Preface
Liu Bang, as the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, his life was full of legends and military exploits. However, the situation in the aftermath of his death is fraught with uncertainty and undercurrents. Fifteen years after his death, the Minister of Togu killed all his grandsons, a shocking incident.
However, history has proved that Liu Bang was not wrong in killing heroes, which makes this history even more confusing. What kind of story is this? Let's unpack them all.
1. Turmoil in the early Han Dynasty
In 195 BC, Liu Bang was seriously wounded in the battle to pacify Yingbu, the king of Huainan. As an old man over the age of six, this is undoubtedly a fatal blow. Liu Bang realized that his life was coming to an end and began to arrange the future.
However, his greatest concern was not the succession to the throne, but the threat of a different king. Back then, he killed Han Xin to prevent the king with a different surname from rebelling. And now, he had to send troops to fight against Yingbu, the king of Huainan, for the same reason as the rebellion of the king with a different surname.
Liu Bang knows very well that the king with a different surname is not his own family after all, and their loyalty is difficult to last. In order to warn future generations, he convened a "White Horse Alliance" and announced to the world: "If it is not the Liu family and the king, the world will fight together!" This ancestral precept has become an important legacy left by Liu Bang for his children and grandchildren.
But Mr. Liu's concerns are not unfounded. Back then, when he had just established the Han Dynasty and unified the world, he was faced with the threat of kings with different surnames. Han Xin, Yingbu and others were once important allies of him, but in the end they betrayed him and tried to become king independently.
Liu Bang knew that only with an iron fist could he maintain the dominance of the Liu family. So, he killed Han Xin mercilessly, deterring other kings with different surnames. This move, although it caused a lot of controversy, turned out to be the right one in the end.
Because after Liu Bang's death, those ministers who were once loyal to him also began to plot to usurp the throne. Although they are outwardly loyal to the Liu family, their inner ambitions have never disappeared. As long as they have the opportunity, they will not hesitate to betray the Liu family in order to seek greater power and benefits.
This is the deep reason why Liu Bang killed the heroes back then. He knew very well that only by eradicating these ministers with different surnames could he ensure that the Liu family's country was forever. Although this decision caused a lot of criticism, it eventually became a lifesaver for the descendants of the Liu family.
Second, Lu Pheasant's dictatorship
Soon after, Liu Bang died. It stands to reason that his eldest son, Liu Ying, should inherit the throne. However, it was Liu Bang's empress Lü Pheasant and her relatives of the Lü family who were in power. Lu Pheasant is Liu Bang's confidante, and the two are close to each other and create the Han Dynasty together. But after Liu Bang's death, she showed unprecedented ambition.
First of all, she ordered the killing of Liu Bang's favorite son Liu Ruyi and his mother's relatives and wives, clearing the way for Liu Ying. Then, she persecuted Liu Bang's other heirs one after another, such as Liu You, King of Zhao, Liu Hui, King of Liang, and others, all of whom were spared.
Lu Pheasant's iron-fisted methods are shocking. Not only that, but she also promoted the members of the Lu clan on a large scale, and even forced the women of the Liu clan to take the daughters of the Lu clan as wives in order to monitor and control them. After seven years of reign, Liu Ying died. Lü Pheasant took the opportunity to support her grandson to ascend the throne, and she officially became the ruler of the dynasty and controlled the government.
She blatantly violated Liu Bang's "White Horse Alliance" and made the children of the Lu family princes, and the power leaned towards the government and the opposition. The reason why Lu Pheasant can be so arrogant and domineering is that she has mastered Liu Bang's will. Before Liu Bang died, he once made his son Liu Ying the crown prince and entrusted Lu Pheasant to protect him.
This move greatly enhanced Lu Pheasant's status and right to speak. As Liu Bang's executor, she can manipulate the succession to the throne at will. Moreover, she can also use this to control the government and promote her cronies to important positions.
It can be said that Lu Pheasant's dictatorship is based on Liu Bang's trust. She skillfully used Liu Bang's will to push her status to an unprecedented height. This practice is also a betrayal of Liu Bang and the descendants of the Liu family.
3. Zhang Liang's schemes
Behind Lu Pheasant's domineering and domineering, there is a person's shadow everywhere - Zhang Liang. This old Mouzi, known as the "Seeking Sage", was one of the important heroes of the founding of the Han Dynasty.
In that year, Liu Bang intended to depose the crown prince Liu Ying and set up Liu Ruyi as the prince. Lu Pheasant was naturally resolutely opposed, and she forced Zhang Liang to give advice to Liu Ying and keep his position as the crown prince.
Zhang Liang had no choice but to invite the "Shangshan Sihao" and other hidden masters to support Liu Ying in order to persuade Liu Bang. Sure enough, Liu Bang was impressed by Liu Ying and had no plans to change the crown prince.
