Who was the founder of the Xia Dynasty? Some think it's Yu, some think it's Qi. After Dayu ascended to the throne of the Son of Heaven, he adopted a series of measures to further consolidate and strengthen his position and power, gradually realized the transition from "public world" to "family world," and realized the purpose of passing on the throne. In the absence of a socially recognized inheritance system for "family world" and "father-to-son," if Kai did not have sufficient strength to defeat the challengers who inevitably arose by destroying the Zen tradition, he could only cede Yu's carefully crafted power to the more powerful, just like Shang Jun, son of Yao, and Danzhu, son of Shun.
Because Kai was able to defeat any force that dared to challenge him, he was able to implement the system of "passing on father to son" and establish and consolidate state power "under the whole family." The transformation from the "Zen system" to the "family world" state -- Xia -- is the result of the joint action of Yu and Qi.
The decline of the "Zen concession system"
It is certain that without Dayu, there would be no Xia Kingdom that is "home to the world." As everyone knows, during the Yao Shun period, according to the tradition of military democracy, the formation of the supreme leader of the tribal alliance could only be established through a certain democratic process and the joint election of a large number of tribal leaders on behalf of the clan members. Did Zen concession ever exist? There is debate in academia. But in any case, from Yao to Shun, the Zen system at least superficially worked; However, the struggle to turn Zen into hereditary by virtue of power and strength was fierce during this period. Dayu achieved great success because of his water control and won the support of the leaders of the summers. His prestige, his power, allowed him to build a country logically.
According to "Shangshu Dayumu", when Emperor Shun recommended Dayu to inherit the throne, he spoke highly of Yu: The flood came to warn us of our mistakes, you kept your promises, did what you said, completed the great cause of water control, and showed your virtuous ability; You work tirelessly for the good of the world, live frugally, do not be complacent, and do not exaggerate, which is also your virtuous ability. But since you do not boast of your talents, no one in the world will compete with you; You do not boast of your achievements, so the people of the world will not compete with you. You have great merit, and it is up to you to inherit the throne. Sima Qian, a historian, also praised Dayu's moral character, saying that he was "sensitive to Keqin, his favor is not contrary, his benevolence is amiable, and his words are credible."
Sound is the law, being the degree is the degree, calling it out, profanity and mumu, and the program is the discipline. "That is to say, Dayu is a person who is sensitive, diligent and thrifty, of high moral character, amiable, honest and trustworthy; The sound conforms to the rhythm of the clock, and length and weight can be used as metrics; Be brave and enterprising, be dignified and respectful, and be orderly and orderly in the prime minister's priorities. Unlike Emperor Shun, Dayu only obtained the position of leader of the alliance after a lot of humiliation and hardship. Yu's father Cang was blamed for failing to control water and giving Shun a pretext, and Yu attacked his tribal leader position and continued to be ordered to treat water, which actually implied that he had committed crimes and made meritorious contributions, so Yu worked conscientiously in the process of water control and did not dare to slack. Sima Qian said that he "hurt his ancestors' fathers and was blamed for not succeeding in his achievements, but he was anxious about his work," so much so that he "did not dare to enter after passing through the house," which is really a wonderful portrayal of the situation at that time. Dayu's success was due to the timing of his birth – two opportunities for the formation of the early Chinese state were met and seized by him.
The first opportunity was the success of water control, which had at least three impacts on the formation of the early state in China: First, in the process of centralized planning and unified arrangement of water control, the tribal alliance organs quickly formed and strengthened their functions of managing social and public affairs in order to meet their needs, and this is precisely one of the important reasons and important functions of the state. It was on this basis of safeguarding common interests and performing social functions that the tribal federation institutions began to evolve into state power. Second, the success of water control has made "abundant in bell water" and "doing our best to make a ditch" a reality, and this has laid a material foundation for the coming country. As Plekhanov said: "In countries such as China or ancient Egypt, civilized life would not have been possible without those extremely complex and large-scale water conservancy projects to regulate the flooding of large rivers and rivers, prevent flooding, and irrigate cultivated land." [5] Third, because of his great achievements in water control, Dayu established a lofty prestige in the minds of the people, and as a result, he was blessed with misfortune and gained the position of leader of the alliance in a grand manner.
The second opportunity was the victory of the Sanmiao War. Wars against Sanmiao often occurred during Yao Shun's time, and Shun even "marched south to Sanmiao, and the road died in the sky," which shows how harmful the Sanmiao was. Yu Zheng Sanmiao, "Miao Shi was in chaos, and later Nai Suiji" [7]. Yu returned home victorious, and his outstanding battle exploits and control over the army pushed him to the peak of unparalleled power and prestige. It was precisely under such circumstances that Dayu used his power to naturally establish the early Chinese state, thus forming a situation of "family under the world." The "History of the Five Emperors" contains: "Shun Nai recommended Yu Yutian. Seventeen years and collapsed. In the sixty-first year of "Press Shun", Yao Jian took the throne. Thirty-nine years on the throne, the southern patrol hunted, collapsed in the wilderness", Emperor Shun lived 100 years. According to this calculation, he died after 17 years of Zen reign, so he should have been 83 years old when he was in Dayu. According to the records of the "Bamboo Book Chronicle - Emperor Shun Youyu Clan", Emperor Shun recommended Yu Yutian when Emperor Shun was 64 years old and Shun was on the throne for 14 years.
The "Bamboo Book Chronicle" contains: "In fourteen years, Qing Yunji ... It is recommended to heaven that the Son of Heaven may be done... In the thirty-second year, the emperor appointed the chief master of the summer queen, Suisheng Fangyue. In the spring of the thirty-third year, after the summer, he was appointed by the Divine Sect. Judging from the records in the "Bamboo Book Chronicle," when Emperor Shun was 64 years old, he had already recommended Yu Yutian to represent the state government. When Emperor Shun took the throne for 32 years and Emperor Shun was 82 years old, he handed over military command to Dayu, and he himself went to "Shenfangyue," that is, the inspection princes. In fact, at this time, Emperor Shun had already transferred all state power to Dayu.
