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Introduction: Dig a pit, bury some soil, and count one, two, three, four, five
It is said that in Lintong, Shaanxi, a treasure land of feng shui, a bronze vessel was suddenly unearthed one day. This is amazing, it is like opening the door of time, allowing us to get a glimpse of some "gossip" of the battle of Shangzhou Muye more than 3,000 years ago.
At the beginning, Yin Shang, a dynasty at the level of a "big man", ruled China for nearly 600 years, but it collapsed in less than half a day. This speed is even faster than the current fast food culture!
Although the king of Zhou died, for the newborn Zhou Dynasty, how to deal with those "Yin relics" has become a hot potato.
After all, the Yin people have a strong foundation and a large population, and if they are not handled well, they may cause civil strife. As a result, King Zhou Wuwang, a "novice father", began a series of "baby" operations.
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King Wu of Zhou's daily life of "bringing a baby".
King Wu of Zhou felt that he had to find a suitable identity for these "Yin relics".
As a result, he sealed the old clan of Yin Shang, and the elder brother of the king of Zhou, Wei Ziqi, was sealed to the Song land, and Wu Geng, the son of the king of Zhou, stayed in Anyang, the capital of Yin, to continue the heir of Yin. This operation is even more high-profile than the current celebrity hype!
Of course, it's not enough to just give identity, you have to have something practical. As a result, King Wu of Zhou began to make a big fuss about the war again. He enumerated the sins of the kings in order to gain the support of the eight hundred princes;
He also told the soldiers that "they must not violently kill the runners of the division" to highlight the image of the righteous division. As a result, the army of the king of Zhou turned against the Zhou army one after another.
What about after the war? King Wu of Zhou was not idle. He knew that if he wanted to rule firmly, he had to win over the hearts and minds of the people.
So he started a series of cultural export activities: such as promoting his benevolent image, establishing a legal system that replaced Zhou with business, and so on. In short, all kinds of show operations are dizzying!
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Yinxu Archaeology: Uncover the truth behind the "beautification words".
However, are the facts really as beautiful as recorded in the history books? With the continuous deepening of the archaeology of Yinxu, more and more truths have begun to emerge.
The Book of Songs and the Book of Yi Zhou recorded the Shang and Zhou wars, leaving detailed records of the wars such as "the journey of the Yin Shang Dynasty and its meeting like a forest", "the beheading of more than 170,000 people by the Wu King", and "the blood flow and pestle".
It seems that the battle of Makino is not just as simple as the victory of good over evil!
As expected, archaeologists found a large number of building components that had been burned in the Yin Ruins, and ruled out the possibility of natural disasters.
This is obviously an organized and premeditated act of sabotage! Combined with the previously discovered excavated tombs of the Yin Shang kings and the bones of babies who died in their tombs, we can draw an astonishing conclusion: All this was deliberately done by the Western Zhou officials!
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The rebellion of the three eunuchs and Yin Shang's dream of recovering the country
Speaking of which, we have to mention the famous "Three Prisons Rebellion" in history.
According to historical records, the cause of this civil strife was that Guan Cai was dissatisfied with the monopoly of power of the Duke of Zhou, which belonged to the civil strife of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the protagonist was Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai, Wu Geng and other Yin relics, which were just tools for Uncle Guan to maximize political interests. But is that really the case?
The unearthed Warring States Chu Jian (Qinghua Jian) unveils the hidden veil for us. According to records, Wu Geng was proclaimed as the new king and led a battle for the restoration of the country!
This war spanned the Cheng and Kang dynasties, which shows the strong foundation of the Yin Shang and the deep fear of the Zhou Dynasty for the Yin Shang! It seems that the rebellion of the Three Prisons was not as simple as the civil strife of the Western Zhou Dynasty, but a large-scale rebellion of the remnants of the Yin Shang!
Then the question arises: why did the Western Zhou Dynasty abandon the "benevolence and etiquette" when its rule became more and more stable, and would rather bear infamy than dig up the ancestral graves of Yin Shang?
This may have something to do with Zhou Gong's resentment and fear of the Yin Shang people! After all, who wants to have a time bomb buried under their rule?
So the Duke of Zhou made the move of "worshipping Yin with absolute worship", trying to completely eliminate the royal spirit of Yin Shang through curses and the factor of prophecy. The complex emotions and power struggles behind this act can be imagined!
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诅咒与谶纬：周公的绝殷祀之举
Speaking of curses and prophecies, we have to mention the beliefs of ancient people. At that time, it was common to believe in ghosts and gods, believing that the spirits of ancestors would bless future generations.
Therefore, destroying the tombs of the enemy's ancestors is undoubtedly the greatest insult and curse to the enemy! And burying the infant who died is even more vicious and cursed to the fortunes of Yin Shang! It makes people feel creepy to think about it!
But then again, Zhou Gong also has a certain reason for doing this. After all, in that era, if you wanted to stabilize your rule, you had to take some extraordinary measures!
It's just that these methods seem cruel and inhumane to us now. But then again, history is always written by the victors, and who can tell the merits?
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Conclusion: Grievances and infinite reveries in the long river of history
Looking back at this period of grievances and entanglements in the long river of history, we can't help but feel full of emotion! The deep hatred between Shang and Zhou could not be formed overnight, and the act of worshipping Zhou Gong was not something that could be explained by mere perfidy!
The complex emotions and power struggles behind this are important factors that we cannot ignore when savoring history.
And this history also leaves us with infinite space for reverie: if Zhou Gong had chosen another path, what would have been the direction of history?
Maybe we will see a more harmonious and prosperous Zhou Dynasty, but then again, history has no ifs, only results and consequences.
All we can do is learn from them and provide some lessons and inspiration for the way forward.