論魏周平静禪代的底藴———以宇文泰壓制、拉攏元氏勢力爲中心的視角

Secrets of the Peaceful Abdication of Western Wei to Northern Zhou: a Perspective of How Yuwen Tai Suppressed and Won over the Yuan Family’s Power

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

元氏勢力即使到西魏末實力仍不可小覷，宇文泰若要使其子順利代魏，便須對其既打壓又拉攏。宇文泰除以聯姻安撫元氏外，亦長期外放柱國獨孤信、大將軍宇文貴、楊忠、韋孝寬等忠於元氏者，使其不能預聞朝政。聯姻、賜姓或委以重任也是宇文泰拉攏忠於元氏者的慣用手段。宇文泰對元氏勢力中聲望、地位最高又死忠帝室的獨孤信，則不僅用聯姻拉攏、安撫，更在兩次攸關易代的會議上佈局親信打壓，營造魏周禪代的大勢。即使如此，易代的最後一步仍然艱辛，因最關鍵的執政繼位會議是在宇文泰已死，繼承人宇文覺幼小，未來執政宇文護“名位素下”的不利情況下進行的，若有些微差錯，宇文泰畢生心願即化爲烏有。因此魏周雖平静禪代，背後實藴含宇文泰多年心血，殊爲不易。

The power of the Yuan family remained formidable even at the end of the Western Wei dynasty. If Yuwen Tai (505-556) wanted his son to take over the throne of the Western Wei, he needed to draw the Yuan family to his side yet suppress it at the same time. In addition to appeasing the Yuan family through political marriages, Yuwen Tai also continuously relegated those loyal to the Yuan family to the outer fringes of the empire to remove them from court affairs. These people included: Dugu Xin (553-557), Pillar of State, and three Generals-in- chief, namely Yuwen Gui, Yang Zhong, and Wei Xiaokuan. Yuwen Tai also employed other methods such as political marriages, granting royal surnames, or making important appointments to absorb those loyal to the Yuan family. Dugu Xin enjoyed the highest renown and position among the Yuan faction and was also the most loyal to the Yuan royal family. Yuwen Tai not only attempted to win him over through marriage and canvassing; at two crucial meetings on abdication he also appointed his adherents to suppress him. All these measures were intended to create a general atmosphere of Wei ceding its throne to Zhou. Even so, the last stages of the abdication process were hampered because Yuwen Tai had already died before the most crucial meeting for the assignment of regent and successor. At that time, the successor Yuwen Jue was still young and the future regent Yuwen Hu had “long been ill-renowned.” Any minor mistake would have nullified Yuwen Tai’s lifelong plans. Therefore, the peaceful cession of the throne from Wei to Zhou was in fact ascribed to the many years of effort by Yuwen Tai and was indeed a difficult feat.