What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
From the beginning of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the self-proclaimed "朕" as a self-proclaimed, sitting on the dragon chair, and accepting ceremonies such as the surrender of his subjects to the mountain and shouting long live have become the "standard" of successive emperors, even those who steal trumpets and entertain themselves. However, there are exceptions to everything, and there is a founding prince who is extremely "modest", although he has ascended to the foundation of the country, he does not dare to call himself a "degenerate", does not dare to sit on the dragon chair, and only 33 days as an emperor, he roars and gives way, which is really unbelievable. This person was the pseudo-Chu emperor Zhang Bangchang.
Zhang Bangchang, zi neng, ancestral home of Nanyang Xi'e County, born in Yongjing Army Dongguang County, jinshi birth, although knowledgeable, but timid and cowardly. After Zhang Bangchang stepped into his career, he was attached to the powerful ministers Wang Yi and Cai Jing, so he was promoted many times, and successively served as Shangshu Right Cheng, Shangshu Zuo Cheng, Zhongshu Shilang, and Shaozai in the Huizong Dynasty, and finally climbed to the high position of prime minister (Dazai and Menxia Shilang). However, just when Zhang Bangchang was a very popular subject, there was a "Jingkang Change" that led to the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Portrait of Emperor Huizong of Song
After the "Jing Kang Revolution", the father and son of Emperor Huizong of Song and Emperor Qinzong, together with all the members of the imperial family (only King Zhao of Kang escaped by chance), concubines, and public secretaries and officials were all escorted to the northeast by Jin Bing, and the property in Kaifeng City was also looted. However, although the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty, it knew that with its own level of governance, it could not rule the Central Plains at all, and the only feasible strategy was to support the puppet regime. After careful screening, the commander of the Jin Army, Yan Zongwang, finally decided that Zhang Bangchang would bear the "heavy responsibility".
The reason why Yan Zongwang chose Zhang Bangchang as a puppet emperor was nothing more than that he felt that he was timid and obedient, and he was very relieved to use it (Zhang Bangchang had previously sent an envoy to Jinying with Zhao, and his cowardly personality left a deep impression on Yan Zongwang). However, in Zhang Bangchang's view, it is a felony to claim that the emperor is an unforgivable felony, and it is to do things for the Jin people, which will not only be punctured by the soldiers and civilians of the Central Plains, but also have the worry of extinction. Therefore, Zhang Bangchang rejected Yan Zongwang's proposal and pretended to be sick and hunger striked for this, hoping that Jin Guo could change someone to be a puppet.
Finish Yan Zongwang
When Emperor Yanzong saw that Zhang Bangchang did not know how to lift, he let out a wind and prepared to slaughter Kaifeng when he was ashamed and angry. Most of the Song dynasty vassals were so frightened that they demanded that Zhang Bangchang accede to Jin Guo's request, but only a few people, such as Qin Ju, strongly opposed it. Zhang Bangchang, who was under pressure from both internal and external sources, had no choice but to accept the request of the Jin State and ascended the throne on March 7, 1127, the second year of Jing Kang (1127), with the name of Dachu and the historical title of Pseudo-Chu (for details, see Dajin Guozhi, vol. 30).
Although he was the founding prince of the country, Zhang Bangchang did not feel the happiness of being an emperor at all, and he knew that the emperor was not coming from the right path, and it was impossible to get the heartfelt support of the military and people of the Central Plains. Therefore, in order to leave a "back road" for himself, Zhang Bangchang adopted a perfunctory attitude towards the Jin Kingdom, although he reluctantly called the emperor the founding of the country, he did not dare to lay out the emperor's genealogy at all, and adopted a demoralized treatment of all the prestige of the Son of Heaven.
Zhang Bangchang
According to the Chronicle of the Great Golden Kingdom, after Zhang Bangchang established the state, he did not dare to use the emperor's self-designation - "朕", but used the self-designation of the princes as "giving", and the orders issued did not dare to use the word "edict", but called it "face purpose". In addition, when Zhang Bangchang ascended to the court, he did not dare to sit on the dragon chair, did not dare to discuss matters in the main hall, did not dare to accept the mountain call of his subordinates, did not dare to live in the palace of the Son of Heaven, and even posted a seal at the door of the main palace, with the words "Zhang Bangchang respectfully sealed" written on it to show his duty to keep the courtiers.
For Zhang Bangchang's approach, Instead of feeling unhappy, Emperor Yan zongwang mistakenly believed that he was scrupulously abiding by the duty of a puppet emperor and did not dare to use the same prestige as the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, so he was repeatedly rewarded for him. However, when Emperor Yanzong led his army out of the Central Plains on the front foot, Zhang Bangchang invited the deposed Meng Shi (Song Huizong's sister-in-law) of the Zhezong Dynasty to come out on the back foot, let her preside over the overall situation, and welcomed the Kang king Zhao Shuo (Song Gaozong) as emperor. On April 10 of the same year, Zhang Bangchang officially abdicated, and the pseudo-Chu dynasty, which had only been established for 33 days, perished.
Portrait of Li Gang
After Emperor Gaozong of Song came to power, he was grateful for Zhang Bangchang's merits and was very satisfied with his performance of keeping his courtesies, so instead of pursuing Zhang Bangchang's crime of claiming to be emperor, he was made taibao and the king of Tong'an County, and the courtesy was very generous. However, the "main battle faction" headed by Prime Minister Li Gang hated Zhang Bangchang to the bone, believing that he was attached to the Jin State and willing to be a traitor, and that not killing him was enough to make the people angry.
Faced with the situation that all the dynasties could be killed, Emperor Gaozong of Song had no choice but to make a compromise and demote Zhang Bangchang to the post of deputy envoy of the Zhaohua Army and send him to Tanzhou for resettlement. Soon, Zhang Bangchang's affair with Lady Jinggong of Huaguo (a concubine of Emperor Huizong of Song) was exposed, and although it was passive, it still embarrassed Emperor Gaozong of Song. Therefore, not long after Zhang Bangchang arrived in Tanzhou, he was given the right to die at the local official office at the age of 47 (for details, see Song Shi Vol. 475).
Emperor Gaozong of Song zhao
To be fair, the reason why Zhang Bangchang acted as a puppet of the Jin Dynasty was originally to protect the military and civilians of Kaifeng from slaughter, which can be described as a great deal. At the same time, during his reign, Zhang Bangchang always observed the courtesy of his subjects and did not dare to trespass, and after the withdrawal of the Jin Dynasty, he welcomed Emperor Gaozong of Song to the throne, and he had fulfilled all the responsibilities that a courtier could do, and his performance was blameless. However, even if Zhang Bangchang is so cautious and careful, he still can't avoid being killed, which may be his fate?