Yi Yin, a famous politician and thinker in the early years of the Shang Dynasty at the end of the Xia Dynasty, was also the founding father of the Shang Dynasty, and there are even historical records that he was one of the founders of the Taoist school and a skilled cook. From this point of view, he has multiple identities, but the most prominent of them is the founding father of the Shang Dynasty.
He was very intelligent at a young age, and although he was only a slave, he also learned the art of governing the country through his own efforts. In his youth, he used to work as a slave in the fields of Xinguo. Later, with his talent, he gradually broke through the fame and was valued by Shang Tang, and then he has been following the mall and helping him defeat Xia Jie to establish the Shang Dynasty. Yi Yin, who had made great contributions, was also given the title of chancellor and continued to assist Shang Tang in governing the country. With his help, the Shang Dynasty was politically clear and the economy developed rapidly. After Taijia succeeded to the throne, he also admonished Taijia, thus returning Taijia to the right path and saving the rule of the Shang Dynasty in time.
Mencius. It is recorded in the Ten Thousand Chapters: "Thinking of the people of the world, there are those who are not possessed by yao shun, and if they are in the ditch of self-promotion, they will let themselves be so important to the world, so they will save the people by cutting down the summer." ”
He had a rough life, but he learned the way of Yao Shun
Speaking of Yi Yin's birth, it is really amazing. His father was a cook who was both good at cooking and slaughtering livestock, and his mother was a slave who was responsible for picking mulberries and raising silkworms. Before his mother gave birth to him, he dreamed that the water in the mortar was gushing like a spring, and the next day he saw it. So she quickly informed the other neighbors to escape, and she herself was also damaged because she violated the rules of the immortals. Fortunately, Yi Yin met the people of the Youxin clan and took him home to present him to the King of Youxin, who let the slaves in the family raise him, thus getting a way to live.
Despite this, Yin Yi has been very smart since he was a child and diligent in school. When he grew up, he farmed in the land, but secretly learned the way to govern the country, and followed his adoptive father to learn the art of cooking. In this way, while farming, he became a teacher for the children of the nobility, which was quite famous at that time. After the ambitious Shang Tang learned of the existence of this character, he came to invite him to the mountain many times to assist him. And the price was that Shang Tang married the daughter of King Youxin as a concubine, so Yi Yin came to shangguo as a slave and assisted Shang Tang.
Assisted by Shang Tang Jianshang, the status of the DPRK and China is quite high
When he first followed Shang Tang's side, Yi Yin was impressed by Shang Tang's talent, and since then he has been assisting him with all his heart. He even decided to personally go to the capital of the Xia Dynasty and live for a while. By making friends with the princess of Xia Jie, he successfully learned a lot of information within the Xia Dynasty.
After years of trying to get paid, in 1601 BC Yi Yin finally decided to cancel the tribute to the Xia Dynasty. Supporting Shang Tang to lead an army to attack the Xia Dynasty head-on, and because of Xia Jie's brutal rule, the other princes ignored the matter, so Xia Jie fell into a political isolation. Without the obstruction of the princely states, Shang Tang's troops were like a broken bamboo, and soon occupied the capital of the Xia Dynasty. In this way, with the support of the old nobles of the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Tang soldiers eliminated the remaining forces of the Xia Dynasty without bloodshed and successfully established the Shang Dynasty. Among them, Yi Yin, who had made great contributions, was naturally able to be promoted to the rank of knight, was given the title of minister, and assumed the responsibility of educating the children of the nobility.
Yi Yin reigned and admonished Tai Jia
After Shang Tang's death, Yi Yin successively served as the prime minister of the Shang Dynasty ruler for three more terms, and later he became the teacher of Shang Tang's eldest grandson Taijia. At the beginning of his succession, this Taijia not only did not abide by the policies and guidelines formulated by Shang Tang, but also took the lead in violating the ancestral regulations. So in order to continue the rule of the Shang Dynasty, Yi Yin ousted Taijia from the throne and asked him to reflect on himself in front of Shang Tang's tombstone. He and other ministers took charge of state affairs and wrote many books to warn the later kings of the Shang Dynasty how to be kings.
In such a specific context, Taijia finally realized his mistake and seriously studied the way of governing the country. So Yi Yin led the chancellor to shangtang's tomb to meet him personally, and returned the real power of the government to him. Under the tutelage of Yi Yin, Taijia re-ascended the throne and dealt with major state affairs conscientiously, quite a shang tang style, so that the Shang Dynasty was developed again.
Liu Xun once commented on Yi Yin, a virtuous man, in the Wenxin Carved Dragon: "Yi Yin is a man of great ability, Taigong is relieved by discerning Xingzhou, and candle martial arts are used to relieve Zheng, and Duanmu is out of The Lu, and it is also beautiful." ”
Growing up as a slave, Yi Yin learned the art of governing the country through his own efforts, and how many people know the heartache he experienced? In the end, he changed his situation through his own talents, and conscientiously assisted many rulers of the Shang Dynasty, becoming a talented person with a profound influence on future generations. In my opinion, this kind of self-determination of his life by me is worth learning.
Resources:
"Wenxin Carved Dragon"
Mencius. Ten Thousand Chapters》