Author: Liu Hongyu
Who is "Mu Tianzi"?
As soon as you hear these words, you can immediately say a big car; if you don't know, I'm afraid you will be completely ignorant, and you won't even guess.
Mu Tianzi, that is, King Mu of Zhou, the fifth "Heavenly Son" of the third dynasty "Zhou Dynasty" that can be examined in the history of our country, a ancient king who has not inked much or less in the "Zhengshi" and has no words of praise, but has left some legends.
Whether it is a canonical history or a legend, it is vaguely or explicitly mentioned that this ancient king once extended the power and influence of the dynasty to the West; if it is not bad, can we guess that he and Mu Tianzi are the first people in China's history to open up the western region?
If so, that is 800 years earlier than the "Zhang Qian's Envoy to the Western Regions" in the great book of history!
(I) Doubts and "Innuendos" of the "Chronicle of History"
Involving the so-called "three dynasties", that is, the "ancient" Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the traditional authoritative view holds that the most reliable historical books are the "Historical Records" (also known as the "Taishi Gongshu") compiled by Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty. Other works, such as the Shang Shu and Lü Lan (i.e., Lü Shi Chunqiu), and even the Zizhi Tongjian, which more or less deal with ancient history, are not pure "history books" in the strict sense because they incorporate more discussions, evaluations, and even extensions. Therefore, conceptually and without entanglement, it is advisable to think that the "correct history" of the relevant "Mu Tianzi" is mainly to look at the "History of History".
Compared with the previous and subsequent ones, Mu Tianzi, who was known as "King Mu", was able to use a little ink and give a little space.
Specifically, I will not quote it, but I will generally say that "King Mu", named "Ji Man", inherited the tianzi throne left by his dead father "King Zhao" around the age of fifty, and reigned for fifty-five years. At the beginning, in terms of governing strategy, resource allocation, etiquette coordination, and other aspects, some actions more or less made up for the problems left by the former Tianzi, that is, his father; then, he had to raise a large army to conquer the "Inuyasha" in the west (also said northwest); the minister tried bitterly to persuade him, but he did not listen, and in the end he still used troops against Inuyasha; the result was victory, "four white wolves and four white deer to return."
There are three doubts here:
First, if you were fifty years old when you ascended the throne and reigned for fifty-five years, wouldn't you have been more than a hundred years old at the time of your death (or abdication)?
Second, why "cutting dogs"?
Third, during the long reign of 55 years (Chronicle, 976-922 BC), which has been confirmed by the "Xia Shang Zhou Dynasty Project", in addition to the "compensation" and "boost" that may not have taken long at the beginning, is it only one event worth recording? Moreover, in this incident, it was still "tasteless" and "tasteless" that did not listen to the advice of the minister, used troops to the outside world, and only got the spoils of war of the "four white wolves and four white deer" a total of 8 beasts, and the "waste trick" that was not worth the loss?
Regarding the life expectancy of emperors, we can know today that ancient historical books, in this regard, are somewhat less realistic. As for why it is not real, it is another topic, and it will not be repeated; it is only necessary to say that the 55-year reign based on modern and more scientific examinations, the "starting age" of about fifty years old, is watery.
As for why he did not heed the advice and recklessly conquered the inuyasha in the western part of the central region of the dynasty (also known as the northwest), what the historical records want to express should be that Mu Tianzi was very happy and self-conscious, and in this way, it foreshadowed the Zhou Dynasty's turn from the "great rule" of the earlier "prosperous" to the "decline".
However, if we strip away the "stance" and "attitude" of the historical records and their compilers, can we find out what else is "implied" by the account of the "Cutting Dog Rong"?
At least two points:
First, the Moderate Agricultural Clan of the Zhou Dynasty took the initiative and used troops on a large scale;
Second, the direction of the use of troops is the west and the northwest.
(2) The Legend of Mu Tianzi, which only exists in the legend
Compared with the "single event" type of the "Shi Ji" and the obviously critical account, the "Biography of Mu Tianzi" is said to tell the Zhou Mu King Ji Man to the divine, and it is said that he told many stories of his "journey to the west" several times and traveled thousands of miles.
