At the beginning of the Western Jin Dynasty, there was a minister who initiated the strategy of destroying Wu to unify the world, and despite the obstruction of the ministers, he unremittingly carried out various preparations for the elimination of Wu. He governed well, worthy of the Court of the Son of Heaven, and favored the people and the people. When he died, Sima Yan, the Emperor of Jinwu, personally dressed him in mourning clothes and wept bitterly. It was a cold winter, and Sima Yan's tears flowed to his sideburns and condensed into ice; after hearing the news of his death, the people of the Jingzhou area where he had been serving for a long time heard the news of his death, they went on strike one after another to mourn, and the cries in the streets and alleys continued unceasingly; the jingzhou officials changed the name of "household" to "door" and "hucao" to "cicao" in order to avoid his name. Even Sun Wu's generals who confronted him, after hearing the news of his death, unusually did not rejoice at the death of the enemy chieftain, and even wept and sighed for it. It can be said that it is a model for those who have become officials. He is the Famous Minister of the Western Jin Dynasty that we are going to talk about today.
The image of the sheep in the game
First, born into a famous family, insight into the current situation
Yang Hu (221–278), zi uncle. A native of Taishan Nancheng (present-day Xintai, Shandong). He was born into a prestigious family. Since the Ninth Ancestor, the Yang family has had people who have held official positions of more than 2,000 stones in all generations, and they are all known for their honesty and morality. His mother was the daughter of Cai Yong, a confucian name at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. When her sister became an adult, she married Sima Yi's son Sima Shi. The Yang family had a prominent position at the time of the Wei and Jin dynasties.
Stills of Sima Shi
Although Yang Hu was repeatedly requisitioned by the central and local officials, he refused to take up his post. Even if the powerful general Cao Shuang called him to a post at that time, he was also politely refused by Yang Hu. Because, he was keenly aware that although Sima Yi was suppressed by Cao Shuang and spent 10 years at home, Cao Shuang was not Sima Yi's opponent after all.
Later, the truth turned out to be exactly as Yang Hu had predicted. After the "Gaopingling Coup", Sima Yi eradicated the Cao Shuang clique and specialized in imperial politics. Cao Shuang's henchmen and subordinate officials were either killed or deposed, but Yang Hu and other people who did not cling to Cao Shuang and attached themselves to Cao Shuang survived.
Stills of the GaoPingling coup d'état in "Tiger Howling Dragon Yin"
Yang Hu's father-in-law, Xiahou Ba, was forced to surrender to Shu Han in order to avoid being poisoned by Sima Shi and became a major vassal of the late Shu Han Dynasty. Yang Hu was not blamed for his brother-in-law's being Sima Shi. Not only that, after Xiahou Ba's defection, all the relatives were afraid of being implicated by him, and most of them announced that they would sever their relations with him. Only Yang Hu did not shy away from suspicion, and went to visit and sympathize with his family on time.
Second, embark on the career path, and make many achievements
In the second year of Zhengyuan (255), Sima Shi died of illness. His younger brother Sima Zhao was in power as a general. The imperial court enlisted Yang Hu as a Zhongshu Waiter, and was later promoted to the posts of Shi Zhong and Huang Men Lang. Although Yang Hu was related to Sima Shi by marriage, he did not overpower others because of this, he was upright and upright, and he did not form gangs in the imperial court. Therefore, it is highly respected by people of insight.
On the eve of the Jin Dynasty, Yang Hu and Sima Yan's other confidant Xun Xun shared secrets. Yang Hu was later appointed by Sima Yan as the leader of the central army, commanding the forbidden army guarding the palace. Sima Yan apparently entrusted the safety of the Sima family to Yang Hu with the success or failure of Jin Zen and Wei. His trust in the sheep is general.
Sima Yan stills from Jin Zen Wei
In December of the second year of Xianxi (January 266), Sima Yan forced the late Emperor Cao Of Wei to abdicate the throne in the form of "Zen Concession", proclaimed himself emperor, and changed the name of the country to Jin. Because of his merits in supporting him, coupled with his virtue and purity, loyalty and honesty, purity and talent, and both literary and martial skills, Yang Hu was appointed as the right servant of Shangshu and the general of Wei.