Yu intends to change the "public world"
After Dayu ascended to the throne of the Son of Heaven, he adopted a series of measures to further consolidate and strengthen his position and power, gradually realized the transition from "public world" to "family world," and realized the purpose of passing on the throne.
The first is to kill a hundred people and make the princes of the world obey their orders. Through water control, Dayu gained the trust and support of the imperial court ministers, various princes, and chiefs of various clans and tribes. Dayu was chosen by Emperor Shun as the heir to the imperial throne, which was also the result of their joint support. At the same time, Dayu used punishment through Gaotao to suppress those who opposed him.
These measures effectively safeguarded Dayu's status and power and made him a "king" in the true sense. However, even so, Dayu still felt that it was not enough, and felt that it was necessary to further strengthen his power. Therefore, at the meeting of princes held by the meeting, a major scene of killing the Fengshi was staged. Many ancient books have recorded that Dayu killed the Fengshi clan. For example, the "Bamboo Book Chronicle of the Emperor Yu Xia Hou Clan" says: "In the spring of the eighth year, the princes will meet the princes. Kill the Windbreaks. "Under the Chinese Lu Yu" said: "Former Yu to the gods in the mountain of huiji, the wind clan to come, Yu killed and killed."
That is to say, eight years after Dayu ascended the throne of the Son of Heaven, a meeting of princes was held in present-day Zhejiang. Princes from all over the country came to attend the rally one after another, and it was according to the prescribed time, and only one prince who was late in arriving at the end of the meritorious reward and celebration meeting. The residence of the Windbreak clan was not far from Huiji, in the area of present-day Deqing, Zhejiang. The Fengfang clan was born tall and strong, and often bullied other tribes, and was a relatively powerful tribe among the Yue people. They had already expressed their submission to Xia, but in their hearts they were dissatisfied.
Dayu held a meeting of princes at the meeting, and he could have gone to see Dayu before the other princes, but he was deliberately late—how could he easily let go of this opportunity when it was delivered to Dayu? Therefore, the history books have a record of Dayu angrily killing the Fengfeng. Dayu's killing of the Fengfeng Clan also showed that Yu was already in charge of a powerful enough army that could kill a single clan and tribe. This time, Dayu killed the Fengfeng clan, and in front of all the clan leaders, that is, he wanted to kill chickens to show the monkeys, that is, he wanted to kill a hundred people, that is, he wanted to change the situation in which the past was scattered and the leaders of each clan had considerable independence. As a result, the leaders of various tribes naturally became frightened when they saw Yu and did not dare to act on their own. As it is said in volume 22 of the "History of the Road": "When the wind clan comes, they will kill the princes, and they will attack Cao Wei, and all the nations will decide." ”
That is to say, killing the wind is the discipline of the founding of the country to warn the princes. It was from this time that Yu truly commanded the world and became the true "King of Kyushu," that is, the monarch of the country. At this time, Dayu had transformed into an absolute monarch. The second is to strengthen the central financial power and concentrate the world's taxes. "Zuo Chuan: The Seventh Year of Lamentation" says: "Yuhe princes are in Tushan, and those who rule the jade are all nations." "Dayu summoned the princes of the four directions to open the Tushan Assembly. This congress was a landmark meeting established by the Xia Dynasty, and the tribes that came to express their submission and tributes reached "all nations." Later, Yu held a meeting at Huiji Mountain. In addition to killing the late Fengshi to demonstrate the right of demonstration, another purpose of his purpose was to strengthen the central financial power and concentrate the world's taxes.
In order to maintain the normal operation of the larger and larger public institutions, more and more financial resources are needed to ensure it. The appearance of "Yugong" shows that the ancient tax system has been basically established. With the establishment and gradual improvement of the taxation system, it has become a very important task to urge all princes to pay their taxes in full as scheduled. Dayu held a meeting of princes at the meeting to check with all the princes and hand over the taxes to the central authorities of the Xia Dynasty. The "Shiji Xia Benji" said: "Since the time of Yu Xia, tribute has been prepared. Or Yan Yuhui princes Jiangnan collapsed because of the funeral. Auditors, accountants too. These records show that this meeting of princes was indeed for the purpose of checking the accounts of the princely states.
The number of princes attending this congress was large, tens of thousands. It can be seen that the amount of tribute and taxes paid to Dayu at that time was very large. Such a huge amount of tribute is unprecedented. Only with a huge amount of tributes can we truly have the authority of the central state. It is precisely because of such a huge amount of contributions that there is a need and motivation for establishing a state system under the rule of the world. This is probably one of the most basic reasons why Dayu passed on to the son. It was precisely by perfecting the tribute system, strengthening the management of tribute, and accumulating tremendous material wealth, that Dayu provided a solid material foundation for realizing the transition from "public world" to "family world" and establishing a state apparatus of "family world." Again, the right to demonstrate is proclaimed in various ways.
epilogue
According to the "Xia Shang Anniversary Table" published by the "Xia Shang Zhou Dynasty Project," the "Xia" went through 17 kings of Yu, Qi, Taikang, Zhongkang, Xiang, Shaokang, Yu, Huai, Mang, Chu, Buxiang, Chuan, Kongjia, Gao, Fa, and Lu (桀), which lasted from 2070 BC to 1600 BC, a total of 470 years, with an average reign of nearly 28 years per king. This is about the same as the average reign of emperors in subsequent history. This is, of course, real history that can be believed.