Sharp title: The rise of the powerful landlord class in the early Western Han Dynasty: the culprit that led to the fall of the empire?
As a Chinese self-media creator, I know the importance of headlines. Explosive headlines are a powerful tool to attract readers, arouse their interest and curiosity, and in turn prompt them to click to read the article. Therefore, when writing this article, I paid special attention to the design of the title to make sure it is short and precise, less than 30 characters, and at the same time sharp and attractive.
The rise of powerful landlords: the culprit of the fall of the Western Han Dynasty?
This headline makes use of elements of two blockbuster headlines: a rhetorical question that arouses the reader's curiosity and a direct description of the core content of the article. Through this title, on the one hand, readers will be aroused by the question and want to understand the influence of powerful landlords on the Western Han Dynasty; On the other hand, it is also clear that the main content of this article is the rise of the powerful landlord class and its influence on the Western Han Empire.
Next, I will output the complete article according to the first-person perspective, strong sense of experience, and immersive writing style.
【Text】
preface
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, was a cloth cloth, and he understood the suffering of ordinary people very well. When Liu Bang first established the Han Dynasty, the affairs at hand were heavy and stressful. In order to appease the various forces, he took the method of dividing a large number of lands to reward his heroes and brothers, as well as the elders of the pre-Qin dynasty. This decision by Liu Bang directly led to the rise of the powerful landlord class in the early Han Dynasty.
The rise of the powerful landlord Han Gao ancestor Liu Bang was helpless
"King Han, you have committed a taboo! Divide all the land under the world, and leave too little for yourself! At Liu Bang's newly built court, several important advisers gathered to question Liu Bang's decision. Among these advisers, Zhang Liang and Chen Ping's advice was the sharpest.
Zhang Liang said in a deep voice: "The land of the world is the foundation of the country, how can Your Majesty easily give it up?" The dispersion of land is bound to weaken the control of the central government. "
Chen Ping also said: "Please think twice, Your Majesty!" Sealing may not stabilize people's hearts, but may encourage the expansion of local powerful forces. The fundamental way to resolve the world's disputes is to rely on His Majesty's wise administration to stabilize the people. "
Liu Bang shook his head lightly and said, "As far as the current situation is concerned, I have no better way. Think about it, I was just a mud leg back then, relying on your brothers to kill all the way to today's position, do you say that I don't reward everyone, and my heart is too happy? What's more, when I first laid down the world, there was still Xiang Yu's remnants that would not die, and I had to win people's hearts and win more supporters. "
Liu Bang got up and paced in the hall, looking slightly anxious: "I also know that dividing the land will cause my family's world to be unstable in the future, but I really can't help it right now!" If I cut the door now and cause trouble, I can't sit still. "
"That... What are you going to do, Your Majesty? Strategist Zhang Liang asked.
"Just let him go first." Liu Bang said in a low voice, "After I lay down the world, I will find a way to take it back." Like you said, I also understand the dangers of sub-sealing. But now I still need the support of these people, and when the opportunity comes in the future, I will naturally try to take back power. Don't worry, I'm not a stone head, I'm already planning to cut the clan. It's just not the time yet. "
So Liu Bang made a policy to turn all the heroes and brothers into landlords - the Military Merit Jue Law. According to the size of the credit, everyone can get countless pieces of land and property. Liu Bang himself spared no effort to reward his relatives, with his eldest brother Liu Fei crowned King of Wu and younger brother Liu Xi the King of Zhao. Liu Bang's henchman Peng Yue was even given the title of King of Guangling and received 100,000 households.
For a time, a large number of newly promoted landlords emerged around Liu Bang. They hold vast lands, have deep pockets, and control a certain amount of force. This emerging landlord force rose and grew in society in the early Han Dynasty. Villagers also chose to turn to these landlords in order to find a way to live without worrying about food and clothing.
Some landlords had a tyrannical personality, and they did everything they could to seize land and property, causing the people to suffer deeply. Some landlords, such as Zhang Liang and Xiao He, treated the people well and made them live and work in peace and contentment. The two very different styles made the people love and hate the landlord class.
Chao mistakenly reminded Hanwen that the great plan of Hanjing and the country must not be slackened
More than a decade later, the Han Dynasty's national power became more and more stable, and Liu Bang began to be wary of these princes and landlords who held large tracts of land. He realized that if these people were allowed to develop and grow, he might not be able to keep the rivers and mountains he had just established. So Liu Bang asked a strategist to discuss countermeasures.
