From King Jing of Zhongshan to Liu Bei, there is a difference of more than 270 years, why does no one doubt Liu Bei's origins?
In fact, Liu Bei's lineage may not have been a problem at that time, and no one doubted it at all.
Regarding Liu Bei's life, the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms says:
The first lord's surname was Liu, ZhenBei, the character Xuande, Zhuo County, Zhuo County, Zhuo County, Han Jing Emperor Zhongshan Jing Wang Sheng also. Sheng Zizhen (狩子贞), in the sixth year of the Yuan Hunt (actually the second year of the Yuan Hunt), was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Lucheng Pavilion in Zhuo County, and sat on the marquis of Jin, because of his family. Ancestor Zu Xiong, Father Hong, Shi Shi Zhou County. Xiongju filial piety, official to the East County Fan Ling.
Let's first talk about Liu Sheng, who was the son of Emperor Jing of Han and the half-brother of Emperor Wu of Han, who was enfeoffed as the King of Zhongshan by Emperor Wu of Han in the third year of the Yuan Dynasty (154 BC), and his fief was in the north of Changshan County, which was a small country.
Liu Sheng was a very absurd person, indulging in wine all his life, and it is said that he had more than one hundred and twenty descendants during his lifetime, including a son named Liu Zhen, who was made the Marquis of Lucheng County by Emperor Wu of Han in the second year of Jianyuan (139 BC), and his fief was located in Zhuo County.
Everyone should note that Liu Bei is a native of Zhuo County, and his family is a large family in the local area, from this point of view, he may be a descendant of Liu Sheng.
In August of the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty (112 BC), Emperor Wu of Han did a major event, he summoned the princes of Tianxia to Chang'an and met them at the Zongmiao Temple.
Emperor Wu of Han was still very friendly at first, but then he suddenly changed his face, and on the grounds that the gold color was insufficient or the weight was short, he cut off the titles of one hundred and six marquises, accounting for half of the total number of marquises at that time, including several sons of Wei Qing and some of his close subordinates, as well as a large number of clan members, such as Liu Zhen, the Marquis of Lucheng County.
The so-called gold is the gold that the princes give to the imperial court every year, which is ostensibly a tribute for sacrifice, but in fact, it is the money that the imperial court changes direction to collect from the princes.
Five years before the Yuan Dynasty, it was common for the emperor to turn a blind eye to the past, but the reason why Emperor Wudi wanted to make a big fuss about the gold in this year was that he wanted to take this opportunity to deprive some people of their marquises, nationalize their land, increase the state's financial revenue, and also play a role in strengthening imperial power.
Generally speaking, the marquis of Jin Dynasty was generally a relatively powerful person, and Liu Zhen's fiefdom was actually very small, but he was close to Emperor Wu of Han and threatened the imperial power more than the princes with different surnames, so he was also deprived of the marquis.
Because Liu Zhen lost his title, his family gradually declined, and later he settled in Zhuo County, Zhuo County, and became an idle member of the clan.
Liu Zhen had two sons, the eldest son Liu Xuan and the second son Liu Ang, of whom Liu Bei was Liu Ang's fifteenth grandson, which comes from the Liu family genealogy:
Liu Zhen, Liu Ang, Liu Lu, Liu Lian, Liu Ying, Liu Jian, Liu Qing'an, Liu Xian, Liu Shu, Liu Yi, Liu Bi, Liu Buxi, Liu Hui, Liu Xiong, Liu Hong, Liu Bei.
However, this family tree looks very complete, but it was compiled in the 1980s, and there is no detailed record of Liu Bei's family lineage in the history books, so this family tree cannot prove that Liu Bei is a descendant of Liu Sheng.
So, whether Liu Bei was a descendant of Liu Sheng or not, and did anyone question his identity at that time?
First of all, I think That Liu Bei is a descendant of Liu Sheng, a member of the Han Dynasty, which was a well-known fact at the time, so no one questioned him for the following reasons:
First, if Liu Bei had not been a Han Dynasty patriarch, his grandfather could not have been honored with filial piety.
The history books say that Liu Bei's grandfather Liu Xiong was promoted to filial piety and an official to Fan Ling of Dong Commandery, and although his father Liu Hong died early, he also served as an official in the prefecture.
Filial piety was an important way for Han Dynasty scholars to enter the army, and only filial piety to their parents, honest and learned Confucian students were eligible to be honored with filial piety, and very few people could be selected, and 200,000 people could only recommend one person a year in the county.
