Preface
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a young general who not only established great military exploits on the battlefield, but also became one of the most trusted people of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty with his wisdom and foresight. This general is Huo Quai.
His life, though short, was full of legends. From being named a champion at the age of 18, to becoming a hussar general at the age of 20, and then defeating the Huns in the Battle of Mobei, Huo Qubing is undoubtedly a genius among geniuses. However, his story was not all smooth sailing, and in some ways, he was even misunderstood and slandered.
So, what was it about this young general that made him so controversial, and how did he use his wisdom and foresight to win the trust of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and eventually become an important pillar of the Western Han Dynasty?
Chapter 1 A Hussar General Who Became Famous at a Young Age
In 119 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to send a large army to attack the Xiongnu in order to solve the border worries. He ordered the general Wei Qing and the hussar general Huo Qubing to lead 50,000 cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry each to go deep into Mobei in two ways and eliminate the main force of the Xiongnu in one fell swoop.
At that time, Huo Qubing was only 22 years old, but he had already been named a hussar general, which could be described as a young fame at that time. His military talent and leadership have long been fully tempered and tested in many actual battles on the border.
Before the expedition, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent someone to send 10 carts of fine meat to Huo Quai, and told him: "This meat can only be eaten by himself, not shared with other soldiers." "
This undoubtedly caused dissatisfaction among the soldiers. When they saw these 10 carts of fine meat, their eyes lit up, thinking that they were rewarded by the emperor. However, Huo Qubing waited until the meat was bad, and he didn't give them a little. When the soldiers saw this, they all complained that Huo Qubing was a stingy and inconsiderate general.
However, Huo Quzhi's approach has deep considerations. He understood that as a general, he could not use public goods to show favors for himself, which would cause dissatisfaction among soldiers and even shake their loyalty to their superiors. More importantly, he had insight into Emperor Wu of Han's intentions.
Chapter 2: The Temptation of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
Why did Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty deliberately send these 10 carts of fine meat to Huo Qubing and ask him to eat it alone? It turned out that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was a little worried about Huo Quai's merits and prestige.
Huo Quzhi was named the champion at the age of 18, and became a hussar general at the age of 20. In this regard, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was worried that he would be a master of high merit, and what if he wanted to rebel one day?
After all, Huo Qubing held a heavy army and was loved by the court and the people, if he really had a different heart, it would undoubtedly be a big hidden danger for the Han Dynasty.
So, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to test Huo Quai's loyalty first. He sent someone to send 10 carts of fine meat and asked Huo Quzhi to eat it alone, just to see how Huo Quzhi would dispose of the meat.
If Huo Quzhi really finished eating this meat alone, it would mean that he was very ambitious and hid deeply. But if he distributed the meat to everyone without authorization, it means that he is using these rewards to win the hearts of the soldiers, which is also a threat to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Fortunately, Huo Quzhi had insight into Emperor Wu of Han's intentions, and he would rather stink the meat than share it with everyone. This not only won the trust of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but also allowed him to maintain his majesty and deterrence among the soldiers.
Chapter 3: Luck in the Witch Rebellion
Just 2 years after Huo Qubing led the army to win the Battle of Mobei, a witch rebellion broke out in the court of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
In this turmoil, Empress Wei Zifu and Prince Liu were forced to commit suicide, although Wei Qing has died, his family was still beheaded, and the Wei family declined.
However, what is surprising is that in this turmoil, the Huo Qubing family was not implicated in any way, but was the biggest beneficiary of this war.
After the death of the crown prince Liu Ju, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made Liu Fuling the crown prince and ordered Huo Quai's younger brother Huo Guang to assist the crown prince. In order to prevent Liu Foling's mother from interfering in politics, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty even ordered the death of Mrs. Gouyi, which removed all obstacles to Huo Guang's dictatorship.
Why did the Huo clan escape in this witch rebellion, but they were still reused? This has a close relationship with those 10 carts of essence meat.
Chapter 4: The Temptation of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
We know that before going to the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once sent someone to send 10 carts of fine meat to Huo Quai, and asked him to eat it alone.
This undoubtedly caused dissatisfaction among the soldiers. When they saw the meat, their eyes lit up, thinking that the emperor had rewarded them to everyone. However, Huo Qubing waited until the meat was bad, and he didn't give them a little.
When the soldiers saw this, they all complained that Huo Qubing was a stingy and inconsiderate general. However, Huo Quzhi's approach has deep considerations.
