The first item in "Zi Jian": Is it really because virtue is worthless that the intellectuals are defeated?

In 453 BC, 53-year-old Zhi Bo led Han Kangzi and Wei to besiege Jinyang City, trying to destroy another great doctor in the State of Jin. However, just as the city was about to be breached, Han and Wei suddenly defected. As a result, Zhi Bo was killed and the Zhizu was destroyed, which is called "Jinyang War" in history.

This war is of great and far-reaching significance in the history of China. After the fall of Zhi's family, Han, Zhao and Wei divided the field of Zhi's family, and soon asked Zhou Tianzi to seal Hou. As King Wei Lie of Zhou officially recognized the vassal status of the three clans, the fact that the three clans were divided into Jin was also officially confirmed, and the history of China entered the Warring States period when the major princes competed for the Central Plains. This period of history was used by Sima Guang as the first story of Zi Tong Zhi Jian, to illustrate what kind of disaster would happen to a ruler who was "talented but not virtuous".

Before commenting on this story, we need to have a simple understanding of the background at that time. In the Spring and Autumn Period, wars were usually caused by disputes between governors, and the doctor class was only the governors who were enfeoffed by the governors themselves, usually following the instructions of the governors. However, in this story, the protagonists are the four doctors of the State of Jin, and their life and death seem not to be bound by any vassal. So where did the monarch of the state of Jin go?

This is going to talk about the established system of six ministers in Jin Dynasty. Jin Wengong Zhong Er is a well-known name to us. In those days, when Jin Xiangong killed a family in his office, all his sons ran away, and Zhong Er was one of them. After being exiled 19 years, Zhong Er returned to the State of Jin to take power, creating a generation of hegemony and becoming one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. Because his official position was slaughtered by Jin Xiangong, Jin Wengong used a large number of different talents to assist his great cause, and on this basis, he established the six-Qing system.

Six Qing refers to the six commanders of the three armed forces of Jin State. Each army has two leaders: general and assistant, followed by general Zhong Jun, assistant Zhong Jun, general Shang Jun, assistant Shang Jun, assistant Xia Jun and assistant Xia Jun. Among them, Zhong Jun will be Zhengqing, ruling the state of Jin, equivalent to the prime minister. Liu Qing can be said to be a senior official of the State of Jin, assisting the monarch of the State of Jin to govern the country, and he is hereditary. They have their own fiefs and armies directly under them, which is somewhat similar to the relationship between Zhou royal family and vassal States. In other words, Liu Qing is not a management team created by professional managers, but an alliance of six big noble families.

In Jin Wengong's time, Liu Qing was a confidant minister loyal to Jin Hou, but after several generations, this relationship changed. The official position of the State of Jin declined like the Zhou Dynasty, and six powerful ministers began to compete for land with each other, beating each other to the death. "Historical Records" describes the situation of Jin in this period, using six words: "Six clean borders (strong), humble official position". In the end, Zhi, Han, Zhao and Wei schools were left behind, among which Zhi was the most powerful and monopolized the power of the State of Jin. However, the land controlled by Hou Gongfu in Jin Dynasty was only two cities, namely Crimson and Quwo.

Zi Zhi Tong Jian tells this story from the selection of successors.

Zhixuanzi wanted to make Zhiyao the queen, but Zhiguo objected, saying, "It's better to be (wise) at night." He said that knowing medicine has five advantages, but one disadvantage is fatal. This shortcoming is "ruthlessness", and the most basic quality of a politician is "benevolence". Without this thing, it is useless to be strong. This is the central idea that Sima Guang wants to express through this story.

However, Zhi Xuanzi ignored the opposition of the country and made Zhi Yao his successor, namely Zhi Bo and posthumous title as Zhi Xiangzi. Seeing this, Zhiguo thought that "Zhizong will die", so he changed his surname to "Fu" and broke away from Zhizong clan. Therefore, in the battle of Jinyang, when Zhi's family was exterminated, Zhi's family fled. Of course, at that time, his name was no longer Zhiguo, but auxiliary fruit. The way history books are recorded makes people feel that wisdom is really a visionary and wise person. But I guess he is out of consideration for Shi Zhi, or he is afraid of Zhibo's revenge. With the influence of the Chicago family at that time, I don't believe anyone can predict that it will die out within a generation unless time passes.