But in fact, from the middle and late Period of the Western Han Dynasty, filial piety has always been monopolized by the family clan, especially in the political chaos at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, ordinary people want to enter the world through filial piety, it is as difficult as ascending to heaven, generally only members of the clan and the children of officials and eunuchs can be promoted to filial piety.
However, Liu Bei's grandfather Liu Xiong was promoted as filial piety, and his father Liu Hong also served as an official in the state, which shows that his family is actually not ordinary, it is very likely to be a royal family, although it has declined, but after all, it is a member of the clan, and the local officials have to give some thin noodles.
Second, the people Liu Bei usually interacts with are also powerful people, and if he is not a royal family, this is an impossible thing.
According to historical records, after the death of Liu Bei's father, his family was completely destroyed, and he could only work with his mother to weave mats and sell shoes, and his life was very difficult.
However, after Liu Bei grew up a little, with the support of his cousin Liu Yuanqi, he and his cousin Liu Deran, his friend Gongsun Zhan of Liaoxi, and others worshiped Lu Zhi, a native of Tong county, as a teacher.
Gongsun Zhan, who was born into an aristocracy, grew up to marry Taishou's daughter as his wife, was a proper upper-class person; Lu Zhi, even more so, when he was young, he studied under Taiwei Chen Qiu and Da Ru Ma Rong, and was a brother of the same disciple with Zheng Xuan, Hua Xin, and others, who served as Jiujiang Taishou and Lujiang Taishou, and was a famous scribe, politician, and military expert at that time, and was a proper big figure.
In this way, two people can interact with a figure like Liu Bei who lives at the bottom, why is this?
There is only one explanation, that is, Liu Bei's family lineage is not ordinary, if he is not from the royal family, how can he make friends with high-class people.
Moreover, the history books say that Liu Bei did not like to read, but was interested in gorgeous costumes, dogs and horses, and music, which were all things that the children of the nobles would play, but he did not learn them all, why is this?
It can only be said that Liu Bei was born into an aristocratic family and inherited some stinky problems that only some of his poor children have, otherwise it would not be common sense for him to have these hobbies when he was poor and destitute.
With the same Emperor Liu Deran, Liaoxi Gongsun Zhanju accident Jiujiang Taishou Tongjun Lu Zhi... The Lord was not very fond of reading, but liked dogs and horses, music, and beautiful clothes.
When Liu Bei was in his twenties, he had great ambitions, in order to have a great achievement, he secretly befriended haojie people, many people went to him, Zhongshan rich merchants Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang, etc. even took out thousands of gold and a large number of horses to fund him, so his men gathered a large group of people, including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Good friends, young people fight for it. Zhongshan merchants Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang and others paid thousands of dollars, and sold horses around Zhuo County, seeing different things, but many of them had gold and wealth. The lord is to use the disciples.
What kind of charm does Liu Bei have that can make so many people turn to him, is it because he is handsome?
Of course not, people are not fools, Liu Bei is poor and white, and there is no capital, if it were not for the fact that he had the identity of the Han Dynasty Sect, how could everyone fight for him.
Third, Qunxiong's attitude towards Liu Bei also shows that his royal identity cannot be fake.
In real history, Liu Bei never said "I am after Liu Sheng, the King of Jing of Zhongshan", and no one in the crowd openly claimed that he was a member of the Han Dynasty, and the title of Liu Huangshu was only invented in the interpretation.
Of course, I am not saying that Liu Bei is not a Han Dynasty patriarch, it is precisely because he is, so there is no need for others to deliberately emphasize it.
The reason for saying this is actually very simple, if others say that Liu Bei is a Han Dynasty patriarch, then others are shorter than her at the beginning, but it is precisely because of the established facts that others cannot deny that Liu Bei is a descendant of the imperial family, so they can only not mention this stubble.
It is undeniable that Liu Bei eventually became the Emperor of Shu Han from a small mat weaver and a peddler, the lowest starting point among the monarchs of the Three Kingdoms, and the reason why he was able to stand on his feet was undoubtedly of great help.
As for whether Liu Bei was a han dynasty patriarch, let's see what the attitude of the people at the time was.
In 220, when Liu Bei was proclaimed emperor, Zhuge Liang and others put on a table of persuasion, which said that Liu Bei was a queen of the Han Dynasty:
Fu Han, Gao Zu ben set the name of the kingdom of the world, the great king attacked the trajectory of the former emperor, and also flourished in Hanzhongye.
To say that Liu Bei should follow the trajectory of Han Gaozu and revitalize the country from Hanzhong means that Liu Bei is a descendant of Liu Bang.
