China's ancient history responds to that sentence, and it will be divided for a long time, and it will be divided for a long time. Each "union" will give birth to a hero of the world. Because it is easy to divide, it is difficult to combine.
There are two dynasties in history that have really brought the whole of China together. One Qin Dynasty, the first emperor Ying Zheng destroyed the Six Kingdoms in one go, ending the war-torn Warring States era; and the other was the Sui Wen Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty, ending the period of division after the Western Jin Dynasty that lasted for more than four hundred years.
The Sui Emperor Yang Jian drove out the Turks, destroyed Southern Chen, and unified China. However, his son, Yang Guang, the Sui Emperor, was labeled "the most brutal emperor in history" and criticized by later historians. He is called a tyrant, not because he likes to torture people in fancy ways like the King of Sui, but because he has done some big projects with great effort and wealth.
The capital was moved to Luoyang, and the largest city was established
Emperor Wen of Sui made Daxingcheng the capital of the state, and when his son Yang Guang ascended the throne, he refused. He mobilized millions of people, and in one year and two months, he built Luoyang into a super city that stretched for twenty-seven miles. Luoyang City is located in the center of Guanzhong, Jiangnan and Hebei, and these three places are the three countries that originally fought for each other. Luoyang City became the cultural and economic exchange center of the three places, which made the three major plates firmly united and influenced future generations for thousands of years.
2. North-south through, Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
Since ancient times, Jiangnan has always been the richest "land of fish and rice" in China. North China is much inferior in comparison. In order to improve the productivity of North China, but also for the more convenient transportation and transportation of North China and Jiangnan, after the construction of the eastern capital Luoyang, the Sui Emperor made another big decision, he waved a big hand, and a million people took up their posts at the same time - to dig the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Between the north and the south, the terrain is complex and difficult. The Grand Canal, which is nearly 2,000 kilometres long, was completely completed in just six years. The Grand Canal connects Jiangnan, Luoyang and Zhuozhou (present-day Beijing), the longest canal in the world (16 times longer than the Suez Canal) connecting the two major river systems of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and has made great contributions to China's north-south exchanges.
The author believes that the reason why these two super projects have been criticized by people is because of the laborers. One year of building a city, six years of digging canals, what a speed! As for whether the working people are really "exhausted and dead countless people", as the historian said, it is also debatable. The main purpose of building a city is to build roads and houses on a flat foundation, and to dig a canal is also to excavate on the basis of a natural water system. In ancient times, there was no decent lighting equipment, that is, "sunrise and sunset". The intensity of work in today's society is much worse. How can so many people die? Don't forget, historians and archaeologists have confirmed that when Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall, there were no large-scale deaths.
These two projects also reflect Yang Guang's far-reaching strategic vision. All are projects that contribute to the contemporary era and benefit the thousands of autumns. After the establishment of the eastern capital Luoyang, except for the foreign peoples who were particularly powerful (Genghis Khan's kind) or the emperor who were particularly faint (the old Zhao family), the Chinese region was never divided again; the economic strength of north China was also getting better and better because of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. This also shows that Yang Guang is not an incompetent emperor. After talking about some controversy, let's talk about the recognized actions for the benefit of the people.
The three-dimensional examination system, eclectic and demoted talents
Before the Sui Dynasty, there were two kinds of selection of officials: one was the inspection system in which "central commissioners" went to the localities to select local talents and recommended them to the imperial court during the Western Han Dynasty, and the other was the Jiupin Zhongzheng system in the late Cao Wei period, which was completely hereditary by the family. Both systems have great limitations, preventing too many knowledgeable and capable students from being able to do so.
In the third year of his reign, the Sui Emperor began to reform the selection of officials: the establishment of the Jinshi Section, allowing students from all over the world to participate, and allowing students to write their own papers on current politics. The student who passes the examination is called "Jinshi" or "The Soldier who enters the Knighthood". Although the system was not very perfect at this time, it was a major innovation to break the monopoly of the door valve clan on official positions and let more capable people in key positions. Since then, the examination system has become the most basic way for the feudal dynasty to elect capable people, and even the current college entrance examination has a shadow at that time.
After more than five hundred years of division, the emperors of the Sui Dynasty wanted to bring together the completely stripped land and bring together the scattered people's hearts. This requires strong military strength, as well as a broad vision and a big picture view of the leader. The Sui Dynasty Emperor's great projects and imperial reforms were all meritorious in the past, so why did the historians focus on his brutality?
History is written by the victors. Thinking about it carefully, the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty, including Qin Shi Huang, the distant last emperors were all described by historians as brutal emperors. Perhaps such a statement can make the usurper a "teacher of justice." Because the thief of the country like the Sima family has become a disgraceful existence. As I write this, I suddenly have a change in the Sima family, because they respect history after all. And the merits of King Wu of Zhou, Li Yuan, and others must also put a question mark in my heart.