In the early period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the steady development of the country. Historically, fame is less than the previous dynasty, and it is also insufficient than the later dynasty. Or rather, at that time, the emperor was too low-key, did not pay too much attention to historical officials, and many historical facts were not recorded, so throughout the long river of history, his sense of existence was slightly lower. Liu Xiu, the first emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, did the same, as did his son Liu Zhuang. Liu Xiu has talked in detail before, and what Xiaobian wants to talk about today is Liu Zhuang. His life was smooth, and it was in this environment that he grew up, and after taking over the throne in the hands of his brother, he made the country rich and the people strong.
Speaking of Liu Zhuang, we have to start with his mother, and his talent and ability are naturally inseparable from his mother's education. Liu Zhuang's mother is called Yin Lihua, born in a rich family, the rich side of the big girl xiu is a famous person, as a descendant of Guan Zhong, whether it is education or knowledge, not ordinary people can compare. Liu Zhuang's mother, from her youth, has been the ideal object that her parents Liu Xiu dreamed of. Later, the father married this dream lover in the rebellion, and naturally loved him as much as he could, even if the empress was not his mother later, but the emperor's favor did not diminish. Liu Zhuang's mother is a woman who understands the great righteousness in historical records, and her virtuousness and modesty have been recorded countless times in ancient books, and Liu Zhuang's father and emperor have praised this woman countless times for knowing the general body, considerate, and virtuous. It was such a woman who cultivated Liu Zhuang, an excellent emperor. Yin Lihua's success was reflected in the second emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Liu Zhuang's success was inseparable from his mother's teaching. Liu Zhuang's success verified the fact that his mother was poor and her son was expensive, and also verified the fact that his father's vision was unique.
Although Liu Zhuang was not very famous in history, he was praised continuously, and was even rated as a near-perfect emperor. Such an evaluation is not his own evaluation, nor is it the evaluation of historical officials, but the evaluation of the common people, and even more the evaluation of future generations. This evaluation is not because the merits of his father and emperor have made him receive this honor, nor the credit of his mother, but because he has exchanged his own ability and wisdom for himself, and he has won the respect of future generations for himself with diligence and courage. What did Liu Zhuang do to make the younger generations sing his merits so much? A closer look at the history of Liu Zhuang in the Eastern Han Dynasty is nothing more than these few things.
From an early age, he has the ability to be talented. Liu Zhuang's cleverness has been shown since childhood. When he was ten years old, he had already read "Spring and Autumn", and what changed the emperor's view of him was the Dutian Incident, and it was indeed worthy of people's admiration to have such a thoughtful consideration for a twelve-year-old child. After his father unified Jiangshan, there was a rebellion by Shan Chen, Fu Zhen, etc., they occupied the city as king, and also held hostage the officials who managed the city, at that time, Emperor Guangwu sent troops to attack the city countless times, these rebellious ministers had enough food and grass, and how could they not attack the city, Emperor Guangwu remembered, feeling that this was a very laborious and time-consuming difficult thing, let the ministers propose, see what policy to adopt, the ministers gave different suggestions, at this time, only Liu Zhuang saw the essence, gave a maverick opinion, said that it was not suitable to rush to attack the city, The siege is the most secure, slowly surviving these rebels, and one day they will not be able to hold on. This policy was adopted, and sure enough, these rebels did not last long and were taken down. Emperor Guangwu successfully captured the city. This is due to the advice of this prince Liu Zhuang.
After becoming emperor, Liu Zhuang, the Emperor of The Han Dynasty, showed his unique political charm in governing the country. After the death of his father, he pursued the policy of consolidation that had been implemented before. The use of one-piece and one-piece means was very popular with the social environment at that time. Those who are strong in the class of large landlords and run amok bullies are severely punished according to law, and those who have meritorious service are given heavy rewards. Once, Dou Lin's people were locked up because they were deceitful and corrupt. Liu Zhuang not only punished his disciple, but also severely punished him, saying that he was not disciplined well, so he dismissed him from his post. Of course, Liu Zhuang was a person who was good at learning from history, and absolutely did not allow the relatives of the harem concubines to exceed their powers, and for foreign relatives, he strictly restricted the power of foreign relatives in order to prevent wang Mang from usurping power. These royal relatives were punished for serious crimes if they committed crimes. There is absolutely no impunity for the size of the official position. Therefore, after these measures were truly implemented, they established their majesty within the imperial court.
No matter what you do, the official style of the imperial court is very important, so in the work of rectifying the officials, Liu Zhuang has also made sufficient preparations. From local to central officials, he made a careful choice. Never give extra care just because of any special person. During Liu Zhuang's reign, he, like his father, repeatedly ordered the reduction of the peasants' tax burden and the granting of the land to the poor peasants, in addition to the construction of water conservancy and irrigation of the fields, among these credits, the greatest credit is to govern the Yellow River. This measure has allowed the agricultural production of the people along the Yellow River to proceed normally. Liu Zhuang, like his father, was also a very frugal person, so the people in the court all abstained from the wind of luxury, and in this way, the frugal style of the Eastern Han Dynasty has always been prevalent in his generation. It was also this series of policies that the population of the whole country jumped from 21 million to more than 34 million, the tiger father had no dogs, and the Eastern Han Dynasty under Liu Zhuang's rule saw a great prosperity.
Of course, Liu Zhuang's credit is not only policy, but also the development of territory. During the reign of Emperor Liu Zhuang, the state's foreign policy adhered to a conservative policy, but when he came here, the country also began to embark on the road of stability, so it began to shift from defense to attack. He began to adopt an active policy, he adopted an active policy in remote areas, and the Xiongnu who had been circling the frontier for a long time seized the frontier. Later, Liu Zhuang ordered his subordinates to attack the Xiongnu separately, this time, defeating the Xiongnu at Tianshan Mountain, and after countless battles, the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty were once again in contact after sixty-five years of isolation. After Dou Gu's efforts, the Han once again restored its rule over the Western Han.
In terms of morality, Liu Zhuang is also a person of high character, and in life, he respects the old and loves the young, strict with the officials of the imperial court, and loose to the people. Liu Zhuang inherited the Confucian thought of his father's generation, so he respected his teacher, respected the old and loved the young, and even went to pay his respects when his teacher died. In this way, he intends to guide the social atmosphere and guide the whole country to respect the teacher.
Throughout the ages, the ruler's stubbornness, the ruler's will not reflect, blindly attributing the merits to others is the misfortune of the people. Such rulers are not in the minority. He knows how to reflect on his own merits and listen to the opinions of others. Know the suffering of the people and solve the difficulties of the peasants. Such a ruler was the luck of the common people at that time, and it was also the luck of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Liu Zhuang's praise comes from his diligence, from the wisdom of implementing a series of policies that benefit the country and the people, and from his personal high character. The first half of his life was influenced by his mother and successfully ascended to the throne, and in the second half of his life, he relied on his own ability to create a stable present world for the Eastern Han Dynasty and the people, and his administrative style was very similar to that of the Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. Strict self-forgiveness, such a style of dealing with the world is very applicable to both contemporary and future generations of people's philosophy of life. Being born in such a social environment was Liu Zhuang's luck, and for the people at that time, it was also their blessing to have such a wise and courageous ruler. He will always be a dazzling imperial star in Chinese history.