He was invincible and could be called the first god of war during the Han Jing Emperor's period. He led an army against the Xiongnu, forcing the Xiongnu to retreat, setting a precedent for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to successfully defeat the Xiongnu. It took him only 3 months to quell the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, avert a bigger catastrophe, and save the entire Western Han Dynasty. He was Zhou Yafu, an outstanding and famous general of the Western Han Dynasty.
Zhou Yafu was the second son of Zhou Bo, the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty, and Zhou Bo was the founding hero who followed Liu Bang to lay the foundation of the world, made great military achievements, and was given the title of Marquis of Dai. After the deaths of Liu Bang and Lü Yan, Zhou Bo and Chen Ping seized lü's military power and installed Liu Heng on the throne.
With such a remarkable father, it can be said that Zhou Yafu was born with a golden key. Although he was a second-generation official, Zhou Yafu was not inferior to his father at all.
In the sixth year of Emperor Wen of Han, the Xiongnu invaded the Han Dynasty on a large scale, and Emperor Wen of Han appointed Liu Li, Xu Li, and Zhou Yafu as generals, respectively. The three armies were on guard against the Huns.
In order to boost morale, Emperor Wendi of Han decided to personally go to three military camps to comfort and reward the soldiers. When Emperor Wen of Han came to Liu Li and Xu Li's military camp, their soldiers came out from afar to greet each other, and everyone was very respectful to Emperor Wen.
When Emperor Wen came to Zhou Yafu's barracks, he was stopped at the gate and had to enter only after the messenger was holding a rune. The guards at the camp gate also specifically warned: "The general stipulates that cars and horses are not allowed to gallop in the barracks. When Zhou Yafu met Emperor Wen, he was still wearing armor and holding a weapon, and he did not bow down to worship, but only bowed his hand to meet him. Emperor Wen was deeply impressed by the strictness of Zhou Yafu's army. After defeating the Xiongnu, Emperor Wen appointed Zhou Yafu as a lieutenant. When Emperor Wen was dying, he instructed the crown prince Liu Qi: "If the country is in emergency, Zhou Yafu can really take on the heavy responsibility of leading the army." ”
During the reign of the Han Jing Emperor, Zhou Yafu was promoted to the rank of CheQi general. At this time, the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms broke out, and Zhou Yafu was entrusted with the heavy responsibility of the Han Jing Emperor to lead the counter-rebellion. It took him only 3 months to quell the civil unrest and his reputation grew! However, he offended the Liang King and the Han Jing Emperor because of this. The reason was that at that time, the State of Liang was attacked by the rebels in turn, and the King of Liang repeatedly asked Zhou Yafu for help, but Zhou Yafu could not hold out, and later the King of Liang wrote a letter to Emperor Jing, and Emperor Jing issued an edict ordering Zhou Yafu to send troops to reinforce King Liang, but Zhou Yafu was still unmoved. In the end, he secretly sent troops to cut off the rebels' food routes and defeated the rebels.
After quelling the rebellion, Zhou Yafu was promoted to chancellor, but this also exposed his shortcomings, that is, he did not know how to be flexible, too straight, and did not know how to be an official.
Therefore, when the Xiongnu general Xu Lu and five others returned to the Han Dynasty, Emperor Jing of Han was very happy, and in order to encourage more Xiongnu generals to come and submit, Emperor Jing decided to give them five titles. At this time, Zhou Yafu resolutely objected: "If these traitors to the country are crowned as marquises, how will we punish those ministers who do not obey the rules in the future?" His words made Emperor Jing very unhappy, thinking that he was too pedantic, so he ignored his objections and still sealed the five people on the throne. At this time, Zhou Yafu was really just, and he resigned and went home in a fit of anger.
After a while, the Han Jing Emperor also wanted to reconcile with Zhou Yafu, so he feasted on Zhou Yafu. The table was full of good wine and good food, but he deliberately did not give him chopsticks, trying to test Zhou Yafu's reaction. Who knew that Zhou Yafu was still angry with Emperor Jing, and did not ask Emperor Jing to directly ask the steward to bring chopsticks. Emperor Jing was also a little unhappy at this time, and sneered at him: "Isn't this still not satisfactory to you?" When Zhou Yafu heard this, he knelt down to thank him for his sin, and Emperor Jingdi of Hanjing still thought that Zhou Yafu had compromised, so he wanted to ask him to get up, but as soon as he said a word "up", Zhou Yafu immediately stood up, and then turned around and left angrily without turning his head back. This is simply not to give Emperor Jing's face, so brazen in front of an emperor! At this time, Emperor Jing said a word: "How can such a person assist the Young Lord?" At this time, Zhou Yafu's position in the heart of the Han Jing Emperor had plummeted, and he even wanted to get rid of him.
Later, Zhou Yafu grew older and sicker, and his son secretly bought five hundred armor shields in order to prepare for him. It should be known that at that time, the state prohibited individuals from buying and selling, so Zhou Yafu was reported to rebel. At this time, Emperor Jing did not attach much importance to him, so he sent someone to strictly investigate the matter. Zhou Yafu was so humiliated when he was censored, went on a hunger strike, and five days later, vomited blood and died.
Zhou Yafu was undoubtedly a very powerful general, but he was not a suitable official, he did not know how to be flexible, he did not understand the world, he was too upright, and he provoked the Han Jing Emperor many times, which made an emperor face. His death is also self-inflicted!