Preface
In Chinese history, there are many stories between power struggles and revenge, and the legend of the first hero of the Han Dynasty who was belittled as a "dog" by Liu Bang has attracted much attention.
This brave and fearless hero, at the beginning of Liu Bang's rise, made immortal contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty, but was belittled as a "dog" because of a momentary misunderstanding. 400 years later, his descendants have achieved revenge on history by directly usurping the Han Dynasty.
So, 400 years later, why did the descendants of this great general usurp the Han Dynasty? Are they here to give shame to their ancestors? Or is it an ulterior motive? Let's unravel this mystery and find out.
1. "Meritorious Man" and "Meritorious Dog" - Liu Bang's wisdom or belittlement of military generals?
In 206 BC, after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang, the king of Han, ascended the throne as emperor and established the Han Dynasty, opening a new historical period. In this war, the strategists and generals around Liu Bang made great contributions, and the heroes gathered. However, when dividing the heroes, Liu Bang's approach caused dissatisfaction among the generals.
It turned out that at that time, when Liu Bang was rewarding meritorious deeds, he ranked Wenchen such as Zhang Liang and Xiao He before the generals, which caused the dissatisfaction of the generals. Seeing this, Liu Bang used a metaphor to explain his approach: "How can a dog with merit be compared with a person with merit? "
As soon as these words came out, all the soldiers were surprised. It turned out that Liu Bang was not belittling the generals, but expounding his political wisdom. In his opinion, although the generals made great contributions in the battle, their success was inseparable from the advice of civil servants like Zhang Liang and Xiao He.
Just as the hunter finds the trail and indicates the location of the prey, the key to the success of the hunt, and the hound that chases the beast, although it is the most powerful, is only the executor after all.
Liu Bang's analogy precisely reflects his respect for the literati and his deep understanding of the equal importance of military and political affairs. It was this way of governing the country that took into account both civil and military affairs that brought long-term prosperity to the future Han Dynasty.
However, although this metaphor was not intended to belittle military generals, the titles of "meritorious people" and "meritorious dogs" gradually evolved into a kind of disparagement of military generals. So, who is this military general who has been belittled as a "dog"? Why did it become an important driving force for the fall of the Han Dynasty?
2. Cao Shen: From Peixian jailer to hero in the early Han Dynasty
The hero who was belittled by Liu Bang as a "dog" was none other than Cao Shen, a famous military strategist and politician in the early Han Dynasty. Cao Shen was born into a scholarly family and showed extraordinary talent from an early age. At a young age, he was recommended to study at the Imperial Academy, where he studied Confucian classics and literature and art, and became an erudite and cultured man.
However, in the turbulent war years, literary cultivation alone is far from enough. In 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guangze Township revolted, setting off the first large-scale peasant uprising in Chinese history. At that time, Cao Shen was only a prison official in Pei County, but he took the initiative to follow Liu Bang to respond to this peasant uprising, occupied Pei County, and launched an anti-Qin uprising.
It was with this wisdom and courage that Cao Shen gradually entered Liu Bang's field of vision. Later, under Liu Bang's command, Cao Shen conquered 122 cities, captured 3 kings, and killed 6 generals. These achievements even surpassed Han Xin, a famous general in the early Han Dynasty.
Overcoming obstacles along the way, Cao Shen repeatedly performed miraculous feats, and finally assisted Liu Bang to destroy Qin and become emperor and establish the Han Dynasty. For such a military wizard, Liu Bang naturally will not give up easily. As a result, Cao Shen was first named the Marquis of Jiancheng, and then promoted to general. Not only that, after Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, ascended the throne, he appointed Cao Shen as the minister of Qi to help govern this war-torn region.
During the governance of the Qi State, Cao Shen gave full play to his political wisdom and practiced the art of Huang Lao, so that the people could live and work in peace and contentment, and soon restored the traumatized land to life. It can be said that Cao Shen not only has outstanding talents in military affairs, but is also proficient in governing the country.
It is with these excellent qualities that Cao Shen finally occupies an important position in Liu Bang's heart and becomes a well-deserved first-class hero of the early Han Dynasty. Why, then, did Liu Bang end up belittleing Cao Shen as a "dog"? What is the truth of the matter?
3. Heroes become "dogs" - Liu Bang's political wisdom or discrimination against military generals?
As we mentioned earlier, in Liu Bang's meritorious deeds, he ranked Wenchen such as Zhang Liang and Xiao He before the generals, which caused the dissatisfaction of the generals. And Liu Bang's explanation is: "How can a dog with merit be compared with a person with merit?" "
On the surface, this seems to be a kind of disparagement of military generals. But in fact, Liu Bang's remarks were not just a simple disparagement. Liu Bang's point of view is that although the generals have made meritorious achievements on the battlefield, their success is inseparable from the advice of civil servants and strategists like Zhang Liang and Xiao He.
Just as the hunter finds the trail and indicates the location of the prey, the hound, although it is the most powerful, is only the executor. This view reflects Liu Bang's concept of governing the country with equal emphasis on civil and military affairs. In his opinion, it is not enough to have bravery, but also to be resourceful in order to truly achieve great things. This is also the reason why he wants to rank Wenchen before the generals.
