The most bullish old man in history, Duguxin is definitely the first one.
The three daughters entered the royal family in the Zhou, Sui, and Tang dynasties, and they were all queens, which has never been seen since ancient times.
The eldest daughter Dugu, Empress Yuwenyu of the Ming Emperor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, was nicknamed Mingjing; The fourth daughter Dugu, the mother of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, was posthumously crowned Empress Yuanzhen; The seventh daughter Dugu Jialuo, the wife of Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian, is the first queen of the "Two Saints in the Dynasty" in history.
The reason why I didn't say that I didn't run away is because there is one more person in history after the three women.
Fu Yanqing in the fifth dynasty was also the queen of the three daughters, two married to Chai Rong of Zhou Shizong, and one married Zhao Guangyi of Song Taizong, but it was still slightly inferior to Duguxin's three dynasties and three queens.
So how did Dugu Xin choose a son-in-law? Is the vision too vicious? Or is it the times?
The lone lonely man in the army in troubled times
Dugu Xin, at a glance at this very "Northern Dynasty characteristics" name, you know that non-Han descendants, the Dugu family was originally descendants of the Xiongnu, the original surname Liu (this is actually the Huns' use of the Han Dynasty's surname, Liu Yuan, the founding emperor of the Han Zhao Dynasty), after the war of the Sixteen Kingdoms, changed his surname to Dugu, and became an ally of the Xianbei Tuoba Department, intermarrying with it from generation to generation.
However, as a relative, he did not enjoy the "welfare" of the founding of the Tuoba Ministry, but because of his participation in the internal power struggle, he met with the founding emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Jue, and paid a heavy price for this - after the defeat, he became the private "household" of the Tuoba clan.
It was not until the peaceful years (460-465) that Dugu Xin's grandfather Dugu Jini came to Wuchuan Town, one of the six towns on the border, to defend it, and the Dugu family got rid of the situation of being slaves and maids.
Although after the reform of Emperor Xiaowen, the Northern Wei Dynasty emphasized literature and military affairs, but after all, the soldiers of the six towns were still regarded as the ministers of the "humerus minions" by the imperial court, and the status of the Dugu family was still much higher.
By Duguxin's father's generation, he was already the local chieftain of the people, although it is difficult to verify which level it belongs to (the chiefs of the people are divided into the first, second, and third levels), but it is certain that the Dugu family is already a local leader in Wuchuan Town and has a strong influence.
In such an environment, Dugu Xin grew into an atmospheric, elegant, and righteous witty young man, at this time his name was still Dugu Ruwish, and met a large number of young talents, such as Yu Wentai, He Batyue, He Batsheng brothers.
In the fourth year of Zhengguang of the Northern Wei Dynasty (523), Rouran, who was short of food and clothing, invaded the south and ransacked the six towns.
The people of the Six Towns, who were already living below the poverty line, were now being plundered by Rouran, and after asking the military for relief to no avail, they rose up one after another, and the Six Towns Uprising broke out.
At the beginning, Dugu participated in the rebel army led by He Badu, the father of He Bayue, and Yuwenqiu, the father of Yuwentai, and formed a village to protect himself, but as the displaced people led by Du Luo Zhou and Xian Yu Xiuli swept through Wuchuan Town, Dugu was forced to serve Ge Rong with many heroes in the later period of the Northern Dynasties, such as Gao Huan and Yuwentai.
In Ge Rongjun, Dugu became a star general as he wished, not because he had made many great achievements, but because he was "a young man, good at self-grooming, his uniform is different from the others, and his military name is Dugu Lang".
To put it simply, he is a beautiful young man and pays great attention to appearance.
At that time, this was indeed a maverick, in the rebel army, the war was continuous, and the soldiers were either disgraced or had dishes on their faces, and his behavior, which paid attention to appearance, was at best an external manifestation of "revolutionary optimism", and at worst it was grandstanding and flashy Wei and Jin demeanor.
But in any case, his deliberate embellishment was still spread by ten or ten hundreds, and Dugu became the "beautiful son of the world" in that era.
Dangerous visitors
In this way, Dugu stayed in Ge Rong's army until the first year of Yong'an (528), until Ge Rong was defeated by Er Zhurong.
