At the beginning of the establishment of the Shang Dynasty, the capital was first set at Bo (Shangqiu, Henan), from the founding of the Chengtang State to the fall of Di Xin (King Of Sui), a total of seventeen generations and thirty-one kings, after more than 600 years. In the first three hundred years, the Shang moved the capital five times.
Zhang Heng of the Eastern Han Dynasty", "Xijing Fu", yun: "The Yin people have moved repeatedly, the first eight and the last five." "The first eight", that is, before the establishment of the Shang Dynasty, the Shang people migrated eight times; and the "last five" refers to the five times after the establishment of the Shang Dynasty in Tang.
Regarding these five capital moves, according to the ancient book "Bamboo Book Chronicle", the following are: Shang Wang Zhongding "moved from Bo to Huan", Hejia "moved from Hustle to Xiang", Zu Yi "Jupi", Nan Geng "self-sheltered to Move to Xiang", and Pan Geng "moved from Xiang to Northern Mongolia, Known as Yin".
Among them, the last "Pan Geng Migration Yin" laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Shang Dynasty in the last two hundred years.
Pan Geng, oracle bone "Ban Geng", name Xun, zu Ding's son, Yang Jia's younger brother, is the ninth grandson of Shang Tang, the twentieth king of the Shang Dynasty.
According to the Revision of the Xia Shang Chronology, he reigned from 1300 BC to 1277 BC, a total of twenty-eight years, and was a very accomplished monarch.
When Pan Geng decided to move the capital, it was immediately opposed by most of the nobles. Whether the royal family or the nobility, they are very worried that after the capital is moved, will it weaken the privileges they enjoy?
Coupled with the fact that they have long adapted to the bustling and lively place, where are they willing to move to a deserted Northern Mongolia and start all over again?
In order to stop Pan Geng, some nobles incited the people to rise up against it, and for a time Pan Geng was gradually surrounded by opposition.
Even so, Pan Geng was determined to move the capital. In order to mobilize the relocation of the capital, he gathered the slave owners and nobles together and made an important lecture to show everyone the various advantages of moving the capital, and also cited the examples of "ancient my first king" and "scrupulous mandate of heaven", highlighting that the mandate of heaven cannot be disobeyed, the relocation is in accordance with the mandate of heaven, and the dissatisfaction is gradually calmed down.
The people of the slave society were very superstitious about theocracy, and Pan Geng's theory of the Mandate of Heaven did win the hearts of many people. In his speech, he rebuked the hundred officials for dereliction of duty and for not allowing the people to truly understand the long-term significance of moving the capital, so that everyone endangered themselves and caused trouble for no reason.
He then reprimanded the royal nobles for their pleasure-seeking and non-migration, and said that if they disobeyed the order to move the capital, they would be killed.
Finally, Pan Geng used a gentle tone to enlist the example of mutual trust and mutual assistance between the ancient monarchs and ministers, and the country was strong and the people were rich, hoping that the ministers could stand on his side and solve the current difficulties together.
This speech reflects the style of an ancient politician with foresight and courage.
Pan Geng's migration to Yin was a major event in the history of the Shang Dynasty, and there have always been different theories about the reasons for Pan Geng's migration to Yin.
In fact, the successive dynasties have moved their capitals, mainly affected by three aspects:
The first is the economy. By building the capital city in a place of economic development and rich products, the supply of materials for the ruling clique will be effectively guaranteed.
After Zhongding, the Shang royal family moved the capital several times. For example, Hejia moved to Xiang (Henan Neihuang Southeast), Zu Yi moved to Xing (East Wen County, Henan) and so on. It is said that before Pan Geng, it was moved five times. The reason for such frequent relocation of the capital cannot be definitively explained due to the lack of historical materials.
However, we can still be sure that the capital of the former Shang Dynasty before Pan Geng moved to Yin was in Qufu, Shandong, and Yin, which is today's Anyang, Henan. According to the Warring States Policy Wei Ce, Yin "left Mengmen and right Zhangdi, with a river in front and a mountain in the back." The Wei Dufu also said that Yin Xu "looked at Qi'ao in the south and Zhangdi in the north." ”
It can be seen that at that time, the Yellow River was only fifty miles away from Yin Ruins, and the Zhangshui and Ganshui in the north were not more than 40 or 50 miles away from Yindi.
Yindi, west of the Taihang Mountains, east of the Yellow River, south of the water, dripping water, north of Zhangshui, fresh water surrounded.
In ancient times, the natural geographical conditions here were very superior, not only can vigorously develop the economy, but also can well maintain national security, protect the interests of the people, can be described as offensive, retreat can be defended.
