When it comes to Liu Bang's founding of the Western Han Dynasty, many people like to mention the "Three Masters of the Early Han Dynasty", in which Han Xin is called "Bing Xian", while Zhang Liang is called "Mou Sheng", and Xiao He is also regarded as an unworldly ruler. However, Han Xin was no more than a general with no ambition, Zhang Liang was no more than a noble prince in the middle of the road, and Xiao He was a "capable official" in Pei County. With the help of just a few of them, Liu Bang was able to defeat Xiang Yu? That was the answer that Liu Bang told everyone, it can't be taken seriously, the truth that is hidden behind it, I don't want to be known.
Gao Zu placed wine luoyang nangong. Gao Zu said: "The princes and princes do not dare to hide, and they all speak their minds." Why do I have the world? What is the reason why Xiang Shi lost the world? ——" Historiography of Gao Zu Benji
The world has been decided, and Liu Bang feasted on the courtiers at the Luoyang Nangong. Everyone was very happy, but Liu Bang silently watched the first person present, these people had been born and died for themselves, but today they were the ones they had to be wary of. Liu Bang suddenly said to everyone: "All of you here today are the brothers and brothers of Yuan, and everyone can know everything and talk about why I can win the world, and why xiang Yu lost the world?" ”
Gao Qi and Wang Ling said to him: "Your Majesty is slow and insulting, and Xiang Yu is kind and loves people." However, His Majesty has made people attack the city, and those who have descended have given it to them, and they have the same benefit as the world. Xiang Yu is jealous of the ability of the sages, the meritorious people harm them, the sages doubt it, they overcome but do not do the work of others, and they gain the land but do not benefit others, so they lose the world. ——" Historiography of Gao Zu Benji
Zhang Liang didn't speak, Chen Ping didn't speak, Xiang Xiang Xiao He thought about it, and didn't say half a word, Han Xin didn't care about this kind of thing. The scene was once very awkward, everyone did not speak, Liu Bang was a little bored, he looked at Gao Qi and Wang Ling, hoping that the two of them would cooperate with him. Gao Qi was Liu Bang's old subordinate, while Wang Ling was Feng Peihaoqiang, Liu Bang's former eldest brother. They had no choice but to harden their scalps and say, "Your Majesty is very arrogant and often looks down on people, which many people don't like, while Xiang Yu is a benevolent person, and everyone likes him." But you are not stingy, everyone will get a corresponding reward for your life, and Xiang Yu is too stingy, for the people under him can not do the merit appreciation, his eyes are only his Xiang clan people, so he lost the heart of the people. And you can win with the people of the world, everyone takes what they need, so you can become the lord of the world! ”
Gao Zu said: "The public knows the first, but the unknown knows the second." In the midst of the husband's planning and planning, the decisive victory is thousands of miles away, and I am not as good as the sub-room. The town and the country, care for the people, give rewards, and do not stop grain, I am not as good as Xiao He. Even with an army of millions, the battle will be won, the attack will be won, and I am not as good as Han Xin. These three are all masters, I can use them, so I take the world. Xiang Yu has a fan increase and cannot be used, which is thought to be my capture. ——" Historiography of Gao Zu Benji
Liu Bang was obviously not satisfied with this answer, which was not the answer he wanted. For this question, Liu Bang has long had a prepared answer, since everyone has no one to talk about according to their own script, then they have to be directed by themselves. Liu Bang said slowly, "You only know one, but you don't know the second." If I say that I am not as good as Zhang Liang if I am strategizing and winning a decisive victory; if I say that I am not as good as Xiao He if I appease the people, mobilize troops, and provide grain and wages; if I am invincible and invincible, I am not as good as Han Xin. These three people are all heroes in the world, but they can all be used by me, and Xiang Yu only has one Fan Zeng, and he can't be trusted, so he was defeated by me. "Ministers, you're right! Of course, these old ministers knew Liu Bang's mentality, this lord looked generous, but in fact his heart was not broad-minded, although Yongya was named the Marquis of Shifang, but it was just a show for everyone to see, everyone knew it.
The secret of Liu Bang's success was not told to anyone, but in fact, the people who knew him, or the wise people of the world, such as Zhang Liang and Chen Pingren, naturally knew the mystery, but they would not say it, because no one thought that their fate was long, they had managed to get everything they have today, and they did not want to touch the moldy head.
Liu Bang's success trajectory can be divided into three stages. The first stage is the process of accumulation, that is, the establishment of a broad mass base in the abundant land to prepare for their own uprising; the second stage is the stage of the Chu-Han struggle, which finally defeats Xiang Yu and unifies the world; the third stage is to eliminate the princes with different surnames, limit the power of heroes and brave generals, and consolidate the foundation of Liu's rule. So in these three stages, who is the person who has helped Liu Bang the most? To be precise, it is not a person, but an interest group, an interest group represented by a woman. And this person is Lü Yan, and the foreign forces of the Lü clan that she represents, they are not developed because of Lü Yan, but because of their strength and glory.
