introduction:
Rivers have a very important significance in both ancient and modern times, especially in ancient times, because the ancient traffic is inconvenient, then the transportation of goods has a lot of inconvenience, and the land carriage transportation is also very limited, not only the amount of transport is small, and the items that can be transported are also limited, so the river has become a good choice. Looking at the development and economic centers of various dynasties, we can see that it is developing around the river, and in some places we can even see that in ancient times it was already a mature port.
Since rivers are so important, the battle for rivers has become an important thing in all dynasties. Moreover, the success of the competition can be well used, and it has become a concern of the rulers, so the canal has emerged. The history of the canal can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period, and was formed in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Speaking of the canal, we have to mention the ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, because this is not only the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient working people, but also its construction has also endured hardships. Tracing back to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, we must first understand a person, yes, that is, the Sui Emperor who was considered absurd and tyrannical in history - Yang Guang, after all, part of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was ordered by Yang Guang. Understanding that the Sui And Tang Emperor built the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, then we have to look at the entire Sui Dynasty, after all, only a strong national strength, national stability, and economic prosperity can operate such a large project.
Before the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, the Central Plains region was in a period of chaos, that is, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the period of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the war between countries, the relationship between people was also very indifferent, so there was an endless number of cruel dramas, politics was also extremely chaotic, and this is not the regime of the Han people, the status of the Han people in this period is also very low. Under such circumstances, Yang Jian established the Sui Dynasty and regained control of the Central Plains into the hands of the Han Chinese. So how did Yang Jian establish sui? It was because Yang Jian married the daughter of the LoneLy Family, and did not follow anyone in the chaotic political situation of Northern Zhou, which also made the deeply suppressed Northern Zhou Xuan Emperor extremely trust him, because Yang Jian was intelligent and loyal, and he was not yet a supporter of any family power struggle in the nobility at that time. It was also because of Emperor Xuan's trust that Yang Jian's own fate was turned.
Moreover, at that time in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Yuwen family was too powerful, which caused the emperor's dissatisfaction, so he planned step by step to disperse the strength of the Yuwen family, and after the complete dispersion, the Yuwen family was not worth mentioning. After Emperor Xuan became seriously ill, he wanted to recall some of the forces of the Yuwen family, but the chancellor was afraid of being settled by the Yuwen family, after all, some ministers had been helping at the time of the suppression, so in order to save themselves, they issued a false order to let Yang Jian assist in participating in politics. This also gave Yang Jian the opportunity to reach the center of power.
These people let Yang Jian assist the government in fact to control Yang Jian and let Yang Jian act as a puppet. But we know that Yang Jian is a thoughtful, capable, and ambitious person, how can he be willing to be a puppet of others, so he did not completely follow the arrangements of these ministers, but had his own methods, and he already had plans during the period of Yuwen Hu's dictatorship, and he lay dormant for so long, just waiting for an opportunity to hold power in his hands, so he took the opportunity to cultivate a group of his own confidants, and finally succeeded in becoming emperor.
After Yang Jian's success, a series of reforms were carried out. And he understood the importance of the people to the regime, so he loved the people like a son and treated them kindly and kindly. He also did not relent in the slightest against those who did not support him, and executed them outright in order to establish his prestige. For the selection of talents, we did not look at the relatives and alienations, but looked at the real talents and practical learning, and selected really useful people for the Sui Dynasty. It also revised the overly harsh criminal law of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and also unified the Central Plains, ending the centuries-old division of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. It also promotes Han culture and ensures the inheritance of Han culture. It was precisely because of Yang Jian's series of means that the Sui Dynasty developed and grew, the economy prospered, and laid the foundation for Yang Guang's later construction of the Grand Canal.
Yang Guang ascended the throne
Understanding the history of the Sui Dynasty, we all know that Yang Guang is yang Jian's second son, according to the ancient inheritance system of the eldest son, then Yang Guang is not the first heir of Yang Jian, so how did Yang Jian ascend to the throne? Yang Guang was crowned king of Jin at the age of thirteen, and as Yang Guang grew up, he also coveted the position of prince. When he learned that his brother was not liked by his parents as a prince, he had a plan. First deliberately won the favor of his parents, and then he stoicized and endured, and finally succeeded in obtaining the position of prince. Worthy of being Yang Jian's son, the strategies of both father and son are the same, and those who can become great things will be able to endure what ordinary people cannot tolerate.
In addition to Yang Guang's own wisdom, the crown prince Yang Yong also has certain reasons. First of all, he caused Yang Jian's suspicion because of his incessant exhortations; secondly, Yang Yong loved the concubines and did not love his wife, which also led to the untimely death of his wife, which made his mother very annoying. After all, dugu's jealousy of Yang Jian's harem is recorded in the annals of history, so in the face of Yang Yong, who also does not love his wife and concubines, how does dugu clan like it. Such a two-sided attack, Yang Yong will definitely be abolished. Yang Jian, on the other hand, pretended to be in love with the princess and hid all the concubines, so he got the favor of his father and mother. Therefore, in 600 AD, the Sui Emperor Yang Jian abolished yang Yong's position as crown prince with a generous personality and did not know how to use clever words, and made Yang Guang the crown prince.
