Interview with Zhu Ziyan： Why did the regime change in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties have to be ＂Zen＂？

[Editor’s note]Zhao Yi, a historian in the Qing Dynasty, believed that there were only two forms of the Yi Dynasty: "In ancient times, there were only two rounds of punishment and abdication." Although there were legends of Yao and Shun abdicating in ancient times, the truly successful "abdication" in history did not appear until "Cao Wei replaced Han". Professor Zhu Ziyan, Department of History of Shanghai University, called "Cao Wei replaced Han Dynasty" as "Zen Dynasty". He believes that "Zen generation" is essentially a combination of "abdication" and "punishment". From the objective effect, Zen generation has caused less social unrest and paid less social cost, which is worthy of recognition. Examining the rise and fall of Zen politics can also reflect the operation track of China’s imperial power politics from one side.

Why did "Cao Wei replaced Han" happen at the time of Cao Pi? Being both "Zen Dynasties", why did Sima Dai Wei leave more stigma in history than Cao Wei Dai Han? Why did the "Zen generation" decline after the Song Dynasty? The Paper interviewed Professor Zhu Ziyan from the History Department of Shanghai University and asked him to talk about the above issues.

Professor Zhu ziyan

The Paper:In ancient times, there were legends of Yao and Shun abdicating, but the truly successful "abdication" in history did not appear until "Cao Wei replaced Han Dynasty". You call "Cao Wei replaced Han" Zen generation, so what’s the difference between "Zen generation" and "abdication"?

Zhu Ziyan:Zhao Yi, a historian in the Qing Dynasty, believed that there were only two forms of the Yi Dynasty: "In ancient times, there were only two rounds of punishment and abdication." "Expropriation and punishment" is full of violence and justice. From the Tang-Wu Revolution to the new-democratic revolution in modern history, it is better. And "abdication" is a non-violent peaceful transition between tribes in pre-Qin society. In ancient times, there were legends about the demise of Yao and Shun, but they were largely false. What happened in history is more "Zen generation". "Zen generation" is essentially a combination of "abdication" and "punishment". The real Zen generation began in "Cao Wei replaced Han Dynasty", and all the Zen generations before that failed.

Let’s talk about abdication first. At the time of Yao and Shun, the country had not yet formed, and it belonged to the tribal alliance under the premise of public ownership and implemented military democracy. Even if there is a "abdication" system between Yao and Shun, it is also the replacement of tribal chiefs. Now, there are many problems in the records of Yao and Shun in the literature. For example, according to Records of the Five Emperors, Yao and Shun’s reign as ancient sages was too long to be doubted, and according to Han Feizi and other documents, there was no abdication system in ancient times. Shun imprisoned Yao to seize his position, and in his later years, Shun was exiled by Yu. However, later generations of Han Confucianism yearned for the abdication system in ancient times and praised it as the best way to change dynasties. In fact, it is because Confucianism, starting from the theory of "Five Virtues at the End", hopes that the form of regime change will be more in line with the norms of public affairs and moralization, so it is committed to sanctifying Yao and Shun’s abdication model.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, private ownership came into being, and the "state" as a form of political power has been formed. If we want to "honor the ancients" and implement the abdication system at this time, it is difficult to work. The prince of Yan abdicated the throne to his son, but he soon failed under the interference of Qi. After Shang Yang’s political reform, Qin Xiaogong once thought that Zen was located in Shang Yang, but Shang Yang probably knew himself and didn’t accept it. Although Qin Xiaogong was out of the "public interest", his move actually harmed Shang Yang. In addition, in the process of Shang Yang’s political reform, the two teachers of Prince Shang were severely punished, so the Prince acceded to the throne and became the queen of Qin Hui, splitting Shang Yang’s car. In my opinion, the death of Shang Yang was not entirely caused by political reform, but probably had a lot to do with Qin Xiaogong’s willingness to "surrender" before.

