Before reading the article, please click "Follow", so that you can discuss and share in the future, thank you for your support, I will accompany you every day.
——【Foreword·】 ——»
In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Liu Qi of the Han Dynasty, the country was politically stable, economically prosperous, and culturally prosperous, which can be called a glorious period in Chinese history. However, even a wise monarch is not immune to misunderstandings and contradictions, especially with loyal ministers. Among them, Zhou Yafu, a famous general known as "one of the best in the army after Zhou Bo", suffered an unprecedented change because of a pair of chopsticks, and was finally suspicious of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty and died unjustly. So, what's going on here? This article will reveal the truth about this history for you.
——【·Mystic Prophecy·】——»
Zhou Yafu was born in a famous family, and his father Zhou Bonai was the founding father of the Western Han Dynasty. Since he was a child, he has been both civil and military, and there is a hard-working and enterprising blood flowing in his bones. When he was young, he served as the county warden of Hanoi, and an old man who walked among the people predicted his bumpy future.
It was an old woman named Xu Cheng, who had a good reputation in the countryside. After hearing the news, Zhou Yafu invited her to the mansion, hoping that she could solve the mystery of her life. The old woman carefully looked at Zhou Yafu's face, and after a moment of silence, she spoke: "Ling Lang is destined to be a marquis, and he will also worship the prime minister, and Ling Jing will weigh the government and the opposition. It's a pity, fate is also destined to end in famine. After finishing speaking, he pointed to a thin vertical line on the corner of Zhou Yafu's mouth and added: "This is exactly the face of being starved." "
At that time, Zhou Yafu was skeptical, after all, the situation seemed to be stable. The elder brother has already inherited his father's title, which turn will he get? Besides, even if he is promoted to a high minister, his well-being is safe, how can he fall into famine?
Unexpectedly, three years later, because of his brother's impulsiveness, he caused a catastrophe and was deprived of his title by Emperor Wen of Han. Emperor Wen was merciful and specially ordered one of the heirs of the Zhou family to be knighted. Zhou Yafu has both talent and morality, and is superior to others, so he naturally becomes the best candidate. All this coincided with Xu Cheng's previous predictions, which made Zhou Yafu attach great importance to her words.
In the Zhou family, Zhou Yafu has always been known for his steadiness and wisdom, he is not only proficient in the art of war, but also good at handling family affairs. His elder brother Zhou Shengzhi, although he is brave, has an impulsive personality and lacks self-control. At a banquet, Zhou Shengzhi offended the powerful because of his drunken gaffes, which led to the disgrace of the family and even implicated the honor and status of the entire family.
When Emperor Wen of Han Liu Heng learned of this, he was deeply sorry, but he had to maintain the majesty of the imperial court, so he ordered Zhou Shengzhi to be stripped of his title. Emperor Wen couldn't bear to let the Zhou family decline from now on, so he decided to choose a suitable candidate from among the heirs of the Zhou family to inherit the title. After careful consideration, Emperor Wen of Han finally chose Zhou Yafu, believing that he was both talented and virtuous and able to take on this important task.
Zhou Yafu was made a marquis and began his political career in the Han Dynasty. At the beginning of his tenure, he demonstrated extraordinary leadership and military prowess. He has successfully commanded many battles, defended the frontier, and made great achievements for the country. And all this seems to confirm the prophecy of Xu Ying.
Xu Cheng, a woman known as the first female scholar of the Han Dynasty, once predicted that Zhou Yafu would become a generation of famous generals when he was young. At that time, Zhou Yafu did not believe in such a prophecy, but as time passed, he gradually discovered that Xu Ying's words were fulfilled one by one. Therefore, when Zhou Yafu was made a marquis, he was even more convinced of Xu Ying's prophecy.
Zhou Yafu knows that although he is now in a high position, he must not be complacent because of this. He always kept in mind Xu Cheng's admonition to remain humble and prudent. Therefore, during his tenure, Zhou Yafu has always been conscientious and dedicated to the country. And he has always maintained a sense of awe and attaches great importance to Xu Ying's words.
Later, the Xiongnu invaded the border, and Emperor Wen of Han personally supervised the three armies to fight. When patrolling the camp, it was found that some of the generals led the army, and only Zhou Yafu's Xiliu army was waiting for him. He appreciated this subordinate the most, so he promoted him to lieutenant and gave him a heavy responsibility. Before Emperor Wen died, he instructed the new monarch Liu Qi to reuse Zhou Yafu. After succeeding to the throne, he was named the general of the chariot and cavalry, and the real power was added one after another.
Who knew that the end of power was a catastrophe. Zhou Yafu, a famous general in the Western Han Dynasty, once won the respect of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty by virtue of his outstanding military talent and unwavering loyalty, and was named the Marquis of Tiao, and was in charge of the military. The pinnacle of power is often accompanied by a crisis-ridden undercurrent.
Zhou Yafu's tragedy began with a succession to the throne. During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, Chao Cuo proposed the policy of cutting the feudal domain, which led to the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms. Zhou Yafu was ordered to put down the rebellion and consolidate the centralized power. But his exploits did not win him the respect of everyone, but attracted the jealousy and framing of some people because of his excessive power.
