What happened in the Rebellion of the Three Prisons
The Rebellion of the Three Prisons is also known as the Rebellion of Guan and Cai or the Rebellion of Wu Geng. It was a rebellion by three rulers surrounding the Shang Wangji area (near today's Anyang City, Henan Province) in the early Western Zhou Dynasty.
After King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he listened to Zhou Gongdan's opinion and adopted the policy of "ruling Yin with Yin". He enfeoffed Wu Geng, the son of King Zhou, to Yin and used him to rule the people of Yin.
At the same time, King Wu sent his brothers Guan Shu, Cai Shu, and Huo Shu to establish the three kingdoms of Bei, Yong, and Wei near Yindu to monitor Wu Geng, known as the "Three Supervisors" in history.
As for the three prison regions, it is generally believed that the area to the north of the Shang capital is Bei; the area to the south of the Shang capital is Yong; and the area to the east of the Shang capital is the guard.
King Wu died of illness shortly after he destroyed the Shang Dynasty. Duke Dan of Zhou took over as regent, which aroused the suspicion of Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai and their brothers. Wu Geng saw the opportunity to recruit people to launch a rebellion.
The Zhou Dynasty faced a severe situation. Duke Zhou marched eastward, executed Wu Geng, killed Uncle Guan and released Uncle Cai, deposed Uncle Huo as a commoner, and put down the rebellion of the Three Supervisors.
Cause
"Historical Records of the Zhou Dynasty" says: "After becoming the king, the Zhou Dynasty established the world. The Duke of Zhou was afraid that the princes would be around the Zhou Dynasty, so the Duke took charge of the country as a regent. Uncle Guan and Uncle Cai's brothers suspected the Duke of Zhou. , and Wu Geng rebelled against the Zhou Dynasty. "
"Historical Records: The Family of Duke Wu of Lu" also says: "Afterwards, King Wu died, and when he became a young king, Duke Zhou was afraid that the world would hear about King Wu's death. , Zhou Gong took charge of the country on behalf of King Cheng. Uncle Guan and his brothers spread rumors in the country: "The Duke of Zhou will be unfavorable to King Cheng."
"Shang Shu·Jin Rui" also said: "Now that King Wu is dead, rumors about Uncle Guan and his group spread throughout the country. They say: 'The general is not good for the children.'"
Three accounts in the Chinese history books "Shangshu" and "Historical Records" describe the "three prisons" The reason for the "rebellion" couldn't be more clear, that is: "Guan Shu and Cai Shu's brothers suspected Zhou Gong" and "would be detrimental to becoming the king," so they "rumoured the country" and "rebelled with Wu Geng."
There are different opinions on the specific monarchs and territories that passed through the three prisons. According to the latest historical data, there are different records about the actual initiator of the Sanjian Rebellion and the outcome of the Sanjian Rebellion.
One theory is that they are Prince Wu Geng of Zhou and Uncle Guan and Uncle Cai, brothers of King Wu. It is also said that Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai and Uncle Huo, the younger brothers of King Wu, were armed near Chaoge, the capital of Shang, and jointly guarded Wu Geng's territory.
The former theory appeared earlier, and the latter theory is more popular.
As for the three prison areas, it is generally believed that the area north of Chaoge is Bei and is supervised by Uncle Huo. The area south of Chaoge was the palace, supervised by Uncle Cai; the area east of Chaoge was the guard, supervised by Uncle Guan.
The specific characters of the three prisons: Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai, and Uncle Huo, brother of Duke Zhou.
The so-called "supervision" refers to the supervision of the Yin and Shang remnants to prevent them from rebelling. It is obviously unreasonable for Wu Geng to be among the three supervisors, so it is correct for Guan, Cai and Huo to be the three supervisors.
After the Zhou people took power, they retained the sacrifices of the Yin people according to the principle of "destroying the country without stopping sacrifices".
In order to win over the people, appease the Yin Shang survivors, show his generosity and benevolence, and consolidate his power, King Wu of Zhou granted Zhou's son Wu Geng a seal in the hometown of the Yin Shang.
After all, King Wu of Zhou was worried about Wu Geng and was afraid that he would cause trouble, so he divided the original capital area around Chaoge into three small kingdoms: Bei, Yong, and Wei.
