Among the kings of the past, the highest evaluation is often those blessed lords who have reigned for a long time and ruled a vast territory. However, there is an emperor in history who reigned for only five short years, but is considered to be a giant who reversed the torrent of history, and he is Zhou Shizong, who is called "the first Ming Emperor of the Five Dynasties Period" by historians.
Even in modern times, some people have summed up how great a life this king who was born in a chaotic world, grew up in a chaotic world, reigned for a short time (equivalent to a modern term of office), and did not end the chaotic world: in terms of merit, Zhou Shirong was inferior to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han; on fame, Zhou Shirong was inferior to Tang Taizong and Song Taizu. But Chai Rong was the most perfect emperor in ancient Chinese history, and he was the peak of his political capital.
Regarding Zhou Shizong, the most popular thing in later generations is his bold words:
"A widow should open up the world with ten years, feed the people in ten years, and make peace in ten years!"
In addition, there are various legends of great men that are very stylized and very dramatic. For example, once, Zhou Shizong was entertaining his courtiers in the palace, and when he entered the banquet, he pointed to the delicacies on several cases and sighed at the civil and military officials:
"Eating precious food in the palace, deeply ashamed of the people and sitting and enjoying the heavens, neither can he cultivate and eat, but when he personally risks the stone to eliminate harm for the people, he can be at ease!"
What is more affordable is that during the reign of Zhou Shizong, he ordered the abolition of all unreasonable taxes other than positive taxes.
Such a diligent and loving monarch deserves the admiration of future generations, so the historian Sima Guang once said with great admiration:
"If Zhou Shizong is benevolent, he does not love his body but loves the people; if Zhou Shizong, he can be said to be clear, and he does not waste it with no benefit."
Zhou Shizong's reputation spread better and better, and until eight centuries later, the historian Qian Daxin still regretted the shortfall of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and regretted the untimely death of Zhou Shizong in the "New Record of the Ten Driving Fasts", arguing:
"Zhou Shizong's talent is strategic, he can mix with the sea and enjoy the country's shortness, the grave soil is not dry, so he changes his surname."
However, it should be noted that although Sima Guang and Qian Daxin both highly value Zhou Shizong, the two people evaluate from completely different angles. Sima Guang mainly observed from his personal qualities, believing that Zhou Shizong was a benevolent and wise king, while Qian Daxin believed that Zhou Shizong was a man of great talent, had almost everything except time, and if he could enjoy the heavens, he could end the chaotic world. That is to say, Sima Guang and Qian Daxin's evaluation of Zhou Shizong was actually not the same at all. So who is right? Let's analyze the relevant history.
A generation of film and television grandmaster Hu Jinquan's controversial work "The First in the World". The drama features Zhou Shizong as the male protagonist.
In that era, the costumes, props, and makeup of the play can be said to be well documented.
If we look at the records left by Ouyang Xiu and later Song Dynasty historians, we will find that Zhou Shizong was indeed a good man, but he was not able to become a "Ming Jun", especially in terms of finances and personnel.
The main generals in the Later Zhou Dynasty were still the generals of the Later Han and Later Jin Dynasties, and Zhou Shizong was almost unable to control these princes who were entrenched east of Bieliang. Because these people were higher in the previous feudal system than his adoptive father Zhou Taizudu, and most of them believed that the "Guo Que'er" family was a very low-end population. It should be known that the military system of Bieliang at that time was basically the military system of Shatuo from the Later Tang Dynasty, and this system also partially maintained the division of warrior classes from the Turks. "Newcomers" like Zhou Taizu are actually marginalized in this system. Therefore, the replacement of Later Han by Later Zhou was the most vulnerable of the five dynasties of several usurps, so after Zhou Taizu came to power, he also faced attacks from the east, north, and south. In the end, a continuation of the Later Han Dynasty was formed in the north, that is, the Court of the Northern Han Dynasty, and the Later Zhou Dynasty was never able to completely eliminate this historical problem. Therefore, the territory of the Later Zhou in the five central dynasties was very small.
