The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and are repeated at the end of this article
Since ancient times, many kings have had twists and turns in their lives, but there are probably still a few people like Emperor Xuan of Han who were imprisoned shortly after birth.
What's more, he can still endure and hibernate from a puppet emperor and regain real power in his hands.
Even the decades-long invasion of the Huns was repulsed, so it seems that the actions of this emperor can be regarded as legendary.
But in history, his fame seems to be inferior to Emperor Wudi, why is this?
01
In his later years, Emperor Wu had a tragic unjust case, known as the "Witch Curse".
The crown prince Liu was secretly framed and rebelled, but was personally quelled by Emperor Wu, and finally committed suicide with his mother.
Enraged, Emperor Wu ordered the entire crown prince's family to be exterminated, but Liu Ju's youngest son, Liu Yi, escaped and was imprisoned in a prison in Chang'an.
Bing Ji, the official who investigated the case, understood that the prince's family was unjust, and was determined to protect the little emperor's grandson, so he asked the two female prisoners to act as wet nurses and take good care of Liu's illness as he grew up.
Just before Emperor Wu died, he heard that there was the breath of the descendants of the royal family in the prison, and he viciously ordered the slaughter of all prisoners!
Guo Sui, who was in charge of the execution, was stopped by Bing Ji, and after knowing the truth, he gave up, and Emperor Wu also realized that this was the will of God and pardoned Liu's illness.
After the new emperor succeeded to the throne, Liu Ai was allowed to leave the prison and was specially cared for.
A small official Xu Guanghan valued him, so he married his daughter Xu Pingjun Xu to him as a wife, since then Liu Yi has been calm and hardworking, made a lot of folk friends, traveled all over the motherland, and gradually cultivated a keen sense of people, forbearance and strong character.
Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty died young, and the powerful minister Huo Guang supported Liu He, the king of Changyi, to restore the throne, but Liu He was tyrannical and unreasonable, and was soon deposed.
Huo Guang's subordinate Du Yannian privately suggested that Liu Yi should inherit the throne, and Huo Guang thought that he was very controlling, so he agreed.
02
To tell the truth, Huo Guang supported Liu Ai to succeed to the throne of the emperor, and he wanted to support a puppet emperor to facilitate his own control of power.
He thought that Liu Ai, who had been imprisoned for several years, had been mentally destroyed and should be well controlled, so in order to firmly grasp Liu Aiji, Huo Guang even married his daughter to him.
But Huo Guang underestimated Liu Aiji's willpower, and after those hardships, Liu Aiji's heart became more and more tenacious, and after ascending the throne, he was not subject to Huo Guang, but secretly cultivated his own strength.
After all, the elderly Huo Guang has few days to live, and Liu Ying firmly believes that the time will eventually come.
Sure enough, in 68 BC, Huo Guang died, and Liu Yi immediately regained power.
After the investigation, he found that it was the Huo family who forged charges to kill his wife, so Liu Ying had ruthlessly purged the Huo family's forces and swept away the layers of resentment in his heart.
The Huo family, who thought that they could confront the emperor with the gate valve, was unexpected, but was completely eradicated under the arrangement of Liu Aiji, and since then, the former prominent Huo family has declined.
After regaining power, Liu Ying corrected the unjust cases of the old dynasty, implemented good policies for the benefit of the people, and reshaped the new atmosphere of the Han Dynasty.
03
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, his outstanding martial arts undoubtedly laid a relatively stable external environment for the "Zhaoxuan Zhongxing", and at the same time, to a certain extent, it also affected the territory of today's China and created outstanding military exploits that were difficult for later generations to achieve.
In the final analysis, the Han Dynasty was able to develop to the peak of prosperity during the Zhaoxuan period, in addition to the reasons why Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty made great efforts, there were also the merits of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
As a broad-minded Ming monarch, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty could not tolerate the humiliating situation of the royal family to make peace with the Xiongnu, and with the growing strength of the country, Emperor Wu launched a large-scale counterattack against the Xiongnu.
He attached great importance to nepotism, constantly discovered new talents, and finally cultivated a group of brave and warlike generals.
These generals made great achievements on the battlefield, not only quelling the harassment on the border, but also earning themselves great prestige and status.
Despite repeated victories, the Han army was unable to completely eliminate the Xiongnu.
After the death of Emperor Wu, his son Emperor Zhao died young, and was succeeded by Emperor Xuan, who looked at the mess left by his ancestors and was determined to completely solve the problem of the Xiongnu.
In this operation, the Han army was well prepared, with bows, arrows, knives, guns, grain and grass supplies, and was fully armed and ready to go.
More advantageously, the Han Dynasty also did a lot of work in the Western Regions, and some small states submitted to the Han and promised to send troops to help.
In the end, the Han army united with the Wusun cavalry in the Western Regions and launched an unprecedented large-scale attack on the Xiongnu.
The decisive battle ended centuries of strife between the Xiongnu and Han dynasties and brought lasting peace to the border.
04
But why is the popularity of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty not as good as that of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty?
Most of the policies of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty were adjusted and improved on the basis of the previous dynasties.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, many policies were formulated, but because they were overly violent, they were often not implemented well.
For example, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty laid the policy framework and top-level design, but many details were not very reasonable.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty advocated expeditions to suppress and conceal and strike frequently, and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty did not completely abolish this policy, but adopted the strategy of combining nitrile and warfare in the implementation, and the results were very good.
It can be said that Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty made extremely delicate adjustments to the tone set by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, making the policy more reasonable and reasonable.
Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xun, was deeply influenced by Confucianism and was a well-known benevolent monarch, who vigorously advocated Confucianism and adopted the Confucian concept of "benevolence and filial piety" in governing the country.
As we all know, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the criminal law was strict, in order to centralize power and unify the territory of the Han Dynasty, he made extensive use of strict officials, and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty began to reform after ascending the throne, abolishing the cruel punishment of the previous dynasty and replacing it with a more lenient punishment method.
During the period of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, the state affairs were actually in the hands of Huo Guang, and as Huo Guang, who was born in the military, his governance was naturally harsh and decisive.
Therefore, after Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty took power, in order to improve the strict punishment laws of the government and the opposition, and in order to establish the image of the "prince of benevolence" among the people, he canceled a variety of cruel legal provisions.
According to the ancient rules, civilians are not allowed to have the same name as the emperor, violators are imprisoned, after Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty took power, he pardoned this taboo, not only that, but also released the people who were imprisoned, for a time, the good name of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty spread throughout the territory of the Han Dynasty, and won the love of hundreds of people.
epilogue
To be famous in the eyes of the public today, it is inseparable from some unforgettable deeds, whether good or bad.
Many emperors of the Han Dynasty were famous and well-known much higher than Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, but were their exploits really greater than that of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty? That's a matter of opinion.
Perhaps in the eyes of many people, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, who really benefited the people, is the most commendable Ming Jun.
Although he did not make any outstanding achievements, his benevolent and good governance allowed the people of Li to live a prosperous and healthy life.
Reference Sources:
Ningxian Rong Media - March 29, 2021 Liu Xun, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, who grew up in prison
Tech Life News - February 22, 2019 What was the Han Dynasty like during the "Zhaoxuan Zhongxing" period? Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty can be called the first emperor of the ages