When you think of the famous emperors of ancient China, who do you think of? Is it the Qin Shi Huang who unified the world, or the Emperor Wu of Han who was majestic and martial, or the Ming Emperor Li Shimin? Different people may have different answers in their hearts, but there are probably not many people who can think of Former Qin Emperor Jian Jian.
But is the real Jian Jian in history so unbearable? Of course not, if Jian Jian was really just a faint and stupid emperor, Former Qin would not be so powerful in his hands. In fact, Zhi Jian was arguably the most outstanding king of the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he had outstanding merits in his life, and he had a famous imperial demeanor, and Bai Yang praised him in "A Generation of Heroes in a Troubled World - Former Qin King Gong Jian": "In China's thousands of years of history, there are only five people who are qualified to be called emperors, they are Qin Shi Huang, Han Wu Emperor, Former Qin Wang Jian, Tang Taizong Li Shimin and Kangxi. "How can an emperor who can be compared with the Qin Emperor Han Wu and others be mediocre?"
Strictly speaking, Jian Jian was not an emperor, he was the monarch of the Former Qin regime, but he was only called the "Great Qin Heavenly King". It was a political show, but it was also what set Jian apart from other minority rulers, who were too much like a Han emperor. Jian Jian was from the Yu clan, his ancestors were the chiefs of Xi Rong, and by the generation of his grandfather Fu Hong, the Zhi family had begun to chase deer from the Central Plains. Like many famous emperors, Jian Jian also has many legends, such as his back has a saying: "Caofu Chen and Tu Wang Xianyang", "Cao Fu" is known as "Zhi"; "Chen and Tu" is the traditional "Jian", which means that he will establish a state in Xianyang in the future and become a king. Of course, such a legend cannot be true, but Jian Jian does show his distinctive side. Compared with other companions who only knew how to fight and kill, this teenager from the Xirong tribe had a strong interest in Han culture. As a teenager, Jian Jian had great ambitions, and the Spring and Autumn of the Sixteen Kingdoms said that he was "filial to nature, instrumental, and erudite and versatile." In the eleventh year, there was a little great ambition. ”
After Jian Jian took office, he faced a very difficult problem. Former Qin was a very complex political power, located in the Guanzhong region inhabited by many ethnic groups, with extreme social chaos, sharp ethnic contradictions, coupled with the brutal rule of Zhisheng, Former Qin was rampant, thieves were wandering, the people were not happy, and the domestic people's grievances were boiling.
When he was still the king of the East Sea, he was deeply distressed by the problems of the country, and accumulated experience in reforming maladministration in the fiefdom. After taking the throne, Jian Jian began to carry out drastic reforms, and he vigorously rectified the administration of officials, directly starting from the most corrupt high-level officials, and beheading all the more than twenty people, including Dong Rong and Zhao Shao. In addition, Jian Jian also improved the legal system, punished the strong and powerful, implemented the national policy of recuperation, persuaded peasants to teach lessons, and restored the economy.
Jian Jian was a staunch supporter of Han culture, and after he ascended to the throne, he found that there were not many talents in the imperial court, so he recruited talents widely, did not ask about his origin, reused Han talents, and used a large number of shrewd and capable Han scholars to participate in the politics of the dynasty, including Wang Meng, who was born in the cold door.
