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Chapter 187 Peasant Uprisings Throughout the Ages

These soldiers were well-trained and wore armor made of bronze and hardwood, with face guards on their faces, and a wooden battle tower on their backs. There was a halberd player and an archer on it, and two soldiers on each tower were shooting with crossbows from a distance.

The soldiers on the towers shot with bows and crossbows from a distance, and were forbidden to use long-handled bronze spears to kill the opponents. At the same time, they rode the war elephants and attacked the enemies with their trunks and tusks. There were always infantry following around the war elephants to protect them from attacks by the enemy infantry.

More than 1000 heavily armored war elephants formed an unprecedentedly large elephant army and charged at the enemy at the same time. In front of the most powerful elephant army ever possessed by the Central Plains Central Dynasty, the Dongyi soldiers were defeated and fled in all directions.

The Shang army won a decisive victory. The battle against the Dongyi was a long and arduous battle that took decades to decide, but the Shang Dynasty's territory doubled compared to before.

"Records of the Grand Historian" records that during the reign of Emperor Xin, the territory of the Shang Dynasty extended to Liaoning in the north, Jianghuai in Hubei in the south, Shaanxi in the west, and the coast in the east, almost laying the foundation for the territory of ancient China.

A thousand-mile embankment is destroyed by an ant hole, and a strong fortress is often breached from the inside. Two things that seemed small at the time would completely change the direction of the Shang Empire.

Emperor Xin captured numerous captives and valuables during his eastern expedition. Among the spoils from the State of Su was a woman with a well-proportioned figure and beautiful features who greatly pleased Emperor Xin.

This woman's name was Daji, and because she came from the Su clan, she was called Su Daji by later generations. Until Daji's extraordinary beauty, Emperor Xin was still a very ambitious and accomplished king.

Since Daji entered the palace, Emperor Xin began to indulge in sensual pleasures. At the same time, the Zhou Kingdom offered a large number of rare treasures and beautiful women in the world in exchange for their king Ji Chang.

Finally, after accepting all the gifts and a piece of land on the west bank of Luohe River, Emperor Xin released Ji Chang. After returning to the country, Ji Chang was determined to destroy the Shang Dynasty. On the surface, he submitted to the Shang Dynasty, but privately he was actively preparing for the destruction of the Shang Dynasty, sending troops to conquer, implementing benevolent policies, cultivating virtues, and recruiting talents from all over the world. Princes from all directions came to him one after another.

Famous scholars at that time, such as Boyi, Shuqi, Taidian, Hongyao, Sanyisheng, etc., all went to seek refuge with Ji Chang. It was not until Ji Chang met Jiang Ziya who was fishing by the Wei River that he began to conquer the Quanrong, Mishu, Ruan, Gong and other states in the northwest under his planning, eliminating the worries of advancing eastward, and then crossed the Yellow River.

He entered the southern part of Shanxi and the western part of Henan, destroyed the Li State located at the western foot of Taihang Mountain, and opened up the most important passage through Taihang Mountain. He could reach the capital of the Shang Dynasty to the east and the core area of ​​the Shang Dynasty, Heluo, to the south. He then moved the capital of Zhou from Qishan Zhouyuan to Weishuiyuan in the east and proclaimed himself king in Fengyi, known in history as King Wen of Zhou.

At this time, Emperor Xin was enjoying the peace and leisure after pacifying the Dongyi. He was invited to drink wine. He not only drank himself, but also held grand banquets when the princes came to pay homage, and required all participants to get drunk. After the guests were drunk, the scene was out of control and extremely chaotic, so that the Shang people began to disrespect the gods in the sacrificial ceremony, which was the most important part of the businessmen's life.

This episode was interpreted in The Investiture of the Gods as Emperor Xin getting drunk and writing obscene poems to tease Nuwa, who angrily replaced the three demons to disrupt the Shang Dynasty. However, Emperor Xin did love Daji very much and asked the musicians to create different music tunes for him, including the Beili Dance. This is the origin of the idiom "Mi Mi Zhi Yin". At this time, Zhou's plan to destroy the Shang Dynasty had reached its final stage.