At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang took advantage of "abdication", "the coexistence of five virtues" and "the theory of divination" to become emperor, which was an attempt in the unified dynasty and an all-round practice of the abdication system in ancient society. The complete set of etiquette and process of abdication was fully formed in Wang Mang’s Han Dynasty. In my opinion, the abdication system must be investigated together with the Nine Tin System. According to the Book of Rites, Jiuxi is a chariot, horse, clothes, musical instrument, Zhu Hu, Na Bi, Tiger Ben, axe, bow and arrow, and a scorpion. Cao Cao received the Nine Tin, and Cao Pi finally completed the Zen generation. Therefore, the final establishment of the Nine Tin system and the Zen generation system should be the period when Cao Cao received the Nine Tin system and Cao Pi received the Zen.

Zhao Yi stated in the special article "Nine Xiwen" in his Notes on the Twenty-two History: "Before the Zen Dynasty, there must be nine Xiwen, which always narrates the achievements of his people, and he was given special gifts when he entered the country, also starting from Cao Cao. According to the press, Wang Mang’s usurpation of the throne has already been accepted by Jiu Xi, but his writing is only more than 500 words, which is not the format of Pan Xu’s writing for Cao Cao. " Later, the system of abdication became more and more formulaic, and it was only after the courtesy was comprehensive that the people who had received Nine Tin became quasi-emperors. The objects rewarded by Nine Tin went far beyond the scope of people and ministers, and were basically used exclusively by the emperor. Although Wang Mang was influenced by Jiu Xi and Zen Buddhism, the restoration of the Liu family in the Western Han Dynasty was powerful, and Liu Xuan, Liu Xiu and others played the banner of Zhongxing Han Dynasty. In addition, Wang Mang’s improper restructuring led to boiling public resentment. Wang Mang soon failed, and the new dynasty he built failed to be recognized by the world. The new Mang regime was defined as a pseudo-regime by later generations, that is, Wang Mang was a lone husband and a thief, who stole the Heaven.

To sum up the differences between abdication and Zen, there are at least three points: first, abdication takes place under the premise of "public world" and is a meditation between people; The Zen generation is based on the premise of "home in the world" and is a meditation between dynasties. Second, the ancient Zen position, taking the world as the public, selecting talents and abilities; In the Medieval Zen Dynasty, it was replaced by "Zen", that is, in the name of false abdication, and the transfer of monarch and minister from one surname to another was completed. Thirdly, "Zen position" means that the Zen monarch gives the throne to the Zen recipient on his own initiative; The "Zen generation" means that the latter forces the former to meditate, the latter takes the initiative and the former is passive.

The Paper:When Cao Cao started his army in the dying days of the Han Dynasty, his literary and martial arts were the best in the world, which was enough to be the emperor on behalf of the Han Dynasty. But why did Cao Wei take the place of the Han Dynasty?

Zhu Ziyan:Although Cao Pi was the protagonist of Cao Wei’s generation in the Han Dynasty, the whole incident went through three generations: Cao Pi consolidated the foundation of the generation in the Han Dynasty, Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor in the generation in the Han Dynasty, and Cao Rui stabilized the political power. These three stages were indispensable and complemented each other. Three Cao’s decision-making in different stages played an important role in the occurrence, development and completion of Zen, which was interlocking, gradual and steady.

Statue of Cao Cao in Wei Wudi Square, Xuchang, Henan.

Although the power to replace the Eastern Han Dynasty during the Han and Wei Dynasties was countless, the resistance of the Han Dynasty was very great. As Mr. Tian Yuqing said: "In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Confucianism was taught by benevolence, righteousness, holiness and dharma, and its atmosphere was profound, which also influenced the mentality and behavior of the scholar-bureaucrat class, the representative of the aristocratic family. They took it as their duty to support the endless Eastern Han regime, making it very difficult to change the dynasty. The emergence of Wei, Shu, and Wu countries did not mean that the powerful ministers took advantage of the situation and hastily added their titles, but went through a long gestation process. This is why Jian ‘an’s administration lasted for more than twenty years. " The Han Dynasty has a history of more than 400 years. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, although the Han family declined, it was still sacred and orthodox. The Confucian tradition in the Han Dynasty was deeply rooted in the ruling and opposition parties, and Lun Jigang was often transformed into customs. It was extremely difficult to completely destroy it and replace it. This is why Cao Cao did not dare to replace the Han Dynasty. Does Cao Cao really not want to be the emperor? No, he sighed before he died: "If the destiny is in me, I will be Zhou Wenwang." Cao Cao compared himself to Zhou Wenwang, so his son is Zhou Wuwang. Mr. Jian Bozan said, "Cao Cao wears the imperial robe as a shirt." Liu Bei and Sun Quan are far from Cao Cao in qualifications and strength, so Cao Cao does not claim to be the emperor, and no one dares to act rashly. Cao Cao was very cautious about transporting the Han Ding and had a clear understanding of the strength of supporting the Han Dynasty. Yin Jian Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao and others learned the lesson that if he rashly proclaimed himself, he would put himself on the fire, so he would never be fooled by Sun Quan.