It can be said that Liu Bang's analogy reflects his respect for literati and his deep understanding of the equal importance of military and political affairs. This combination of civil and military practices brought long-term stability and prosperity to the future Han Dynasty.
However, although Liu Bang's original intention was not to belittle the generals, the titles of "meritorious people" and "meritorious dogs" gradually evolved into a kind of belittling of military generals. To this day, words such as "meritorious person" and "meritorious dog" are still commonly used as metaphors for strategists and generals.
And Cao Shen, as a famous general at that time, was naturally inevitably linked to this title. But even though he was relegated to the title of "dog", he still played a pivotal role in the early Han Dynasty. It can be said that it is with his talent and loyalty that Cao Shen can become one of Liu Bang's most trusted generals. However, this Cao Shen could not escape the fate of being destroyed by his descendants in the end.
Fourth, the Cao family's children usurped the Han - revenge after 400 years
400 years later, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, a descendant of Cao Shen, became a key figure in promoting the fall of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the Eastern Han Dynasty had fallen into internal and external troubles, and the power of the central government was divided by various forces. Cao Cao took advantage of this chaotic situation, used his ingenuity and good military background, and successively established alliances with Lü Bu, Zhang Xiu and others, and stabilized his position.
In the crucial Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao sent his generals to successfully defeat Yuan Shao's army and further consolidate his position. Subsequently, with his influence in the field of culture, Cao Cao also promoted the development of national culture, laying the foundation for the later Cao Wei dynasty.
It can be said that Cao Cao was undoubtedly an outstanding politician and military strategist, and his rise not only depended on his own strength, but also had a close relationship with the fine family style of his ancestor Cao Shen. And speaking of which, we can't help but ask: why did Cao Cao usurp the Han Dynasty? Is it just for one's own selfishness?
In fact, Cao Cao, as a descendant of Cao Shen, may also have some personal grudges. After all, 400 years ago, Cao Shen was belittled as a "dog" by Liu Bang, and although he eventually became a hero in the early Han Dynasty, this insulting title may have always existed deeply in the hearts of the descendants of the Cao family.
Therefore, when the Eastern Han Dynasty gradually declined, Cao Cao finally waited for an opportunity to take revenge. He first took in the exiled Emperor Xian of Han, and then gradually emptied the power of the imperial family, and finally forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate the throne himself, and established the Cao Wei Dynasty.
It can be said that the rise of Cao Cao is not only a political, military and cultural story, but also a revenge for Cao Shen being degraded as a "dog" 400 years ago. Although Cao Shen made great contributions during his lifetime, he was finally belittled by Liu Bang, and this grievance has finally been redressed by his descendants.
Fifth, behind the "meritorious people" and "meritorious dogs" ——— far-reaching political wisdom
Although there seems to be a disparagement of military generals in the allusions of "meritorious people" and "meritorious dogs", in fact, this reflects Liu Bang's political wisdom in governing the country.
Liu Bang believes that although the generals have made great contributions on the battlefield, their achievements are inseparable from the advice of the civil ministers. Just as the hunter finds a trail that indicates the location of his prey, this is the key to success. Therefore, he advocated that both civil and military forces should be attached, and that both military generals and civil servants should be respected.
This view reflects Liu Bang's deep understanding of national governance. In his view, relying solely on force is not enough, but also requires resourcefulness and political skill. Only by attaching equal importance to civil and military affairs can the long-term prosperity of the country be truly realized.
And Cao Shen is a typical representative of this kind of both civil and military. On the one hand, he established great military exploits on the battlefield, conquered 122 cities, and made great contributions to Liu Bang's destruction of Qin. On the other hand, he was also an outstanding cultural person, specializing in poetry and historical works, which had a profound impact on the inheritance of Chinese culture later.
It can be said that it is this characteristic of attaching equal importance to civil and military affairs that makes Cao Shen Liu Bang's most trusted general. Liu Bang's approach also thoroughly reflects his respect for literati and the advanced nature of his concept of governance.
However, although Liu Bang's original intention was not to belittle military generals, the titles of "meritorious people" and "meritorious dogs" gradually evolved into a kind of belittling of military generals. This belief continues to this day and has a profound impact.
And Cao Shen, as a famous general at that time, was naturally inevitably linked to this title. But even though he was relegated to the title of "dog", he still played a pivotal role in the early Han Dynasty. It can be said that it is with his talent and loyalty that Cao Shen can become one of Liu Bang's most trusted generals.
However, ironically, 400 years later, the descendants of Cao Shen finally usurped the throne of the Han Dynasty by virtue of their talents and ambitions, and became the key driver of the fall of the Han Dynasty. This can't help but make people sigh: history is really a circle, and the humiliation that was once suffered eventually turned into the power of revenge.
epilogue
From Cao Shen's relegation to the disparagement of Cao Shen to his descendant Cao Cao's usurpation of the Han Dynasty, the story may seem absurd, but behind it lies many interesting political and human tortures.
On the one hand, Liu Bang's views of "meritorious people" and "meritorious dogs" actually reflect his deep understanding of the equal importance of civil and military affairs, but in the end they became a belittlement of military generals. On the other hand, 400 years later, did Cao Cao, the descendant of Cao Shen, also usurp the Han Dynasty in order to shame his ancestors?
This can't help but make people sigh: history is really a circle, and the humiliation that was once suffered eventually turned into the power of revenge.