After entering 2020, the epidemic has aroused everyone's continuous attention and directly affected people's work and life. On the Internet, there have been all kinds of rumors, and even the color of feudal superstition has appeared. Some things spread rumors that the historical Year of Gengzi was a year of disaster, based on the Opium War of 1840 and the Gengzi War of 1900. In fact, these are all coincidences after the superposition of various factors, and they cannot be believed. Today, we will carefully talk about the Year of Gengzi in Chinese history, in fact, the history is very exciting, not all disasters and tribulations.
First, let's talk about the year 1060 AD, which is a year of Gengzi. At that time, it was the reign of Song Renzong, and it is well known that the Song Renzong era was the most stable and peaceful stage of the Northern Song Dynasty. The author consulted the historical records at that time, whether it was the Northern Song Dynasty, or the Great Liao State in the north, or the Western Xia State in the northwest, almost no major events occurred, and it belonged to a very stable year. It can be seen from this that Gengzi's statement that there are many disasters and years is completely fictitious.
The year 1120 AD, that is, before 1000, was another year of Gengzi. At that time, it had entered the late period of the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song. The Fang La Rebellion broke out in the southern part of the Song Dynasty, which began to threaten the rule of the Song Dynasty. In the territory of the Song Dynasty's northern neighbor, the Liao State, the Jin State had risen in the northeast and launched a round of attacks against the Liao State. On the surface, this year is not calm. However, judging from the basic facts, they are all caused by the corruption of officials and the decline of national strength, and have nothing to do with natural disasters.
In 1180 AD, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty had already reached peace talks, and the two sides had already taken the Huai River and the Qinling Mountains as the border. After entering Emperor Xiaozong of Song, there was no large-scale war between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty. After the Jin Dynasty entered the Central Plains, it began to actively sinicize, and it was in the stage of Jin Shizong's reign, and its national strength was in its heyday. In the northern Mongolian steppe, young Ironwood is truly expanding its power. However, the overall strength is still very weak, and it is still far from being able to fight against the Golden State. This year, whether it was the Jin Dynasty, the Western Xia, or the Southern Song Dynasty and Dali, nothing major happened.
In 1240 AD, the Mongol Empire had swept across Eurasia. As early as 6 years ago, in 1234, the Mongols united with the Southern Song Dynasty to destroy the once invincible Jin Dynasty. However, due to various reasons, the Mongol Empire broke with the Southern Song Dynasty regime, and the two sides began to fight fiercely. But in the face of the well-prepared Southern Song Dynasty, Mongolia could not move at all for a while. Therefore, Mongolia began to adjust its strategy and began the second western expedition in history, which swept through large areas of Central Asia and West Asia. Although the year was not quiet, it had nothing to do with the year of disaster.
In 1300 AD, by this time, the Yuan Dynasty had been established and the last resistance of the Southern Song Dynasty had been eliminated. The Yuan Dynasty established a large empire with a vast territory, and after a long war, the Yuan Dynasty at this time was in a stage of recuperation and recuperation, and no longer easily launched wars.
In 1360 AD, the Yuan Dynasty was dying. A large peasant revolt broke out in the south, and a series of regimes large and small were formed. At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had already controlled Nanjing, Anqing, Shangrao, Dangtu and other regions, and was in conflict with Chen Youyu in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. In the same year, Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, was born. It can be seen from this that although the situation was relatively chaotic this year, it was caused by human factors and had nothing to do with natural disasters.
In 1420, the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di was selected to move the capital to Beijing. At the same time, Zhu Di began to actively prepare and start a new round of Northern Expedition. At this time, the Ming Dynasty has been established for more than 50 years, and the foundation has been very solid. The most important reason why Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing was to facilitate the command of the armies of the northern towns. Because after the defeat of the Yuan Dynasty and the Retreat of the Mongolian Steppe, it has been actively gathering forces to counterattack. Nanjing's position was too far south, which was not conducive to commanding the north. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was in the stage of rising national strength.
In 1480 AD, the Ming Dynasty had begun to enter a period of decline in national strength. Emperor Ming Yingzong has died, and the history of the Ming Dynasty has gone through a series of stages such as The Conquest of Emperor Yingzong, the change of Tumu Fort, the rise of Emperor Daizong to power, and the restoration of Emperor Yingzong. After the death of Emperor Mingyingzong, crown prince Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne, that is, the historical Ming Xianzong. Emperor Mingxianzong greatly favored his sister Wan Guifei, and at the same time, the eunuch power began to rise rapidly, and the political situation of the Ming Dynasty appeared in a miasma of black smoke. Later generations mentioned the Chenghua era (the era name of Emperor Mingxianzong) and basically shook their heads. However, these problems are still artificial.