Sima Yan was known for his ambition to destroy Wu. He called himself empress dowager, and actively planned the battle to destroy Wu and unify the whole country. He ordered Yang Hu to be the governor of all the armies of Jingzhou, and on false occasions, he handed over to Yang Hu the Jingzhou theater, which was the most critical to the wu war.
After Yang Hu arrived in office, he found that the Economy of Jingzhou was backward and the people were poor. Therefore, he took measures such as reclaiming land by the army, setting up education, and appeasing the people, and vigorously developed Jingzhou. After several years of accumulation and production, the appearance of the Jingzhou area under the jurisdiction of the Western Jin Dynasty has undergone tremendous changes. For example, when Yang Hu first took office, the local garrison did not even have a hundred days of food reserves; many materials needed to be transferred from other places. Later, the military and civilians of Jingzhou basically achieved self-sufficiency, grain savings, and could be used for ten years.
Jiayuguan Wei Jin Tomb Juntun portrait brick
Third, the Battle of Xiling was lost, and Yang Hu adjusted his strategy toward Wu
In August of the eighth year of the Tai Dynasty (272), the Wu lord Sun Hao relieved himself of his post as governor of Xiling (西陵, in present-day Yichang, Hubei) and ordered him to return to Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). Bu Yan mistakenly believed that Sun Hao wanted to kill himself, and in September he sacrificed the city to Jin. Sun Wu, the governor of Jingzhou, heard the news and immediately sent troops to besiege Xiling.
Emperor Wu of Jin ordered Yang Hu and Xu Yin to lead an army to attack Jiangling (江陵, in modern Jiangling, Hubei) and Jianping (present-day Wuxian County, Sichuan) respectively, attacking and harassing the land from the east and west, dispersing their forces; Shi Yangzhao, the assassin of Jingzhou, led his army straight to Xiling to rescue Bu Yan. Lu Kang saw through the Intentions of the Jin Army and preemptively destroyed the road north of Jiangling. The 50,000 Jin army was slow to turn to battle due to the difficulty of grain transportation, and coupled with the strong defense of Jiangling City, Yang Hudun's troops could not capture it under the fortified city. As a result, Yang Zhao's troops were defeated by Lu Kang due to the inability of Yang and Xu Erbu to cooperate effectively and lack of grain and grass; Xiling City was also captured by the Wu army, and Bu Yan and his people were killed.
After the war, Yang Hu was demoted to the rank of General of Pingnan due to his unfavorable combat and improper command (the Jin army had 80,000 troops, while the Wu army had only 30,000 troops).
The defeat of the Jin army in the Battle of Xiling taught Yang Hu a profound lesson. He soberly realized that although the state of Wu was weak, it still had a certain strength; jingzhou still had a famous general Lu Kangzhen and it was difficult to compete with it; therefore, it was not appropriate to be too hasty in the war between Wu and Wu. Therefore, he adjusted his strategy, advocating the adoption of a two-sided strategy of military encroachment and advocating xinyi, accumulating strength, disintegrating the other side, and finding the right time to destroy Wu.
Yang Hu engaged in a large-scale offensive war in the border areas of Jin and Wu in Jingzhou. For example, he vigorously preached faith and righteousness to the soldiers and people of the State of Wu, and persistently practiced it: every time before he fought with the Wu army, he would agree in advance with the enemy on the time and place of engagement, and never engage in sneak attack warfare or harassment warfare; the captured enemy prisoners of war and the people could decide to go or stay at their own discretion; if the remains of sun wu soldiers who died were obtained by the Jin army, they would be buried and returned to Sun Wu. If the Jin army went to the territory of the State of Wu to harvest rice, it was necessary to repay it with silk according to the amount harvested. When hunting, Yang Hu restrained his subordinates and soldiers not to cross the line. For example, the beast was first shot by the Wu people, and then ran to the territory of the Jin State, was obtained by the Jin soldiers, and wanted to return to the other side. These stipulations made the Wu people happy and convinced. He is not even called by the name of Yang Hu, but is honored as "Yang Gong".
These practices of Yang Qi are what we call "public opinion warfare", "psychological warfare", and "moral warfare" today, and although Lu Kang does not have today's advanced tactical concepts, he is well aware of the invisible harm of Yang Qi's practice. He often admonished his soldiers: "Yang Hu specializes in touching people with virtue, which is what the art of war calls 'a soldier who surrenders without fighting'." If we only use violence, we are bound to lose without a fight. Therefore, Lu Kang also took the same approach to treating the Jin people.
