Over the course of history, there have been many leaders whose decisions have influenced the course of an entire era. Liu Qi, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, is a typical example of this. As a wise monarch, he introduced a series of major reforms during his reign, the most famous of which was the policy of reducing feudal domains. However, in the process of pursuing this policy, a puzzling thing happened. At that time, a minister, Dou Ying, bluntly put forward his own suggestions at the court meeting, but was severely punished by Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. Why did this happen? Did Dou Ying say something wrong? Or did Emperor Han Jing not want to listen to any advice at all?
The proposal of the policy of cutting feudal domains
During the Western Han Dynasty, the royal family was divided into vassal states, with huge fiefs and armies. Over time, these vassal states grew in power and began to pose a threat to the central power. In order to consolidate the centralization of power, Emperor Jing of Han was determined to implement a policy of reducing feudal domains and recovering the fiefdoms and armies of the vassal states.
The process of making this decision was quite tortuous. As early as the reign of Emperor Wen, the famous Wenchen Jia Yi once wrote a book "Public Security Policy", suggesting that the power of the vassal states be limited. But at that time, the opposition of the government and the opposition was very loud, and Emperor Wen had to give up. It was not until Emperor Jing of Han succeeded to the throne that he regained this legacy.
Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty knew that the policy of cutting feudal domains was an arduous struggle that had to be carefully deployed. He first appointed Chao Cuo as the Imperial Historian and secretly sent spies deep into the vassal states to collect evidence of their misdeeds. A few years later, Chao mistakenly thought that the time was ripe, so he suggested that Emperor Jing of Han publicly propose a policy of cutting the feudal domain at the court meeting.
One day, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty convened a meeting of hundreds of civil and military officials. He first laid the groundwork, and then asked Chao Cuo to elaborate on the content of the cutting strategy. Chao argued on the basis of reason, pointed out the various shortcomings of the vassal states, and said that this strategy was actually the last instruction of Emperor Wen. His words were loud, and the audience was silent.
At this moment, an outspoken minister, Dou Ying, stood up and questioned whether Chao Cuo was fabricating Emperor Wen's will. Chao Cuo was not in a hurry, took out a copy of the "Public Security Policy" of Emperor Wen's period, and refuted Dou Ying's accusations with physical witnesses.
Dou Ying's questioning
As soon as the policy of cutting the feudal domain was proposed, the government and the opposition were in an uproar. Although Chao Wrong has been paved for a long time, this policy touches the fundamental interests of the princes, and there are endless voices of opposition.
At this moment, the outspoken Dou Ying stood up, and he said in a straight voice: "Your Majesty, the policy of cutting the feudal domain is a major policy of the country, and once it is implemented, it will definitely be thunderous and powerful, and its momentum is immeasurable. But isn't it necessary to think about it and be prepared?"
Emperor Han Jingdi's face showed displeasure, and he asked, "What do you think should be done?"
Dou Ying did not flinch, and continued: "The world is so big, everyone has different opinions, and not all the princes are evildoers, and there are many people who wait and see. If it were to be implemented, would it make those who were on the sidelines fall into opposition? Once they are united, will the imperial court be prepared to deal with the upheaval?"
This sentence is to the point, not only did Chao Cuo not consider it, but Emperor Han Jing also did not consider this. Chao Cuo was good at big politics, but he was negligent about people, and he didn't expect that the princes and kings would unite to raise an army. And Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, as the emperor, also thought that the princes did not dare to raise troops to commit crimes, forgetting that not long ago, his father Liu Heng stepped on the blood of Emperor Xiaohui to take the throne of God.
Dou Ying said again: "Can't Emperor Wen see the princes getting bigger? Emperor Wen used the method of boiling frogs in warm water and consuming them little by little, although this is relatively slow, but it will not lead to a drastic change! Now that the policy of cutting the feudal domain is being implemented, and we are not ready to deal with the drastic change, once the princes unite to make a rebellion, what will the imperial court do?"
Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty interrupted Dou Ying's words, and he finally said the words that Dou Ying had robbed of his whiteness: "In my opinion, this policy of cutting the feudal domain must be implemented, and it will be summed up in eight words, respect the monarch and strengthen the country, and punish the lawless!
Originally, Emperor Han Jing planned to hold a meeting to announce his decision, and everyone would implement it. Saying that everyone should give their opinions, and that the speaker is not guilty, is just a polite remark! But there are people like Dou Ying who take the polite words seriously, not only put forward suggestions, but also precisely mentioned the crux of the problem, and almost died halfway through the strategy.
The decision of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty
Dou Ying's questioning at the court meeting made Emperor Han Jing fall into contemplation. He is well aware of the importance of the policy of cutting feuds, but Dou Ying's concerns are not unreasonable.
At this moment, an attendant hurriedly came and reported that Liu Bi, the king of Wu, had led his army to raise troops, and played the banner of "Qing Jun's side, punish Chao wrong". Emperor Jing of Han was furious and slapped the table with one palm, shaking the incense burner on the table.
"What a Qing monarch! It's clear that he wants to rebel!" Emperor Han Jing scolded, "Chao Cuo is my confidant minister, and it is my will to promote the reduction of the domain." King Wu dared to be so presumptuous!"
The ministers of the DPRK and China were in an uproar. Seeing this, Dou Ying hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is wise, and the policy of cutting feudal domains will definitely sweep away the disasters in the world." It's just that Weichen is worried that the princes will join forces to make trouble, and I hope Your Majesty will think twice. ＂
Emperor Han Jing pondered for a moment and said, "I have thought twice. Cutting the feudal domain is the legacy of the first emperor, and now the time has come. King Wu's rebellion added fuel to the fire! Today, he issued an edict to raise his army to crusade against the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu. ＂
After that, Emperor Jing of Han immediately convened a meeting of the Minister of Military Aircraft to discuss the military deployment. He personally wrote an edict with a pen, appointing his younger brother Liu Wu, the king of Liang, as a general to command the Central Army to defeat the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.
At this moment, a sergeant rushed into the main hall and shouted, "Oh no! Chao Cuo has been killed by the assassins of King Wu!"
Emperor Jing of Han was furious and decided to personally supervise the expedition on the spot. He ordered Dou Ying and Zhou Yafu to march separately and encircle the state of Wu.
After the outbreak of the Rebellion of the Seven Kings, the war was stalemate for a while. Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty decided to take command in person and called on the heroes of the world to go to the national disaster together. He decreed: "Anyone who has contributed to the country, regardless of his person, can enter the court as an official." ＂
Soon, heroes and heroes who responded to the call of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty gathered in Chang'an. Among them are Dou Ying, Wei Qing, Chen Yang and others. Thanks to their heroic battles, the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms was finally put down.
Dou Ying suffered
At the court meeting, Dou Ying's blunt questioning made Emperor Jing of Han very annoyed. Although Dou Ying's concerns were not unreasonable, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty believed that there was no room for maneuver in the policy of cutting feudal domains.
At this moment, a sergeant rushed into the court hall and reported in a panic: "Liu Bi, the king of Wu, has led the army to raise troops and played the banner of 'Qing Jun's side and punishing Chao wrong'!"
Emperor Jing of Han was furious, slapped the case with one palm, and roared: "What a Qing monarch! It is clear that he is about to rebel! Chao Cuo is my confidant minister, and it is my will to promote the reduction of the feudal domain." King Wu dared to be so presumptuous!"