In 1540, the Ming Dynasty entered the era of the Jiajing Emperor. The Jiajing Emperor devoted himself to cultivation and handed over administrative affairs to the cabinet and the superintendent of ceremonies. Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet, had already established his roots, and the Ming Dynasty began to decline day by day. The feats of the Northern Expedition to the Mongolian steppes no longer exist, and the Mongol Qatha Khanate began to move southward, invading the northern regions of the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, the Japanese Wokou invaded the coastal areas of Fujian, Zhejiang and other provinces, and the Ming Dynasty faced the situation of resisting the Tatars in the north and the Wokou in the south. Note that this series of questions is man-made.
The year 1600 AD is another year of Gengzi. During the reign of the Wanli Emperor, Zhang Juzheng, the first assistant of the cabinet, had died and was liquidated. During Zhang Juzheng's reign, a series of reforms were carried out, and the Ming Dynasty recovered some vitality. However, with the death of Zhang Juzheng, the Ming Dynasty returned to the old way it had been. The Wanli Emperor only cared about accumulating wealth, and did not care about the current situation in the world. The palace sent a large number of eunuchs to guard the town, and the people were miserable. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was already in turmoil, and this series of problems was still man-made.
In 1660, the Qing Dynasty had been in the customs for 17 years, and the foundation of its rule was gradually consolidated. Although the Southern Ming Yongli regime was still resisting, it had retreated to Yunnan and other places, and was powerless to shake the rule of the Qing Dynasty. In this year, a major event occurred, that is, the death of the imperial concubine Dong Eshi. Aifei's death had a huge impact on the Shunzhi Emperor, and in 1661, the Shunzhi Emperor died of depression (most likely a monk), and the 8-year-old Kangxi Emperor ascended the throne. Of course, this is no longer the story of the Year of Gengzi.
In 1720, the Kangxi Emperor had been on the throne for 59 years, and after decades of recuperation, the qing dynasty's national strength was steadily rising. During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, he eradicated the powerful minister Aobai, quelled the rebellion of Wu Sangui, suppressed the Zheng clique in Taiwan, resisted the southward movement of Tsarist Russia, and besieged the northwestern Dzungars, establishing a very stable external environment. More than 2 years later, the Kangxi Emperor died and the 45-year-old Yongzheng Emperor came to power. Since the external environment was already very consolidated, the Yongzheng Emperor focused his main energy on internal affairs.
In 1780, the Qing Dynasty was in the middle of the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, who was already 60 years old and began to enter a period of aging. The situation of the Qing Dynasty and the Qianlong Emperor is very similar, and it has also begun to enter the downhill road. In the same year, He yan was appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor and began to serve as hubu shangshu. In the following 20 years, He yan gradually became the first ruler of the Qing Dynasty and established a powerful clique. In the early days of the Jiaqing Emperor's rise to power, he was very jealous of Hezhen. Please note that the overall situation of the Qing Dynasty at this time was still very stable, and it was still at the end of the "Kang Yongqian Prosperous Era".
In 1840 AD, the year took place the famous Opium War in history. It is also one of the passages circulating on the Internet about the annual disaster of Gengzi, in fact, the Opium War had a very small impact on the Qing Dynasty. The top brass of the Qing Dynasty only thought it was a small failure, but the Qing Dynasty was still in full swing. Before and after the Opium Wars, the situation in all respects remained little changed. It was not until after the Second Opium War that the Qing Dynasty was completely hurt, and the Qing Dynasty then began the famous Foreign Affairs Movement. Please note that the Opium War was not a natural disaster, but a result of the long-term intensification of various factors.
As for the year 1900 AD, although the Gengzi War broke out in this year, the reasons were more complicated. From a series of actions of the Boxers, the Qing Dynasty's continuous moves, Empress Dowager Cixi's declaration of war on the 11 kingdoms, and so on, a series of factors further intensified the war. In short, from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, for 1,000 years, there was no such thing as a disaster year. Since several relatively large events occurred in the year of Gengzi, therefore, there is a saying that Gengzi is more than a disaster on the Internet. Please don't believe it, this is a very unscientific and untrustworthy rumor. The Year of Gengzi in Chinese history is very exciting, and a series of events in modern history that occurred in the Year of Gengzi were just a coincidence.