Er Zhurong incorporated Ge Rong's troops, and Dugu Ruyi, like other generals, was attached to Er Zhurong, and then fought in all directions, and was promoted to Jingzhou Xinye County because of his military merits.
Soon, He Batsheng, a general who was also born in Wuchuan and had a comradeship with Dugu Ruyi, also left Jingzhou and served as the highest military and political chief on the Jingzhou front.
After He Batsheng arrived, the above table requested the appointment of Dugu as the governor of Jingzhou Fangcheng and the county guard of Nanxiang, the two fought side by side in Jingzhou, and the cooperation was quite good, and Dugu also became the most powerful and trusted person under He Batsheng, and thus entered the core of the "Wuchuan Military Group".
As the name suggests, the Wuchuan Military Group is a military and political group dominated by Wuchuan soldiers, which was initiated by He Batsheng's third brother He Batyue, and is the predecessor of the Guanlong Group, mainly responsible for the management of Guanzhong and the counties west of Guanzhong and the transfer of troops and horses.
On the other hand, the "Huaishuo Military Group" is a military and political group formed by a group of generals from Huaishuo Town as the core, combined with the wealthy clans of Shandong and Hebei, and the leader is Gao Huan.
In the third year of Yong'an (530), with the killing of Erzhurong and the lack of successors of the Erzhu clan, the two military and political groups became increasingly independent, and relations began to be tense.
Soon, the powerful Gao Huan wrestled with Emperor Xiaowu for power, and Emperor Xiaowu, who did not want to become a puppet, wanted to use He Batyue to confront him. The scheming Gao Huan knew this, so he provoked a power struggle within Kansai and instigated Hou Mo Chen Yue to attack and kill He Bayue at the banquet.
He Basheng was shocked when he heard the news, but he was responsible for guarding Jingzhou, and he couldn't take time to go to Guanzhong to preside over the overall situation, so he ordered Dugu to go to "comfort" his brother's subordinates as he wished.
It can be said that this is a signal that He Batsheng intends to carry out "remote control" of He Batyue's department in Guanzhong.
However, his arrangement was a beat slower. As early as when He Batyue was alive, Yu Wentai, who was also born in Wuchuan, had already established his prestige in Guanzhong and became He Batyue's most trusted subordinate.
Therefore, as soon as He Bayue was killed, Yuwentai seized the supreme command of Kansai with the support of the two governors, Ko Luo and Zhao Gui, and stabilized the Wuchuan group by virtue of his attack on Hou Mo Chen Yue.
By the time Dugu arrived in Guanzhong as he wished, his identity was already very embarrassing, unless he could get rid of Yuwentai by extraordinary means. But with Yuwentai's shrewdness, he naturally will not let the latter have a chance to "get his wish". Therefore, in desperation, Dugu got his wish, and there was only the moral task of comforting and compensating He Bayue's family.
The record of this incident in the history books is very brief: "Taizu has commanded the Yue soldiers, and the letter is friendly with Taizu in the township, and they are very happy to see each other." ”
Both of them were born in Wuchuan, and they were acquaintances, so they had a good relationship, so they were very happy to meet - of course, this is just a record in the history books, and it is unknown what is behind it.
Next, Yuwentai asked Dugu to go to Luoyang to meet the emperor as he wished, and reported the situation in Guanzhong - this is to deliberately separate him, even if Dugu has no intention of sabotaging it, but in the chaotic situation, it is also appropriate to be a little wary of him.
However, Dugu's wish has deepened the gap between the two.
Because, when he rushed to Luoyang with Yuwentai's order, he was ordered to return to Jingzhou by the ambassador Yuan Bi in Yongzhou.
Desertion halfway, although it can be explained by the inviolability of the court, but it will also make Yuwentai have other associations - is Dugu in a hurry to go back to report to He Batsheng, and then think about the next move together?
Perhaps, it was this episode that made Dugu freeze the image of "not his own person" in Yuwentai's heart, and because of this, the two of them did not establish enough trust in their lives. Although the influence of the Ho Bats clan disappeared in the future, the dangerous role that Dugu played as he wished that day would always make Yu Wentai feel uncomfortable.
The last loyal servant
Soon after Dugu returned to Jingzhou as he wished, the rift between Emperor Xiaowu and Gao Huan was revealed, and the two sides mobilized their armies to prepare for a big battle.
