Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, was the son of Emperor Ling of Han, and after Emperor Ling's death, he was succeeded by Liu Xie's brother Liu Xie, also known as Emperor Shao of Han. However, after only five months on the throne, Liu Jie was deposed by Dong Zhuo, and Liu Xie, who was still the king of Chen Liu at the time, was put on the throne, and he also became the last emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, known as emperor Xian of Han.
From 189 AD to 220 AD, When Liu Wei became emperor, he sat on the throne for thirty-one years. After Cao Pi usurped the throne, Liu Xie lived for fourteen years until his death in 234 AD, the same year as Zhuge Liang, and was buried according to the specifications and etiquette of the Han Tianzi after his death, with the title of Emperor Xiaoxian.
Emperor Xian of Han
Most people think that Emperor Xian of Han is a puppet emperor, who must be stupid as a pig, eating and waiting for death. This perception is grossly wrong. In fact, Liu Xie was a very clever emperor, but he was born at the wrong time, and was held hostage and controlled by Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao and other traitors, and there was no room for maneuver. The demise of the Han Dynasty actually had little to do with Liu Xie himself. Just as later generations commented on the demise of the Ming Dynasty, they did not quite agree with Chongzhen to carry the pot, but thought that "'Ming died, actually died in Wanli'". Similarly, in the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the two who should bear the blame the most are the Han Huan Emperor and the Ling Emperor.
I. The background of the era before and after the succession of Emperor Xian of Han
Since the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the emperor, most of the emperors who succeeded to the throne were children and needed the assistance of the empress. And the empress dowager will inevitably rely on her mother's family, which opens the door to the monopoly of foreign relatives. This trick was more convenient to use when the emperor was a child, but when the emperor grew up, he must want to take back his power. However, the important positions of the Manchu Dynasty were occupied by foreign relatives, and what did the emperor rely on to fight with them? Nature relies on the eunuchs around him. Therefore, the struggle between foreign relatives and eunuchs was the main contradiction and struggle of the imperial court in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the two sides came and went, either the east wind overwhelmed the west wind, or the west wind overwhelmed the east wind, and a situation of alternating leadership appeared.
It should be noted that although the eunuchs were more loyal to the emperor, they were low in culture and poor quality, and letting them take power was a disastrous consequence for the country and the people. Therefore, many people of insight consciously threw themselves into the ranks of the struggle against the eunuchs, and the eunuchs had the support of the emperor, betrayed the officials and lords, encroached on the land, made a lot of windfalls, and had serious conflicts of interest and contradictions with the powerful landlord forces, and both sides stepped up their economic exploitation and political oppression of the peasants, so that the peasants had to rise up to resist. Finally, in 184 AD, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and the Eastern Han Dynasty was crumbling under the blows of the Yellow Turban Uprising, but the local powerful forces took the opportunity to rise, and the division of the country was inevitable.
Dong Zhuo was a warlord who rose rapidly by suppressing the Yellow Turban Uprising, and was also a warlord with great political ambitions. After the contradictions between the local lord Hao Qiang and the eunuchs always broke out, Dong Zhuo occupied the capital Luoyang in the name of quelling the chaos, forming a situation in which the family controlled the government. When he saw that the young emperor Liu Wei was fourteen years old and close to adulthood, in order to make it easier for him to control the government, he put the nine-year-old Han Xiandi to the position of emperor and began his own autocratic path.
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a brutal warlord whose atrocities provoked resistance from the people of the world, and although after many wars, Dong Zhuo's forces were annihilated, the war caused serious damage to Luoyang and the surrounding areas. Almost all the ministers loyal to Liu Xie were killed and wounded, warlords across the country were divided, the large occupied several states, the small occupied several counties, and Emperor Xian of Han had effectively become an empty emperor.
But Liu Xie is after all the emperor and the nominal leader of the warlords, and how to treat Liu Xie is an examination question to test the political wisdom of the warlords. In fact, at that time, those warriors hoped that their representative, the great warlord Yuan Shao of the 'Fourth Dynasty and Three Dukes'' house, would come forward to clean up the old mountains and rivers again, but Yuan Shao made a big strategic mistake, and he did not recognize the political significance of Emperor Xiandi of Han.
