Everyone knows the great governance situations of ancient Chinese dynasties, such as the rule of Chengkang, the rule of Wenjing, the rule of Mingzhang, the rule of Zhenguan, the rule of Kaiyuan, the rule of Renxuan, the prosperous era of Kangxi and Qianlong, etc. ; Xuanwang Zhongxing, Shaokang Zhongxing, Zhaoxuan Zhongxing, Guangwu Zhongxing, Yuanhe Zhongxing (Tang Xianzong), Hongzhi Zhongxing (at the same time, Ming Xiaozong also appeared in ancient times), Tongzhi Zhongxing and other ZTE situations.
1. King Xuan's resurgence
After King Xuan of Zhou came to the throne, he appointed ministers such as Zhao Mu Gong, Zhou Dinggong, and Yin Jifu to rectify the government and revive the declining Zhou Dynasty. "The Zhou Dynasty will be rejuvenated by appointing talents and talents." "The Book of Songs·Daya·Hao Min"
The main achievement of King Xuan was to defeat the Rong, Di and Huaiyi who invaded the Zhou Dynasty. In the fourth year of King Xuan (824 BC), Qin Zhong was a doctor and attacked Xirong and was killed. King Xuan also ordered his son Qin Zhuanggong and five brothers to attack the Rong army and won. In the fifth year, King Xuan and Yin Jifu also attacked the Xirong (i.e. Xirong) in Guya (now northwest of Chengcheng, Shaanxi). Yin Jifu played an important role in the war against the 烃狋. He led his troops to attack Taiyuan (today's Zhenyuan area of ????Gansu) and forced the 烃狋 to retreat to the northwest.
For the Huaiyi invaders in the Jianghan area, King Xuan ordered Duke Mu, his minister Nanzhong, Grandmaster Huangfu, and Grand Sima Cheng Boxiufu to lead an army to attack them. Xu Guo obeyed and presented himself to Zhou Dynasty. In the eighteenth year, Nan Zhong sent Ju's father and Gao's father to the Huaiyi area. All countries welcomed the king's order and presented tributes. During this period, King Xuan also ordered Uncle Fang to lead an army to conquer Jingman (i.e. Chu State).
In order to consolidate his rule over the southern territories, King Xuan moved his uncle Shen Bo to Xie (now Nanyang, Henan). In the 22nd year of King Xuan's reign, he continued the enfeoffment in the early Western Zhou Dynasty and granted his younger brother You the title of Yu Zheng (now east of Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province).
However, King Xuan’s revival was short-lived. In King Xuan's later years, the country's power declined again. King Xuan's foreign campaigns for many years not only failed to resolve the conflict between slaves and slave owners, but also consumed a lot of manpower, material and financial resources. Although it expanded the territory of the Western Zhou Dynasty a lot, it also accelerated the demise of the Western Zhou Dynasty to a certain extent.
2. Zhaoxuan Zhongxing During the era of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty (approximately 87 BC to 49 BC), the Western Han Dynasty was in a stage of stable development. Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty came to the throne at the age of 8, and Huo Guang assisted in the administration. He continued to implement the policies since the late Emperor Wu. He issued many edicts to provide relief to farmers, reduce or exempt taxes such as land rent and oral taxes, and reduce the burden of labor on farmers. After Emperor Xuan came to the throne, he put more effort into rectifying the official administration and implemented measures to appease the exiles and stabilize people's livelihood, so that social production could recover and develop to a certain extent, and a new situation emerged in politics, which is known in history as "Zhaoxuan Zhongxing".
3. Yuanhe Zhongxing The stable and prosperous situation that appeared during the Xianzong period of the Tang Dynasty in China.
Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, the central eunuchs have had exclusive power, local vassals and towns have been divided, and the political situation has been chaotic. In the first year of Yongzhen (805), the eunuch Ju Wenzhen forced Shunzong to take the Zen throne and supported Li Chun to ascend the throne. Li Chun was a more accomplished emperor in the late Tang Dynasty. During his reign, he rectified Jianghuai's financial resources to increase fiscal revenue. Later, with Li Jiang and Pei Du as prime ministers, they took advantage of the conflicts among the vassal towns, abolished the eunuchs and supervised the army, and successively put down the rebellions of Liu Pi, the military governor of Xichuan in Jiannan, and Li Qi, the military governor of Zhenhai, and recruited Tian Hongzheng, the military governor of Wei Bo, a powerful feudal lord in Hebei, to surrender. And concentrated all efforts to eliminate Wu Yuanji, the military governor of Huaixi. For this reason, many vassal towns returned one after another, and later Ziqing Jiedushi Li Shidao was pacified. Although Xianzong put down the rebellion in some feudal towns, he could not fundamentally eliminate the root causes of separatism. Xianzong favored the eunuch Tutu Chengcui. In the fifteenth year of Yuanhe (820), he was poisoned by the eunuch due to the issue of succession to the throne. The Yuanhe Zhongxing was only a political upheaval in the mid-Tang Dynasty. After Xianzong's death, various vassal towns again experienced chaos or failed to comply with court orders, and a situation in which eunuchs had exclusive power was formed.
During the Yuanhe period of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty, the government's financial situation improved. At the same time, Tubo's power declined, and the strength of the vassal towns in various places was also weakened during the long-term war. Taking advantage of this good situation, the Tang government "sanctioned the vassal towns by law." ", Henan, Shandong, Hebei and other regions that had been trapped in powerful vassal states for many years were returned to the jurisdiction of the central government, and the Tang Dynasty returned to unity, which was known in history as "Yuanhe Zhongxing".
4. Hongzhi Zhongxing In the spring of the 23rd year of Chenghua (1487), Concubine Wan Guifei died of illness, and Xianzong also died in August due to excessive grief. Prince Zhu Youtang succeeded to the throne on Renyin day in September. In the second year, the reign name was changed to "Hongzhi", which was named Xiaozong of Ming Dynasty.
In fact, what Xianzong left to his son Xiaozong was not only a chaotic government, but also a country riddled with holes. Xiaozong already knew about these situations when he was the prince in the palace. When he came to the throne, he began to reform the bad government. At first, he focused mainly on the personnel arrangements for important officials in the court. After these problems were basically resolved, he began to focus on managing internal and external troubles.
Due to the Chenghua period, Emperor Xianzong favored Buddhism and Taoism, which led to many sycophants sneaking into the court. Li Zisheng was one of the representative figures. He dedicated his alchemy and Fangzhong skills to the emperor and was favored. Then he colluded with the eunuch Liang Fang to disrupt the government, attacked loyal ministers, and fostered cliques. They were the most serious harm to the court at that time. After Xiaozong ascended the throne, he immediately arrested two people, causing all civil and military officials to celebrate. Then, Emperor Xiaozong began to rectify the official system and replaced all the officials in the Chenghua Dynasty who had bribed and flattered others to get rich. The reform first started with the cabinet and dismissed the "paper-paste three elders" headed by his foreign wife Wan'an. At the same time, Xiaozong hired a large number of upright and capable people.
Like Wang Shu, Huaien, Ma Wensheng and other officials who were demoted in the Chenghua Dynasty because of their outspokenness; Xu Pu, Liu Jian, Xie Qian, Li Dongyang and other virtuous ministers. The Jinggong Temple was built for Yu Qian, which made both the court and the palace look new. It was called Chaoxu Qingning at that time.
Before Wan'an was expelled, people did not know much about Xiaozong. All we know is that he was born in the cold palace, the son of a lowly palace servant. Although he was later recognized by Xianzong, he was always jealous of Concubine Wan Gui, and even in the last years of Chenghua, he was in danger of being deposed. Therefore, when this seventeen-year-old young man became the emperor, in addition to the support of some upright ministers, he probably also had some sympathy. His life as a prince was too rough. But people soon had to look at the young emperor with admiration, and criticized the sycophantic and virtuous Hongzhi's initial administration, which gave the chaotic court in the late Chenghua period a shot of stimulant, giving the Ming Dynasty hope for rejuvenation.
