Zhao Zhen rolled his eyes.
Zhao Jun continued, "In primitive society, resources and productivity were limited. Although productivity was improved, the population grew and resources became insufficient. Each tribe needed more land to cultivate, more hunting grounds, and more rivers to fish. Naturally, fighting would occur between tribes to compete for living space."
"Then even after the unification of the country, dynasties still collapsed. Was it because the population grew and land became scarce, leading to continuous uprisings?"
Fan Zhongyan asked.
Zhao Jun said, "That's a good question. I can only answer yes and no."
"Yes and no?"
Everyone wondered, what kind of answer was this?
Zhao Jun explained, "Starting from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the original primitive tribal form of society gradually evolved. As the system gradually became civilized and productivity improved, people had more time to think and summarize. For example, writing was invented, music was created, clothing began to diversify, and people began to pursue a better life."
"It was during this period that the feudal system emerged. During the Xia Dynasty, the hereditary system of the throne replaced the abdication system, and the "family dynasty" began, with clan relations becoming the basic political relationship. The Shang Dynasty had prime ministers and ministers at the central level to oversee government affairs. Local fiefs and dukes paid tribute to the Shang king regularly and were ordered to fight wars."
"People began to be divided into different classes based on their status, starting with slaves, the lowest class, and moving up to common citizens, the feudal lords, the nobles, the princes, the kings, and finally the emperors of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. These classes rose one after another, like a pyramid, to satisfy the desire for power of those at the top."
"Why did the Shang Dynasty replace the Xia Dynasty, and why did the Zhou Dynasty replace the Shang Dynasty? This requires two other knowledge points: productivity determines production relations, and production relations react on productivity."
"By the end of the Xia Dynasty, the nation was already very weak. Meanwhile, the Tang tribe, to which Shang Tang belonged, was gradually growing stronger, annexing other tribes. In terms of both size and power, it had become a major vassal state. Compared to the tribe that held the Xia Dynasty, it was powerful enough to dominate the world."
"But by this time, the market was still uncertain. It was not until King Jie of Xia committed suicide and was deserted by his friends and relatives that King Tang of Shang launched an attack on the Xia Dynasty. After a series of wars and events, he finally succeeded in defeating King Jie of Xia and establishing the Shang Dynasty."
"Another example similar to Shang Tang is the Zhou Dynasty. During the reigns of King Wen and King Wu, the Zhou State continuously annexed smaller states from all directions to grow stronger. By the time they formally attacked the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou State had already controlled two-thirds of the empire and was extremely powerful."
"So what do you think of these two examples?"
Just like teaching students, Zhao Jun only gave cases each time, and the results of the analysis were left to everyone to think about on their own.
Everyone present was intelligent, and Zhao Zhen quickly said, "It's because Cheng Tang and Ji Chang were powerful."
"good."
Zhao Jun nodded. "Because the localities are strong and the central government is weak, that's the drawback of the feudal system. If a local prince develops his national strength and improves productivity, he will counterattack the central government. Productivity determines the status relationship between the two sides. If Xia is weak and Shang is strong, and Shang is weak and Zhou is strong, they will eventually be replaced."
"By the same token, during the eras when Xia was strong and Shang was weak, and Shang was strong and Zhou was weak, their production relations were that Xia and Shang were the monarchs, and Shang and Zhou were the subjects. The subjects had to pay tribute to the monarch, offering their products as tribute. The more subjects there were, the more tribute the monarch received, and the stronger the monarch's national power became. This is how production relations react to productivity."
"Thus, the Zhou Dynasty divided the country into feudal lords, and during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Iron Age gradually began. Each feudal state used various methods to improve its productivity. For example, Qi State implemented Guan Zhong's reforms, and Qin State implemented Shang Yang's reforms. These were all achieved by changing production relations, increasing productivity, and thus making their own countries powerful."
"As a nation grows stronger, it develops a desire for external expansion. The decline from dozens of vassal states in the Spring and Autumn Period to just seven during the Warring States Period was the result of mutual annexation and the plundering of social wealth. People, land, and minerals all became resources that could be contested, ultimately leading to unification and the establishment of the Qin State."
"Qin Shi Huang was a man of great ideals. He ended the feudal system and established the county system, strengthening centralization. This was another transformation of production relations, transforming the former vassal states into counties, and turning the powerful princes into officials appointed by the imperial court, thus integrating the entire country."
"At this time, the Qin State was extremely powerful. The use of iron tools gave the Qin State a strong productivity. Through centralization of power, it was difficult for local vassal states like the Shang, Zhou, and Qin to emerge, thus solving the problem of local vassal states developing productivity and overthrowing the dynasty."
"If Qin Shi Huang had adopted a policy of recuperation at this time, stopped straining the people's energy, and allowed the war situation to recover as quickly as possible, or if he had died more quickly, allowing his successor to ascend the throne smoothly, then there would probably be no Han Dynasty after that."
"But unfortunately, there is no if. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, obviously did not understand the logic behind this. He openly reversed history and changed the original county system to a feudal system, granting fiefs to his descendants on a large scale."
"As a result, the vassal states emerged everywhere, triggering the Rebellion of the Seven Kings. King Liu Bi of Wu boiled salt and minted coins in his fiefdom, relying on Wu's prosperity to attempt to change the production relations once again."
"Emperor Jing of Han and his son Emperor Wu of Han were shrewd men. Over two generations, they continuously reduced the power of the princes and kings, while continuing to increase central power. They further accomplished what Qin Shihuang had done, and they could be considered to be cleaning up Liu Bang's mess."
"The later military governors of the Tang Dynasty and the enfeoffment of princes in the early Ming Dynasty all followed the same principle."
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