Part 14 Two Dynasties

Chapter 1: The Yuwen Family's Choice

In 556, Yu Wentai, the de facto ruler of the Western Wei Dynasty and the general of the Zhu State, died at the age of 49.

A brilliant life, full of praise, lived to be 49 years old. Hou Jing was notorious and condemned by everyone, and he also lived to be 49 years old. Gao Huan, Yuwentai's biggest opponent, died 9 years earlier than Yuwentai, but he lived to be 51 years old.

In fact, people fight all their lives, and in the end, they all fight - who has the longest breath and who breathes the last.

The money is still there, but the people are running out. Before Yu Wentai died, he looked at his sons one by one:

The eldest son, Yuwenjue, is 14 years old, and he has not yet reached the minimum age standard for people with full civil capacity (16 years old) stipulated in the Civil Code.

The boss Yu Wenyu is 22 years old, and his age is up to standard, but unfortunately he is a concubine, a concubine and a concubine, which was a huge identity gap in ancient times.

The other sons are too young. Yu Wentai sighed, and while hating himself for not paying attention to conditioning his body in addition to his career as a horse, he had to entrust the government to one person.

Nephew Yuwen Go.

49-year-old Yu Wentai, holding the hand of his 43-year-old nephew Yu Wenhu on the sickbed, said earnestly: Virtuous nephew, your younger brothers who are not successful will be handed over to you, if they really can't do it, you will replace them yourself.

The earliest copyright owner of this trick is Liu Bei (to Zhuge Liang), and the effect is excellent. After that, Murong Jun (to Murong Ke) and Shi Le (to Shi Hu) were used, the former had a decent effect, and the latter had a very bad effect. No matter what the effect will be, Yu Wentai stubbornly copied it again.

Yuwen Hu is also a person who is familiar with history books, and immediately cried bitterly, swearing that he will do his best to assist his cousins and dedicate his youth to the glory of Yuwen's family, although he is no longer young.

Yuwentai was psychologically massaged by his old nephew Yuwenhu for a while, and he was relieved to go to Xitian to find his old opponent Gao Huan. However, Yuwen Hu's psychology was massaged by no one, so he couldn't relax.

Looking around at the remaining old guys in the Eight Pillars of the Western Wei Dynasty, which one is a fuel-efficient lamp?

If we want to consolidate our position as an auxiliary government, we need to reduce friction and strengthen cooperation. Yuwen Hu extended his hand of cooperation to Yu Jin, one of the Eight Pillars.

Yuwen Hu chose the right person. In front of all the ministers, Yu Jin bowed twice to Yuwen Hu, which was equivalent to establishing the status of Yuwen Hu's chief auxiliary minister. Even Yu Zhuguo did this, what else can others say?

The status of the auxiliary minister was established, and Yuwenjue did not dare to relax at all, after all, he knew that the reason why everyone reluctantly accepted his ruling was because his surname was Yuwen, and he was giving Yuwentai face, and he could be an auxiliary minister, and if he wanted to ascend the throne, he had to be Yuwentai's own son.

In 557, Yuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong of the Western Wei Dynasty to locate Yuwentai's son and cousin Yuwen Jue, and the country name was changed to Zhou, known as the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

Yuwen Jue was the king of Zhou, the titular supreme ruler. Yuwen Hu was the Great Sima and the Duke of the Jin Kingdom, and actually controlled the politics of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Soon, Yuwen Hu was removed

Abolish Emperor Yuankuo.

When Yuwentai died, Yuwenjue was 14 years old, and he was 15 years old when he ascended the throne of King Zhou Tian.

The other two pillar states, Zhao Gui and Dugu Xin, followed Yuwentai in the early years to fight in the south and the north, and their achievements were world-reliant, and they were also quite dissatisfied with Yuwenhu.

The three of them are ready to get rid of Yuwen Hu and return to Yu Wenjue.