At that time, the Guanxi warlord that Emperor Xiaowu relied on, He Bayue, was dead, Yuwentai had just succeeded as the military leader of Wuchuan, and he did not really plan to go to Luoyang to support the emperor, and the army under Emperor Xiaowu's own control could not confront the Xianbei iron cavalry who was brave and good at fighting.
Fighting for all possible forces has become the top priority in front of Emperor Xiaowu.
Emperor Xiaowu first thought of Dugu as he wished, and he had already heard of this prestigious "Dugu Lang"; He Batsheng's trust in Dugu as he wished, he also saw it in his eyes; What's more, Dugu is the envoy sent by He Batsheng to Guanxi to appease He Batyue's old department, and if he is wooed, he can deter Yuwentai, who has been dragging and not sending troops.
Emperor Xiaowu, who is well versed in the art of power, wants to use Dugu's wish as a breakthrough and let the Wuchuan Group be used for his own use.
So, he summoned Dugu to enter the court as he wished to entrust him with a heavy task, and comforted him, Dugu was also grateful to Dade as he wished, and regarded Emperor Xiaowu as a wise monarch worthy of assistance.
However, this deepened the estrangement between Dugu and Yuwentai - Yuwentai is the new master of Kansai, why do you want to get so close to Emperor Xiaowu? Yuwentai has chosen to stand still, why do you still show your determination to be loyal to the emperor?
It can be said that Dugu once again walked into Yuwentai's psychological minefield.
In 534 AD, Emperor Xiaowu finally met with Gao Huan's soldiers, but after a hasty battle, he could not form an army, and could only flee westward in a hurry, because he fled in a hurry, many courtiers did not know, even if they knew that they would abandon him as if they were afraid, and Dugu Ruyi was willing to leave his family behind and go to follow alone.
Emperor Xiaowu was greatly moved, and personally gave him a royal horse, and promoted him to the prince of Fuyang County, and ate thousands of households.
Before Emperor Xiaowu and Gao Huan went to war, he had recruited He Basheng to join the king of Luoyang Qin, but the latter also had the same mind as Yuwentai, not wanting to let his army become a victim, but wanting to take advantage of the competition between the snipe and the clam to reap the benefits of the fisherman. But just as he was practicing delaying tactics and stop-and-go, Emperor Xiaowu had already fled westward in defeat.
He Batsheng was shocked when he heard the news, and quickly returned to Jingzhou, wanting to stick to his lair and then counterattack the Central Plains. However, all this is in Gao Huan's calculations. Soon after he returned, Hou Jing arrived with a large army.
He Batsheng was waiting for the battle, but Gao Huan instigated the civil strife in Jingzhou, and the people in the state captured He Batsheng's subordinates and led Hou Jing into the city, He Batsheng personally attacked, and was also defeated by Hou Jing.
He Batsheng lost his foundation and had to flee to the Southern Dynasty and temporarily live with Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang.
After Emperor Xiaowu entered the pass, Gao Huan still pursued relentlessly, captured Tongguan, and forced Chang'an. Yuwentai is not an idle person, the two sides have a big battle, regardless of victory or defeat.
In order to avoid being coerced by the other party to order the princes, Gao Huan immediately set up the eleven-year-old Yuan Shanjian as the emperor after returning to the teacher, and Yuwentai also killed Emperor Xiaowu and his sister a few months later, and set up the Yuan Bao Torch as the emperor, and the Northern Wei Dynasty was divided into two, and began a twelve-year war between the two sides.
Ryoi Nancho
Before Emperor Xiaowu was killed, Dugu was not in Chang'an, he was ordered by Emperor Xiaowu (actually the meaning of Yuwentai) to be the general of Wei and the military governor of Jingzhou, leading the southeast road to the south, and recapture Jingzhou.
However, in the face of Gao Huan, a veteran on the battlefield, Dugu's trip is destined to be not easy. Soon after he sent his troops, he was blocked by Hongnong Taishou Tian Ba Neng in Xiyang, and Zhang Qimin, the governor of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, also led an army to intercept him behind him.
At that time, Dugu Ruyi led less than 1,000 soldiers, and if he was not careful, he was in the situation of being attacked from front to back.