By Cao Pi’s generation, the time was ripe for the generation of Han. He used divination, yin and yang and five elements to prove that it was in line with his destiny to proclaim himself emperor. Emperor Han offered several Zen positions, and Cao Pi refused several times in a pretentious way. Later, he was promoted to the ninth five-year plan position by creating public opinion. Cao Pi’s process of calling himself emperor is a subtle imitation of Yao Shun’s abdication. After he acceded to the throne, he sighed: "I know about Shun Yu!" What this means is that Yao and Shun’s story in ancient times was illusory, and his meditation ceremony was not clear. Now, Yao and Shun’s meditation has become a reality by imitating Yao and Shun’s story. Cao Pi’s imitation of Yao and Shun’s demise is all-round. Legend has it that after Shun ascended the throne, he married Yao’s two daughters, E Huang and Nv Ying. After Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor, he also married two daughters of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty. On this issue, historians of later generations have criticized it a lot, thinking that Cao Pi’s marrying his nephew with his uncle is a trip of courtesy and lewdness. In my opinion, in order to make the Zen generation of Han and Wei dynasties more realistic and complete, Cao Pi rebelled against the traditional ethics, and it was the political need of the Zen generation of Han and Wei dynasties to marry his uncle, which had little to do with personal quality and could not be treated with secular courtesy.

The Paper:It is also a "Zen generation". Why does "Sima Dai Wei" have more stigma in history than "Cao Wei Dai Han"?

Zhu Ziyan:There are many people who study the history of the first three countries, but relatively speaking, the study of the history of the last three countries is a little weak. This unbalanced situation has caused people to ignore the achievements of Sima, who unified the three countries, and the "Sima Dai Wei" has a tendency to be stigmatized.

Throughout the ages, most people have criticized Sima’s establishment of the Western Jin Dynasty, and I think the key issue lies in his "replacement of Wei". Cao Cao has long been regarded as a "Han thief" because of his "generation of Han". It was not until 1959 that Guo Moruo reversed Cao Cao’s conviction that Cao Cao’s image was changed. Traditional ethics leads people to equate "Zen position" with "usurping the throne", but they agree that the regime seized by force is legal, reasonable and justified.

There is a reason why Sima Yi replaced Wei and Cao Cao replaced Han. Zhao Yiyun: "After fighting in the Han Dynasty, I tried to levy management, extended the Han Dynasty for more than 20 years, and then replaced it." In Zhao Yi’s view, Cao Cao contributed to the continuation of the dying Han Dynasty for decades. He went on to say: "Sima’s power was stolen, an emperor was abolished, and an emperor was killed, and his position was seized. Compared with Cao Cao, his merits and sins are not the same."

In fact, the transition from Cao Wei to Han Dynasty was not entirely peaceful. Cao Cao mobilized troops to destroy Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Lu Bu, Liu Biao, Tao Qian, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu and many other governors, and his martial arts were brilliant. The generation of Han still had the meaning of "imposing punishment". However, Cao Shi always believed that "imposing punishment" could gain actual power, but it was difficult to gain legitimacy in the Han Dynasty when the Confucian tradition was deeply immersed, so he used the method of "Zen generation" to avoid the risk that the world regarded it as "usurping the throne". Facts have proved that only by combining the two means of imposing punishment and abdicating is Zen generation. Sima’s problem is precisely the lack of "punishment" in the process of gaining power. In terms of "martial arts", Sima Yi only pacified the mediocre Meng Da and Gongsun Yuan in Liaodong, and barely drew a tie with Zhuge Liang, the arch rival, far less than Cao Cao’s efforts to clean up the mess in the Eastern Han Dynasty and pacify various governors, and three-thirds of the world has its own brilliant martial arts.

