Q: Why did Wu move to Suzhou at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period?

The king moved eastward to become a male capital.

Huang Yun

During the Xia and Yin Dynasties, Jiangnan was called Man Jing in the history books. Jing is a place name. In today's Hubei area, it is full of Jiangnan at that time. Probably the fishing and hunting era. Wudi aborigines generally have tattoos, which is quite different from the filial piety that their bodies and skin are not damaged by their parents in the Central Plains. Therefore, they have always been despised and inferior by the Central Plains in culture.

The pioneering work of Jiangnan culture has to be the first to promote Taibo. According to historical records, Taibo is a native of Qishan, Shaanxi Province, the eldest son of Zhou, and his uncle. In the era of King Tai, Zhou was only a small country among the vassal states and could not compete with the strength of Yin Shang. However, I have already saved the heart of destroying Yin. He thinks that Taber and He are both modest gentlemen and can't bear the heavy responsibility of destroying Yin. He intends to pass the throne to his youngest son, Ji Li, and then let Ji Li's son, Ji Chang, succeed him. This is very similar to the legendary Qing Dynasty Michelle Ye (Kangxi) who valued his grandson Li Hong (Qianlong) and passed it on to his father Yin Zhen (Yongzheng). Ji Chang shows that the "holy spirit" mentioned in ancient history is not necessarily true, and his grandfather is only out of preference for his grandson. In ancient times, the succession of the throne was long and orderly. Although this is not necessarily shaped by law, it is a natural habit, but it is very binding, so the king hesitated. For Taber, the choice is more difficult. On the one hand, it is to inherit the throne and enjoy glory and power; On the other hand, it is to give up easy-to-get power and money, wander around the world with bare hands, and go far away. After Taber became more and more aware of his father's intentions, he resolutely chose the latter in order to realize his father's ambition. At that time, King Tai was ill, which was an opportunity. He went to Hengshan Mountain in Nanyue in the name of collecting herbs, and went to Man Jing with his younger brother Zhong Yong, and came to this place in Wuxi Meicun today. Whether the records in the history books are accurate or not is impossible to verify because of the age. In my opinion, Taibo's "concession" may be imitating the sages. Yao allowed the world to give in, but Xu avoided it. "Better live than tail (road)." Is it easy to sit in the world? Perhaps Ji Li and his son have already been eyeing up and arranged this battle for power and status? Just like Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, planned the "Xuanwumen Change" and destroyed the Crown Prince Li and Yuanji. It's just that Taber plays it by ear and hasn't started yet. It's a bit thick to think so, but it's not impossible for people to be insidious, especially in the struggle for rights related to life and death. Taber was forced to flee, as far away as possible. In Taber's view, the world is big, where is there no place to start a business? In their hearts, they have long been tired of war. Throughout the ages, many literati have been thinking: Why did they choose Man Jing, a semi-open area, as the first choice for starting a business? Gao Panlong in the Ming Dynasty said: The ultimate virtue (later generations revered Taibo as the ultimate king of virtue, which originated from Confucius' saying "Taibo achieved the ultimate virtue") made the world run away. Less than famous mountains and rivers, less than Changlin Gu Jun, but came to Jiangnan; I didn't go to the three rivers and five lakes, and I didn't go to the secluded rocks and valleys, but I took a fancy to our Mangping market in Wuxi. Is there no reason for this? There is indeed a certain reason. At least one thing is certain. Taber abdicated three times not because of attachment, but because the King of Thailand did not abdicate when they fled, but because they looked up to their father's intention and first expressed their determination not to make their own decisions. Make my father want to stand but can't stand far away from home and stand by; And tattoo, put on the clothes of local aborigines, and walk out of the customs of the Central Plains to show their determination. Therefore, they crossed the river to the south and chose this beautiful land in the south of the Yangtze River for certain reasons. However, whether we came to Wuxi Mei Village (formerly known as Mei Li) was a deliberate choice or an unintentional coincidence, our descendants will never know. This kind of self-exile, with a tragic feeling, also with a cavity in the United States before the pride and self-confidence. Sure enough, as soon as Taibo arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, the people "joined thousands of families" and made him the monarch, posthumous title Wu. There is a couplet by Qi Yanhuai in Suzhou Taibo Temple, which is well summed up: different aspirations allow the two countries to rule the world; Work and opening up are the same, and a bad one will stay in Jiangnan forever. The word "bad" points out the great significance of Taibo's opening up Wu. Jiangnan, an ancient and wild water town, has started a brand-new era because of the arrival of Taber. And some remains of Taber. The most famous is the artificial river in the southeast of Wuxi: Taibodu. It starts from the Canal in the west and ends at Goose Lake in the east, with a total length of 40 miles. According to legend, it was opened by Taibo, which provided convenience for ancient farmland irrigation and cargo transportation. In the south of Meili (now Meicun), there is a small village-Jingcun, which is said to be the original residence of Taibo. Huangshan Mountain is Taibo's graveyard. Three miles southeast of Wuxi, there is Taibo Temple, commonly known as Jean Wang Temple, also known as Zhide Temple. In front of it is a tall stone archway, engraved with the four characters of "a famous state of wisdom and morality", which is enshrined by future generations. In Suzhou, Taibo is also deeply worshipped by the people. As early as the second year of Yongxing in the Eastern Han Dynasty (154), Mibao, the prefect of Wu County, established Taibo Temple outside Nagato, Suzhou, with buildings such as Zhide Temple Bridge, Zhide Square and Tairang Bridge flying over Xumen nearby. Today, we can still see the stone statue of Taibo outside the old factory. Although some of them make Taibo look like a scholar in feudal times, they are no different from the ancients. The wind of Taibo, the mountain is high and the water is long.

