King Xuan of Zhou's historical popularity was far less than that of his father and son, because his father was the famous King Li of Zhou, and his son was king of Zhou You, the prince of Beacon Theatre.
Although in terms of popularity, King Xuan of Zhou was far inferior to these two kings of Zhou, who were known for their fainting and tyranny, the influence of King Xuan of Zhou on future generations could not catch up with these two horses. Because during his reign, he reused four princes, and these four princes were successively followed by predecessors and successors, dominating the world form of Huaxia for more than five hundred years.
【King Xuan seeks foreign aid】
Everything must start with the father of King Xuan of Zhou, King Li of Zhou. I think that in that year, King Li stopped slander, implemented the patent law, and oppressed the people too severely, so there was a national riot, and King Li of Zhou fled.
The young King Xuan of Zhou was rescued by Gong Hu, but since King Li was still alive, King Xuan of Zhou could not succeed to the throne. Thus began the era of republican rule.
In the "Records of History", it is said that the republican government is that the Zhou Gong and the Summoning Public rule together, also known as the Zhou Zhao Gonghe. Historical sources such as the Bamboo Book Chronicle say that the ruler was Gong Bohe. And this latter statement, now the academic community recognizes more.
In fact, regardless of the specific circumstances of the republican rule, its essence is that the great nobles monopolize the government, and behind these great nobles are the local princes who constantly challenge the etiquette and expand their territory privately.
After the death of King Li of Zhou, King Xuan of Zhou was able to succeed to the throne. At this time, the Zhou royal family was almost hollowed out by these great nobles, and King Xuan of Zhou did not have the superior force that still existed when his father was there. So in order to regain the royal power and fight against the control of the great nobles, he began to seek foreign aid. These foreign aides ranged from the Great Masters of the Dprk to the local princes. Although their identities are different, they all have one thing in common, that is, they are not a large aristocratic family, so they can be called emerging princes.
The new princes, during the lifetime of King Xuan of Zhou, all played the role that King Xuan of Zhou wanted them to play, helping King Xuan of Zhou realize the zhongxing of King Xuan, but when King Xuan of Zhou died, these princely states he supported broke away from the control of the Zhou royal family and became more dangerous and more difficult to deal with than the traditional great aristocratic princely states.
【King Killer: Shen Guo】
After Shen Guo's ancestors were Jiang surnamed Siyue, he was a distant relative of Jiang Ziya. Shen Guo was stationed in the western frontier for the Zhou royal family for generations, and was the western Fang Bo. The queen of King Li of Zhou was from the State of Shen, so Zhou Shen was still related.
Because of this relationship, King Xuan of Zhou trusted Shen Guo. After King Xuan of Zhou succeeded to the throne, local princes continued to conquer each other. There were also barbarian rebellions, and King Xuan of Zhou could not trust the traditional great princely states such as the State of Qi and the State of Lu, while the State of Shen could be trusted.
Therefore, King Xuan of Zhou moved the state of Shen to XieDi, and let The Marquis of Shen sit in the southern domain as a blood relative of the Son of Heaven and a heavy vassal of the court, strengthening the control of the Zhou royal family over the southern princes.
Shen Guo went from the western Fangbo to the head of the southern princes, which seemed to be a flat tone, but this was actually reuse and promotion.
Unlike the west, the southern region of the Western Zhou Dynasty was an important copper mining site for the Zhou royal family. There is the famous Copper Green Mountain deposit, which provided a large amount of bronze raw materials for the Zhou royal family. The importance of bronze to the Western Zhou Dynasty is self-evident, in the major events of the country, in the Western Zhou Period of Worship and Rong, whether it is sacrifice or war, it is inseparable from bronze.
In the south of Western Zhou, there were a series of princely states of Hanyang Zhuji that were breeding contradictions, and at the same time there was a hostile threat of the Chu state that dared to claim the title of king and confront the Zhou royal family. King Xuan of Zhou had to stabilize the situation in the Southern Domain to ensure the smooth transport of bronze from the Patina Mountain to Hojing. Therefore, the relocation of the Shen state is of great significance to the Zhou royal family and is an important part of the return of King Xuan of Zhou to the throne.
On the other hand, Shen Guo stayed in the west, although he helped the Zhou royal family resist the invasion of the Western Qiang, but this matter could be done by others, and let others sit in the Southern Domain, And King Xuan of Zhou was inevitably not trusting enough. And those who could gain the trust of King Xuan of Zhou were often not senior enough to hold the high position of Fang Bo. Therefore, Shen Guo is the best candidate.
Shen Guo did not disappoint King Xuan of Zhou, and with his fighting qualities against the Western Qiang for many years, Shen Guo soon stabilized the situation in the Southern Domain and became the well-deserved overlord of the southern princes.
However, with the death of King Xuan of Zhou. King You of Zhou succeeded to the throne, and Marquis Shen became the elder of the King of Zhou, while holding an important bronze transportation lifeline in Western Zhou, and many princes in the south were looking up to Shen Guo. Once Shen Guo developed selfish intentions, the threat to the Zhou royal family would be enormous.