In order to facilitate the attack on Chaoge, the capital of Shang, King Zhou Jifa moved the capital to Haojing on the east bank of the Fengshui River after he ascended the throne. After the move, Jifa led the army to Chaoge on the pretext of paying homage to King Wen's tomb. When the army arrived at Mengjin on the south bank of the Yellow River, 800 princes showed up without prior notice and expressed their willingness to support Jifa in attacking Chaoge.

At this time, Ji Fa had the people's support on the side of Zhou, and King Zhou of Shang was isolated and helpless, but he was not in a hurry to attack. After warning the princes that they did not know the will of heaven, he ordered the entire army to return to Haojing.

He was waiting for an opportunity. Soon, Ji Fa's accomplice in the Shang Dynasty reported to the west that the king's uncle Bigan had his chest cut out and his heart dug out, his uncle's wife pretended to be crazy and was imprisoned, and the king's brother Wei Ziqi fled and lived in seclusion. The people had complaints but no one dared to speak out. Masters Shao Shi and Jiang came to Ji Fa with their musical instruments and felt that the time to destroy the Shang Dynasty had come.

In 1046 BC, Ji Fa appointed Jiang Ziya as his commander and sent 5 troops across the Yellow River to the east. When the army arrived at Mengjin, 800 princes also led their troops to help.

King Wu held a swearing-in ceremony in Mengjin, and then led his army to the Shang capital Chaoge. They were unstoppable along the way, and soon reached Muye, which was only a short distance from Chaoge.

The two armies set up their battle array near Muye for a decisive battle. Until this time, Emperor Xin still believed that he was destined to be the king, but the result of the war shocked Emperor Xin and the whole world.

The Shang Dynasty army, which claimed to have 70 soldiers, was defeated by Ji Fa's army of only 5. It turned out that Emperor Xin's main force was still conquering the Dongyi at that time, and the so-called 70 soldiers in Chaoge were mostly slaves captured from various countries. In addition, the Shang Dynasty had Jiao, Ge and others who were planted by Ji Chang as internal supporters.

The army of Emperor Xin collapsed at the first blow. Not only did they fail to put up an effective resistance, they even turned against their own side and attacked Chaoge together with Ji Fa's army. Emperor Xin saw that the situation was hopeless and he was powerless to turn the tide, so he climbed up the terrace and burned himself to death.

In the end, General E Lai was killed in battle, and Ministers Fei Zhong and Da Ji were beheaded by Ji Fa. The Shang Dynasty, which had lasted for nearly 600 years, collapsed in an instant, and Emperor Xin's dream of building a great country was shattered. History records that King Wu conquered the Shang Dynasty.

However, the Shang Dynasty, which had been operating for hundreds of years, had a deep foundation and could not be destroyed overnight. Moreover, it was even more difficult for Ji Fa to rule such a large territory with the army of a small country.

Therefore, after the Battle of Muye, Ji Fa did not immediately kill all the royal family of the Shang Dynasty. Instead, he granted Wu Geng, the son of Emperor Xin, the land of Yin and let him govern the people of Yin. He also divided the royal capital of Shang into three kingdoms: Bei, Yong, and Wei, and let Ji Fa's brothers Guan Shuxian, Cai Shudu, and Huo Shuchu govern them respectively in order to monitor Wu Geng.

At the same time, in order to consolidate his power, Ji Fa appointed the royal family, meritorious officials and modern nobles to various places as princes, and appointed Shennong's descendants to Jiao, Huangdi's descendants to Ji, Yao's descendants to Zhu, Shun's descendants to Chen, Dayu's descendants to Qi. The above-mentioned Jiang Ziya was appointed to Qi, Zhou Gongdan was appointed to Lu, and Zhaogong's son was appointed to Yan.

Ji Fa planned to eventually form a situation where many princes would protect the Zhou royal family with the royal capital as the center through enfeoffment, and he planned to build the Zhou capital in the area between the Luo River and the Yi River, but he died before it could be built.

