In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in addition to two large-scale divisions of meritorious figures before and after the founding of the Yuan Dynasty and the thirteenth year of Jianwu, Liu Xiu also gave material rewards and favors to some people with battle merits or meritorious achievements, and these material rewards and favors also strengthened the meritorious class in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty to a certain extent.
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At the time of the Two Han Dynasties, after a long period of war, the country was empty, the society was impoverished, and the economic conditions were very bad. ”。“ The people are hungry, people cannibalize", the material conditions of the whole society were very scarce, in the poor social conditions at that time, Liu Xiu's material rewards for meritorious heroes were very rich, and the various rewards listed in the "Eastern Han Dynasty Meeting Wants and Rewards" include "money, clothes, clothing, clothing, anche, miscellaneous, drapery, cattle wine, sheep wine." ”
The following is an analysis of Liu Xiu's various rewards for meritorious heroes:
(1) Reward coins
In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang often had the reward of Tian House in his rewards for meritorious figures, but looking at the relevant historical books, it is impossible to see Liu Bang rewarding coins to meritorious heroes. In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu recorded a lot of coins in the reward.
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were roughly three situations of coin reward:
1. Motivate battle merits
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were already coins to motivate military merit, and Liu Xiu gave money to let Li Zhong save his relatives, in addition to motivating battle merits, it was also related to the loyalty shown by Li Zhong's relatives who were held by Ma Pet by Xindu, but Li Zhong still killed Ma Pet's brother, and Liu Xiu's strong support for Li Zhong to rescue his relatives under special circumstances at that time.
Liu Xiu gave Zhu You 30 jin of gold, in addition to being related to Zhu You's battle exploits, more importantly, Zhu You was captured by Deng Feng, and had just been released, which meant to comfort Zhu You. In the unification war of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu rewarded the meritorious heroes with coins, and also affirmed the meritorious heroes' existing achievements, encouraging the meritorious heroes to continue their efforts to complete the unification.
"Later Hanshu • Dou Rong Biography" has a record that "now give the general two hundred catties of gold, cheap words". Liu Xiu's reward for Feng Yi's coins was in the sixth year of Jianwu, when Feng Yi was in the Ding Pass, with outstanding achievements, Liu Xiu's reward for Feng Yi, on the one hand, was an affirmation of his contribution, on the other hand, the war was not over, motivating Feng Yi to continue his efforts. Liu Xiu's reward for Dou Rong was in the fifth year of Jianwu, when the Kwantung War had not yet ended, and Liu Xiu rewarded Dou Rong both to praise his return to the Eastern Han Dynasty and to woo and motivate Dou Rong to contain the northwest and ultimately achieve the purpose of unifying the world.
2. Praise merit
Liu Xiu rewarded people with battle merits and meritorious deeds, and most of the cases of praising meritorious achievements after the unification of the world praised these people's past battle merits, excellent achievements in governing the localities, noble morality, and special talents. As Liu Xiu's brother-in-law, Deng Chen followed Liu Xiu into his birth and death, made great achievements and was rewarded. Guo Gong not only has military merit but also political achievements. Yu Yan was rewarded for his noble qualities. "Huan Rong taught for his special cultural talents, and the prince was rewarded. Liu Bin, as a prince of the Liu clan, was rewarded for his high cultivation of "shu cultivation to practice" as a master of the princes.
(2) Give clothes, crowns, drapery, etc
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu's rewards for meritorious officials' clothes, crowns, drapery, etc., like coin rewards, were mostly for praising meritorious achievements, recognizing excellent qualities, academic talents, etc. For example, as Liu Xiu's cousin, Lai Xiu sent several envoys to Kui, and attacked Luoyang by surprise, stubbornly persevered, and from spring to autumn, made a significant contribution to Liu Xiu's defeat of Kui, Liu Xiu "set up a high party for wine, labored and gave the squad, and at the right of the generals, gave his wife a thousand horses." ”
Here, Liu Xiu not only praised Lai Xiao's achievements, but also encouraged Lai Xiao to continue to work hard, and finally was able to calm Bashu's intentions. When Feng Yi entered the imperial court in the sixth year of Jianwu, Liu Xiu "gave treasures, clothes, money, and handsomes to the Zhonghuangmen," which also had the effect of praising meritorious achievements. And Guo Tong "(Jianwu) eleven years, the province Shuo Fang Assassination History belongs to the prefecture. The emperor took Lu Fang as the northern land, but he was appointed as the pastor of Hezhou. After passing through the Jing Shi Xie'en, the emperor immediately introduced him, and summoned the crown princes to feast all day long, and rewarded the carriages, horses, clothes, and goods. ”
In the twenty-second year of Ling (Jianwu), he was recruited as a doctor of Taizhong and gave him a district of the house, and a drapery of money valley to fill his home. Guo Gong was rewarded by Liu Xiu twice, the first time in Jianwu eleven years, and Guo Gong had repeatedly made battle merits before. Therefore, in the eleventh year of Jianwu, Liu Xiu's reward for Guo Gong had the intention of praising meritorious achievements, and in the twenty-second year of Jianwu, Guo Bao "wrote books and begged bones with old age and illness", and Liu Xiu's reward to Guo Gong was an affirmation of his life's merits.
