With a kick, Liu Bang kicked his son Liu Ying off the carriage; "Oh" was another kick, and Liu Bang immediately kicked his daughter Liu Le down.
This was 205 BC, Liu Bang lost in the Battle of Pengcheng, more than 500,000 troops were defeated by Xiang Yu, Liu Bang rushed to a carriage, with only ten horses to flee.
On the way to escape, Liu Bang met his son Liu Ying and daughter Liu Le, who was just 6 years old at the time, and his sister Liu Le was only 8 or 9 years old. The panicked Liu Bang hurriedly carried the children to the carriage and fled with them.
After two more children on the carriage, the speed slowed down significantly. Seeing that the pursuing soldiers behind him were getting closer and closer, Liu Bang was worried that he would fall into the hands of the enemy, and in order to speed up the speed of the carriage, he kicked Liu Ying and Liu Le off the car several times in succession, but several times in succession, the coachman jumped out of the car and carried the child back.
After tossing and turning like this several times, the speed of the carriage was not only not fast, but slower and slower, Liu Bang was so angry that he wanted to kill the coachman more than a dozen times, but because there was no one else available for a while, he had to give up.
The two children were frightened enough by Liu Bang, and the coachman let the car move slowly until both children hugged the driver's neck tightly, and he accelerated the speed of the vehicle until he escaped safely back to Pei County.
Liu Bang's film and television image
Liu Bang was the founding prince of the country, but in this time of crisis, his attitude towards his own children was not as kind as that of a coachman. The coachman not only rescued the child, but also successfully escaped with Liu Bang. In the many subsequent battles, he loyally followed Liu Bang, became one of the founding heroes of the Western Han Dynasty, and finally lived himself as a rare long-lived old minister at that time, not only sending Liu Bang away, but also sending away Liu Ying and Lü Hou successively, ushering in the ascension of Liu Heng, the Emperor of Han, and becoming a rare old minister of the Four Dynasties in the early years of the Han Dynasty.
This famous and healthy and long-lived coachman is Xiahou Baby, and the story of him and Liu Bang's family is rich and wonderful.
1. Liu Bang's compatriots and friends
Xiahou Baby is Liu Bang's neighboring county fellow, he is a native of Pei County, when Liu Bang was the head of the Pei County Surabaya Pavilion, Xiahou Baby was responsible for raising horses and driving in Pei County, and every time he passed the Surabaya Pavilion after sending guests, he would run to liu Bang to chat. The two men obviously talk a lot, because they often talk for most of the day.
Liu Bang is a bold, informal, and sometimes jokes are not light or heavy. Once, liu Bang accidentally injured xiahou baby in the process of playing with xiahou baby, and someone sued Liu Bang to the official palace.
Liu Bang was the head of the Surabaya Pavilion at the time, and if he had a heartbreak, he would be severely punished. Liu Bang quickly stated that he did not intend to harm Xiahou Baby, and Xiahou Baby also took the initiative to testify for him, and as a result, the case was turned over, and Xiahou Baby was implicated by Liu Bang and was imprisoned for more than a year, during which he was also beaten hundreds of times, and Liu Bang was not punished for Xiahou Baby's testimony.
Xiahou Baby's film and television image
From the initial interaction between Liu Bang and Xiahou Baby, it can be seen that Xiahou Baby is a generous person, and it can be said that he is willing to insert a knife in both ribs for his friends.
It was precisely because of this point of Xiahou Bao that he was deeply trusted and valued by Liu Bang, and later became an old minister trusted and relied on by Lü Hou.
2. Help Liu Bang start an incident
When Liu Bang was preparing to start an incident, Xiahou Infant was already a county official in Pei County, and he did the liaison work for Liu Bang to attack Pei County as a county commander. Liu Bang took Pei County and was made the Duke of Pei, and Xiahou Bao was given the title of Seventh Doctor, serving as a servant to Liu Bang, who was specifically responsible for raising horses and driving cars.
Since then, Xiahou Bao has always followed Liu Bang's side: Liu Bang attacked the city, and he drove a military vehicle to attack quickly; As soon as he entered the city, he immediately threw himself into battle, without any hesitation or timidity.
In peacetime, he raised horses to drive cars, bravely participated in the war in wartime, Xiahou Infant made many military achievements, and by the time Liu Bang was crowned king of Han, Xiahou Infant was also named Marquis of Zhaoping. His identity has changed, but what has never changed is his duty, he is still a loyal servant of Liu Bang's side, and he follows Liu Bang into the Shu Han region.
