Three Topics On The Study Of The Capture Of Shu Land In The Western Wei And Northern Zhou Dynasty

The land of Shu is known as the "Land of Abundance".Boosting a closed natural environment with thousands of miles of fertile fields,and the geographical advantage of connecting the north and south and controlling the Yangtze River,it is a place of strategic importance.During the Wei,Jin,and Northern and Southern Dynasties,the northern and southern regimes fought fiercely for more than a hundred years over the Shu land.Such battles finally ended in the Western Wei and Northern Zhou dynastiesShannan powerful families in Shu area played an important role in the course of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties’ governance in Shu area.After the rebellion of Hou Jing,in the face of the conflicts between the royal family members of Southern Liang Dynasty,most of the Shannan clans defended themselves with their strength and precipitous terrain and waited for the political changes.When Western Wei took control of Shu area,most of them surrender to Western Wei either forced by Western Wei’s powerful military force,or seduced by Yuwen Tai.After being subordinated to the Western Wei Dynasty,some Shannan nobles represented by Li Qianzhe and Ren Guo became important forces in conquering and controlling Shu in the Northern Wei Dynasty.Due to the strong local influence of the Shannan powerful families,the Western Wei authority treated Long Wu with courtesy when they surrendered,however,as the governance in the Shu land gradually stabilized,the authority turned to policies of suppression and even annihilation.After Western Wei occupied the Shu land,the rebellion in Shu land continued,which severely undermined the rule of the newly conquered land.Faced with the turbulent political situation in the Shu region,the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties implemented a strategy of combining military suppression with comfort.Such a combination of rigidity and softness stabilized Shu region,and people here increasingly supported the rule of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties.In order to make Shu area truly integrate into the country,the Western Wei Dynasty and Northern Zhou Dynasty also did a lot of work in selecting officials to govern Shu area.The Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties dispatch generals to the region,and occasionally,natives are appointed to control the region,and in some important states,royal family members were dispatched.The Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties’ governance in Shu area not only greatly increased its own power,but also weakened the strength of the southern regime,which had been seriously impaired after the rebellion of Hou Jing.The Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties in this way was no longer the smallest and weakest among the three authorities,laying the foundation for the unification of the North in Northern Zhou Dynasty and even the whole country in Sui Dynasty.