Preface
Since ancient times, the rise and fall of a dynasty has often had complex historical reasons and ingenious political calculations. King Wu of Zhou eventually defeated the Shang Dynasty and established a new dynasty, but he did not do so overnight.
In the complex game of princes, how did King Wu of Zhou deal with the relationship with the Shang Dynasty royal family? And how to resolve the many obstacles in the early days of the administration? When Wei Ziqi was named the Duke of Song, what kind of direction did it portend?
What wonderful human nature and social changes are hidden in this turbulent history? Please follow the author to find out the inside story of this past.
The world is the master and the country is strong
The world is seized, the country is rising and the country is declining. This has been the fate of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. As a witness to this period of history, the Zhou people are undoubtedly a branch of meritorious service. From King Wen of Zhou to King Wu of Zhou, to King Wu of Zhou, to the Duke of Zhou's Eastern Expedition to quell the rebellion, this family of lineage finally took over the world and started the prestigious Western Zhou Dynasty.
However, it was not all smooth sailing for them to accomplish this feat. After King Wu of Zhou destroyed the Shang, they faced many thorny problems, and how to deal with the relationship with the Shang Dynasty royal family was undoubtedly the most difficult part of it.
Looking back at the history of the third dynasty of the Xia and Shang dynasties, it is not difficult to find an interesting phenomenon: although these three dynasties claimed to be the co-rulers of the world, in fact, their actual scope of rule did not really cover the entire Central Plains or even the whole country.
Why is this happening? The reason is very simple, in that era, the land of the Central Plains was entrenched in countless tribes and vassal states, they had their own cultural traditions and political interests, and it was difficult for them to be completely unified by a dynasty.
Although the Xia and Shang dynasties claimed to be the co-rulers of the world, in fact they were only the most powerful tribes in the land of China. Although they were able to demand tribute from other tribes, it was difficult for them to fully integrate them into their own system of rule.
And in the Zhou Dynasty, the situation did not change much. Although King Wu of Zhou eventually defeated the Shang Dynasty, he still faced countless princes and tribes. Although these princes were superficially subservient to the king of Zhou, they were actually unwilling in their hearts.
If you want to completely eliminate the appeal of merchants to the princes, King Wu of Zhou will naturally not achieve it overnight. After all, it was with the support of the broad princes that he defeated the Shang Dynasty. If we continue to use force against them now, I am afraid that it will provoke large-scale opposition and unrest.
Delicate merchant questions
We know that after King Wu of Zhou destroyed the merchants, he naturally had to deal with the relationship with the merchants. After all, the merchants were the previous rulers, and they had extensive power and prestige in the Central Plains, and how to resolve their dissatisfaction became an urgent matter for the Zhou Dynasty.
King Wu of Zhou naturally would not show mercy to the merchants' subordinates. After all, 700,000 slave soldiers had been beaten to the point of discarding their armor during the Great War, which was a great shame for the merchants. But if they were all wiped out rashly, it would inevitably cause a backlash from other princes.
As a result, King Wu of Zhou and his younger brother Zhou Gongdan had to make a trade-off between reality and ideals. On the one hand, they wanted to consolidate their power, but on the other hand, they could not completely eliminate the merchants, lest they face opposition from other princes.
In the end, they made a seemingly contradictory, but extremely subtle decision: that is, to make Wei Ziqi, the brother of the king of Shang, the Duke of Song, and let him establish his own feudal state from Henan to Jiangsu.
In doing so, it was possible to appease the merchants and give them their own country to sacrifice, and to control the great clans of the Shang Dynasty. At the same time, Zhou Gongdan further dispersed the other merchant clans, making them subordinate to the princes with the surnames of Ji.
This is undoubtedly a very clever political calculation. In this way, the Zhou people could both ensure the stability of their own regime and gradually weaken the power of the merchants. Although the merchants still had some influence in the Zhou dynasty, they were eventually incorporated into the ruling system of the Zhou dynasty in an orderly manner.
The resurgence of the merchants
However, even if the Zhou people made such careful arrangements, the unrest of the merchants did not really subside. After the death of King Wu of Zhou, the situation became even more severe.
