On the historical evaluation of Qi Huangong.

Qi Huangong, his name is Xiao Bai. Xi Gong's second son, Xiang Gong's younger brother, the 16th generation monarch of Qi State. However, his regime did not naturally inherit from the sunny weather, but was plotting to compete with the sword.

Since the Shang dynasty, it has been spread to the twelfth time. In the meantime, Miracle became evil, and Aigong was cooked; Make a fuss, the inner wall is arrogant. Civil strife breaks out one after another, foreign troubles are mixed, the people are in trouble, the country is not peaceful, and the village is not established. Zhuang Gong reigned for 64 years, Xi Gong reigned for 33 years, and father and son were in power for nearly a hundred years. The political situation is relatively stable, the vitality is gradually restored, and the national strength is increasing. Conquering foreign countries, the main alliance princes, known as Zhuangnuo minibus in history. However, it was a flash in the pan, and the good times did not last long. Xianggong succeeded to the throne, and all previous efforts were in vain.

There is a public ambition to unify the world, but there is no talent to rule the country and level the world. With ZhuangNuo's help, he went to war. Ji, Fazheng, Ruibu, Pinglan. Continuous wars have not only made neighboring countries struggling, but also exhausted themselves. The state of Qi presents a sad scene: adult men go to the army to fight one after another, leaving only the old, weak, women and children at home. Gu Mi's once fertile land is now covered with thick green bristlegrass. Xianggong is dissolute and shameless. He had an affair with his sister Wen Jiang (Mrs. Lu Huanfu) for a long time and murdered Lu Huangong, which led to the deterioration of the relationship between Qilu and China. Xiang Gong's laws and regulations are impermanent, and officials and servants are at a loss.

As can be seen from the above, during the period of "xianggong", the Chaogang was out of order and the political situation was chaotic, so it was necessary to stabilize the order through indiscriminate killing: "xianggong" unjustly killed many women, bullied the ministers several times, and the brothers were afraid of disaster, so the second brother corrected Lu ... and the second brother Xiaobai ran to Ju (Historical Records of Qi Taigong Family). As a result, he became a real loner. On this good opportunity, Sun, who has been complaining for a long time, combined with ignorance and said that he was in charge of his father's rebellion and killed Xianggong to stand on his own feet. This happened in 686 BC. The following spring, ignorance was killed by Dr. Lin Yong of Quqiu. A serial coup led to the absence of a monarch in Qi.

At that time, two suitable candidates were expected to ascend to the throne. One is the son of Kuang Zheng who takes refuge in Lu, and the other is the son who takes refuge in Ju. Lu's mother is the daughter of Lu, and Lu naturally becomes a powerful foreign aid for Lu, supplemented by Guan Zhonghe, so Lu has an advantage in competing for the throne. Xiaobai has been close to Gao Qiu since childhood. Big noble of the State of Qi is a natural right-hand man, and with his help, he can compete with the rectification movement. The fruit is: Gao and Guo Yin called to get there first and became Duke Huan. Lu sent his son to correct it, but he was late and failed. When Lu Bing came to the border, Qi refused. In the autumn of the same year, Qilu fought and Lu was defeated. After his son was killed, he was suddenly called to death, Guan Zhong was imprisoned, Huan Gong kept the throne, and Qi began to revive.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi Huangong worshipped Guan Zhong as the prime minister, and made concerted efforts to govern the country, rectify internal political affairs, carry out routine reforms, respect the king and harass foreigners abroad, and continue to survive until his demise. In the end, he joined the princes and conquered the world, becoming the first of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. The success of hegemony can not be separated from Huan Gong's enlightenment and Guan Zhong's strategy, but another important reason is the use of a group of outstanding talents with their own strengths and abilities. Among them, the most representative is "Five Heroes of Huan Guan".