When Liu Bang was the chief of the Surabaya Pavilion, he cooperated with Xiao He, the chief official of Pei County who was responsible for assessing the officials, and even Mafu Xiahou Infant became an alternate county official, and everyone who followed Liu Bang, the eldest brother, ascended to heaven. However, Liu Bang can only be regarded as a local strongman, and he is also looked down upon by these rich big men such as Wang Ling, who thinks that Liu Bang is a city servant and has no big success. It wasn't until Liu Bang met a person that everything changed radically, and that person was Lü Yan's father, Lü Taigong. Lü Taigong came to Pei County because of avoiding disasters, he and Pei County Ling were old acquaintances and wanted to get the protection of Pei County Ling, but when Pei County Ling saw that Lü Taigong's daughter Lü Yan was young and beautiful and planned to marry Lü Shi, Lü Taigong rejected him, because Lü Taigong thought that Pei County Ling was not really a person who could be trusted. At this time, at a banquet, Lu Taigong met Liu Bang, this person attended the banquet, did not bring a penny, and also used a white paper to write a white note, which read "ten thousand dollars"! Xiao He, as the host, told Lu Taigong: "Liu Ji is a person who is good at talking big, he has no ability, you don't want to see him in general!" Lü Taigong found that although this Liu Ji looked very rogue, the big and small officials of Pei County had to give him some face from top to bottom, such a person was rare, and Liu Ji's influence even exceeded that Pei County Order.
Lü Gongyue: "The subject is less good, the other is more, there is no season, may the season love." The subject has a daughter and is willing to be a concubine of Ji Ji. ——" Historiography of Gao Zu Benji
Lu Taigong said to Liu Bang: "I am good at giving people faces, and I have seen many people, but there is no one better than your face, I hope you can love yourself and respect yourself." I have a daughter who wants to marry you, and I hope you don't give up! "Although Liu Bang is not short of women, no one is willing to marry his daughter to a person who is more than half a hundred years old, but today he has become the Lü family's dragon-riding son-in-law."
Qin Shi Huangdi often said that "there is a heavenly son in the southeast", so he was tired of traveling to the east. ...... Lü Hou said: "There are often clouds in the quarter, so the season is always the same." "Gao Zu is happy. Pei Zhongzi or smell it, and many people who want to be attached. - "Historiography of Takazu Honki"
Lü Yan became Liu Bang's right-hand man, with her help, Liu Bang's image became tall, first of all, Lü Yan and people said that when they were farming with children in the field, they met an old man who wanted water to drink, and then the old man looked at her and the children, saying that she and the child were expensive, and when Liu Bang returned home to chase him out, the old man disappeared out of thin air, so everyone speculated that the old man was a god and a god. Soon after, Liu Bang fled to the Mangyan Mountains to hide because he had extended the construction period, and Lü Yan delivered food and daily necessities for him, and said to everyone: "The reason why I can find Liu Ji in the mountains is because there are clouds on Liu Ji's head, so I can find him!" At that time, everyone was saying that Qin Shi Huang's southern tour was to suppress Tianzi Qi, and Lü Yan said that Liu Bang was exactly the person who had cloud qi on his head. The direct result of this is that some young people who have ideas in the land of abundance have all turned to Liu Bang's side.
The single father, Lü Gongshan Pei Ling, avoided the guests of the vengeance and obedience, because the family was Pei Yan. - "Historiography of Takazu Honki"
Not only that, Lü Taigong was originally a local strong man of single father, he had two sons and two daughters, Lü Yan was the eldest daughter, and the two sons were outstanding in martial arts, and At the same time, Lü Taigong also brought a lot of wealth accumulated by his single father. With Lü Taigong, the father-in-law, Liu Bang was able to count on the first bucket of gold to start a war against Qin, and his and Xiao He's activities were just small fights, how much wealth could be accumulated? Therefore, in Liu Bang's initial stage, it was not these old men who helped him the most, otherwise Liu Bang would be at best a rich and powerful man, nor Xiao He, otherwise Liu Bang would be just a small official involved in selling officials.
Are you saying that Lü Shi only provided funds and manpower for Liu Bang and ended it? Of course not, in the process of fighting for the world after Liu Bangpei County's army, the Lü clan has always been an important force, and the Liu clan can be said to be on a par with each other, saying that Liu Lü's alliance is not excessive. It is only for various reasons that the records of him in the history books are incomplete, and only a few words are left.