As time passed, Zhou Yafu's personality became more and more upright, he bluntly criticized current politics and offended Long Yan many times. At a court banquet, Zhou Yafu expressed dissatisfaction with food, an act that Emperor Jing of Han saw as a challenge to imperial power, further deteriorating the relationship between the monarch and his courtiers.
Finally, Zhou Yafu was imprisoned for being framed by King Liang and others on charges of rebellion. In prison, the former imposing general was subjected to inhuman treatment. According to historical records, Zhou Yafu went on a hunger strike in prison and was eventually starved to death. After the news of his death came out, the government and the opposition were shocked, but no one dared to avenge him.
All this seems to have fulfilled the prophecy of the year. Xu Cheng, a famous female physiognographer, once looked at Zhou Yafu when he was young, and predicted that he would become a great minister in the future, but in the end he could not escape his fate. At that time, Zhou Yafu did not take this prophecy to heart, but as time passed, the prophecy gradually became a reality.
Zhou Yafu's life is full of glory and tragedy, from the power to the opposition to being in prison, and then to his tragic death, the impermanence of his life and the absurdity of fate make people sigh.
Zhou Yafu has experienced ups and downs in his life, and the beginning was not smooth, but he also climbed to the peak of power with his personal talent and hard work. But in the end, fate was impermanent, and it came to a tragic end. The trajectory of his life has become an important material for reflection in later generations, inspiring us to cherish what we have and improve ourselves, while at the same time maintaining humility and prudence to avoid being damned by arrogance.
——【·Pacify the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms】——»
After the death of Emperor Wen of Han, his thirty-year-old son Liu Qi succeeded him and became Emperor Jing of Han. Although it was in the heyday of the Western Han Dynasty, the crisis was still lurking. Soon after Emperor Jing of Han ascended the throne, Emperor Chao sensed that the growing power of the princes and kings posed a threat to imperial power, and advised Emperor Jing of Han to weaken their power, especially King Wu.
There was a bane between Emperor Jing of Han and King Wu. During the time of the crown prince, when Emperor Jing of Han had an argument with Liu Xian, the son of King Wu, he accidentally beat Liu Xian to death. Since then, King Wu has held a grudge and always excused himself from seeing Emperor Jing of Han every year. Although Emperor Jing of Han had concerns, he was finally persuaded by Chao Cuo's theory and deprived Wu of his territory and power.
The princes were extremely angry and launched a rebellion in 154 BC called themselves "Eastern Emperor" by Liu Bi, the king of Wu, who called himself the "Eastern Emperor", united with the other six vassal states and openly challenged the central power. The turmoil stemmed from a strong dissatisfaction with centralization and a thirst for power, especially the king of Wu, Liu Bi, who was dissatisfied with the imperial court's policy of reducing feudal domains and took the lead in raising troops.
At that time, in order to stabilize the situation, Emperor Jing of Han did not hesitate to sacrifice his loyal mistake and beheaded him to show the public, in an attempt to appease the anger of King Wu. This did not stop the ambition of King Wu, who led a huge army and quickly captured a number of important cities, including Chang'an.
At this critical moment, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty appointed Zhou Yafu as a general to put down the rebellion. Zhou Yafu was a wise and brave military general, and he knew that the weakness of King Wu's army was that the supply lines were too long, so he decided to adopt siege tactics to cut off the supply of food and grass to the rebels. He sent elite troops to fortify the area around Xingyang, and successfully cut off the main route for the Wu army to transport grain from the Jianghuai region.
As the war continued, the Wu army's food and grass became increasingly scarce, the morale of the soldiers was low, and the combat effectiveness was greatly reduced. Zhou Yafu took the opportunity to launch a counteroffensive, taking advantage of the high mobility and strong attack power of the cavalry and archers, to carry out continuous strikes on the Wu army, causing heavy losses. After several fierce battles, the Wu army finally could not support it and began to rout.
In a decisive battle, Zhou Yafu commanded the Han army to annihilate the remnants of King Wu's army, and Liu Bi, the king of Wu, was killed by his pursuers while fleeing, and his head was cut off as a symbol of victory. The rebellion, which lasted for three months, was finally put down, and the rule of the Han Dynasty was consolidated, laying the foundation for the later Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to expand the territory and achieve great unification.
Zhou Yafu used the strategy of "abandoning the car to protect the marshal", abandoning the lone army of Liang as bait to lure the main force of the rebel army to attack, although the overall situation was reversed, but it also angered Liu Wu, the king of Liang, and the empress dowager Dou. King Liang asked for support but was forced to hold on to the city to resist, and was almost wiped out by the rebels. After the war, King Liang held a grudge against Zhou Yafu, and Empress Dowager Dou also complained about his decision-making.
Despite this, Zhou Yafu, who had great achievements in war, was soon promoted to prime minister. He temporarily forgot the words of an old woman who predicted that he would "die of starvation", and only rejoiced in the reuse of Emperor Jing of Han. But how will the old woman's prophecy be fulfilled in the end?