The battle situation was also as he expected, his decisive dispatch of troops, but Tian Ba Neng was taken aback, and was killed and defeated in a hurry, Zhang Qimin, who responded in the rear, got the battle report, and also hastily withdrew the troops, and Dugu came to Jingzhou City as he wished.
Jingzhou city strong, with Dugu as a wish of a thousand people can not be taken at all, but his previous good governance in Jingzhou, but make it all simple, Jingzhou Thorn Shi Xin Su opened the door to meet the battle, he spoke in front of the battle, actually said that the officials and people of Jingzhou have defected, Dugu as he wished to recapture Jingzhou without wasted effort, he was also promoted to the general of the chariot and cavalry, Yitong three divisions.
The loss of Jingzhou made Gao Huan furious, and he immediately sent his trump cards, the Han general Gao Aocao and the Hu general Hou Jing, to besiege Jingzhou.
The two of them are the two generals under Gao Huan, and they are both experienced and famous generals who use soldiers like gods. Dugu was outnumbered as he wished, and when he met these two, he naturally could not escape defeat, and after resisting for a while, he took the initiative to retreat south, and temporarily attached himself to Xiao Yan with Yang Zhong, the most powerful general under his command.
After living in Nanliang for three years, Xiao Yan agreed to let him go back to the Western Wei Dynasty, and before leaving, Xiao Yan asked with ulterior motives: "Is this time to go back to Yecheng, or to Guanzhong?" ”
Why do you ask? Because Dugu's family was in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and the Emperor Xiaowu he was loyal to had been killed by Yuwentai, Xiao Yan was worried that he would return to the Eastern Wei Dynasty to help Gao Huan, who was already powerful (there were many northern generals living in Southern Liang at that time, and Dugu's choice would affect many people).
In the face of Emperor Wu Liang's temptation, Dugu returned very simply as he wished - everything is the same. Xiao Yan was relieved and let him return to the north.
In the autumn of the third year of Datong (537), Dugu finally returned to Chang'an as he wished. It's just that Chang'an is already a matter of right and wrong, Emperor Xiaowu was killed three years ago, and the current Son of Heaven is Emperor Wen of Western Wei.
Dugu felt that he was ashamed of the court, neither did he protect the safety of the lord, nor did he donate his life on the battlefield, so he asked for guilt.
Although Emperor Wei did not have the strong character of Emperor Xiaowu, his political wisdom was not low, and he asked the scholars to discuss the matter in order to test Yuwentai's attitude.
If Yuwentai sanctions Dugu as he wishes, he will push the latter a step towards himself, and if he is pardoned, then Dugu will be the strength he can rely on in the court.
The abacus played well, but Yuwentai didn't accept it at all. He didn't interfere in the matter, and even acted indifferent - the army is in his own hands, how much change can a Dugu bring if he gets his wish?
Therefore, the final result was that the scholars agreed that although Dugu lived in the Southern Dynasty, he did not do anything detrimental to the national dignity, so he should not only be pardoned, but also reinstated. Emperor Wen then pushed the boat down the river, issued an edict to restore Dugu's wish-worthy official title, and granted the position of serving in the middle and opening the palace.
The town guards Longyou
In the following years, Dugu participated in several major battles between the Eastern and Western Wei as he wished, although it was no merit but no great fault, when Hou Jing besieged Luoyang, he also received Yuwentai's commendation for his meritorious service in defending Kim Yong City, of course, he also lost Luoyang because of the defeat in the battle, and was condemned by Yuwentai.
During this period of time, Yuwentai did not embarrass him, which may also be related to the pressure that Gao Huan brought him - he didn't want to be criticized for being intolerant in a vulnerable situation.
In the sixth year of Datong (540), after repelling Hou Jing's attack on Jingzhou, Dugu was appointed as the ambassador of Xuanfu to pacify Jingzhou. The people of Jingzhou were very emotional when they saw the long-lost "Dugulang", and expressed their wish to be the people of the Western Wei Dynasty forever and Jingzhou to be stable.
Maybe it was because he saw Dugu's ability to govern the people as he wished, or because of other thoughts, anyway, not long after, Yuwentai appointed him as the governor of the ten prefectures of Longyou and the assassin of Qinzhou, guarding Longban and staying away from the front line.