Wang Meng was as important to Jian Jian and Former Qin as Shang Martin was to the Qin state. Wang Meng enforced the law strictly, acted vigorously, and was not afraid of the magnates, which made the nobles of Former Qin come to Jian Jian one after another to slander Wang Meng. However, Jian Jian always trusted Wang Meng, who was born in han, and entrusted Wang Meng with heavy responsibilities, and also whipped and slandered Wang Meng's Former Qin nobles, reducing resistance to Wang Meng's reforms. Under Wang Meng's rule, Former Qin "shook the hundreds of officials, held his breath on the right side, did not pick up the road, and weathered the line." (The Biography of Jin Shu Jian)
After the problem of corruption was initially resolved, Jian Jian began to carry out education and the construction of etiquette. While the Eastern Jin Dynasty scholar continued to talk while chanting "Wuhu Chaohua", The Hu people vigorously set up schools in Former Qin, restored Taixue, extensively cultivated the Xuegong, and treated the talented Confucian masters with courtesy and let them teach. Some Hu aristocrats resisted Confucianism and despised schools, and Jian Jian forced the children and grandchildren of officials below the secretary of state to attend school. Jian Jian also goes to Taixue once a month to question students and encourage them to study hard. Under the initiative of Jian Jian, the quality of the ruling class of the Former Qin Dynasty improved rapidly, and a culture of persuasion and competition in society was formed in society.
After Jian Jian took office, he also vigorously restored and developed the economy. During the reign of Former Qin, Former Qin suffered a severe drought, and in order to tide over the difficulties, Jian Jian ordered a reduction in palace expenses, all of which were changed to cloth clothes, and the civil and military officials also reduced their salaries and suffered with the people. In addition, Jian Jian also implemented the national policy of recuperation, reduced wars, persuaded peasants to teach sang, reduced taxes, emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, and restored the economy. Under the administration of Jian Jian, the economy of Former Qin recovered rapidly, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the society was prosperous and stable, and the songs of the time sang: "Chang'an Avenue, Yang Huai is verdant; under the Chihua car, on the Luan Phoenix; the talents gather to teach my people." (Book of Jin)
In addition, Jian Jian is also a person with a broad heart. During his reign, jian jian implemented a policy of ethnic equality to reduce the oppression of the Han and other ethnic groups, and the Yu people from which he came from basically did not have any privileges. Murong Chui was forced to rebel, and after Murong Chui recovered him, he not only did not punish him, but continued to entrust him with heavy use.
However, Jian Jian's unquestioning method of employing people also laid hidden dangers for his failure, and he reused the surrendered Eastern Jin general Zhu Xu, but Zhu Xu turned against him in the Battle of Shuishui, catching the Former Qin army by surprise. After the defeat at the Battle of Shuishui, the Former Qin army quickly disintegrated, and the Xianbei, Qiang and other tribes rebelled. Under Murong Chong's siege, Jian Jian fled to Mount Wujiang, and the Qiang leader Yao Cang sent troops to surround him. After the defeat of the Qin soldiers, there were only about ten people left around Jian Jian, but he still did not change his face and sat down.
After Zhi Jian was captured, Yao Cang asked him for the Imperial Jade Seal, and also asked Zhi Jian Chan to give it to him, and Zhi Jian scolded him: "Little Qiang Hu dared to persecute Tianzi, the order of the five Hu calendars, there is no name of you as a Qiang person." The jade seal has been sent to the Jin Dynasty, and you can't get it! Zen Dynasty is the matter of the sages, Yao Chang is a traitor, what qualifications do you have to do this! Yao Cang became angry and strangled Jian Jian to death in the Xinping Buddhist Temple (present-day Nanjingguang Temple, Bin County), at the age of forty-eight. In this way, a generation of emperors, the soul of the new Ping Temple.
Throughout his life, he did have a gap with emperors such as The Qin Emperor Han Wu, and there were too many women's benevolence on his body, but this is also where Jian Jian admired, he could always not forget his original intention, treat others with leniency, and really make many Han people from Confucian origin ashamed of themselves. It was just a pity that Jian Jian eventually blinded himself to complacency and rushed to the Eastern Jin Dynasty without eradicating Murong Shi, resulting in a fiasco in the Battle of Shuishui, falling and losing the world, and eventually becoming the target of ridicule in the world.
Resources:
"A Generation of Heroes in a Troubled World - Former Qin King Jian Jian" Bai Yang
"Spring and Autumn of the Sixteen Kingdoms" Cui Hong
Book of Jin