Why didn't you say that you were a Han Dynasty patriarch when you were fighting for the world before, but now you want to say it?
The reason is actually very simple, Liu Bei is only a side branch of the royal family, a distant branch, and the close relationship with Emperor Xiandi of Han, is not as good as Liu Biao in Jingzhou and Liu Zhang in Yizhou, his identity, if he is everywhere after proclaiming that he is an imperial family, but also trying to compete for the world, I am afraid that it will cause many people to resent and oppose, so he can only secretly borrow this identity to win people's hearts, and then accumulate enough strength.
When Liu Bei was proclaimed emperor, he had already occupied Jingzhou, Yizhou and Hanzhong, and there was one of the three points in the world, at this time the strength was enough, if he took out the imperial identity, the obstacle of calling the emperor would be less than half.
Therefore, when Liu Bei should keep a low profile and when he should be high-profile is based on political needs.
After Liu Bei became emperor, whether it was his opponents or other descendants of the Han Dynasty, no one stood up to question his identity, which showed that this problem was not a problem at that time, and there was no need to say anything.
Of course, some people may have to say, others are afraid of Liu Bei's strong strength, so they dare not say.
This view is actually incorrect, because at that time, the world put personal conduct and ethics first, and if Liu Bei dared to forge his identity, there would always be moral models who would stand up to criticize him and oppose him, but in fact, this kind of thing did not happen.
In addition, Zhuge Liang was self-righteous and known for his outstanding moral character, and his words should be credible, if Liu Bei was not a descendant of the imperial family, how could he possibly agree to persuade Liu Bei to be the relevant description of liu Bei as a Han Dynasty sect, because it was difficult to achieve the grand goal of restoring the Han Dynasty by supporting a fake Han Dynasty sect, and Zhuge Liang could not make such a mistake.
In fact, Zhuge Liang himself repeatedly told people that Liu Bei was a member of the Han Dynasty.
The first time was when Longzhong was right, Zhuge Liang said that although Liu Bei's strength was weak, he was a Han Dynasty patriarch and could use this identity to attract talents. In fact, from another point of view, it is precisely because Liu Bei is the identity of the Han Dynasty's clan that Zhuge Liang is willing to go out of the mountains to assist him.
The second time was before the Chibi War, Jingzhou was acquired by Cao Cao, Liu Bei had nowhere to go, so he garrisoned Xiakou, and sent Zhuge Liang to send an envoy to Eastern Wu to form an ally, when Zhuge Liang negotiated with Sun Quan, Sun Quan hated Liu Bei's weak strength, and the two families were not enough to fight against Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang took Liu Bei as the Han Dynasty's clan office, and the appeal was great, Sun Quan did not question this matter at that time, but increased a lot of confidence.
Liang Yue: Tian Heng, Qi Zhi Zhuang Shi Er, Ju Shou Yi is not dishonored, Liu Yuzhou royal family, the talent of the world, the admiration of all the soldiers, if the water returns to the sea, if things are not good, this is the heavens, an can be restored to the bottom! Quan Buren said: I cannot lift up the land of Wu, the hundred thousand people, subject to man. I'm done! Non-Liu Yuzhou Mo can be Cao Cao.
Even Sun Quan, who "gave birth to a son like Sun Zhongmou", did not feel that There was a problem with Liu Bei's identity, was it because Liu Bei had good acting skills and pretended to be like him?
In addition to Sun Quan, some of the princes that Liu Bei had defected to, their attitude was also worth playing.
For example, Tao Qian, he was very courteous to Liu Bei, and before he died, he gave Xuzhou to Liu Bei, you must know that he has a son, this kind of selfless spirit of the grand duke, is it just because of Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness that he was inspired?
Another example is Liu Biao, he was extremely defensive of Liu Bei, and before he died, he also tested Liu Bei, saying that he was going to give Jingzhou to him, at that time Liu Biao also had a son, he was actually testing Liu Bei, liu Bei if he accepted at that time, it is estimated that the knife and axe hand arranged by Liu Bei would kill Liu Bei.
There is also Cao Cao, his attitude is also worth playing, when Liu Bei defected to him to XuDu, he was played as a general of the left, and later Liu Bei wanted to leave, Guo Jia and others persuaded Cao Cao not to let Liu Bei go, but Cao Cao did not listen, which became one of the most regrettable things in his life.
The attitude of Tao Qian, Liu Biao, and Cao Cao towards Liu Bei is not because Liu Bei is strong, nor is it because Liu Bei has personal charm and respect, but it is actually because of his identity.