Dugu as he wished to guard Longyou for ten years, during which he showed the world his side of governing the government, Longyou after his governance, the people are simple, the officialdom is purged, the people are solid, there are tens of thousands of displaced people, hundreds of thousands of people take the initiative to come and take root.
Yuwentai also praised him very much because of this, and gave him the name "Xin", and as a result, Dugu became Dugu Xin as he wished.
During Dugu Xin's time in Longyou, he asked to return to the court many times, and even once because of the death of his mother, he wanted to return to the court to mourn, but he was also rejected by Yuwentai.
Of course, we can understand that this is Yuwentai's trust in him, thinking that he has a great responsibility to guard Longyou and cannot be easily replaced, but this is just a pretext.
In terms of common sense, Longyou belongs to the rear of the Western Wei Dynasty, and the states and towns in the east and southeast belong to the front.
As far as the facts are concerned, Duguxin did become the sixth in the "Eight Pillars Country" because of the problem of combat performance.
If the Eight Pillars Kingdom is established from the separation of the Eastern and Western Wei families, with the status and prestige of Duguxin, it is the second second, second only to Yuwentai. However, in 550, Yuwentai established the government military system and set up eight pillars of the national general, not only Li Bi (the third), Zhao Gui (the fourth) and other old seniors, Yu Jin (the fifth) and other Yuwentai promoted diehards surpassed him, and even Yang Zhong (the governor of the fifteen states of the military), Li Hu (the second) such rising stars surpassed him. That is, Yuan Xin of the Northern Wei Dynasty clan and Hou Mo Chen Chong, who did nothing, were lower than him.
However, on the whole, Yuwentai treated him quite well, with the separation between the two at that time, it would not have made him guard Longyou for ten years, you must know that although Longyou is not rich, it is condescending to Chang'an, and the strategic location is very important.
It can be seen that Yuwentai is a mature politician and will not easily erase a person because he has a different position from himself.
Of course, the most important thing is that this person does not touch his bottom line and does not harm his fundamental interests.
Obviously, after Dugu returned to China, he did not challenge Yuwentai in terms of rights, nor did he question Yuwentai's authority, so the two could get along peacefully.
Of course, Yuwentai has never let down his guard against this former "competitor". As long as there is a stir, Duguxin's position will be in jeopardy.
In the fifth year of Wuding (547), Gao Huan died, and Hou Jing, who was guarding Henan, immediately launched a rebellion, and finally took refuge in the Southern Dynasty after defeat. When Hou Jing begged Emperor Wu of Liang to surrender, in order to threaten the Liang Dynasty, the Eastern Wei Dynasty drafted a document by Wei Shu, hoping that Xiao Yan would take the diplomatic relations between the two countries seriously.
The text mentions intentionally or unintentionally that Dugu Xin is based on Longyou, although he is nominally a courtier of the Western Wei Dynasty, but he does not listen to Yuwentai's orders, because he is the internal response of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, once the Eastern Wei Dynasty starts a war with the Liang Dynasty, with his secret help, it can ensure that "there is no war on the Western Front".
This was naturally Wei Shui's bluff, but it received an unexpected effect - Dugu Xin, who had been guarding Longyou for many years, was finally transferred, and Yuwentai first placed him in Heyang, and let his nephew Yuwendao take over as the governor of Qinzhou and Longyou, and then transferred him back to the central government.
It can be seen that Yuwentai is still very jealous of Dugu Xin in his heart.
In Yuwentai's view, Duguxin is a person with a "historical record" after all, and he would rather believe it when it comes to internal problems. Of course, for the past that has been unwilling to transfer him, Yuwentai also found a good step, Dugu Xin returned to the court, in order to show "respect", Yuwentai promoted him to Shangshu Ling, and after the establishment of the six-official system, he let him serve as one of the highest six officials of the Xia Guanda Sima (equivalent to the military department Shangshu).
On the surface, Dugu Xin's status is getting higher and higher, and his official position is getting bigger and bigger, but he is not in the core of power.
Political marriages
As one of the "Eight Pillars Country", Dugu Xin made Yuwentai feel very uncomfortable. In terms of martial arts and talent, Dugu Xin is first-class, but because of historical problems, he doesn't seem to be dead set on Yuwentai.
