When it comes to the longest-lived emperor, many people will think of Emperor Qianlong at the first time. In fact, there was an emperor in history who lived 103 years, far more than the Qianlong Emperor. This person is regarded as the founding ancestor of Vietnam, spanning the Qin and Han dynasties, and serving as both a Qin general and the founder of the South Vietnamese State. Chairman Mao jokingly called him the first cadre to go south. This person is Zhao Tuo, the martial emperor of Nanyue.
Let's travel through time and space, follow the records of ancient books, and explore the legendary footprints of Zhao Tuo.
1. From the Qin general to the founding king of South Vietnam
Zhao Tuo, a native of Zhending County, Hengshan County (now Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province), was born about 240 BC, at the end of the Warring States Period. After Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, in order to consolidate the frontier and expand the territory of the empire, he implemented the strategy of passing through Lingnan. According to the "Historical Records: The Biography of Nanyue", it is recorded: "In the Qin period, the world had been annexed, and Yang Yue was slightly determined, and Guilin, Nanhai, and Xiangjun were placed in Guilin, Nanhai, and Xiangjun, and the Yue people were mixed with the thirteen years old. Tuo, Qin used as the South China Sea Longchuan Order. "This young Hebei kid joined the officialdom of the Qin Dynasty at an early age and showed extraordinary talent and courage.
In the chaotic times at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the Central Plains fell into war, and when the Nanhai Lieutenant Ren Huan was about to die of illness, he secretly summoned Zhao Tuo and wanted to pass on the position of the Nanhai Lieutenant to him. Ren Huan advised, "I want to raise an army and never have a new way, prepare myself, and when the princes change, I will be very sick." Moreover, Panyu bears mountain dangers, blocks the South China Sea, thousands of miles from east to west, and is quite complemented by Chinese, and this is also the lord of a state, which can establish a country. ”
After explaining this, Ren Huan died of illness. After Ren Huan's death, Zhao Tuo acted quickly, blockaded the border passes, purged the officials of the Qin Dynasty, and took advantage of the situation to annex Guilin and Xiangjun. In 204 BC, he seized Lingnan, established the Nanyue Kingdom, and established himself as the Wu King of Nanyue, beginning his decades-long reign. This passage is also recorded in the "Historical Records": "Because of the slight punishment of the Qin chief, the party is a false guard." Qin has been shattered, Tuo immediately attacked Guilin and Xiangjun, and established himself as the martial king of Nanyue. ”
2. Complex relationship with the Han Dynasty
After Zhao Tuo established the Nanyue Kingdom, he showed a high degree of political wisdom and flexible diplomatic strategy in the face of the emerging Han Dynasty in the north. At the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, considering the hardships of the people of the Central Plains, the national policy of ruling by inaction was determined, so the South Vietnam was mainly appeased. "In the eleventh year of the Han Dynasty, Lu Jiayin was sent to Lituo as the king of Nanyue, and he was the envoy of the sect and the collection of Baiyue, so that he would not be harmed by the south and bordered Changsha. Zhao Tuo accepted the canonization of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, and became the vassal king of Nanyue of the Han Dynasty, maintaining peaceful coexistence with the central power.
However, during the reign of Empress Lü, "Yousi asked for a ban on iron tools in the city of South Vietnam" adopted a series of discriminatory policies against South Vietnam, which aroused Zhao Tuo's strong dissatisfaction. In 183 BC, Zhao Tuo declared his independence from the Han Dynasty, proclaimed himself "Emperor Wu of Nanyue", and sent troops to attack Changsha in protest. In response to Zhao Tuo's provocation, "Gao Hou sent the general to attack Hou Zao", but because the soldiers could not adapt to the humid and hot climate in the south, most of them became seriously ill, and in the end the army did not even cross the Nanling. After more than a year, Empress Lü died, and the Han army stopped attacking.
However, with the death of Empress Lü and the accession of Emperor Wen of Han Liu Heng to the throne, the situation changed. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty not only sent people to worship the ancestral tomb of the Zhao clan on time every year, but also added officials to the Zhao clan. "Historical Records" contains: "In the first year of Emperor Xiaowen, he pacified the world at the beginning, and told the princes that Siyi had come to the throne from the generations, and Yu Sheng Deyan. It is for the relatives to be graven in Zhending, placed in the city, and enshrined when the year is old. Summoning his Kundi, honoring the officials and favoring him. Zhao Tuo was deeply moved by Emperor Wen of Han's policy of tenderness, and he went to the emperor to resubmit to Han.
3. Social progress and cultural integration in the Lingnan region
During his reign, Zhao Tuo vigorously promoted social change and cultural integration in the Lingnan region. He introduced the advanced farming technology, handicraft skills and administrative management system of the Central Plains, which promoted the development of local productive forces and enabled Lingnan to rapidly transition from a primitive society to a feudal society. At the same time, he actively pursued the policy of "harmony and 100 Yue".
First of all, the participation of the Yue people in politics and the appointment of local leaders: Zhao Tuo allowed the Yue people to participate in the management of the political power, and appointed prestigious Yue leaders to official positions.
Secondly, respect and follow the customs of the Yue people: Zhao Tuo himself practiced and publicly declared himself to be the "elder of the barbarian clan", changing into the clothes of the people and cutting his hair in a bun to show his acceptance and respect for the Yue culture.
Finally, encouraging intermarriage between Han and Vietnam: Zhao Tuo actively promoted intermarriage between Han and Vietnam, using marriage as a bond to strengthen the ties and integration between ethnic groups. Through intermarriage, the Han and Vietnamese ethnic groups achieved deep integration at the family level, further consolidating social relations.
This inclusive and open policy enabled South Vietnam to gradually become a regional power with economic prosperity and cultural integration under the governance of Zhao Tuo.
4. Longevity of the monarch and historical influence
History records that Zhao Tuo "died in the fourth year of Jianyuan." "With his rare longevity (at the age of 103) and his long-term stable rule, Zhao Tuo became one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the history of ancient China and the world. His longevity ensured the continuity and stability of South Vietnam's national policy, and played a key role in strengthening the country's foundations against external threats. Although the Nanyue Kingdom was eventually destroyed by the Han Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Tuo's in-depth development and effective governance of the Lingnan region during his reign had a profound impact on the later Lingnan culture, economic pattern, and even the early history of Vietnam.