In addition, Liu Xiu's rewards for other people's clothes, crowns, taperings, draperies, etc. also have the effect of winning people's hearts through praise. For example, "With (Zhuo) Mao as the prince, he was given the title of Marquis of De, and he was given two thousand households, and he was given a few rods and horses, and a garment of five hundred catties." "Zhuo Mao is famous in the world, and should be rewarded by the world", after Zhuo Mao's death, Liu Xiu gave the coffin to the grave, and the car driver came to the funeral in person. It can be seen that Liu Xiu's reward for Zhuo Mao not only has the praise of Zhuo Mao's ethics and knowledge, but also the intention of winning the hearts of the world's people by praising Zhuo Mao.
(3) Rewarding carts, horses, etc
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, after a long period of war, economic depression, and a scene of ruin, the carriages and horses used as a means of transportation were even more luxurious. For example, the Book of the Later Han and the Legend of Zhu Fu recorded: "All the kings of the clan and the descendants of the foreign family are in the name of obeying the rope and ink, and there is no party power." To or by ox cart, to make up people. ”。 This is very similar to the situation in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, "since the Son of Heaven could not have alcohol, but would meet or ride an ox cart".
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, as a prince of the clan family, as well as foreign relatives and nobles, they often rode ox carts, while Liu Xiu often rewarded meritorious ministers with carriages and horses. For example, "(Jia) Fu Ma Xie, Guangwu Xie Zuo Test to give it." "The Book of the Later Han • Public Opinion" records that "on the left, on the mash horse reel." Xu Guang noted: "The horse is in the middle and outside." 駢 is also known as Zheng Zheng. Liu Xiu gave Jia Fu the mash horse outside among the horses he rode, and when Liu Xiu was in Hebei, his power was weak, and Liu Xiu rewarded Jia Fu's mash horse, and there was also the intention of recruiting talents under the circumstances at that time.
Liu Xiu's reward for horse aid carriages and horses in the 20th year of Jianwu was a praise for his pacification of the intersection and rebellion against chaos, and the "Later Hanshu • Ma Yuan Biography" recorded: "In the autumn of the twentieth year (Jianwu), the Zhen brigade returned to the Beijing division, and the military officials died of the plague in the 14th Five-Year Plan. Give a reinforcement to the troop cart, and meet the rank of Jiuqing. In addition, Liu Xiu also rewarded Zhuo Mao and Guo Gong with "carriages and horses", and Huanrong with "chariots and horses." ”
(4) Reward treasures, artifacts, etc
After Liu Xiu unified the world, he was very tolerant and preferential to those heroes who had contributed to the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The "Later Hanshu Ma Wu Biography" recorded: "Although the emperor made meritorious ministers, every time he could return his appearance, he lost a small loss." Far away tribute Zhengan, will first give to the princes, and there will be no eunuchs. Meritorious work, increase reward. It can be seen that Liu Xiu is very tolerant of meritorious heroes, and rewards are also very common, and the sweetness of tribute from afar is often shared with meritorious heroes.
The Book of the Later Han and the Legend of Dou Rong recorded: "(Liu Xiu) counted the light envoys and left the four sides to cherish shame. In addition to rewarding meritorious people, Liu Xiu also gave some artifacts to meritorious people, which usually have a certain meaning, often related to the duties of the rewarded or the things they are engaged in.
For example, the "Later Hanshu Du Shi Biography" recorded: "In the first year of Jianwu, the three years were moved to the history of the imperial attendant, Anjiluoyang. When the general Xiao Guang indulged the soldiers, he was violent among the people, and the people were disturbed, and the poetry did not change. Shizu summoned him, gave him the first halberd, restored the east of the river, and condemned the rebel thief Yang Yi and so on. "
Du Shi's position at that time was the history of the imperial attendants of Anji Luoyang, and the "Later Hanshu • Hundred Official Zhi III" recorded: "Fifteen people in the history of the imperial attendants, six hundred stones." This note says: The inspection and prosecution are illegal, and they are impeached for violating the actions of the public secretary and the group of officials. Where the temple of the suburbs and the great pilgrimage meeting, the great worship, the two supervise the ceremony, and if there is a violation, they will be impeached. Du Shi killed the tyrannical people, and Xiao Guang, who did not change, was rewarded by Liu Xiu with the "Chestnut Halberd".
