Video Clip: Opening Inventory of the Ten Emperors

Chapter 179 Wu Qi Reform, Destroy Strike

Wu Qi, Bai Qi, Han Xin, Li Mu, they are all excellent coaches in the history of China.

Speaking of which, these four people are actually of two types: Wu Qi and Han Xin belong to the same category, and Bai Qi and Li Mu belong to the same category.

Wu Qi and Han Xin are aspiring young men with dragon-slaying skills, while Bai Qi and Li Mu are professional soldiers who started in the army.

Wu Qi could travel to Lu, Wei, and Chu, and Han Xin could turn to Xiang Yu and Liu Bang one after another. If he didn't do well with Liu Bang, he wanted to run away. is a relationship of mutual utilization.

Although they cannot become kings, it is clear that the monarch cannot control them.

But Bai Qi and Li Mu are only loyal to one country and one king. They are the big killers for the country and the monarch to protect the country and the king's hegemony.

Although Wu Qi and Han Xin were in the military camp, especially Wu Qi was known for being good at training soldiers and being able to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, but they were not soldiers.

Knowing how to fight is firstly their talent, and secondly, it is their means to realize their ambitions.

But the military camp is not the destination they are after.

And they all have very profound theoretical achievements.

They are "everyone", not "famous generals".

In fact, it should be the type of Le Yi, Tian Dan, and Wei Liaozi that they should be talking about together.

And Bai Qi and Li Mu belonged to the four famous generals of the Warring States Period, and the Lian Wang who was called together with them is also of the same type. They are absolute famous generals through the ages, but they can hardly be called "family".

In terms of military exploits, they may be close to each other, but in terms of influence on future generations, the latter can hardly match the former.

Wu Qi, in particular, is known as the sub-sage of military strategists. He is also known as Sun Wu. Confucius passed on his disciples. The professional army made infantry replace chariots the mainstream of the battlefield, and led the reform of Chu State. In terms of far-reaching influence, it may be even higher than Han Xin, and he is the only one among the four who is called "Zi".

In addition, Wu Qi's record is 76 games, 64 wins and [-] draws.

It can be regarded as no defeat.

…………

"It really does look like this."

"Wu Qi is also a man without defeat."

"Wu Qi's status is indeed considered top in China's military history."

"Unfortunately, their endings are tragic. Wu Qi and Han Xin died unexpectedly, and Bai Qi and Li Mu were forced to commit suicide."

…………

Why is Wu Qi called Yasheng?
The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were an era that emphasized etiquette and morality, and people at that time generally had high moral standards.

For example, famous sages such as Lao Tzu and Confucius put forward a series of moral propositions, emphasizing moral cultivation and moral education.

Later, Mencius, Xunzi and others developed it from different angles to make it systematized, and gradually became the moral criterion followed by the world.

People in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period had very high requirements for virtue, and even Confucius couldn't help but sigh: "The gentleman is the third, I am incompetent."

Strangely, it was also in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. From their point of view, Wu Qi, who has no bottom line in life, has the evil deeds of killing his wife and begging his general, and refusing to run after his mother's death. Why is he still hailed as a sub-sage by later generations?
Wu Qi was a famous military strategist in the early Warring States Period and one of the representatives of military strategists.

Although Wu Qi has made great achievements in domestic affairs and military affairs, and he has the aura of a military strategist, but because his actions before his fortune can be said to have broken through the bottom line of morality at that time, his reputation is not very good Well, it has always been a bad thing for people.

Relatively speaking, Cao Cao's evaluation of Wu Qi is undoubtedly more pertinent.

Cao Cao believes that although Wu Qi has the taint of "killing his wife for self-confidence, distributing money for officials, and not returning after his mother dies", Wu Qi "in Wei, Qin people dare not go east, and in Chu, the three Jins dare not seek south."

To a certain extent, it affirmed Wu Qi's achievements.

In his life, Wu Qi combined Lu, Wei, and Xiang Chu, a combination of military strategists, Confucianism, and Legalism, and made great achievements in internal affairs and military affairs, reaching a height that others can hardly match.

Although Wu Qi had some stains in his life in the early days, judging from his legendary record of leading Wei Wuzu to "fight 72, win 64, and solve the rest", he is well-deserved as the name of the military master.

…………

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Wu Qi is indeed a man who deserves nothing."

In Cao Yingzhong, Cao Cao couldn't help sighing while watching Wu Qi's inventory video.

Those who achieve great things are not careful about the little things.

In his opinion, so what if Wu Qi has some stains in his life?

What's more, it is not certain whether those so-called stains on life are true.

So for Wu Qi's evaluation, he is extremely high.

"It's a pity that Wu Qi's ending is not very good."

"That's how fate is, and there's no need to let it go."