How can you get rid of the ministers in power and act in secret, right? Yuwen Jue didn't take the usual path, he recruited a group of samurai, and practiced grappling and fighting in the back garden of the palace all day long, and anyone with a discerning eye knew what he was doing.

A few years later, Kangxi was in addition to worship, and when he trained samurai, he also knew to conceal it, and claimed that he was practicing wrestling in the palace, I don't know if he learned the lesson of Yuwenjue.

When Yuwen Jue felt that the skills of the capture team had been trained, he discussed with Zhao Gui and Dugu Xin, wanting to take the opportunity of the palace banquet to kill Yuwen Hu.

Yuwen Hu naturally got the news quickly, preemptively, first gave Zhao Gui a full house of beheading, and then removed Dugu Xin's position, and then gave him death.

In 559, Yuwen Hu abolished Yuwen Jue's qualification as the king of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and later poisoned this little cousin whose ambitions had manifested prematurely.

After killing the naïve Yuwen Jue, Yuwen Hu carefully inspected his cousins, and felt that Yu Wentai's other son, Yu Wenyu, had a cowardly personality and should be easier to control, so he made Yu Wenyu the king.

However, Yuwen Wu later realized that he had really lost his eyes. Yu Wenyu was not as cowardly as he imagined, but shrewd and capable, and a group of old ministers quickly gathered around him, and his prestige grew.

Yuwen Hu declared that "he returned to the emperor" and returned all power except military power to Yu Wenyu. Yu Wenyu didn't say anything polite to his cousin and agreed. At the same time, he was not polite to himself, and officially changed his name from King Zhou Tianwang to Emperor for Emperor Zhou Ming.

Yuwen beat his chest, originally to test it, but he didn't expect Yuwen Yu to be unceremonious and accept all the orders.

If you don't be polite to me, I'll let you be polite again. In 560, the second year of Yuwenyu's proclamation as emperor, Yuwenhu instructed an imperial chef named Li An to poison Emperor Ming of Zhou. Cooks can also kill kings, and the Northern Zhou Dynasty is really Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Before Emperor Zhou Ming died, he knew that he was not just food poisoning, so he took his last breath and dictated an edict: pass on to the fourth brother, Lu Guogong Yu Wenyong.

This edict, which was dictated a few minutes before the end of his life, had an immeasurable power. Because, no one has the right to change the edict of the first emperor, and Yuwen Hu has no choice, so he has to support Yuwen Yong, which is for Emperor Wu of Zhou.

Yuwen Hu's luck is too ordinary, and he has abolished three cousins for the dictatorship, but these sons of Yuwentai are all heroes, from Yuwen Jue to Yuwen Yu to Yuwen Yong, one is stronger than the other. In other words, Yuwen Hu himself changed his opponents to be stronger than the other.

Yu Wenyong was intelligent since childhood, and at the age of twelve he was named the Duke of Fucheng County. After Emperor Wei Xiaomin ascended the throne, he was worshiped as a general and went out of Tongzhou. After Emperor Ming of the Northern Zhou Dynasty ascended the throne, he was named the Pillar State, the Puzhou Thorn History, the Great Sikong, and the Duke of Lu.

Smart people are everywhere, it is not uncommon, it is rare that Yu Wenyong is not only smart, but also has a calm personality. Emperor Zhou Ming once sighed with emotion about this: Mrs. does not speak, and her words must be true. It means that this person is not very talkative, but if something is asked to him, he can always get to the point.

If you can't avoid it, it's your duty to endure. To live a beautiful life, you need to pay great patience, and perseverance is a major factor in success.

The most tolerable in history is Sima Yi, who pretended to be sick and endured for 7 years in order to avoid Cao Cao's accountability. Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, and Sima Yi endured it for another 7 years. Cao Rong succeeded to the throne, and Sima Yi endured it for another 13 years. Cao Shuang was in power, and Sima Yi endured it for another 10 years. In the end, he jumped up from the sickbed and replaced the Cao family.

