Dynasties of ChinaWestern ZhouWestern Zhou lineage
Reign 781–771 BCE
Favoring Bao Si, abolishing the direct lineage and establishing a concubine, Shen Hou united with Zan Kingdom and Quan Rong to attack Haojing, King You was killed, and Western Zhou perished.
Ji Gongsheng is the son of King Xuan. The year after he ascended the throne, there were earthquakes in the Jing, Wei, and Luosichuan areas, and Qishan Mountain collapsed. Taishi Bo Yangfu declared that "the Zhou Dynasty will be destroyed." The king appointed the profit-seeking Guo Shifu as his minister, which was resented by the people of the country; he also doted on Bao Si, the beautiful woman presented by the praise country, deposed Shen Hou and Crown Prince Yijiu, and made Bao Si his queen and his son Bofu as Crown Prince. Yijiu ran away to Xishen where his grandfather Shen Hou lived.
According to the Tsinghua bamboo slips "Xinian", King You raised troops to besiege Xishen and demanded Yijiu; in 771 BC, Shen Hou united with Zian State and Quanrong to counterattack, and King You was killed under Lishan Mountain, Bofu died together, and Western Zhou perished. "Historical Records" records that King You is Bo Bao Si Yixiao and "plays the princes with beacon fire", but it is not found in earlier documents such as "Xinian". Scholars doubt that it is attached by later generations. After the death of King You, Shen Hou and others supported Yijiu, and Guo Gonghan established another prince, Yuchen. For a time, the two kings stood side by side.
When King You came to the throne, the royal family was already weak and natural disasters were frequent. However, he appointed sycophants, pampered the princes, and abolished the direct descendants, pushing the Shen Hou to the enemy. Eventually, the relatives and the Rong tribe joined forces, and Zong Zhou was destroyed. Although there are many attachments to the story of "playing beacon fire on the princes", it is generally believable that King You lost his country due to internal disorder and succession disputes. After the fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the royal family moved eastward, and the authority of the Emperor of Zhou Dynasty collapsed.
PoliticsAscension to the throne
King Xuan died and Crown Prince Gongyuan came to the throne. In his later years, King Xuan was defeated in the Qianmu War and settled in Taiyuan. The ZTE was over, and King You took over a dynasty that was beset by internal and external difficulties.
PoliticsGuo Shifu uses things
King You appointed Guo Shifu as a minister to preside over the government. "Historical Records" calls him "crafty, good at flattery, and greedy for profit." King You obeyed his advice, and the people of the country resented him, and the government became increasingly corrupt.
CultureEstee King You
There are many old sayings in "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya" that are written to stimulate King You: "The First Month" bluntly states that "the illustrious Zong Zhou will be destroyed"; "The Turn of October" records the solar eclipse and the disaster of "hundred rivers boiling and mountain tombs collapsing" (one theory is that it was written at the time of King Li).
SocietySanchuan Earthquake
In the second year of King You's reign, there was a major earthquake in the Jing, Wei, and Luosichuan areas. The rivers dried up and Qishan Mountain collapsed. Taishi Bo Yangfu believed that "yang is suppressed and cannot come out, and yin is forced and cannot shine", and asserted that "Zhou is about to perish", which can be found in "Guoyu·Zhouyu Part 1".
Peoplefavor Bao Si
According to "Historical Records", King favored Bao Si, a beautiful woman presented by Baoguo, for three years and gave birth to a son named Bofu. "Guoyu" and "Historical Records" also record the miraculous legend of Bao Si's birth, with a strong attached color.
PoliticsEasy to store after use
King You deposed Queen Shen and Crown Prince Yijiu, and established Bao Si as Queen and Bofu as Crown Prince. Yijiu ran away to Xishen where his grandfather Shen Hou lived, and Shen Hou became enmity with King You.
PeopleShi Bo on the Rise and Fall
In the eighth year of his reign, Zheng Huangong served as royal minister and asked Tai Shibo for advice on where to avoid disaster. Shi Bo asserted that the royal family would decline, and suggested that he entrust his family's property to the two countries of Guo and Hao.
Lasting legacy"Things that are harmonious will not continue if they are the same" is found in "Guoyu·Zhengyu". It is an early discussion of the distinction between "harmony" and "tong" in ancient times, and is often quoted today.
MilitaryQuanrong defeated Haojing
According to the Tsinghua bamboo slips "Xinian", King You raised troops to besiege Xishen and demanded Yijiu, but the Shen people refused to hand it over; Zan Kingdom immediately united with Xirong to counterattack, King You and Bofu were killed under Lishan Mountain, Haojing was breached, and Western Zhou was destroyed.
SocietyBeacon fire drama: debate between princes
"Historical Records" says that King You smiled for Bo Bao Si and lit the beacon fire for no reason. The princes came but did not see the enemy; when the dog Rong really came, the princes no longer rescued him. This theory is not found in earlier documents such as "Xinian", and scholars are suspicious that later generations will follow it.
Lasting legacy"The beacon fire plays on the princes" and "a thousand pieces of gold smile" have been passed down to this day as allusions.
PoliticsTwo kings stand side by side
After the death of King You, Shen Hou, Luhou, Xu Wengong and others supported Yijiu as king in Shen, and Guo Gonghan made Prince Yuchen as Xie Wang. The following year, King Ping moved east to Luoyi, and history entered the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
The woman presented by Bao Guo (now in the Western Han Dynasty of Shaanxi Province) was deeply favored by King You and gave birth to her uncle. King You canceled the application for her and settled in with Crown Prince. According to "Historical Records", she was kidnapped after the Quanrong army captured Haojing.
The ministers of King You are good at flattering and greedy for wealth. Shi Bo called him "a man who framed and cleverly obeyed", but King You was made a minister, which was regarded as an example of King You's "going to harmonize and gaining unity".
The surname Jiang was the king of Shen State, the father of Empress Shen, and the grandfather of Yijiu. After King You was deposed, Yi Chu raised troops to surround Shen. He united with Zhen State and Quan Rong to attack Haojing, killed King You, and then supported Yijiu.
Zhou Taishi. In the second year of King You's reign, there was an earthquake in Sanchuan. He used the disorder of yin and yang to explain the cause of the earthquake, and asserted that "the Zhou Dynasty was about to fall." He was one of the earliest figures in historical records to use yin and yang to explain natural phenomena.