Sima Guang also listed the process of Zhao's election and praised his wisdom, so as to highlight Ji's fatal mistake on the issue of successor.

Zhao Jianzi has two sons, the elder one is called Bayrou, and the younger one is called untouched. So I wrote two admonitions to two people, asking them to study from time to time. Three years later, when Zhao Jianzi asked about the book, Bayrou was completely in the dark, and the book had been lost somewhere. Without a T-shirt, he memorized the words very well, asking for simplicity, and actually took them out of his sleeve. Therefore, Jane takes no shirt as a sage and stands behind. What Sima Guang wants to express is that Zhi Zi Xuan chose Zhi Bo as his successor on the basis of ability, while Zhao Jianzi chose Zhao Xiangzi on the basis of moral standards. In the end, morality triumphed over ability, and Zhao Xiangzi won. But people like us who grew up watching historical dramas and court dramas have a strong flavor of conspiracy. There must be someone behind the ruthless wolf's ambition. As the eldest son, Bayrou was inexplicably deprived of his inheritance.

Inheritance has always been the core issue of the smooth continuation of the dynasty. Once there is a situation, it is a river of blood and the country is not guaranteed. Of course, the most ideal way is to choose the most wise among the candidates, but it will encounter great difficulties in practice. First of all, what is a "saint" is difficult to establish; And even if this standard is established, it is inconsistent, fraudulent and vicious. China's dynasty was a stable system based on farming culture, and the virtue and corruption of kings had little influence on the stable operation of the political system. On the contrary, the power struggle between governors will shake the foundation of the whole dynasty.

Therefore, from the Zhou Dynasty, China began to implement the "inheritance system of office leaders", that is, "office leaders should be long, not virtuous, and children should not be long". The principle is that the heirs are not based on ability, and the eldest son born to the wife is the first heir, and then sorted according to the age of the eldest son born to the wife; If the wife has no children, then choose the oldest one from other children; If they are the same age, they have strong selection ability; If it's all the same, it depends on divination.

But here, the "number one inheritance system" seems to have failed. The name Zhi Bo makes people guess that he is the eldest son (for example, Liu Bang's name is Liu Ji, which means Liu Laosan), but the country openly opposes making him the queen; According to his own judgment, Zhao Jianzi simply asked his youngest son not to wear a shirt.

It seems that Sima Guang does not agree to strictly abide by the "direct inheritance system", but uses the criterion of "benevolence" to select successors. However, later history has repeatedly confirmed that the establishment of such a highly subjective standard, whether based on "virtue" or "benevolence", will often lead to problems in implementation. On the contrary, the simple and rude "direct succession system" is the lowest cost and the easiest way to realize * * * knowledge.

When Zhiguo opposed the establishment of Zhiyao as his successor, he pointed out five advantages of Zhiyao to Zhixuanzi. He used the word "xian", which can be understood as ability. Volunteer countries pointed out the five advantages of Zhiyao in the following five words:

1. "Beautiful Temples Grow Up": tall, powerful and handsome;

2. "Shooting the foot", good at riding and shooting, endless strength, is a military commander;

3. "Giving geisha" has both talent and extensive knowledge;

4. "Exquisite writing", excellent writing and eloquence, and high cultural level;

5. "Strong and decisive", with good willpower and decision-making ability.

It can be seen from here that Zhiyao is almost a perfect leader! As a leader, he has both attractive appearance and psychological quality, and his ability can be described as both civil and military and versatile.

According to historical records, in A.D. 17 (458 BC, five years before the Battle of Jinyang), Zhi Bo took three families, namely Han, Wei and Zhao, to carve up the other two families in the six departments of the Qing Dynasty, namely Fan and Bank of China. After learning the news, Jin Wengong was furious and asked Qi and Lu to help crusade against the four QingDafu. SiQing was afraid that it would be bad for Kim in turn, so she made this decision. Jin fled to Qi after defeat and died on the way. Zhi Bo appointed the great-grandson of Duke Zhao of Jin as King of Jin to mourn the Duke of Jin. Jin is Jin's great grandfather, so Jin Aigong and Jin are of the same generation, but their blood relationship is far from each other. Zhi Bo found a collateral without foundation and became the king of Jin. Since then, he has completely mastered the military and political affairs of the state of Jin. It's a bit like Cao Cao in later generations.