At this time, the Zhou Dynasty had been succeeded by King Wu's son, King Zhou Cheng. But after all, the young King Zhou Cheng is still inexperienced, and he still needs the support of a more mature Zhou Gongdan in governing the affairs of the world.
And Wu Geng, the son of the king of Shang, set off a new rebellion at this time. He not only contacted many tribes such as Donghu, Xian, and Bogu, but even instigated the uprising of the former ministers of the Shang Dynasty, Guan Shu, Cai Shu and others. This so-called "rebellion of the three prisons" suddenly set off a bloody storm.
It is not difficult to imagine that the situation must have been very serious. Wu Geng united a large number of merchant forces, and the momentum was very rapid. Zhou Gongdan and Zhao Gong had to personally go east, and it took three full years to suppress the rebellion.
In this war, the Zhou people not only wiped out many rival tribes, but also migrated and dispersed the merchants on a large scale. The merchants were divided into eight parts, which were taken over by the relatives of the Zhou people. In addition, some tribes associated with the rebellion were also relocated to remote areas.
Even so, the Zhou people's control over the merchants was still difficult. After this three-year war, Zhou Gongdan also further strengthened the patriarchal system, ensuring that the throne must be passed on to the son, and the division system between large and small clans within the clan was more strict.
It can be said that the Zhou people are constantly making difficulties and adjusting when dealing with the problem of businessmen. But even so, they were unable to completely eradicate the influence of the merchants. The merchants' roots in the Central Plains were too deep, and the Zhou people had to be cautious.
The wisdom of peace and stability
Through the above analysis, we can find that the Zhou people have actually demonstrated extraordinary political wisdom in dealing with the issue of merchants.
First of all, the Zhou people did not directly use force to eliminate the power of the merchants after destroying the merchants. Instead, they chose a slower and more ingenious approach: to make the Shang king's brother Weizi the Duke of Song, and let him establish a new state in the land of the merchants.
The purpose of this is clear: on the one hand, it can appease the merchants and give them their own country to sacrifice; On the other hand, it is also possible to bring the merchant clans under their control and gradually weaken their strength.
And when the "Three Prisons Rebellion" was suppressed subsequently, the Zhou people did not blindly suppress it by force. Instead, they took a more sophisticated approach: military strikes against the rebels on the one hand, and large-scale migration and dispersal of merchants on the other.
This combination of both rigid and flexible means is undoubtedly very wise. On the one hand, the threat can be completely eliminated, and on the other hand, it can stabilize the large number of supporters of businessmen.
This approach of balancing reality and ideals is precisely the key to the Zhou people's success in maintaining their political power during this difficult period. They did not covet momentary fame, but acted cautiously, nor did they completely abandon the ideal of benevolence and righteousness, but always insisted on a moderate approach.
It was with this wisdom that the Zhou people were finally able to make a major breakthrough in the merchant problem. Although the power of the merchants did not completely disappear in the Zhou Dynasty, it was effectively incorporated into the ruling system of the Zhou Dynasty, laying the foundation for the long-term stability of the later Western Zhou Dynasty.
In this sense, the way the Zhou people treated the merchant problem was undoubtedly a very good strategy for "stabilizing the country". Instead of acting radically or compromising with reality, they have found a balance between the two. This kind of wisdom is undoubtedly worthy of learning and reference for future generations.
epilogue
Time flies, and history is gone. However, the political wisdom displayed by the Zhou people in dealing with the merchant issue still enlightens us.
They neither blindly suppressed it by force, nor did they completely compromise with the power of the merchants, but sought a balance between rigidity and flexibility. This approach of balancing reality and ideals not only succeeded in maintaining one's own political power, but also left valuable experience for future generations.
We may not be able to completely replicate the practices of the Zhou people, but the wisdom they have demonstrated in dealing with complex situations is something we should learn from and learn from.
In today's rapidly changing era, how to find a balance in contradictions and how to find a win-win situation between interests are undoubtedly issues that we must seriously consider. Let us work together in this direction and jointly write a new chapter in this great nation.