What caused this strange phenomenon? To solve this mystery, let's first look at how the emperor appeared.
Above _ Ancient Emperor of China (Part)
In the history of China, only in these two cases can people sit on the throne of the emperor and be king in the south:
One is to gather people to revolt and change dynasties, or to overthrow the former dynasties by force, such as Liu Bang, Zhu Yuanzhang and Judy.
The second is to inherit or force the palace to succeed, such as Yang Di Yang Guang, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and Emperor Kangxi (including court coup, usurpation and abdication).
There are also emperors in other ways, but not many.
Knowing how the emperor came to power, by analyzing the geography, culture and economy of Shandong, we can know why there was no emperor in this province in history.
Above _ Full Map of Shandong in Qing Dynasty
First of all, it is determined by the geographical environment of Shandong.
Shandong is located in the east of China, surrounded by the sea on both sides, and is a coastal province of China. Because of Shandong's long coastline, marine undertakings such as fishing, salt and aquaculture are booming. Except for Mount Tai in the middle of Shandong, the rest are plain and hilly areas, and the cultivated land area greatly exceeds that of other provinces. Because our mother river flows into the sea from here, a large area of wetland has been formed, which provides favorable conditions for planting.
The unique geographical environment makes Shandong a land with fertile land, abundant rainfall, few disasters and bumper harvest every year. Since ancient times, it has been a land of plenty, and it has become the leading rich place in China. Superior natural conditions not only bring people a rich life, but also create simple folk customs. In this environment, people can live and work in peace and contentment, thrive and live a peaceful life. Why do they want to rebel?
Above _ Yellow River Basin Map
Besides, there are no rivers, mountains, mountains and passes in Shandong except the Yellow River, so it can be said that there is no danger to defend. Moreover, Shandong is close to the capital area, and the possibility of 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 "general" of the peasant uprising in the Tang Dynasty, from Shandong? Yes, the history book says: "Nest, so the sentence of Lu Yuan is also." He is from Cao Zhou, Shandong (now Heze, Shandong). The peasant uprising led by Huang Chao was huge, which swept over most of China and quickly occupied Chang 'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. He called himself "the emperor" and established the "Daqi" regime. However, Huang Chao did not overthrow the Tang Dynasty, but was destroyed by the Tang army. Huang Chao proclaimed himself emperor only temporarily or reluctantly, and the emperor was not recognized by history.
In addition to the Huang Chao Uprising in the Tang Dynasty, there were also some peasant uprisings in other dynasties, such as the Red Eyebrow Army Uprising at the end of the Western Han Dynasty and the Wang Bo Uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty, but none of them came to fruition. Since the rebellion did not succeed, there would naturally be no birth of the emperor.
Huang Chao (820-884), Cao Zhou, was an unjust man.
Second, it is caused by the strong cultural atmosphere in Shandong.
Shandong is famous for its abundance of saints. Confucius, Mencius, Sun Wuzi, Wang Xiang and other civil and military saints were born here, which is the birthplace of Confucian culture. Because Confucian culture emphasizes "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faithfulness" and advocates the idea that the monarch, the minister and the father should keep their own ways, these so-called orthodox ideas gradually penetrated into the hearts of the people after the Qin and Han Dynasties, and created a large number of scholars and students. They think rebellion is a heinous act, and they don't want to rule others. They just want national security and family harmony. Because Shandong people are generous, honest and willing to live a stable and peaceful life, they have no desire to rebel. In this way, there are fewer peasant uprisings in Shandong than in other provinces, so the chances of becoming an emperor are low.
Of course, besides Huang Chao, a large-scale peasant uprising also took place in Shandong. For example, the Liangshan Sung River Uprising in the Northern Song Dynasty was also vigorous and huge, which made the Song Dynasty nervous. But deeply influenced by Confucian culture, Song Jiang put forward the slogan of "opposing corrupt officials, not the emperor". Although it was under the banner of "doing justice for heaven", it was later recruited and became an eagle dog of the court to suppress the peasant uprising, and was finally killed, which became a historical tragedy.
Above _ CCTV's "Water Margin" Song Jiang's banner of "doing good for heaven"
Third, there is no other statement of the emperor in Shandong.
Ancient emperors were most particular about geomantic omen. In any dynasty in history, when the emperor ascended the throne, moved the capital, built a mausoleum and other important events, we should let the master look at Feng Shui to find Long Mai, so that the country can 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, Long Mai was broken.
On the other hand, due to Jiang Ziya's efforts to help Zhou Wuwang destroy the business and establish the Zhou Dynasty, he was named Qi Huangong and established the Qi State in Shandong (the capital is near Linzi, Shandong). In order to prevent the suspicion of the Zhou Emperor, and because of this deity, the jade emperor throne left for himself was seized by Zhang Boren (Zhang Youren). In a rage, Long Mai in Shandong was sealed, and Shandong was gone. Without Long Mai, there would be no emperor.
Above _ Confucius (55 BC1September 28th-BC 1 1 April).
There is another saying: a sage of Confucius came out of Shandong, who was worshipped by all previous dynasties, called "the public servant of the world and the teacher of emperors of all previous dynasties", and was named "the Duke of Feast" for generations. His family lasted for thousands of years and flourished to the extreme. It is said that the Confucius family has exhausted Long Mai in Shandong, and there will be no more emperors in the future.
The statement that Jiang Ziya and Confucius banned Long Mai is pure myth and legend. Legend is a legend after all, and we can take it as a general understanding, not as the basis for the absence of emperors in Shandong history.
Looking back at history, we can clearly know that although there has not been an emperor in Shandong for more than two thousand years, due to its superior geographical conditions and profound cultural heritage, many people with lofty ideals and heroes have emerged throughout the ages. In this case, Shandong is still a big province with a long history, profound culture, outstanding people and talented people.
References:
Handbook of Ancient Geography of China, Founding Emperors of China, Outlaws of the Marsh, New Tang Book.
The text was created by the team of History University Hall, and the pictures originated from the Internet and belonged to the original author.