What kind of woman is Daji?

The Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties are more interesting. Three capable monarchs founded the country, and three violent monarchs destroyed the country. And behind the collapse of the country, there was always a woman who silently caused trouble. There was Xi in the Xia Dynasty, Daji in the Shang Dynasty, and Baosi in the Western Zhou Dynasty. For this reason, these three women were always used as negative teaching materials to warn the emperors in the subsequent thousand years of history. The most famous one is undoubtedly Daji.

The novel "The Romance of the Gods" has had a profound influence on later generations. Although it is not as good as the four famous works, people's initial understanding of Shang often comes from this.

Nuwa Empress was not interested enough, so she sent her subordinate Su Daji and several other little sisters to confuse King Zhou. After completing the mission, she was caught by Nezha and Yang Jian, who refused to protect them. When I first read it, I felt that Nuwa was too boring. But after all, Empress Nuwa created human beings, I don’t dare to complain!

In this article, I will tell you the story of Daji.

In The Romance of the Gods, Daji’s surname is Su, and she is the daughter of Jizhou Hou Suhu. In fact, this is a misunderstanding brought to everyone by the novel. Before the Zhou Dynasty, a woman's given name came first and her surname came last. Daji is her surname, but she lived in the Yousu tribe at the time. Friends who have read my previous article should have discovered a problem. Most of the tribes in the Xia and Shang dynasties had this characteristic. The tribal names had the word "you" before them, such as "Youqiong clan", "Youshi clan", "You" "Su", the word "you" has no practical meaning, it can be called Qiong's, Shi's or Su's. And these clans were considered tribes at most in that era. It has nothing to do with the last name. The general affiliations are "country", "clan", "clan" and "surname". Take Hou Yi as an example. He was from the Youqiong clan, which belonged to the Dongyi clan, and the Dongyi clan was a clan of the Xia Dynasty. Of course, Xia was a long time ago, and people used to call the Dongyi people the Dongyi Kingdom. Let’s talk a little closer, have you seen The Eight Parts of Demi-Gods? Talking about the story of the Song and Liao Dynasties, under the Liao Kingdom there was the Khitan clan, and the Khitan clan was divided into eight Khitan tribes. This should be understood.

The above is just to sort out the concept of tribes, because the Xia and Shang dynasties were not like the later Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty had already begun the enfeoffment system, and its productivity had developed greatly. The vassal states established by the enfeoffed princes could be called states. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, except for the capital city which had the scale of a city, the rest basically existed in the form of tribes.

In the war in the Central Plains, when there was a huge disparity in military strength, a weak country could still resist for a period of time, no matter how weak it was. After all, it had a city to defend it. But the tribe is different. We are not nomads. They will run away if they cannot win. If we cannot win, we will either wait to die or surrender. No one wants to die. If you don't want to, then you have to surrender. If you surrender, you have to apologize, right? The only way to apologize is to give in. At this time, beautiful women often play a role.

"Guoyu" records that "there was Su during the Yin and Xin expeditions, and the Su family had Daji's daughter." Look, Xia and Shang are exactly the same. Jie's conquests had the Shi family, and Zhou's conquests had the Su family.

By the way, let me popularize another concept, which is the title of emperor. The Yin Xin mentioned above is King Zhou of Shang. Xin is his given name and Zhou is his posthumous title. After ancient emperors kicked their legs, descendants would give them a posthumous title, which often summed up their lives in just one word. For example, Xia Jie, his surname was Si, his given name was Gui, and his posthumous name was "Jie". Jie means unruly and arrogant. It fits his sentence very well: "As time passes, both he and you will perish." And what about "Zhou"? It means tyrannical and unjust, and it is also the posthumous title that summarizes his life. Posthumous titles can be roughly divided into three categories: one that praises, one that belittles, and one that sympathizes with. For example, "Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty" and "King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty" are complimentary. And "Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty" expresses sympathy. We are usually accustomed to using posthumous titles to refer to certain emperors, but in my article, just call them whatever comes to mind, and you don't need to stick to the details.

To get back to the subject, as the most beautiful girl in the Yousu tribe, Daji naturally acted as the marriage ambassador and married King Zhou. Although the origin of Daji is not mentioned in "Historical Records", I think there should not be much controversy as Daji was obtained by force from the militant King Zhou.

But did Daji ever do, or instigate King Zhou to do so many inhumane things in history? Let’s first talk about the familiar punishment of being burned with fire. This extremely abnormal punishment did exist in the Shang Dynasty. However, it is said that Daji liked to see people struggling in pain before death, so she instituted the punishment of being burned with fire. I have always disagreed with this statement. Things recorded in history books tend to become more vague the older they are.

Many history books written by ancient people have added their own subjective wishes, exaggerated or added fuel and jealousy. I can’t comment on whether this is good or bad. I can’t say it’s bad because it obscures the true nature of history. Say it well, and history becomes vivid because of it. But in order to understand the real history, I usually choose historical books that are closer to the time as reference.

