From Chaos to Order: The Tyranny of Fu Sheng
The Di people, originally from Lüeyang Linwei (modern Qinan, Gansu), had long lived alongside Han Chinese and absorbed much of their culture. During the collapse of Western Jin, their chieftain Fu Hong gathered over 100,000 followers and marched into central China. His son, Fu Jian (the elder, not to be confused with his nephew), later seized Chang’an and founded the state of Former Qin.
Modeling himself after Emperor Gaozu of Han, Fu Jian proclaimed the “Three Simple Laws”: reduce taxes, honor the elderly, promote Confucianism, and reopen trade with the south. Markets flourished, and the people accepted Di rule – until his death.
His successor, Fu Sheng, was a monster. Blind in one eye since childhood, he grew paranoid and sadistic. He killed indiscriminately: flatterers were executed for “sycophancy”; critics for “defamation.” When astrologers warned of ill omens, he blamed his empress – and beheaded her.
His methods were grotesque: victims were sawed, crushed, disemboweled, or skinned alive – then forced to dance and sing. In less than three years, his reign became a slaughterhouse. Officials feigned illness to avoid court; secretly, they whispered:”If we don’t remove him, none of us will survive.”
Their eyes turned to Fu Jian, the late emperor’s nephew – a man of stark contrast.
The Scholar-King: Fu Jian’s Ascent
Fu Jian, though of Di origin, was raised on Confucian classics. At eight, he asked his grandfather for a tutor. “Our clan knows only wine and swords,” marveled Fu Hong. “You seek learning – that is rare!”
By youth, Fu Jian was both erudite and martial. In Chang’an, he befriended Han scholars and sought out talent – especially Wang Meng, the famed recluse who once debated strategy with Huan Wen while picking lice from his robe.
Unlike Huan Wen, Fu Jian impressed Wang Meng deeply. After a long conversation, Wang Meng declared:”I’ve waited for a ruler like you.” Convinced that Eastern Jin was beyond salvation, he pledged to help Fu Jian build a new order.
When ministers urged Fu Jian to depose the tyrant Fu Sheng – citing the Mandate of Heaven – he hesitated. But when word came that Fu Sheng planned to kill his own brother Fu Fa, Fu Jian acted.
One night in 357, he and Fu Fa led hundreds of loyalists into the palace. Guards surrendered without resistance. They found Fu Sheng drunk and asleep, bound him, and imprisoned him. At dawn, the court demanded his death. Begging only for wine, Fu Sheng drank heavily – then was strangled.
Though offered the throne, Fu Fa refused out of fear. At just nineteen, Fu Jian ascended as “Heavenly King of Great Qin” – ushering in the golden age of the Sixteen Kingdoms.
Governing with Virtue: The Wang Meng Reforms
Fu Jian immediately appointed Wang Meng as Central Secretariat Attendant, soon promoting him to Chancellor. Han officials filled key posts; Confucian law replaced arbitrary rule.
On a tour of Longmen Mountain, Fu Jian admired the natural fortresses of Guanzhong. But his ministers Quan Yi and Xue Zan warned:
“Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin all had strong lands – but fell for lacking virtue. As Wu Qi said: ‘Strength lies in virtue, not terrain.’”
Fu Jian agreed. Back in Chang’an, he:
- Provided grain and cloth to childless elders;
- Halved taxes for reclaimed wasteland;
- Cut palace luxuries during droughts, donating treasures to border troops;
- Ordered consorts to surrender silk robes;
- Personally plowed fields; sent the queen to raise silkworms.
When generals urged war, he replied: “In famine, we rest the people. Swords wait.”
Wang Meng enforced strict laws – even executing Qiang De, the late emperor’s brother-in-law, for tyranny. This terrified corrupt nobles but won public trust.
Breaking the Power of the Old Guard
Traditional Di aristocrats resented Wang Meng’s authority. Fan Shi, a veteran general, publicly mocked him:
“We bled for the empire – you reap the rewards! Are you not stealing our harvest?”
Wang Meng shot back: “Then you’re not a farmer – you’re a butcher!”
Enraged, Fan Shi threatened to hang Wang Meng’s head on the city gate. Fu Jian, however, saw this as rebellion against the state itself. When Fan Shi stormed into court and attacked Wang Meng, Fu Jian ordered his immediate execution.
Outraged Di nobles protested – but Fu Jian rebuked them fiercely. Later, Quan Yi gently advised:”Your Majesty has the wisdom of Gaozu – but even emperors should avoid vulgar speech.”
Fu Jian laughed:”You’re right – it was unbecoming.” Yet the message was clear: law applied equally – even to founders’ kin.
Infrastructure, Education, and Cultural Revival
To avoid burdening peasants, Fu Jian conscripted slaves of nobles and wealthy households to build irrigation systems on the Jing River. The project succeeded – transforming Guanzhong into a fertile breadbasket.
Roads were repaired: tree-lined highways connected Chang’an to provinces, with rest pavilions every 20 li and post stations every 40. Merchants thrived; travelers praised Qin’s order over Jin’s decay.
Fu Jian, a devout Buddhist, also championed Confucian education. He revived the Imperial Academy, personally examining students. When told that the classic Rites of Zhou lacked a teacher, he learned of Madam Song, an 80-year-old woman who inherited the text from her father.
Defying gender norms, Fu Jian ordered a lecture hall set up in her home, with a gauze screen separating her from 120 male students. Impressed by her mastery, he honored her as “Lady Xuanwen” – a rare imperial title for a woman scholar.
Unification of the North – and the Shadow of Overreach
With internal peace secured, Fu Jian turned outward. In 370, Wang Meng led Qin forces to crush Former Yan, capturing its capital Yecheng (Ye City). The next year, Qin seized Hanzhong and Yizhou (Sichuan). By 376, it had annexed Former Liang, Dai (in Inner Mongolia), and the Western Regions.
For the first time in decades, all of northern China was unified under one banner. Foreign envoys flocked to Chang’an, recognizing Former Qin as the true Central Kingdom.
But tragedy struck: Wang Meng fell gravely ill. Fu Jian prayed to heaven, visited his bedside, and wept as his friend gave final counsel: “The Jin, though weak, holds the Mandate of Heaven. Do not attack it. First, consolidate the north.”
Wang Meng died. Fu Jian mourned:”Has Heaven denied me success? Why take Jinglue (Wang Meng’s courtesy name) so soon?”
Yet power intoxicated him. Ignoring Wang Meng’s warning, he began planning the ultimate campaign: the conquest of Eastern Jin.
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