And Lü Yan's brother Lü Ze was not a follower of Liu Bang, and many of his generals were enfeoffed, so was he worse than his subordinates?
(Bocheng Marquis Feng Wuxuan) to mourn the Wu King Langzhong, the beginning of the bing, from Gaozu to Feng. Attack Yongqiu. —— Chronicle of history, volume XIX, Chronology of the Marquis of Huijingjian, Seventh
To give a few examples, Feng Wuxue was Lü Ze's subordinate, Lü Ze's Langzhong, and when Liu Bang attacked Zhang Handan, he was the absolute main force in the attacking team, and this person was not a member of the Fengpei Meritorious Heroes, but Lü Ze's subordinates. Everyone only knows that Liu Bang has people such as Zhou Bo, Cao Shan, and Xiao He, but they don't know that the Lü clan also has a strength comparable to and on a par with Liu Bang.
Lü Hou's brother Marquis Lü of Zhou was a Han general and lived in Xiayi. The king of Han followed it, collected a little soldier, and the military was a soldier. - "Historiography of Takazu Honki"
Liu Bang was beaten by Xiang Yu and lost his armor, and there was really no place to go, so he came to Xiayi and turned to his brother-in-law Lü Ze. Liu Bang did not mobilize Lü Ze's troops, but went to Lü Ze to seek refuge, which shows that Lü Ze was not a subordinate general of Liu Bang. With Lü Ze's help, Liu Bang stopped the decline, gathered the scattered troops, and stationed near Mount Mangzhong. From this incident, we can see that the military strength of the Lü clan and the Liu clan are on a par with each other, and the achievement of Liu Lü's alliance is an important reason for Liu Bang to win the Chu-Han dispute.
When it comes to Lü Yan, many people say that she is cruel and vicious in her treatment of Lady Qi, and even her own son Liu Ying, the Emperor of Xiaohui, was scared to death by her. However, they forgot that most of the eradication of princes with different surnames was the force of Lü Yan, and many people would wonder how Lü Yan, a female stream, could have such a great ability to make Peng Yue, Han Xin and others willing to be killed by the neck? A strong character alone is not a convincing answer.
Lü Hou was a man of fortitude, Zuo Gaozu fixed the world, and the chancellor Duo Lü Houli was condemned. - "History of Empress Lü Benji"
In my opinion, the reasonable explanation is that Lü Yan, like Liu Bang, as an empress and also a spokesman for the Lü clan, holds the authority of the world and has a great political right to speak. Peng Yue and Han Xin were not afraid of Lü Yan, but were jealous of the huge Lü clan's foreign relatives behind the Lü clan, such as Fan Duo was a staunch supporter of Lü Yan, Li Shang and Zhen Shiqi were also a party of the Lü clan, and the Lü clan, the Liu clan, the meritorious men, and the princes with different surnames maintained a relative balance. You say that the princes with different surnames were killed by Liu Bang and Lü Yan, and it is more appropriate to say that Liu Shi, Lü Shi and the meritorious men united. When Lü Yan got rid of Han Xin, he also took Xiao He along, because Han Xin did not listen to Lü He's call, but he did not suspect Xiao He, but Xiao He, as his Bole and also the leader of the Fengpei Gongchen Group, Xiao He chose to safeguard the interests of the Gongchen Group, betraying Han Xin to save himself, and the reason for losing the pawn to protect the car Xiao He was very clear.
Next, let's talk about the Rebellion of Zhulu. There was no rebellion at all, just a power grab and purge carried out by the heroes and princes of the clan to unite against the descendants of Lü and Liu Ying. So why didn't they take action during Lü Yan's reign? That's because Lü Yan is too powerful, and the Lü clan under her leadership has no flaws, they can only bow down and obey orders, otherwise they will braid. Liu Bang believed that the king with a different surname had been eliminated, and he divided his sons into princes, all of whom were Liu Ying's brothers, so that he could consolidate his rule. However, Lü Yan did not think so, and she was keenly aware that the enlargement of the princes of the clan was the next obstacle and threat to the centralization of the monarch's power, so he promised lü women to the princes as concubines, and at the same time killed Liu Ruyi, Liu You, Liu Hui and other princes of Zhao, restricting liu fei the king of Qi from growing bigger, all with the purpose of consolidating imperial power. You say that he can kill Liu Shi, and it is not wrong for her to suppress the power of the princes of the clan to consolidate the foundation of rule.
Therefore, Sima Qian wrote Lü Yan into the imperial standard of the present era, because she was indeed the empress dowager who was not called emperor, and she was also the hero behind Liu Bang's success.
A person's history, a family's word.