China's three-thousand-year feudal monarchy has had hundreds of famous emperors. However, even if the merits are like Emperor Wu of Han, the wisdom is like Tang Taizong, there is the courage of Ming Taizu, and the strategy of the Kangxi Emperor. It is not necessarily possible to get the praise of all the people and future generations, just as the so-called people are perfect, even the most powerful emperor will be more or less defeated.
However, there are exceptions to everything, and there is the only emperor in history who has not been stained: there has not been a bad evaluation in the past thousand years, and historians have praised him endlessly.
He was Chai Rong of the Zhou Dynasty, and later historians called him "the First Ming Emperor of the Five Dynasties". During his 6 years in the reign, he was loved by all the people, and no one blamed him for thousands of years!
Let's introduce the experience of this perfect emperor.
According to the "History of the Old Five Dynasties", Chai Rong "had a heroic appearance, was good at riding and shooting, slightly read the history of Huang Lao, and had a heavy and taciturn sex." ”
Chai Rong was born in a local famous family in Yaoshan, Xingzhou, but because of the family's fall, Chai Rong left home and defected to his aunt, who was married to Guo Wei. Because Chai Rong was deeply loved by Guo Wei, he was adopted as an adopted son.
Chai Rong engaged in tea business in his youth, and after the crown, he abandoned the merchants and surrendered, so he followed Guo Wei to conquer the four sides.
Three years after the Later Han Dynasty, Guo Wei launched a coup d'état in the name of the Qing emperor, rebelling against the Later Han and establishing the Later Zhou.
In the first year of Xiande, Taizu Guo Wei died, and Chai Rong took the throne as Zhou Shizong.
In the short period of Chai Rong's reign of 5 years, Chai Rong cleaned up the rule, selected talents, and revised the penal law and calendar, making many extraordinary moves that surpassed his predecessors and enlightened future generations.
As emperor, Chai Rong was cautious and humble in his work, and he once issued a special edict with great sincerity, asking his courtiers to write as many books as possible, and also named more than 20 Hanlin scholars to write two articles: "It is not easy to be difficult for the king and the subject" and "Pingbian Policy".
After carefully reviewing the suggestions of the ministers, he gladly adopted the proposition of "easy first and difficult before difficult" in the minister Wang Pu's "Pingbian Strategy", and formulated a unified plan and put it into practice.
In the economic field, Chai Rong rewarded farming, built water conservancy, and reduced taxes. Because he was a businessman, Chai Rong especially understood the difficulties of the people, so he was also very sympathetic to the people.
Of particular note is the currency war. At that time, the strength of the Zhou Kingdom mainly relied on economic development, and in the economic field, Chai Rong actually had to understand the use of financial means at that time! By issuing a large amount of money, he made a large amount of wealth flow from other countries to the Zhou kingdom.
In order to make copper coins, Chai Rong also issued a "ban on copper", and each family could not store more than five catties of copper. Such a move has amazed future generations.
Culturally, Chai Rong also corrected yale, corrected the shortcomings of the imperial examination, and searched for books, carved ancient books, and Daxing literature and education. He recruited literary scholars, implemented the examination system, and attached importance to the country's collection of books and cultural construction.
According to the "New History of the Five Dynasties", Chai Rong once said: "The widow should open up the world with ten years, feed the people for ten years, and bring peace to ten years." ”
Chai Rong was known for his great ambitions, and after he succeeded to the throne, he made a plan for thirty years. The plan reads, the first decade, pioneering and enterprising to pacify the world; the second decade, so that the people can rest and recuperate; the third decade, to keep the world at peace. This is Chai Rong's plan, and it can also be seen from this that his ambition is also seen.
However, Chai Rong had not yet completed his first decade and regrettably died.
In the last stage of pacifying the north, Zhou Shizong cut down the Liao, and it took only more than forty days to descend three prefectures and three passes.
Just as Sejong was preparing to take Youzhou, that is, Beijing, with a single blow, he heard rumors that in a place called Sick Longtai, there was a sudden illness, so Chai Rong could only return to the dynasty.
What people did not expect was that Chai Rong died shortly after returning to the dynasty. A generation of Ming Jun, in this way, ended his life, and he became emperor for less than six years.
Like Chai Rong, a monarch of great talent, who reigned for only five years and six months, his plan for thirty years could only be a sigh after all.
However, during such a short reign, he was able to lay the foundation for the later Zhou Dynasty to strengthen and prosper, and thus to the unification of the Northern Song Dynasty.
For Chai Rong, Sima Guang said: "If Zhou Shizong is a benevolent person! He loves the people without loving his body; if Zhou Shizong is the one who knows! Do not waste the benefits of uselessness. ”
As for Chai Rong, Qianlong said: Later Zhou's Sejong Chai Rong was a virtuous monarch, and such a person, without discretion, could he convince Qian qiugong?
Just like the famous people of the past dynasties commented on Zhou Shizong's words, if it were not for the fact that the heavens did not fulfill people's wishes and could give Chai Rong thirty years, then he would certainly be able to establish a great empire that was comparable to that of the Han and Tang Dynasties, but unfortunately, Heaven was jealous of talents, even though Chai Rong had talent, he did not have the years to show, and in the end he only left us with a reputation without stains.
What do you think about that?
References: History of the Old Five Dynasties, History of the New Five Dynasties