Without outstanding military achievements, the "Zen generation" will lack social influence and recognition, and it will also lack prestige above the imperial court; On the other hand, if there is only "punishment" without "abdication", it will not occupy the commanding heights of Confucianism ethics and morality, and it will easily be classified as "usurping power". By the way, why can’t Zhuge Liang "replace" Liu Chan? I think it was also because of its defeat in the Northern Expedition and its failure to meet the political demand of "imposing punishment" because of "reviving the Han Dynasty".

The Paper:How do you evaluate Sima’s Zen generation? Is there any merit in this peaceful way of power change?

Zhu Ziyan:Wei in Sima Dynasty was actually caused by three generations of baton of Sima family. After Sima Yi’s death, Sima Shi came to power, which abolished Cao Fang and put down the chaos of Wu Qiujian, further consolidating his power. And Si Mazhao played a more critical role. Although Si Mazhao has a bad reputation, he has been notorious for his "Heart of Si Mazhao". But this man has actually made great contributions to the world: his revised Jin Law is more lenient than the criminal law of Han Law; He also abolished the people’s villages and released the state tenant farmers; Ping Huainan rebellion, don’t kill Wu Jun prisoners, daxing benevolent government. Judging from the trend of historical development, Si Mazhao’s destruction of Shu inherited Cao Cao’s career, and he ended the situation of the Three Kingdoms, laying the foundation for the cause of reunification. In the late Three Kingdoms period, it would be impossible to achieve national reunification quickly without such outstanding politicians and strategists as Si Mazhao. He spoke highly of Sima’s achievements in unifying the whole country. He said: "Except for the great harm of the Three Kingdoms, the dispute at the end of the Jing and Han Dynasties, and the obscurity of the nine realms, all the people who have made great contributions for thousands of years are Sima." Looking at the history of the Three Kingdoms, this view of Xi’s is indeed the theory of China. Although Hui Di and Jia Hou appeared in the late Western Jin Dynasty, which led to the rebellion of eight kings and five wanton China, this account could not be blamed on Sima Yi. Is it necessary for Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding king, to bear the crime of national subjugation of Emperor Chongzhen in the late Ming Dynasty?

Stills of Sima Yi’s Alliance of Military Strategists

To discuss the "Zen generation" in ancient China, we need to consider the division of stages. Although "Cao Wei replaced Han Dynasty" was the initiator, it was "Sima Wei" who really inherited and fixed "Zen Dynasty" as a form of dynasty change. After that, China entered the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and all dynasty changes adopted "Zen Dynasty", including the Southern Dynasties, the Song Dynasties, Qi Liang Chen; Northern Dynasties, Eastern Wei and Northern Qi Dynasties; In the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties, and then to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, "even Tang Gaozu started with a levy, but also took the place of Wang Zhichan, and Zhu Wen started with a thief, but also took the place of mourning for the emperor." (Zhao Yiyu) The world has fully accepted this paradigm of power transfer, and it has become a conventional way to change generations.

From "Cao Wei replaced Han Dynasty" to "Sima Wei Dynasty", the emperors of the new dynasty treated the former emperors with Yu Bin. According to ancient stories, the two sides of Zen were the kings of Yao and Shun, so the new monarch treated the Zen officials with the courtesy of national guests: the Zen monarch refused to be a vassal, was not worshipped by the imperial edict, and prepared a five-hour car. The ceremony of worshipping the ancestors of the former emperors in the suburbs was feasible, and his own title could still be used in the feudal country. Although the Zen monarch was supervised by someone, he eventually died. But in the Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, great changes took place. Soon after Emperor Wu of Song ascended the throne, he killed Sima Dewen, the Jin Emperor who was in Zen. After Emperor Wu of Song, all those who accept Zen will surely destroy the whole family of Zen practitioners.

