Narrator: In the Shang Dynasty, officialdom was determined by one's family background, and many important positions were held by the nobility. If even one of the three pillars of government rebelled, the king would be powerless. This situation didn't improve until the arrival of Emperor Xinlong.
Narrator: During his early reign, Emperor Xinlong promoted humble commoners, marginalized the nobility, and attacked the priests, ultimately wielding immense power. However, despite all these efforts, Emperor Xinlong still failed to save the country. The Shang Dynasty's demise stemmed from both unique historical factors and deeper institutional mechanisms.
Narrator: Shang society suffered from two major problems: an overly powerful bloodline system and an imperfect system of division. Clans are natural political organizations, and leveraging clan and bloodline ties to organize power was a common organizational method used by early states. In their quest to conquer the Xia Dynasty, the Shang relied primarily on armed clan forces to overthrow it.
Narrator: After the establishment of the Shang Dynasty, the clan system of organization remained, with the clan leader serving as both the head of the bloodline and the administrative leader of the clan. This situation presented two problems. First, the powerful aristocratic families, who had long monopolized important positions, conflicted with the increasingly centralized sovereignty. Second, the population and wealth largely resided within the clans, making it difficult for the Shang king to obtain the resources he needed.
Narrator: The combination of feudal fiefdoms and hereditary succession established a stable aristocracy, enabling the Shang Dynasty to effectively rule over a vast territory. However, under the feudal system, the Shang king granted titles, land, and population to the nobles and vassal states in a lump sum. Once the fiefdoms were completed, the resources belonged to them. The Shang king lacked other means to control the nobles and vassal states, leading to their strong independence and a tendency to break away from the central government.
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Narrator: Faced with resistance from various tribes, the Shang Dynasty was forced to resort to force to enforce this model. From its inception, the Shang Dynasty was constantly engaged in warfare, and Shang culture was highly expansionist, largely due to the new central-local relations adopted by the Shang Dynasty.
Narrator: By the time of Emperor Xinlong, after hundreds of years of development, the power of the aristocratic families had grown even stronger, their monopoly on official positions, and their control over population and wealth had become even more powerful. The independence of the local princes had become very apparent. Faced with this situation, Emperor Xinlong implemented a variety of measures to change the status quo.
Narrator: To break free from the power of the old aristocracy, Emperor Xinlong employed people like E Lai and Fei Zhong to counterbalance them. To secure more human resources, Emperor Xinlong implemented harsh laws, exploiting the principle that criminals were subordinate to the state. This allowed him to remove a large number of talented individuals from their clans, turning them into subordinates of the Shang king.
Narrator: To enhance his ability to counter the feudal lords, Emperor Xinlong appointed Fangbo to manage the feudal lords within a specific region. To control more territory, Emperor Xinlong launched more frequent military campaigns, attacking the surrounding states. These direct and brutal measures proved effective in the short term.
Narrator: However, these measures did not fundamentally change the social structure or improve the system, so they quickly caused negative reactions.
Narrator: Within the dynasty, the people of Tu were full of grievances and revolted, but the Shang dynasty was unable to suppress them. Externally, the Fang states refused to submit and rebelled, making it difficult for the dynasty to balance its power. Under these circumstances, the Shang dynasty finally exhausted its last vestiges of national strength and, under the attack of the Zhou Tu and the internal support, lost power. This chapter has been read (please click on the next chapter to continue reading!)
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