As early as in Qi Huangong, he didn't remember revenge with one arrow. When he wanted to worship Guan Zhong, Guan Zhong suggested: "Building a building must not rely on only one piece of wood; The sea can never be merged by a few trickles. To achieve great things, we must appoint five excellent people-code of conduct, moderation in advance and retreat, and combination of hard and soft words. I'm not as good as Peng Ji. Please appoint him to be in charge of foreign affairs for a big company; I might as well fill the sea to build a city, store grain and increase the population. Please appoint me as the secretary in charge of agricultural production. On the vast Yuan Ye, the chariots are not chaotic, the soldiers are not retreating, and the drums command the soldiers to die. I might as well be the father of the prince. Please appoint him as Fu and commander-in-chief of the three armed forces. I'm not as good as Bing Xu Wu. He can judge cases reasonably and fairly, not killing innocent people and falsely accusing them. Please appoint him as a senior manager in charge of justice and criminal law. I dare to make faces, avoid death and make money. I am not as good as Dong Guoya. Please appoint him as a great remonstrator to supervise remonstrance. In Qiang Bing, a rich country, these five are enough. If you want to achieve the cause of overlord, you must have me. " After listening to Guan Zhong's suggestion, Huan Gong asked five people to do their own jobs and worship Guan Zhong as their relatives, forming a powerful leading group. Later facts proved that this collective leadership made wise decisions and won the support of the people.

The records of Cheng Fu and Bin in history books are very limited. Apart from Guan Zhong's analysis and evaluation of their personality characteristics, little is known about their life stories. Peng Ji and Ning Qi went down in history, leaving vivid characters.

Peng Ji is the great-grandson of Qi Zhuanggong. Born in a noble family, he received a good education since childhood, which made him knowledgeable, intelligent and generous. In addition, he is eloquent, thoughtful and meticulous, and treats people very well. According to Peng Ji's specialty, Guan Zhong suggested that Huan Gong appoint him as "Daku", that is, foreign minister, which is a very important position. At that time, the Zhou Dynasty was in decline and the world was in chaos. If Qi wants to dominate, it has to shoulder the heavy responsibility of respecting the king and resisting foreign countries, win the trust of the Zhou Dynasty and establish its own prestige among the vassal States. Therefore, the success of Qi's foreign policy and activities plays a decisive role in its hegemony. Peng Ji was very qualified for the position of "big treasury" and became a famous foreign minister in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Peng Ji put forward many good suggestions on the formulation of Qi's foreign policy, and Huan Gong respected his opinions very much. He once said to Guan Zhong and Peng Ji, "If you listen to the second son alone, your ears will be more alert and your eyes will be clearer" (Guan Zijie). In the aligned diplomacy, we have also done a lot of practical things and made great contributions, the most commendable of which is the pacification of the right. Before 65 1 year, shortly after Qi Huangong called the Kuiqiu meeting, civil strife broke out in the state of Jin. Peng Ji commanded the allied governors to pacify the chaos in the state of Jin, and together with his son's army, he conquered our country for Jin. On behalf of Qi State, he also presided over the negotiations between Jin State and Rong Di in order to resist foreign invasion that threatened the Central Plains. He also joined the governors to build a city in Yuanling, and moved the Qi State invaded by Jingchu, Huai, Yi and other countries to settle here. All these have fully demonstrated the strength and role of Qi State and consolidated its hegemonic position.

Guan Zhong is the one who knows Peng Ji best, and he is also the one who evaluates him most comprehensively and fairly. According to Guan Zhijie, Guan Zhong was seriously ill, so Huan Gong went to visit him and asked who was the best candidate to replace him in case he died of illness. Guan Zhong replied, "Peng Ji can. Peng Ji is a broad-minded person who can ask questions with an open mind. Serving people with kindness may not be able to serve people; Cultivate people with kindness, and there are no people who refuse. Only Peng Ji can do what the national government should ignore and what family members need to know. There are friends who don't forget their official duties at home and their family affairs in public. You have no second thoughts, you don't forget yourself; Qi's currency was used to help passing refugees, but the beneficiary didn't know it was him. Yan Peng is a benevolent person. " "I think friends can honor and disgrace the people according to the changing situation, and then make the country stable for a long time."

The allusion of "Ning Fan Qi Niu" is relished by later generations, and it has become a model of Qi Huangong's etiquette and law selection. Ning Qi is a patriotic person. He is smart, eager to learn and ambitious. However, at that time, the country's civil strife and foreign invasion continued, and Ningqi's family was ruined and there was nowhere to go. Empty and full of talent, but suffering from nowhere to display, he heard that Qi Huangong was very talented and decided to go to the same place. Dressed as a businessman, he drove an ox cart to Qi State and spent the night outside the Guo Gate of Qidu. It happened that Huan Gong was out of the country, and Ning Qi, who was feeding cattle under the car, was singing on the horn. Huan Gong was very surprised and thought he was a talent, so he used Ning Qi. Later, according to Guan Zhong's suggestion, Ning Qi was put in charge of agricultural production. At that time, agriculture was the weak link of Qi, but it was also the foundation of a country's economy. Under the management of Ningqi, the agriculture of Qi has developed rapidly, and many valuable production experiences and management ideas have been summarized. Ning Qi is young and promising, with a successful career. At a banquet, Bao Shu Ya specially proposed a toast to Ning Qi: "Let Ning Qi not forget to get off." Remind him to be modest and not to take credit. Ning Qi always takes this as a self-warning, and always maintains a modest and prudent style, which is deeply supported by the people.