After Ji Fa's death, his son, King Cheng of Zhou, Ji Song, was still young, so Ji Fa's younger brother, Duke of Zhou, became regent. Cai Shudu, Guan Shuxian, and Huo Shuchu suspected that Duke of Zhou had usurped the throne, so they supported Wu Geng in a rebellion, which is known in history as the Rebellion of the Three Guards.

In 1039 BC, Duke Zhou of Zhou sent troops to the east to fight against the rebels in the name of King Cheng of Zhou. The rebellion was quickly put down, Wu Geng and Guan Shuxian were killed, and Cai Shudu was exiled. We don't know how Duke Zhou of Zhou put down Wu Geng's rebellion, but after that, the people of Yin in the Shang Dynasty capital were forcibly relocated, and the Shang capital became a ruin.

Therefore, later generations called it Yin Ruins. After three years of eastward expedition, the Zhou people were no longer a small country in the west, but a great country with its eastward sea, southward Huaihe River basin and northward Liaodong.

In 1039 BC, Duke Zhou moved the capital of the Zhou Dynasty to Luoyi, fulfilling Ji Fa's wish. The Nine Cauldrons were moved to Luoyi, and the Zhou Dynasty was established in the Central Plains. Since then, this vast fertile land has also had a name that has lasted for more than 3000 years - Huaxia.

[Which ancient peasant uprising was the strongest? Historical knowledge about Zhu Yuanzhang]

"Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species?" Since Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the demise of every dynasty in history has been inseparable from peasant uprisings. They used their poor and humble status to sound the death knell for the emperor's family empire.

"The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should be established", "Don't say that the stone man has only one eye, stir up the Yellow River and the whole world will rebel". So what are the famous peasant uprisings in history?

Although there were many peasant uprisings, why did most of them fail? In this video, let us take stock of the peasant uprisings in Chinese history.

First: Chen Sheng and Wu Guang Chen Sheng, a native of Yangcheng, made a living by farming for others when he was young. However, Chen Sheng was not willing to spend his life in mediocrity, but had great ambitions and hoped to become rich and powerful in the future.

He paid close attention to the political situation of the Qin Dynasty at that time and became a small civil servant of the Qin Dynasty - a village chief. In 209 BC, Qin II ordered the conscription of soldiers to guard the border, and Chen Sheng was also among them. Thus, he made friends with another village chief Wu Guang.

Wu Guang was from Yangxia. His early life was unknown, but he was friendly and had a good relationship with the soldiers. It happened to rain heavily and the roads were blocked. Seeing the risk of missing the deadline, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang decided to go all out and planned an uprising. Chen Sheng used books hidden in fish belly to build momentum, while Wu Guang tried to win over the soldiers. After everything was ready, Chen Sheng shouted from a high place: "Are kings, princes, generals and ministers of different races?"

This famous saying opened the curtain of the peasant uprising in 2000 and also sounded the death knell for the Qin Dynasty. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised the banner of Prince Fusu and the famous general Xiang Yan, proclaimed themselves generals, and successively captured Chen County and other places. After conquering Chen County, Chen Sheng proclaimed himself king and called himself Zhang Chu. All counties responded one after another, and for a time, the Qin Dynasty was in chaos.

Qin II ordered Zhang Han to recruit prisoners as soldiers and defeated Zhang Chu's army. Zhou Wen committed suicide, while Wu Guang was killed in internal strife. Zhang Chu's regime was full of intrigue and everyone was vying to be the king. As the leader, Chen Sheng became increasingly arrogant and complacent, which alienated everyone.

Soon Zhang Chu's army was defeated, and Chen Sheng was killed by his own driver. Three years later, the Qin Dynasty fell, and Liu Bang posthumously named Chen Sheng the King of Yin, and offered him sacrifices according to the treatment of a king or a prince.

Second place: Zhang Jiao "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should be established". In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, relatives of the emperor were in power, eunuchs were in chaos, and corvée labor was heavy. Zhang Jiao and his brothers Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang all believed in Taoism and knew some medical skills. They usually used talismans to treat people's illnesses, which attracted many believers.

