Preface
In ancient Chinese history, Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division, was a controversial general. Although he was repeatedly defeated on the battlefield, he was deeply respected and trusted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and became a topic of great concern.
Li Guangli is regarded as Wei Qing's successor and should have taken on the heavy responsibility, but his record is not outstanding. However, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty always had high hopes for him, and even did not hesitate to entrust him with important military tasks. What kind of ruling wisdom is this? Where did Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's trust in Li Guangli come from?
1. Disputes between relatives
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the government was once controlled by the Wei family. In the political arena of the Han Dynasty at that time, the Wei family was too powerful and had become a major problem for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Wei Zifu not only controlled the crown prince Liu Ju, but also had cronies such as Prime Minister Sun He and General Wei Qing.
This situation would inevitably threaten the dominance of Emperor Wu of Han, so he urgently needed to cultivate a new foreign relative force to balance the Wei family. Li Guangli's younger sister, Madame Li, just met the needs of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Mrs. Li was born in the Pingyang Princess Mansion, and Wei Zifu was also born as a courtesan, and their experiences are quite similar.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took a fancy to this, so he promoted Li Guangli to reuse, hoping that he could become a new relative force like Wei Qing by virtue of his military merits. This could not only balance the power of the Wei family, but also provide a solid backing for Emperor Wu of Han's own rule.
II. Role of the Great Recipient
In 104 BC, Li Guangli was ordered to lead an expedition of 30,000 troops to Dawan, with the aim of seizing Liangma at Ershi City. However, this cobbled together force of prisoners and ruffians was simply unable to stand up to the Dawan army despite the long distance and lack of logistics. Sure enough, in the battle of Yuchengcheng, the Han army was defeated and suffered heavy casualties.
Faced with such a dilemma, Li Guangli chose to retreat. Although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was furious, he finally decided to give Li Guangli a chance to make a comeback. A year later, Li Guangli led another 60,000 troops to the expedition, and this time the soldiers, horses, money, and food were readily available.
Learning from the last lesson, Li Guangli bypassed Yu Chengcheng and went straight to the capital of Dawan. He cut off the water source of Dawan City, and after dozens of days of attacking the city and plundering the pool, he finally forced the king of Dawan to surrender. Despite this, this victory was only a compromise, and the Han army was never able to break through the inner city of Dawan.
Li Guangli went to Dawan twice, with a mediocre performance, and it can even be said to be an embarrassing victory. There are two main reasons for this: First, the Han army's own combat effectiveness is too poor, most of them are composed of prisoners and ruffians, and they lack discipline and will to fight; second, the logistical support is seriously insufficient, the expedition is long, and the supply problem has always plagued the Han army.
Despite this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty still had high hopes for Li Guangli. He believed that as long as sufficient troops and material support were given, Li Guangli would certainly be able to become a military wizard of a generation like Wei Qing. This conceit and misjudgment of talent also reflected some of the shortcomings of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
3. The scourge of the Huns
Despite the mediocre performance of the two expeditions to Dawan, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty still valued Li Guangli and regarded him as Wei Qing's successor. In 99 BC, Li Guangli set out again, this time targeting the Xiongnu. However, due to improper command, the Han army was besieged by the Xiongnu army, and fortunately Li Guangli escaped.
In 97 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty personally allocated an army of 130,000 troops, commanded by Li Guangli, to conquer the Xiongnu again. But just when the war was getting better, there was a big bad news in Chang'an City: Li Guangli conspired to establish Liu Ji, the king of Changyi, as the crown prince, and was suspected and punished by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Seeing that his wife and children were arrested, Li Guangli was like an ant on a hot pot, in a dilemma. He decided to gamble the lives of 70,000 soldiers to destroy the Xiongnu in one fell swoop in order to win the forgiveness of Emperor Wu of Han. However, this decision was destined to be a complete mistake.
Li Guangli's military performance has not been very good, but Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has always had high hopes for him. There are two main reasons for this: first, Li Guangli's sister Madame Li was the favorite concubine of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and gave birth to a son, King Changyi, and this relationship made Li Guangli have a special position in the heart of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty; second, the army of the Han Dynasty was in short supply at that time, and new military talents were urgently needed to replace Wei Qing and other veterans.
