Yuwen Yong, the fourth son of Yu Wentai, is said to be "young, filial, intelligent and organic". Yu Wentai likes him very much for this reason and often says to people, "If you succeed in my ambition, so will it." Young Yu Wenyong has a bright future. At the age of twelve, she was made Duke of Fucheng. Later, Emperor Xiao Min ascended the throne. He was worshipped as a general and left the town and the same country. Ming Di acceded to the throne, and Yuwen Yong "moved the column country, granted the secretariat, served as an ordinary official, conducted imperial affairs, sealed the Duke of Lu, led a teacher, met relatives and friends, and participated in court affairs". Yuwen Yong is calm and doesn't like to talk much, but if there is anything to ask him, he can always come straight to the point, so Ming Di once said with emotion: "If your wife doesn't talk, she will." In April (560) of the second year of Wucheng, Ming Di of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was poisoned by Yuwen Hu, and Yu Wenyong ascended the throne as the Emperor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. When Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty ascended the throne, the political situation in the Northern Zhou Dynasty was very unstable. The key reason is that Yuwen Hu monopolized the real power of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
Yuwen Hu, also known as Saber, is Yu Wentai's nephew. In the Western Wei Dynasty, he was a general and an ordinary soldier. In 556, before Yu Wentai died of serious illness, he solemnly said to Yuwen Hu, "All my sons are young, and they are very strong abroad. Everything in the world belongs to you, so we must work hard to achieve our goals. " Yu Wenhu made a superficial promise. The following year, Yu Wenxuan was made emperor and the Northern Zhou regime was established. Yu Wenxuan's Sexual Congo, Protecting Only the Right (Zi Jian, Volume 167, Chen Ji I). When Yu Wenhu saw that he refused to accept it, he quickly poisoned him and made Yu Wenyu emperor of Ming Di in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Ming Di reigned in the Northern Zhou Dynasty for only four years, and Yuwen Hu poisoned him and changed him to Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
Emperor Wu of Zhou knew that Yuwen Hu's power had grown, so he didn't dare to expose his dissatisfaction with Yuwen Hu at first. There is such a thing, which shows his prudence and shrewdness. On one occasion, the manic Duke Hou Chong went to Yuanzhou with Emperor Wu of Zhou. In the evening, he insisted on returning to Chang 'an. Everyone thinks it's a little strange. Chen Chong thought he was smart, so he said to the people around him, "I'm better than an expert. Gong Jin is not good this year. Today, driving is still at night, but Gong Jin is dead. " Someone conveyed Chen Chong's words. When Emperor Wu of Zhou heard about it, he immediately called his ministers to Dade Hall and scolded Chen Chong in front of everyone. Chen Chong dare not apologize. That night, Yu Wenhu sent troops into Chen Chong's residence, forcing him to commit suicide. In doing so, Emperor Wu of Zhou played a role in showing that he had no second thoughts on Yu Wenhu. Soon, Emperor Wu of Zhou praised Yuwen Hu by keeping a low profile and keeping a low profile, saying, "Otsuka slaughtered Jin Gong, and his relative was Yi Kun, who used to be Fu Yuan. From now on, he wrote an imperial edict and hundreds of official documents, which cannot be called public names. " (Zi Zhi Tong Jian Volume 169 Chen Ji III)
Yuwen Hu's mother, captured by Beiqi, was separated from her mother for 35 years. Later, Beiqi put her back, and Emperor Wu of Zhou tried to flatter her. "No matter what you have, you are extremely poor. Every four o'clock, Zhou's relatives will pay their respects to their families and call them birthday stars. " To please Yuwen Hu. Yu Wenhu, out of apparent respect and obedience to Emperor Wu of Zhou Dynasty, did not treat him like Yu Wenjue and Yu Wenyu. But in the dark, Yuwen Hu has been threatening the Emperor Wu of Zhou, always trying to take his place.
In 572 AD, Emperor Wu of Zhou was determined to eradicate Yuwen Hu. One day, Yuwen Hu returned to Chang 'an from Tongzhou, and Emperor Wu of Zhou came with him to see the Queen Mother. While walking, Emperor Wu of Zhou said to Yuwen Hu, "The Empress Dowager is old and likes drinking. Despite repeated advice, it was not accepted. Brother, I want to invite you to the DPRK today. " Said, and took out a "wine" from the bosom to Yuwen Hu, let him to persuade the queen mother. Yu Wenhu entered the Queen Mother's mansion, so he listened to what Emperor Wu of Zhou said and read "Wine" to the Queen Mother. While he was studying, Emperor Wu of Zhou raised Yu Sheng and punched him hard on the head. Yuwenhu fell to the ground, and Emperor Wu of Zhou ordered eunuch He Quan to chop down Yuwenhu with a knife. In spring, I was so flustered that I didn't even hit the point with a few stab wounds. At this time, Gong Wei, the brother of the mother of Emperor Wu of Zhou who was hiding aside, ran out and helped kill Yuwen Hu. Punishing Yuwen Hu was an important event in the life of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. So that Emperor Wu of Zhou avoided the old path of a short-lived emperor and rescued Northern Zhou from civil strife.