Yang Guang still has some small cleverness, and after becoming the prince, he behaves more cautiously, for fear of being caught by others. It was not until emperor Yang Jian of Sui fell ill that he revealed his true face. Even his father's concubine had delusions, and when Yang Jian found out, it was too late, and the real power in the court was completely controlled by Yang Guang, and Yang Jian died in anger. After Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, he also executed Yang Yong and even his entire family, which was a great drama of fratricide. Although Yang Jian is a Han Chinese, after all, he has been influenced by the Xianbei ethnic group for several years, and Yang Guang has also been influenced by the Xianbei culture since he was a child, and the Xianbei does not pay much attention to the ethics of family affection, so for the Central Plains people, Yang Guang does not read it at all, and kills his own brother. Yang Guang's title of emperor also had the right to build the Grand Canal.
Construction of the Grand Canal
Although the construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has always been considered an important reason for the demise of the Sui Dynasty, it is also the fastest dynasty to destroy the country except for the Qin Dynasty. However, during the Sui and Tang dynasties, the construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal still had a very important significance for ancient China. When the Sui Emperor ascended the throne, the national strength of the Sui Dynasty was very strong. But before the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, it was divided, so it led to an important problem, the division of the political center and the economic center. Although the political center of the Sui Dynasty was still in the north, the economic center moved to the south, so the Sui Dynasty was faced with the problem of how to connect the north and the south and allocate the materials from the south to the north, because the wealth was too large, which would inevitably lead to the growth of local power, so connecting the north and the south, allocating materials, and consolidating the rule became the top priority of the Sui Emperor Yang Guang.
Different from modern times, there are many modes of transportation, such as: aircraft, railways, roads, etc., and the modern transportation volume is also very large. Ancient mode of transportation is only land transport and river transport, ancient land transport is people with horses to load goods, such a loading quantity is not only small and low safety factor, there is a problem is that the consumption of people and horses in the transportation process is also very large.
And the materials that the Sui Dynasty Emperor Yang Guang wanted to allocate were definitely not feasible by land transportation. Compared with land transport, river transport naturally became the choice of the ancients, and also became the choice of the Sui Emperor. Moreover, the shipbuilding technology during the Sui Dynasty also developed, which also ensured the development of river transportation to a certain extent. However, there was another problem with river transportation, that is, it was too small or the problem of water flow, and the Sui Emperor Yang Guang obviously also considered such a problem, so in order to solve the material problem of the Sui Dynasty and also to connect the economy of the north and the south, the Sui Emperor decided to dig a canal on the basis of the previously existing canal, so that the complete Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was formed.
The construction of water conservancy projects has always been regarded as a top priority, although whether it is to build embankments or dig canals, the short-term results are little, but the benefits to future generations are endless, such as Li Bing's Dujiangyan, which has played an important role until now. It can be seen that the construction of water conservancy projects requires a person with great foresight to think of it, and the construction of water conservancy projects will encounter many difficulties, and only by not being afraid of hardships and dangers can they do it. Most importantly, the excavation of such a large project as the Grand Canal required great financial and material resources, and it just so happened that the Sui Dynasty had such a foundation since yang Jian was established, coupled with the dictatorial style of the Sui Emperor, so the Sui and Tang Grand Canal was built.
The Sui-Tang Grand Canal, from Beijing to Hangzhou in the south, passes through six provinces on the way, connecting five major water systems, and has to be said to be a very intelligent project. Through the Sui and Tang Dynasties Grand Canal, grain and commodities from the south can also be transported to the north, which solves the grain problem in the north, realizes the effective exchange of economies between the north and the south, and also solves the problem of lack of waterways in the north and south. In addition to the practical significance, there is also the Fact that the Sui Dynasty seems to have achieved a great unification, but there is still a struggle for power, so it is still very difficult to achieve true unification. Therefore, in order to unify the ethnic minorities in the north, the north has a large number of troops, but the grain in the north cannot be satisfied, so it needs to be transported from the south. The choice of land transport is small and slow, so this has also become the condition for the excavation of the Grand Canal.
The benefits of construction
It is now clear that there are many benefits to building the Grand Canal. First, the connection between the north and the south was strengthened, which facilitated the control of the Sui rulers over the south. As mentioned earlier, the Sui Dynasty was a chaotic and divided situation before, even if the Sui Dynasty achieved superficial unification, but the rift between the north and the south has existed for hundreds of years, and it cannot be eliminated for a while, coupled with the inconvenience of transportation and exchange between the north and the south, which makes the whole country lack cohesion, then the country cannot be stable. Therefore, moving the capital to Luoyang to build the Grand Canal is a historical necessity, which is convenient for the management of the north and the south, and can also eliminate the estrangement between the north and the south for hundreds of years because it connects the north and the south, and complete the real unification, whether on the surface or inside, can be unified.
