Liu Bang was the founder of the Western Han Dynasty, who founded the Western Han Dynasty during the chaotic period after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, and the legend about him is widely told to this day. However, why is Liu Xiu, the founder of the Eastern Han Dynasty, rarely mentioned? Is it because his contribution is not worth mentioning? This is not the case. In fact, Liu Xiu's life story is so wonderful that historians find his story almost perfect and unbelievable.
Liu Xiu was a descendant of the Han Dynasty royal family, and according to the family tree, he was the ninth grandson of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty. Although he could have lived a rich and comfortable life by virtue of his royal bloodline, after the Han Wudi Liu Che implemented the "Tui En Order", the descendants of the various princely states were gradually deprived of their power. Liu Xiu's father, Liu Qin, could only serve as a county commander in remote Jiyang County. Unfortunately, Liu Xiu's father died when he was nine years old, leaving him and several siblings alone. Fortunately, they were adopted and raised by their uncle Liu Liang, who treated them as his own.
Liu Xiu has been diligent and stoic since he was a child, with a calm and steady personality, and often works diligently, but he was ridiculed by his brother Liu Shu for this. Liu Wei believed that as a member of the royal family, Liu Xiu should not be willing to farm, but should pursue higher prosperity and wealth. Liu Xiu understands that his brother Liu Shu has befriended heroes and heroes in order to one day reclaim everything that belongs to them. But he also knew that with his current strength, he was far from reaching this goal, so he had to keep a low profile and let Liu Shu's ridicule.
After the fall of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang established a new dynasty. At this time, Liu Xiu decided to go to Chang'an to study in Taixue. There, he made many talented friends who later played an important role in the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Because Wang Mang's reform policies hurt the interests of the people, coupled with the frequent natural disasters, the people's lives have become difficult. As a result, the vast number of peasants began to rebel, armies fought endlessly, and the country fell into chaos.
Liu Shu had been planning a rebellion, but Liu Xiu cautiously decided not to go with the flow. He thought it out before deciding to raise an uprising, because he understood that the consequences of defeat needed to be carefully weighed. He believed that the new dynasty would surely die, and his own brother Liu Shu was already involved in the turmoil, so he chose to support his brother and join the struggle. Among the peasant army, the Green Forest Army is the largest and most powerful organization, and other peasant armies are subject to it and must obey the arrangements of the Green Forest Army. Liu Wei and Liu Xiu could only obey the command of the Green Forest Army, elected Liu Xuan as emperor, and resisted the Xinmang regime with all their might.
After the fall of the new dynasty, Liu Xiu continued to fight, but his brother Liu Shu was killed by Liu Xuan for unknown reasons, which made Liu Xiu deeply painful. Liu Xiu understood that Liu Wei was killed because he was too open to his desire for power, which caused Liu Xuan's jealousy. Liu Xiu himself became the object of Liu Xuan's suspicion because of his outstanding combat achievements. Therefore, Liu Xiu decided to Taoguang and raise obscurity, rushed back to the capital to apologize to Liu Xuan, and although he had a lot of credit, he declared that his brother was guilty and should atone for his guilt.
Liu Xuan originally planned to eliminate the entire Liu family because of Liu Shu's arrogance, but Liu Xiu's humility and obedience changed Liu Xuan's mind. Liu Xiu not only dispelled suspicion, but was also made Marquis of Wuxin many times. However, Liu Xiu knows that he is still a risk factor in Liu Xuan's eyes and may be sanctioned at any time. Therefore, he began to recruit talents in Hebei and win the hearts and minds of the people. As calls for Liu Xiu to be emperor grew stronger, Liu Xuan felt unprecedented pressure to try to regain Liu Xiu's military power. Liu Xiu took the opportunity to confront Liu Xuan, and after many battles, established the Eastern Han Dynasty, was honored as Han Shizu, and set the capital at Luoyang.
During Liu Xiu's reign, he spent more than ten years unifying the divided territory of the Xinmang period. He formulated many policies that benefited the people, such as prohibiting the abuse of slaves and reducing taxes, and under his rule, the Eastern Han Dynasty had a prosperous era of "Guangwu Zhongxing". Before his death, Liu Xiu insisted on a frugal and simple funeral, unwilling to be overly extravagant in order to save national resources. To sum up Liu Xiu's life, the reason why he is rarely mentioned is because he only took three years to rise from peasant status to emperor, and it was incredible that he ascended the throne so smoothly. However, it was his statecraft during his reign that ensured that the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, laying a solid foundation for the prosperity of the Eastern Han Dynasty.