After Yuwen Hu was killed, the power of the Northern Zhou Dynasty really began to be in the hands of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Emperor Wu of Zhou relieved his worries and began a series of reform measures. On the basis of his father Yu Wentai, he finally made the Northern Zhou Dynasty weaker than the Northern Qi Dynasty from weak to strong.
Another great event in the life of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was to destroy the Buddha.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhism began to spread and flourish in China. Someone wrote to warn Liang Wudi, the most famous Buddhist, that almost half of the registered permanent residence in the world was occupied by temples. Buddhism in the Northern Dynasties had a greater influence. At the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, there were more than 30,000 Buddhist temples and more than 2 million monks and nuns in China. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Buddhist style was even more fierce, with more than 40,000 Buddhist temples and 2 million monks in the territory. Monks not only interfere in politics, but also in economy. The temple economy is developing day by day. Monk landlords and secular landlords fought for land and people, and a large number of strong laborers invested in Buddhism, so the country lost troops. The influence of Buddhism on the society at that time was no less than a scourge. Although some rulers also felt the influence of Buddhism on national politics, economy and military affairs, they were unwilling to take any measures against Buddhism, because Buddhism could deceive and paralyze the poor people, and feudal rulers took a fancy to this role of Buddhism. So Song Wendi said, if everyone in the world believes in Buddhism, "Then I will sit in peace. What about my husband?" Because of this, the rulers of the Northern and Southern Dynasties generally adopted the policy of political protection and economic support for Buddhism. For example, Liang Wudi designated Buddhism as the state religion and devoted himself to Tongtai Temple as a "temple slave" for many times. So it took courage and perseverance to destroy Buddha at that time. Before Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Wu Tai, the Wei Emperor, also destroyed the Buddha. Wu Tai, the Wei emperor, mainly destroyed the Buddha by force, while Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty mainly destroyed the Buddha by peaceful means, with good results.
In the second year of Tianhe (567), a man named Wei wrote a letter to Emperor Wu of Zhou, arguing that "Tang and Yu were national security without Buddha; Qi Liang lost his temple and did not get together. But benefiting the people and the country must be the Buddha's heart. Those who care for the Buddha's heart are based on compassion and compassion, and they are happy and have a life, and will not be forced to serve the people. " So he suggested that Emperor Wu of Zhou destroy the Buddha.
Wei used to be a monk in Sichuan. In order to impress others, he listened to the teacher's advice and deliberately pretended to be crazy. Later, he went to Chang 'an. On the one hand, he made friends with dynasty dignitaries, on the other hand, he played tricks to make everyone think that he was a strange man. It was for this purpose that he advocated the destruction of Buddha to Emperor Wu of Zhou. However, the speaker is unintentional and the listener is intentional. Wei's suggestion is in line with the wish of Emperor Wu of Zhou who is eager to seek medical treatment. For political, economic and military reasons, Emperor Wu of Zhou decided to destroy the Buddha.
Soon, Emperor Wudi of Zhou held several meetings to gather officials, Taoist priests and monks to discuss whether the Buddha statue should be destroyed. Although the intention of Emperor Wu of Zhou to destroy Buddha was obvious, the discussion was conducted four times and there was still no result. Because Buddhism was deeply rooted in people's hearts at that time, it was not easy to reverse the world trend. More importantly, it was Yuwen Hu who held the real power in the imperial court at that time, and Yuwen Hu was a devout Buddhist. Resistance comes from him first. Therefore, the conditions for destroying Buddha were far from mature at that time.
In 572 AD, after Emperor Wu of Zhou took Yuwen Hu as his own, the following year1February, he called monks, monks and officials to discuss the issues of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism again. This time, "the emperor got up and sat up and explained the three religions in turn, with Confucianism as the first, Taoism as the second and Buddhism as the last." In fact, putting Buddhism at the bottom is a prelude to the demise of Buddhism. At that time, some Buddhists didn't know what the intention of Emperor Wu of Zhou was, but they argued endlessly, indicating that Buddhism was above Taoism, and they were not convinced. However, other discerning people saw through the thoughts of Emperor Wu of Zhou and pointed out: "If the other party is in a foreign country and is known far and near, it is really strange to suspect that he is seeking soldiers among monks and nuns and occupying land under the pagoda temple." They think that Emperor Wu of Zhou did not achieve the expected purpose, because "but the stubborn monk is not enough to add soldiers; How can the temple be rich when it is given to the people? ("Hong Guangming Ji" Volume 24, "Zhou Shi Tan Ji", and Jianzhou Gaozu Shatai monk table).
