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As the same "Four Dynasties and Three Dukes", what are the similarities and differences between the Yuan clan of Runan and the Yang clan of Hongnong?

author:Zuo Feng YiJun Shou

As I said in my previous article, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were six families that were very prominent and were known as one of the six major families of the Eastern Han Dynasty, namely the Deng Yu family, the Geng Yi family, the Liang Tong family, the Dou Rong family, the Ma Yuan family, and the Yin Zhi family. But in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, these families were basically no longer glorious, and were replaced by two famous clans in history: the Runanyuan clan and the Hongnong Yang clan, who all had a prominent label in history: the fourth and three dukes! Let's talk about the similarities and differences between these two noble families:

The origin of the "four generations and three dukes" of one or two families

The key figure in the rise of the Yuan clan in Runan was Yuan An, a famous minister during the reign of the Ming Dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty who entered the official field in his early years because of his character and learning, starting from the grass-roots level, successively serving as a county gong cao and county order, and gradually promoting him to Chu County Taishou, Henan Yin, etc. In the local Yuan An enforced the law strictly, followed the law, and was highly respected by the people. Later, he returned to the central government to serve as a servant, Sikong, Situ and other important positions, and became one of the three dukes, which was the first generation of the three dukes of the Yuan clan in Runan.

Several of Yuan An's sons Yuan Pei, Yuan Jing, and Yuan Chang were also very prestigious people, especially Yuan Chang,especially Yuan Chang (袁開官) to Sikong (司空), who was also ranked among the Three Dukes, the second generation of the Yuan clan of Runan. The third generation representative of the Yuan clan in Runan was Yuan Tang, the grandson of Yuan An and the son of Yuan Jing, the official to Situ, Taiwei, and the Marquis of Feng'an Guoting. This is the third generation of the third princess of the Yuan clan of Runan. Later, the Runan's Yuan clan went further, and in the fourth generation there were two three dukes, one was Yuan Feng, the son of Yuan Tang, the official to Sikong, and the other was Yuan Kui, another son of Yuan Tang, Guanzhi Taiwei and Taifu, which was the fourth generation of the three dukes of the Yuan clan of Runan.

As the same "Four Dynasties and Three Dukes", what are the similarities and differences between the Yuan clan of Runan and the Yang clan of Hongnong?

The key figure of the Hongnong Yang clan in the Eastern Han Dynasty was Yang Zhen. This Yang Zhen is relatively famous in history, and he has two labels that are very distinct, which highly summarize the two stages of Yang Zhen's life: First, "Confucius in Kansai". Yang Zhen's father, Yang Bao, was a famous Confucian of a generation, influenced by his father, Yang Zhen was a scholar before he was fifty years old, mainly in the local school, teaching and educating people for more than thirty years, he taught thousands of students, and later many important ministers from the DPRK came from his disciples. The second is "Mr. Four Knowledge". The biggest characteristic of Yang Zhen as an official is honesty and incorruptibility, and he is the protagonist of the famous "four knowledges" of "Heavenly Knowledge, Divine Knowledge, I Know, and Son-Knowledge". Because Yang Zhen was very famous in the folk, many ministers extended an olive branch to him. At the sincere invitation of Empress Dowager Deng Sui's younger brother Deng Xiao at that time, Yang Zhen entered the career path. Yang Zhen, who was only an official in his fifties, began to work as a county order and a thorn in the local area. Later, Yang Zhen was transferred to Donglai Taishou, and Changyi County ordered Wang Mite to prepare ten pounds of gold to give to Yang Zhen by chance in the middle of the night, and said that no one knew at night, Yang Zhen said: "Heaven knows, God knows, I know, Zi knows." What ignorance is! This incident had a great impact on future generations, and Yang Zhen was also known as "Mr. Four Knowledge". Later, Yang Zhen served in the central government, and successively served as a servant, a taichang, a situ, and a lieutenant, and became one of the three dukes, which was the first generation of the three dukes of the Hongnong Yang clan.