Concerning the artillery fire, there is this passage in "Historical Records": "The common people were resentful and the princes had trouble, so Zhou punished them severely and had the method of artillery iron." In other words, the punishment of artillery iron was not instigated by Daji. , nor was it designed to please Daji. But at this time, the princes in various places gradually became rebellious, and King Zhou used torture to frighten the rebellious princes and people. This punishment of burning with cannons was not always used. After Xibochang dedicated the land of Luoxi, King Zhou canceled this punishment. (Uncle Xi came out to offer the land of Luoxi to ask for relief from the punishment of being burned with cannons. Zhou then agreed and gave him bows, arrows, axes and axes to enable him to conquer.) Before and after this, there was nothing wrong with Daji at all.

As for the wine pond and meat forest, the earliest record about it was recorded by Han Feizi. Everyone knows about this talented man who stutters. Although he stutters, his writing is superb. His writing is airtight and he naturally quotes classics. Otherwise, why would Li Si be so jealous? So, let’s just believe him about Jiuchiroulin.

But in the Han Dynasty, when Comrade Sima Qian wrote about wine pools and meat forests, why did he include the period when men and women were naked and chasing each other? This is most likely Sima Qian's own imagination, but I don't think all of this has anything to do with Daji. It was entirely due to King Zhou's own lustful lust and contentment with pleasure. There is one thing that illustrates this point. "There is a good girl in the ninth lord, and she enters the dynasty. The girl in the ninth lord does not like sex, and the tyrant is angry, kills her, and kills her (hai, three sounds)." Just because his daughter wasn't slutty, he killed him and chopped his father into pieces. How could he be capable of such a violent and lascivious person, surrounded by wine pools and meat forests, with men and women chasing each other naked?

Historical records also have records about Bigan digging out his heart. "I heard that the sage's heart has seven skills." Dissect Bigan and observe his heart. However, these words were not said by Daji, but by King Zhou.

Of course, there are many things, such as caesarean section pregnancy test and seducing Boyi test, which are all unfounded, and even many atrocities were committed by King Zhou. It's just that later generations imposed everything on Miss Daji.

But is there nothing wrong with Daji? Of course not, and the problem is still serious. I have selected the following passages for you to experience!

"Historical Records, Yin Benji": Love Daji and follow Daji's words. So the teacher donated a new yin sound, Beili dance, and extravagant music.

"Lu's Spring and Autumn": The king of Shang was in chaos and indulged in drinking and virtue. Daji was in charge, and rewards and punishments were unpredictable

"Guoyu": There was Su in the Yin Xin Dynasty, and there was Su who took Daji as the leader. As a daughter, Daji was favored, so she and Jiao Ge died in the Yin Dynasty.

"Historical Records, Zhou Benji": Wang said: "The ancients said, 'There is no morning for a hen, and the morning for a hen is only the rope of the family.' Now the King of Yin, Zhou Wei, is the woman who said it?"

How do you understand the above four paragraphs? Let me tell you my opinion. If "Historical Records, Yin Benji" simply says that King Zhou obeyed Daji's orders, then "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Historical Records, Zhou Benji" simply tell you nakedly that Daji is Touching politics. The ancients said that the hen is responsible for the morning. If the hen crows every morning, the family will definitely be ruined.

Looking at "Guoyu" again, apart from the names of the people, this sentence is no different from the paragraph describing Jie and Xi. Let’s not consider whether Daji really conspired with Jiao Ge to rebel. Just talking about this conspiracy, isn't it touching politics?

Politics is really not something that ordinary women can play. Throughout the ages, I have known very few women who are good at politics. So what did Daji do after coming into contact with power? 1. Build a deer platform and collect various "dog and horse rare items". 2. Appoint some fugitives with multiple crimes as officials. (Is it because there are so many people in the four directions that they flee? Are they respected or respected? Are they trustworthy or envoys?)

The only two sentences I can find are these two sentences. On the surface, these two sentences should be the work of King Zhou, but I I think Daji is also inseparable. As a woman, how could Daji not like building a terrace and collecting rare things from dogs and horses? As for the matter of appointing fugitives, it was mostly Daji who made random suggestions. I don’t know what other ridiculous decrees were issued. As for conspiring with Jiao Ke to subjugate the country, I don't really agree.

Jiao Ge, a salt seller.

I learned "Born in sorrow, died in peace" in the middle school text, and there is a sentence in it: "Jiao Ge is lifted among the fish and salt." He was originally a doctor of the Yin Shang Dynasty, but later lived in seclusion and sold salt, and was finally reused by the Zhou Dynasty. . We cannot rule out the possibility that he spied on intelligence in the Shang Dynasty and eventually surrendered to the enemy and treason. But I really don’t believe that she conspired with Su Daji to treason. If they really conspired, why was Daji executed in the end? Besides, what was Daji’s motive for treason? None of this makes sense.

But having said that, I guess Daji’s involvement in politics is pretty much the same. And it feels a lot like Lafayette and Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty. They were also politically ignorant and issued decrees indiscriminately. They also built large-scale construction projects based on their own preferences and used the power of one country to satisfy their own extravagant pursuits. This kind of luxurious satisfaction is far more terrible than happiness. Why do you say this?

