Twenty-ninth monarch of the Shang Dynasty
Real name - Zi Xian
Aliases - Di B
The era - Shang Dynasty
Date of death – 1076 BC
The main achievement - to recruit the "Lufang" and move the capital to Yupu
Introduction to Emperor B
Emperor B (?) —1076 BC), surname and name Xian, son of Wending the King of Shang (known as Taiding in the "Records of History"), the 29th monarch of the Shang Dynasty, the Xia Shang and Zhou Dynasty Project set his reign as 1101 BC-1076 BC, a total of 26 years of reign.
In 1102 BC, Wendin died and was succeeded by Emperor Yi. After Emperor Yi succeeded to the throne, the Shang Dynasty tended to decline. At the end of Emperor Yi's reign, he moved the capital to Yu (mèi) (i.e. Chaoge, present-day Qi County, Henan). In 1076 BC, Emperor Yi died of illness and was buried in Yin. After Emperor Yi's death, he was succeeded by his son Di Xin (King of Shang).
The Life of Emperor Yi
Succession to the throne
Di Yi, surname and given name Envy, was the son of King Wending of Shang (known as Taiding in the "Records of History").
In 1102 BC, Wen Ding died, and Zixian succeeded him as the monarch of the Shang Dynasty, known as Emperor Yi. After Emperor Yi succeeded to the throne, the Shang Dynasty's national power had tended to decline.
Conquest of Zhuyi
In the second year of Emperor B, the Zhou tribe attacked the Shang Dynasty.
In the third year of Emperor Yi, Kunyi attacked the Shang Dynasty, and Emperor Yi sent his general Nanzhong to lead an army to the west to resist Kunyi's attack and build the city of Shuofang.
At that time, the Yi tribe between Jianghuai and Jianghuai became strong and prepared to attack the Shang Dynasty in a big way.
In the ninth year of Emperor Yi, Emperor Yi sent troops to conquer Daoyi and Huaiyi, and was intercepted by Mengfang (near present-day Sui County, Henan) on the way. Emperor Yi led the princes to attack Meng Fang and returned victorious.
Tateji dies
Di Yi's eldest son is Wei Ziqi, the second son is Wei Zhongyan, Di Xin is Di Yi's young son, according to the "Lü Clan Spring and Autumn" and "Imperial Century", Wei Ziqi, Wei Zhongyan and Di Xin are the same brothers, when Wei Ziqi and Wei Zhongyan were born, his mother was still a concubine, and was made a queen after giving birth to Di Xin. Di Yi wanted to make him an heir because Weiziqi was older, and Taishi believed that Weiziqi was a concubine according to the etiquette law, and Di Xin was a concubine, and he had a wife and could not make a concubine's son, so he made Di Xin his heir.
In the last year of Emperor Yi's reign, he moved the capital to Yumo (Chaoge, present-day Qi County, Henan).
In 1076 BC, Emperor Yi died and was succeeded by his son Di Xin the Prince of Shang.
Emperor B's political move
politics
During the reign of Emperor Yi, the Shang Dynasty's state was already declining. At the beginning of Emperor Yi's reign, Yin was still the capital; At the end of his reign, he moved the capital to Huan (Chaoge, present-day Qi County, Henan).
military
During the reign of King Wu Yi of Shang, the Shang Dynasty's state declined day by day, and the Yi tribes in the east tended to become stronger, constantly invading the areas ruled by the Shang Dynasty, seriously threatening the rear of the Shang Dynasty. Some scholars once believed that Di Yi had launched a conquest against the "human side" (also known as "Yi Fang" and "Corpse Fang") in eastern Shang, and the one with more information was the so-called "Emperor Yi Ten Worship Zheng Renfang". However, there is controversy in the scholarly circles about the dynasty of Di Yi and his son Di Xin. With the deepening of the research, "Di Yi Ten Worship Zhengren Fang" was corrected by some scholars as "Di Xin Ten Worship Zheng Yi Fang". Similarly, there is the "Dixin Fifteen Worship Campaign".
However, there may also have been wars during the time of Emperor B. Some scholars believe that Zhengyi Fang occurred during the time of Di Xin, but they infer from other Bu Zhi that the "Zheng Fang" (located in the western part of the Zhou Dynasty) may have occurred during the time of Di Yi. The Xia Shang and Zhou Dynasty Project also set the conscription at the time of Emperor Yi.
diplomacy
There is a record in the I Ching that "Emperor Yi returned to his sister", that is, Emperor Yi married off his daughter ("sister" refers to a girl, not the "sister" of a brother and sister). Gu Jiegang linked it to the marriage of Ji Chang the Prince of Zhou described in the Book of Poetry and Daming, and believed that Emperor Yi married his daughter to Ji Chang, thus marrying Shang and Zhou. However, some scholars have questioned this, arguing that the two have nothing to do with it.
The ancestor of the surname of Di Yi
Di Yi is the ancestor of the Hao surname. According to the Tongzhi Clan Sketch and the Manuscript of the Words and Deeds of the Mingxian Clan, when Emperor Yi ascended the throne, he sealed his son Hao Township (郝乡, Taiyuan (present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi, near present-day Xixi, Shaanxi), and his descendants took the surname of the fief and called him Hao.
Historical evaluation of Emperor B
Sima Qian's "History": "Emperor Yili, Yin Yi declined." ”
Historical records of Emperor B
"Shiji Volume 3 Yin Benji III"
Family members of Emperor B
Father
Shang Wang Wending (Taiding).
harem
Di Yi had two concubines.
Son
Weiziqi (宋微子), the eldest son of Emperor Yi, was the first prince of the Song state of the Zhou Dynasty.
Wei Zhong (Wei Zhongyan, Song Wei Zhong), Wei Zi Qidi, was the second monarch of the Song Kingdom.
In the sub-period, the princely state of the Shang Dynasty, Hao Guo, was crowned king, and Hao had the surname Shizu.
Di Xin (王 of Shang), the young son of Di Yi, was the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty.
The literary image of Emperor B
Poetry
"The Book of Poetry, Daya, King Wen's Shi Daming"
novel
In the first episode of the novel "Romance of the Gods", Di Yi is mentioned, saying that he has three sons, and "King Shou" (that is, King Shang) is the youngest son. One day, Di Yi visited the garden, and a beam in the Feiyun Pavilion collapsed, and King Shou changed the pillars, and the force was incomparable, so Di Yi made King Shou the prince. Emperor Yi died after thirty years of reign, and before his death, he entrusted King Shou to the imperial master Wen Zhong.