Map of the Chu-Han War
Probably even Xiahou Bao himself did not expect that from the time he began to work as a servant to Liu Bang, this work of raising horses and driving for Tianzi he had done all his life, not only being given land by the marquis, but also becoming the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty.
3, Han Xin roared, Liu Bang had more generals
Many people know the story of Xiao He recommending Han Xin to Liu Bang, but not many people know the story of Xiahou Baby saving Han Xin.
After Liu Bang entered the Shu land, Han Xin could not be reused from Xiang Yu, so he left the Chu camp and defected to Liu Bang's tent. When Liu Bang first came into contact with Han Xin, he did not realize that he had any superiority, so he made him "Lian Ao", a petty official in charge of the warehouse.
Han Xin had always had great ambitions, and he was only arranged to be a small warehouse official, and his heart was very depressed, but this was not his worst condition. Later, Han Xin did not know what had been committed, and should be beheaded according to law, and the thirteen people who had committed the crime with him at that time had all been beheaded, and they would be lined up to Han Xin in order.
Han Xin was tied up by five flowers, and seeing that the limit was approaching, he couldn't help but look around with great nostalgia and emotion, just as Xiahou Baby passed by. Han Xin recognized that Xiahou Infant was a person who often followed Liu Bang, the King of Han, and saw that he was going to have no way to live, so Han Xin shouted at Xiahou Infant regardless of his disregard: "If you don't want it, the world cares? What a chopper! ”
Didn't the King of Han want to get the world, why did he kill the brave soldiers?
Han Xin's film and television image
When Xiahou Infant heard This roar of Han Xin, he felt that his words were extraordinary, and then looked closely at his appearance, saw his appearance, and concluded that this was by no means a vulgar person, so he ordered people to let Go of Han Xin.
After Han Xin was let go, Xiahou Infant had a conversation with him, and after listening to Han Xin's words, Xiahou Infant was very appreciative, so he recommended him to Liu Bang. Liu Bang promoted Han Xin to the rank of "Governor of Zhisu" and was specifically responsible for the food and salaries of the Han army.
The Chronicle of the Marquis of Huaiyin records this incident as follows:
Teng Gongqi's words, his appearance, and his release without cutting. With words, big talk. Speaking of the above, the upper worship thinks that it is the governor of the su, and the upper is not the qi also.
"Teng Gong" was Liu Bang's knighthood to Xiahou Bao.
Even at this point, Liu Bang listened to Xiahou Bao's recommendation and promoted Han Xin, but he still did not see anything outstanding about Han Xin. For Han Xin, Xiahou Bao's recommendation first saved his life, and second, it provided conditions for Xiao He Zhicai and Liu Bang to worship Han Xin as a general.
4. The self-cultivation of a coachman
Xiahou Infant followed Liu Bang all the way from Pei County to Huling, to Shu Han, to Sanqin, until 202 BC, when Liu Bang ascended the throne as Emperor Gao of Han, Lü Yan as empress, and Liu Ying as crown prince.
Although Liu Bang successfully ascended the throne, the threat around the Han Dynasty was not lifted, and Liu Bang often had to march in person to fight for the stability of the dynasty.
As a servant, Xiahou Infant must always follow Liu Bang's side, inevitably wade into danger, the most dangerous one is the siege of Bai Deng in 200 BC.
On that occasion, Liu Bang personally led an army of 320,000 to attack the Xiongnu, and after winning the pursuit all the way, he gradually relaxed his vigilance, was lured into the ambush set by the Xiongnu at Baishan Mountain, and was besieged by a 400,000-strong army led by Mao Dundan Yu.
The Xiongnu are single in portraits
The Han army has been surrounded for 7 days and 7 nights, with no grain and grass inside and no rescue troops outside. It was the middle of winter, it was freezing cold, many soldiers were frostbitten, food was about to be eaten, and the situation was very critical.
At the critical moment, Liu Bang adopted Chen Ping's strategy and sent someone to send a large amount of gold and silver jewelry to the Fu clan, which was very favored by Mao Dundan, which gave him the opportunity to escape from the corner of the encirclement.
Liu Bang had just broken away from the siege and immediately ordered Xiahou Infant to drive fast, but was dissuaded by Xiahou Infant. Xiahou Infant insisted on letting the vehicles and horses slowly walk in, and at the same time let the archers and arrows on the string, the bows were full, and they were aimed in the outward direction together to protect Liu Bang's safety, and finally succeeded in escaping the danger.
