Legend has it that at the end of the Xia Dynasty, people saw two suns appearing on the banks of the Yellow River at the same time. The sun in the east was shining and rising; the sun in the west was dim and setting. To the east is Yin and Shang, and to the west is Xia. Strange ce

Legend has it that at the end of the Xia Dynasty, people saw two suns appearing at the same time on the edge of the Yellow River. The sun in the east was radiant and rising; the sun in the west was dim and setting. The one to the east is Yin Shang , and the one to the west is Xia.

The strange celestial phenomena became the prelude to the epic that predicted the prosperity of the Shang Dynasty, but it was by no means this simple celestial phenomenon that wrote history.

During the last years of the Xia Dynasty's reign. The leader of the Shang State, Chengtang , has long been ambitious and wants to replace the rule of the Xia Dynasty. The transition between the old and new dynasties will experience a life-and-death battle.

Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, and salty. In Chinese kitchens, it is difficult for a single taste to appear on its own. The best way for the five flavors to exist is in harmony and balance, which makes the taste of Chinese food ever-changing and has become the perfect state that Chinese chefs of all generations have been constantly seeking.

More than 3,600 years ago, the theory of five-flavor blending was born in the capital of the Shang Dynasty, in the mind of a young man busy in a small kitchen.

Yi Yin, known as the ancestor of Chinese cooks, had an illusory background. When he was young, he was just the wife of Shang Tang and the dowry slave of You Xin's . He spent all day cooking in the kitchen with vegetables. Food as a companion.

After coming to Shang Tang with Youxin's daughter as a dowry, Yi Yin took charge of the diet of Shang King Chengtang. However, this young man who works around the stove, although he is a slave, embraces the ideal of governing the country and bringing peace to the world, and is waiting hard for an opportunity to guide the country.

But how can a slave who cooks attract the attention of King Shang and prove that he is not a simple person? Yi Yin set his sights on Shang Tang's diet.

One day, Yi Yin carefully prepared a delicious dish. Shang Tang was very happy after tasting it, so he called Yi Yin and asked him about the cooking techniques.

The opportunity to stand out is just around the corner. Yi Yin uses cooking and the five flavors as an introduction, and warns Shang Tang not only to be patient in cooking and master the heat, but also to reconcile the interests of various princes and tribes if he wants to conquer the whole world. , waiting with the same patience for the best time for war.

The seemingly simple principle of five-flavor harmony contains profound dialectical thinking. Cooking should neither be too salty nor too bland, and running the country should neither be hasty nor slack. Only when it is just right can it be done well.

"Taking the tripod, Yi Yin talks about the soup with its taste" - "Historical Records·Yin Benji"

The theory of five-flavor blending has been spread since then and has become the guiding ideology of Chinese cuisine that has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

Shangtang, who discovered that Yi Yin was a man of extraordinary talent, was also shocked. He didn't even bother to eat the dishes, but felt deeply inspired and regretted meeting her so late.

Yi Yin's talent and Shang Tang's ambition soon made these two young people with very different identities coincide. But in a slave society with an extremely strict hierarchy, it is not easy to promote a slave.

The thousands of sacrificial pits discovered in the royal tomb area of ​​Yin Ruins in Anyang show people this ancient tribe's special respect for ghosts and gods.

Tang obtained Yi Yin, purified her in the temple, cooked fire, provoked and sacrificed her - " Lu Shi Chun Qiu "

Shang Tang, the leader of the Shang State, took great pains to perform a ritual for Yi Yin in the ancestral temple with the help of prayers to gods and ghosts. The ritual of eliminating disasters and evil spirits removed Yi Yin's status as a slave, and then naturally made Yi Yin the right minister and respected him as the emperor's master.

From then on, this slave who was once busy in the kitchen every day transformed and became a member of the aristocratic ministers of the Shang tribe. Together with Shang Tang, he took "conquering Xia and saving the people" as his own responsibility, and was determined to eradicate Xia Jie's rule.

With Yi Yin's help, Shang Tang took another step forward in destroying Xia.

During the crisis of the Xia Dynasty's rule, Yi Yin realized the importance of people's support for the rule of a dynasty.In view of the fact that Xia Jie advocated force and despised the rule of virtue, which made the people of Xia Dynasty intolerable, Yi Yin, after taking office, tried to clean up the government and harmonize the people at home, win the support of the general public, and benevolent and combat violence externally, so as to encourage all countries and tribes to return to their hearts. Yu Shang.

At this time, Xia Jie's rule by force became the frame of reference for Shang Tang's benevolent actions.

Despite this, the Shang State, as a vassal state of Xia with only a 70-mile radius, still did not have the upper hand and was at a disadvantage both politically and militarily.