For the "chai halberd", the "Later Hanshu Du Shi Biography" notes that "the chestnut halberd, the precursor weapon, also recorded in the "Later Hanshu • Public Opinion Zhi": "Up to two thousand stones below the gong, four riding officials, below a thousand stones to three hundred stones, and the two county magistrates, both with swords, holding the halberd as the front." "The halberd was a kind of ritual used as a precursor when Han Dynasty officials traveled. Du Shi was a squire at the time and had the duty of supervising the prestige, and Liu Xiu's reward for giving him the halberd was related to this duty.
Liu Xiu also rewarded Yu Yanqian and a sword with a sabre, Yu Yan was the governor of Chen Liu, Yu Yan had advised Chen Liutai not to be extravagant, Liu Xiu heard of it, and Liu Xiu was surprised to hear it, and after Liu Xiu toured Xiaohuang, as the governor of the ministry, Yu Yan calmly entered and stopped, and paid considerable respects, and took responsibility for the imperial shi, and was appreciated by Liu Xiu, and Liu Xiu rewarded him with money and sword and sabre. Yu Yan was the Governor of Postal Affairs at the time, and Liu Xiu rewarded him with a sword and sabre, which was not only a favor to him, but also related to his duty to rectify the impeachment of the Governor.
In addition, in the second year of Jianwu, because Deng Yu could not pacify Guanzhong, Liu Xiu sent Feng Yi to replace Deng Yu in Pingding Guanzhong, "the car was sent to Henan, and he was given a seven-foot sword," where Liu Xiu's reward for Feng Yi and the seven-foot sword not only expressed his favor to Feng Yi, but also contained great expectations for Feng Yi in Pingdingguanzhong.
(5) Reward for raising cattle, serving bottles of wine, etc
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, meritorious ministers were often rewarded with ox wine because they were old and retired from office, such as Liu Long, who "obeyed the law and guarded himself, regarded things as eight years old, and the general printed silk, gave cattle, and gave ten hu of wine to the bottle, and Liehou was invited by the court." "Liu Long himself is Liu Xiu's Nanyang clan office, followed Liu Xiu Nanyang to raise troops, ranked among the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai, after Liu Xiu unified the world, he adopted the strategy of "retiring meritorious ministers and entering the civil servants", most of the meritorious ministers withdrew from official positions, Liu Long was one of the few meritorious ministers who could still serve after the unification of the world, and he served until the twenty-eighth year of Jianwu, and died four years later, so when he was old and resting, Liu Xiu gave him cattle and ten bottles of wine.
(vi) Other material rewards
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in addition to the above-mentioned material rewards to meritorious heroes, Liu Xiu also often rewarded meritorious heroes with other items according to different circumstances. In ancient China, grain and money were often symbols of wealth, and Liu Xiu not only rewarded money, but also gave some grain to the heroes. Liu Xiu was very attentive to Dou Rong's reward of these items, narrowing the distance between Dou Rong and the Han royal family, and in order to win Dou Rong's heart to the Han family, sending troops to attack Kui Huan had a certain effect. Wang Fuzhi once commented: "The descendants of the Dou family and the Han dynasty are eternal, and a hundred years of prosperity." ”
In the eleventh year of Jianwu, Ma Yuan calmed the Qiang Rebellion, "Zhongyang ran through the shin, and the emperor gave thousands of cattle and sheep with a seal of books." "Before his debut, he used to graze in the fields of Longhan and Han, and there were thousands of cattle, horses, and sheep, and tens of thousands of grains. In the eleventh year of Jianwu, he was the Taishou of Longxi, who mostly lived by herding, and Liu Xiu rewarded horses to aid cattle and sheep, which can be described as very appropriate. In addition, because of Wang Liang's meritorious service, Liu Xiu also "reinstated his descendants of Yizhong to conscription," exempting Wang Liang's descendants from the burden of conscription, which can also be said to be a disguised material reward.
In short, in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu's above-mentioned material rewards for meritorious heroes increased the wealth of meritorious heroes, improved their status, and strengthened the privileged class of meritorious heroes in the early Eastern Han Dynasty.