He even wanted to re-establish a new emperor who could be controlled by himself, that is, to establish Liu Yu, the mu of Youzhou, as emperor. It is impossible to get support for such a thing that is against the world, and Liu Yu himself is firmly opposed. Although this matter was not successful, Yuan Shao's political short-sightedness can be seen.
Cao Cao
When Emperor Xiandi of Han managed to escape the control of the Guanxi warlords under Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao missed the opportunity to take Emperor Xiandi of Han into his own hands, not to mention those warlords such as Yuan Shu and Liu Biao. At this time, the only person who can clearly see the political value of Emperor Xian of Han may be Cao Cao.
2. Cao Cao's ''Holding the Son of Heaven hostage to order the princes''
Cao Cao clearly understood that although the Han Dynasty was in decline, the Son of Heaven still had a certain appeal, and whoever had the emperor had the political initiative. Therefore, Cao Cao vigorously took Emperor Xian of Han to his base area, so that even if other forces reacted, they could not get involved in this "fragrant feast". Since then, Cao Cao has achieved a favorable political position of "holding the Son of Heaven hostage to order the princes", and all his political and military actions can be carried out in the name of the Son of Heaven.
Although Emperor Xian of Han bid farewell to a life of upheaval and displacement in Xuchang, he lost the power of the emperor from then on. All state affairs were in Cao Cao's hands, and he was just a puppet. Liu Xie himself also has a clear understanding of this. He knew that Cao Cao's purpose in welcoming him to Xu Du was only to carry out special deeds in the name of the Son of Heaven, so soon after arriving in Xuchang, Emperor Xian of Han also tested Cao Cao, and he once said directly to Cao Cao: "If the king can complement each other, he will be thick; no, fortunately, he will give up on each other."' At this time, Cao Cao's forces against him throughout the country were still very strong, and Cao Cao was not ready, so from then on, Cao Cao tried not to meet with Emperor Xian of Han, and basically let Xun Yu, who served as a servant and Shang Shuling, collude with Emperor Xian of Han.
Since Emperor Xiandi of Han expressed his dissatisfaction to Cao Cao once, Cao Cao's control over Emperor Xiandi of Han had become tighter. Emperor Xiandi of Han's "Su Guards Attendants", could not be the old in-laws of the Cao Clan Party", and the general ministers could no longer approach the emperor. Although the imperial court at this time still adopted the previous system of three dukes and nine secretaries, Cao Cao dismissed the three dukes in the thirteenth year of Jian'an, set up a chancellor, opened his own government, and set up his own administrative and military system, and Cao Cao's chancellor's mansion had become the center of state power in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Cao Cao's dictatorship also divided the officials at that time into two camps: pro-Cao and anti-Cao. Although Cao Cao's power was extremely great, and most of the officials were under Cao Cao's door, a few ministers such as Yang Biao and Dong Cheng maintained their original intentions and resolutely sided with Emperor Xian of Han.
Yang Biao was also a representative of the top noble clan of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the Hongnong Yang family, like the Yuan family in Runan, were 'four dynasties and three dukes'', and Yang Biao himself held the position of taiwei at this time, which was a staunch anti-Cao leader and the biggest obstacle to Cao Cao's dictatorship. Therefore, Cao Cao sent people to find a way to frame Yang Biao, seize Yang Biao's relationship with Yuan Shu, and frame him for plotting to depose Emperor Xian of Han and send Yang Biao to prison. Although he was rescued by Kong Rong and others, he saved his life, but there was no possibility of entering the center of power and opposing Cao Cao.
Xun Yu, one of the ministers, represented the position of another kind of scholar intellectual. Xun Yu was a person that Cao Cao trusted very much, but Xun Yu only regarded Cao Cao as a capable vassal of the Xingfu Han Dynasty, and he gave Cao Cao a hard time, in his heart, he was actually serving the Han Dynasty. Therefore, when Cao Cao wanted to become the Duke of Guo and seal Jiu Xi, Xun Yu was resolutely opposed. Soon after, Xun Yu died inexplicably, although the history books record that after Cao Cao sent an empty food box to Xun Yu, there were many suspicious points about Xun Yu's suicide, but at the critical moment before Cao Cao entered the Duke of Wei, the sudden death of the rebel Xun Yu leader would always be reminiscent of Yi.