And this emperor was surprisingly tolerant and kind, even showing great tolerance to Concubine Wan Guifei's family who had persecuted his biological mother. As for Concubine Wan Gui, she did not follow the advice of her ministers and punish her. All this stems from the word filial piety, which is to honor the father and emperor, maintain the tradition, and focus on generosity, loyalty, and filial piety. It is precisely because of this that his temple was named Xiaozong after his death. Xiaozong's most important measures in domestic politics were to vigorously build water conservancy, develop agriculture, and prosper the economy. In May of the second year of Hongzhi (1489), the Yellow River burst in Kaifeng. Xiaozong ordered Bai Ang, the left minister of the household department, to lead 50,000 people to repair it.
In the fifth year of Hongzhi (1492), the Susong River was silted up and flooded. Xiaozong ordered Xu Guan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to take charge of the governance, which took nearly three years to complete. Since then, Susong has eliminated flooding and once again become a land of plenty.
Due to the rough life in his childhood, Xiaozong has always been weak and sickly. However, Xiaozong was diligent in political affairs. Not only did he attend the morning court every day, he also reopened the afternoon court, which gave ministers more opportunities to assist the emperor in handling government affairs. At the same time, he resumed his lectures at the Sutra Banquet and consulted the ministers on how to govern the country. Xiaozong also opened the Wenhua Hall to discuss politics, whose role was to discuss the ways of governing the country and discuss political affairs with the cabinet ministers after the morning and afternoon dynasties. Emperor Xiaozong's diligence finally paid off. He promoted the rule of the court and governed the Qingming Dynasty, appointed talents and capable officials, restrained officials, worked diligently in government affairs, advocated thrift, and rested with the people. It was a rare peaceful period in the history of the Ming Dynasty when the economy was prosperous and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. . It is called "Hongzhi Zhongxing" by historians.
5. Tongzhi Zhongxing "Tongzhi Zhongxing" refers to an inertial recovery stage during the reign of Tongzhi (1862-1874) after the mid-Qing Dynasty to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Coinciding with the cooperation between the Qing government and Britain and France in 1860 and the collapse of the Taiping Rebellion (1864), there was a period of political calm and the Westernization Movement was launched.
Some people also regard the period from Xianfeng to Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty as the Xiantong Zhongxing, as a stage of inertial recovery. However, it is generally believed that the recovery period mainly occurred during the reign of Tongzhi.
Measures
Naturally repair the internal political order. Based on the interests of feudal rulers, some Confucian scholars and farmers, under the leadership of bureaucrats, gathered armed forces in an attempt to annihilate the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Economic adjustments after civil strife. Reduce rural taxes, encourage farming and distribute grain seeds, and appease the people's rebellious mood.
The imperial examination was promoted to increase the number of places for examination to recruit talents, prevent the emergence of something like the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and recruit more talents to maintain the rule of the Qing court, which objectively caused the further corruption of modern Chinese people's thoughts.
To carry out foreign affairs, it mainly focuses on diplomacy and seeks common cooperation with foreign powers.
Influence
The main ministers in charge of ZTE are Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang and Hu Linyi. They played a great role in suppressing rebellious people and quelling social unrest. They also became important officials in the subsequent Westernization Movement.
Qian Mu's "Outline of National History" mentions:
"Zeng's diary on May 7, the first year of Tongzhi, discussed Westernization in detail, saying: "If you want to strengthen yourself, you must cultivate political affairs. , seek talented people as an urgent task, and learn to make bombs, ships and other tools as a starting point."