The only effort That Zhou Shizong could make to change this system was to increase the Janissaries, the army to which The Later Song Taizu belonged, which was also the predecessor of the later Song Dynasty Forbidden Army. However, because of the huge financial expenditure required to support this army, it was difficult to maintain this expenditure for a long time in the following weeks when the territory was shrinking, the people's livelihood was poor, and the towns were not obedient. In order to make up for the financial gap, it was necessary to attack the Southern Tang and seize the source of tax revenue between Jianghuai and Huaijiang, that is, to "feed the war with war". By the way, song Taizu's origins also began with this battle. But in the end, the "enemy of life" of Later Zhou was still the Later Han-Northern Han who was driven to Shanxi by them, but could not perish. Since the King of Qin swept away Liuhe, seizing people but not being able to kill people, this is a very unlucky and dangerous thing, the end will be killed by the other side, such as "Shaokang Zhongxing"; good luck is that like Cao Wei usurper Han, it will not live long longer than the other party to be replaced by third-party forces. Therefore, Zhou Shizong's "Battle of Gaoping", which is considered to be the best battle example, can also be said to be doing the aftermath for his adoptive father, Zhou Taizu Guo Que'er. However, this campaign still failed to solve the problem of the Northern Han court's eyeing of the Later Zhou Dynasty—the Later Han-Northern Han not only still existed, but also lived longer than the Later Zhou. From a personal point of view, the Battle of Gaoping is indeed the biggest victory in Zhou Shizong's life, but from a historical point of view, this war, like most of the achievements of later Zhou, was very incomplete. In fact, this is just an ordinary encounter.
Looking at the entire battle situation, Zhou Shizong's performance was heroic and calm, for example, in the face of his own generals, he was still able to be calm and self-assured, not chaotic, so that the scattered military heart could be condensed again. However, when the Northern Han general Zhang Yuanhui was beheaded, the morale of the whole army was low, and the Later Zhou army attacked fiercely with the growing south wind, Liu Chong, the lord of the Northern Han Dynasty, also personally waved the banner, commanded with the same calm and self-assured, and retreated completely, which shows that the commanders of the two sides at that time can be said to be equal in courage. After the end of the Battle of Gaoping, the antagonism between Bieliang and Jinyang remained, and neither side changed the original situation. Therefore, Feng Dao would think that this was a meaningless war, and he felt that Zhou Shizong thought that he could be compared with Tang Taizong. Feng Dao despised him a little for this, which was actually very reasonable. The History of the Old Five Dynasties, Vol. 126 (Book of Zhou) Column 6:
"Taizu Beng, Sejong uses the Tao as a mountain ambassador. When Liu Chong, who was in Hedong, entered the Kou, Sejong summoned his ministers to discuss the conquest in person, and the Dao advised him to stop it, and Sejong said: "At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the grass in the world began to rise, and it was Emperor Taizong who was close to Pingzhi." The Tao said, "Is Your Majesty like Emperor Taizong?" Sejong angrily said, "Feng Dao He Xiang Shaoye!" That's it. ”
The History of the Old Five Dynasties, Volume 114 (Book of Zhou) Sejong Ji I:
"Feng Dao and others regard emperor Rui as pro-marchers, because of the solid slander. Emperor Yue: 'The entrepreneurship of Emperor Taizong of the Former Tang Dynasty, Jing did not personally march, and he was afraid of it! Dao Yue: "Your Majesty has not been able to learn from Emperor Taizong." The emperor also said: "Liu Chong's rabble-rousers, when he meets the king's master, will be like a mountain pressing the egg ear." The Tao said, "I wonder if Your Majesty has done the mountain or not?" The emperor was displeased. ”
Of course, the real advantages of Zhou Shizong here are also reflected, that is, tolerance and obedience.
Later, Zhou Shizong's Northern Expedition to the Liao State and the capture of Sanguan were also the same as the Battle of Gaoping, in fact, the thunder and rain were small--neither recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun nor changing the basic situation of the confrontation between Later Zhou and Liao. If Zhou Shizong had not died young, but continued to go deeper into Yuyang and Youzhou, the large troops of the Liao army would definitely come out to meet the battle. At this time, whether the defeat of GaoliangHe after more than ten years will be staged in advance is only known by God. If it is defeated, it is difficult to predict whether it will repeat the scene of the recent jin dynasty of the emperor and the entry of Yelü Deguang into the Bieliang. It should be known that the defeat of Gaoliang River came after Emperor Taizong of Song had already swept away the powerful domains, destroyed Later Shu and Southern Tang, and re-upgraded the forbidden army from personnel to equipment. It can be said that the forbidden army led by Song Taizong during the Northern Expedition was much more elite than Zhou Shizong's men and horses in all aspects. And most importantly, the Song army has always been highly motivated: the generals are brave and fearless, but Song Taizong has always been very cautious; and when Zhou Shizong was in the Northern Expedition, the armies under his command were almost coerced. That is to say, although Song Taizong was defeated, the world of the Song Dynasty was still safe and sound; and if Zhou Shizong returned home, then there would be a coup d'état in all likelihood, so that Zhou Shizong might not even be able to get a good end.
The legend of Zhou Shizong's "Great Talent" only appeared after the Zhou Song Yi Dynasty. That's because in order to emphasize the legitimacy of that glorious revolution, the Song Dynasty monarchs and courtiers must mythologize their own former dynasties while mythologizing themselves.
After all, Tyrion Lannister tells us:
historyis power,who has better history?
Who could have a better story?