There are many amazing coincidences hidden in Chinese history, some of which are man-made and understandable, while others are like providence or accidents, which are puzzling and worthy of in-depth exploration.
1. [The reincarnation of the Three Kingdoms and the Three Kingdoms]
In 403 BC, King Weilie of Zhou officially canonized Han, Zhao, and Wei as princes. In 376 BC, Han Aihou, Zhao Jinghou, and Wei Wuhou joined forces to eliminate the Jin State, divided all its territory, abolished the then Jin State King Jinggong, and made it a commoner, and the Jin State was completely replaced by the Han, Zhao, and Wei families, which is the famous Three Kingdoms in history.
It is worth noting that the great power of Jin at that time was divided by the three kingdoms of Zhao, Wei, and Han.
However, the cycle of history seems inevitable. 116 years later, in 230 BC, the three kingdoms were destroyed by Qin.
What's even more amazing is that 600 years later, that is, in 279 AD, the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu were destroyed by the Jin again.
Among them, the origin of the Wei state can be traced back to Cao Cao's appointment as the king of Wei by Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, while the Jin dynasty was named after Sima Zhao who was named the king of Jin by the Wei emperor.
After the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Three Kingdoms, it also suffered the fate of being destroyed by other forces, including Qin (Western Qin, Former Qin, and Later Qin). The journey of the return of the Three Kingdoms to Jin shows an interesting cycle:
1. The Three Kingdoms (Jin-Wei-Qin)
2. The Three Kingdoms Return to Jin (Wei - Jin - Qin)
If Cao Cao learned about this under Jiuquan, would he regret that he was named King of Wei?
If Emperor Wei learned about this in the underworld, would he regret making Sima Zhao the king of Jin?
2. [Liu Bang rose because of the snake and died because of the "python"]
Liu Bang "drew his sword and cut the snake" in Mangdang Mountain, launched an uprising, exterminated the tyrannical Qin, and then complied with the covenant of the king, marched west into the pass, and conquered Xianyang. After Ziying surrendered, the generals wanted to kill him to thank the world, but Liu Bang forgave Ziying with a tolerant heart.
Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty, but 200 years later, a speculator named Wang Mang usurped the throne. Wang Mang was the nephew of the Emperor and Empress of the Han Yuan Dynasty, and he used his power to tamper with the name of the country and turn the Han Dynasty into a "new" dynasty. Interestingly, when he was planning to appoint the new emperor, he quoted the ancient poem "Hou is subject to Zhou, and the destiny of heaven is normal", and Feng Ziying was the Duke of Ding'an. This is exactly the same as the coincidence that Liu Bang prospered by cutting snakes, and finally died because of the "python" (Wang Mang). What's even more amazing is that the Western Han Dynasty won the country from the Qin Dynasty's children, and Wang Mang also won the country from the Western Han Dynasty's children, and both children were spared. The providence in this seems to be indescribable.
Regarding the coincidence of Liu Bang and the snake and the "python", a mythical story was also derived from later generations. It is rumored that before Liu Bang cut the snake, the white snake prophesied: "The account you owe today will have to be repaid one day." If you cut off my head, I will usurp your head, and if you cut off my tail, I will take your tail. Liu Bang was angry and cut the snake in the middle, so when the Western Han Dynasty was passed to Emperor Ping, the white snake was reincarnated as Wang Mang, poisoned Emperor Ping of Han, and usurped the Han Dynasty as a new one. Later, after Guangwu Zhongxing and Wang Mang were destroyed, the Han family was restored and the Eastern Han Dynasty of the Liu family was established. And the Eastern and Western Han Dynasty happened to be passed on for more than 200 years, as if it was destined by providence.
3. [How to get the rivers and mountains of the Song Dynasty, how to hand them over]
In 959 AD, Zhou Shizong Chai Rong died, and the young Emperor Gong ascended the throne. At this time, the palace was inspected and returned to the German army, so that Zhao Kuangyin and Shi Shouxin, Wang Xianqi and other senior generals of the forbidden army formed a righteous alliance and mastered military power. In the following year, it was rumored that the Khitan invaded the south, and the prime minister Fan Zhen and others did not distinguish the authenticity, so he urgently ordered Zhao Kuangyin to lead his troops north to resist the enemy. When the Zhou army marched to Chenqiaoyi, Zhao Kuangyin's brother Zhao Kuangyi and Zhao Pu and others staged a mutiny, and Zhao Kuangyin was proclaimed emperor. Subsequently, he led the army back to Kaifeng, Shi Shouxin, Wang Xianqi and others opened the city to greet him, and forced Emperor Zhou Gong to take the throne. After Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty, he named Chai Zongxun as the king of Zheng and gave him an iron coupon for Danshu to show preferential treatment.
At that time, Emperor Zhou Gong Chai Zongxun was only seven years old, and his aunt Empress Dowager Xiaofu was only twenty years old. The orphans and widows were powerless to resist and had to hand over the country. In the edict of the Zen throne, Emperor Zhou Gong wrote: "The last boy is not made by the family, the people's hearts have gone, and the country has a home." "After Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty, he treated the Chai family quite favorably.
However, more than 300 years later, history has played out a similar scene again. In 1276 A.D., the Mongol army was in Lin'an, and the Song envoy asked for peace, but the Yuan general Boyan rejected the peace talks with a sentence "Your country gains the world from Xiao'er, and also loses from Xiao'er, and its way is like this, how can you say much!". In the end, the seven-year-old Emperor Song Gong, his grandmother Empress Dowager Xie, and his mother Empress Dowager Quan surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty. Emperor Song Gong wrote in the surrender edict: "The ministers are young and rushed, and they are in trouble at home. ...... Today's fate is returned, and the minister will go away. After Emperor Song Gong and others were escorted to Dadu, Kublai Khan named him "Duke of Yingguo", which can be regarded as good treatment. The same orphans and widows, the same seven-year-old lords, and even the words of the edict are so similar, the coincidence is breathtaking.
