Who put down the rebellion in the three prisons?

Who put down the Rebellion of the Three Prisons

The Rebellion of the Three Prisons is also known as the Rebellion of Guan and Cai or the Rebellion of Wu Geng. It was a rebellion by three rulers surrounding the Shang Wangji area (near today's Anyang City, Henan Province) in the early Western Zhou Dynasty.

After King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he listened to Zhou Gongdan's opinion and adopted the policy of "ruling Yin with Yin". He enfeoffed King Zhou's son Wu Geng to Yin and used him to rule the people of Yin. At the same time, King Wu sent his brothers Guan Shu, Cai Shu, and Huo Shu to establish the three kingdoms of Bei, Yong, and Wei near Yindu to monitor Wu Geng, known as the "Three Supervisors" in history. It is generally believed that the area to the north of the Shang capital is Bei; the area to the south of the Shang capital is Yong; and the area to the east of the Shang capital is the Wei.

King Wu died of illness shortly after he destroyed the Shang Dynasty, and Zhou Gongdan took over as regent. This aroused the suspicion of Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai and their brothers, and Wu Geng saw the opportunity to recruit them to launch a rebellion. The Zhou Dynasty faced a severe situation. Duke Zhou marched eastward, killed Wu Geng, killed Uncle Guan and released Uncle Cai, deposed Uncle Huo as a commoner, and put down the rebellion of the Three Prisons.

There are different opinions on the specific monarchs and territories that passed through the three prisons. According to the latest historical data, there are different records about the actual initiator of the Sanjian Rebellion and the outcome of the Sanjian Rebellion. One theory is that they are Prince Wu Geng of Zhou and Uncle Guan and Uncle Cai, brothers of King Wu. It is also said that Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai and Uncle Huo, the brothers of King Wu, were armed near Chaoge, the capital of Shang, and jointly guarded Wu Geng's territory.

The former theory appeared earlier, and the latter theory is more popular. It is generally believed that the area to the north of Chaoge is Bei, supervised by Uncle Huo; the area south of Chaoge is Wan, supervised by Uncle Cai; the area east of Chaoge is Wei, supervised by Uncle Guan. The specific characters of the three prisons: Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai, and Uncle Huo, brothers of Zhou Gong. The so-called "supervisor" refers to the supervision of the Yin and Shang remnants to prevent them from rebelling. It is obviously unreasonable for Wu Geng to be among the three supervisors, so it is correct for Guan, Cai and Huo to be the three supervisors.

After the Zhou people took power, they retained the sacrifices of the Yin people according to the principle of "destroying the country without stopping sacrifices". In order to win over the people, appease the Yin Shang remnants, show his generosity and benevolence, and consolidate his political power, King Wu of Zhou granted Zhou's son Wu Geng a seal in the hometown of the Yin Shang.

After all, King Wu of Zhou was worried about Wu Geng and was afraid that he would cause trouble, so he divided the original capital area around Chaoge into three small kingdoms: Bei, Yong, and Wei, and arranged for his younger brother Guan Shu to rule the country. , Uncle Cai, and Uncle Huo were stationed in the three kingdoms of Wei, Yong, and Bei around the Yin capital to supervise the Yin and Shang remnants to prevent them from rebelling.

North of Chaoge is the State of Bei. In Beicheng, 16 kilometers southeast of today's Tangyin, "Tangyin County Chronicles" written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty records: "Beicheng is thirty miles east of the county. This King Wu destroyed Yin. , divided the princes, and named Wu Geng, the son of Zhou, here."

Huo Shu (Ji Chu), the younger brother of King Wu and the eighth son of King Wen, was named the king of Bei; the area south of Chaoge was. The country, in today's Weihui Niwan, the king was Uncle Cai (Ji Du), the fifth son of King Wen; the place east of Chaoge was the country of Wei, and in Weixian, today's Jun County, the king was King Wen's third son, Uncle Guan (Ji Du). Ji Xian). Bei, Yong, and Wei formed a siege on Chaoge, which was known as the "Three Prisons" in history.