Second, to achieve the mutual balance of power, the power of the northern family during the Sui Dynasty was too large, and it should be known that the family power can even affect the rise and fall of a dynasty, so such a powerful family power has threatened the Sui Emperor Yang Guang. As we all know, governing the country emphasizes the checks and balances of power, so if the northern forces are too large, then let the emerging forces in the south check it. The construction of the Grand Canal and the opening of scientific expeditions laid the foundation for the Sui Dynasty to introduce new forces from the south. At the same time, it can also strengthen north-south exchanges.
Third, the Sui Dynasty was preceded by chaotic dynasties, so the Sui Dynasty was a period of great national integration, and the Grand Canal could strengthen the exchange of national cultures. Whether it is the ethnic minorities in the Central Plains, the North or the Ethnic Minorities in the South, they can get cultural exchanges. Through the Grand Canal, each other's cultures have been brought to each other's regions, achieving real integration and development, and making Chinese civilization more diversified, making Chinese civilization more brilliant, and achieving common prosperity between nationalities and regions.
Disadvantages of construction
However, such a large project, even if it had the strength and ability to build at that time, there would still be many deficiencies. Otherwise, the Sui Dynasty Emperor Yang Guang would not have fallen into an absurd and unscrupulous name. Therefore, at that time, the Sui Dynasty built the Sui and Tang Grand Canals, which had many drawbacks. First, the labor loss is excessive. The total length of the entire canal is about 1700 kilometers, so this project is very large, even in modern times, it is still difficult to build. However, at that time, the engineering conditions were extremely poor, and without the help of so many modern tools, the Grand Canal was completed in ten years, so we have to think about how much labor was invested in it at that time.
From the records of the Book of Sui, we can know that the construction of the entire canal was requisitioned by more than 2 million people, of which more than 1.8 million were men, and at that time, men were the main labor force produced by the family, so many men were requisitioned, then millions of families would lose their main labor force, so what about the grain production of these families? This would also lead to low productivity throughout the Sui Dynasty, thus fundamentally laying hidden dangers. Moreover, these people suffered in the process of construction, how many people sacrificed in the process of construction, so hard work and wealth, so oppressive of the people, but also made the rule of the Sui Dynasty precarious.
Second, at that time, the war in the north was continuous, the people were already in deep trouble, and it was really difficult for the strong to build the Grand Canal that labored the people and hurt their wealth. The war was constantly mainly during the reign of the Sui Emperor, who launched many wars, the most famous of which was the war against Goguryeo. And three times in a row, not getting much benefit. And in these wars, the strength of the battle mainly comes from the people, which makes the people even more miserable. After the war, the Construction of such a tiring Grand Canal made the people accumulate a wave of resentment and became a hidden danger to the Sui Dynasty.
Three, although we look at the Sui and Tang Grand Canal in modern times, have important significance. Perhaps Yang Guang also thought of these aspects at that time, but Yang Guang built the Sui and Tang Grand Canal more for the purpose of coveting pleasure and showing off himself. You must know that Yang Guang has been called emperor for many years, and the time he was really in the capital was only three years. It shows that he has always coveted pleasure and just wants to play everywhere. With the blood and sweat of the people to pave the way for themselves, how could the Sui Dynasty not be destroyed at the hands of Yang Guang.
The Grand Canal does have great significance for later dynasties and dynasties, especially for the development of China's ancient commodity economy, but this cannot deny some of the mistakes made by Yang Guang. Some people once said that the Sui Emperor built the Grand Canal to listen to the rumors of the villains, completely for his own selfish interests. However, being able to obtain the position of crown prince from an early age, and later being able to directly grasp the real power of the DPRK and China across his father, it can be seen that he still has his own strategy. Moreover, the rulers of successive dynasties have issued new decrees in order to strengthen the centralization of power and consolidate their rule, so the construction of the Grand Canal is actually a decision made by Yang Guang for his own rule.
Although the Sui Emperor was clever, it was too radical, and many things were promoted at the same time as the construction of the Grand Canal, rather than advancing step by step, waiting until people accepted one item and then advancing the next item, so that although the process was slow, it could appease the people's hearts, and Yang Guang would not be difficult to ride the tiger. Therefore, although the construction of the Grand Canal did not have any significance at that time, it did have great significance for the development of the entire history of China. The construction of the Grand Canal can be said in a familiar saying: "Sin is in the world, and profit is in the thousands."
Therefore, for the Sui Emperor, we cannot judge the good or bad in general, because most of the kings in history have two sides, and their choice is only the promotion of history. As Tang Shiyun said: "The Sui Dynasty died in this river, and it has been thousands of miles to lai Tongbo." If there is no water temple dragon boat matter, there is not much gongyu on theory."
Reference materials: "Water Conservancy Collection", "Book of Sui", "Huaigu of the Bian River"