Why did Emperor Wu of Liu set a precedent for killing Zen monarchs? There is no historical data to prove it. I consider whether it can be analyzed from the background of the times and the origin of Emperor Wu of Song. The gentry in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties were powerful and monopolized the political power. Even though commoners entered the top of the ruling group by virtue of military achievements, he even became the ninth five-year plan, he still had to share the world with the gentry. Emperor Wu of song was born in poverty and was a martial artist. He was once despised by the gentry represented by Wang and Xie because of his low cultural level. Although he made great strides in the Northern Expedition and gained a high reputation among the people, in the eyes of the gentry, he had not established enough "moral aspirations" to obtain the qualification of abdication. Cao Shi and Sima Shi both managed two or three generations to have enough political background. However, since Emperor Wu of Song destroyed Huan Xuan in 404 AD and proclaimed himself emperor in 420, there was only a short period of 16 years between them, far from the word "management", and the sons of Emperor Wu of Song may not be able to control the whole situation as Xelloss, Sima Shi and Si Mazhao did, which forced him to Zen in his lifetime. Emperor Wu of song proclaimed himself emperor, which was also caused by historical opportunities. Because of his weak political foundation, he could not get the strong support of the aristocratic men. In order to prevent the restoration of the Jin emperor, he was killed to make him unpopular.

Although Emperor Wu of Song was cruel and bloody, he was confined to the palace and had little influence on society. I think the most successful thing in the Zen Dynasty is that Zhao Kuangyin built the Song Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin’s mutiny in Chen Qiao almost replaced the regime of the Hou Zhou Dynasty without bloodshed. Chen Qiao mutiny, there is not much movement, the army didn’t kill a person, shops open as usual, Kaifeng city as before. In the state of social stability and not disturbing people’s lives, Emperor Gong abdicated next week, and Zhao Kuangyin ascended the pole, completing the Zen Dynasty in Zhou and Song Dynasties.

The paradigm of "Zen generation" is worthy of recognition, because "Zen generation" realized the transfer of political power between different surnames in a relatively peaceful way, avoiding the sword shadow of coup and the millions of corpses and bloodshed caused by war. The Zen dynasty greatly reduced the social cost of indiscriminate slaughter, productivity damage, death and injury of the people, etc. What’s more, in the Confucian context, "Zen generation" is more in line with the spirit of benevolent governance and the principle of etiquette in ancient China.

The Paper:It has been circulating in history that Sima Yi was considered as a "wolf looking after the prime minister" long before the Wei Dynasty. Is the formation of these rumors related to the generation of Wei?

Zhu Ziyan:It is also the Ding Ge of the Yi Dynasty. Later generations have completely different opinions on Liu Bang, who won the world through "imposing punishment", and Sima Shi, who died in Wei Chengjin through Zen. Perhaps Sima’s "Sanma in the same slot" and "Wolf in the same position" are far less authoritative, orthodox and convincing than Liu Bang’s "Chi Di’s son beheaded the white emperor" and "Long Zhun and Long Yan". But "the wolf cares about the phase" may also be another manifestation of the divine right of the imperial power. Dolf Steinberger, a British scholar, pointed out: "Even usurpers, after seizing power, often strive to seek legitimacy for their regime in order to strengthen their dominant position. This effort to rationalize, moralize and justify the usurped power, whether successful or not, reveals the criteria for judging legitimacy in a specific social culture." I think that the maker of "Wolf Gu Xiang" may subjectively demonstrate the rationality of Sima’s winning the world, but it backfired, which objectively led to the stigma of Sima’s winning the world.

Stills of Sima Yi’s Alliance of Military Strategists

In fact, Sima Yi was not the only one who took care of the wolf during the Han and Wei Dynasties. Even Zhuge Liang, who was praised by later generations as the embodiment of wisdom, the model of morality and the standard of loyalty, was also accused by Li Miao, the official of Shu Han Dynasty, of taking care of the wolf, and asked the empress Liu to govern the country as soon as possible and get rid of the control of the powerful ministers. However, in the History of the Three Kingdoms, it is recorded that Zhuge Liang is "eight feet long and has a great appearance", which seems to have nothing to do with "Wolf Gu Xiang" and there is a huge contradiction. Why is Zhuge Liang’s "wolf looks after the phase" rarely known by the world? I think this has a lot to do with the Five Elements. Many annals in the twenty-fourth history have compiled the Five Elements Annals as an important part of the annals. The main purpose of Five Elements Records is to carry forward Dong Zhongshu’s theory of "the connection between heaven and man", that is, the astronomical phenomena must correspond to personnel, and the Five Elements Records only records what has been fulfilled, and those that have not been fulfilled will be ignored by the Five Elements Records. Zhuge Liang did not replace Liu Chan as the emperor, so there will be no corresponding records in the Five Elements Records. Searching the history books, we found that many auguries, rumors and nursery rhymes were closely related to the rulers, the fate of emperors and the general trend of the world, which reflected the views of the imperial court and ordinary people to some extent.

