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손무는 낙읍의 수장실을 떠나 무왕이 주나라의 첫 도읍지로 삼았던 호경(장안)으로 갔다. 이미 호경은 건국 후 275년이 지난 유왕(782〜771)때 견융족의 침략으로 폐허가 된 상태였다.
여기저기 기와, 토기등 조각이 한때 영광의 편린으로 나뒹굴고, 허물어진 담벼락 틈새에 자란 나무가 황실 주춧돌보다 굵어져 세월의 무상함까지 더해주고 있었다.
호경을 도성으로 삼고 있던 주나라에 지난 275년간 어떤 일들이 있었을까?
주나라를 건국한 무왕은 2년 만에 죽고 어린 아들 성왕成王이 계승해 무왕의 동생 주공周公 단旦이 섭정하는데, 주공 단의 세 형제가 불평하며 은나라 주왕의 잔당들과 함께 반란을 일으켰다. 그 기세가 만만치 않아 진압에만 3년이 걸렸다.
이후 주공은 전국에 왕족과 공신을 제후로 파견해 다스리는 봉건 제도를 실시해 나라 기반을 공고히 해놓고 성왕이 통치하도록 물라났다. 그래서 훗날 공자가 주공을 사심없던 이상적 인물로 추앙한다.
성왕 이후 주나라는 비교적 태평성대를 보내다가 10대 려왕(877 〜841)에 이르러 내리막길로 향한다. 려왕은 직언과 비판에 극도로 예민해 낌새만 보여도 곤장을 쳤다. 이러니 신하들이 왕을 만날까 두려워 피해 다녔다.
려왕의 통치이념은 이랬다.
“자고로 백성이란 세금을 많이 내서 임금을 부유하게 해야 한다.”
이런 왕을 부추기는 신하가 있었으니, 간신 영이공이었다. 그래도 려왕은 자신이 정치를 최고로 잘한다는 착각에 빠져 지냈다. 어느 날 어전 회의에서 으스대면서 물었다.
“어떻소, 내 국정 솜씨가. 탁월하지 않소? 누구도 나를 원망하지 않으니 가히 태평성대라 부를 수 있겠소.”
하도 기가 막혀 중신 소공이 불쑥 나섰다.
“강물을 억지로 막다가 터지면 감당하지 못합니다. 우임금도 물길을 터 주었습니다. 백성의 입을 막는 것은 강물을 막는 것보다 더 어려우니 하고 싶은 말들을 하게 해 주옵소서.”
여기서 중구난방衆口難防이라는 명언이 나왔다. 그럼에도 려왕이 공포정치를 더 강화하다가, 3년 만에 집단 항거에 부딪쳤다. 도성민들이 농기구를 들고 왕을 때려 죽인다며 몰려오는 바람에 종적을 감춰야 했다. 이 소동 속에 소공은 어린 태자 정靜을 자기 집에 숨겨 두었다. 소요 세력이 찾아와 태자를 내놓으라 윽박지르자 자기 아들을 내놓았다.
려왕은 소요가 진정된 뒤에도 세상이 무서워 나타나지 못했다. 그렇다고 엄연히 왕이 살아 있는데 태자가 계승할 수도 없어 소공이 재상 주공周公과 더불어 나라를 다스렸다.
역사상 처음으로 신하들이 상의해 정치하는 공화정共和政이 시작된 것이다. 나라에 비록 왕은 없으나 백성의 언로가 열리며 더 편안해졌다.
<*The following is [the full text] of the English article translated by 'Google Translate'. 'Google Translate' is working hard to improve understanding. It is assumed that there may be errors in the English translation.>
[Novel The Art of War 36]
It is more difficult to stop the mouths of the people than to block the waterways.
Sun Tzu left the office of the chief of the Luoyang and went to Hujing (Chang'an), which King Wu had made the first capital of the Zhou Dynasty. 275 years after the founding of the country, during the reign of King You (782-771), Hujing had already become a ruin due to the invasion of the Jianrong tribe. Here and there, pieces of tiles and pottery were scattered as a remnant of its former glory, and trees growing in the cracks of the collapsed walls were thicker than the foundation stones of the imperial palace, adding to the transience of time.
What had happened in the Zhou Dynasty, which had made Hujing its capital, over the past 275 years? King Wu, who founded the Zhou Dynasty, died after two years, and his young son, King Cheng, succeeded him. King Wu's younger brother, King Zhou, became regent. However, King Zhou's three brothers, dissatisfied and rebelled with the remnants of King Zhou of the Yin Dynasty. It took three years to suppress the rebellion, as the momentum was so great.
After that, King Zhou implemented the feudal system, sending royal family members and meritorious officials to rule as vassals throughout the country, and solidified the foundation of the country before leaving it to King Cheng to rule. That is why Confucius later admired King Zhou as an idealistic figure with no selfish motives.
After King Cheng, the Zhou Dynasty enjoyed a relatively peaceful period, but it began to decline during the tenth king, King Li (877–841). King Li was extremely sensitive to direct speech and criticism, and would beat anyone who showed signs of it with a stick. This is why his subjects were afraid to meet him and avoided him.
King Li's ruling ideology was as follows:
“Since ancient times, the people should pay a lot of taxes to make the king rich.”
There was a subject who encouraged this king, the treacherous Yeong-i-gong. Nevertheless, King Yeo lived under the delusion that he was the best at politics. One day, at a royal meeting, he asked in a boastful tone.
“How is my statecraft? Isn’t it outstanding? No one resents me, so we can call it a time of peace.”
He was so shocked that the high-ranking official So-gong suddenly stepped forward.
“If you block the river by force, it will burst, and you will not be able to handle it. King Woo also opened the waterway. It is more difficult to block the mouths of the people than to block the river, so please let them say what they want to say.”
This is where the famous saying “衆口難防” came from.
Nevertheless, King Yeo further strengthened his reign of terror, and after three years, he encountered a mass uprising. The people of Doseong came with farming tools, saying they would beat the king to death, so he had to hide. In the midst of this commotion, Sogong hid the young crown prince Jeong in his house. When the rioters came and demanded that he hand over the crown prince, he handed over his son.
Even after the commotion calmed down, King Yeo was afraid of the world and could not come out. However, since the king was alive and the crown prince could not succeed, Sogong ruled the country together with his prime minister, Zhougong.
For the first time in history, a republic began in which the ministers consulted and governed. Although there was no king in the country, the people's voices were opened and they became more comfortable.