4. [Zhao Guangyi inherited the throne and will return to Taizu after all]
When Taizu Zhao Kuangyin died, he did not pass the throne to his son, but listened to the advice of the queen mother and passed it to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. This decision seems to be wise, because the lessons of the previous dynasty's orphans and widows who were bullied and caused the country to change hands are still in front of us. At that time, Taizu's son was still young, and Zhao Guangyi was wise and martial, so it seemed that there was nothing wrong with passing on the throne to him.
Surprisingly, however, this legacy to the throne is gone. After the death of Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, he did not return the throne to his nephew, but passed it on to his son Zhao Heng. Since then, emperors such as Zhenzong, Renzong, Yingzong, Shenzong, Zhezong, Huizong, Qinzong, and Gaozong have ascended the throne one after another, plus Taizong, a total of nine emperors.
History, however, always seems to love jokes. After waiting for 186 years, when the Taizu family was almost desperate and gave up hope of regaining the throne, the appearance of Gaozong Zhao Gou broke this deadlock. Since Gaozong had no children and no one to inherit the throne, he finally decided to return the throne to the Taejo lineage. As a result, he passed on to his adopted son Xiaozong, and then Guangzong, Ningzong, Lizong, Duanzong, Duzong, Gongzong, Emperor Yu and other emperors ascended the throne one after another. plus Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, there are also exactly nine emperors. This is a vivid portrayal of "the emperor takes turns to do it, and this year comes to my house".
5. [Why are the Jin and Song dynasties so similar]
Throughout history, the similarities and coincidences between the Jin and Song dynasties are striking:
1. Both are the end-of-the-box divisive era;
2. Both dynasties were unified by the northern regime of the whole country, but the degree of unification was insufficient;
3. The two dynasties both gained power through usurpation, Jin seized the authority of Wei, and Song took the rivers and mountains of Later Zhou;
4. The capitals of the two dynasties are located in Henan;
5. The Jin Dynasty was divided into the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Western Jin Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty was also divided into the Southern Song Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty, all of which were divided due to foreign invasion. Although the Western Jin Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty were unified, their strength was weak and they often suffered from foreign invasion.
6. Both dynasties were killed due to foreign invasions, the capital was slaughtered, and the royal family and ministers were plundered.
7. After the invasion of foreign tribes, the regimes of the two dynasties crossed to the south, forming the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty.
8. The founders of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty were all nobles of the previous dynasties, and they were both in the south.
9. The Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty both gave birth to northern heroes, Zu Di and Yue Fei, both of whom made brilliant achievements in the Northern Expedition, but failed to succeed due to internal disputes in the imperial court.
6. [Why are there so many similarities between the Ming and Qing dynasties]
1. Both defeated foreign regimes and established their own dynasties;
2. There were three emperors in both dynasties who had no heirs. In the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Jianwen, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty and Emperor Guangzong of the Ming Dynasty had no children, while in the Qing Dynasty, there were Emperors Tongzhi, Guangxu and Emperor Xuantong who had no children;
3. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, both dynasties faced the threat of their uncles. During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Jianwen was usurped by his uncle Zhu Di, and during the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shunzhi was under the influence of his uncle Dolgon for a long time;
4. When the two dynasties fell, they both met the emperor who had no children, and the brothers passed on from one brother to another. Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty passed the throne to his younger brother Emperor Chongzhen, and Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty passed the throne to his cousin Emperor Guangxu;
5. Both dynasties were destroyed due to internal and external troubles. The Ming Dynasty died in a joint attack by Li Zicheng and the Later Jin, while the Qing Dynasty died in the joint attack of Sun Yat-sen and the Eight-Nation Alliance.
7. [The place where the Qing Dynasty rose and fell was Fushun]
The Qing Emperor Nurhachi rose to prominence in Fushun, and the war criminals management center where the late Qing emperor Aixin Jueluo Puyi was imprisoned was also located here. The first queen of the Qing Dynasty was Yehenara (the empress of Nurhachi), and the last empress was also surnamed Yehenara (the empress of Guangxu, who had abdicated when Xuantong got married, and her queen was no longer an orthodox queen).
8. [History proves that the unification of China must be extinguished]
In the history of China, there have been several divisions and reunifications.
1. The Great Warring States Division, China was divided into seven kingdoms, and finally Qin replaced the Zhou Dynasty to complete unification.
2. The Wei and Jin dynasties separated from the north and south, and although the three kingdoms of the Jin Dynasty were briefly unified, they then fell into a longer division, so they are not counted. In the end, the Sui replaced the Northern Zhou, and although the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Sui, China entered into a great unification that lasted for hundreds of years.
3. After the death of the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were divided, until the Song Dynasty was established, and the Song Dynasty replaced the Zhou, that is, the Later Zhou.
To sum up, if there is a new dynasty in the future, perhaps the name "Zhou" should be avoided!
9. [800 Years of Reincarnation in History]
There have been several prosperous eras in Chinese history, and it seems to follow the law of reincarnation for 800 years.
First of all, the Zhou Dynasty had the rule of Chengkang (1020 BC ~ 996 BC), and the Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou Dynasty added up to exactly 800 years.
Subsequently, the Han Dynasty had the rule of Wenjing (180 ~ 141 BC), from 996 BC to 180 BC, which is exactly 800 years.
Then the Tang Dynasty had the rule of Zhenguan (627-649), from 141 BC to 649, which was also 800 years.
Finally, the Ming Dynasty had the reign of Renxuan (1403---1435), which was counted from 649 to 1435, which was also 800 years.