When Yuwen Yong ascended the throne in 560, he was only 17 years old, still a child, and how many years did he endure in the face of Yuwen Hu, who monopolized the power of the court?

A whole era, 12 years.

Emperor Wu of Zhou knew that Yuwen Hu monopolized the government and cultivated a large number of followers, so he was cautious in the early days of his reign and buried his dissatisfaction with Yuwen Hu deep in his heart.

One day, Emperor Wu of Zhou led a group of entourages to Yuanzhou on a patrol. At night, Emperor Wu of Zhou insisted on returning to Chang'an.

Everyone thought it was strange and didn't know why. At this time, a straight man of steel jumped out and explained to everyone.

Hou Mo Chen Chong, the old minister of the Yuwentai period, and Yuwentai, Yuan Xin, Li Hu, Li Bi, Zhao Gui, Yu Jin, Dugu Xin and the Eight Pillars of the State, have made outstanding contributions.

Hou Mo Chen Chong explained to everyone: "I have heard the divination person say that the Duke of Jin is unfavorable this year, and the car will be driven tonight, but the Duke of Jin is dead." ”

Jin Gong, that is, the Jin State Gongyu Wenhu.

These words reached the ears of Emperor Wu of Zhou, so anxious that the young emperor stomped his feet, and he immediately summoned the ministers to the Dade Hall to reprimand Hou Mo Chen Chong for being disrespectful to Yuwen in person, and Hou Mo Chen Chong apologized in fear.

Yuwen Hu was naturally not a broad-minded person, and he sent troops to rush into Hou Mo Chen Chong's house that night and forced him to commit suicide.

Emperor Wu of Zhou paralyzed Yuwen Hu in order to implement Taoguang's strategy of cultivating obscurity, and even Hou Mo Chen Chong was sacrificed. Whether you are an eight-pillar country or a nine-pillar country, in the eyes of the Supreme, you are all chess pieces.

In order to further paralyze Yuwenhu, Emperor Wu of Zhou issued another edict: in the future, from the edict to the documents of various organs, Yuwenhu's name must not be called to show respect.

"If you want to take it, you will give it"? Leng Buding was treated so politely, Yuwen Hu remembered this famous sentence in "Lao Tzu", and was a little alert to the sugar-coated cannonball that his little cousin shot at him.

However, a sugar-coated nuclear bomb then fired by Emperor Wu of Zhou completely destroyed him.

Yuwen Hu's mother, Yan Shi, was captured by the Northern Qi and exiled to the Zhongshan Palace in the Northern Qi Dynasty. Later, Yuwen Hu contacted Emperor Wucheng Gao Zhan of the Northern Qi Dynasty and expressed the hope that the Northern Qi Dynasty would return his mother and the two sides would become friendly neighbors.

Northern Qi agreed, and Yan returned to Northern Zhou after more than thirty years of separation.

His mother has been in a foreign country for more than 30 years, and Yuwengo's grief can be imagined, and now that he is back to himself, Yuwengo's ecstasy can also be imagined. After his mother came back, Yuwen Hu tried his best to let his mother eat the best, wear the best, and use the best, and did his filial piety.

What touched Yuwen Hu even more was that his little cousin, the emperor, was more filial than his own son.

Emperor Wu of Zhou, Yuwen Yong, was closer to the Yan family than to his own mother, not only taking care of her diet and daily life with the highest standard, but also leading his family to pay homage every once in a while.

"Whatever is given, the poor are extremely prosperous. Every four o'clock, the relatives of Commander Zhou perform family gifts and call Shangshou".

Yuwen Wu was touched by this little cousin, and was finally blown to pieces by the little cousin's sugar-coated nuclear bomb.

One day in 572, Yuwen Hu returned to Chang'an from Tongzhou, and Emperor Wu of Zhou asked him to go with him to see the Empress Dowager (Empress Dowager Zha Nu), and Yuwen Hu was defenseless and agreed.