King You of Zhou may have seen the rise of the State of Shen as a threat to himself, and at the same time his crown prince was the grandson of the King of the State of Shen, perhaps fearing that after his death, the Zhou royal family would completely become a puppet of the State of Shen, so King Zhou You deposed his own prince and established his son as the prince instead.
The deposed prince fled to the Shen Kingdom, and king You of Zhou completely tore his face with Shen Guo, so king Of Zhou You sent an army to fight Shen, and finally lost the battle and died at the foot of Mount Li.
King Xuan of Zhou personally promoted and reused Shen Guo to become a Western Zhou gravedigger who killed his own son and destroyed his life's work. I don't know if King Quan of Zhou Xuan will feel remorse if he knows.
【Usurper Zheng Guo】
Zheng Guo was also used by King Xuan of Zhou, and unlike Shen Guo, Zheng Guo was a new prince who was divided up by King Xuan of Zhou. The first monarch of the State of Zheng was Duke Huan of Zhou, the younger brother of King Xuan of Zhou.
When the State of Zheng was divided, King Xuan of Zhou hoped to rely on his younger brother to help him stabilize his rule over the Guanzhong region. The so-called Zheng Guo is Guan Yi. That is to say, Zheng Guo helped the Zhou royal family to guard the gate.
After the death of King Xuan of Zhou, the Zhou Dynasty began to show signs of collapse. Zheng Huangong expected that the situation would not be good, and if he continued to stay in Guanzhong, he was afraid that he would put himself in it.
Therefore, Zheng Guo moved the country to the Central Plains, and obtained ten cities from the Eastern Yu Kingdom and the Hao State, relying on it as a foundation. Soon after, King You of Zhou died, and King Ping of Zhou moved east to Luoyang. The Zhou royal family and Zheng Guo became neighbors again.
Due to the crimes of Shen Guo's killing of the king, he was despised by the princes of the Central Plains, so it gradually declined. And the succession of King Ping of Zhou also carried the reputation of killing his father, so he was also disliked by the princes of the Central Plains. Therefore, the King of Zhou Ping lacked the support of the princes, and Zheng Guo, who had only ten cities, chose to cooperate with the King of Zhou Ping in order to expand his power, and recognized the legitimacy of the King of Ping.
Subsequently, Zheng Guo expanded under the banner of King Ping of Zhou and became an important princely force in the early Spring and Autumn Period. Without the participation of other princes, Zheng Guo then monopolized the authority of King Ping of Zhou.
Faced with the usurpation of power by the State of Zheng, King Ping of Zhou wanted to regain power and put the state of Yu in power. After being known by Zheng Zhuanggong, he was forced to exchange hostages with Zheng Guo and apologize to Zheng Guo.
After the death of King Ping of Zhou, King Huan of Zhou wanted to regain power from zheng guo and raised an army to attack Zheng guo, but was defeated and injured. Until his death, King Huan of Zhou still remembered, "If you want to revive the Zhou Dynasty, you must first abolish the Duke of Zheng."
After the death of Zheng Zhuanggong, although Zheng Guo gradually declined, he was even unflattered around during the Jin-Chu struggle for hegemony, and became an air bag. However, Zheng Guo, as the first rising princely force in the Spring and Autumn Period, still had a great influence on this era. It was also Zheng Guo who blocked the road to the revival of the Zhou royal family.
【Hegemonic Jinguo】
The State of Jin is a well-known princely state, the State of Jin was first sealed by King Cheng of Zhou, and there are stories of Tong Ye sealing Tang. In fact, the Jin state was very inconspicuous during the Western Zhou Dynasty, and its real rise was during the Zhou Xuanwang period.
The State of Jin appeared as a thug of King Xuan of Zhou, and at that time, due to the state turmoil during the reign of King Li of Zhou, local anti-Zhou Yidi emerged in an endless stream. And King Xuan of Zhou did not trust Qilu and other great powers because of the republican administration, so the State of Jin became a knife for him to fight against the barbarians in the north.
In fact, the geographical location of the Jin Dynasty is relatively remote. The Hedong area is neither the hometown of merchants nor the place where the Zhou people originated. On the contrary, because it was the background of Yao Tang's hometown, it was once suppressed by merchants, so that it was surrounded by Rong Di. The Jin people also intermarried with Rong Di for a long time, and were contaminated with the habit of barbarism and martial arts, and did not attach so much importance to qilu's revered lile mission.
On the one hand, the Jin state was familiar with the northern Rong di and geographical conditions, and at the same time, it was not an uncontrollable lile country, and its combat effectiveness was really good, so the Jin state began to be valued by King Xuan of Zhou.
King Xuan of Zhou once went on a tour to the State of Jin, ordered Marquis Xianhou of Jin to lead the Jin army to follow, and ordered Marquis Xianhou of Jin to attack Suyi in Shandong. After King Xuan of Zhou's inspection, the Jin state won a great victory.
