Preface
Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Yuwen Yong, his life can be described as a history full of legends and twists and turns. He endured for twelve years, hatching a plan to seize power, and finally succeeded in destroying the Northern Qi Dynasty, shocking the entire north.
However, this brilliant emperor has a regret that his son did not inherit his wisdom and talent, which makes people feel the impermanence and cruelty of history.
So, how does a powerful country grow from scratch and from small to large, and how does the rise and fall of a dynasty rise and fall, and how does it rise and fall in the long river of history?
Today, let us walk into that magnificent history, to explore the rise and fall of a heroic dynasty, to appreciate the ambition of a generation of Ming monarchs and the erosion and degeneration of a generation of faint monarchs.
The rise of the Xianbei heroes
In 534 AD, the Western Wei Dynasty was established, a dynasty founded by the Xianbei people, which opened the prelude to the unification of northern China. The founding hero of the Western Wei Dynasty was a general from the Xianbei tribe - Yuwentai.
Yuwentai was born in the Xianbei aristocracy and showed extraordinary military talent from an early age. In the process of establishing the Western Wei Dynasty, he made great achievements and eventually became the actual ruler of the Western Wei Dynasty. Yuwentai knew that in order to consolidate the position of the Western Wei, it was necessary to eliminate internal threats. So, he set out to cultivate his cronies, including his nephew Ubungo.
Yuwen Hu has been regarded as the successor of Yuwen Tai since he was a child, and he has also made a lot of achievements in the war of the Western Wei Dynasty. Yuwentai had high hopes for him, and even on his deathbed, entrusted the future of Western Wei to Yuwenhu. At the behest of Yuwentai, Yuwenhu successfully usurped the throne of the Western Wei Dynasty and established the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
This Xianbei hero, Yuwentai, with his military talents and political means, finally succeeded in establishing a powerful dynasty. But how will his descendants interpret this story?
Alternation of powers
After Ubungo ascended the throne, he did not focus on governing the country like his uncle. Instead, he began a series of power struggles, killing three Northern Zhou emperors one after another. This behavior not only caused dissatisfaction among the courtiers, but also put Yuwenhu's position in jeopardy.
Finally, in 572 AD, the fate of Ubungo took a turn for the worse. At that time, he was returning to Chang'an in Tongzhou and was trapped by Emperor Wu of Zhou. In the Hanyuan Palace, Emperor Wu of Zhou personally killed Yuwen Hu and ended his reign.
Emperor Wu of Zhou is the fourth son of Yuwentai. He has always played a submissive role under Yuwengo's rule, but in fact, he has been plotting to overthrow Yuwengo's rule. After twelve years of careful layout, Emperor Wu of Zhou finally achieved his goal and regained power in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
The descendants of this Xianbei hero, in the alternation of power, show a completely different side. Yuwen Hu ignored the interests of the country and only cared about the expansion of personal power, and was finally counterattacked by Emperor Wu of Zhou. Emperor Wu of Zhou, on the other hand, relied on his own strategy and determination to regain control of the situation in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
The unification of the North
In the hands of Emperor Wu of Zhou, the Northern Zhou Dynasty ushered in a new era. He not only consolidated the rule of the Northern Zhou, but also set out to promote the unification of the north. Emperor Wu of Zhou first set out to integrate Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
He organized two national debates that brought the three scholars to exchange and debate. Eventually, Emperor Wu of Zhou established the position of Confucianism first, Taoism second, and Buddhism second. This not only alleviated the contradictions between the three religions, but also laid the ideological foundation for the reign of Emperor Wu of Zhou.
In terms of economic construction, Emperor Wu of Zhou also made great efforts. He promulgated a series of policies, such as the abolition of slaves and maids and the reduction of the burden on peasants, which greatly promoted agricultural production. At the same time, he also recruited a large number of Han Chinese to serve as government soldiers, expanding his military power.
In terms of diplomacy, Emperor Wu of Zhou also adopted the strategy of distant friendship and close attack. He carried out peaceful diplomacy with the Turks and married the Turkic princess Ashina. At the same time, he was determined to unify the North.
In 575 AD, Emperor Wu of Zhou launched the first Northern Expedition against the Northern Qi Dynasty. Although he failed to succeed the first time, Emperor Wu of Zhou did not give up. The following year, he attacked again, and finally broke through Yecheng, the capital of Northern Qi, and the Northern Qi perished.
Under the rule of Emperor Wu of Zhou, the Northern Zhou Dynasty quickly rose to become the overlord of the north. He not only integrated ideology and culture, but also vigorously developed the economy and military, and finally achieved the unification of the north. The descendants of this Xianbei hero have shown extraordinary political talent and vision.
The struggle for the throne
However, just as the Northern Zhou unified the north, a new power struggle quietly began. The protagonist this time is the son of Emperor Wu of Zhou, Emperor Xuan of Zhou.
Emperor Xuan of Zhou was strictly disciplined by Emperor Wu of Zhou since he was a child, but he did not govern the country diligently like his father. On the contrary, he showed an extremely egotistical and tyrannical character. After ascending the throne, he began to purge the senators and appoint a number of ministers.
In order to show his power, Emperor Xuan of Zhou even changed the etiquette of the imperial family, proclaimed himself "Emperor Tianyuan", and made Buddha statues and Taoist Tianzun statues in the palace, requiring his ministers to kneel and worship. He also indulged in extravagance, scouring for beautiful women in the harem, and even forcibly requisitioning the daughters of officials.
Emperor Xuan of Zhou's actions not only aroused the disgust of the courtiers, but also seriously damaged the national strength of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Eventually, at the age of twenty-two, the Northern Zhou perished under his rule.
The descendants of this Xianbei hero turned out to be a tyrannical emperor. He disregarded the interests of the country and only cared about the expansion of personal power, which eventually led to the fall of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. This story is undoubtedly a tragic twist.
epilogue
From the rise of Yuwentai, a Xianbei hero, to the performance of his descendants in the alternation of power, to the final demise of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, this story is undoubtedly twists and turns. It not only shows the process of how a Xianbei person became the emperor of the Central Plains, but also reflects the various human nature in the alternation of power.
This story teaches us that to build a strong dynasty, it takes not only military talent and political means, but also vision and statecraft. And once power is alternated, if internal contradictions cannot be properly handled, it is easy to collapse.
The wheel of history is always advancing. However, we should learn from this and be cautious about the change of power to safeguard the long-term interests of the country. Only in this way will we be able to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and create a more glorious history.