The ruins of Yin Ruins are about six kilometers long from east to west and about five kilometers wide from north to south, and the Huan River flows from the middle of it from northwest to southeast. Zongmiao Palace District is located near Xiaotun Village on the south bank of the Depression River, and the Wangling District is located on the north bank of the Henghe River houjiazhuang and the northwest of Wuguan Village. On both sides of the Huan River, there are many settlements, handicraft workshops and large cemeteries of the late Shang Dynasty, and about 150,000 or 60,000 pieces of oracle bones have been excavated, as well as a large number of bronzes, pottery, jade tools, bone tools and so on.
It can be seen that at that time, it was still very prosperous.
The second is geography. Building a capital in a dangerous place is conducive to maintaining the safety of the dynasty; building a capital in a place with developed transportation is conducive to the smooth flow of government decrees and the gathering of wealth.
The "Shang Shu Pan Geng" records that the reason for Pan Geng's relocation to Yin is: "Now our people are separated from their homes, and there is no fixed pole", that is, because the flood affects the displacement of the people, Pan Geng only moved the capital out of the consideration of the people's peaceful residence, which also reflects the reason for Pan Geng's relocation of the capital.
Qufu, the commercial capital before the capital was moved, was located on the southeast bank of the lower reaches of the Yellow River and was often flooded by the Yellow River.
According to the "Shang Shu Pan Geng" also recorded, before moving to Yin, Pan Geng patiently persuaded the people: "Before and after the ancient times, the cabinet was not only the guarantee of the people, but the green feeling was fresh, so as not to float in the sky." Yin surrendered to great abuse, and the former king did not harbor a lot of mischief, but regarded the people as using the move. "The gist is that in ancient times, our ancestors protected the people, and rarely moved against the sky. When my dynasty was hit by great calamities, the first king was uneasy. I felt the divine will of the first king and wanted to move the capital according to the method of the first king and in accordance with the interests of the people.
Among them, "catastrophe" should refer to the disaster brought by the flooding of the Yellow River to society, the country and the people.
Pan Geng also said: "Ru does not seek strength, but thinks of disasters, Ru birthday persuades worries, and now that he has this cabinet, Ru He is born on top." "The gist is that if you don't think long-term to get out of the disaster, you're left to fend for yourself. If you don't migrate, there will be only today and no tomorrow, and you will not be able to survive.
It can be seen that Pan Geng Qianyin mainly avoided natural disasters.
Finally, there is politics. It should be known that a strong dynasty generally built its capital near the front line of expanding the territory, or the place where external threats originated, which is conducive to the timely and effective handling of government affairs and military affairs.
The decaying dynasty, on the other hand, generally built its capital in the rear away from the threat, was able to survive. Some rulers have also moved the capital in order to get rid of the old forces and consolidate their dominance.
In fact, Pan Gengqian has a deeper reason. From Zhongding to Yangjia, five generations of nine kings before and after, there were many "disciples or competing for generations", known in history as the "Rebellion of the Ninth Dynasty".
By the time of Pan Geng's succession, political chaos was still very serious, and the class struggle was becoming more and more daylight. In order to save the political crisis, Pan Geng decided to move the capital again, and he chose yindi, which was "left Mengmen and right Zhangzhang, Fu, front belt river, back mountain", as the new capital.
Pan Geng took the throne in a chaotic world, could gain insight into the root causes of the country's chaos, and also experienced the sufferings of the people, and the Shang Dynasty was not far from its demise. In order to alleviate social contradictions, get rid of political difficulties, and save the decline of the Shang Dynasty, Pan Geng decided to abandon the already prosperous capital and choose a place where long-term development can revitalize the dynasty.
He sent people around to investigate, and when he went to Northern Mongolia (present-day Anyang, Henan), although sparsely populated and undeveloped, there was a rich water and soil, wild beasts in the mountains, fish and shrimp in the water, and the natural conditions were more suitable for being a capital city than the low-lying Yan, and moving the capital here could also curb the luxury of the nobility, ease class contradictions, and alleviate natural disasters.
Therefore, Pan Geng decided to move the capital to Northern Mongolia. Later, Northern Mongolia was renamed Yin, so it was also called "Pan Geng Qian Yin".
After moving the capital, when they arrived at the new place, the people were somewhat uncomfortable, and the nobles took the opportunity to coax and try to put pressure on Pan Geng. Pan Geng forcefully stopped this practice, and the "History of Yin Benji" records that after the capital was moved to Yin, Pan Geng "practiced the government of soup", restored the grand situation of "the people from Ning" and "princes to the dynasty", completely reversed the chaos caused by the "Rebellion of the Ninth Dynasty", the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, the society was rich and prosperous, and the declining Shang Dynasty was revived.