As the saying goes, only if you know yourself and the enemy can you win every battle . In order to make the dream of destroying Xia a reality, Shang Tang decided to send a person into the Xia Dynasty to spy on Xia's intelligence and find a breakthrough for Xia.

"Soldiers are deceitful." Sun Wu once proposed that to conduct espionage activities, it is necessary to appoint cronies with high IQs. If a wise monarch can do this, he will definitely succeed.

And Yi Yin, who is loyal, clear-minded, and good at adapting to changes, is the perfect candidate to break into the Xia Dynasty.

Soon, news about the discord between Shang Tang and Yi Yin began to spread everywhere, and even spread to the capital of Xia. In order to increase the credibility of Yi Yin's betrayal of Shang Dynasty , Shang Tang shot Yi Yin with a bow and arrow and sent many soldiers of Shang to hunt him down.

Yi Yin, wounded by an arrow, fled to the capital of the Xia Dynasty to pour out his wine. He told Xia Jie about the tyranny of Shang Tang and expressed that he had broken with Shang Tang and was willing to serve the Xia Dynasty wholeheartedly.

With Yi Yin's arrow wound as evidence, this cruel trick was very successful in convincing Xia Jie that it was true. Xia Jie also heard the legendary story of this slave who could cook. Thinking that Yi Yin must indeed have some talents, he appointed him as an official of the Xia Dynasty government.

At this moment, Xia Jie had no idea that the arrival of this person would make his dynasty full of holes. It was also his arrival that became the beginning of the destruction of Xia.

Yi Yin conducted a detailed inspection of the Xia Dynasty's public sentiment and popular support during the Xia Dynasty. In order to further understand the confidential information within the Xia Dynasty, Yi Yin also used large sums of money to bribe important officials of the Xia Dynasty.

However, bribing important ministers can only understand some political situations. To get information about the supreme ruler, King Jie of Xia, Yi Yin also needs to drive the closest nail to the king - Yuxi.

But how could Yu Xi, who drank and had fun with Xia Jie all day long, send information to Yi Yin and the Shang Kingdom?

"It is recorded in the current " Bamboo Book Chronicles " that a mountain man donated two beauties, one named Wan and one named Yan. These two beauties were very favored by Xia Jie. So at this time He ignored his Yuan Concubine , his original wife, Yu Xi. "

Yu Xi, who once enjoyed all the love, was now left aside by Xia Jie and stayed alone in Qinggong Yaotai by the Luoshui River. lamp. In the deserted palace, she never looked forward to Xia Jie, but she looked forward to another person - Yi Yin.

It is recorded in the "Bamboo Book Annals" that at the end of the year, the Xi family made friends with Yi Yin, and then they came to Xia.

Yi Yin managed to get close to Yu Xi, and while she was immersed in the anger of being left out and abandoned, she began to preach to her the virtues of Shang Tang, and revealed her plan to assist Shang in destroying Xia.

Maybe it was to get revenge on the ruthless man, maybe it was to hope that Xia Jie would change his mind, maybe... we don't know what Yi Yin said to Yu Xi, but the word "Jian Xia" makes people sure that Yi Yin and Yu Xi - these two people with different purposes finally reached an agreement, an agreement that left Xia Jie with nothing, and an agreement that pushed Yu Xi to the top of the list of beauties and disasters: Yu Xi became Yi Yin in the Xia Dynasty The most important member of the spy network.

Yi Yin completed his mission brilliantly - placing countless nails and eyeliners around Xia Jie. Through the information they provided, Shang Tang, who was in charge of Bodu (today's Shangqiu, Henan), gradually became aware of Xia Jie who was far away. He knew the Xia court and domestic situation well, which became an important intelligence basis for Shang Tang to send troops to conquer Xia.

After three years of being undercover in the Xia Dynasty, Yi Yin returned to the Shang Kingdom unscathed and brought Shang Tang the good news that he had everything but action.

"What is the Xia Kingdom like now? Xia Jie often launches wars, often builds many large palaces, and the people's strength is exhausted, so now is indeed a good time to conquer the Xia Kingdom."

Shang Tang, who received the good news, did not Directly and openly opposed the Xia Dynasty. The first thing he has to do is to "attack the weak and the ignorant, and bring chaos and humiliation." In other words, for those tribal allies who are still loyal to Xia Jie, the weaker tribes will annex them, and the ignorant and disobedient tribes will attack , and the tribes that are in decline and chaos will be directly eliminated.

The first tribe of princes targeted was called Ge.

Shangtang entered the country from Ge, and the attack was menacing. How should Xia Jie stabilize the situation?

The king summoned him. As the leader of the Shang clan, he was in a dilemma. How should he avert danger?

Not finished, to be continued...

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