According to historical records, Zhi Bo was better than Ji Ji, the father of Jin Aigong, but Ji Ji died early. Zhi Bo wanted to swallow the Jin family, but he had scruples, so he made Jiji's son the King of Jin, which was equivalent to setting up a symbolic puppet master, and the real king of the State of Jin was actually Zhi Bo himself.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that Zhibo is a lean man with superior ability.

Although Zhi Bo is wonderful, Zi Tong Zhi Jian has its own narrative logic. Sima Guang wanted to prove that Zhixuanzi chose the wrong successor, which led to the genocide of Zhishi. Then, Zhi Bo must be mean and willful.

So there was a scene in which Zhi Bo teased Han Kang at the banquet and abused Duan Gui, a counselor. There are three scenes of arrogance and greed for the land; There is a scene in which the Han and Wei families have obvious signs of rebellion but turn a blind eye to it.

Watch the first act first. There's only one sentence in the book: "Zhi Bo beat Kang Zi, and went back against the rules.". How to play and insult, there is no explanation, the focus is on the following. Zhiguo advised Zhibo to be more careful and not to insult other people's princes, otherwise "difficulties will come!" . Zhi Bo disagreed, saying, "I have the final say. I am not embarrassed, who dares to be excited? "

Although this scene reflects Zhi Bo's arrogance, it can be seen from the side that the State of Jin is dominated by Zhi Bo, and it has no consideration for other clans at all, and even superficial respect is not needed. In other words, he deliberately did this to show that Zhi Bo was far above Han Kangzi's position, that is, Zhi Bo was the monarch and Han Kang was the minister. Zhibo wants Han Kangzi to get used to being trampled under his feet.

Zhi Bo's exclusive position in Nuo Nuo and the passive position of other clans were vividly reflected in the description of inspecting the water situation when Zhi Bo besieged Jinyang. Zhi Bo swims in the water, Wei Huan rides in the water, and Han Kang rides in the water. What does this mean? Ancient nobles traveled by carriage, which had three seats, and the owner usually sat on the left; In the middle is the driver of the carriage, that is, the driver sits; On the right is usually a samurai guard, that is, a person who protects the owner's safety, which can be understood as a bodyguard. There is a saying in Historical Records-Biography of Xiang Yu that "Pei Gong participated in Fan Kuai". In other words, Liu Bang's bodyguard is Beowulf Fan Kuai, a dog butcher. As you can see, although the four clean-ups are a level, Zhibo already enjoys the status of king. He made Wei a driver and Han Kang a bodyguard. No wonder Zhibo can insult Han Kang at will.

Let's take a look at the battle of Jinyang. When he was about to win, Zhi Bo was reminded to be careful of the scene of the Han and Wei Dynasties. Xi Chi said to Zhi Bo, "Korea and Wei will definitely rebel." Then he explained his reasons in detail. I didn't expect Zhibo to turn around and tell Han Kang and Wei what he said. It seems that Zhi Bo didn't even take it to heart. He didn't believe that Han Kang and Wei still dared to rebel!

Zhi Bo can trample on Han and Wei at will, so what's his attitude?

I think it can be described as hatred and fear. As long as the Zhao family is destroyed, the Han and Wei dynasties will be even less important, and the way to replace the 8 Jin Army with an official is there. Therefore, Zhi Bo's sudden demand for land from the three clans is by no means willful, but a move carefully planned by Zhi Bo to destroy Zhao.

On the grounds of strengthening the Jin family, Zhi Bo claimed land from the three families in the name of the Jin family, but the requirements of the three families for land were different. For Korea, Wei and Zhi Bo only asked for land, while for Zhao, they explicitly asked for ceding the land of Cai and Gao Lang. Han and Wei submit to humiliation, agreed to give up a small town with thousands of households, and resolutely refused to give in, giving Zhi Bo an excuse to wage war.

Obviously, Zhi Bo won't agree to cede territory until he knows that Han and Wei dare not expect anything. As long as Han and Wei agree, it will give Zhi Bo the necessary moral advantage. The three clans wholeheartedly supported Jinshi, but Zhao refused to cooperate, which was tantamount to betrayal. You know, Zhishi voluntarily ceded Wanhu City to the State of Jin before going to the important place. Of course, for Zhibo, it's just a left-handed inversion.

What is the importance of Cai He and Gao Lang to Zhao? I didn't find the relevant information, but I believe this must be a crucial strategic position, otherwise Zhao Xiangzi would not rather die than defend these two places. It is speculated that if he is ceded, Zhao may become the bag of wisdom and be slaughtered by others.