Careful readers will surely find that in the passage above that says "The Biography of Mu Tianzi", the author used two "said" in succession.
Why is it "said"?
Because, the author has indeed not seen "The Biography of Mu Tianzi". I haven't seen a word. All narratives are hearsay "from the sidelines".
So, why haven't you read a word?
Because, the biography of Mu Tianzi is only a legendary book, and there is no definite circulation or other form of traceable and measurable remains that can prove that it did exist.
Perhaps, at some point in the more distant ancient or middle ages, there was such a book, but for some reason it was lost, leaving only some of the stories told in it.
For example, Mu Tianzi met with the "Yaochi" of the "Queen Mother of the West".
Another example: from some subsequent historical events, we can trace back a little bit of the root cause of the "Father-Making Rescue".
For example, zhuangzi's "Getaway" talks about the "North Meditation", many people in modern times think that it should refer to Qinghai Lake. If it is true, it means that this place of Qinghai Lake should have been known to the people of the Central Plains before the Eastern Zhou (Spring and Autumn Warring States) era in which Zhuangzi lived.
If the description and legend of the "Journey to the West" of King Ji Man of Zhou Mu in the "Supposedly" Biography of Mu Tianzi are more or less reliable, it seems that it can be used as a clue for our ancestors to explore the Western Regions.
This clue, combined with the "innuendo" in the relevant chapters of the "History" mentioned earlier, seems to present the following two pictures in contrast:
Picture one, because of the cutting of inuyasha, broadened the horizon to the West, and also paved the way to the West, and then, really launched exchanges with the West.
In the second picture, because you want to open up to the West, and the fierce neighbor inuyasha is a stumbling block, you resort to force, conquer it, and make the road to westward communication a smooth road.
These two pictures, no matter which one, but if there is any truth, it may be said that Ji Man, the King of Zhou Mu, known as "Mu Tianzi", is the first person who can be found in history to open up to the west! That is, our earliest exploration to the west occurred during the reign of Ji Man, the king of Zhou Mu, from 976 to 922 BC.
The Western Han Dynasty Zhang Qian was first instructed to go to the Western Regions in the third year of the Founding of emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, that is, in 138 BC; not long after his departure, he was captured by the Xiongnu and trapped for 10 years, and the work of "envoying" should have begun as early as about 128 BC.
Comparing the two, Mu Tianzi was not 800 years earlier!
(3) The reasons and conditions for opening up to the west
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian on an expedition to the Western Regions, the original reason was to find the Great Moon Kingdom that had been defeated by the Xiongnu and forced to migrate, and to try to bring back the advanced smelting technology mastered by the legendary ancient country to strengthen its armaments and resist the Xiongnu.
The Ōtsuki kingdom did exist in history; the descendants of its main ethnic group probably live in Afghanistan today. The results of Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions were far more than finding the Great Moon Clan Kingdom. As we all know, this envoy, which has appeared in the annals of history, gave birth to the Silk Road.
The "Han Empire" of Zhang Qian's era had a vast territory than the earlier "Xia Shang Zhou" and was a centralized unified state. Pushing back 800 years to the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the reign of "Mu Tianzi" was very different.
The Zhou Dynasty, from the very beginning, was a "state alliance" of "sub-feudalism", not a unified regime. The supreme ruler known as the "Son of Heaven" is the so-called "co-lord of the world", and his "possession" of the country is even more nominal, but lacks substance. The so-called "Tianzi stronghold of thousands of miles" will be truly realized, compared with the vast Han Empire, it is only a very small piece.
Below the Son of Heaven are the princes, and the territory of the princes is divided by the Son of Heaven. Passed down from generation to generation, the princes developed independently, and the territory directly ruled by the Son of Heaven had little room for expansion; and with the development of the economy, the "Tianzi family" and the many feudal princely states were facing the problem of increasingly scarce resources. The princes constantly asked the Son of Heaven for more fiefs, and the Son of Heaven not only maintained his own authority and appeased the princes, but also had the need for his own development. As a result, "opening up the territory" can easily become a preferential option for maintenance and improvement.
