Zhao Xiangzi

Zhao Wuji

Zhao Xiangzi? (425 BC), surnamed Ying, surnamed Zhao, Wuji (also known as "Wuji"). At the end of the spring and Autumn period, he was the Minister of the state of Jin, the leader of the Zhao family, and the founder of the state of Zhao in the Warring States period. The posthumous title is "Xiangzi", so it is called "zhaoxiangzi" in history. Together with his father Zhao Yang (namely Zhao Jianzi), he was called "the martyr of Jianxiang".

Life of the characters

background

Zhao Xiangzi was the son of Zhao Yang. Because his mother was a concubine and the daughter of Di people, he was the lowest in the class of common sons. When he was a child, even Zhao Yang didn't look up to him. However, as a child, Wu Ji was quick to learn and had great courage. He was not like other brothers and dandies. Over time, he attracted the attention of Gu buziqing, a Zhao family minister. Ziqing always trusted Zhao Yang with his kindness. One day, Zhao Yang called all the scholars to come and asked Ziqing to look at him. Ziqing took the opportunity to recommend Wuji. Zhao Yang pays attention to the education and cultivation of his sons. He had written the admonitions on several bamboo boards and taught them to the scholars, asking them to study them carefully and understand their gist. And told them to check them one by one after three years. However, during the examination, his sons, even his son, drew, could not recite it, so that they did not know where the bamboo board was lost. Only Wuji recites the precepts on the bamboo board like a stream, and always carries and hides the bamboo board in his body, often criticizes himself. Therefore, Zhao Yang began to believe in Ziqing's recommendation, and thought that Wuci was a virtuous person. When they grew up, Zhao Yang made a deeper study of them. One day, he summoned his sons and said, "I will hide a treasure amulet on Changshan (today's Damao mountain is the ancient Hengshan Mountain in Hebei Province, northwest of Fuping). Go and look for it. The first one will be rewarded." So, all of you rode to Changshan to find the treasure. However, none of them found the talisman and had to return empty handed. Only Wuji said, "I've got Baofu." Zhao Yang asked him to tell the story. Wuji said: "with the danger of Changshan, the state can be returned to Zhao." After hearing this, Zhao Yang was very happy, and suddenly realized that Wuji was the only one who understood his good intentions and was a rare successor to Zhao's great cause. So he abandoned his son, Zhao Bolu, and made an exception to establish Wu Ji as his son.

In 476 B.C., Zhao Jian's son died, and Wu Ji inherited the post of Jin Qing, who was known as Zhao Xiangzi in history.

Seeking for a substitute country

Xiangzi's sister is Daiwang's wife. After Zhao Jianzi died, Xiangzi went to xiawu mountain (in the northeast of Daixian County in Shanxi Province today) to invite Daiwang to meet him. Daiwang came to the meeting without any guard. At the banquet, Xiangzi had already arranged an ambush trap. When pouring wine, the man took the opportunity to assassinate Dai Wang and his subordinates with a copper spoon. As soon as the king died, the Zhao army set up troops to attack Dai, occupied Dai and incorporated its territory into Zhao's territory. Xiangzi's sister cried to heaven, pulled out her hairpin and stabbed herself to death.

The resentment of Zhibo

After Jianzi's death, zhiboyao took the place of Zhengqing. After Zhibo was the Prime Minister of the state of Jin, he tried his best to develop his own power and soon became the most powerful and powerful family among Zhi, Zhao, Han and Wei.

In 466 BC, Zhibo and Zhao Xiangzi led the army to encircle the capital of Zheng State. Zhibo asked Xiangzi to take the lead in attacking the city, while Xiangzi used diplomatic language to evade and let Zhibo send troops. At this time, the eloquent Zhibo angrily scolded: "you are ugly and cowardly. Why did Zhao Jianzi choose you as his successor?" Xiangzi replied, "I think a successor who can bear humiliation will do no harm to the Zhao clan."

Four years later, Zhibo and Zhao Xiangzi attacked Zheng again. Zhibo wanted to drink with Xiangzi, but Xiangzi refused. Zhibo threw the glass in Xiangzi's face. Xiangzi's officers and soldiers all asked to kill Zhibo in order to wash away the shame. Xiangzi replied, "the reason why the Lord asked me to be the prince is that I can bear the humiliation."

The expansion of power encouraged Zhibo to swallow the state of Jin. In 455 BC, under the pretext of the order of the Marquis of Jin, Zhibo asked Zhao, Han and Wei Sanqing for a city of ten thousand households on the pretext of restoring the hegemony of Jin. Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi knew that this was Zhibo's intention to weaken other families, but they did not dare to fight with him and gave up the whole.

However, Zhao Xiangzi did not want to be at the mercy of Zhibo. In addition to the gap between him and Zhibo in the past, he resolutely rejected Zhibo's emissary: "land is the property of our ancestors. How can we give it to others at will?" When Zhibo saw that Han and Wei Qing offered their land, Zhao Xiangzi was so angry that he dared to resist. With the catalysis of new and old grudges, he took the post of Marshal himself and took Han and Wei to attack Zhao. Xiangzi had to fight hard and had no other way. However, Xiangzi was also aware that Zhao's strength against the three families made it difficult for them to stand alone, so he retreated to Jinyang (today's nanjinyuan Town, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province) according to his father's dying advice, conquering the enemy's weakness and fighting again.