Xiahou Infant's "slow withdrawal" countermeasure at this time was obviously more favorable than Liu Bang's "fast run": because at that time, Shan Yu agreed to lift the siege of a corner and let Liu Bang retreat, because Fu Shi told Shan Yu that Liu Bang's rescue army of hundreds of thousands of people would soon arrive. In order to avoid a duel with a disparity in strength, Shan Yu agreed to let Liu Bang go. If the Han army withdrew from the encirclement and fled quickly, it was bound to arouse Shan Yu's suspicions. The enemy and us are not far apart, and the other side still has the opportunity to pursue and attack, so only a slow and stable retreat can show the confidence of "reinforcements from outside."
After this breakthrough, because Xiahou Bao made a meritorious contribution, Liu Bang sealed him a thousand households.
Xiahou Bao's role can be summed up in terms of "driver of the car" or "driver", but his role as a guard for Liu Bang cannot be replaced by any other role, and he is not qualified for this role without wisdom, courage and loyalty.
5. "Close to me"
In 195 BC, Liu Bang died, and the crown prince Liu Ying took the throne as Emperor Hui of Han, and Xiahou Bao continued to serve as a servant of Emperor Hui of Han.
Emperor Hui of Han was 16 years old when he ascended the throne, 10 years had passed since he was kicked out of the carriage by his father and brought back by Xiahou Bao. Emperor Hui of Han had a kind personality, and he always remembered Xiahou Bao's life-saving grace to himself.
The film and television image of Emperor Hui of Han
At this time, the power of the government was in the hands of Lü Hou, the mother of Emperor Hui of Han, who was also grateful for Xiahou Bao's kindness in saving a pair of her own children, so she gave Xiahou Baby a mansion close to the north of the palace, and specially named it "Close to Me", which means "so that you can be closest to me" to show your trust and grace for Xiahou Baby.
Emperor Hui of Han reigned for 7 years, and Xiahou Bao drove for Emperor Hui of Han for 7 years.
In 188 BC, Emperor Hui of Han died, and Xiahou Bao continued to drive for Lü Hou as a servant.
Another 8 years.
Let it change above the hall, and the whip that drives the car looks eternal.
6. The whip that stops
In 188 BC, Lü Hou died, and Liu Heng, who was far away in Daidi, was made emperor for Emperor Wen of Han.
No matter who sat in that position, the vehicles running on the road were indispensable, and Xiahou Bao still served at the side of Emperor Wen of Han as a servant:
After the ministers decided to welcome the daiwang, it was Xiahou Bao and Liu Xingju, the Marquis of Dongmu, who entered the palace to clear the young emperor out of the palace;
After Liu Heng arrived in Chang'an, he lived in the Daiwang Mansion, and the person who welcomed him to the palace to take the throne was still the Tianzi Fa driver driven by Xiahou Bao.
The film and television image of Emperor Wen of Han
Liu Heng ascended the throne, and it was the white-haired Xiahou Infant who continued to serve as a servant.
How old was Xiahou Infant at this time? There is no relevant record in history, even if it is calculated by the same age as Liu Bang, his age is not accurate, because Liu Bang's birth year is uncertain, some say 256 BC, some say 247 BC, so if you extrapolate, by the time Emperor Wen of Han ascended the throne in 180 BC, Xiahou Bao's age was between 67 and 77 years old, and he was already a high-lived elder in that era.
When Xiahou Baby stroked his gray beard and then gently waved the horse whip, he might say: It's not that I've lived too long, it's that they've lived too short.
This kind old man sent away his old friend Liu Bang, sent away Liu Ying, who had been personally saved, and after sending away Lu, who was very kind to him, he welcomed the other son of his old friend back to the throne. His increasingly vast eyes, once accustomed to seeing the shadow of swords and lights on the battlefield, witnessing the love and hate of the royal family, and also seeing the blood and ruthlessness in the court.
He was getting old, sitting on a slightly trembling carriage, and he might remember one afternoon long ago when he had finished delivering a guest and sat in the same trembling carriage to find the talkative Surabaya pavilion chief. Two people may have an afternoon of conversation, or they may not say anything, just a few casual drinks. ---- there's nothing wrong with that kind of day. After seeing the prosperity of the world, his heart may sound such a voice.
In 172 BC, Xiahou Bao, a servant of the Four Dynasties, died at an unknown age, with the posthumous title of Marquis Wen.
After him, he was the descendants of the famous Xiahou Huan, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Ba, Xiahou Xuan, Xiahou Xian, Xiahou He, and Xiahou Zhan, who wrote the Book of Wei.
Reference: Chronicle of History