Dong Guoya has been controversial in history. In Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, Dong Guo's position is Dong Guo's tooth, that is, the person who can guess what he said according to other people's mouth gestures and the political situation at that time. He was appreciated by Qi Huangong and Guan Zhong, and was promoted by abnormality. However, some people think that there is a mistake in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, and Dongguo Tooth should be Bao. Analyzing his personality characteristics, the author prefers the latter. In 686 BC, civil strife broke out in the State of Qi, and Bao assisted his son to return to the State of Qi before Gong Zijiu did, thus gaining the throne first. Later, the troops were dispatched and carefully deployed, defeating the Lu army who escorted the country. And forced Lu to kill Miyako for a long time and sent Guan Zhong back to Qi. It can be said that Bao is a man with both civil and military skills, and he has made great contributions to the political struggle for the throne. However, Bao did not rely on merit. Duke Huan wanted to worship him as a relative, but he refused to accept it, but strongly recommended Guan Zhong, saying, "If we must govern the country, it is beyond my power, and it is for Guan Yi." ("Guan Zi Xiao Kuang") and compare their talents with Guan Zhong from five aspects, and advise Huan Gong to take Guan Zhong as his counterpart in order to make great achievements. This shows that Bao is selfless and knowledgeable. Guan Zhong once said, "My parents know the steamed stuffed bun." (Biography of Historical Records and Yan Guan)

The most striking feature of Bao is his temperament, honesty and frankness, and daring to speak out. He can "know the good (and bad) people of the monarch and ministers" and correct the rule of Huan Gong. Huan Gong often shows pride after his success and feels that he is comparable to Yao Shun. Once, he told Bao that he wanted to send someone to cast a big clock to commemorate his achievements. Bao disagreed. He put Huan Gong to shame and said, "If you hadn't criticized me in time, I would have made a big mistake sooner or later."

On another occasion, Huan Gong, Guan Zhong, Bao and Ning Qi were drinking together. When he was drunk, Huan Gong said to Bao Shu Ya, "Why don't you get up and propose a toast for me?" Bao got up from the cup and said, "Don't forget when you exiled Juzhou, when you tied Guan Zhong to Lu, and when Ning Qi was feeding cows under the car." After leaving, Huan Gong said, "If these two doctors and I can't forget you, there will be no dangerous country."

More than 200 years later, Confucius and his students discussed the most wise ministers and said, "Qi has Bao Shu and Zheng has Zi Pi." And further commented: "Those who know the sages are also; Those who push the sages are benevolent; Enlighten the wise, be righteous. With these three things, what's more? " This shows that Confucius spoke highly of Bao.

It is precisely because when Huan Gong was in charge of the project, he was able to select and appoint talents in an eclectic way, knew how to perform his duties well, and paid attention to giving full play to their strengths, so that a large number of outstanding talents had a stage to display their ambitions and positions to play their talents. In the end, the prosperity of Qi State came into being, which laid a solid foundation for the great cause.

Second, abandon revenge with one arrow and appoint an army to govern the country.

Although Huan Gong ascended the throne, his prospects were not optimistic. Xiang Gong left a mess. In "The Adventure of National Security", it is written as follows: "The" xianggong "built a platform, thinking that it was a high position, plowing and hunting, and not listening to national politics. Humility and humiliation, while Wei women are worshipful, with nine concubines and six concubines, and hundreds of Chen concubines. You must eat meat and wear embroidery. Rong Shi is cold and hungry. Rong Che is waiting for the crackle of the station wagon, and Rong Shi is waiting for Chen Yu. You laugh first, then people come later. It is because the country will not lead in a few days, and the time is not long. I am afraid that the ancestral hall will not be cleaned up and the society will not suck blood. " It can be said that Qi Huangong was in danger. In order to get Qi out of the sea of thorns, the first decision made by Duke Huan was to make Guan Zhong the prime minister.