Before the Zhou Dynasty, the Shang originated in present-day Northern China and flourished in the "Central Plains" dominated by present-day Henan Province, and geographically speaking, the preferred direction for opening up territory was the relatively simple and gentle terrain of the East. In the early Xia Dynasty, the form of society and the state was still relatively primitive, and it can be said that it did not have the need to "open up the territory" of the later generations, and in fact did not have the corresponding ability.
Compared with the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty, which flourished in the Guanzhong region of present-day Shaanxi, and the traditional concept of the "Central Plains", that is, the center of the Shang Dynasty, across the Yellow River (historically known as the "Great River"); the situation at that time belonged to the "Western Frontier", and the intention of opening up the territory and expanding the territory was easier to invest in the West. Moreover, from the practice of the Shang Dynasty, they already knew that expanding to the east was bounded by the sea; to the west, they did not know where the insurmountable boundary was. So, in theory, to the west, there is more room for expansion.
In addition, due to their long-term survival and development in the "western frontier" equivalent to the Shang Dynasty, they had more contact with the surrounding nomadic tribes, including the "Inuyasha", and knew each other better, and they must have heard more stories, legends, and descriptions from the western neighbors. This also allows them to have more information about the West when formulating expansion plans.
Also, it is very important to expand westward, which is the need of national security - as we all know, the capital of Western Zhou is in the area of present-day Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province; at the beginning of the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, and in the middle of the "Mu Tianzi", this place was very close to the west side of the "tianxia" they controlled, almost close to the restless "Inuyasha"; opening up to the west could make the capital more "centralized" geographically, which was very important in the era of cold weapons.
In summary, opening up to the west was really necessary for the dynasty that had been founded for a hundred years in the era of Mu Tianzi.
At the same time, as far as the situation at that time was concerned, this kind of westward opening up also had the conditions.
The first condition, mentioned above, is a better understanding of the neighbors to the west.
Then there is the "hard power" of development, which involves two main aspects: economic and military.
Economically, during the Mu Tianzi period, production technology and living conditions were superior to those of the neighbors who could be touched in the west, including Inuyasha. However, in the face of the inuyasha nomadic tribes, this economic advantage, if there is no military protection, will induce the evil consequences of being plundered or even invaded. Therefore, not to mention pioneering, only to maintain their own security, but also need military support.
It should be said that the Zhou Dynasty under Mu Tianzi's rule had military strength, and it was quite impressive!
At the beginning of the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, it was said to be a complete and powerful "Tiger Ben", otherwise, it would not have been possible to collapse the rule of the Shang Dynasty "with all its merits in one battle". Immediately after that, they took over the national center of the Shang Dynasty, which was mainly in present-day Henan Province, and in order to consolidate political power, through the reorganization, transformation, and increase of personnel, they gradually established a "new army" called the "Chengzhou Eighth Division" for the camp; almost synchronously, the original Hu Ben was also reorganized and became the "Zong Zhou Division". According to relevant information, the "fixed number" of each "division" is 12,500 people; if you calculate it, the combined strength of the "Zong Saturday Division" and the "Chengzhou Eighth Division" can theoretically reach 1780,000. At that time, almost three thousand years ago, this was definitely a "Haohao Xiongshi"!
There is a way to "carry a sharp weapon, kill the heart", so a huge army is placed there, it will definitely give birth to the desire for expansion. This army, which was still firmly in the hands of the Son of Heaven at that time and was likely to be "strong" in the "world", would undoubtedly constitute a powerful condition for opening up the territory and expanding the territory.
There is a need, there is understanding, there are conditions, in such a situation, any idea, from the implementation, I am afraid that even "one step away" is not even "one step away".
If so, it is really very likely that as early as the tenth century BC, 800 years before Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, the legendary "half-human, half-immortal" "Mu Tianzi" had already opened a precedent for opening up to the west.
【About the author】Liu Hongyu, commonly used pen names Mao Ying, Jing Hong. He is a powerful novelist, a senior screenwriter, a member of the Beijing Writers Association, and the winner of the "Xia Yan Cup Excellent Film Script".
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