Due to the revision of the platform, the ad unlock function has been added, when the ad is opened, wait for 5 seconds, you are stretching out your little hand to make a fortune, click on the x number in the upper right corner to close, you can continue to read my article, this process is completely free, please don't worry.
Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
Preface
Xie Hui, an important minister in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, finally came to a tragic end of being annihilated.
His experience sounded the alarm for later generations of powerful ministers: in the power struggle, if you want to save your life, you have no choice but to usurp the throne.
What kind of political situation made Xie Hui go from being in power to the opposition to dying in Huangquan? What kind of conspiracy and betrayal are hidden behind his fate?
1. After the famous family: Xie Hui's rise road
In the changes of the last years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a young man is quietly emerging. He is Xie Hui, born in the illustrious gate valve of the Xie clan in Chen County, and is Xie An's great-nephew. However, the aura of the family did not bring him much convenience, but became the driving force for his struggle.
Xie Hui's grandfather's official position was not high, which made this branch a little weak in the last years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His elder brother Xie Zhan once called himself "Sushi" in front of Liu Yu, which shows that the family's status is no longer as glorious as it used to be.
Xie Hui, who was new to his career, only served as Meng Chang's lieutenant soldier in the army, an inconspicuous small position. But fate always favors those who are prepared.
Xie Hui's talents in administration and planning were soon discovered by Liu Muzhi and recommended to Liu Yu, a warlord who was on the rise at the time. However, when they first met, Liu Yu did not look at this young man differently.
The opportunity has finally arrived. Once, Liu Yu's soldier in charge of the criminal name fell ill, and Xie Hui took over temporarily. He has shown an amazing ability to handle the backlog of cases in an orderly manner and without error. This move won Liu Yu's appreciation and laid the foundation for his future prosperity.
What really made Xie Hui famous was "Yixi Tu Break". This reform, which was aimed at bringing the exiles who relied on the powerful into the administration of the imperial court, was inevitably opposed by the magnates.
However, Xie Hui, as a representative of the scholar clan, performed well in this reform without favoritism. This kind of selfless attitude made Liu Yu look up to him, promoted him as the main book, and became a confidant from then on.
2. From Counsellor to Auxiliary Minister
As Liu Yu's power continued to expand, Xie Hui's status also rose. When Liu Yu went out to Guanzhong, Xie Hui had become one of his most trusted people. It is recorded in the Book of Song: "From the Zhengguan and Luo, the internal and external appointments must be entrusted to them", which shows that Xie Hui has been reused by Liu Yu in both military and government affairs.
In 420, Liu Yu was proclaimed emperor and established the Liu Song dynasty. For this powerful henchman, Liu Yu not only increased his official rank, but also allowed him to gradually control the Praetorian Guard of the Liu Song Group, the leading army.
This move fully reflects Liu Yu's trust in Xie Hui, and also lays the groundwork for future political games. However, the pinnacle of power often comes with danger.
In March 422, Liu Yu felt that his time was running out, and in order to ensure that the sixteen-year-old crown prince Liu Yifu could succeed to the throne, he chose four henchmen as auxiliary ministers: Sikong Xu Xianzhi, Shangshu Fu Liang, the leading general Xie Hui, and the protector general Tan Daoji.
These four people have their own characteristics: Xu Xianzhi is the undisputed head of the Wenchen; Fu Liang was a famous minister in the Western Jin Dynasty and served as the Zhongshu Order for a long time; Xie Hui is young and promising, representing the Eastern Jin Dynasty gate lord clan.
Tan Daoji is a representative of the military generals from the Beifu Army. Liu Yu's intention was obvious, not only to balance the forces of all parties, but also to ensure that the crown prince could smoothly take power.
3. The plight of the Auxiliary Minister
However, Liu Yu's good intentions soon encountered practical challenges. On May 21 of the same year, Liu Yu died and was succeeded by Liu Yifu. In the beginning, the imperial decrees were fairly accessible, but soon, an undercurrent of power struggle unfolded beneath this seemingly calm surface.
The young Liu Yifu was not willing to be controlled by the auxiliary ministers. He secretly contacted his brother Liu Yizhen, the king of Luling, in an attempt to divide the power of the auxiliary ministers.
This kind of behavior naturally aroused the vigilance of Xie Hui and others. They were originally ordered to assist the young emperor, but now they are in danger of being overlooked.