He arranged for his younger brothers Guan Shu, Cai Shu, and Huo Shu to be stationed in the three kingdoms of Wei, Yong, and Bei around the Yin capital to supervise the Yin and Shang remnants to prevent them from rebelling.
North of Chaoge is the State of Bei. In Beicheng, 16 kilometers southeast of today's Tangyin, "Tangyin County Chronicles" written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty records: "Beicheng is thirty miles east of the county. This King Wu destroyed Yin. , divided the princes, and named Zhouzi Wu Geng here."
Huo Shu (Ji Chu), the younger brother of King Wu and the eighth son of King Wen, was named the king of Bei;
The place to the south of Chaoge was the state of Wei, in what is now Weihui Niwan, and the king was Cai Shu (Ji Du), the fifth son of King Wen;
The place to the east of Chaoge was the state of Wei, in what is now Weihui Wei Xian in Junxian County, the king is Uncle Guan (Ji Xian), the third son of King Wen.
Bei, Yong, and Wei formed an encirclement on Chaoge and were known as the "Three Supervisors" in history.
The Zhou Dynasty was not yet stable, and powerful enemies were on the lookout. King Wu was worried about state affairs and often couldn't sleep at night. He said: "Weitian built Yin, and its name was 360 people. It has neither appeared nor been destroyed, until now. I have not determined the heavenly protection, so why do I have time to sleep!"
1043 BC , King Wu was ill and died. When King Cheng ascended the throne at a young age, the Duke of Zhou performed royal affairs on his behalf.
Among King Wu's younger brothers, Uncle Guan is the eldest. According to the practice of brother-in-law, he is the most qualified to be regent.
Therefore, he believed that King Wu's will had been tampered with by Duke Zhou. In addition, the etiquette system established by Duke Zhou strictly restricted the power of princes, which aroused dissatisfaction and suspicion among King Wu's brothers.
"Shang Shu·Jin Rui" records: "Uncle Guan and his group of brothers spread rumors in the country: "The general will not be good for the children. "In this case, Guan, Cai and Wu Geng joined forces to cause rebellion.
Wu Geng had long had the ambition to restore the country. At this time, he not only united with the three supervisors, but also with Xu and Xu from Dongyi, the old place of Yin and Shang. Yan, Bogu and other Fang states colluded to rebel against Zhou, and the situation was very serious.
The rebellion between Guan, Cai, Wu Geng and Dongyi seriously threatened the security of Zhou Gong and Zhao Gong. However, he took decisive measures and personally led the army to the eastward expedition.
The eastern expedition played an important role in consolidating the Western Zhou Dynasty and expanding the jurisdiction of the Zhou Dynasty. "Shangshu Jinzhen" records: "The Duke of Zhou lived in the east for two years. Then the sinner will get it.
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The Duke of Zhou first suppressed the "three prisons", stopped the rumors, killed Uncle Guan and exiled Uncle Cai;
He also killed Wu Geng, and used the Weizi, the concubine brother of King Zhou, to Successor to the Yin Dynasty, the state was established in the Song Dynasty (today's Shangqiu, Henan Province), which was known as the Song Dynasty in history.
Results
After Wu Geng was overthrown, Duke Zhou continued his Eastern Expedition. After three years of arduous struggle, the state was established. The turmoil was finally calmed down. The scope of the Eastern Expedition seemed to be relatively wide, with fierce pursuit and momentum reaching the south of the Yangtze River.
"Lu's Spring and Autumn Period·Gu Yue" records: "When the king of Yin was established, the people of Yin rebelled, and the king ordered Zhou Gongjian. Cut it down. The merchants obeyed Xiang in order to torture the Eastern Yi, so the Duke of Zhou drove his troops to the south of the Yangtze River. "Zhou Gong's eastward expedition to the south of the Yangtze River can be found in the bronze inscriptions.
The inscription "Zuhou Wei Gui" unearthed by Dantu says: Only in April, King Wu and King Cheng of Ding Wei attacked the Shang Dynasty. Tu, then the province is in the east or Tu. , one hundred and eight, Xi is in Yi. The king has seven surnames;
The seventh uncle of Xi Zheng is Jue Fifty; the common people of Xi Zu are six hundred and six.