While walking, Emperor Wu of Zhou took out a "Wine Message" and handed it to Yuwen Hu and explained: The Queen Mother is old, but she doesn't care about her body and likes to drink.

It's not easy, Yuwen Hu agreed.

When the two arrived at the Queen Mother's room, after asking for peace, Yuwen Hu read the text aloud with emotion according to the request of his cousin --- Little Emperor. While he was concentrating on reading, Emperor Wu of Zhou raised a jade and slammed it into his head.

Yuwen was caught off guard and was knocked to the ground.

Yu Ting was not a mace after all, and Yuwen Hu was not killed immediately, but just rolled on the ground with his head covered. Emperor Wu of Zhou hurriedly shouted to He Quan, a close eunuch standing next to him, and ordered him to draw his knife and kill Yuwen Hu.

Who knows, if there is no egg at the critical moment, it will not work, the eunuch He Quan was flustered and trembled, and even a few slashes, he did not cut the key point of Yuwen Hu.

Yuwenwu followed his uncle Yuwentai in his early years, and fought with the Eastern Wei Dynasty for many years, and he was regarded as a famous general in hundreds of battles. At that time, he was only 59 years old, and he was still in the prime of life, and if he got up and fought back, it was definitely not something that the weak young Yu Wenyong could handle.

At the critical moment, Yuwen, the younger brother of Emperor Wu of Zhou, who was hiding on the side, ran straight over, and the knife fell in his hand, and Yuwen Hu was killed.

The Northern Zhou Guozuo only had a total of 24 years, but Yuwen Hu was in power for 17 years, and it was worth it when he died.

When reading the history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, I often see some articles mentioning that Yuwenzhi is the uncle of Emperor Wu of Zhou, because it is said in the "Zizhi Tongjian": Wei Gongzhi, the emperor's mother and brother.

The emperor's maternal brother here does not mean the younger brother of the emperor's mother, but the emperor's half-brother.

After Yuwen Hu was killed, Emperor Wu of Zhou got rid of the troubles in his heart and began a series of reform measures, making the Northern Zhou gradually stronger. Among them, one of the most noteworthy major reforms is still full of controversy and strange psychedelic colors.

Extermination.

Confucianism allows people to enter the world, while Buddhism teaches people to be born. Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains of China from the Ming Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and it was brilliant several times, and the first time it flourished was during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

At that time, the people's enthusiasm for Buddhism was very amazing, for example, some people cut off their own flesh to feed the birds, and some people set their fingers on fire and burned their skin to the bone. Why do you do such masochistic behavior?

This is called burning finger offerings to the Buddha, which means that the great bodhisattva who has practiced can give up all the material comforts of the world, and can also give up his stinky skin and body.

"Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty, how many buildings are in the smoke and rain", Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang, was a devout Buddhist, and even repeatedly wanted to become a monk, and repeatedly connived at the jackal-like Hou Jing, which led to an unprecedented catastrophe in the south.

At that time, monks and nuns also enjoyed many privileges, the temple had a large amount of land to collect rent, and monks and nuns were exempt from forced labor.

Prosperity must be opposed, and so is religion. In the history of Chinese feudal society, there have been three large-scale anti-Buddhist movements, namely the Northern Wei Dynasty Taiwu Emperor Tuoba Tao, the Northern Zhou Dynasty Emperor Yuwen Yong, and the Tang Dynasty Wuzong. Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty has already described the destruction of Buddha before, and now let's look at Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

In 567, a man named Wei Yuansong wrote to Emperor Wu of Zhou, saying that "Tang and Yu have no Buddha to plan national security; Qi and Liang have temples and those who are lost are not in harmony. But benefiting the people and the country will be Buddha's heart. Those who have the heart of the Buddha are based on great kindness, live in peace and happiness, and never work hard for the people. ”

Wei Yuansong, a famous Yi scholar, has a book that is famous all over the world - "Yuan Bao Jing".

