Why did the founding emperor Liu Xiu choose to continue to use "Han" as the national name? This question has been talked about by historians. After Liu Xiu worked hard to establish a new dynasty, why not change the name of the country? After all, the difference between a successor emperor and a founding emperor is a world of difference. In fact, Liu Xiu did this as a last resort, and second, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. Only in this way can he sit firmly on the throne. As the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu's story is widely circulated. Allusions such as his divine help in the Battle of Kunyang and his nickname "Son of Plane" by later generations are widely known. In addition to these popular stories, there is another topic about Liu Xiu that has always been talked about.
The topic is why, after working hard to establish a new dynasty, Liu Xiu continued to use "Han" as the national name instead of changing it. In 8 AD, Wang Mang succeeded in forcing Emperor Xuan of Han's sons to cede the throne to him, and he ascended the throne himself, establishing a "new" dynasty. Under the rule of Wang Mang's new dynasty, due to the inopportune policies, popular resentment boiled over and opposition was heard endlessly. While Wang Mang was struggling with how to quell the uprising, his cousin Wang Shu planned how to kidnap him. Why did Wang Shen kidnap his cousin Wang Mang? This starts with Wang Shu's protégé Ximen Junhui. Ximen Junhui was one of Wang Shu's disciples, and he was a fangshi. Ximen Junhui said a word to Wang Shu: "The Han court should be revived, and Liu Xiu should be the son of heaven." This sentence became the driving force for Wang Shen to kidnap Wang Mang.
In order to make the phrase "the Han court should be revived, Liu Xiu is the son of heaven" more convincing, Ximen Junhui also concocted the famous "Chifu Fu Fu". His purpose is simple, that is, he wants to take advantage of the current chaos to support a new lord to ascend the throne, and Liu Xin just has such potential conditions. So, Ximen Junhui found Wang Shu, and Wang Shu found Dong Zhong, and finally pulled Liu Xin into the water. Although this plan ultimately failed, the Chifu Talisman and the Book of Proverbs circulated and gradually became known to more people. These ethereal things had great influence in the eyes of the ancients. Therefore, many rebel forces raised the banner of reviving the Han family, and Liu Xiu also took the restoration of the Han court as the highest goal. Liu Xiu's eldest brother, Liu Shu, also aimed to revive the Han dynasty. He shouted the slogan: "Restore the cause of the ancestors, determine the autumn of all generations." The "Gaozu" in this slogan refers to Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty.
As for Liu Shu, only shouting this slogan is the most effective way for him to quickly recruit troops. Liu Xiu took over power after Liu Shu was accidentally killed and continued the cause of reviving the Han dynasty. Therefore, Liu Xiu chose to continue to use "Han" as the national name after he ascended the throne, also to continue this goal. When Liu Xiu ascended the throne, the whole country was in chaos. Liu Penzi and Liu Xuan proclaimed themselves emperors at the same time, and the situation in the struggle for the world was extremely chaotic and required a moral contest. No matter which regime it is, it must consider itself to be Han orthodox. If Liu Xiu dared to change the name of the country, it would be tantamount to announcing to the world that he had no relationship with the Western Han Dynasty, which was contrary to his slogan of restoring the Han Dynasty. If he loses his legitimacy, other forces can legitimately fight him, and he will face the enemies of the whole world.
In addition, continuing to use "Han" as the national name helped Liu Xiu continue the great cause of unifying the world. When Liu Xiu started his army, most of his subordinates were descendants of the Liu family, and they all had the blood of the Han clan family. They followed Liu Xiu to raise the army, they gave him the lives of the whole family, and if they failed, it was a major crime of killing their heads. But they believed that Liu Xiu could restore the Han court, so they were willing to follow him. In addition, the separatist forces and local officials that existed at that time also obeyed Liu Xiu's orders, because they believed in the proverb that "the Han court should be revived, and Liu Xiu should be the son of heaven". Continuing to use "Han" as the national name can also unite more people's hearts and let more people gather under Liu Xiu's banner. This played a positive role for Liu Xiu in the process of unifying the world. Therefore, Liu Xiu chose to continue to use "Han" as the national title, which was not only required by the situation, but also conducive to his sitting on the throne.
In short, Liu Xiu's choice to continue to use "Han" as the national name was due to the needs of the situation and the consideration of the advantages outweighing the disadvantages. This was done not only to perpetuate the goal of reviving the Han dynasty, but also to gain more support and legitimacy. Liu Xiu's decisions proved wise in history, and he succeeded in unifying the world and establishing the Eastern Han Dynasty.
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