Once, Lu Kang fell ill. When Yang Hu heard about it, he sent someone to deliver medicine. Wu will be afraid of the deception of the sheep and persuade Lu Kang not to take it; or find someone to taste it first, so as not to be poisoned. Lu Kang said, "I have never heard that Uncle Yang would use such a despicable and shameless means as poisoning others to harm people." He did not hesitate to take the medicine.
Although the Jin and Wu armies fought against each other, the emissaries of the two sides exchanged frequently, so that for a long time, the border between Jin and Wu on the border of Jingzhou appeared in a strange state of harmony and harmony.
When Sun Hao, the lord of Wu, heard about it, he sent someone to rebuke Lu Kang. Lu Kang replied, "Among ordinary people, we still have to talk about faith; moreover, what about between countries?" If I do not pay attention to faith and do my best to deal with the sheep by despicable means, it is precisely to preach the virtue of the sheep and show that our country is shameless. Sun Hao was speechless and had to acquiesce to Lu Kang's approach.
Fourth, set up a strategy to attack Wu, did not leave the division, and died first
In addition to stepping up various military arrangements to attack Wu in Jingzhou, Yang Hu, who was well aware of the overall situation, also secretly sent a message to Emperor Wu of Jin: If wu was to be cut down, it was necessary to set up a large water army in Yizhou (present-day Sichuan), and take advantage of the geographical advantages of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to adopt a strategy of attacking Sun Wu by water and land.
Yang Hu heard that a nursery rhyme was popular in Sun Wu's territory: "A Tong Fu A Tong, with a knife floating across the river, not afraid of the beasts on the shore, but afraid of the dragons in the water." He believed that this was the foreshadowing of heaven that if wu were attacked, the water army would be used to succeed. It was at this time that Wang Mao's small characters "A Tong" of yizhou's assassin history responded to the words of the aforementioned nursery rhyme. Because Wang Hao had offended the powerful people in the dprk and China, he was about to be conscripted into the imperial court and appointed as a great si nong with no real name and rising and falling. Yang Hu greatly admired Wang Hao's military talents, so he played Emperor Wu of Jin and strongly suggested that Wang Hao stay in Yizhou and train the water army.
After seven years of accumulation and training, the strength of the Jin army on the front line of Jingzhou has far surpassed that of the Wu army. In addition, at this time, Lu Kang died of illness, Sun Hao was tyrannical, and wu was a subject, and everyone was in danger. Yang Hu judged the situation and judged that the time was ripe for Jin to destroy Wu. Therefore, he went up to Emperor Wu of Jin and asked to cut down Wu. This is the famous "Please Cut Down Wu Shu" in history.
In the song, Yang Hu analyzed the general trend of the world at that time and pointed out that the time was ripe for cutting down Wu and destroying Wu, and it was imperative. Taking Sima Zhao's campaign against Shu as an example, he refuted the view of some officials that Sun Wu's Yangtze River was insurmountable and obstructed Wu. It is believed that Sun Wu's territory is dangerous and will not surpass that of Shu Han; Sun Hao is tyrannical and far surpasses Liu Chan; the Wu people are poorer than Bashu; and the Great Jin Army is strong and strong, far beyond the past. Taking advantage of this day, place, and people, Sun Wu can be calmed down with a drum.
Yang Hu also formulated a specific strategy for cutting down Wu: with the liang and Yizhou armies, water and land advancing eastward; the jing and Chu armies advancing into Jiangling; the yuzhou army attacking Xiakou; and the xu, Yang, Qing, and Yanzhou armies marching into Moling as a suspicious army. If many parties advance in parallel, it will be difficult for the Wu army to distinguish between the false and the real, and it will inevitably disperse its troops, take care of one or the other, and the people will be flustered.
