1. Small southeastern kingdom in the 10th century
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zhu Wen burned Chang'an by fire, forcing Emperor Tang to abdicate the throne and officially call himself Emperor, with the national name of "Da Liang". In 289, the Tang Dynasty was declared extinct. After the Wei and Jin dynasties, China once again entered a period of great division.
This period of history, which was called "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" by later generations, needs a lot of thought to sort out clearly.
In simple terms, ''Five Dynasties'' refers to the five Central Plains dynasties that changed sequentially. Shao Yong, a Daoist priest of the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote a poem that is convenient for memory: ''
Zhu Lishi Liu Guo, Liang Tang Jin Han Zhou, all came to the Fifteen Emperors, sowing chaos in the fifty autumns.
The five dynasties were Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou, and the five corresponding founding emperors were Zhu Wen, Li Cunxun, Shi Jingyao, Liu Zhiyuan, and Guo Wei. The throne took turns, replacing a total of 15 people, with intrigue and intrigue, bloody killings.
The change of five generations is the main plot of this chaotic world
。
At the same time as the five generations, there were "Ten Kingdoms", which refers to 10 local regimes with much less territory and influence. Except for the Northern Han Dynasty, the rest of the 10 regimes were in the south. If a one-on-one war were fought, none of them would be an opponent of the Central Plains regime. Therefore, when they are weak, they worship the Central Plains Dynasty as Zhengshuo, and when they are strong, they turn their faces faster than they turn books, call themselves kings and emperors, and once they are weak, they are people with their tails between their legs. Anyway, in the chaotic world, there is always no shortage of opportunities to meet the source left and right.
Compared with the five generations, the Ten Kingdoms are like scraps, which is a side plot of this chaotic world
。 After the Song Dynasty ended the "Five Dynasties" and stabilized the North, it conquered these small countries in the south, and the demise of the demise and the surrender of surrender came to an end to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were the pinnacle of warrior politics, with frequent wars and chaos in the Central Plains and the displacement of the people.
The influx of population into southern China laid a solid foundation for the economic center of gravity of the Song Dynasty to move south.
Five generations and ten kingdoms ago, although Fujian had Quanzhou, a world port, it was an undeveloped natural wasteland on the whole, with a wide variety of flowers, including peonies, peonies, hibiscus flowers, camphor... Wild elephants ran to trample farmers' crops, and there were tiger trails in the forest. The natives of Fujian were considered by the Central Plains to be "stoic, happy to prosecute, and difficult to govern".
The "State of Fujian" among the "Ten Kingdoms" ruled Fujian for half a century, bringing about earth-shaking changes in Fujian. The wilderness of the sea in the southeast corner of China was developed by the Wang family and rose to become ''Seaside Zoulu''.' The Song dynasty scholar Zhu Xi was born in Mindi, and it also has a lot to do with this.
Influenced by the Confucian concept of Zhengshuo, historians have thoroughly recorded and studied the "Five Dynasties", and historians have relatively not recognized the legitimacy of the "Ten Kingdoms" and paid little attention to their research. Edward Hetzel Schaffe, an American sinologist and Doctor of Oriental Languages at Harvard University, is particularly interested in China's frontier history and social and cultural history. The small kingdom of Minguo, which may not even be known to Chinese, seemed colorful to him. So in 1957 he published The Empire of Min to introduce Western readers to the small southeastern country of the 10th century. In addition to political history, he also examined the economy, art, culture, religion, and religion of the Min Dynasty. Even today, 50 years later, his academic debut is still of reference value to Chinese readers. It is worth mentioning that Xue Aihua is also the author of "The Golden Peach of Samarkand", and his academic pinnacle is a social and cultural history of the Tang Dynasty, which has aroused great repercussions at home and abroad.
2. Wang Zhenzhi is the mainstay of the prosperity of the Fujian kingdom
We take the time back to the last years of the Tang Dynasty, when the Huangchao Rebellion ignited the fuse of the tang dynasty's demise. Wang Xu of Shouzhou, Anhui Province, also took the opportunity to fish in muddy waters in response to the uprising. He led this exile all the way to Gushi County, Gwangju (Henan).
Wang Xu heard that the three brothers of the Wang clan in Gushi County—Wang Chao, Wang Zhenyi, and Wang Zhenzhi—were all brave and strategic, so he recruited them to join.
Everyone chased after the Central Plains, so Wang Xu targeted Fujian in the south and led his army to Nan'an County, Fuzhou. Wang Xu was suspicious and cruel, and he threatened to abandon the old and weak in the army, causing the army to mutiny. Wang Chao, the eldest brother of the Wang brothers, eliminated Wang Xu and served as a general under the joint recommendation of everyone.
