The owl on the third floor
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In the long history of China, there is a dynasty known as the "prosperous era of the Han Dynasty", this period of China's vast territory and national power, all of which are inseparable from an emperor named Liu Che. [Come on]
Under his rule, China achieved political, economic, and military prosperity, but behind this glory lies some little-known stories.
01
The prosperous era of Han Wu
During Liu Che's reign, in order to strengthen the centralization of power, he carried out large-scale reforms at the local level, and established the post of Assassin Shi to supervise the behavior of local officials. At the same time, he also introduced the probation system and selected talented people to serve the state, which made the country's political power more stable.
On the economic front, Liu Che implemented a series of policies to safeguard the state's revenues, and he nationalized salt, iron, and coinage, thereby strengthening the economic power of the central government.
He also opened up the Silk Road and promoted the development of Sino-foreign trade, and the implementation of these policies was not without smooth sailing.
In the process of Liu Che's implementation of the unified currency system, some problems arose, although short-term benefits were obtained through the reform of the currency system, but in the long run, this policy did not effectively solve the problem of currency circulation.
On the contrary, due to the volatility of the currency, which has led to serious inflation, in order to solve this problem, it has been necessary to take measures such as increasing the weight of money and monopolizing the minting of money, but these measures have not achieved the desired effect.
In the process of Liu Che's foreign expansion, his struggle with the Xiongnu became the focus of the world's attention, he launched a war against the Xiongnu, successfully expelled the Xiongnu, and provided a guarantee for the country's frontier security.
The war also put a huge burden on the country, and in order to deal with this problem, Liu Che had to take some drastic measures, such as imposing heavy taxes and implementing a policy of settling money.
During his reign, China made remarkable political, economic, and military achievements, and these achievements did not come without a price, and throughout his life, he continued to carry out reforms and innovations to make the country stronger.
Many of the policies that have encountered difficulties in their implementation also reflect his shortcomings in governing the country, and Liu Che remains an outstanding statesman in Chinese history, and his contributions will forever be engraved on the monuments of Chinese history.
02
Zhang Qian's journey to the west
During the Western Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu problem had always plagued the Han family, and with the advent of the "rule of Wenjing", the Han Dynasty gradually became stronger and began to seek ways to fight the Xiongnu. At this time, Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, stepped onto the stage of history, and he was determined to open a new path for the Han Dynasty.
When Liu Che ascended the throne, the Xiongnu problem was still serious, but he was not bothered by this problem, but actively sought a solution, he knew that in order to defeat the Xiongnu, he must find strong allies, so he began to look for possible helpers.
In the process, Liu Che learned of the existence of the Yue Clan, which had been invaded by the Xiongnu, and there was a deep hatred between the two countries. Liu Che believed that if the Han Dynasty could form an alliance with the Yueshi Kingdom, then it would be possible to defeat the Xiongnu together.
In order to achieve this goal, Liu Che decided to send an envoy to the Yue Kingdom, a task that was not easy, because the Han Dynasty had very limited knowledge of the Western Regions at that time, but he still selected the young Zhang Qian to complete this task.
Although Zhang Qian is young, he has firm beliefs and fearless courage. He accepted Liu Che's order and began this journey full of unknowns, Liu Che personally saw him off before departure, and told him to take care of his body to complete the mission.
Zhang Qian took the mission of the Han Dynasty and embarked on the road to the west. He has traveled through thousands of mountains and rivers, and has gone through countless hardships, and in the process, he has not only accumulated a wealth of experience, but also made many like-minded friends.
In the end, Zhang Qian successfully arrived in the country of Yue. He found that the people of the Yue clan were indeed full of hatred for the Xiongnu. So he began to lobby the Yue Kingdom to form an alliance with the Han Dynasty to jointly fight against the Xiongnu.
After unremitting efforts, Zhang Qian finally persuaded the Yueshi people that they decided to form an alliance with the Han Dynasty to fight against the Xiongnu. This decision was undoubtedly a great victory for the Han Dynasty.
When Liu Che learned the news, he felt very relieved, he knew that his decision was correct and that the Han Dynasty had found a strong ally. Since then, the Han Dynasty has embarked on a new journey, opening up the Silk Road and promoting the exchange and integration of the East and the West.
Zhang Qian's successful return made the Han Dynasty more closely connected with the Western Regions. He not only brought valuable information to the Han Dynasty, but also opened up new territories for the Han Dynasty. His bravery and wisdom became a shining pearl in the history of the Han Dynasty.
The westward journey of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che and Zhang Qian, opened up a new path for the Han Dynasty and laid the foundation of the Silk Road.
03
Military expansion
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, China's territory was expanded like never before. His military strategy included both counterattacks against foreign tribes, such as the Xiongnu, and the conquest of the interior, such as the expansion of territory.