The Chinese Yi is divided into three schools, namely Lianshan Yi, Guizang Yi and Zhou Yi, Wei Yuansong belongs to the Guizang Yi family, and later lived in seclusion in the Ziji Temple in Shifang, Sichuan. In the Tang Dynasty, he was posthumously named "Xiwei Zhenren", and in the Song Dynasty, he built "Mr. Wei Temple".

In 572, after Emperor Wu of Zhou killed the powerful minister Yuwen Hu, in December of the following year, he committed an event of great significance in the history of Chinese religion.

He summoned Taoist priests, monks, and civil and military officials to conduct a loud debate on issues related to Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. "The emperor sat down and explained the three religions in order, with Confucianism first, Taoism second, and Buddhism second."

Note the meaning of this sorting. Emperor Wu of Zhou put Buddhism at the bottom, and the discerning person could see its intentions at a glance. The Supreme Authority of the Empire has taken an attitude towards this, but some Buddhists still do not understand the situation and argue vigorously: Buddhism should be above Taoism.

The emperor has decided on something, and the other procedures are just going through the motions, which has not changed for thousands of years. On May 15, 574, Emperor Wu of Zhou directly issued an edict, "Break the two religions of Buddha and Taoism, destroy the scriptures, strike Shamen and Taoist priests, and order the people to be returned." and forbid all obscenities, and remove those that are not contained in the rituals. ”

This was not only the case in his own country, but in 577, Emperor Wu of Zhou led his army into the city of Qi Ye and brought this policy to Northern Qi. At that time, the Buddhist style of the Northern Qi Dynasty was also prosperous, and Yuwen Yong was determined to forcibly implement the policy of respecting Confucianism and destroying the Buddha in the Northern Qi Dynasty, destroying a total of 40,000 temples and forcing 3 million monks and nuns to return to the laity.

There were 3 million monks and nuns, equivalent to one-tenth of the total population at that time. What is the significance of these people being re-registered as ordinary state workers? First, it replenishes the labor force for the country; Second, it has increased the number of troops for the country.

Buddhism, along with Christianity and Islam, is known as the world's three major religions. As a foreign product, it has shown strong vitality in China, the world's most populous country, and naturally has its own unique way of survival. According to the Buddhist theory of cause and effect, the initiators of the "Three Martial Weapons to Destroy the Buddha" have no good end.

Emperor Taiwu of Wei Tuoba Tao, who was able to fight well and be wise and martial, but died at the hands of a eunuch Zongai, which can be described as bizarre. Cui Hao, the minister who strongly persuaded Tuoba to destroy the Buddha, was wiped out from the middle of the day to the extermination, and was urinated on by the soldiers before the execution, and was humiliated. Cui Mo, Cui Yi and others, who believed in Buddhism in the same sect, died well. Tang Wuzong, who single-handedly created "Huichang Zhongxing", died violently from taking pills shortly after destroying the Buddha at the age of 32. What is extremely scary to think about is that the pill is precisely the product of the local religion Taoism.

In fact, in addition to the "three martial arts", there are a total of 4 emperors who destroyed Buddha, and one is Chai Rong of Later Zhou Shizong. Therefore, in later generations, there was a saying that "three martial arts and one sect destroyed the Buddha", and Chai Rong also died violently at the age of 38, and the regime was also taken away by Zhao Kuangyin.

Emperor Wu of Zhou Yuwen Yong? The life limit is 35 years old, and his life will be recounted later. Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui, who usurped Zhou Jiansui, did the opposite and promoted Buddhism, and his actions were even more intriguing. There is even a legend of Yuwen Yutuo dreaming of Yang Jian, which adds a layer of mystery to this move.

Therefore, Buddhists believe that the karma that has been spread in Buddhism exists in these four emperors. The mystery and truth in it are realized by the world. Lao Wang did not approve of the verdict, because Lao Wang had signed a pledge not to believe in religion.

After reading the Northern Zhou Dynasty, let's take a look at the changes of another dynasty.