"I don't know what kind of reward the sky will give Wu Qi, and how to make him tide over the difficulties."

…………

Wu Qi's ending is tragic.

But why a generation of inferior saints ended up in such a miserable end, we have to start with Wu Qi's reform.

The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were a period of great change in Chinese history, and it was also a famous reform period in Chinese history.

In order to achieve the goal of enriching the country, strengthening the army, and dominating the princes, various countries have carried out reforms one after another.

For example, Zichan's reform in Zheng State, Li Kui's reform in Wei State, Shang Yang's reform in Qin State, Wu Qi's reform in Chu State, etc.

Among these reformers, except for Zichan who died happily and well, Li Kui's life experience is unknown because it is not recorded in historical records, and Shang Yang all ended miserably because of the reform.

Wu Qi is no exception.

Was Wu Qi's reform successful?

The Wuqi Reform was carried out on the basis of the victory of the landlord class in the struggle to seize power in the late Spring and Autumn Period.

During the Warring States period, the state-owned land system of slavery had been largely replaced by feudal private land ownership, which made the emerging landlord class stronger in political and economic power, and the conflict with the stubborn forces of the original slave-owner aristocracy became deeper and deeper.

The state of Chu has a large population and can mobilize millions of troops. It is a decisive force among the seven heroes of the Warring States Period.

Due to political corruption and economic backwardness, the national strength has been sluggish.

After King Mourning of Chu succeeded to the throne, he was attacked by Wei, Zhao, Han and other countries year after year, and lost ground continuously.

In an extremely embarrassing situation, King Mourning of Chu had to bribe Qin State with heavy gifts, and with the help of Qin State, he made peace with Wei, Zhao, and Han.

Facing this situation of internal and external difficulties, King Chu Mourning really wanted to do something, but he suffered from the lack of real talents and supporters who wanted to make reforms.

It was at this time that Wu Qi came to the state of Chu. Wu Qi analyzed the shortcomings of the state of Chu for the king of mourning, saying that the reason for the poverty of the state of Chu was that "the ministers are too heavy and the monarchs are too many", that is, the power of the ministers is too great, threatening the power of the monarch. .

There are too many nobles who have been entrusted with food and salary, which affects the country's fiscal revenue.

To reverse this situation, the only way is to "clear the law and try the decree" and reform the law as soon as possible.

King Mourning of Chu was deeply touched by the various shortcomings of Wu Qi's analysis, so he was first appointed as Wanshou to defend against Han and Wei.

A year later, he was promoted to Jin Yin and presided over the reform.

The Wu Qi reform in the 80s of the fourth century BC was a major political event in the history of Chu State, which had a profound impact on the course of Chu State history.

Wu Qi ended up miserable because of this reform.

But does this reform conform to a reform in the historical development of Chu State?

How did Wu Qi do it.

[-]. Junjue Pinglu.

All the nobles who have been enshrined as kings have been passed down for three generations to abolish the titles and salaries, stop the routine supply to alienated nobles, and enrich the domestic nobles to remote places with vast land and sparse population.

Wu Qi believed that the reason for the weakness of the Chu State was that "the ministers were too heavy and the monarchs were too many". They threatened the monarch at the top and bullied the people at the bottom, resulting in a poor country and weak troops.

Wu Qi implemented the policy of "enabling the descendants of the emperor to receive the title and salary for the third generation, and reduce the rank of hundreds of officials", abolishing the old privileges of the nobles.

Wu Qi also moved the old aristocrats and their subordinates to inaccessible and desolate areas according to the characteristics of Chu State's vast land and sparse population.

[-]. Abolish useless and incompetent official positions, reduce the salaries of officials, use the saved wealth to strengthen the army, and deprive the royal family and nobles of their authority so that they cannot favor their own interests and abolish public affairs for their own sake.

Cut useless spending to reward the fighters who actually serve the country.

Streamlining the government agencies and re-appointing talented people. In order to rectify corruption in the officialdom, private entrustment between officials is prohibited, and officials are required to "do not harm the public when they are selfish, do not conceal loyalty when they are greedy, do not seek adultery in words, do not seek adultery in deeds, and disregard righteousness in deeds." Reputation".

At the same time, "incompetent" and "useless" officials were eliminated, and funds were saved to "raise fighters".

[-]. Unify the customs of Chu State and prohibit private entrustment.

Correct the unhealthy atmosphere in the officialdom of the Chu State that harms the public, enriches the private, and slanders the loyal and the good, so that the officials of the Chu State will serve the country wholeheartedly regardless of personal honor or disgrace.

Fourth, formulate laws and make them known to the public so that officials and the people can understand them clearly.

[-]. Change the "two versions of the wall" to the fourth version of the city building method, and build Ying, the capital of the state of Chu.

Sixth, strengthen military power.

