Di xin

The reign of Di Sin is described in detail in the historical work of Sima Qian “ Shi-ji ”. Di Sin was the son of Emperor Di Yu . He ascended the throne in 1075 BC. e. or, according to another version, 1060 BC. e. . At the beginning of his reign, he showed extraordinary abilities in government, as a result of several successful wars with border tribes, he expanded the territory of the empire. He also possessed extraordinary physical strength. As Sima Qian noted in his “Historical Notes”, “Emperor Zhou was distinguished by eloquence, liveliness and acuteness, perceiving everything quickly, and surpassing those around him with his abilities and physical strength. He could fight wild animals with his bare hands. ” ^[one]

However, later, the negative features of Di Sin both as a ruler and as a person began to manifest themselves more and more clearly. His arrogance, ferocity, love of love and a penchant for drunkenness began to come to light more sharply. The emperor’s self-conceit reached such a level that he officially proclaimed himself to be a heavenly ruler and ordered the construction of a “Deer Tower” on the mountain in his capital Chaoge, which for 7 years tens of thousands of slaves worked tirelessly above the clouds. In the gardens near the gigantic palaces built for his amusement, decorated with jade , Di Sin ordered the construction of forests of meat and wine lakes, in which he drove his servants and watched her get drunk and drown. In order to satisfy the monstrous licentiousness of the emperor, his servants scoured the whole country, looking for and abducting beautiful women for his harem. Di Sin also became famous as a skilful inventor of the most cruel tortures and executions - one of them was plentifully oiled, a slippery bronze pillar hanging over a red-hot stove, on which the convict was forced to walk. Watching with his concubines how the unfortunate fell on hot coals and burned alive, the emperor laughed merrily.

Di Sin did not stop at the executions of the sovereign princes and high officials, if they tried to condemn him for his insane behavior. So, the vassal princes Tszyu-hou and Ao-hou were executed, and the Zhou prince Wen-wan miraculously escaped death, imprisoned in the underground prison of Yuli. Only thanks to the huge ransom collected by his dignitaries did the prince manage to escape. ^[2]

The overthrow of the despotic emperor was succeeded by the son of Wen-wang, Prince Wu-wan , the founder of the state and the Zhou dynasty. Having risen uprising against the Yin Dynasty, he gathered in his army units of all 800 specific princes of China (with the exception of the principality of Guzhu ) and marched against Di Sin. At the battle of Mue , held in 1046 or 1027 BC (dating of this era is not well developed), the army of Di Sin was defeated near the capital of the Chaoge empire, while a significant part of his troops either refused to fight for the tyrant even before the battle began, pointedly holding the spears with the tips pointing down, or even went over to the side of his enemies. After the complete defeat of his troops, Di Sin fled to the capital, climbed the Deer Tower, put on imperial clothes adorned with precious stones, lit a fire in the tower and rushed into it. When the army of victors entered the city, the soldiers found the body of Di Sin, and the new emperor Wuang ordered that his head be cut off from the corpse of a despot and put on public display. ^{[1] The} death of Zhou-xin, the last ruler of Yin, marked the end of the so-called Shang-Yin era and the beginning of the Zhou era.

• Malyavin V.V. Chinese civilization. - Moscow: AST, Design. Information. Cartography, Astrel, 2001 .-- 632 p. - 5,000 copies. - ISBN 5-17-007541-3 , ISBN 5-287-00001-4 , ISBN 5-271-00250-0 .
• Yezhov V.V. Myths of Ancient China. - Moscow: AST, Astrel, 2004 .-- S. 496. - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-17-016851-9 , ISBN 5-271-05289-3 .