If Wang Meng was alive, Fu Jian might not have made the decision to attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and it was entirely possible that the Former Qin would become the first dynasty of the Northern Dynasty.
Let's talk about the relationship between Fu Jian and Wang Meng.
The relationship between Wang Meng and Fu Jian is analogous to that between Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei. This is not my assumption, it is written directly in the history books:
Fu Jian will have great ambitions, hear the fierce name, and send Lu Polou to recruit him. At first sight, if you are alive, you will talk about the major events of the abolition, and you will be in the same agreement, if Xuande meets Kong Ming. and strong tyrants, with Meng as the Chinese scholar. - "The Book of Jin: The Biography of Wang Meng"
Looking at the relationship between this pair of monarchs and ministers, I always feel that the two of them have a special feeling beyond the relationship between monarchs and ministers, every time Fu Jian gives Wang Meng an official promotion, Wang Meng has to resign, and the more he resigns Fu Jian, the more he has to give, so Wang Meng's biography is full of meaty words written by Fu Jian to Wang Meng:
"Qing used to be clothed, and the dragon was weak. It is a matter of the world, and when the warrior is strong, he subverts the virtues. I Qiqing saw in the house, proposed Qing for Wolong, Qing is also different from a word, back to the examination of the Yazhi of Pan, wouldn't it be a good deal, a thousand years of meeting. Although the rock is in a dream, Jiang Gong realizes the omen, and it is not different from ancient times. Since the Qing Auxiliary Government, several generals in the second era, the internal and the hundred, the outside of the group of fierce, the world is determined, and the beginning of Yi Lun. I want to be calm at the top, Wangqing is hard at the bottom, and who is the business of Hongji? ”
"When I saw you for a short time, I felt that you were my Wolong; You and I only said a few words, and then gave up the secluded life, and was born with me, aren't we soul mates, a once-in-a-lifetime karma will?!! ”
Later, perhaps feeling that neither Xuande nor Kong Ming was enough to describe his love for Wang Meng, Fu Jian began to compare the relationship between the two to that of Jiang Taigong and King Wen of Zhou:
Jian Chang calmly said fiercely: "Qing Shu is slack at night, worrying about diligence, if King Wen is too duke, I will travel to the age of death." Meng said: "If you don't want Your Majesty to know the mistakes of the ministers, how can the ministers be enough to imitate the ancients!" Jian said: "In my opinion, how can the prince live." ”
When Wang Meng was seriously ill, Fu Jian first sent people to worship the mountain gods to pray for Wang Meng's blessing, but it was ineffective. Fu Jian then granted amnesty to the world and accumulated virtue for the king. Every time I saw all kinds of governance suggestions written by Wang Meng to him on the sickbed, I was in tears, and the attendants on the left and right couldn't stand it.
Fu Jian's various behaviors all show his special feelings for Wang Meng, and a male and female protagonist can write a five-million-word overlord novel.
In the end, Wang Meng passed away, and the last words left to Fu Jian before his death were:
"Although Jin is secluded and ugly, it is a positive inheritance, kindness and good neighborliness, and the treasure of the country. After the ministers are gone, I am willing not to take Jin as a picture. Xianbei, Qiang, my hatred will eventually be troubled, and it is advisable to gradually get rid of it so that the society can be harmed. He died at the age of fifty-one.
Putting aside the suspicion that the historian created a god, Wang Meng's suggestion hit the key to the fate of the former Qin, and had a good relationship with the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and dealt with the Xianbei and Qiang people well, so that the rule of the former Qin in the north could last for a long time. After Wang Meng's death, Fu Jian was able to uphold this principle at first, but then it was obvious that he was floating, and when the north was not yet single-minded, he attacked the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and finally collapsed quickly after the Battle of Weishui, which was also the evil result of not listening to Wang Meng's last words.
The situation in the former Qin was very good at that time
Finally, let's talk about the evaluation of Wang Meng himself.
Wang Meng has strong internal and military abilities and belongs to the hexagonal warrior.
In terms of military affairs, Fu insisted that the main military operations after the emperor were all led by Wang Meng. Typical examples include the Battle of Qianyan, the pacification of the Four Princes, and the Battle of Qianliang. Although Wang Meng has no force value, his strategic and tactical level and the use of generals are above the level. I won't go into detail here.
In terms of internal affairs, Wang Meng's ability belongs to the leading existence in this period. After the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the entire north was in chaos, and after the Yongjia Rebellion, the people in the north were even more miserable.
After Wang Meng came to power, Former Qin took several effective measures.
The first is to strictly enforce the law. This point was a very crucial factor in the Hu regime, and willfulness was a common problem of the Hu regime after the Yongjia Rebellion. With the support of Fu Jian, Wang Meng severely punished the law, and mercilessly attacked the nobles of the Di tribe, including the queen's own brother, and killed the heads of the people, and finally let the nobles of the Di nationality understand the power of laws and regulations. The upper echelons obeyed the rules, and the chaotic behavior at the grassroots level was greatly reined in, and the former Qin Dynasty presented an environment of "neat customs and political affairs" that was rare in this period.
The second is to respect and educate. Not only for the aristocracy, but also for the construction of grassroots schools. On the one hand, there is a channel for talent to rise. On the other hand, the formation of a culture of knowledge and courtesy in society is very important for social stability. After so many years of chaos in the north, public order and good customs have disappeared, and all that remains is the law of the jungle, and the key to restoring education is to break the barbaric growth brought about by the law of the jungle.
Jian Guang is a scholar and a student who summons the students of the county and the country to pass the above charges, and the secretary has sent his descendants and accepted the job. He has learned to be a Confucian, a talented officer, a clean and honest person, and a filial piety to the field. So people thought and encouraged, known as Toast, thieves stopped, please ask the road to stop, the fields were repaired, the treasures were full, and the rules and regulations were not prepared.
The third is to persuade agriculture and mulberry. In fact, it is to vigorously develop agricultural production. After the Qin Dynasty unified the north, the population continued to migrate to fill the "no man's land" formed by the perennial war, which achieved good results, and actually laid a solid foundation for the unification of the north by the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Guan Long Qingyan, the people are happy. From Chang'an to the states, all the road trees and willows, twenty miles of a pavilion, forty miles of a post, travelers take on the way, industry and commerce and trade in the road. The people's song said: "Chang'an Street, poplar acacia trees." Go down to the Zhu wheel, and there is Luanqi. Yingyan gathered, teaching me Meng Li. ”
Former Qin was indeed a very promising regime, but Wang Meng's early death eventually made Former Qin go the wrong way, Fu Jian's trust in the Xianbei aristocracy and confidence in his own strength in the later period eventually led to the self-destruction of Former Qin, which also made Wang Meng's historical evaluation slightly lower to a certain extent, and it can only be said that it is not a holiday.