One view is that the so-called "Tongzhi Zhongxing" is the work of some historians Distorting history and deliberately beautifying the Qing Dynasty. As we all know, since the Opium War, the incompetent Qing government has suffered repeated defeats in the aggressive wars of imperialist countries, ceding territory to pay compensation, and losing power and humiliating the country. People of all ethnic groups could not bear the cruel exploitation of the Qing rulers, so they rose up in rebellion one after another, and the Taiping Rebellion, the largest peasant uprising in modern Chinese history, broke out. The actual person in power during the Tongzhi period was Cixi. The reign of this old witch Cixi was actually a kind of "ZTE". Doesn't that mean that the reign of the thief Yuan Shikai was the "Hongxian's rule"? There is a reason why the conflicts between the Qing rulers and the imperialist countries eased during the Tongzhi years. As for the imperialist countries, they saw the outbreak of the Taiping Rebellion fighting for national independence in China and realized that a strong Han regime would inevitably damage their colonial interests. Therefore, it was a wise strategy to support the Qing government to oppress the Chinese people. . As far as the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty is concerned, during the Second Opium War, the British and French forces captured Beijing, and Xianfeng and his gang fled in panic. The Manchu rulers realized that imperialist countries were difficult to deal with, so it was better to obey and cooperate. Abandoned like a piece of shit. So the old and new colonists colluded to oppress the Chinese people. Cixi also put forward the famous saying "Measure the material resources of China and the happiness of the country."
The initial cooperation between the two colonists was to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. In the subsequent Sino-French War, although the Qing army was victorious, they still signed unequal treaties. This was Cixi's ruling policy. Therefore, the "Tongzhi ZTE" is a period of deepening colonialization of China, rather than the so-called "ZTE".
Another view is that "Tongzhi ZTE" is a stage that promotes the progress of China's modern history, mainly reflected in the Westernization Movement. A series of modern enterprises were established, including Fuzhou Shipping Bureau, Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, Kaiping Coal Mine, etc. This objectively stimulated the development of capitalism. The "industrial salvation" trend after the Westernization Movement cannot be said to have nothing to do with this period. At the same time, although the management of modern enterprises such as the Westernization Movement did not belong to the standard capitalist management method, it also stimulated the emergence of the Chinese proletariat in some aspects. For details, please refer to the entry on the Westernization Movement.
Professor Stavrianos believes that foreigners (foreign colonists) at that time were surprised, frightened and admired this trend in China. Some even thought that "China's officials, big and small, all took action." ”.
However, Tongzhi’s ZTE did not have any good consequences. The decay of the feudal system and the ignorance of the rulers ultimately destroyed this dream of “self-improvement”.
For the study of this period of history, you can refer to the classic work "Tongzhi Zhongxing" by American sinologist Mary C. Wright.
6. Shaokang’s resurgence I don’t agree with LZ’s view that Emperor Shaokang’s restoration of the Xia Dynasty meant overthrowing the country and starting over. After all, Shaokang was the grandson of Zhongkang and the son of the prime minister. After many hardships, he returned to the country and still followed the Xia tradition. The political system of the Xia Dynasty is recorded in historical records as the sixth king of the Xia Dynasty. We should refer to the official historical records. Of course, this issue can still be disputed and doubtful, so I have listed it last.