He understood that as a general, he could not use public goods to show favors for himself, which would cause dissatisfaction among soldiers and even shake their loyalty to their superiors. More importantly, he had insight into Emperor Wu of Han's intentions.
It turned out that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was a little worried about Huo Quai's merits and prestige. He was worried that Huo Qu would be ill and his achievements would be high, and if he wanted to rebel one day, it would be troublesome.
So, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to test Huo Quai's loyalty first. He sent someone to send 10 carts of fine meat and asked Huo Quzhi to eat it alone, just to see how Huo Quzhi would dispose of the meat.
If Huo Quzhi really finished eating this meat alone, it would mean that he was very ambitious and hid deeply. But if he distributed the meat to everyone without authorization, it means that he is using these rewards to win the hearts of the soldiers, which is also a threat to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Fortunately, Huo Quzhi had insight into Emperor Wu of Han's intentions, and he would rather stink the meat than share it with everyone. This not only won the trust of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but also allowed him to maintain his majesty and deterrence among the soldiers.
Chapter 5: Luck in the Witch Rebellion
Just 2 years after Huo Qubing led the army to win the Battle of Mobei, a witch rebellion broke out in the court of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In this turmoil, Empress Wei Zifu and Prince Liu were forced to commit suicide, although Wei Qing has died, his family was still beheaded, and the Wei family declined.
However, what is surprising is that in this turmoil, the Huo Qubing family was not implicated in any way, but was the biggest beneficiary of this war.
After the death of the crown prince Liu Ju, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made Liu Fuling the crown prince and ordered Huo Quai's younger brother Huo Guang to assist the crown prince. In order to prevent Liu Foling's mother from interfering in politics, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty even ordered the death of Mrs. Gouyi, which removed all obstacles to Huo Guang's dictatorship.
Why did the Huo clan escape in this witch rebellion, but they were still reused? This has a close relationship with those 10 carts of essence meat.
Chapter 6: Huo Qu's Vision
We know that before going to the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once sent someone to send 10 carts of fine meat to Huo Quai, and asked him to eat it alone.
This undoubtedly caused dissatisfaction among the soldiers. When they saw the meat, their eyes lit up, thinking that the emperor had rewarded them to everyone. However, Huo Qubing waited until the meat was bad, and he didn't give them a little.
When the soldiers saw this, they all complained that Huo Qubing was a stingy and inconsiderate general. However, Huo Quzhi's approach has deep considerations.
He understood that as a general, he could not use public goods to show favors for himself, which would cause dissatisfaction among soldiers and even shake their loyalty to their superiors. More importantly, he had insight into Emperor Wu of Han's intentions.
It turned out that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was a little worried about Huo Quai's merits and prestige. He was worried that Huo Qu would be ill and his achievements would be high, and if he wanted to rebel one day, it would be troublesome.
So, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to test Huo Quai's loyalty first. He sent someone to send 10 carts of fine meat and asked Huo Quzhi to eat it alone, just to see how Huo Quzhi would dispose of the meat.
Fortunately, Huo Quzhi had insight into Emperor Wu of Han's intentions, and he would rather stink the meat than share it with everyone. This not only won the trust of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but also allowed him to maintain his majesty and deterrence among the soldiers.
Chapter 7 Huo Quai's untimely death
Just 2 years after Huo Qubing led the army to win the Battle of Mobei, he died of illness at the age of 24. This is undoubtedly a huge loss for the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had to stop his attack on the Xiongnu because there was no longer a genius general like Huo Quzhi.
Some people say that Huo Qubing is like a heavenly soldier sent by God to save the Western Han Dynasty, and after completing the mission, he went back to heaven. His heroic deeds and wisdom and foresight are still admired and admired today.
However, the story of Huo Qu's illness also gives us some inspiration. As a general, he must not only have outstanding military talents, but also have great foresight and a high degree of political wisdom. Only in this way can we win the trust of our superiors at a critical moment and make due contributions to the country and the nation.
And for us ordinary people, we should also learn from Huo Quzhi's character and ethics. He would rather let the flesh rot than use public goods to show grace for himself, and this noble ethics is worth learning and emulating.
epilogue
In short, the story of Huo Quzhi is undoubtedly a model worthy of our deep thought and learning. His heroic deeds and wisdom and foresight will forever be engraved in the historical memory of the Chinese nation.