Zheng Zhuanggong, the third generation of zhengguo monarchs in the Spring and Autumn Period, during his reign, he worked hard to govern, domestic and foreign affairs have made achievements, Zheng Guo under his governance, thriving, became one of the "five hegemons" in the Spring and Autumn Period, and his power temporarily overwhelmed the Zhou Dynasty Tianzi. Later generations recorded many allusions to Zheng Zhuanggong, the most famous of which is "digging the ground to see the mother".
It is said that Zheng Zhuanggong's mother Wu Jiang had difficulty giving birth to Zheng Zhuanggong when she gave birth (the birth was not smooth), so she hated Zheng Zhuanggong very much at the beginning, but she was very fond of her other young son, Uncle Duan. Wu Jiang even persuaded Zheng Wugong, the monarch of the state of Zheng at the time, to change his uncle Duan to crown prince, but Zheng Wugong did not change his status because of his orderly longevity and childhood. After the death of Zheng Wugong, Zheng Zhuanggong took the throne, and Wu Jiang's "hatred" for Zheng Zhuanggong (the eldest son) had not diminished, and he was still deliberately trying to find him trouble.
On the one hand, Wu Jiang constantly asked Duke Zhengzhuang to expand the city for Shu duan and accumulate rebel forces for Shu Duan, and on the other hand, he instigated Shu Duan to rebel against Zheng Zhuang. Finally, Shu Duan launched a coup d'état according to the ambitions provoked by Wu Jiang.
However, the result disappointed Wu Jiang, and Zheng Zhuanggong destroyed Shu Duan's rebellion in one fell swoop, and Shu Duan finally fell into the fate of a soldier defeated and committed suicide.
After the chaos was quelled, Zheng Zhuanggong angrily said to his mother: "We will not see each other until we go to Huangquan!" ”
After a while, Zheng Zhuanggong suddenly regretted saying that to his mother, and at the suggestion of the minister, he met his mother through the way of "digging the ground to see the spring" and reconciled.
At this point in the story, it seems that what Zheng Zhuanggong did belongs to the category of "legitimate defense", and was forced by his mother and brother to do it step by step, but if you think about it carefully, there is still a lot of article in it.
First, the relationship with his mother Wu Jiang
First of all, how could Wu Jiang, as zheng Zhuanggong's biological mother, have such a great hatred for his son? As the king of a country, during the Spring and Autumn period under the rule of Zhou Tianzi, the etiquette teachings were highly valued by everyone, how could he not have a good practice to ease the contradiction between mother and son? Do we have to wait until everything is out of control before we can "meet each other at the Yellow Spring"?
The answer is that Zheng Zhuanggong knows that no matter how he is a mother, he will not be satisfied. Only by physically destroying the mother's last hope, can the royal power be truly consolidated.
Second, the laissez-faire of the younger brother duan
The eldest brother is the father, and Zheng Zhuanggong is also the king of a country. Why did he turn a blind eye to his brother's "transgressions"? Or did he deliberately allow him to carry out the conspiracy and wait until his brother really rebelled and then take it in one fell swoop? This can be corroborated when Zheng Zhuanggong and the chancellor talked about the behavior of Shu Duan in the early stages of the shuduan, using the description of "many acts of injustice will kill themselves". In the later period, when the Shuduan rebellion was suppressed, Zheng Zhuanggong was also "hand to hand", and effortlessly suppressed the rebellion.
So the real situation is that Zheng Zhuanggong knows that since his mother prefers his younger brother and wants his younger brother to seize his royal power, he simply lets this preference play to the extreme. "I can satisfy your 'improper' demands and increase the number of cities in Shuduan, but in these cities I have already arranged for my cronies to firmly control the soldiers and people in the city." Even if Shu Duan jumped out, no one would follow him, this was just a plan and means for me to let him perish, and I must first make him crazy. Wait until Shu Duan really commits a misdemeanor (rebellion) and then win it in one fell swoop. In this way, he not only stood on the moral high ground, but also maintained his reputation as a brother. This is probably the portrayal of Zheng Zhuanggong's true heart.
Third, do not see each other until the Yellow Spring
Zheng Zhuanggong, because of his anger at his mother, said that "I will not see each other until I do not see each other at Huangquan", and under the advice of the minister, "dig the ground to see the spring", is there also an element of "showmanship" here? The relationship between Zheng Zhuanggong and his mother was "incompatible" from the beginning, but at that time, Zhou Li asked everyone to honor their parents and care for their brothers and sisters. Since his brother was dead, his mother no longer had the capital to rely on, and he could no longer turn over any waves, Zheng Zhuang took the opportunity to find a step for himself and win a good reputation of filial piety.
Zheng Zhuanggong can be regarded as a promising prince in a small country such as Zheng Guo, which is "attacked on all sides", and Zheng Guo's national strength is booming under his leadership. It's just that Zheng Zhuanggong is really doing his best to deal with the relationship with his mother and brother. Just in response, "The most ruthless imperial family." He was not a good son and a good brother, but a competent politician.