King Xuan of Zhou gave the Marquis of Jin fragrant wine, bows and arrows, and horses, and the Marquis of Jin solemnly rewarded the army. In order to repay and praise the kindness of the Son of Heaven, Marquis Xianhou of Jin cast two sets of 16 chimes, recording the grace of the Son of Heaven on the bell, called "Wang Zhi Su Bell". It can be seen that in the face of King Xuan of Zhou, the Marquis of Jin xian was still very respectful.
King Xuan of Zhou used the Jin state to use his hand, and later often ordered the Jin state to conquer the northern Rong Di. After the death of Marquis Xianhou of Jin, King Xuan of Zhou still directly ordered Marquis Muhou of Jin, the son of Marquis Xianhou of Jin, to attack Tiaorong, Beirong and other Rongdi.
The State of Jin was authorized and supported by King Xuan of Zhou to vigorously develop its army and armed forces. The territory and slaves they attacked and conquered by Rong Di were of course left for their own enjoyment. Thus, with the support of King Xuan of Zhou, the State of Jin rose rapidly, and by the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Jin was already a land power and a military power. This was the first pot of gold that the Jin State won in the Spring and Autumn Period of the princes' struggle for hegemony, and it was also his early development of the military, making it an unrivaled military hegemon in the local area.
Later, everyone is also clear, with the crazy expansion of several generations of monarchs such as Jin Xiangong and Jin Wengong, the Jin state has become a well-deserved hegemon in the north, and it has been competing with the southern Chu state for hegemony for many years, and is the absolute protagonist of the Spring and Autumn Era. It can be said that Jin Guo can create such a great cause, and thank you for the full support of King Xuan of Zhou.
【Unify the Qin State under the Heavens】
The last thing to say is the State of Qin, and we know that the ancestors of the State of Qin were the sons of Fei zi promoted by King Xiao of Zhou. He made meritorious contributions to raising horses for the Zhou royal family, and was awarded the title of Qin Land, with the title of Qin Wei. At this time, the State of Qin was only a small nobleman who did not enter the stream, and had no strength.
It was said earlier that King Xuan of Zhou relocated the Shen state that was defending against the Western Qiang in the west to Xiedi, Henan, so what should be done with the invasion of the Western Qiang and other Xirong tribes?
King Xuan of Zhou chose the conscientious Qin people, and the leader of the Qin people at that time was Qin Zhong. At that time, Xi Rong invaded, and King Xuan of Zhou chose to promote Qin Zhong, appoint him as a doctor, and lead the army to the west. This was the first time that the Qin people led the army to fight.
Qin Zhong was killed in battle with Xi Rong, and King Xuan of Zhou appointed Qin Zhong's son Duke Zhuang of Qin to continue his western expedition. As a result, the Duke of Qin Zhuang defeated Xi Rong and obtained the land of Inuyasha. King Xuan of Zhou ordered Qin Renshi to be the Grand Master of Xi Chui and the town to guard Xi Chui.
In this way, the Qin people had military power and a solid base area. Later, King You of Zhou attacked shen with the strength of the whole country, and as a result, the soldiers were defeated and killed, and when king Zhou You sent troops, in order to prevent Xi Rong from invading from the western front, he left the Qin people to defend the town. As a result, the Qin army became the last living force of the Western Zhou royal family.
As King Zhou fled and King Ping moved east, the Qin became the last force in Guanzhong against Xi Rong. With the promise of King Ping of Zhou that "the land taken by the King of Zhou will be returned to Qin". The Guanzhong region became the land of Longxing in the Qin Dynasty.
As the princely states that arose at the same time as Shen, Zheng, and Jin declined one after another, the Qin state became more and more powerful, and finally after more than five hundred years, it unified the six kingdoms and pacified the world. Speaking of which, if it were not for King Xuan of Zhou who gave the Qin people the right to fight, I am afraid that there would be no later Qin Dynasty.
【Summary】
In fact, during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, the princes who promoted and reused were far more than the four families of appeal. The state of Lü was also renamed by King Xuan of Zhou to the west of the State of Shen. King Xuan of Zhou also enfeoffed The Marquis of Han at Hancheng (present-day Hejin, Shanxi) to Wanquan Township in Wanrong County, and established Korea as a military town in the north of Zhenfu. In addition, King Xuan of Zhou also enfeoffed Zhongshan Fu in Fan (樊, in present-day southeastern Chang'an District, Shaanxi) and established the State of Fan. His son's eldest father, Yu Yang (present-day southeast of Hongdong, Shanxi), established the State of Yang.
King Xuan of Zhou used many scholars and small princes, and these forces helped him complete The King Xuan's Zhongxing while he was alive. However, after his death, some princes became difficult to control, and became like the great powers of qi and Lu that he feared, destroying the foundation of the Zhou royal family's rule. I think this is probably something he didn't think of!