It can be seen from this incident that although Zhang Liang was the founder of the Han Dynasty, his loyalty was not to Liu Bang alone, but to pin his interests on Lu Pheasant. This practice also laid the foundation for future power struggles.
There are two main reasons why Zhang Liang did this: first, he valued his status and power and was unwilling to lose his influence in the imperial court; second, he knew that Lu Pheasant was the one who really controlled the overall situation, and if he offended her, his future would be difficult to guarantee.
Therefore, Zhang Liang chose to take refuge in Lu Pheasant and give her advice. In this way, he not only maintained his position, but also indirectly influenced the government through Lu Pheasant. This kind of trickery can be described as extremely clever.
However, Zhang Liang's approach also laid the root of the bane. Because his loyalty does not really belong to the Liu family, but to protect his own interests. This kind of behavior of "abusing power for personal gain" will inevitably lead to a greater struggle for power.
Sure enough, after Lu Pheasant's dictatorship, the descendants of the Liu family were finally wiped out. And Zhang Liang himself could not escape the fate of being killed. This was the result of his intrigues.
Fourth, the coup d'état of Xulu
Lü Pheasant's arbitrary rule finally triggered a counterattack from the clan and ministers after her death. Liu Bang's eldest son, Liu Fei's son, Liu Xiang, waved his teacher to make trouble, responded to every call, and responded up and down for a while. Next, there was a huge "Xulu" coup d'état. None of the children of the Lu family who were made princes by Lü Pheasant were spared, and even those Lü women and their heirs who were forced to marry into the Liu family could not escape their fate.
The most shocking thing is that even the reigning little emperor Liu Hong and several of his brothers were also killed. The ministers suspected that they might have Lu blood, and in order to prevent future troubles, they simply eliminated them. In this way, Liu Ying's descendants were all annihilated in this coup. And Liu Heng, the descendant of Liu Bangchang's eldest son Liu Fei, was proclaimed as the new emperor.
This "Xulu" coup d'état can be said to be an awakening of the descendants of the Liu family. They finally realized that Lu Pheasant's dictatorship was not only a betrayal of the Liu family, but also a betrayal of Liu Bang's legacy. In order to protect the Liu family, they had to take such drastic measures. However, behind this coup, there are also some disturbing factors.
First of all, the initiators of this coup d'état were not the direct descendants of the Liu family, but the descendants of Liu Bang's eldest son, Liu Fei. This shows that even the Liu family is not really loyal to the Liu family.
Secondly, while killing the Lu family, even Liu Ying's descendants were implicated. This is undoubtedly a serious blow to the foundation of the Liu family, and it also makes people wonder whether the real purpose of this coup is only to eliminate dissidents, not to protect the interests of the Liu family.
In short, although this "Xulu" coup d'état finally overthrew the rule of the Lu family, it also exposed the contradictions and divisions within the Liu family. This situation has undoubtedly laid a new hidden danger for the struggle for power in the future.
5. The awakening of the clan
This coup d'état dealt a heavy blow to the clan surnamed Liu. As a result, the clans began to reflect on their past behavior. They realized that the reason why they actively responded to Zhu Lu back then was actually out of hatred for the Lu family, not really to protect the interests of the Liu family.
This short-sighted approach eventually led to their loss of power. Because those ministers didn't really think about the Liu family, they just used the hatred of the clan to achieve their own goals.
The clans realized that if they were used by the ministers again, they would never be able to control their own destiny. So, they began to band together to develop a response. They understand that only by uniting can they truly maintain the foundation of the Liu family. Only in this way will they be able to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and not becoming pawns in the hands of others again.
This coup d'état cost the clan dearly, but it also taught them valuable lessons. They finally realized that Liu Bang's decision to kill the heroes back then was out of far-reaching considerations for future troubles.
Only by firmly grasping their own destiny can they ensure that the Liu family is forever. This is the most important lesson that the clan learned from this coup.
epilogue
The founding of the Han Dynasty condensed the blood and efforts of countless people. However, in the face of the temptation of power, former comrades-in-arms quickly turned into rivals, killing each other, leading to the almost internal strife and collapse of this new dynasty.
Fortunately, Liu Bang had the foresight, and although his killing of the heroes attracted criticism, it was ultimately proved to be the right decision. And the fate of Lu Pheasant and the ministers is a wake-up call for future generations: if power is abused, it will eventually lead to the destruction of the family.
This history tells us that both the emperor and the courtiers should remember their duties and follow the ancestral teachings in order to be immortal. Otherwise, like Lu Pheasant and those ministers, they will fall short and leave a stench for 10,000 years.