After Liu Bang unified the world, he rewarded the heroes who had fought side by side. However, the ranking results were unexpected, Zhang Liang only ranked 62nd, Han Xin ranked 21st, and Wenchen Xiao He was at the top of the list. This result has raised a lot of questions and speculation. Zhang Liang's military strategy laid a solid foundation for Liu Bang to seize the world, and Han Xin led a million heroes to attack the city for Liu Bang, and the two of them can be said to have made great contributions. Why did Xiao He, a civil servant in the rear, rank first among the meritorious heroes? What considerations did Liu Bang have in making such an arrangement? Is there another hidden story behind it? Let us find out.
The ranking of heroes raises doubts
It is said that when the peasants revolted at the end of Qin, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, and Liu Bang, the prince of Pei, were the most powerful forces. Xiang Yu was originally from Chu State, from a humble background, but he was brave and good at riding and shooting. During the uprising, he led his army into Xianyang, captured the prince of Qin, and swept away the remnants of the Qin dynasty in one fell swoop. Xiang Yu became famous and was named the overlord of Western Chu.
Unlike Xiang Yu, Liu Bang also came from a humble background. He was originally just a town guard in Pei County, and later responded to Chen Sheng's uprising and served as a low-level general in the army. But Liu Bang was ambitious, he won over people's hearts, made friends, and longed to use the power of others to become the emperor and rule the world.
The strength of the two is equal, and it is difficult to distinguish between them. Xiang Yu was invincible with his courage and skill, while Liu Bang gradually accumulated strength with a moderate and steady policy. In 208 BC, Liu Bang took the opportunity to invade Xianyang and occupy Guanzhong, and the following year he seized the land of Bashu and was named King of Han. At this time, the two families stood together, and the situation was inseparable.
At this moment of crisis, Zhang Liang, the widow of the Qin Dynasty, defected to Liu Bang. Zhang Liang is well versed in military and national plans, good at strategizing, he is discerning, and can always give Liu Bang a strange strategy. It was with Zhang Liang's help that Liu Bang was able to compete with Xiang Yu.
At the famous Hongmen Banquet, Zhang Liang once again offered advice and asked Liu Bang to give way to Xiang Yu, showing a humble attitude. Xiang Yu was careless, and Liu Bang preserved his strength. Several times in a row, Zhang Liang's military strategy laid a solid foundation for Liu Bang to defeat Xiang Yu.
Liu Bang's other help was Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin. Han Shin was born as a tenant farmer and rose through the ranks. He trained his army with great skill, and his soldiers were willing to die for him. Whenever Liu Bang needed troops, he would seconded them to Han Xin. The elite division trained by Han Xin greatly strengthened Liu Bang's military strength.
In the battles of Xiangyang and Chenggao, Han Xin repeatedly made meritorious contributions. When attacking Guanzhong, Han Xin defeated the main force of the Qin army and cleared the way for Liu Bang to advance. It can be said that Liu Bang has laid half of the country.
It was precisely with Zhang Liang's resourcefulness and Han Xin's force that Liu Bang was able to defeat Xiang Yu with fewer victories and more defeats in the battle of Qixia. Xiang Yu collapsed and finally killed himself. In 202 BC, Liu Bang eliminated Xiang Yu, completed the great cause of unification, and established the Han Dynasty.
However, when Liu Bang ascended the throne, he treated these heroes who were born and died differently. When rewarding the princes, Zhang Liang only ranked 62nd, and Han Xin ranked 21st, far behind the first place of Wenchen Xiao He. This result has aroused many questions and speculations among people: Why is Zhang Liang and Han Xin, who have made great achievements in battle, inferior to Xiao He, the Wenchen in the rear?
Liu Bang's intentions are sinister
Although Liu Bang finally unified the world, his treatment of heroes is ridiculous. Zhang Liang's strategy and Han Xin's force back then can be said to be the two major help for Liu Bang to seize the world. However, once he ascended the throne, Liu Bang took precautions against these henchmen.
Zhang Liang's military wisdom made Liu Bang jealous. It was Zhang Liang's clever plan at the Hongmen banquet that allowed Liu Bang to preserve his strength, and before the battle of Qixia, Zhang Liang made suggestions and laid the foundation for Liu Bang to finally defeat Xiang Yu. It can be said that Liu Bang is an important hero in seizing the world.
However, Liu Bang was deeply afraid that Zhang Liang would fight back in the future, so when rewarding the heroes, he deliberately suppressed Zhang Liang's ranking to 62, far behind Wenchen.
At the same time, Liu Bang was also wary of Han Xin's million-strong teacher. The elite division trained by Han Xin back then made many military exploits and made great contributions to Liu Bang's siege of the city. When attacking Guanzhong, it was Han Xin who defeated the main force of the Qin army and cleared the way for Liu Bang to march.
However, Liu Bang was still afraid of Han Xin's threat after all. When rewarding the princes, Han Xin's position was severely suppressed, ranking only 21st, far less than his military exploits.
In contrast, Xiao He, a Wenchen in the rear, was listed by Liu Bang as the first of the heroes. This has its own intentions, Xiao He can control the population and household registration information of the Qin Dynasty, deploy troops for Liu Bang, and relieve his worries. More importantly, Xiao He's ability to calm people's hearts and stabilize the regime was exactly what Liu Bang needed at that time.