The sarcasm and resistance of monks did not help, but strengthened the determination of Emperor Wu of Zhou to destroy the Buddha. On May 15th, the third year of Jiande (574), Emperor Wu of Zhou wrote, "Break the two religions of Buddhism and Taoism, and all the elephants will be destroyed, and the monks and Taoist priests will be dismissed and returned to the people. It is also forbidden to swear, and those who are not in the ceremony will be eliminated. " For a time, the Northern Zhou Dynasty "melted Buddhist scriptures, drove monks to break towers ... Buddhist temples and garlands were common houses, and Samoans released them and planted white flowers" (three treasures of past dynasties).
In the first month of the sixth year of Jiande (577), Emperor Wu of Zhou led an army into Ye Qicheng. At that time, Buddhism was the most popular in Qi State, and Emperor Wu of Zhou was determined to implement the policy of respecting Confucianism and destroying Buddhism in Qi State. There was a doctor in Qi named Xiong Ansheng, who was proficient in the Five Classics. When he heard that Emperor Wu of Zhou had entered Yecheng, he quickly asked his family to sweep the door and prepare for his visit. His family was surprised. Xiong Ansheng said, "Zhou Tianzi respects Confucianism very much and must see me." Sure enough, before long, Emperor Wu of Zhou personally visited him. Emperor Wu of Zhou treated Confucian scholars with high standard courtesy, saying, "If you don't listen to worship, hold their hands, lead them to sit together and reward them generously." (Zi Jian, Volume 173, Chen Ji, Volume 7). While respecting Confucianism, Emperor Wu of Zhou summoned the eminent monks of the Northern Qi Dynasty to explain the reasons for abolishing Buddhism. Monk Hui Yuan threatened Emperor Wu of Zhou with hell. He warned Emperor Wu of Zhou: "Your Majesty now relies on Wang Li to feel at ease. It is Jaken who broke the three treasures. A nasal hell is not simple and noble, why is your majesty not terrible? " ("Hong Guangming Ji" Volume 10 "Interpretation of Hui Yuan's Resistance to the Abolition of Buddha by Emperor Wu of Zhou Dynasty") Emperor Wu of Zhou did not fear the warning of going to hell after death, and ordered to ban Buddha in Qi Jing.
The destruction of Buddhism by Emperor Wu of Zhou Dynasty was regarded by Buddhists as a great disaster of Buddhism and was vigorously attacked. However, judging from the history at that time, the role played by Emperor Wu of Zhou in destroying Buddhism in social development was more beneficial than harmful. Regardless of secular prejudice, from 574 to 578 AD, Emperor Wu of Zhou ordered "to destroy and sweep all the pagodas built by the government and the people in the western part of Shandong for hundreds of years. Melt the sacred face and burn the classics. Eight states temple, out of 4000, all distributed to governors, as the first house. The three parties released three million yuan, and all of them were returned to the people and also to the editor. " (Three Treasures of Past Dynasties)
It took a long time for Emperor Wu of Zhou to destroy the Buddha, involving a wide range, touching deeply and achieving considerable results, which deserves full recognition. Therefore, at that time, some people praised: "The emperor moved far away (referring to destroying the Buddha) as the best policy for strengthening the country and enriching the people" (Hong Guangming Ji, Volume 7, "A Hundred Stagnation and Confusion in Syria"). In fact, the eradication of Buddhism also played a role: "Civil servants have a little hope, rents are increasing year by year, and soldiers are more prosperous." Dongping Qi State, Xiding Glory and Guoan Folk Music. It is precisely because of the success of the Northern Zhou Dynasty's campaign to exterminate Buddhism that the national strength was greatly enhanced, which laid a solid foundation for the extermination of Qi.
The third great event in the life of Emperor Wu of Zhou Dynasty was to destroy the Northern Qi and unify the North. For a long time, the relationship between Northern Zhou and Northern Qi was mainly a war relationship. The two sides have won and lost each other, and their strength is generally balanced. However, great changes have taken place since the reign of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty: First, after the demise of Buddhism, the country's economic strength has increased; The second is to absorb the vast number of Han farmers in Tian Jun as officers and men, expand the ranks of officers and men, and form a military advantage; Third, the north is close to the Turks and the south is close to Chen Chao, and the diplomatic strategy is successful. However, the Northern Qi Dynasty was in a state of "many political affairs, selling officials in prison, being mercenary, being bohemian, avoiding harm and being loyal". However, closing the border has its disadvantages "(Biography of Zhou Shu Wei Xiaokuan).