First of all, Xi lived in the Xia Dynasty. At that time, productivity was limited and there were not enough luxury things, right? At least there are no actual unearthed cultural relics to prove this. But it was different in the Shang Dynasty. At that time, farming technology had developed greatly, and new agricultural tools began to be used. These have laid a good foundation for a country's abundant fiscal revenue. Again, what did the people of the Shang Dynasty like? Beautiful jade and fine wine, they know how to enjoy life. Think about it again, why do we call people who buy and sell businessmen? This has a lot to do with the Shang Dynasty! Anyone with common sense in economics will know that the prerequisite for commodity exchange is that everyone has surplus and demand. To put it bluntly, the people of the Shang Dynasty were "rich" and "enjoyed", so this must have led to a word "corruption" that we are very sensitive to now.

I won’t go into detail about corruption because I’m afraid the water meter will be checked. In fact, the corruption problem is very simple. Corruption problems exist no matter which dynasty or generation, whether at home or abroad. I don't think corruption can lead to the collapse of a country. However, corruption can be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

The Shang Dynasty was actually caused by internal and external troubles in the later period. After experiencing the "Zujia Rebellion", the Shang Dynasty had begun to show signs of decline ("Historical Records. Yin Benji": Emperor Jia The Yin Dynasty was in chaos and the Yin Dynasty was in decline.) Zu Jia's series of reforms touched the interests of the royal family. Later, I experienced Emperor Wu Yi. Wu Yi was the great-grandfather of King Zhou. He was not only incompetent but also extremely stupid. Ya'er made a puppet and said it was the sky. She bent a bow and arrow to shoot the puppet, saying that she was better than the sky. As a result, she went hunting one day. When he was there, he was struck to death by a thunderbolt. Later, it was passed to Zhou's father, and Yin declined even more on the original basis (Emperor Yili, Yin Yifa). What happened to the Shang Dynasty when it fell into the hands of Zhou?

Normally, the genes passed down from Zu Jia are not much better, but King Zhou is a very smart and capable person. Historical records say that he was: quick at identifying diseases, very sensitive in hearing and seeing, extraordinary in physical strength, capable of handling fierce beasts, knowledgeable enough to distance himself from admonishment, and able to speak enough to cover up his wrongdoings. I think these strengths of his are also his weaknesses. During his reign, he opened up the southeast and paved the way for the development of the southeast region for later generations. Conquests everywhere was a waste of people and money. This is the saying that a warlike spirit will lead to death. Carefully recall Sima Qian's two sentences: Knowledge is enough to distance yourself from admonishment, and words are enough to cover up wrongdoing. What a terrible advantage this is? A smart person can refuse to listen to any opinions, and his words are enough to cover up his mistakes. How conceited must such a person be? It is not difficult to understand that he allowed Daji to be regent and indulged in debauchery.

At the same time, as his opponent, the Western Zhou Dynasty. How could King Wen and King Wu not know these characteristics of his? King Wu, in particular, is so scheming that people are afraid of him. Some princes once persuaded him to defeat Zhou (there is an allusion of white fish entering the boat, friends who are interested can learn about it), but he said: Women know the destiny, so it is not allowed. King Wu endured it for two years, until Bigan was killed and Jizi was imprisoned. Only then did Mengjin join forces and attack Chaoge. Before launching the army, a swearing-in meeting was held, in which Daji's crimes were not listed at all.

Don’t underestimate the swearing-in meeting. As an important means of public opinion propaganda, it became an important public opinion guide at that time. In "Historical Records, Zhou Benji", Wang said: "The ancients said, 'There is no morning for a hen, and the morning for a hen is only a rope for the family.' Now King Zhou of Yin only uses women's words?" This passage directly refers to The finger was pointed at Daji. I have to suspect that during the two years when King Wu forbeared, he was preparing for this matter, strengthening public opinion propaganda, and vilifying Daji's image. Two years later, the time was ripe, and he naturally became famous. Similarly, during these two years, Jiao Ke was most likely responsible for carrying out revolutionary propaganda activities within the Shang Dynasty, so that in the final battle of Muye, the Shang Dynasty army defected.

In fact, no matter how bad King Zhou was, no matter how unkind, history's evaluation of him was very unfair. He was unable to save the decadent Shang Dynasty, and his conquests exhausted the country's strength, but his conquest of Dongyi alone should not erase his achievements. You must know that the subsequent development of the Zhou Dynasty followed the path of Shang expansion. In other words, the reason why southern China was civilized early was thanks to King Zhou.

As for Daji, she was just the trophy of King Zhou. Fortunately, she was loved by thousands of people. King Zhou's love for her could even be said to be indulgent, so indulgent that he even had no rights. Dare to let him touch you. There was nothing wrong with Daji, it was just that she should never, never, should ever get involved in politics. As for whether her involvement in politics was a conspiracy of the Zhou Dynasty, we don't know, but various signs have made many people deeply doubt this. In any case, Daji eventually became a victim of political struggle and a victim of war. The rise and fall of the world, what does it have to do with women? If you are not strong enough, never touch the power. You already have thousands of favors, what else are you not satisfied with?