, Southern Han, and Southern Wu countries have also been proclaimed emperors. As the leader of Jingnan, Gao Congjie maintained a relatively close relationship with each regime in this process, and although there was some friction with some regimes, on the whole, Jingnan once submitted to many of them.
This practice allowed Gao Congzhi to receive valuable rewards from these regimes, which also became an important capital for Jingnan to maintain his rule, but his practice of Qin Twilight Chu made many regimes scornful and gave him a nickname of "high rogue".
Although this nickname is ugly, it also shows from the side that Jingnan's unique geographical location brings opportunities to Gao Congjie, and Gao Congjie seized this opportunity and won enough capital for the country.
Gao Congjie is very sleek in terms of diplomacy
During the Five Dynasties period, China once again entered the era of great division, at which time almost every regime that intended to divide and establish itself had to have a relatively large area, otherwise it would soon be annexed by larger forces. Those who had only one city tended to submit to the surrounding countries.
However, Gao Jichang, who occupied a city in Jingnan, chose independence, and the Jingnan he founded existed for a long time during the Five Dynasties period. This is mainly because Jingnan is surrounded by Southern Wu, Former Shu, the Central Plains Dynasty and Ma Chu, and swallowing it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among other forces, and letting it go will not pose too much of a threat, which has allowed the Jingnan region to obtain a stable development environment.
On the other hand, Gao Jichang and Gao Congjie were able to practice good governance and give many preferential policies to the people when they were in power, which won them the hearts and minds of the people. Gao Congjie also used diplomatic means to obtain great benefits from mediating between countries, and has always maintained that he has a strong backer, which is also an important reason for the long-term existence of the Jingnan regime.
bibliography:
[1] "Tongjian Chronicle Of the End of the Book of Gao's Jingnan"
[2] The New Five Dynasties History: The Biography of Gao Jichang
[3] "The History of the New Five Dynasties: The Biography of Gao Congzhi"
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