Shaokang Zhongxing was the first era in Chinese history when the word "Zhongxing" appeared. According to historical records, after Xia Qi's death, he passed the throne to his son Taikang. Taikang ignored political affairs all day long, feasting and having fun. Hou Yi (yì), the leader of the Youqiong clan in Dongyi, took the opportunity to oust Taikang. Soon, Hou Yi was killed by his crony Han Zhuo (sound zhuō Zhuo), and Han Zhuo took the throne. After Taikang's death, his younger brother Zhongkang was established. Zhongkang's son Xiang took refuge with the Guan and Zhenxun families of the same surname Zhen (sound zhēn), but he was still killed by Hanzhuo. The prime minister's wife had no choice but to flee to You still's natal family and gave birth to her son Shaokang. After Shaokang became an adult, he was defeated by Han Zhuo and defected to the Yu family. When the king of the Yu family saw that Shaokang was young and promising, he married his two daughters to him and built Lun (sound lún) for him (today's Kangcheng, Shundian, Yuzhou) for him to live in. Lunyi has Songshan Mountain in the west, Juci in the north, and Yingshui River in the south. The land is fertile and the climate is pleasant. There are 10% of fields (10 miles in radius) and a brigade (500 people). Shaokang has a place to settle down. Shaokang used Lunyi as his base to support and recruit the scattered Xia survivors, develop production, and accumulate strength. He also gathered his trusted clans and the clans that were dissatisfied with Hanzhuo, and worked together to eliminate Hanzhuo and the rest of the party. He "rectified his dignity and traveled southeast to seek the former capital of King Yangzhai of Xia." He renovated palaces, built Juntai, and regarded Jiuding as the world's capital The princes all supported him. Decades after Emperor Taikang of Xia lost his country, Shaokang finally "sat on Juntai and faced the princes" and regained the position of emperor. In history, it was called "Shaokang's resurgence". ?
Shaokang was the sixth king of the Xia Dynasty of China. The second Xia king, Taikang, was conquered by Hou Yi, a vassal in the east of the Youqiong clan (now in the western part of Shandong Province). Hou Yi replaced the Xia regime. Later, Hou Yi's favored minister Han Zhuo launched a coup and bloodbathed Hou Yi's clan. However, Taikang died of depression, and his younger brother Zhongkang succeeded to the throne as the third generation of Xia King. Hanzhuo pursued Taikang's family relentlessly. So Zhongkang died while fleeing, and his son Xiang was also killed. The Xiang's wife was Houmin, the daughter of a prince in Youjian Kingdom (Jinan, Shandong). She was pregnant. She fled back to Youjing Kingdom and gave birth to Shaokang, who became Mu Zheng. Responsible for the management of livestock. Hanzhuo refused to let go of the Xia royal family, so Hanzhuo's son sent people to kill Shaokang.
Later Shaokang took refuge and fled to Youyu State (today's Youyu County, Henan Province), where he served as the chef of Youyu family. King Yusi married his daughter "Er Tao" to Shaokang, and Actively cultivate forces, with a field of ten miles (ten miles square), a brigade (five hundred people), and the help of Bosi, the prince of Yu State. One day, Shaokang mobilized a righteous army, contacted Bo Mi, the remaining minister of the Xia Dynasty, and sent his daughter Ai to spy on Chu's military situation. Bo Mi sent his army to directly attack Qiongshi, the capital of Youqiong Kingdom. Han Zhuo attempted suicide and was tied up and dragged to Bo Mi by the people. Bo Mi listed Hanzhuo's various crimes, cut off his flesh piece by piece, and tortured him until he died. Then Shaokang ordered his daughter Ai to attack Chu, and Ji Zhu was ordered to attack Qi. After the success, Shaokang ordered his men to chop the pig into meat paste, and he was cooked and killed in a cauldron. Shaokang regained power in the Xia Dynasty. During his reign, Shaokang worked diligently and cared about the people, focusing on agriculture and water conservancy. This was known as the "Shaokang Zhongxing" in history.
As for the Guangwu Zhongxing of the Eastern Han Dynasty, I also agree with LZ’s opinion. After all, it was a rebuilding of a unified political power, which is different from the Shaokang Zhongxing.
The above-mentioned leaders of the ZTE are determined to reform, proactive, and promote advantages and eliminate disadvantages. They not only inherit the essence of the ancestral system, but also continue to carry it forward. Innovate the political and economic systems to ensure social stability and harmony. Vigorously develop the economy, increase revenue and reduce expenditure, expand financial resources, improve the comprehensive national strength of the dynasty, and provide material guarantee for social and political stability.
Strengthen friendly exchanges with ethnic minorities and minority nationalities, build farmland and prepare borders, improve national defense capabilities, and create a stable external environment for domestic political stability and social and economic development. It solved the internal and external troubles faced by the dynasty, revitalized the dynasty's politics, and restored great governance.