Why did Zhibo target Zhao Xiangzi? From the above post-election story, we can see that Zhao Xiangzi is a very shrewd and scheming politician, and Zhi Bo is afraid of him. Besides, Zhibo and Zhao Xiangzi have a deep personal feud. After the three families were divided into Jin, "Zhi Bo's head was painted as a drinking vessel." What a terrible hatred this is. I can't have my head cut off. I want to make a wine container to play with

History books record such a scene.

"Jin went out of the public for eleven years, knowing" cutting Zheng. Illness made the prince feel sorry for Zheng. If you know that you are drunk, you will be treated with wine. Please die without mercy. No pity: "You have no pity, so you can bear it." However, I am also eager to know Bo. When Zhibo came back, he was called the son of Jane, so that the waste did not pity, and Jane did not listen. Don't feel sorry for it. "

When Zhi Bo attacked Zheng Guo, he was not only drunk and beaten, but also advised him not to be heartless, which made him hate Zhi Bo. But you can also see ruthless forbearance. Zhibo should see that he is heartless and will be a potential political enemy in the future.

There are also data showing that when Zhi Bo was fighting Zheng, he held his ground without sympathy, which led to Zhi Bo's small achievement and his return to China. Is this why Zhibo is drunk and has no shirt? Anyway, the two men had an argument early in the morning, and Zhibo soon got rid of Zhao Xiangzi. Zhibo's strategy is in place, and he is only one step away from success. As a result, he was completely disrupted by factors that he did not consider, and fell short. Not only that, but also ruined the family.

After the story is finished, Sima Guang tells his own views in "Learning from each other".

Why did Shi Zhi become extinct?

Chen Guang said: "Only the death of Zhi Bo can win virtue."

He also said: "Since ancient times, the chaotic minister of the country and the defeated son of the family have been left without virtue, so that there are many subversives, so they are especially ambitious!"

Sima Guang's point of view is that a person who goes into politics without virtue will be eliminated. As predicted by Zhiguo at the beginning, Zhibo has five sages, but he is ruthless, so Zhibo's superiority will be destroyed.

But I don't see any inevitable connection between virtue and destruction. Confucius traveled around the world, disappointed, and sighed: "I have never seen such a good virtue as lust." During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the law of the jungle was followed, and "virtue" was definitely not the primary quality of a leader. When it comes to "virtue", the Han, Zhao and Wei clans that divide the State of Jin are not much better. When they slaughtered the clan and carved up the state of Jin, where was their "virtue"?

On the contrary, many qualities of Zhibo meet the requirements of the times. In fact, the highest peak of Zhizu was reached under the leadership of Zhi Bo. It can be said that the extinction of Zhi Bo is a small probability event, but it happened inexplicably, giving a big surprise to the history of China. Otherwise, it can be guessed that the Zhi family will follow the footsteps of the Qi family and replace the Jin army ... Then, the Warring States will be a struggle between the five countries and the historical trajectory will change greatly.

In fact, the development of history is not necessarily logical, but many accidental factors come together to promote the development of history. History is a process in which many different forces play games with each other and seek balance with each other. Every new factor will break the original equilibrium, and many such factors often appear in the form of accidents.

If we must find out the reasons for Zhibo's downfall, then his arrogance and blind self-confidence may be one of them. The strategic goal of cutting off the Zhao family and further annexing the Han and Wei Dynasties is completely no problem, but he did not seriously evaluate the whole political situation of the State of Jin. He underestimated the political ability of Han Wei and Zhao Xiangzi. His strategic intention was too obvious, which made the Han and Wei families feel the danger of "losing their lips and teeth", and only then did Zhao Xiangzi, who was about to fall, have the opportunity to connect the two families in series and turn against each other successfully.

After the three factions were divided into Jin, Yu Rang, the minister of Zhibo, staged an epic revenge story of "a scholar died for a confidant and a woman was ashamed". Although the assassination of Zhao Xiangzi failed, his taxi spirit remained in history and was admired by later generations. In this regard, Li Zhi in Ming Dynasty questioned the narrative of Zi Tong Zhi Jian. If Zhibo is really "heartless", how can he let such a statesman lay down his life for him?

Zhibo collapsed at the peak of his life, which is embarrassing!