The battle of Jinyang

After Zhibo led the troops of the three families to be trapped in Jinyang, Xiangzi, relying on the advantages of land danger and human harmony, had to contend with the enemy for more than a year. In the summer of this year, Zhibo took advantage of the mountain torrents to dig the dam of Fenhe River and irrigate Jinyang. The soldiers and civilians in the city "cook by hanging the cauldron and eat by changing their sons". Although Jinyang "people have no intention of treason", the officials are wavering. At this critical moment, Xiangzi estimated that the more dangerous Jinyang city was, the less willing Han and Wei would be to fight. Because although Zhao's demise is under the eye, Han and Wei also know what Zhao's demise means to them. Then Zhang mengtan, his family minister, was ordered to sneak into the camps of Han and Wei while the night was dark. Xiaozhi convinced them to form an alliance with the Zhao family with the benefit of "losing lips and cold teeth". He took advantage of Zhibo's unexpected opportunity to attack both inside and outside to destroy Zhishi and divide the land. In the end, Zhibo failed. Under Xiangzi's careful planning, the alliance rebelled against the enemy and fell into disrepute, harming the nine nationalities. Even their own skulls are reduced to other people's drinking vessels. As a result, the dispute between the four ministers of the state of Jin turned into a balance among the three ministers. Under the leadership of Zhao Xiangzi, Zhao family turned the tide, eliminated Zhibo who was bound to destroy himself, and strengthened their own power, which laid the foundation for the later division of the three jin families (see the battle of Jinyang).

broad-minded

After Zhiyao was defeated and killed, his disciple yurang wanted to take revenge on him and intended to assassinate Zhao Wuji. He was found and Zhao Wuji let him go. Yurang painted himself with lacquer and swallowed charcoal. He wanted to assassinate Zhao Wuji when he crossed the bridge. Zhao Wuji surprised Ma Jing, and yurang was found again. Zhao Wuji asked, "you used to work for fan and Zhongxing. Zhiyao attacked and killed them. Why didn't you die for them, but you worked for Zhiyao and assassinated me for him?" Yurang said: "fan and Zhongxing treat me as people, and I will repay them as people; Zhiyao treat me as a scholar, and I will repay them as a scholar." Zhao Wuji was very moved, but he still ordered his soldiers to surround yurang. Yurang asked Zhao Wuji to assassinate him with his clothes, so as to get revenge. Zhao Wuji was even more moved and gave him his clothes. He jumped up and stabbed him three times, then he was killed. When Zhao Guoren heard about this, he wept for Yu rang.

Zhao Xiangzi had five sons in his life. In his later years, he did not choose his son as the crown prince, but wanted to pass on his brother Bolu's descendants. Because both Bolu and his son Zhao Zhou died earlier, Zhao Huan, the grandson of Bolu, was appointed prince. After 33 years in office, Xiangzi died without illness. Zhao Huan inherited the title of Zhao and established the state of Zhao, which was known as Zhao xianhou in history.

Patriarchal concept

Zhao Xiangzi also paid great attention to maintaining his authority. During the siege period of Jinyang, the officials were in a state of panic and wanted to find their own way out. They were not respectful to Zhao Xiangzi. Gao Gong was the only one who did not dare to be impolite. After the victory, Zhao Xiangzi, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), offered rewards on merit. As a matter of fact, the Communist Party of China has not made any contribution, and some people have raised their objection to this. Zhao Xiangzi said: "Fang Jinyang is anxious, and all the officials are lax, but they dare not lose their courtesies, which is the first." In his view, a courteous and docile minister is more important than a meritorious general, because the latter is useful, but without the former, he and his family would not be able to maintain their rule.

In Zhao Xiangzi's head, the patriarchal concept is more prominent than that of his contemporaries. He himself was the common son of Zhao Jianzi. It was abnormal for him to inherit the title of Zhao Jianzi. His being established and the abolishment of the crown prince, Bolu, belong to the system of abolishing the eldest son and the eldest son, which is contrary to the patriarchal tradition. He has been feeling uneasy about it and trying to remedy it. Soon after he ascended the throne, he conquered Dai state and made the son of Prince Bolu the king of Dai Chengjun. Later, he did not make his son the prince, but made the grandson of Bolu the prince. After his death, he inherited the great power and was the Marquis of Zhao xianhou. Zhao Xiangzi's behavior of respecting the patriarchal tradition, of course, reflects his ideas and creeds. In fact, it can also play a role in maintaining the unity of Zhao's clan, and at the same time, it can win the respect of people at that time.

The spread of the throne

Because Zhao Jianzi didn't make his brother Bolu his successor, Zhao Xiangzi didn't want to be his successor even though he had five sons. He granted Zhao Bolu's son the state of Dai, called Dai Chengjun, and died early. He also made his son Zhao Huan the successor of the Zhao family. After the death of Zhao Xiangzi, his younger brother Zhao Huanzi expelled Zhao Huan and made himself king of the country. He also died one year after succeeding to the throne. The people of the Zhao family said, "it was not Zhao Xiangzi's idea to be king." We killed Zhao Huanzi's son together, then welcomed Zhao Huan back and made him king. This is Zhao Xianzi. Zhao Xianzi gave birth to a son named Zhao Ji, which is Zhao liehou.

In the cruel struggle of the six ministers of the state of Jin to seize power, Zhao Xiangzi paid attention to uniting the interior and expanding outwards. He also grasped the opportunity to transform contradictions and win in defeat. Finally, Zhao had the power to rank among the princes and became one of the three powers to carve up the state of Jin.

Historical records

Historical records

Zi Zhi Tong Jian

Anecdotes

Yu rang stabs Zhao Xiangzi

Zhao, Han and Wei divided the land of Zhijia. Zhao Xiangzi painted Zhibo's skull as a drinking utensil. Zhibo's

Chinese PinYin : Zhao Xiang Zi