In China's long ancient history, emperors seemed to be incomparably noble, but in fact, they were a high-risk industry, and countless people were killed for various reasons, but it was relatively rare to be beheaded after death. Throughout the history books, there are at least five Chinese emperors who were beheaded and paraded after being killed, namely the new emperor Mang, the former Liangwei king Zhang Zuo, the Huan Chuwu mourning emperor Huan Xuan, the late Southern Yan emperor Murong Chao, and the Han emperor Hou Jing. So what unforgivable sins have they committed during their lifetimes that they have suffered such a heavy humiliation after death?
01 New Emperor Mang (45-23 BC)
As the only emperor of the new dynasty, Wang Mang vigorously promoted the "Togu Reform System" during his 15-year reign, trying to build a cosmopolitan society that eliminated exploitation, where everyone lived and worked in peace and contentment, and where order was super stable, according to the blueprint of the Zhou Li. however
Wang Mang's unrealistic reforms, far from achieving their goals, intensified various social contradictions, coupled with the frequent occurrence of various natural and man-made disasters and large-scale southern invasions by the Xiongnu, which made it difficult for the people of the new dynasty to continue to live, and eventually provoked a large-scale revolt of the Chimei Army and the Green Forest Army
。
Portrait of Wang Mang
The people of Guanzhong had been suffering for a long time, so when the Green Forest Army advanced to Chang'an, the local people killed the state and county pastors in response to the rebels.
In September of the fourth year (23rd year) of emperor Di, the lieutenant Gongbin, Du Wu, a shangxian man, and others led an army to capture Chang'an, killing Wang Mang and splitting his body in the midst of the rebellion. After Wang Mang's death, the first rank was passed to Wancheng, the stronghold of the Green Forest Army, for public display, and the people who were deeply affected by it "raised their attacks together, or cut their tongues"
(See Book of Han, vol. 99), which shows the depth of hatred for him.
02 Zhang Zuo, former King of Liangwei (327-355)
As the first emperor surnamed Zhang in history and the 8th monarch of the former Liang regime, although Zhang Zuo reigned for only two years, the crimes he committed were indescribable. According to the Zhengshi records, Zhang Zuo's widowed sister-in-law Pei Shi (裴氏) was forced to take his widowed sister-in-law Pei Shi as a concubine, and he was fortunate to have the concubines of his father Zhang Jun, his half-brother Zhang Chonghua (the 6th monarch of the former Liang Dynasty), and all his unmarried daughters, and his behavior was even inferior to that of animals and beasts (for details, see Book of Jin, vol. 86). Not only that, Zhang Zuo also wantonly killed the courtiers, and he could be called the king of the qi.
Zhang Zuo was full of evil and was finally killed
Zhang Zuo's absurdity and cruelty turned the eyes of his subjects sideways, and eventually caused him to kill himself. At the beginning of the eleventh year (355) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Zhang Wan (Zhang Zuo's brother) raised an army to rebel and marched all the way to the capital city of Guzang (present-day Wuwei, Gansu).
After learning the news of Zhang Wan's rebellion, the reluctant generals Song Chao and Song Cheng's brothers also quickly raised troops and captured the palace after a fierce battle. Seeing that the situation was gone, the guards threw Zhang Zuo away and fled, while the tyrant was easily killed, and the head was immediately cut off for public display
03 Huan Chuwu Mourning Emperor Huan Xuan (369-404)
Huan Chu was a "pseudo-dynasty" that did exist but was not recognized by the zhengshi, and the founding prince was Huan Xuan, the son of Huan Wen, a powerful minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In March of the first year of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (402), Huan Xuan, who was then the assassin of Jingzhou, took advantage of the opportunity of the emptiness in the defense of the kingdom to raise an army to conquer the Jingshi Jiankang (present-day Nanjing) and usurp the imperial government, and a year later forced Sima Dezong, who was as idiotic as Emperor Hui of Jin, to "zen throne", with the state name Chu.
Before Huan Xuan became emperor, he had slaughtered the clan in Jiankang, saying that the empress dowager was arrogant and extravagant and unscrupulous, so that the newborn Huanchu Empire soon fell into a major crisis.
Huan Xuan claimed that the emperor was killed after only a year or so
In February of the first year of Yongshi (404), the year after Huan Xuan usurped the throne, liu Yu, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty who had previously pretended to submit, raised an army at Jingkou and raised the banner of rebellion against the Xingjin. Although Liu Yu was a small soldier, his military ability was extremely high, and he was able to win surprise victories on the battlefield repeatedly, and in just over 3 months, he defeated Huan Xuan, who was tens of hundreds of times stronger than himself, and killed him, and then welcomed the restoration of Emperor An of Jin.
After Huan Xuan's death, the first rank was sent to Jiankang and hung on the Suzaku Bridge for public display, and the Huanchu regime officially collapsed after a year of lingering
04 Murong Chao, emperor of the late Southern Yan Dynasty (385-410)
As the last emperor of Southern Yan,
Murong Chao was known in history for his absurdity and indulgence, and after ascending the throne, he did not think of striving to be strong, but instead favored the fifth floor of Gongsun Andying, wantonly killed the imperial family and heroes, and caused everyone in the imperial court to endanger themselves. At the same time, Murong Chao indulged in hunting and enlisted a lot of civilian enlistment, causing domestic resentment and causing Southern Yan's national power to decline
。 In addition, Murong Chao frequently provoked the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and from time to time sent troops to attack the counties of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and captured and plundered the local men and women, which made Jiangnan resentful.
Murong Chao refused to surrender and was killed with thousands of his relatives
In April of the fifth year of Yixi (409), Liu Yu, a powerful minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, raised an army to cut down Yan after quelling civil unrest. In the face of the fierce enemy forces, Gongsun Fifth Floor advocated the fortification of the wall and clear the wilderness, and while guarding the natural dangers of Da Da Shan Mountain, he secretly attacked Liu Yu from behind, so that the Jin army collapsed without a fight, but Murong Chao refused. After Liu Yu led his army over da Da Shan, he quickly defeated the main force of Southern Yan and captured its capital Guanggu in the first month of the following year.
After the fall of Southern Yan, Murong Chao was taken to Jiankang, where he refused to surrender and was eventually beheaded at the same time as thousands of his relatives.
05 Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty (503-552)
As a traitor to Both Eastern Wei and Southern Liang, Hou Jing first surrendered to Emperor Wu of Liang with more than ten prefectures of Eastern Wei, and soon after Emperor Wu of Liang was preparing to exchange him for his captured nephew Xiao Yuanming, he raised an army to rebel, and in the third year of taiqing (549), he attacked the capital Jiankang. After that, Hou Jing first starved Emperor Wu of Liang, and then successively deposed and killed xiao Zhengde, Xiao Gang, Xiao Dong and other three puppet emperors, and immediately proclaimed himself emperor and established the state as Han, in the second year of Dabao (551).
Hou Jing was in trouble in Jiangnan for 3 years and was eventually killed
In the 3 years that Hou Jing was in trouble in Jiangnan, the formerly prosperous Jiangnan was full of red land and white bones, and the shi family was basically wiped out
。 In the first year of Chengsheng (552), the Liang generals Wang Shengquan and Chen Baxian besieged Jiankang, but Hou Jing, who had lost the hearts of the people, collapsed at the touch of a button and was killed by his subordinates on the way to escape.
After Hou Jing's death, his hands were cut off and given to Eastern Wei, and his head was sent to Jiangling, where Emperor Liangyuan was stationed, for public display, and the body was exposed in the streets of Jiankang, and then eaten by the local people. It can be seen from this how much the people of Jiangnan hate Hou Jing