Although Yang Hu's performance was fully affirmed by Emperor Wu of Jin, the vast majority of his ministers, led by Jia Chong and Xun Xun, strongly opposed it. Supporters are only Du Zhi Shangshu Du Pre, Zhongshu Ling Zhang Hua and a few others. Therefore, the performance of the sheep was temporarily shelved and discussed. When Yang Hu heard the news, he sighed and said, "The world is not as it should be, and there are often seven or eight out of ten." Some people are constantly interrupted, and it is regrettable that they should not take it! ”
In August of the fourth year of Xianning (278), Yang Hu fell ill and requested to join the dynasty. When he returned to Luoyang, he coincided with the death of his sister Empress Jingxian, Empress Yang Huiyu. The sheep were deeply saddened, and the illness became more and more serious. He met with Emperor Wu of Jin and once again stated his strategy for cutting down Wu. However, due to the opposition of Jia Chong and others, Yang Hu was disappointed and returned to Jingzhou.
Statue of Zhang Hua
Later, the sheep became seriously ill. Emperor Wu of Jin sent Zhang Hua to visit and consult Wu's strategy. Yang Hu said to Zhang Hua, "Today, the Lord is holy, and Sun Hao is tyrannical, and he has reached the extreme. At this time, Wu Wu can be defeated without a fight. If you still hesitate, if Sun Hao dies, the Wu people will establish another wise monarch, and although I have millions of soldiers, it will be difficult to cross the Yangtze River. Because Zhang Hua has always agreed with Yang Hu's propositions, Yang Hu encouraged Zhang Hua and said, "It seems that the only way to realize Wu's wishes is to rely on you!" In November, Yang Hu died of illness at the age of fifty-eight. Before his death, he recommended Du Tou to take his place.
Two years later, Emperor Wu of Jin and Du Pre basically launched the Battle of Wu according to the military deployment of Yang Hu's life. Wang Mao led the Yizhou water army down the Yangtze River and first attacked Jianye, and Sun Hao was forced to surrender. Hundreds of years later, the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi remembered this incident in a poem "Xisai Mountain Huaigu": "Wang Junlou shiped down to Yizhou, and the king of Jinling was depressed." Qianxun iron locked the bottom of the Shen River, and a piece of stone came out of the flag. "The Three Kingdoms were established and have since been unified. When the Manchu Dynasty Wenwu gathered to celebrate, Emperor Wu of Jinwu raised his wine glass in his hand and said with tears in his eyes: "This is all the credit of Yang Taifu!" ”
Wen Shijun said
The greatest achievement of Yang Hu's life was that he initiated and planned the strategy of destroying Wu unification. Although the Jin and Wu attacks, there is no difference between justice and injustice for both sides. However, as far as the objective historical process is concerned, the Jin Dynasty destroyed Wu, ending the 90-year-long state of division and chaos since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, reunifying China, and promoting the relative peace and stability of the country and society; it also reduced the frequency of the people's wars. In the above sense, the unification of the whole country by the Western Jin Dynasty has its historical and progressive significance. As the initiator and practitioner of the strategy to eliminate Wu, What Yang Hu did, as far as the time was concerned, could be said to be worthy of the imperial court and worthy of the Son of Heaven. Faithfully fulfilled the duties and duties of a courtier.
Although yanghu guarded the border, although it had a good reputation, even the soldiers and people of the enemy country were grateful for its favor. However, because he was upright and loyal, and his jealousy was like a vendetta, he inevitably offended the powerful people in the DPRK and China, and was repeatedly slandered. For example, Wang Rong and Wang Yan had personal grudges with him, but they often slandered and attacked Yang Hu in official affairs. Therefore, the folk proverb that circulated at that time said: "The two kings are in the country, and the sheep are virtuous." Of course, who is right and who is wrong, whether it is after The death of Yang Hu, the jingzhou officials and people strike the market, cry in the alleys, and sacrifice in the streets, or the tears of Sun Wu's generals, and the folk proverb that "the two kings are in the country, the sheep are immoral", it can already be seen that the people's hearts are turned against. It can be seen from this that the sheep do not live up to the heavens, do not live up to the people, and should not be vain. Being such an official can be called an official model, and it is worth the deep consideration and deep study of future generations of officials.
bibliography
1. (Tang) Fang Xuanling et al.: Book of Jin, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1974.
2. Wang Zhongjie: History of the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2016.
3.?? Bai Shouyi, Editor-in-Chief, He Ziquan, General History of China (Volume V), Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2004.
4.?? Duan Yi, "The Political Mirror of Yang Huzhi, the "Chief Designer" of the Western Jin Dynasty Unification War", Leadership Science, No. 9, 2019.
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Gaosheng)
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