Among the three masters of the early Han Dynasty, the only person who did not let Liu Bang and Empress Lu have a killing heart is Zhang Liang. This is inseparable from Zhang Liang's wisdom and strategy, and it is difficult to find a figure in history who can be compared with him.
Initially, Zhang Liang was just an ordinary person and did things impulsively. He tried to assassinate Qin Shi Huang, but got his target wrong. Luckily, he escaped pursuit. Then, he met Huang Shigong, a master who gave him a copy of "The Art of War of the Taigong", which opened Zhang Liang's eyes, and through serious study, he eventually became a strategic, civilized and military thinker.
In 209 BC, Zhang Liang began to assist Liu Bang, providing many ingenious strategies to help Liu Bang successfully invade Guanzhong and destroy the Qin Dynasty. At the Hongmen banquet, he fought Xiang Yu intellectually and saved Liu Bang. After that, he offered Liu Bang a successful counterattack against Guanzhong. In the decisive battle between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, Zhang Liang's strategy became one of the keys to Liu Bang's victory.
Although he was not the first to follow Liu Bang, Zhang Liang's credit was not small, tied with Xiao He and Han Xin, Liu Bang even said: "Strategizing in the drapery, winning thousands of miles away, I am not as good as the son." Such an assessment is difficult to find in history.
In 202 BC, Liu Bang ascended the throne as emperor and established the Han Dynasty, and Zhang Liang persuaded Liu Bangding to make the capital Guanzhong a key role in the political situation.
However, soon after the establishment of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Liang began to feel uneasy. Liu Bang and Empress Lü's actions threatened him. He decided to fade out of the court and stay behind closed doors to avoid falling victim to political struggles. He hopes to gradually retire from the status of "Emperor Division" to the status of "Emperor Guest", and move in and out freely.
In order to achieve this goal, Zhang Liang began to deliberately alienate Liu Bang. He did not participate in the eradication of would-be rebellious princes, especially when it came to Han Xin. He thought that Empress Lu's behavior was very shocking, especially the cruelty to Han Xin and Peng Yue. These events made Zhang Liang determined to retire.
After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang became suspicious of Xiao He, because Xiao He's talent and prestige surpassed him. Liu Bang was worried that Xiao He might rebel and often inquired about his actions. In order to dispel suspicion, Xiao He adopted a self-defilement strategy to convince Liu Bang that he no longer had ambitions.
However, the relationship between Liu Bang and Xiao He could not be restored to the past. Xiao He had to be careful, just to protect himself. He was very close to Empress Lu and became Empress Lü's helper in eradicating Han Xin.
Zhang Liang used wisdom and stratagem to win the trust of Liu Bang and Empress Lü. He struggled to start eating, saving his health. In the end, he asked to go to recuperate, and Empress Lü agreed.
In short, Zhang Liang successfully survived the crisis because he understood the truth of the rapid retreat, gained the trust of Liu Bang and Empress Lü, remained vigilant, and finally left at the right time and became a hermit.