The appointment of Guan Zhong was neither a trivial matter nor an easy task at that time, because there were three obstacles in front of Huan Gong. First, although Guan Zhong's surname is Ji, his family background has declined and he has long lost his aristocratic status. He himself is just a businessman in the ordinary "four people". In the aristocratic political era of Shiqing Shilu, Guan Zhong's humble birth framed his official career. This is an institutional obstacle. Second, the surnames of Huan Gong Jiang and Guan Zhong. Generally speaking, Ji is related by marriage, but personally, he is not related. In the ancient society where the concept of "not my race, but different hearts" dominated, it was inconceivable to appoint Guan Zhongcheng as a different surname. This is a traditional psychological disorder. Third, Guan Zhong, as an assistant to the rectification movement, is the political enemy of Huan Gong. Another arrow hit Huan Gong's hook and almost killed him. It's for the enemy of Huan Gong. Guan Zhong, who is both a political enemy and an enemy, can't feel avenged without dismembering his body. How can he be appointed as the Prime Minister? This is an obstacle to Huan Gong's love-hate relationship.

But Guan Zhong also has many advantages. First, Guan Zhong is talented. He is a great talent. At that time, Shi Bo, the great counselor of Lu, commented on Guan Zhong: "Guan Zhong is a saint in the world and a great instrument. In Chu, Chu is proud of the world, in Jin, Jin is proud of the world, in Di, Di is proud of the world "(Zhou, Kuang). Second, if Qi Huangong wants to be the master of ZTE, he must use Guan Zhong to rule his ministers. In this regard, Shi Bo saw very clearly: "Guan Zhong is the great sage in the world, ...' Return to Qi, and the world is home' (big open). Uncle Bao said more clearly: "If you want to be the overlord, you must control me. The country where Yi Wu lives is too important to lose "(Qi). Third, Bao's recommendation. Bao is not only Huan Gong's confidant, but also Guan Zhong's confidant friend. With such a special identity to mediate, things often change dramatically. Fourth, Huan Gong is an impatient and far-sighted person. This character is also a favorable factor to change Guan Zhong's fate. The comprehensive effect of various factors changed the original intention of Huan Gong to punish Guan Zhong and strengthened his determination to entrust him with an important task. So he imprisoned Guan Zhong in Lu, released Guan Zhong and lent three baths, greeted Huan Gong in the suburbs, treated him with courtesy and served as prime minister. Immediately gave him three rights, that is, you are a doctor, you are rich, and you are as close as Guan Zhong. Qi Huangong's generosity in appointing Guan Zhong.

Coincidentally, another thing that can give up revenge with Huan Gong and make Guan Zhong-min end up in the same breath is to pull out Ning Qi to feed the cows. Ning Qi, a patriotic man, was learned and versatile, but he was not used by the country. He heard that Qi Huangong had great plans to recruit and reuse talents, so he decided to show his talents in Qi. Ning Qi came to Qi as a merchant driver and spent the night outside the east gate of Qi City. Just when Huan Gong went out to meet a visitor at night, Ning Qi mixed grass for the cow with one hand and sounded the horn with the other, singing: "Nanshan rocks rotten white stone, life does not meet Yao Shun Zen; A light cloth coat suits you, from a light meal to a thin night, when the night is long. When was Kanglang's water? Among them, carp is one and a half feet long, and our cloth is cut into a single coat. After breakfast, the cow lost weight in the middle of the night, and the yellow calf sat on the bench to rest. I left you for my country, and I went out of the East Gate, where four Zhou Songbai were thick and thick. When I don't meet Xi Yaoshun, Xi Niu tries to eat fine grass, and the minister is by my side, I will cooperate with you. The strange Duke Huan, who carried everything with him, was appointed as the senior secretary. After Guan Zhong's death, Ning Qi became prime minister.

Huan Gong also appointed Bao,,, father Prince Cheng,, Chen and others, thus forming a powerful leading group. This is an important guarantee for his success.

Third, respect the king first and dominate the country.

With the help of Guanzhong Group, Qi Huangong carried out reforms to enrich Qiang Bing. Hold high the banner of "respecting the king and rejecting foreign countries" and complete the great cause of hegemony.