——【·Tragic Ending·】——»
A prime minister who has made great achievements in the government and the opposition has been obsessed with his life, blindly reckless, and finally ended up in ruin, and no one dares to agree. But Zhou Yafu's experience of reaching Jiuquan from power to Jiuquan is also worth savoring.
Zhou Yafu, who is more than half a hundred years old, has known Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty as early as when he was a teenager. When Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was dying, Zhou Yafu privately advised Emperor Jing, who was only eighteen years old at the time, not to force the palace easily and wake up the dreamer with a word. A few years later, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty conquered the west and recovered Hexi, and his military achievements were impressive, and he was powerful for a while. There are many reasons for this, Zhou Yafu was favored by the king and became the prime minister. Unexpectedly, he quickly fell into the wrestling between the emperor and the heir.
In that year, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty originally established Liu Rong, the eldest son of Li Ji, as the crown prince. However, in the harem, there are constant power struggles, especially the gradual rise of the power of Princess Guantao and Queen Wang. Princess Guantao is the sister of Emperor Jing of Han, she is powerful, and Queen Wang is her confidant, and the two join forces to plot a conspiracy.
At a banquet, Princess Guantao married her daughter Chen Ajiao Xu to Liu Che, who later became Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. This move made Liu Che the in-laws of Princess Guantao, thus gaining her support. At the same time, Empress Wang was also operating in secret, which made Emperor Jing of Han dissatisfied with Li Ji and Liu Rong.
Under the impetus of this force, Emperor Jing of Han finally decided to depose Liu Rong as the crown prince and replace Liu Che as the new crown prince. This decision caused a shock in the government and the opposition, and many ministers opposed it, the most prominent of which was Zhou Yafu.
Zhou Yafu was an important general during the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, and he was brave and good at fighting, and won the trust of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. When he learned that Emperor Han Jing was going to depose Liu Rong, he immediately stepped forward and reprimanded Emperor Han Jing for being indecent and illegal. However, Emperor Jing of Han did not think so, but was angry at Zhou Yafu's outspokenness and reprimanded him for being nosy.
In this turmoil, Empress Dowager Dou and King Liang were also involved. Empress Dowager Dou, the mother of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, was very unhappy with Zhou Yafu's outspokenness, believing that he was challenging her authority. And King Liang was a careerist who had always coveted the crown prince, and he took the opportunity to fan the flames, which made Emperor Jing of Han's antipathy for Zhou Yafu even deeper.
As time passed, Zhou Yafu's position in the imperial court gradually declined, his power was weakened, and his influence was much less than before. However, although he had lost his former glory, Emperor Jing of Han still retained his title of prime minister in recognition of his past exploits.
In this way, Zhou Yafu gradually lost his position in the whirlpool of power, but he still held on to his beliefs until the last moment.
Who knows, the turmoil has never stopped. Once, the Empress Dowager Dou asked Wang Xin to be the marquis, and Zhou Yafu sang a high-pitched note again, citing ancient precepts to soothe Emperor Jing, which made Emperor Jing furious. Soon after, the Xiongnu Quwei waited for the five surrenders to surrender, and Emperor Jing wanted to be crowned a marquis, but Zhou Yafu tried his best to show his mistake and confucianize the emperor. Emperor Jing was waiting to be released, and it was just right for Zhou Yafu's children to purchase armor for their thin burial, and they were charged with the crime of "rebellion".
Emperor Jing ordered the court lieutenant to interrogate, and the jailer insulted Zhou Yafu, so Zhou Yafu committed suicide in prison on a hunger strike. A few years ago, he had come from thousands of miles away to persuade the young Emperor Jing not to offend the temple. Today, he is dying in prison, and the impermanence of his fate is unprecedented. Although Zhou Yafu insisted on going his own way, he was also an important minister of the country, wouldn't this fate be embarrassing?
——【·Conclusion·】——»
Zhou Yafu's life is a legend of brilliance and tragedy. He quelled the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms with his outstanding military talents, and won the reputation of "getting on the horse to attack the mad Hu, and getting off the horse to cursive the army". However, his uprightness and challenge to imperial power ultimately led to his tragic end.
In the case of the deposed crown prince Liu Rong, Zhou Yafu insisted on his opinion and tried to stop the decision of Emperor Jing of Han, which was undoubtedly an affront to the imperial power. Although his original intention was for the stability of the country, in an authoritarian society, the emperor's will could not be disobeyed. Zhou Yafu's behavior made Emperor Jing of Han deeply dissatisfied, and also laid the groundwork for his future tragedy.
In addition, Zhou Yafu also showed a tough attitude when dealing with other affairs, which further exacerbated Emperor Hanjing's antipathy towards him. When Zhou Yafu chose to say that he was ill, it was regarded as a blatant provocation to the emperor. Under these circumstances, Emperor Jing of Han's trust in Zhou Yafu gradually collapsed.
Zhou Yafu's ending is undoubtedly a tragedy of the times. His uprightness made him a hero, but it was this quality that brought him to the end. His story makes us wonder: in an era of authoritarianism, can loyalty and integrity really lead to good results? This is a question worth pondering.