I think Taibo's going south to the south of the Yangtze River is empty-handed and has no foundation of feet and soil. Everywhere he went, people joined him, and from then on, he opened up the south of the Yangtze River and established a new country, which completely depended on his personality charm and moral charm. Meili is a small village, but at that time it was the capital of Taibo-the oldest capital in the south of the Yangtze River. Taber took humility as his political view, and later Mozi's theory of non-aggression and universal love may all be influenced by him. Throughout his life, he opposed war and advocated civilized rule, which influenced him. In the early Spring and Autumn Period, Wu did not know the skills of riding and fighting. After Taber's death, he passed the throne to his brother, who passed it on to him, until Shoumeng and Wu became powerful and became kings among the princes. During Taber's self-exile, it is said that some relatives fled to Japan, so in Japan, there is also a saying that the Yamato nationality originated from "Taber's descendants". In the history of Japan, this incident has caused an uproar several times, and there are many lawsuits.

On Saturday (5 14 BC), He Lv ordered Wu Zixu to build a city in Gusu and move the capital to Gusu. There is no exact historical data to explain the real reason why He Lu moved to the capital. Wu Zixu clearly explained the reason of moving the capital to Suzhou in the Biography of the Harmony between Wu and Yue in the Spring and Autumn Period. The so-called "like heaven and earth" is like a master of Feng Shui or a veteran of "Zamao". In fact, the author is only based on legends, even out of fabrication. So he can only hear the answers from He Lu and his courtiers in court.

In the history of the State of Wu, Wu Zixu was almost an immortal "target" figure, and many historical sites focused on him. Without him, the legend of ancient Wu will be inferior in the eyes of future generations. Let's cut the crap here. According to historical records, the plan to move the capital came from Wu Zixu. He thinks Meili is a dangerous place, so he suggests to build a new city in Suzhou today, which has a long history of more than 2,500 years.

However, the historian Professor Hou Renzhi holds the opposite view. According to his on-the-spot observation, he thinks that Wuxi has risks to defend, but Suzhou does not. So he suspected that it was a mistake to move the capital to Suzhou, which directly led to the invasion of Yue. The ancients also had this idea and thought deeply about it, but the conclusion was different from that of Professor Hou Renzhi. The first volume of Gan Long Zhenze County Records, Hangshengmen, contains Xu's analysis of the strategic advantages of Suzhou's geographical location, which is not long. In my opinion, there may be deeper reasons for moving the capital with Lu, as well as some simple, accidental and unknowable factors, which are the result of the interaction of comprehensive factors. For example, it may be inspired by witchcraft or astronomical changes. In ancient history, there were five elements; Similar to the record of "there is a comet in the same place, and Qi Huangong made it go", historical records are endless. Many of these records are not worth mentioning in the eyes of modern people, but astronomical phenomena such as solar eclipse, earthquake and drought are all great events in the eyes of the ancients, or the emperor himself committed a crime, or killed a minister, or moved the capital ... really terrible, and so on. "God's will" often dominates people's behavior, just as China people still remember it. In a movement more than 30 years ago, the will of "God" influenced the behavior of the whole nation. This is another kind of "providence". Looking back on the past is beyond the meaning of the past and present.

What is the reason why He Lu moved eastward? More than 2500 years have passed. Who can say that he really knows this dusty history? After Taber moved eastward, He Lv moved eastward again, and established Suzhou, the magnificent capital of Wu, from which Wu reached its peak.

Gu Jiegang thinks that ancient history is gradually accumulated, but it is not as simple as peeling bamboo shoots to get the truth of history. Every combing by future generations may pick up gold from the sand or take away new sediment, and this article is no exception.