However, Li Guangli's mediocrity and selfishness eventually led to a serious military defeat. On the third expedition against the Xiongnu, in order to protect himself and his family, he actually chose to surrender to the Xiongnu, which was the biggest sin of his life.
This incident not only reflected Li Guangli's shortcomings, but also exposed the shortcomings of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's improper use of personnel. The rise and fall of a country often depends on the wisdom and decisions of its rulers. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's excessive trust in Li Guangli eventually led to serious consequences.
Fourth, 70,000 children
Li Guangli desperately penetrated deep into the hinterland of the Xiongnu until Zhijushui and defeated the vanguard of the Xiongnu Zuoxian King. However, his blind march caused discontent among subordinate officers, and some generals began to mutiniate. Although Li Guangli temporarily quelled the mutiny, the morale of the army was gradually lost.
At this juncture, Hulu Gushan seized the opportunity and personally led 50,000 cavalry to pursue the Han army. After a day and night of fierce fighting, the 70,000 Erlang army of the Han army was annihilated, and Li Guangli had no way to retreat, so he could only surrender to the Xiongnu.
This decision is the biggest sin of Li Guangli's life. 70,000 sons of the Han family died in vain, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty suffered the heaviest political setback in his 50 years in power. In order to vent his anger, Emperor Wu of Han ordered the extermination of Li Guangli's family.
Li Guangli's expedition to the Xiongnu can be said to be a complete mistake. Regardless of the actual situation, he blindly marched, which eventually led to the tragic sacrifice of 70,000 Han troops. This not only dealt a heavy blow to the military strength of the Han Dynasty, but also caused Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to suffer a huge political setback.
There are two main reasons for this: First, Li Guangli's own command ability was too poor, and he lacked the ability to judge and adapt to the battle situation, which eventually led to a serious defeat; second, in order to protect himself and his family, he did not hesitate to gamble the lives of 70,000 soldiers, and this kind of selfish behavior was even more outrageous.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's high hopes for Li Guangli eventually came to naught. This general, who could have become Wei Qing's successor, but because of his own flaws and selfishness, he buried the lives of 70,000 Han family sons and daughters, which brought a heavy blow to the Han Dynasty. This incident also exposed the shortcomings of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's improper use of personnel, and his excessive trust in Li Guangli eventually led to serious consequences.
Fifth, the disaster of surrendering to the enemy
Although he surrendered to the Xiongnu, Li Guangli did not get peace. Although Hulu Gushan Yu treated him favorably, his fate was not satisfactory. Soon, he was framed by Wei Lu, a Han Dynasty general who surrendered to the Xiongnu, and Shan Yu's mother, and was eventually killed.
Li Guangli's surrender to the Xiongnu, although temporarily exchanged for a temporary wealth, but in the end it was difficult to escape the doom. There are two main reasons for this: first, his surrender was a betrayal of the Han Dynasty, a crime that is difficult to forgive, and second, his position and power also aroused the jealousy and suspicion of others.
Guardian Law is a prime example. This was also a Han Dynasty general who surrendered to the Xiongnu, and Li Guangli also received preferential treatment from Shan Yu. However, he teamed up with Shan Yu's mother to frame Li Guangli, which eventually led to the latter's death. This shows that even in the Xiongnu, Li Guangli could not escape the fate of being killed.
Li Guangli's life can be said to be twists and turns. With the relationship of his relatives, he climbed step by step from a small civilian person to become a general reused by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. However, his mediocrity and selfishness, which eventually led to a serious military defeat, dealt a heavy blow to the Han Dynasty.
Li Guangli's fate also warns us of how dangerous the confusion of power is. If a person only values his own interests and ignores the interests of the country and the people, he will eventually pay a heavy price. The temptation of power often leads to disorientation and ultimately destruction.
epilogue
Li Guangli's life can be called bizarre. He relied on his relatives to gain great use, but he was repeatedly defeated because of his mediocrity and incompetence, and he defected to the enemy in order to save his family, but was finally destroyed.
His fate reflects the shortcomings of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's misuse of people, and also warns us of how dangerous the confusion of power can be. If a person only values his own interests and ignores the interests of the country and the people, he will eventually pay a heavy price.