At the beginning of his reign, the Xiongnu invaded the Han border from time to time, for which Emperor Wu of Han made careful preparations in terms of equipment, funds and troops. He actively sought excellent war horses in order to increase the mobility and combat effectiveness of the army.
In the confrontation with the Xiongnu, the Han army gradually explored a set of tactics adapted to its own advantages, and through continuous accumulation of experience, the Han army finally won an overwhelming victory over the Xiongnu.
Just when Emperor Wu of Han was about to continue to expand his territory, the arrogant behavior of the Great Wan Kingdom made him unbearable. Dawan is located at the key point of the Silk Road, and its specialty is a precious sweat and blood BMW.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent an envoy to the Kingdom of Dawan, hoping to buy or exchange these BMWs, but the King of Dawan refused Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's request and even killed the envoy of the Han Dynasty, an incident that aroused the anger of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and he decided to personally send troops to attack the Kingdom of Dawan.
In order to accomplish this task, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty appointed Li Guangli as the general of the Second Division, leading tens of thousands of elite troops to the battle, but due to the long distance and harsh environment, the Han army encountered many difficulties during the march.
Not only did they have to deal with harsh natural conditions, but they also had to be on the lookout for provocations from neighboring countries, and after months of arduous trekking, the Han army finally arrived in Dawan.
In the face of the powerful Han army, the Dawan Kingdom was powerless to resist and could only submit. In the end, the Great Wan Kingdom agreed to provide the Han Dynasty with bloody horses, and promised not to be an enemy of the Han Dynasty in the future. This war not only brought valuable war horse resources to the Han Dynasty, but also made the reputation of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty even more prominent.
04
Pegasus War: Open up the Western Regions and influence the ages
Since ancient times, there have been frequent commercial trade and cultural exchanges between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions, connecting Chang'an with the lights on the Silk Road in Central Asia, symbolizing ethnic integration and economic prosperity along this road.
The good times did not last long, the powerful Xiongnu took advantage of the decline of national strength in the early Han Dynasty to constantly invade the frontier, and after the accession of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu's attacks on the border became more rampant.
Due to the distance between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions, the Xiongnu forced the countries of the Western Regions to submit by virtue of their strength advantage, and the powerful Dawan also had to fall to the Xiongnu.
In 102 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened the passage to the Western Regions and invaded Wan, on the one hand, to retaliate against Dawan for killing the envoys of the Han Dynasty, and more importantly, to weaken the influence of the Xiongnu in the Western Regions and stabilize the Silk Road.
In the "Historical Records", this battle is called the "Battle of Tianma", the purpose seems to be to obtain Tianma, but in fact, it is to kill chickens and monkeys, and warn the Huns that the barbarians will be punished by heaven.
Li Guangli's army of more than 60,000 people went on an expedition to Dawan, which lasted more than a year to conquer the capital, captured the king alive, and the countries of the Western Regions saw the Han army's divine martial arts and surrendered one after another.
The Battle of Tianma opened up the connection between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions, transforming it from a strategic buffer to a frontier territory with outstanding economic endowments, and for more than 2,000 years, the Silk Road has always been a bridge and link between China and the West, creating economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
Genghis Khan's expedition to the west, Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, and the construction of the Belt and Road are all inseparable from the expedition of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions.
05
A historical pioneer who ushered in a new era
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was one of the great monarchs of Chinese history, and during his reign, he implemented a series of reform policies and took many far-reaching strategic actions, the most important of which was the beginning of the Silk Road era.
On this road, he sent Zhang Qian to lead envoys to the Western Regions, opening a bridge between the East and the West, and promoting the prosperity and development of commercial activities.
Zhang Qian's success is not accidental, but is based on his thoughtfulness. He gathered troops and horses in Anyi, near Luoyang, and strengthened his strength;
He then sent envoys to the Qin state to form an alliance against the Xiongnu, eventually achieving a marriage relationship and strengthening the ties between the two countries;
Then he organized a group of people to go to the Hexi Corridor, reached an agreement with the local tribes to ensure the safety of the road to the Western Regions, and finally he also sent envoys to South Vietnam to stabilize the local situation and expand the influence of the Central Plains.
Despite this, Zhang Qian still faced many difficulties and challenges, he had to face complex terrain and climatic conditions, and he also needed to manage relations with other ethnic groups to prevent war.
With his ingenuity and courage and perseverance, Zhang Qian overcame many difficulties, completed his mission, and created a new situation.
In addition to opening the Silk Road, Zhang Qian made many other contributions, such as leading his army to defeat the Qiang rebellion and maintain border security.
He helped the imperial court to formulate a more rational policy, he also sent people to investigate the situation in the northern steppes, and opened markets in South Vietnam, which promoted the prosperity of commercial activities.