Heqin, also known as "Herong" and "Hefan", refers to a kind of political marriage between the rulers of the Central Plains Dynasty and foreign tribes or foreign countries for various purposes.
As an integral part of the general national policy of successive dynasties and a form of expression of ethnic relations, heqin ran through the development process of ancient Chinese history and had a hidden or explicit influence on historical development. At that time, the so-called "peace and affinity" meant that the two opposing peoples stopped war and turned to peaceful, friendly and friendly relations, which was not a natural form, but a form of ethnic relations that was negotiated by the political and military authorities of the two nationalities and stipulated in a formal treaty.
It can be said that in order to maintain this relatively stable state with the surrounding ethnic minority tribes, China's rulers have gradually used the method of peace and affinity to conduct political exchanges since the Han Dynasty.
In the early years of the Han Dynasty, although Liu Bang had already ruled the world, the Xiongnu tribes in the north still made him restless. In order to consolidate his inheritance, Liu Bang personally led an army of 320,000 to attack the Xiongnu in 201 BC. Unexpectedly, due to the inability to adapt to the cold climate in the north, the Han army soon fell into the trap of the Xiongnu and was trapped in Baishan Mountain. Faced with the heavy siege of the Xiongnu army, the Han army froze to death and starved countless people. In the end, Liu Bang obeyed Chen Ping's plan and paid bribes to the xiongnu Shan Yu's wives and concubines, which was a fluke.
After this battle, Liu Bang no longer dared to easily send troops to recruit the Xiongnu. Worriedly, he asked lou Jing, a strategist, for countermeasures, and wanted to solve the thorny Xiongnu problem in other ways. Lou Jing calmly analyzed: "After many years of conquest, most of the soldiers and soldiers are tired and unable to fight for too long distances. Moreover, the country was created in the first place, and everything was in ruins to be rebuilt, and the Northern Expedition was not wise. Therefore, we can only find a way to make the descendants of the Xiongnu Shan Yu submit to us. I have a plan, but I am afraid that His Majesty will not be able to do it. ”
Upon hearing this, Liu Bang hurriedly said, "If you can really make the Xiongnu submit to the Great Han, how can you not do it?" You hurry up and say it. Lou Jing replied, "If Your Majesty is willing to marry the Grand Princess to Shan Yu, then things will be easy to handle." Although Shan Yu was the leader of the Xiongnu, he was a barbarian after all. He will certainly be very protective of the princess after he gets it, and if the princess gives birth to an heir for him, then this child will be the next single Yu. In this way, the Han and the Xiongnu had an in-law relationship. Where have you ever heard of a grandson against his grandfather? ”
After hearing this, Liu Bang readily agreed, so he sent Lou Jing as an emissary to make peace with the Xiongnu. This was the first act of peace in Chinese history, and since then, peace has spread in later generations.
By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the practice of using peace and kinship to stabilize power was even more prevalent. In the 289-year history of the Tang Dynasty, nearly twenty princesses have traveled to foreign countries. However, because the emperor was reluctant to let his daughter leave him, there was not a real princess among the dozen women. Even Princess Wencheng, whose name is famous in history, is just an ordinary woman. In the history books, Princess Wencheng's place of origin and family information are blank. Some people say that she is a clan maid, but there is no strong evidence.
The woman who is close to her is not a princess, which is a fraud. Even if you disguise yourself as a princess, there will always be a day when the truth will come out. However, it is puzzling that no one in the country that is close to Datang and tang has raised objections to this.
Could it be that they were kept in the dark from beginning to end?
In fact, in fact, everyone is tacitly aware of the truth or falsity of the princess. And they do this for three reasons:
First, the princess is real in name.
The princess is actually a fake, but in name only it is true. Because, regardless of whether the woman was related to the emperor by blood, the emperor would recognize her as a righteous daughter. In this way, the "princess" became a real golden branch and jade leaf, and the treatment was almost the same as that of the emperor's daughter.
Since this woman was nominally the emperor's daughter, who dared to say that she was not a princess? If anyone is not interested and continues to cling to this issue, he is flouting the authority of the emperor.
Second, the person who married the princess did not take the princess seriously.
Datang wants to stabilize its political power in a peaceful way, and other countries also want to establish relations with Datang through peace and affinity. They believe that it does not matter whether the princess is true or false, what is important is that several purposes can be achieved by making peace and kissing.
First of all, get the recognition of Datang.
In the hearts of those small countries, the Tang Dynasty is rich and strong, and they only have the share of looking up. To be able to marry Datang is to gain the recognition of Datang. Invisibly, his status has been improved.
Then, if the situation changes, it is completely possible to threaten the princess as a hostage. Regardless of whether the princess is the emperor's daughter or not, as long as the princess has a name, then the Tang Dynasty will certainly not ignore it.
Finally, you can get the reward of Datang. After making peace, the country that married the princess could not humble itself and ask for a reward from the Tang. Datang is rich in materials, and many things are coveted by other countries. In this way, as long as you marry a princess, you will not lose money.
Third, fake princesses are easier to get along with than real princesses.
In the eyes of many people, the horse is the son-in-law of the emperor, which must be extremely glorious. But in fact, the princess has been pampered since childhood, and it is difficult for ordinary people to get along with her. Moreover, the princess is no better than other women, and she cannot beat or scold, which is really embarrassing. The false princess is different, as the emperor's righteous daughter, the name is there, but the bad temper is gone. It was a great blessing for them to be recognized by the emperor as righteous women, and they would never again make all kinds of rude demands.
Therefore, some people still pretend not to know the true identity of the princess after learning it, and even feel ecstatic in their hearts.
Resources:
[The Book of Han, Zizhi Tongjian, Ancient Chinese and Pro-General History, The Status of Ancient Chinese and Pro-Princess Studies and the Direction of Further Research in the Future]