Before reading this article, please click "Follow" and thank you for your support.
Sources: All of the information stated in this article is based on reliable sources, and is detailed at the end of the article
文丨S1mple
Editor丨S1mple
"There are so many delicate rivers and mountains, leading countless heroes to bend their waists. ”
In all dynasties, as long as there is a change of dynasty, there will inevitably be a bloody storm, and once it will be successful, some people will succeed and some people will fail on the road to hegemony.
There are a few people in history who are close to unifying the world, but they failed at the last step.
So who are these people?
Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu
In the late Qin period, because of the heavy conscription, the remnants of the Six Kingdoms had not been cleared, and anti-Qin uprisings were set off all over the country.
Among them, the strongest and most powerful should be Xiang Yu, who won a great victory in the battle of Julu, and Xiang Yu's personal martial arts do not need to be said.
Although he can't read books or learn martial arts, Xiang Yu can be regarded as the chosen son at that time, after all, Wen Youfan Zeng is behind his back, he just needs to rush into battle to break the enemy.
In the early stage, Xiang Yu relied on this method to be said to be invincible, and the originally strong Qin pawn did not have an enemy in front of Xiang Yu.
However, Xiang Yu said that it was difficult to hear, a little unambitious, and a woman's kindness.
As early as when Liu Bang attacked Xianyang one step ahead of Xiang Yu, Fan Zeng told Xiang Yu that Liu Bang was a great enemy and that he must kill this person.
As a result, Xiang Yu did not listen to persuasion, and Hongmen Yan finally let Liu Bang go.
After Xiang Yu entered Xianyang, he wantonly burned and looted, burned the palace of the Qin king, plundered treasures and beauties, if it was only here, as long as Xiang Yu could occupy the rich land in Guanzhong, Xiang Yu's advantage was still very large.
At that time, some people also admonished Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong blocks mountains and rivers, and the land is fertile, but it can be a tyrant." ”
As a result, Xiang Yu looked at Xianyang, who was a little disgusted by his own misfortune, and wanted to return to Jiangdong with the looted treasures and beauties, so that his Jiangdong fathers and elders could see how promising they were.
And said: "Wealth does not return to their hometown, such as embroidering clothes at night, who knows!"
And Xiang Yu is a person who does things too much by likes and dislikes, and has no overall view at all, Xiang Yu's attitude towards those who obey him is good, but whenever someone does not go with Xiang Yu's wishes, Xiang Yu will be resentful because of this, Jiujiang Wang Yingbu is a good example.
Later, Xiang Yu defeated Liu Bang many times, and even besieged Liu Bang in Xingyang, and was about to win, but after Liu Bang proposed peace and planned to divide Xingyang Lihan, Xiang Yu planned to agree to Liu Bang's peace request.
even ran away in the end, his own think tank Fan Zeng.
It can be said that Xiang Yu has a good hand, as long as he moves forward step by step according to Fan Zeng's advice, then there is really nothing to do with Liu Bang, but Xiang Yu finally played his good cards to a pulp.
In the end, it was a failure.
Later Zhou Emperor Chai Rong
Although Chai Rong is also an emperor, for a unified emperor, the simple Later Zhou Emperor is obviously much lower.
However, Chai Rong actually has the opportunity to complete the grand cause of unifying the world.
Although Chai Rong is not famous in the long history of China, this person is not simple, he set up a great ambition to wipe out the countries and clarify the world when he first ascended the throne.
Moreover, Chai Rong was able to listen to the advice of others, and Wang Pu, the minister of the Later Zhou Dynasty, presented the "Pingbian Policy", which clearly pointed out that the work of sweeping away the princes should be carried out first and then difficult.
Chai Rong was very persuasive, he felt that this plan was okay, so he strictly followed this plan to implement it.
During his reign, there were a total of four major battles, and in 954, Chai Rong personally defeated the combined forces of the Northern Han and Liao states at Gaoping, Zezhou, and stabilized the regime.
In 955, he sent troops to the west to conquer Houshu, recovering the lands of Qin, Jie, Cheng, and Feng, and during the three years from 955 to 958, Chai Rong personally conquered the Southern Tang Dynasty three times, seized all the Huainan land north of the Yangtze River, and forced the Southern Tang to submit.
In 959, Chai Rong conquered the Liao State in the north, and in 42 days, Chai Rong recovered the land of Sanguan and Sanzhou, a total of 17 counties.
Moreover, Chai Rong is also a model of immediately fighting a war and governing the country under the horse, and it is recorded in the "Five Dynasties History Supplement, Volume 5, Zhou Twenty-three" that Chai Rong once promised to "open up the world in ten years, raise the people in ten years, and bring peace in ten years".
In addition, Chai Rong carried out different degrees of restructuring in the military, economy, politics, and criminal law, and achieved great success, under the leadership of Chai Rong, the politics of the Later Zhou Dynasty were clear, the people were rich, and the economy of the Central Plains region also began to recover.
It can be said that if Chai Rong can safely and steadily complete the cause of great unification, the history of the mainland will also change.
However, unfortunately, after the northern expedition to the Liao State in 959, Chai Rong died of illness at the age of thirty-nine, and the country he laid down was also added to a yellow robe by Zhao Kuangyin, the minister of Tuogu, and Chen Qiao mutinied.
Hou Zhou also perished, which can be said to be quite a pity.
Former Qin Emperor Fu Jian
Although Fu Jian seems to us to be a foreigner, judging from the circumstances at the time, if Fu Jian succeeds in going south, Fu Jian may also be a good emperor.
Although it was a foreign race, Fu Jian was generous, and when the Han people were all "two-legged sheep", Fu Jian implemented benevolent governance, advocating that Li Yuan should be appeased, and Yi Di should be peaceful.
And he also attaches great importance to those talented Han people, Wang Meng, Quan Yi and others have been promoted by Fu Jian.
Moreover, Fu Jian advocated Confucianism, established education, and appointed himself as the inheritor of the political and cultural traditions of the Han nationality, and actively promoted the way of governing the country by sages and virtuous ministers.
It can be said that Fu Jian has been completely assimilated by the Han culture.
Under Fu Jian's governance, the former Qin presented a peaceful scene.
Moreover, Fu Jian can also fight thieves, Qianyan, Qianqiuchi, Qianliang, and Daiguo were all destroyed by Qianqin, and Fu Jian also ended the long-term division of the north and realized the unification of the north.
Unfortunately, in the end, he was first defeated in the Battle of Weishui, and two years later he was captured by the Later Qin general Wu Zhong and finally killed.
Chen Youliang, who competed with Zhu Yuanzhang for hegemony
If Zhu Yuanzhang has gone all the way, which enemy makes Zhu Yuanzhang the most jealous, it is estimated that Chen Youliang is counted.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the once invincible Mongolian cavalry was actually not very good for a long time, and all walks of life rebelled against the king, among which the most powerful and powerful was not Zhu Yuanzhang, but Chen Youliang.
And Chen Youliang is also very capable of fighting, starting from 1358, Chen Youliang has won six roads and six states in two years, which can be said to be a success, and he can fight several places in a year.
But it can be regarded as the destiny of heaven is not here with Chen Youliang, in the Poyang Lake water battle, Chen Youliang ended his life because he was hit by a drifting arrow.
Thinking about it from another angle, if Chen Youliang, who was fighting and winning at that time, survived and joined forces with Zhang Shicheng to strangle Zhu Yuanzhang's forces, maybe Daming would really have to change his name.
《明史纪事本末·卷三》.
History of the Ming Dynasty and Biography 11