There were more than 400 emperors in ancient my country, why were none of them from Shandong?
From the time when Ying Zheng of the Qin State unified the Central Plains and became the first emperor, to the demise of the Qing Dynasty, more than 400 emperors appeared in Chinese history (including kings of ethnic minorities who established political power). , and Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Hong Xiuquan and his son), they are located in various provinces and regions across the country, but none of them are from Shandong Province.
What is the cause of this strange phenomenon? To unravel this mystery, let's first take a look at how the emperor appeared.
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The first is to gather people to rebel and change the dynasty, or to overthrow the previous dynasty by force, such as Liu Bang, Emperor Taizu of the Han Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, the Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, etc.;
The second is to inherit or force the palace to succeed, like Sui Yang Emperor Yang Guang, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty Li Shimin, Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty Zhao Kuangyin, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (including palace coups, usurpations and abdication), etc.
There are some who use other means to become emperor, but they are few in number.
After understanding how the emperor came to power, we can then understand why there was no emperor in this province in history by analyzing the geography, culture, economy and other conditions of Shandong.
Above picture_Full map of Shandong in the Qing Dynasty
1. Determined by the geographical environment of Shandong
Shandong is located in the east of China, surrounded by sea on two sides. coastal province. Because Shandong has a long coastline, marine industries such as fishing, salting, and aquaculture are prosperous. Except for Mount Tai in the central part of Shandong, the rest are plains and hilly areas, and the arable area greatly exceeds that of other provinces. And because our mother river flows into the sea from here, a large area of wetland is formed, providing favorable conditions for planting.
The unique geographical environment makes Shandong a fertile land, abundant rainfall, rare disasters, and bumper harvests year after year. It has been a land of plenty since ancient times and has become one of the most prosperous places in the country. The superior natural conditions not only bring a prosperous life to the people, but also create honest folk customs. In this environment, people can live and work in peace and contentment, thrive and live in peace, so why would they want to rebel?
Above_ Map of the Yellow River Basin
In addition, there are no major rivers in Shandong except the Yellow River, let alone mountains, passes and gorges. It can be said that there is no danger to defend. Furthermore, Shandong is close to the Gyeonggi region, so the possibility of a successful rebellion is extremely small. It can be seen that without rebellion, how can there be an emperor?
Someone asked, wasn’t Huang Chao, the “Sky General” of the Tang Dynasty peasant uprising, from Shandong? Yes, history records: "Chao, so Lu Yuanju is also a person." He is from Caozhou Yuanju, Shandong (now Heze, Shandong). The peasant uprising led by Huang Chao was so powerful and turbulent that it swept through most of China and soon occupied Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. He called himself "Emperor" and established the "Da Qi" regime. However, Huang Chao did not overthrow the Tang Dynasty, but was destroyed by the Tang army. Huang Chao's proclaimed emperor was only temporary or forced, and this emperor was not recognized by history.
In addition to the Huangchao Uprising in the Tang Dynasty, there were some peasant uprisings in Shandong in other dynasties, such as the Red Eyebrow Army Uprising at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the Wang Bo Uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty, etc., but none of them became a trend. . Since the rebellion was unsuccessful, there would naturally be no emperor born.
Pictured above_ Huang Chao (820-884), Caozhou Yuanjian
Second, caused by the strong cultural atmosphere of Shandong
Shandong is famous for its rich It is famous for its saints. Confucius, Mencius, Sun Wuzi, Wang Xiang and other civil and military saints were born here. It is the birthplace of Confucian culture. Since Confucian culture emphasizes "benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and trustworthiness" and advocates the idea that monarchs and ministers, fathers and sons should each follow their own path, these so-called orthodox ideas gradually became deeply rooted in the hearts of the people after the Qin and Han Dynasties, and created a large number of scholars and scholars.
They believe that rebellion is treacherous and unethical. They do not expect to rule others. They only want the country to be safe and the family to be harmonious. And because Shandong people are relatively generous, stick to their faith, and are willing to live a stable and peaceful life, they have no intention of rebelling. In this way, there are far fewer peasant uprisings in Shandong than in other provinces, so the chance of an emperor appearing is also lower.
Of course, in addition to Huang Chao, there were also relatively large-scale peasant uprisings in Shandong. For example, the Liangshan Songjiang Uprising in the Northern Song Dynasty was also vigorous and powerful, making the Song Dynasty feel like it was facing a formidable enemy and was in constant panic. However, Song Jiang was deeply influenced by Confucian culture and put forward the slogan of "anti-corrupt officials, not the emperor". Although he carried the banner of "doing justice for heaven", he was later recruited and became a hawk for the imperial court to suppress the peasant uprising. In the end, Being poisoned has become a historical tragedy.
Picture above_ The banner of "walking for heaven" behind Song Jiang in CCTV's "Water Margin"
Third, several other theories about the absence of an emperor in Shandong
The ancient emperors were the most particular about Feng Shui. In any dynasty in history, when the emperor ascended the throne, moved the capital, built a mausoleum and other major events, he would ask experts to look at the Feng Shui to find the dragon's veins, so as to ensure that the country would last forever and be passed down from generation to generation.
Why hasn’t there been an emperor in Shandong for more than two thousand years? According to legend, the "dragon vein" was broken.
One theory is that because Jiang Ziya assisted King Wu of Zhou to destroy the Yin Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty with great contributions, he was named the Marquis of Qi and established the Qi State in Shandong (the capital is near Linzi, Shandong today). In order to avoid the suspicion of Emperor Zhou, and because the throne of the Jade Emperor left to him when he was a god was preempted by Zhang Boyen (Zhang Youren), he sealed the dragon veins in Shandong in a rage. From then on, there was no dragon vein in Shandong. Without the dragon veins, there would be no emperor.
Picture above_ Confucius (September 28, 551 BC - April 11, 479 BC)
There is another saying: There was a Sage Confucius in Shandong. He was enshrined by all dynasties and was called "the official leader of the world and the master of all emperors", and was given the hereditary title of "Yanshenggong". His family lasted for thousands of years and was extremely prosperous. It is said that the Kong family has exhausted the dragon veins in Shandong, so there will be no more emperors.
The statement that Jiang Ziya and Kong Shengren blocked the dragon veins of Shandong are purely myths and legends. After all, legends are legends. We can use them as a general understanding, but they cannot be regarded as the basis for the absence of emperors in Shandong history.
Looking at history, we can clearly know that although Shandong has not had an emperor in more than two thousand years, due to its superior geographical conditions and profound cultural heritage, emperors have emerged in all dynasties. There have been many people with lofty ideals and heroes. In this case, Shandong still retains its reputation as a province with a long history, profound culture, outstanding people, and numerous talents.
Reference materials: "Handbook of Ancient Chinese Geography", "Founding Emperors of China", "Water Margin" and "New Book of Tang"
The text is created by the team of the History University Hall, and the pictures are from Internet copyright belongs to the original author