Zhang Jue founded the Taiping Dao, preached the doctrine everywhere, and quickly won over a group of followers. In the eyes of modern people, Zhang Jue is just a charlatan who cheats people. However, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the study of prophecy and divination was popular. There were countless cases of princes, nobles, Confucian scholars and sorcerers using celestial phenomena to predict the future and achieve political goals.

In the days when people were still ignorant, Zhang Jue used the religious theory of celestial phenomena to gain popularity and legitimacy for his rebellion. In 184 AD, Zhang Jue called himself General Tian Gong and started an uprising with the slogan "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should be established, the year is Jiazi, and the world is auspicious." Because the followers all wore yellow scarves, it was called the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

In just one month, the war spread rapidly. Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty was horrified and hurriedly organized an army to suppress it. Although this chaos did not succeed in overthrowing the Han Dynasty, it opened the prelude to the Three Kingdoms era. Many heroes of the Three Kingdoms rose to prominence by suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

In order to suppress the rebellion, the Eastern Han Dynasty allowed the prefectures and counties to recruit soldiers on their own, which led to the separatism of various regions and the rise of many heroes. Soon Zhang Jue died of illness and the Yellow Turban Rebellion was suppressed, but the Han Dynasty also went to its demise after 400 years.

The third person: Huang Chao, the man who completely destroyed the Tang Dynasty. After the An-Shi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty went from prosperity to decline, with eunuchs monopolizing power inside and separatist regimes outside, barely maintaining a balance. But the emergence of Huang Chao's dynasty completely ended the Tang Dynasty.

Huang Chao was born in 820 AD in Heze, Shandong Province. He was not born in a poor family. His parents made a living by selling salt and his family was very well off. Huang Chao received a good cultural education when he was young. He was able to recite poems and write couplets, and was good at riding and shooting. He was considered to be both civil and military.

When Huang Chao grew up, he failed the imperial examinations many times, so he inherited his family business and became the leader of the salt gang. When Huang Chao was 35 years old, Wang Xianzhi's uprising broke out in Shandong, and Huang Chao gathered thousands of people to join Wang Xianzhi's camp.

The army quickly expanded to tens of thousands of people, sweeping across the country, and the government troops could not resist. So they promised to recruit Wang Xianzhi, which made Huang Chao very dissatisfied, and the two parted ways.

Soon, Wang Xianzhi died in battle, and Huang Chao proclaimed himself king in 878 AD. Huang Chao's attack on the Eastern Capital was blocked, so he accepted the amnesty and was appointed General of the Right Guard, but soon rebelled again. After fighting in many places, he finally occupied the Eastern Capital Luoyang in 880, and then occupied the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an. Tang Xizong fled to Sichuan, and Huang Chao proclaimed himself emperor and established the country named Da Qi.

However, the nobles and scholars in Chang'an did not buy into this rogue emperor. In addition, Huang Chao's army had poor discipline and plundered everywhere, so the people quickly lost their support. Not long after, the government army counterattacked and Huang Chao escaped from Chang'an. However, the government army's military discipline was only fifty steps away from Huang Chao's, and after entering the city, they also plundered everywhere.

Huang Chao took advantage of the fact that the government troops were off guard and reoccupied Chang'an, and then killed all the people who welcomed the government troops. In 883 AD, Huang Chao fled Chang'an with 15 troops, continued to fight on the move, and committed suicide after his defeat the following year. It is worth mentioning that one of Huang Chao's men accepted the amnesty and ended the Li Tang dynasty 20 years later.

Fourth place: Song Jiang Compared with the previous ones, Song Jiang is not very famous in history, but due to the wonderful interpretation of "Water Margin", one of the four great masterpieces, Song Jiang, the leader of the peasant uprising in the Northern Song Dynasty, became a household name.

So what kind of person was Song Jiang in history? Which of the Liangshan heroes actually existed?

In history, Song Jiang was the leader of the rebel army during the Xuanhe period of the Northern Song Dynasty. He started his career in Huainan and led 36 men to sweep across the four directions. He was unable to defeat the tens of thousands of government troops. Therefore, the Northern Song Dynasty court wanted to recruit Song Jiang and let him attack Fang La.