Prophecy ballads (including rumors in the form of folk songs and nursery rhymes) should be everywhere, and nursery rhymes compiled in the Five Elements Records of the Han Dynasty should be a small part left after selection and editing. Historians choose these nursery rhymes because of their relevance to major historical events or figures, and because of the efficacy of their fables. Children’s rhymes that have not been fulfilled are just rumors and myths, and they can’t be regarded as prophecies. Sima Yi’s "Wolf takes care of each other" and "Sanma eats the same food in the same trough" are the fulfillment of nursery rhymes. In order to make nursery rhymes more authoritative, historians transferred this prediction to Cao Cao. Cao Cao and Sima Yi, as heavyweights in Wei and Jin Dynasties, were the kings of Zhao Ji in Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the augury rumors circulating on them naturally spread like wildfire and spread to later generations.

The positioning of "Wolf Gu" has plunged Sima Yi into a hopeless situation, so this issue must be re-examined. When Sima Yi first entered the Cao Cao shogunate, he was only an insignificant literary secretary. How can Cao Cao travel through time and space? As early as decades ago, he realized that Sima Yi was "ambitious" and "concerned about the wolf", and dreamed that "Sanma was in the same boat", and even solemnly told Cao Pi: "Sima Yi is not a human minister, and he must anticipate your family affairs." It can be seen that these are all false fabrications.

I think the compilation of the Book of Jin was deeply influenced by the ideology in the early Tang Dynasty, especially the "Zhi Yue" in the Book of Jin Xuandi Ji was written by Emperor Taizong, who spoke highly of Wei Wudi and severely criticized Sima Yi’s fraudulent guess, so the possibility of beautifying and mythologizing Cao Cao in the Book of Jin Xuandi Ji was not ruled out. The best way to mythologize Cao Cao is to fabricate Cao Cao’s great talent and insight, and he has long observed that Sima Yi has a "wolf-like attitude". Liu Zhiji thinks that the Book of Jin quotes a lot of folk tales of Machamp’s disorderly gods in You Ming Lu and Sou Shen Ji, which undermines the objectivity and authority of the official history, so he has a very low evaluation of the Book of Jin.

The Paper:When did Zen begin to decline? Why was there no such form of power transfer after the Song Dynasty?

Zhu Ziyan:The politics of Zen declined gradually after the Song Dynasty, mainly because the social soil that produced the powerful ministers no longer existed. From the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Five Dynasties, it was the powerful minister who posed the greatest threat to the imperial power. Once there was a bad monarch and a mediocre master, or the world was in turmoil, on the basis of relying on the emperor and repeatedly building meritorious military service, the powerful military power was the backing, and the Zen generation became the emperor by forcing nine tin. As An Chongrong of the Five Dynasties said: "The son of heaven, those who are strong in Ma Zhuang should do it. Why not have seed?" On the surface, the Zen dynasty seems to be a peaceful transfer of power between the old and new dynasties, but it is actually an undercurrent of military deterrence. The power minister still seized power by force, but put on a legal coat for himself in the form of "surrender".

Yaowangtai Site in yongji city, Shanxi. It is said that Yaowangtai is the witness of Yao and Shun’s "abdication system".

