Dynasties of ChinaWestern ZhouWestern Zhou lineage
Reign 877–841 BCE
With the appointment of Rong Yigong's patent and the defense of Wu to suppress slander, in 841 BC, the Chinese people rioted and fled to Zhe, and the "Republic" began.
Ji Hu is the son of King Yi. He made great achievements in the early period of his reign: the Marquis of E united the Nanhuai Yi and Dongyi rebels, and went deep into the royal territory. He sent troops to attack and captured the Marquis of E; his self-written Zongzhou Zhong inscription records that Nan conquered his son, and twenty-six states of Nanyi and Dongyi came to court. However, he favored Rong Yigong and took the benefits of mountains, forests, rivers and swamps to the royal family for exclusive use, which was called "patent" in history. The doctor Rui Liangfu refused to listen to his advice.
There was a lot of discussion among the people in the country. The king ordered the guards to monitor the situation and anyone who reported it would be killed. The people of the country "followed the road with their eyes". Zhao Mugong advised, "It is better to guard against the people's mouth than against the river." King Li ignored it. In 841 BC, the Chinese people rioted, King Li fled to the pigs, and the Crown Prince hid quietly in Zhao Mugong's home. Zhao Mugong died with his own son. After that, Duke Zhao and Duke Zhou were in power together, and the name was "Gonghe" (one theory is that Gong Bohe was the regent). King Li lived in Zhi for fourteen years and died in Zhi in 828 BC.
King Li was not a mediocre king. He put down the rebellion of the Marquis of E in the early days of his reign, and his inscriptions also contained ambitions to revitalize the royal family. However, he tried to monopolize the benefits of mountains, forests, rivers and lakes to enrich the royal family's finances, and suppressed public opinion with high pressure. In the end, he was expelled from Haojing by his countrymen and died as a guest. The lesson of "guarding the mouths of the people is better than guarding the rivers" was passed down to later generations, and republican administration also left the beginning of an accurate chronology for China.
PoliticsAscension to the throne
King Yi died and Crown Prince Hu came to the throne. According to "Historical Records: The Chu Family", King Xiong Qu of Chu was afraid of King Li's "tyranny" and was worried about being punished, so he took the initiative to cancel the kingship of his three sons.
MilitaryPut down the rebellion of Ehou
Ehou Yufang led the Southern Huaiyi and Dongyi to invade heavily. King Li ordered the Sixth Division of the West and the Eighth Division of Yin to attack but failed to win. He also ordered Duke Wu to send Yu to lead hundreds of chariots to assist in the battle, and finally captured Ehou. The incident can be found in the inscription of Yu Ding (some say it was during the reign of King Yi).
CultureGui Gui and Zong Zhou Zhong
King's name is Hu, and the gold inscription is "Hu". His self-made Hu gui vessel was unearthed in Fufeng, Shaanxi Province in 1978. It is nearly 60 centimeters high and is the largest bronze gui ever seen. The Zongzhou bell inscription records his southern expedition and the coming of 26 Nanyi and Dongyi states.
Lasting legacyThe Gui Gui is known as the "King of Gui"; Zong Zhou Zhong is now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
EconomyRong Yigong patent
King Li favored Rong Yigong and took over the products of Shanlinchuanze to the royal family for exclusive use. Rui Liangfu advised, "The king is the one who guides and distributes benefits to the upper and lower levels." Monopolizing financial benefits will inevitably lead to resentment. King Li did not listen and still regarded Rong Yigong as his minister.
PoliticsWei Wujian slander
The people of the country accused King Li one after another. King Li hired the sorcerers who defended the country to monitor the commentators and kill them if they reported them. The people of the country "don't dare to speak, because the road follows the eyes." King Li said proudly: "I can eliminate the slander."
Lasting legacyThe idiom "the road follows the eye" comes from this incident.
PeopleCall the public to remonstrate and annihilate slander
Zhao Mugong advised King Li, "It is better to guard the mouth of the people than to guard the river. If the river collapses, many people will be hurt." He advocated that those who serve the people should "declare the message" to let the people speak freely. King Li didn’t listen.
Lasting legacy"It is better to guard against the people's mouth than against the river" comes from "Guoyu·Zhou Yu", and it is still a frequently quoted motto today.
CultureThe poem "Dang"
Chapters such as "Min Lao", "Ban" and "Dang" in "The Book of Songs" were mostly written to satirize King Li. "Dang" used King Wen's words to criticize the Yin Shang Dynasty, and used the Yin Dynasty's death as a warning to the Zhou king.
Lasting legacyPhrases such as "There is no beginning, there is an end" and "Yin Jian is not far away" all come from "Daya·Dang" and are still used today.
SocietyChinese people riot
The people of the country couldn't bear it anymore and attacked the king in groups. King Li fled and rushed to Pig (today's Huozhou area in Shanxi Province). The Chinese also surrounded Zhao Mugong's house to search for Crown Prince Jing. Zhao Mugong replaced him with his own son, and Crown Prince was saved.
PoliticsRepublic Administration
After King Li ran away, Zhao Gong and Zhou Gong jointly ruled the country, named "Gonghe" (one theory is that Gong Bohe was the regent), which lasted for fourteen years. "Historical Records: Chronology of the Twelve Princes" starts from the first year of the Republic of China.
Lasting legacyThe first year of the Republic, 841 BC, is the beginning of the precise chronology of Chinese history; in modern times, the word "Gonghe" is used to translate republic.
PoliticsDied by pig
King Li died after living in Zhen for fourteen years. Duke Zhao and Duke Zhou immediately supported the grown-up Crown Prince Jing to ascend the throne as King Xuan, marking the end of the republican administration.
Minghu, descendant of Zhao Gongshi. He advised King Li to "defend the people's mouth better than the river"; when the Chinese rioted, he sacrificed his own son to save Crown Prince Jing. During the Republic period, he participated in the government and later assisted King Xuan.
He advocated returning the benefits of mountains, forests, rivers and lakes to the royal family, and was appointed as a minister by King Li. Rui Liangfu said that he "loved patents but did not know the catastrophe." The riots among the Chinese people were triggered by the patent policy.
Doctor Zhou, the king of Rui State. He advised King Li not to patent it, saying, "A common man's patent is just like stealing; if the king does it, it will be fresh." The old saying in "The Book of Songs Daya Sanrou" was written by him.
The king of the Republic of China was named He. According to the ancient book "Chronicles of the Bamboo Book", after the Chinese people rioted, he "stood on the throne" to regent the administration. This is another explanation for the name "Republic"; "Historical Records" states that Duke Zhao and Duke Zhou were in power together.