Preface
"You said that the king of Shang was tyrannical and unreasonable, what kind of nonsense is this!" I was furious.
"What? Don't you believe it? The friend shrugged his shoulders and looked teasing.
"Does this still need faith? See for yourself, it's clearly written in this history book! He handed me a book and pointed to the handwriting.
"This is clearly a lie made up by the victors!" I pointed to the words in the book and yelled angrily.
"Wasn't the fall of the Shang Dynasty because Emperor Xin was incompetent and extravagant?" He retorted.
"Humph! Look, what's written on this? Emperor Xin kills loyal ministers, pampers Daji, is extravagant, extravagant, cruel and unkind......" I pointed to the contents of the book and read it word by word.
"Isn't that true?" My friend asked.
"Fart!" I threw the book to the ground and roared, "The Shang Dynasty fell because King Wu of Zhou was powerful and defeated the Shang Dynasty!" What does this have to do with Dixin? Can the victor slander others as he pleases? ”
"Are you defending the King of Shang? Do you think that the king of Shang is a wise king? The friend sneered.
"Humph! History is written by the victors, and who knows how much of it is true or false? I retorted coldly.
"You're reversing black and white!" The friend was angry.
"Reversing black and white? Is the truth really that important? I sneered, "I want to know more, what is the truth of this history?" ”
At first, the "Book of Pastoral Oath" only recorded that Emperor Xin disrespected ghosts and gods and alienated his brothers. As time went on, the accusations increased, and he became known as the King of Zhou, and the Zhou people acted for the heavens.
People say: history is written by the victors?
The Fall of Civilization: The Glory and Decline of the Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty, the glorious era of our ancestors, left many amazing achievements. Let's take a look at bronzes first, which is the specialty of the Shang Dynasty. Do you know? The bronzes of the Shang Dynasty were not only large in quantity, but also of particularly good quality.
This is the largest bronze in the world, weighing 875 kilograms. Those exquisite patterns and patterns are simply stunning.
There are also four sheep Fangzun, the four sheep are lifelike, and the craftsmanship is exquisite, so that modern people are amazed. These bronzes are not just utensils, but also works of art, symbolizing the prosperity and civilization of the Shang Dynasty.
However, no matter how glorious a civilization is, there will be a day when it will decline. The last king of the Shang dynasty, Emperor Xin, also known as King Xu, is often referred to as a tyrant.
Many people think he is brutal and unreasonable, but is it really that simple? Actually, Di Xin is not a complete bad person. During his reign, the Shang Dynasty was still very economically strong and the cities were prosperous.
Di Xin once said, "Politics is not about talking", which means that governing the country is not by talking a lot, but by doing solid work. This shows that he still has some ability to govern the country.
It's just that later, his way of ruling became more and more severe, which made many people disgusted.
Internal contradictions and external pressures were also important reasons for the decline of the Shang Dynasty. The nobles of the Shang Dynasty fought to the death for power, and there was chaos inside.
Externally, the rise of the Zhou people brought great pressure to the Shang Dynasty. The Zhou people continued to grow, and the Zhou people became more and more dissatisfied with the jurisdiction of the Shang Dynasty. Coupled with the harassment of other tribes, the Shang Dynasty had a harder and harder time.
Historians say that this was the case in the late Shang Dynasty, which gradually declined amid internal and external troubles.
These are the real reasons why the Shang Dynasty went from glory to decline.
The Rise of Barbarism: The History and Rise of the Zhou Nation
The story of the Zhou people is really a history of struggle from exile to rise. Hou Ji, the ancestor of the Zhou people, is a legendary figure.
His mother, Jiang Yan, stepped on the footprints of the giant when she went out, and actually gave birth to Houji.
Because of this child's strange background, Jiang Yan was a little scared, and even abandoned him three times.
But every time Houji miraculously survived, it looked like he was destined to become a big thing.
The early journey of the Zhou people was full of difficulties and challenges. When Houji grew up, he led his people to migrate and find a suitable place to live. The Zhou people took root on the Loess Plateau and made a living from farming.
The land was barren and the living conditions were difficult, but Houji, with his tenacious perseverance and wisdom, gradually settled down the clansmen. The Houji Church people planted crops, and the Zhou people were able to multiply.
Later, the leader of the Zhou people, Ji Chang, later King Wen of Zhou, showed extraordinary political wisdom. In order to expand the power of the Zhou people, he adopted a flexible marriage strategy.
Ji Chang married his daughter to the leader of the Inujun, and formed a powerful alliance through this. The dog Rong was a strong tribe at that time, and by alliing with them, the strength of the Zhou tribe was greatly enhanced.
Ji Chang also knows how to use people. He recruited talents, and strange people like Jiang Taigong were invited to his side. When Jiang Taigong was fishing by the Weishui River, Ji Chang personally went to invite him out of the mountain.
Jiang Taigong said to Ji Chang: "I am willing to be the teacher of the son", expressing his willingness to help Ji Chang achieve great things. Jiang Taigong's wisdom and strategy contributed to the rise of the Zhou people.
After the death of King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang, his son Ji Fa succeeded to the throne, that is, King Wu of Zhou. King Wu of Zhou inherited his father's legacy and was determined to overthrow the rule of the Shang Dynasty. He conspired with Jiang Taigong and formulated a detailed battle plan.