Yang Zhen's son Yang Bing was also very honest as an official, and he served as a teacher to Liu Zhi, the Emperor of Han Huan, and he repeatedly advised Emperor Huan of Han to behave. Compared with his father Yang Zhen's "four knowledge", Yang Bing also has his own "three no confusion". Yang Bing did not drink alcohol, did not remarry after widowhood, and did not covet money. Later, Yang Bing became a lieutenant, which was the second generation of the third princess of the Hongnong Yang clan. Yang Bing's son Yang Ci also served as a teacher to Emperor Ling of Han. Yang Ci was not afraid of his own safety, nor did he cherish his official position, and he argued with Emperor Hanling for the current government many times, and he was deposed several times, but Emperor Hanling still respected Yang Ci very much, and later the official was appointed as a taiwei and Sikong, and was given the title of Marquis of Jin, which was the third generation of the third duke of the Yang clan of Hongnong. Yang Ci's son Yang Biao was also an extremely dignified official. At this time, the Eastern Han Dynasty was already at the end of the period, and the eunuchs led by Wang Fu were in turmoil, and Yang Biao risked his life to collect evidence and unite with the upright ministers of the dprk to expose Wang Fu's corrupt behavior, so that the big moths in the imperial court were finally eliminated. Later, he also followed emperor Xian of Han to the east and west, and protected the young emperor with great loyalty and integrity, and later became an official to a lieutenant, which was the fourth generation of the third duke of the Hongnong Yang clan.

Of course, although everyone is the "fourth generation and three dukes", the actual Runanyuan yuan clan is four generations and five people, one more than the Hongnong Yang clan.

As the same "Four Dynasties and Three Dukes", what are the similarities and differences between the Yuan clan of Runan and the Yang clan of Hongnong?

Second, the similarities between the two families

(1) Both families were known for daring to speak out in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. Yuan An, the ancestor of the Yuan clan in Runan, was known for his outspokenness, and during his tenure as an official in the dprk, two things showed his courage to open the world and dare to speak directly, one was to insist on implementing a policy of gentleness toward the Xiongnu, resting with the people, and avoiding war. The second was to dare to fight against dou shi, a foreign relative who was in power at that time, especially against Dou Xian, who was red and purple. Yuan Pei, Yuan Jing, and Yuan Chang were all of good character, not afraid of the powerful, and had a good reputation in the DPRK. The Hongnong Yang clan has been loyal to the Yang clan since the Eastern Han Dynasty. Yang Zhen repeatedly advised Emperor An of Han to advise and criticize the harem and eunuchs for disorderly government, and the words were so intense that Emperor Han And and the eunuchs were very resentful of him, and later framed him, forcing Yang Zhen to commit suicide by taking poison. Yang Zhen's descendants were also iron-boned Zhengzheng, and Yang Bing eliminated the eunuch Hou Lan, who had caused the calamity of the party and killed Li Bing and Du Mi. Yang Ci also repeatedly wrote to the current government and was dismissed several times. Yang Biao also succeeded in getting rid of the powerful Wang Fu (the han ling emperor was called "daddy"). For several generations of the Hongnong Yang clan, they never tended to be inflamed and loyal.

(2) Both have extremely high prestige and influence. The Yuan clan of Runan and the Yang clan of Hongnong have had high influence and appeal among the scholars and masters because they have served as high officials in the imperial court for a long time. In the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, during the period when eunuchs and foreign relatives interfered in politics, the two families that were representatives of the "Qingliu" in the DPRK and China fought fiercely with the scholars, and successfully eliminated people such as Wang Fu and Hou Lan. Later, the scholar group headed by Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's brothers also cooperated with his foreign relative He Jin to jointly destroy the eunuch group. At the same time, they had many protégés in the middle of the dynasty, such as Yang Zhenping's anti-Yu Fang, Chen Yi and others were Yang Zhen's protégés, and Yang Bing and Yang Ci also served as emperor teachers. The Yuan family was not bad, and when Yuan An was low, many officials had already taken the initiative to visit him. Once when Luoyang Ling braved the snow to visit him, he had to clear a road for his followers to enter the house, and he asked Yuan An why not find someone to clean it up? Yuan An actually replied: "The big snowmen are hungry, and it is not suitable for people." This is the famous allusion "Yuan An Sleepy Snow". Since then, Yuan An's reputation has become more prosperous, and the Yuan clan of Runan, has begun to accumulate prestige and popularity. Therefore, later Yuan Shao raised an army to attack Dong Zhuo, and the guandong warriors jointly elected him as the leader of the alliance, which was also the recognition of the prestige of the Yuan family at that time.

As the same "Four Dynasties and Three Dukes", what are the similarities and differences between the Yuan clan of Runan and the Yang clan of Hongnong?