After Wang Chao came to power, he prepared to march west to qin wang and save the precarious Tang Dynasty. They passed through Quanzhou, Fujian Province, where the Quanzhou Thorn Shi squeezed the people's fat and cut the leeks like crazy. The people of Quanzhou, who were unable to bear the pain, pleaded that the Wang brothers hang the people for their sins. This famous port of the Maritime Silk Road, under the siege outside the city and the response of the city, was taken down by the Wang brothers, who took advantage of the situation to capture Fuzhou and Tingzhou, and unexpectedly became the hegemon of one side.
In the whole process of laying down the territory of the Fujian Kingdom, the greatest credit of the old third king was that he commanded and charged forward in the front. After the death of his eldest brother Wang Chao, his sons did not succeed to the throne, but handed over the power to Wang Zhizhi.
Wang Zhenzhi had many titles, he was made ''Mighty Andr', and after Zhu Wen usurped Tang, Wang Zhenzhi was also promoted to ''King of Min'".
To this day, Wang Zhenzhi knows that almost everyone in Fujian is unaware, and the "Ancestors of the Eight Fujian People" have become a cultural belief, and the two sides of the strait have also held the Minwang Cultural Festival in recent years.
All of this is closely related to Wang Zhenzhi's talent, moral government, and personality charm, and it is he who led the Fujian kingdom to prosperity and had a far-reaching impact on Fujian.
Wang Zhenzhi is very knowledgeable about current affairs
He ruled Fujian for 30 years and was deeply supported and loved by the people, only
He has never been called emperor
。 At that time, some Jiedu saw the fall of the Tang Dynasty and immediately became emperor. Some people advised Wang Zhenzhi to follow suit, and Wang Zhenzhi was very sober and peaceful to continue to be his mighty envoy. Wang Zhenzhi may have two considerations:
First, the geopolitical environment of Fujian is harsh
It was under the three-sided attack of Wu Guo, Wu Yue, and Southern Han. In particular, Wu Guo, with ambitions to annex the State of Min, was a confidant of Wang Zhenzhi. In such unfavorable circumstances, he faithfully "honored the king", and became the emissary of the Central Plains Dynasty, with his back to the big tree for shade. Because once an incident occurs, you can ask the Central Plains Dynasty (Later Liang) for help. If he is called emperor, he may become an enemy of the Central Plains Dynasty, and even find excuses for the surrounding enemies to crusade against himself.
Second, the Wang brothers are outsiders.
Although he had the merit of relieving the people from hanging upside down, but his foundation in Fujian was not firm, Wang Zhenzhi ruled the country with Confucian loyalty and filial piety, and led by example to win everyone's respect. If you claim the title of emperor, it may affect the deviation of people's hearts.
Wang Zhenzhi attaches great importance to recruiting talents.
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were an era when the warriors held the power of life and death, and they despised and wantonly insulted the literati. For example, Zhu Wen created the "Scourge of the White Horse", and Liu Yin of the Southern Han Dynasty even threatened to "'Shusheng is cowardly and misleading people'"... king
Zhi Zhi is also a warrior, but his vision is broad, and he understands the truth that "to fight for the world must be the first to win people".
On the one hand, he recruited the Central Plains' Yiguan Qingshi, Li Xun, Cui Daorong, Wang Zheng... On the one hand, we use local people with both moral integrity and ability to share power with the indigenous people and win their support.
Before the end of the 8th century, Mindi was a "cultural desert" and lacked a literary atmosphere. Under the role of Wang Zhenzhi in introducing talents and vigorously promoting culture and education, Fujian entered a period of literary prosperity. The "Poetry of the Five Dynasties" contains a total of 39 Works of Mindi poets, including Han Wei, Huang Tao, Weng Chengzan and Xu Wei, known as the "Four Scribes of the Min Kingdom", and also occupies a place in Chinese literature. The most prestigious Han Wei contains a total of 295 poems. His "Wing Chun Zi": "Six inches of skin round light, White Luo embroidered red Tori. The Southern Dynasty Tianzi owes the wind, but the golden lotus is heavy and the green teeth are light. '' is an important material for the study of foot binding.
Wang Zhenzhi was frugal by nature.
Although he was born as a thief, after becoming the sole ruler of Mindi, Wang Zhenzhi did not pursue material enjoyment, and still maintained a simple style. He was meticulous and light-hearted, and did not pursue the prestige of the emperor. Even if Wang Zhenzhi attaches great importance to international trade, it is only to balance the financial budget. According to historical records, Wang Zhenzhi received a glass bottle from the south, and he dismissively smashed it on the ground, teaching children that all luxuries are flashy.
It can be said that Wang Zhenzhi single-handedly enabled the state of Fujian to maintain prosperity and stability in the chaotic world.
If he were given a bigger stage, he might be a great emperor.
In 925, Wang Zhenzhi, who had spent half his life on horseback and trembling, died.
What is unexpected is that the country of Fujian has since turned from prosperity to decline.
3. 5 consecutive tyrants, pushing the Min kingdom to its demise
The death of Wang Zhenzhi ended the short-lived prosperity of the Min kingdom and began a brutal infighting.