In 1046 B.C., King Wu of Zhou led a large army to the Shang Dynasty, known as "King Wu's War". In the Battle of Makino, the Zhou army won a complete victory, and the Shang army's army collapsed. King Su set himself on fire in Lutai, and the Shang Dynasty fell.
The victory of King Wu of Zhou was not only a military success, but also a manifestation of political wisdom. He was good at uniting all forces, using marriage and diplomacy to steadily expand the influence of the Zhou people.
At the pre-war mobilization meeting, King Wu of Zhou said impassionedly: "There is no way to do business, and the destiny of heaven is mine." These words boosted morale and convinced everyone that their actions were a righteous act that would be in accordance with the will of God.
The Zhou people grew from a remote tribe to a powerful force capable of overthrowing the Shang Dynasty, relying not on brute force, but on wisdom and strategy.
Contrasts of Bronze: From the peak of the Shang Dynasty to the mediocrity of the Zhou Dynasty
The bronzes of the Shang Dynasty are really the pinnacle of ancient craftsmanship. If you want to talk about this bronze, you have to mention the famous Simu Wuding.
This is the largest bronze in the world, weighing 875 kilograms, and people can't help but marvel at the wisdom and strength of the ancients. This Simu Wuding is not only large, but also particularly exquisite, the patterns on it are complex and diverse, and every stroke can see the intentions of the craftsmen.
Let's talk about the four sheep Fangzun, which is another representative of the bronzes of the Shang Dynasty. The shapes of the four sheep are lifelike, as if you can see the breath of life in their eyes.
The craftsmanship is so exquisite that people feel that these bronzes are not just utensils, but also works of art. The bronzes of the Shang Dynasty are numerous and rich in variety, not only Ding, Zun, but also various wine vessels and weapons, each of which reflects the superb level of craftsmanship of the Shang Dynasty.
But in the Zhou Dynasty, the situation was very different. The bronzes of the Zhou Dynasty are somewhat mediocre in comparison. Although the Zhou Dynasty also had many bronzes, it was difficult to compare with the Shang Dynasty in terms of quantity and quality.
The bronzes of the Zhou Dynasty are not as ornate in design as those of the Shang Dynasty, and the craftsmanship is much simpler. Most of the bronzes of the Zhou Dynasty were mainly practical and lacked some artistic beauty.
Why is this so? There are deep social and economic reasons behind this. The Zhou dynasty was initially busy consolidating power, especially the implementation of the feudal system, which left the local princes in their own right, and the concentration of resources and technology was greatly reduced.
The economy of the Zhou Dynasty was not as prosperous as that of the Shang Dynasty, and the casting of bronzes required a lot of manpower, material and financial resources, which were not available in the Zhou Dynasty.
Although the Zhou Dynasty inherited the skills of the Shang Dynasty in some aspects, there was still a fault line in cultural inheritance as a whole. After a long period of development, the bronze skills of the Shang Dynasty have reached a peak.
After the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty, although the Zhou Dynasty absorbed some skills, due to changes in economic conditions and political environment, it could not reach the height of the Shang Dynasty. The manufacture of bronze objects has moved from art to practicality, which is a microcosm of social development.
Power and Partition: The Limitations of the Zhou Dynasty's Political System
The sub-feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty was a major feature of their governance of the country. After overthrowing the Shang Dynasty, King Ji Fa of Zhou Wu gave a huge amount of land to his brothers and heroes, and let them go to various places to administer it.
This seems to be smart, allowing everyone to work in their own way, reducing the burden on the central government. But in practice, this system also brings its own problems.
At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, the feudal system did help stabilize the regime. The princely territories in various regions were relatively independent, and local governance was also very efficient. But over time, the problem gradually emerged.
For the sake of their own interests, the local princes gradually formed local divisions. The power of the central government was gradually weakened, and there were more and more contradictions between the princes in various places. According to historical records, by the middle of the Zhou Dynasty, the princes in various places no longer obeyed the dispatch of the central government.
In the Zhou Dynasty's employment system, the phenomenon of cronyism was serious. Very often, important positions are occupied by members of the royal family and cronies. As a result, truly talented people are often not reused.
It is recorded in the history books that in order to consolidate his power, King Zhou Li rewarded his cronies lavishly, which caused public anger and even led to a "riot of the countrymen".
In contrast, the Shang Dynasty was more open and diverse in terms of employing people. The rulers of the Shang Dynasty valued talents, regardless of their origins, as long as they had talents, they could be reused. Yi Yin, the famous minister of the Shang Dynasty, is a good example.
Yi Yin came from a poor background, but with his talents, he became Shang Tang's right-hand man, assisting Shang Tang in establishing a powerful Shang dynasty.
This open employment system enabled the Shang Dynasty to absorb talents from all walks of life and promoted the development of the country.
And the cronyism of the Zhou dynasty weakened the country's competitiveness. The loss of talent has led to the decline of the country.
The Zhou Dynasty's feudal system and employment system seemed to stabilize the regime in the short term, but in the long run, it planted the seeds of decline.
#长文创作激励计划##头条创作挑战赛##头条首发大赛##头条首发挑战赛#