Chao pointed out sharply: "His Majesty's purpose has been achieved in dividing the seal to calm the hearts of the people. But over the years, these powerful people have grown strong, sucked blood people, and cultivated their own force, which is enough to compete with the imperial court. If they are allowed to develop, the country will not be a country! "
Liu Bang thought thoughtfully: "Qing Yan is very true. I originally meant to reward meritorious figures, but I did not expect that these people would be arrogant and turn to seize the wealth of the people. It seems that it is time to take back power, otherwise the scourge is endless. "
So, at Chao's suggestion, Liu Bang began to cut the domain, preparing to reclaim the excess fiefdom. But at this moment, the local powerful forces have taken deep root, and Liu Bang's move is naturally strongly opposed. Under all kinds of resistance, Liu Bang's strategy of cutting the domain also failed, and those powerful landlords still went their own way.
Chao saw it in his eyes, but he couldn't help it. He could only repeatedly sound the alarm in front of Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Jing of Han - these powerful landlords had colluded with the princes, and if they were allowed to develop, they would inevitably endanger the foundation of the country. He constantly called on the emperor to take resolute measures to avoid endless evil.
In the face of Chao's advice, Emperor Wen of Han was quite troubled. He wanted to conform to the will of the people, give the people a respite, and it was difficult to make up his mind to reduce the power of the landlords. Emperor Han Jingdi, on the other hand, was much more decisive, and he pointed out sternly: "It has been three years since he succeeded to the throne, and he is a traitor and a powerful and unscrupulous man. Qing Yan said very much, this is the culprit! We should strive to level the world and bring fairness to the world. "
Hanjing Hanwu confiscated with an iron fist, but it was difficult to block the regeneration of leeks
Emperor Jingdi of Han listened to Chao's advice and decisively adopted a radical policy of reducing the domain. He deposed princes with different surnames and vigorously reduced the size of the county. Emperor Jing of Han also appointed many officials with an iron fist, such as Zhidu, to crack down harshly on the powerful local landlords.
The first thing Zhidu did after taking office was to check the local tycoons and found that a large local landowner, Liu, had occupied thousands of acres of farmland without authorization and annexed small farmland; He also forcibly occupied the women of the people and humiliated the people. Zhidu was furious, and immediately sent troops to arrest Liu and punish his household slaves. Liu was so frightened that he fled to the ends of the earth. The cheers of the people resounded in the sky for a long time. Since then, Zhidu's reputation for selflessness and impartial law enforcement has been far and wide.
Under the route pioneered by Emperor Jing of Han, the suppression of powerful landlords during the reign of Emperor Wudi of Han reached its peak. He not only continued to cut the domain, but also issued severe arithmetic orders to loot the wealth of powerful landlords. Many landowners could not bear the oppression of the emperor and abandoned their homes and fled to other lands.
However, just as the cut leeks will soon regenerate new branches and leaves, whenever the imperial court strikes against a group of powerful landlords, a new landlord class will soon emerge at the grassroots level to take their place. In his later years, Emperor Wudi of Han also realized that the policy of cracking down on the powerful had little effect, so he changed course and implemented a policy of rest and recuperation.
After the violent death of Emperor Wudi of Han, his grandson Emperor Huan ascended the throne and continued to suppress the powerful landlords. However, Emperor Huan was good at wine and neglected his government, which caused the landlord power to rise again. As a result, the powerful landlords began to secretly annex land and exploit the people. The imperial court seemed powerless to control this, leaving the landlords to their own devices.
Kuang Heng was a powerful landlord
After the death of Emperor Wudi of Han, the powerful landlord class re-emerged, becoming stronger and more hidden. Most of the landlord class of this generation, represented by Kuang Heng, entered the career through the imperial examination and became bureaucrats. While illegally annexing land through various means, they also used their status as officials to justify themselves. Kuang Heng himself illegally occupied more than 40,000 mu of land.
Kuang Heng came from a humble background, and through diligent study when he was young, he finally became a junior and became the third duke. But under his full of meridian appearance, Kuang Heng's private life is extremely corrupt. He was not only greedy for money, but also lustful, and took the people's daughters as concubines. Once, Kuang Heng took a fancy to a peasant girl and forcibly pulled her to the palace to serve as a concubine. The girl's parents begged Kuang Heng to release him, but Kuang Heng ignored it and threatened to kill the girl's entire family.
Under Kuang Heng's leadership, the power of the landlord class gradually infiltrated the core of imperial power. By the end of the Han Dynasty, the power of landlords had grown to the point where they could compete with imperial power. Emperor Chengdi of Han and Emperor Moi of Han tried to attack the landlord class, but could not do anything. The conflict between landlords and imperial power intensified, eventually leading to the collapse of the Western Han Dynasty.
epilogue
The powerful landlord class produced by the division of land in the early Western Han Dynasty was like an inexhaustible leek, which could be revived after the blows of Emperor Jing of Han and Emperor Wudi of Han. By the end of the Western Han Dynasty, their power had penetrated the imperial power, and the conflict with the monarch intensified, leading to the collapse of the Han Dynasty. We have to be vigilant that allowing the privileged class to expand and grow will inevitably jeopardize the long-term peace and stability of the country.
【End of article】