The Zhou Dynasty was not yet stable, and powerful enemies were looking around. King Wu was worried about state affairs and often couldn't sleep at night. He said: "Weitian built Yin, and the three hundred and sixty people named it were neither prominent nor destroyed, until now. I have not determined the heavenly protection, so why do I have time to sleep!"

1043 BC , King Wu was ill and died. When King Cheng ascended the throne at a young age, the Duke of Zhou performed royal affairs on his behalf. Among King Wu's younger brothers, Uncle Guan was the eldest. According to the custom of brother-in-law succession, he was the most qualified to regent. Therefore, King Wu's decree was believed to have been tampered with by the Duke of Zhou. In addition, the etiquette established by the Duke of Zhou strictly restricted the power of the princes, which caused He eliminated the dissatisfaction and suspicion of King Wu's disciples. "Shang Shu Jin Rui" records: "Uncle Guan and his group of brothers spread rumors in the country: "The general is not good for the children. "In this case, Guan, Cai and Wu Geng united to cause rebellion.

Wu Geng had long had the ambition to restore the country. At this time, he not only united with the three supervisors, but also with Xu and Xu from Dongyi, the old place of Yin and Shang. Yan, Bogu and other Fang states colluded to rebel against Zhou, and the situation was very serious.

The rebellion between Guan, Cai, Wu Geng and Dongyi seriously threatened the security of Zhou Gong and Zhao Gong. However, he took decisive measures and personally led the army to the eastward expedition. The eastern expedition played an important role in consolidating the Western Zhou Dynasty and expanding the jurisdiction of the Zhou Dynasty. "Shangshu Jinhui" records: "In the second year of Zhou Gong's stay in the east, the sinners will be punished. "The Duke of Zhou first suppressed the "Three Supervisors", stopped the rumors, killed Uncle Guan and exiled Uncle Cai; he also killed Wu Geng, and succeeded the Yin Dynasty as King Zhou's concubine brother Weizi, and established the country in the Song Dynasty (today's Shangqiu, Henan). Called the Song Dynasty.

Results:

After Wu Geng was overthrown, Duke Zhou continued his Eastern Expedition. After three years of hard struggle, the turmoil was finally settled. The scope of the Eastern Expedition seemed to be relatively broad and limited. They pursued and fought fiercely, and their momentum reached the south of the Yangtze River. "Lu Shi Chun Qiu Ancient Music" records: "When the king established his throne, the people of Yin rebelled, and the king ordered Duke Zhou to attack them. The merchants obeyed Xiang in order to torture the Eastern Yi, so the Duke of Zhou drove his troops to the south of the Yangtze River. "

Zhou Gong's eastward expedition to the south of the Yangtze River can be found in the bronze inscriptions. The inscription "Zu Hou Kui Gui" unearthed by Dantu says: "Only in April, the king of Ding Wei Wu and Cheng attacked." Business map, then province east or map. Wang Yuzu, enjoy. The king ordered Yu Hou Kui to say: "The prince is in Zu." ...The tin soil is three hundred in Juechuan, thirty and five in Juechuan, one hundred and eight, and the tin is suitable. The king has seven surnames; the seventh uncle of Xizheng has fifty husbands; the common people of Xizu have six hundred and six husbands. Zuhou Kuoyang Wang Xiu became the Duke of Yu and Ding Zunyi.

Impact:

The Sanjian Rebellion seriously threatened the ruling order of the Zhou Dynasty. Duke Zhou spent three years on the Eastern Expedition, completely wiping out the remaining forces of the Yin and Shang dynasties and expanding Eastern land.

In order to consolidate the Zhou Dynasty's rule in the east, Duke Zhou further built the eastern capital Luoyi and the feudal princes. The period of Duke Zhou, King Cheng, and King Kang was the period of stable development of the Western Zhou Dynasty. "Forty years of wrongful punishments were not used", which is known as the "Chengkang Rule" in history.