Specifically, Tao Qian knew that Liu Bei's identity was special, and his son could not deal with Liu Bei, so he took the initiative to give up Xuzhou; Liu Biao was jealous of Liu Bei's identity, so he guarded him everywhere, afraid that he would take Jingzhou; Cao Cao wanted to use Liu Bei's identity to let him work for himself, and as a result, Liu Bei did not look up to him at all, so he regretted it.
Also, before Liu Bei took Yizhou, Zhang Song, in order to persuade Liu Zhang to agree to Liu Bei's entry into Shu, once told Liu Zhang that Liu Bei was a Han Dynasty patriarch and was good at using soldiers, and if he was allowed to enter Shu, Zhang Lu would be defeated.
Song Yue: Liu Yuzhou, the Emperor's Ancestral Chamber and Cao Gong's Deep Yan Ye, make good use of soldiers, if they make it lulu, Lu will be broken. Lu Break, then Yizhou Qiang, Cao Gong came, powerless.
Liu Zhang also agreed with Zhang Song's statement, did not question Liu Bei's identity, and soon sent Zhang Song to invite Liu Bei, and after Liu Bei arrived, he personally went to greet him, just like seeing his brother.
In fact, there were also many people who opposed Liu Bei's entry into Shu at that time, and the reason why Zhang Song was able to move Liu Zhang was not because Liu Bei and Liu Zhang were the same sect, otherwise Liu Zhang would not have been able to rest assured of Liu Bei.
Of course, there is another person's attitude that has to be said, this person is the Han Xiandi.
The history books do not record that Emperor Xiandi of Han and Liu Bei did not meet, but it is certain that Emperor Xiandi of Han should not have questioned Liu Bei's identity.
At first, Liu Bei defected to Cao Cao and was made a general of the left by Cao Cao's cousin Emperor Xian of Han, and the two of them went out on the same public opinion and sat at the same table, and the relationship seemed to be intimate, but in fact, it was not so.
For Cao Cao, of course, he just wanted to use Liu Bei, and Liu Bei was only temporarily attached to him, and the two were actually in the same bed and dream.
This was seen by the clever Emperor Xian of Han, and he took a dangerous step, that is, he issued a belt edict to his father-in-law, the che general Dong Cheng (Dong Guiren's father), and Dong Cheng contacted Liu Bei, Wang Zifu and others to conspire to kill Cao Cao.
Later, the Yidaizhao Incident broke out, and Dong Cheng and others were killed by Cao Cao, and Emperor Xiandi's plan was frustrated.
We can find that although Liu Bei was Cao Cao's guest, Emperor Xian of Han and Dong Cheng let him participate in the murder of Cao Cao.
Of course, it was related to Liu Bei's lineage, if he was not a Han Dynasty patriarch, Emperor Xian of Han would not have taken such a risk to find him, and he would not have risked agreeing.
After Cao Pi usurped Han, Liu Bei heard that Emperor Xian of Han had died (in fact, it was a rumor), so he established himself as emperor.
At that time, Cao Pi made Emperor Xian of Han the Duke of Shanyang, allowing him to enshrine Han as Zhengshuo in his fiefdom and build a temple of Han Zong to enshrine Han, and the people of his fief could also retain the customs of the Han Dynasty (such as continuing to wear Han costumes, etc.).
This means that although the Han Dynasty has perished, the Zongmiao Temple is still there, and the Han Xiandi is still the orthodox Han Dynasty and can retain a certain degree of freedom.
But the strange thing is that after Liu Bei became emperor, he declared himself the successor of Liu Bang and Liu Xiu (Si Wu Erzu) and continued to retain the state name of Han, which seriously affected the orthodox status of Emperor Xian of Han, but he did not raise any objections, and even Cao Pi and Sun Quan did not say that there was anything wrong with this, why?
It can only be said that Liu Bei was indeed the patriarch of the Han Dynasty, and there was no problem in calling himself emperor after the fall of the Han Dynasty, otherwise Emperor Xian of Han could not have been indifferent, and Sun Quan and Cao Pi could not have made a big fuss about it.
To sum up, the reason why Liu Bei's life is suspected is because we modern people cannot find direct evidence, but this matter may not be a problem at all at that time, first, because the identity of the Han Dynasty patriarch cannot be falsified, second, Liu Bei's personal experience is extraordinary, which can only be explained by the fact that he is a Han Dynasty patriarch, and the third is that Qunxiong did not doubt him, otherwise he would not be morally untenable at all.