It can be seen that Liu Bang's treatment of heroes is completely selfish. He deliberately suppressed the status of military generals, and promoted Wenchen in order to prevent serious troubles. Liu Bang used a clever metaphor to say that the generals were just hunting dogs in the hunting ground, and Xiao He was the hunter who controlled the overall situation.
Although the generals were very dissatisfied with this, Liu Bang had already made up his mind to guard against these heroes who had fought side by side. They have made great achievements, but they have also become the objects that Liu Bang must be wary of.
Xiao He has made outstanding contributions in the rear
Although Xiao He was at the top of the list when rewarding heroes, this was not Liu Bang's unreasonable suppression. In fact, Xiao He made outstanding contributions to Liu Bang's unification of the world in the rear.
In that year, Liu Bang went on expeditions everywhere and fought fiercely with Xiang Yu's army. And Xiao He stayed in Guanzhong and was responsible for the supply of grain and grass in the rear. With his ability to govern the homeland of the old Qin State, Xiao He ensured that Liu Bang's army was continuously supplied.
It is with Xiao He's support that Liu Bang can deal with Xiang Yu wholeheartedly without worries. Without the support of the rear, it would be difficult for Liu Bang to focus on front-line operations.
In addition to the supply of grain and grass, Xiao He also provided Liu Bang with key population information. After the Qin Dynasty unified the six countries, it conducted a census of the whole country and established detailed household registration information. These materials later fell into the hands of Xiao He, providing an important basis for Liu Bang to deploy troops.
With accurate population information, Liu Bang was able to arrange his troops reasonably and avoid wasting manpower and material resources. This was crucial for the war situation at that time. Without Xiao He's support, it would be difficult for Liu Bang to accurately control the strength of the army.
More importantly, Xiao He's steady governance allows Liu Bang to fight boldly with confidence. At that time, the Guanzhong region was the core area of the Qin Dynasty, and the people's hearts were unpredictable. If the rear is unstable, it will be difficult for Liu Bang to attack with all his strength.
But with Xiao He in charge, the Guanzhong area is in order, and people's hearts are gradually stable. This won Liu Bang a solid backing for the war, allowing him to concentrate all his strength on Xiang Yu without any worries.
When Liu Bang pacified the world, what he needed most was an assistant who could calm people's hearts and consolidate his power. Xiao He is such a talent, and his contribution is far from being comparable to Zhang Liang and Han Xin. Therefore, when rewarding the heroes, Liu Bang listed Xiao He as the first place.
Although generals such as Han Xin, Fan Hao and others complained about this, Liu Bang persuaded them with clever metaphors. He said that the generals were just hunting dogs on the hunting ground, and Xiao He was the hunter who controlled the overall situation. Although these words are somewhat sharp, they also speak to the reality of the time.
Liu Bang guards against serious troubles
Although Zhang Liang and Han Xin have made great contributions to Liu Bang, in Liu Bang's eyes, they have also become a major danger that must be guarded against.
Zhang Liang's strategic wisdom made Liu Bang jealous. It was Zhang Liang's clever plan at the Hongmen banquet that allowed Liu Bang to preserve his strength, and before the battle of Qixia, Zhang Liang made suggestions and laid the foundation for Liu Bang to finally defeat Xiang Yu. Zhang Liang can be said to be an important contributor to Liu Bang's seizure of the world.
However, Liu Bang was deeply afraid that Zhang Liang would fight back in the future, so when rewarding the heroes, he deliberately suppressed Zhang Liang's ranking to 62, far behind Wenchen.
At the same time, Liu Bang was also wary of Han Xin's million-strong mentor. The elite division trained by Han Xin back then made great contributions to Liu Bang's siege of the city. When attacking Guanzhong, it was Han Xin who defeated the main force of the Qin army and cleared the way for Liu Bang to march.
However, Liu Bang was still afraid of Han Xin's threat after all. When rewarding the princes, Han Xin's position was severely suppressed, ranking only 21st, far less than his military exploits.
In contrast, Xiao He, a Wenchen in the rear, was listed by Liu Bang as the first of the heroes. This has its own intentions, Xiao He can control the population and household registration information of the Qin Dynasty, deploy troops for Liu Bang, and relieve his worries. More importantly, Xiao He's ability to calm people's hearts and stabilize the regime was exactly what Liu Bang needed at that time.
It can be seen that Liu Bang's treatment of heroes is completely selfish. He deliberately suppressed the status of military generals, and promoted Wenchen in order to prevent serious troubles.
Back then, in order to seize the world, Liu Bang had to win over a group of heroes. But once they ascended the throne, they became the objects that Liu Bang had to be wary of. Liu Bang used a clever metaphor to say that the generals were just hunting dogs in the hunting ground, and Xiao He was the hunter who controlled the overall situation.
Although the generals were very dissatisfied with this, Liu Bang had already made up his mind to guard against these heroes who had fought side by side. They have made great achievements, but they have also become a threat that Liu Bang must guard against.
This practice also set an example for later monarchs to guard against serious troubles. Since then, the high merit has become a scourge that the emperors must guard against. No matter how great the meritorious deeds are, as long as the status is too high, they will be excluded and suppressed.
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Liu Bang established a glorious new dynasty, but his treatment of meritorious heroes also became an unknown dark side of power politics.