Although the imperial examination system was implemented in the Tang dynasty, the wind of martial arts still prevailed. Tang Shiyun’s "Better to be a centurion than a scholar" fully embodies the value orientation of valuing martial arts over literature. Although Zhao Kuangyin, the founding king of the Northern Song Dynasty, was born as a military commander, he had a deep understanding of the dangers of military commanders because he seized the throne through the mutiny in Chen Qiao. He made it a national policy to guard against and suppress military commanders, and "keeping the inside empty and keeping the outside empty" and "emphasizing literature over martial arts" became the "ancestral family law" of the Song people. In the Song Dynasty, the system of civil servants governing the country was established, which enabled the emperor to fully and effectively grasp the military power. From then on, it was no longer possible for the powerful ministers to force Jiuxi to seal Wang Jianguo and implement Zen Buddhism. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang abandoned the imperial court. In short, the imperial power was unprecedentedly strong, and the relationship between monarch and minister had become a master-slave relationship, which completely eliminated the possibility of the emergence of powerful ministers.

Song and Ming dynasties also vigorously strengthened the idea of loyalty to the monarch, thus fundamentally changing the cultural spirit of the whole society. The "dual monarchical subjectivity" in the Eastern Han Dynasty and the "no monarchical theory" in the Wei and Jin Dynasties led scholars to be loyal to the ruler, the ruler and the deceased, which made it easy for the powerful ministers to seize the country on behalf of Zen. Under the subjective influence of dual monarchs, the concept of loyalty to monarchs in Wei and Jin dynasties was very weak, and scholars often persuaded the "master" to stand on his own feet as emperor during the world turmoil. The neo-Confucianism of Cheng and Zhu in the Song Dynasty raised the concept of loyalty to the monarch to an unprecedented height. Neo-Confucianism advocates that "loyalty to the monarch" is the "theorem of the world". "If God teaches you that your father and son are related, you will use your father and son to be related, and if God teaches you that your monarch and his subjects are righteous, you will use your monarch and his subjects to be righteous, otherwise it will be against heaven." In the Song and Ming dynasties, when the concept of loyalty to the monarch evolved into "justice", it was considered that it was impossible for people and ministers to covet artifacts and seek great positions.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the powerful minister who added Nine Tin was bound to seal a big country and give it to several counties or even a state. However, in the Tang dynasty, the country was sealed, but it was empty, and there was no place for it. In the Song Dynasty, the theory of the five virtues, the theory of divination and the theory of divination, which were closely related to the Zen Dynasty, also gradually declined. Zhao Kuangyin issued a letter, and it is forbidden to prophesy. Since the Song Dynasty, the ethnic conflicts between Chinese and foreigners have become prominent, and "imposing punishment" has become the main body of the Yi Dynasty. The initiators of imposing punishment are not all peasant uprisings, but the Hu nationality in the north, such as Jin’s annihilation of the Northern Song Dynasty, Mongolia’s annihilation of the Southern Song Dynasty, and Qing’s annihilation of the Ming Dynasty, which is one of the reasons for the decline of Zen politics. Under the comprehensive effect of various factors, the Nine-Tin System and Zen politics, which prevailed in the Han, Wei, Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, finally withdrew from the historical stage because they lost the carrier of attachment. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Longyu issued the imperial edict of Zen position and handed over the political power to the government of the Republic of China by peaceful means. This is the revival of Zen politics in modern history, and its reasons can be discussed separately.

The Paper:What is the significance and academic value of studying the origin, development and evolution of ancient Zen politics in China?

Zhu Ziyan:Examining the rise and fall of Zen politics can not only reflect the operation track of China’s imperial power politics from one side, but also compare it with the way of "imposing punishment". Although in essence, there is no strict difference between "levying punishment" and "Zen generation". However, the Zen Dynasty caused less social unrest and paid less social cost, which is worthy of recognition. With the decline of the Song Dynasty, the imperial power was strengthened, and ethnic minorities entered the Central Plains many times in the form of "imposing punishment", which caused great damage to the Ming and Qing societies that were trying to get out of the Middle Ages, especially in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The direct consequence of the Ding Reform in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was the great damage to the society at that time: a large number of people died and the productivity was greatly retrogressed. As a result, the dynasty cycle was bound to cycle repeatedly and it was difficult to jump out. On the other hand, if the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties adopted the story of Chen Qiao of Han and Wei Gengzuo or Zhao Kuangyin, would it help China get out of the Middle Ages as soon as possible? Going global? Is it conducive to the early transformation of China from an agricultural society to an industrialized society? This is a question that I often consider when studying Zen politics.