Wu Qi was in Lu in his early years, and Wei Du was known for his military exploits. Wu Qi believed that a strong country "must have a strong army", and the expenditure of "strengthening the army" was solved by "donating officials who are not in a hurry, and abolishing those who are alienated from the family". Use finances to improve soldiers' treatment and enhance combat effectiveness.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, feudal monarchs began to appear in Chu State. During the Warring States Period, the number of feudal monarchs continued to increase. The rise of feudal monarchy gradually became an important part of the Chu State’s political system and had a profound impact on the development of Chu State’s history.

As the system of prefectures and counties was gradually implemented in various countries, gradually replacing the original system of ministers and fiefs, under this historical condition, countries in various countries implemented the monarchy system one after another in order to reward a few meritorious officials, noble relatives or favored officials. The obvious feature is that titles such as "Jun" or "Hou" are awarded to the enfeoffed officials.

As an important part of Chu State's local administrative system, feudal monarchy and prefectures and counties coexisted for a long time during the Warring States Period.

Wu Qi's reform aimed at enriching the country and strengthening the army, appointing talents and attacking the vested political and economic interests of the great aristocracy of the Chu state, and met with fierce opposition from the great aristocracy.

Wu Qi's reform promoted the transformation of Chu's aristocratic politics into bureaucratic politics.It also affected Shang Yang's reform in Qin State.

Wu Qi's starting point is good.

But he underestimated the power of the nobles.

Wu Qi chose to use the old aristocrats of the Chu state as a breakthrough point for the reform. Measures such as "abolishing the estranged people of the public clan" and moving some old aristocrats to the "land of emptiness" will undoubtedly damage the interests of the old aristocrats of the Chu state.

After harming the interests of the old nobles of Chu State.

Wu Qi would naturally be unlucky.

Because of this, Wu Qi was hated by the old nobles of Chu State.

Only six years later, in 380 BC, King Mourning of Chu died, and the old nobles of the Chu State rebelled in King Mourning of Chu's mourning hall and attacked Wu Qi.

It is estimated that Wu Qi never expected this move of the old aristocrat.

According to the records of "Historical Records", Wu Qi faced a sudden change, "the corpse of the king who walked away fell down", Wu Qi ran over and lay on the corpse of King Chu Mourning, even so, the old nobles still did not let him go, they "shot Wu Qi, And mourn the king".

From this we can see how much the nobles of Chu State hated Wu Qi.

Wu Qi can be called a man of insight. At the critical moment at that time, he also thought of the issue of revenge for himself. After King Chu Mourning was buried and King Chu Su ascended the throne, he immediately ordered all the old nobles who shot the body of King Chu Mourning to be killed. More than [-] families were implicated, which can be regarded as indirect revenge for Wu Qi.

In fact, Wu Qi's tragedy also had his own reasons.

According to historical records, he was mean and ungrateful.

"Historical Records" said: "Chu's noble relatives tried their best to harm Wu Qi." The word "do" is enough to explain Wu Qi's poor popularity.

Wu Qi's death also made Chu's strength a flash in the pan, and then fell into a passive and beaten situation.

Wu Qi was the first reformer in the history of China to devote himself to his own reform measures, which also shows from another aspect the difficulty of reform and the difficulty of redistribution of interests.

And Wu Qi's life, with this vigorous reform, came to an end.

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"Wu Qi's reform is a start, but it's a pity that things in this world are not so easy to change."

Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"The various measures of Wu Qi's reform are clearly violating the interests of the nobles of Chu."

"The interests of the nobles of Chu State have been violated, Wu Qi has no reason to live."

"In our opinion, Wu Qi is an outstanding military strategist and reformer in the history of China. He is good at summing up experience and lessons, and can clearly understand the current situation and main contradictions of Chu. With the support of the monarch, He was able to smoothly promote the reform strategy and push Chu State on the right track."

"But having a goal is far from enough. The aristocrats of the Chu state are too powerful, and it is unrealistic to eliminate their power in a short period of time. Therefore, after the death of King Chu Mourning, Wu Qi immediately ended up dead. The series of measures he implemented It was also basically abolished, from this point of view, Wu Qi's reform was also a failure."

"The reform of a country requires strong institutional support and strong power to control the operation of various organs. It is a long-term process, and it is difficult to achieve success in the short term."

"Especially the handling of the relationship with the opposition forces is largely related to the success or failure of the reform."

"The failure of Wu Qi's reform was largely due to the loss of the support of the monarch, and the series of measures he implemented could not survive to the moment when they had a profound impact on society."

"Chu failed to achieve transformation in the changing times, and it was inevitable that it would eventually be annexed by Qin."

As a king, Zhu Yuanzhang saw it very clearly.

It is very difficult for any reform to succeed.

There are too many things involved.

(End of this chapter)