This is actually no wonder Dugu Xin, after He Batyue's death, when the Kansai generals pledged their allegiance to Yuwentai, Dugu Xin was not He Batyue's subordinate; When Emperor Xiaowu broke with Gao Huan and Yuwentai watched from the wall, Dugu Xin was not Yuwentai's subordinate; When Emperor Xiaowu was poisoned and Emperor Wen of Wei was replaced, and the ministers were all looking to Yuwentai as the horse's head, Dugu Xin was not in the Western Wei Dynasty.
Dugu Xin has never shown loyalty to Yuwentai, but he also has no chance to accept the test of history.
So, Yuwentai intends to give him a chance. He married Dugu Xin's eldest daughter for his eldest son Yu Wenyu.
Through marriage, a solid political alliance was formed, which was a common form of alliance at that time, and it was also a strategy that Yuwentai deliberately promoted. At that time, the Eastern Wei Dynasty was still stronger than the Western Wei Dynasty, so only by uniting the core forces of the Western Wei Dynasty could a cohesive force be formed; In the same way, only by forming an alliance of interests can we resist the encroachment offensive of the Eastern Wei Dynasty to appease the people in the west. It is in this context that Yuwentai and Duguxin became in-laws, and it is in this context that Duguxin's fourth and seventh daughters will marry Li Xin and Yang Jian.
Therefore, Duguxin became the ruler of the Three Dynasties, completely due to the times. His "success" cannot be replicated.
Yuwentai and Duguxin have indeed narrowed the distance through marriage, and in the second half of Yuwentai's life, he has never killed Duguxin again.
Of course, his marriage with Duguxin also has reservations. Although Yu Wenyu is the eldest son, he was not born in the main family, and his son-in-law Yu Wenjue is the most ideal heir in his mind. This marriage is a bit of a taste of using a palace maid to pretend to be a princess and a relative to the Xiongnu during the Han Dynasty - coincidentally, Duguxin is a descendant of the Xiongnu.
What's even more annoying is that Duguxin didn't get much benefit from the marriage, but paid the price of his life for it.
The evening scene is bleak
After Yuwentai's death, his nephew Yuwenhu Bingzheng, in order to cover the sky with one hand and command the world, he was naturally willing to uphold Yuwentai's meaning and set up the young Yuwenjue as the emperor.
And because Yu Wenyu is older, he has established his prestige among the ministers, so Dugu Xin is not embarrassed, and he has no intention of supporting his son-in-law, and I am afraid that no one will believe him.
At this time, Zhao Gui, the fourth elder of the Eight Pillars Kingdom, who was dissatisfied with Yuwen Hu's monopoly of power, wanted to overthrow Yuwen Hu's rule, so he naturally found Dugu Xin, who he considered his natural ally.
But Duguxin persuaded Zhao Gui to give up this plan.
However, in the end, their plot was discovered, and Kaifu Yu Wensheng reported the matter, Zhao Gui was killed, and Dugu Xin was also dismissed.
Why did Duguxin stop Zhao Gui from doing something to Yuwen Hu? Is it a bogeyman, afraid that the incident will expand and out of control, or is it afraid that the operation will fail and harm the whole family? There is no record in the history books, but from the analysis of the personalities of Duguxin and Zhao Gui, it will be found that Duguxin is gentler and more cautious than Zhao Gui, while Zhao Gui is a pure soldier and does not consider the problem comprehensively.
Judging from Yuwen Go's attitude towards opponents, once someone wants to depose and impeach him in various forms, he will fight back wildly, which can be seen from his nickname "Dragon Slayer".
Dugu Xin has been in a position that is not embarrassing or embarrassing in the top management for a long time, so when facing problems, he often thinks about self-preservation first, and then considers enterprising, which may be one of the reasons why he opposes Zhao Gui's attack. The success rate of assassinating Yuwen Hu was slim, making him reluctant to take risks; The madness of Yuwen Go's revenge on the enemy is also something he does not want to see.
But Yuwen Hu did not let him go because of Dugu Xin's dissuasion of Zhao Gui. Soon after, Yuwen Hu forced Dugu Xin to commit suicide at home. It wasn't until Duguxin's youngest son-in-law Yang insisted that he made a grand posthumous gift to Duguxin.
Relying on his son-in-law, Dugu Xin was able to mourn after his death, which may be the only bit of gain he has after three dynasties.