"Respect for the king" was a very useful political slogan at that time. Its short-term goal is to unify the two in Zhou Shi, Zhou Wang is powerless and the overlord is appointed by Wang. The long-term goal is to establish a unified centralized country. Therefore, this slogan not only has important practical significance for stabilizing the current situation, but also has long-term significance for enlightening social progress. On the one hand, respect for the royal family is manifested in the use of alliances, so that princes will not invade each other and kill each other for no reason. Such as the alliance of kwai hills, swear; "Anyone who makes an alliance with me will become friends again after making an alliance" (Zuo Zhuan Xi Gong Jiu Nian). On the other hand, when the Emperor of Zhou was invaded by foreign enemies, Duke Huan assembled a vassal army to defend the royal family. For example, the first stop meeting, meeting and xian county meeting are called "Seeking Peace Week" (five years in Xi Gong) and "Seeking the Royal Family" (eight years and thirteen years in Xi Gong). It also determines the status of King Xiang of Zhou. In 648 BC, Xiang colluded with Rong and Zhai to attack Zhou, and sent Guan Zhong to lead the troops to quell the chaos, thus consolidating Zi's power. Three aspects show that the conquest of Huan Gong was always carried out under the banner of Zhou Wang. For example, in 656 BC, Qi Huangong led a vassal division to invade Cai and cut Chu. When the king of Chu asked why he was cut, Guan Zhong confidently replied, "Yesterday I asked Kang Gong to order my first husband, Tai Gong, to say,' Uncle Five Kings and Nine uncles, if they are really levied, they will make up a clip. Give me the royal shoes first, east to the sea, west to the river, south to Muling and north to Wudi. The duty of paying tribute in Chu is to protect Mao and the king's sacrifice. Wang Zhao didn't come back because he had been asking about the Qi Taigong family. Guan Zhong's words just show that Huan Gong repaired the squire's government, helped Zhou Shi and respected Zhou's support. Although the two sides didn't meet each other, Chu admitted his mistake and promised to pay tribute to Zhou, acknowledging Zhou's name, which was a tribute to the king. Regarding the relationship between Qi Huangong's hegemony and respect for the king, there is a wonderful saying in "Warring States Policy: Han Ce": "In the past, all the nine princes obeyed King Zhou Xiang. However, although you respect the king, Huan Gong will also dominate. The princes of Jiuhe respect Huan Gong and Wang Xiang. "

It is the initial embodiment of the internal cohesion of Huaxia (later called Han, later called China). "Rong Lao, not disgusting; Summer relatives, not amiable also "(the first year of Zuo Min). The distinction between China people and foreigners was a state of mind of the Chinese nation at that time. At that time, Rongdi, who lived in the surrounding areas, was very powerful and often harassed the royal family and invaded the Central Plains. In addition to vigorously maintaining the palace, Duke Huan spared no effort to rescue other princes who were violated by Emperor Rong. For example, in 663 BC, Shan Rong cut Yan and Huan Gong saved him. Yanzhuang sent Qi Huangong to Qi Jing, and Huan Gong said; "If the emperor is not the son of heaven, ministers will not leave the country. I can't be unreasonable to Yan. " So the ditch was divided, and the place where Yan Jun went was cut and swallowed. And asked to repair the government and pay tribute to Zhou and others. Later, when the land was cut down, Huan Gong saved it and ordered it to "take a hundred cars, and thousands of people died to seal off the prosperity and the barbarians; Chu and Qiu defended the country with 500 chariots and 5,000 soldiers (Overlord), which led to "moving home and defending the country and forgetting death" (Two Years). This attitude is of great significance, following the spirit of benevolent survival and the great practice of dedication, defending the developed culture of the Central Plains and enhancing the cohesion of the Chinese nation.

In the call and practice of "respecting the king and rejecting the foreign countries", Duke Huan once again formed an alliance with the vassal States as the overlord and pretended to be the commander in chief of the Central Plains. This is a concrete manifestation of Huan Gong's bullying. According to Gu Liangzhuan, Qi Huangong wore clothes for eleven times and rode cars for four times (Twenty-seven Years of Zhuang Gong). The so-called "clothes club" refers to the peace alliance club that solves problems by diplomatic means. Military parade refers to an alliance where troops and chariots gather together to promote diplomacy by military means. The record of "The Adventure of National Security" is: "The chariot belongs to six, and the rider is three." "Historical Records of Qi Taigong's Family" contains Qi Huangong words: "I can fight three chariots and six chariots." "Three" and "six" are general terms, not real numbers. In fact, the size of the princes in Huan League is *** 16 times, which is 15 times as recorded in Gu Liang Biography, and there are also Qi and Chu League called tombs. At the same time, the alliance of Kameyama and Zhou Pai gave him a big gift in the air, which pushed Huan Gong's hegemony to a climax. At this point, Huan Gong became the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period.

In 643 BC, Qi Huangong died, and his 43-year hegemony came to an end.