Emperor Xian of Han succeeded to the throne at the age of nine, and he hardly had a stable day in the early period. Perhaps he had regarded Cao Cao as a savior, but the facts told him that this was nothing more than wishful thinking. He had the idea of getting rid of Cao Cao's hostage, and he had also issued an edict to summon Lü Bu to Beijing, but Lü Bu lost several wars with Cao Cao. And his three dukes and nine secretaries were deposed by Cao Cao one by one, and he was really not willing. He had asked Empress Fu's father, Empress Fu, to finish plotting against Cao Cao, and had agreed to Geng Ji and Wei Huang's plan to kill Cao Cao, but both failed. Both of these actions were real events in history. However, one of the most famous rebellions of Emperor Xiandi of Han only exists in novels such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", but the history is unclear, although it is recorded, but it is very rough and lacks empirical evidence. This is the famous "Belt Commandment Incident".
III. Analysis of the "'Belt Commandment'" incident
In the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, records related to the "Edict of the Cloth Belt" include Liu Bei's "Records of Emperor Wu", which says that "Beizhi Wei dongye, Yin and Dong Cheng, etc. conspired against each other"; and "In the first month of the spring of the fifth year, Dong Cheng and others conspired to leak, and all of them were ambushed"; the record in the "Biography of the Ancestor Lord" is: "When the First Lord was not out, the che general Dong Chengci was secretly edicted by the emperor's belt and became the Duke of Cao. The first Lord did not send... Dong Cheng and others are all reprimanded''. This is also the reason why this secret edict is called the 'Garment Commandment'.'
Clothing edict
Now let's analyze the authenticity of the "Belt Commandment".
How did Liu Bei know about the "Belt Commandment"? It wasn't what he saw with his own eyes, but what Dong Cheng said. ''Dong Chengci received the secret edict in the emperor's belt'" refers to Dong Cheng's telling Liu Bei that I accepted the emperor's secret edict hidden in the belt and told us to kill Cao Cao together. The meaning of "'resignation'" here is the meaning of ''saying'', not the meaning of Dong Cheng's return from Emperor Xiandi of Han, "'resignation'", and the ''hair'' of ' In the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", this so-called "Belt Commandment" has not been seen or searched out (it has appeared in the interpretation, but it has not been in history), and whether it is there or not, I am afraid that only Dong Cheng himself knows.
In addition, if this is true, Pei Songzhi's annotation to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not mention a word of "'Garment Belt Commandment'", which is also incomprehensible. Because Pei Songzhi's annotation of the result of "'Undertaking and Waiting for all Are Cursed'", but he did not write a word about the reason, it was not in line with common sense and his style of annotating the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The record of "Yi Belt Zhao" in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms became like this in Fan Ye's Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "In the spring and first month of the fifth year, the che general Dong Cheng, the partial general Wang Fu, and the Yue riding lieutenant Zhongji were secretly edicted by Cao Cao. At noon, Cao Cao killed Dong Cheng, etc., and the Yi three tribes'.'
Emperor Xian of Han was, in any case, the nominal leader of Cao Cao and the emperor recognized by the people of the world. If he wanted to kill a minister, there must be a record, not to mention the order to kill Cao Cao. However, in the history books at that time, there was no record of the contents of the edict. After a hundred years, the content of the edict appeared for the first time in the Book of Later Han, and this content was not under cao Cao's biography, nor under the benji of Emperor Xiandi of Han, but in the "Record of the Empress", which is a very strange thing. Why was this kind of major event in the imperial court recorded by Fan Ye under the empress's ratio, and the content was also very simple, only "monopoly" and "more killing". In fact, five years before Jian'an, Cao Cao did not kill many Han ministers, and the "dictatorship" did not reach a climax, which is inconsistent with history.