The essence of power is confrontation and balance. Liu Yu's original intention in setting up the assistant minister was to ensure that Liu Yifu could smoothly take power. But in realpolitik, it is difficult to voluntarily cede power.
After Xie Hui and others took power for more than a year, they faced Liu Yifu, who was nearly eighteen years old, but they had no intention of delegating power. This situation inevitably intensified the contradictions between the emperor and the powerful ministers.
What's even more disturbing is that Liu Yifu began to secretly train soldiers and horses in the harem, apparently wanting to control the forbidden army. For Xie Hui and others, this is undoubtedly a serious threat. In this era of slaughter, once you lose power, you are likely to be liquidated.
Fourth, the abolition of the establishment and the deterioration of the political ecology
Faced with this situation, Xie Hui and others made an astonishing decision: depose Liu Yifu and set up a new monarch. This year, Xie Hui was only thirty-three years old and in the prime of life, but he was already standing at a crossroads that was enough to change the fate of the dynasty.
They acted swiftly and decisively. first abolished Liu Yifu, then killed the second prince Liu Yizhen, and finally supported the seventeen-year-old Liu Yilong to succeed him.
This series of operations seems contradictory: they claim that they want to make Liu Song's country permanent, but they turn around and kill Liu Yu's crown prince, and even kill another prince.
If this is to usurp the throne, then Xie Hui's follow-up behavior is particularly strange. After supporting Liu Yilong, he did not stay in the court to consolidate his power, but chose to go to the frontier to lead the army. This kind of behavior was really incomprehensible in the political environment at the time.
But if we look at the broader historical background, we may be able to understand the logic of Xie Hui and others' behavior. Since the end of the Han Dynasty, China's political scene has been filled with murderous and disobedient spirits.
From Dong Zhuo's abolition and killing of the young emperor, to Sima Zhao's killing of the monarch on the street, and then to the gate lord politics in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the change of power is often accompanied by bloody liquidation. In such a context, although the behavior of Xie Hui and others seems absurd, it has its own internal logic.
They not only have to keep their power and lives, but also be worthy of Liu Yu's entrustment. Abolishing the new monarch seemed to be the only way out they could think of.
5. The final chapter of the tragedy: the Xie Hui Rebellion and the turning point in the political ecology of the Southern Dynasties
However, history is always full of irony. This move by Xie Hui and others did not solve the problem, but instead exacerbated the deterioration of the political ecology of the Southern Dynasties. Although the new monarch Liu Yilong is young, he is not dull. In his eyes, ministers who can depose the emperor may attack again at any time.
As a result, an even more intense power game unfolds in the shadows. Liu Yilong began to gradually weaken the power of Xie Hui and others. Faced with this situation, Xie Hui felt an unprecedented crisis. He knows that in this era, losing power means dooming.
In the first month of 426, Xie Hui received a letter from his younger brother Xie Hao, warning him that Liu Yilong might be working against him. At first, Xie Hui was a little skeptical. But as the signs became more apparent, he decided to strike first.
Xie Hui rebelled under the banner of "Qingjun's side". However, he was good at strategy but clumsy at military. The rebellion was quickly quelled by the imperial generals Hikoyuki and Tandoji, and lasted only a few months. In the end, Xie Hui's family was escorted to Jiankang and beheaded.
Xie Hui died at the age of thirty-seven. This former founding hero ended his life in this way. What is even more ironic is that his death not only did not end this vicious circle of power, but became a new beginning.
Since then, the political ecology of the Southern Dynasties has deteriorated further. The ministers realized that in this arena full of killings, there seemed to be no other way out but rebellion.
epilogue
Xie Hui's story is like a prism, reflecting the cruel nature of Southern Korean politics. It tells us that in the maelstrom of power, everyone is a pawn and a chess player.
The tragedy of this era is that even the most astute politicians cannot escape the tricks of fate.
Xie Hui's experience is not only a personal tragedy, but also a microcosm of the entire era, which has profoundly influenced the political ecology of the following hundreds of years, and provides a unique perspective for us to understand ancient Chinese political culture.
【Disclaimer】The process and pictures described in the article are all from the Internet, and this article aims to advocate positive social energy and no vulgar and other bad guidance. If it involves copyright or character infringement issues, please contact us in time, and we will delete the content as soon as possible! If there is any doubt about the incident, it will be deleted or changed immediately after contact.