For those who are interested in ancient generals, the History Encyclopedia editor brings detailed articles for your reference. Why did ancient generals have military power to rebel, and soldiers were directly loyal to the emperor?
In ancient times, generals only had military power and could not act impulsively to rebel. To rebel, one had to pay attention to favorable timing, location, and people. Even if you are a feudal lord with countless armies, it does not mean that you will rebel. The favorable timing, location, and people are indispensable. Of course, soldiers are directly loyal to the emperor, but how many soldiers can see the emperor?
The reason why soldiers join the army and fight is because there is no food to eat at home; Also, due to conscription and taxation, I had to go and join the army to support my family. Because the distribution of grain is determined by the emperor, which means that the food for soldiers and their families comes from the emperor, soldiers work for the emperor.
It can be said straightforwardly that whoever has food to eat should do it with. Good soldiers don’t ask why they do it, just follow orders and do it. So ministers who want to rebel need to have financial resources and tell a big lie. Although soldiers belong directly to the country, most soldiers will never be able to meet the emperor in their lifetime; So at this time, as long as the minister with military power falsely issues orders, the soldiers will blindly follow, and this is one of them.
Secondly, since ancient times, courtiers who wanted to rebel usually had big backing behind them: such as princesses, crown princes, queens, or even the younger brothers of the current emperor. Just like in the era of Tang King Li Shimin, Hou Junji endured for so long just for a rebellion to seize power and seize the throne!
Hou Junji used all available resources to incite the current crown prince to commit heinous crimes; Although there was a backing, it still failed. Just because Hou Junji was too eager for success, he was eager to launch a mutiny before the Crown Prince could solidify his strength; If the timing is not right, the Crown Prince will also be pitiful in the end.
The final point should be the choice of timing. If it is in a relatively peaceful era without war, unless you have an unparalleled number of armies, you must not act rashly; At this moment, taking action will only result in a disastrous defeat. As the saying goes, if you can’t bear it, it will lead to chaos and great plans.
However, if we are caught in the midst of continuous warfare and chaos, fighting and killing; Or there may be enemy harassment at the border, or severe internal divisions. At this point, ministers with important military power can succeed in one fell swoop without falling into a heinous crime, and they can also occupy a territory and slowly develop. Why not take this action?