One of the strongest pieces of evidence is that during the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao, in order to boost morale and draw people's hearts, asked Chen Lin to write a "Discussion with Cao Cao". If Emperor Xian of Han had really issued a "belt edict" to cao Cao, this would have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strike at Cao Cao for Yuan Shao, and there was no reason to let it go. However, chen Lin's "Discussion with Cao Cao" in the fifth year of Jian'an did not mention anything about this, and there was no shadow of "'Cloth Belt Commandment'", which can only show that "'Clothes Belt Commandment'" is very likely to not exist.
Fourth, why should Dong Cheng correct the edict
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the background of "'YiDai Zhao'" is that when Xu Tian was hunting, Cao Cao accepted the soldiers' kneeling and angered Emperor Xian of Han, so he risked his life and wrote "'Yi Belt Zhao'" in blood. The person who accepted this edict was Dong Guifei's father, Dong Cheng.
Dong Cheng had always been loyal to Emperor Xian of Han. As early as the time of Dong Zhuo's rebellion, he had been accompanying Emperor Xian of Han, and later after the rebellion of Li and Guo was put down, he escorted Emperor Xian of Han back to Luoyang. The most crucial thing is that when Cao Cao sent Cao Hong to welcome Emperor Xian of Han to Xuchang first, Dong Cheng was resolutely opposed, and he also joined forces with Yuan Shu to prevent Liu Xie from going to Xuchang. Therefore, when Cao Cao controlled the entire court, Dong Cheng was unwilling, so his reasons for wanting to kill Cao Cao were sufficient. However, killing Cao Cao was not something that Dong Cheng alone could do, and at this time, Liu Bei, who lived under Cao Cao's account, became Dong Cheng's favorite partner.
Liu Bei
We know that Liu Bei is not a person who is willing to send people under the fence, and when he was a teenager, he compared the tree in front of his house to the cover of the carriage he would ride in the future, and he was very hungry for power. It is precisely for this reason that he has become the object of Dong Cheng's solicitation. But killing Cao Cao is not trivial after all, dong cheng must give Liu Bei a justified reason, so Dong Cheng is very likely to invent a "belt edict" that does not exist, as a reason to kill Cao Cao. If Liu Beizhen had seen this ''Yi Belt Zhao'', after he had asked a brigade to go to Xuzhou to resist Yuan Shu and kill Cao Cao's assassin Shi Che, why didn't he use the ''Yi Dai Zhao'' as a call to strengthen his own strength, but instead feared that Cao Cao would come to fight him? There is only one explanation for this, that is, the "'Belt Commandment'" is fake, Liu Bei has not seen it, and he knows it, so he has no courage to show this "killer skill".
In the same way, in the first month of the fifth year of Jian'an, only a few months after Dong Cheng's assassination of Cao Cao, Cao Cao's political enemy Yuan Shao was preparing to join Liu Bei in a crusade against Cao Cao, and his adviser Frustrated Zhi advised Yuan Zhao not to act rashly, on the grounds that "abandoning the good strategy of offering victory, and xing nameless soldiers, stealing as Ming Gong and not taking it", is very strange, because if Emperor Xian of Han really issued a secret edict to kill Cao Cao, it was the best reason for Yuan Shao to use it and send troops to cut down Cao, so why talk about ''nameless soldiers'?'"
Finally, look at Cao Cao. The real Cao Cao in history is not the traitor from head to toe in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In fact, Cao Cao, who had been in Jian'an for five years, was a capable courtier who longed for kuangfu Han and pacify the world, and at this time he had no ambition to usurp the throne. That is, when he divides the world and becomes famous, he can refuse to be the emperor of Han and only be a Han subject for the rest of his life. In order to stabilize the political situation, he killed many people who opposed him, but throughout his life, not a single political enemy carried out any form of verbal criticism against him in the name of "'wearing the edict'". This can only show that Emperor Xiandi of Han did not issue any "edicts on clothes and belts" at all, which was completely a story made up by Dong Cheng himself in order to cage Liu Bei.
Of course, the "Belt Commandment" incident, written by Luo Guanzhong in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, really highlights Cao Cao's treachery. As a novelist, Luo Guanzhong believes in historical legends. But our descendants must polish our eyes and distinguish the difference between interpretation and history.
References: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of the Later Han Dynasty