The ministers of the DPRK and China were in an uproar. Seeing this, Dou Ying hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is wise, and the policy of cutting feudal domains will definitely sweep away the disasters in the world." It's just that Weichen is worried that the princes will join forces to make trouble, and I hope Your Majesty will think twice. ＂
Emperor Han Jing pondered for a moment and said, "I have thought twice. Cutting the feudal domain is the legacy of the first emperor, and now the time has come. King Wu's rebellion added fuel to the fire! Today, he issued an edict to raise his army to crusade against the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu. ＂
After that, Emperor Jing of Han immediately convened a meeting of the Minister of Military Aircraft to discuss the military deployment. He personally wrote an edict with a pen, appointing his younger brother Liu Wu, the king of Liang, as a general to command the Central Army to defeat the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.
At this moment, a sergeant rushed into the main hall again, shouting, "Oh no! Chao Cuo has been killed by King Wu's assassins!"
Emperor Jing of Han was furious and decided to personally supervise the expedition on the spot. He ordered Dou Ying and Zhou Yafu to march separately and encircle the state of Wu.
After the outbreak of the Rebellion of the Seven Kings, the war was stalemate for a while. Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty decided to take command in person and called on the heroes of the world to go to the national disaster together. He decreed: "Anyone who has contributed to the country, regardless of his person, can enter the court as an official." ＂
Soon, heroes and heroes who responded to the call of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty gathered in Chang'an. Among them are Dou Ying, Wei Qing, Chen Yang and others. Thanks to their heroic battles, the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms was finally put down.
However, what happened to Dou Ying was unexpected. Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty believed that it was Dou Ying's questioning at the beginning that almost caused the policy of cutting feudal domains to die. In order to warn the government and the opposition, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty ordered Dou Ying's entire family to be raided and executed along with his wife and children.
This tragedy shocked the government and the public. Dou Ying lamented before he died: "I am just a sincere heart, why is this?", but no one dared to intercede for him, for fear of suffering the same fate.
Later evaluation
After the rebellion of the Seven Kings was pacified, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty did not stop there. On the contrary, he held a grudge against Dou Ying's questioning, believing that Dou Ying was the culprit who almost died in the original policy of cutting the feudal domain.
In order to warn the government and the opposition, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty ordered Dou Ying's entire family to be raided and executed along with his wife and children. This tragedy shocked the government and the opposition, and Dou Ying lamented before his death: "I am just a sincere heart, why is this?" But no one dared to intercede for him, for fear of suffering the same fate.
This decision of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty caused widespread controversy at the time. Some people think that Dou Ying just spoke bluntly and had no other intentions, and the handling was too cruel. But there are also people who support Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, believing that Dou Ying's questioning almost caused a catastrophe and should be severely punished to set an example.
To this day, there are still differences in the evaluation of Dou Ying. Some scholars believe that Dou Ying's questioning is indeed to the point, and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty should listen to it with an open mind. However, some scholars pointed out that the reduction of the feudal domain was a major plan for the unification of the Han Dynasty, and Dou Ying's doubts undoubtedly increased the resistance.
However, no matter how it is evaluated, Dou Ying's experience is regarded as a microcosm of the dictatorship of power. His tragedy is a reminder to future generations that in authoritarian environments, outspoken words often pay a heavy price.
After that, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty continued to strengthen the centralization of power, successively deposed the crown prince Liu Rong, imprisoned Li Ji, and took precautions against Liu Wu, the king of Liang. He appointed Zhidu as a lieutenant in charge of the imperial security, but later dismissed Zhidu and replaced him with Han Jundang in charge of the Northern Army.
During his reign, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty adopted a series of major reforms, such as the implementation of the Juntian system and the establishment of the county system, which laid the foundation for the centralization of power in the Han Dynasty. But his brutal treatment of dissent also made the evaluation of him controversial by later generations.
Some scholars believe that Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty was a wise monarch whose reforms promoted social progress. However, some scholars have pointed out that his authoritarian style has damaged the morale of the government and the opposition and buried hidden dangers.
In any case, the tragedy of Dou Ying has become a portrayal of the ruling style of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. It warns future generations that in the face of power, speaking out without borders is often a point of no return.