Third, the difference between the two families

(1) The duration is different. The Hongnong Yang clan originated from the Western Han Dynasty, flourished from the Eastern Han Dynasty, and its reputation continued until the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Their history of "making a fortune" is much older, and later the glory lasted longer than the Yuan clan in Runan, and they are a famous and prestigious family that has been truly brilliant for thousands of years. The ancestor of the Hongnong Yang clan, Yang Xi, who followed Liu Bang to fight the world and was given the title of marquis for dividing up Xiang Yu's corpse, was the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty. Yang Xi's great-grandson Yang Chang also achieved the rank of chancellor, and the Hongnong Yang clan had long been a magnate in the Western Han Dynasty. The yuan clan of Runan, who really began to leave a name in history, was Yuan An's grandfather Yuan Liang, who only served as the crown prince of the Han Ping Emperor in the late Western Han Dynasty, and served as a county commander in Chengwu County in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yuan clan of Runan gradually declined, while the Yang clan of Hongnong was still full of talents, such as Yang Jun, Yang Qi, Yang Yu of the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Yang Jian (with the controversy of false recognition), Yang Su, Yang Guozhong, etc. in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and even the Yang family generals such as Yang Ye in the Later Northern Song Dynasty, these were all star-studded and popular celebrities.

(2) The scope of influence is different. The Hongnong Yang clan belonged to the Kansai Shi clan, while the Runan's Yuan clan belonged to the Kwantung clan, and this "Guan" refers to Hangu Pass. At that time, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty was in Luoyang, and its political center was mainly in the Kwantung, and the political influence of the Kansai was no longer comparable to that of the Kwantung. Later, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and the focus of everyone's contention was also in the Kanto Region, of which Hebei and Henan were key areas. Therefore, why the Ru'nan Yuan clan later surpassed the Hongnong Yang clan in hard power and power in the chaotic era of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the geographical location and scope of influence of their family is one of the important factors.

As the same "Four Dynasties and Three Dukes", what are the similarities and differences between the Yuan clan of Runan and the Yang clan of Hongnong?

(3) Different development methods. Although they were both the fourth and third dukes, the two families gradually drifted apart. The Runan's Yuan clan developed in the direction of local officials and warlords, and gradually formed a strong political force in the Kanto region, and they began to operate locally and strengthen their family power. For example, Yuan An's grandson Yuan Peng served as Guanghan and Nanyang Taishou, Yuan Chang served as Dongjun Taishou, Yuan Shu served as Henan Yin, yuan Shao also served as Bohai Taishou and Jizhou Mu. At the same time, they also held a lot of real power in the army, such as Yuan Pei once served as a cheqi lieutenant, Yuan Cheng served as a general of Zuo Zhonglang, Yuan Shu served as a general of Hu BenZhonglang and Hou, yuan Shao was a lieutenant of the Middle Military Academy, and later served as a lieutenant and a general of the Division. On the other hand, the Hongnong Yang clan turned to the scholarly family and moral models, and they also had some people who held positions in the local and military areas, but because of their family concepts, they did not take the initiative to operate, resulting in the Hongnong Yang clan, although they have always been high-ranking officials in the middle of the country and have a lofty position among scholars, they have not actually held power in the army and localities. Therefore, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yuan clan of Runan, led the way, and although the Yang clan was loyal to the Han Dynasty, it could only be anxious but could not play a substantial role.

(4) The concept of home and country is different. It mainly reflects the difference in attitude towards the Han Room. By the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the late Yuan clan of Runan, especially the generation of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, had coveted the ambition and strength of the world, and their brothers tried to gain fame, expand their power, and even raise dead soldiers and make friends with rangers. Their family has gone from maintainers to saboteurs. Therefore, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu took advantage of the situation and divided one side, and they were the heroes of the moment. Yuan Shao dominated the Hebei region and was the strongest at that time, but was later defeated by Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu. Yuan Shu later directly claimed the title of emperor. Their brothers took the lead in directly dismembering the central rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty. But the Hongnong Yang clan has always been a staunch defender of the Han Dynasty. From Yang Xi following Liu Bang to fight the world, to Yang Biao accompanying Emperor Xian of Han to hide in Tibet, the Yang clan of Hongnong was always loyal to the Han Room until the Han Room completely declined. In general, in the face of the crumbling Eastern Han Dynasty, the two families went in opposite directions, the Yang family chose to fight to the death, and the Yuan family chose to start another stove.

As the same "Four Dynasties and Three Dukes", what are the similarities and differences between the Yuan clan of Runan and the Yang clan of Hongnong?