The five monarchs after Wang Zhenzhi were Wang Yanhan, Wang Yanjun, Wang Jipeng, Wang Yanxi, and Wang Yanzheng. Even if it is left in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, it is not enough to see, and it is all the goods of the king of the fallen country. The latter all came to power through the execution of the king, the son killed the father, the uncle killed the nephew, the younger brother killed the brother... The entire family has been slaughtered one after another, and its political chaos is also at the forefront of the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms".
The adjacent Southern Tang Dynasty is rising, and seeing the internal killing of the Min kingdom is a good time for the whale to swallow the Min kingdom. So they met Wu Yue and attacked the state of Min together. It seems that the Western Jin Dynasty, which had experienced the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings", was bleeding heavily in the body and was vulnerable. The Southern Tang and Wu Yue joined forces to divide the min state, and the min state that had lasted for sixty years was declared to be destroyed.
When the Southern Tang army entered the city, the Min people cut down trees and opened the road to welcome Wang Shi. The scene was like sixty years ago, when Wang Zhenzhi led his troops into Quanzhou City.
Everything is like the reincarnation of history.
The state of Min quickly went to extinction after wang Zhenzhi's death, with the background of the times. On the one hand
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were dominated by warriors, and Confucian ethics and morality failed again after the Wei and Jin dynasties, unable to maintain social order, and the concept of loyalty to the king was almost non-existent.
The emperor's sons and generals held military power, and civil wars and usurpations of the throne occurred one after another. In the early stages, the state of Min relied on wang Zhenzhi's prestige to maintain a brief period of stability, and later figures failed to establish political authority. The struggle between the last two emperors, Wang Yanxi and Wang Yanzheng, broke out into a protracted civil war between Fuzhou and Jianzhou, which quickly depleted the national strength of the State of Fujian.
Most importantly,
The five monarchs after Wang Zhizhi all possessed the characteristics of a subjugated monarch, who was extremely extravagant, absurd, and violent.
They went all the way to the black and pushed the Min kingdom to extinction.
"Min Guo" does not hesitate to praise Wang Zhenzhi, nor does it tolerate the lashing of tyrants:
Wang Yanhan, the eldest son of Wang Zhenzhi, was as beautiful as jade, but was absurd, and he asked his brother to fill the harem with beautiful women for him
,''Choose more good sons as concubines'' and build a lot of civil engineering, and hide the golden house. Even more unfortunate for the children of the Liang family, Wang Yanhan's wife was ugly and adulterous, and she abused the women transferred back by her husband by various means, and a total of 84 women died in a few years. The people hated wang's tyranny to the teeth.
After his second son Wang Yanjun succeeded to the throne, he became more and more addicted to the spells of the Witch Way, and some traitors took the opportunity to control the emperor's thoughts
, shamelessly cheating. The "Min Guo" records that a Taoist monk named Tan Zixiao once had all the power to appoint and dismiss officials, and the number of people he asked for in front of his family was very popular. Arrogant sorcerers can also indirectly kill members of the royal family.
In order to be poor and extravagant, the rulers of the State of Min increased taxes and sold officials and lords.
During the reign of Sun Tzu Wang Jipeng, he strictly did not pay taxes for a year, hid the execution of people, and exterminated the fleeing clan. Vegetables, fruits, chickens and pigs are subject to heavy taxes... However, it is still impossible to resist the Min people going into exile or escaping into the empty gate. Wang Jipeng had no choice but to sell officials unscrupulously, and as an emperor, he openly told the officials that as long as the officials could sell for a good price, even if they were "unscrupulous and reckless", they should not refuse. It is conceivable who is in charge of the court and the place.
The above is just the tip of the iceberg of the rulers of the Min kingdom, and after reading the second half of the history of the Min kingdom, it is really lamentable that there is no reason not to perish.
In fact, history has given the Fujian country an opportunity. During the reign of the third monarch, Wang Yanjun, Zhu Wen died, and Later Liang fell into a civil war with his sons, turning from strong to weak, and was replaced by Later Tang, which was established but soon rebelled internally.
The Khitan people in the northeast have risen and repeatedly plundered, causing great trouble to the Central Plains, and they have been unable to take care of themselves. Wu Yue, Wu Guo, Chu Guo, and southern Han around the Min State were also caught up in the internal struggle of the clan at this time, unable to launch a war on the outside world.
This was a great opportunity for the State of Fujian to expand its power abroad after recuperating.
They did not think of their ancestors, frost and thorns, so that they could have a place of size,' but they did not despise them, and they gave them to others, like abandoning grass and mustard. ''
However, Wang Zhenzhi's descendants drunkenly dreamed of death in the ancestral merit book, which caused the government and the public to complain and deviate from morality. In a world of great strife and chaos, the weak will be eaten by the strong. However, although the state of Fujian was destroyed by foreign insults, it was actually abandoned by the people.
The rise and fall of the Min kingdom is also bold, and its demise is also abrupt, which tells us a simple and timeless truth:
Those who have attained the tao have much help, and those who have lost the way have little help