Preface
In the history of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Deng Yu family has always shone brightly with its prominent identity and far-reaching influence. This family not only played an important role in the political arena, but was also known for its unwavering loyalty to the Liu family, and was known as the "professional family of the royal family".
The royal family and powerful landlords, they once worked together to create the royal industry of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but why did they end up here? Is it a struggle for power, or is it the arrogance of the family? Or is it a change in the times?
In the turbulent era of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the story of the Deng family is undoubtedly the most intriguing microcosm. From the founding heroes to the power of the government and the opposition, and then to the slump, what ups and downs have they experienced? Let's follow in the footsteps of history and explore the rise and fall of this legendary family.
The founding father of the Eastern Han Dynasty: Deng Yu's exploits
In 2 AD, a young man named Deng Yu was born in a wealthy family in Xinye County, Nanyang County. Brilliant since childhood, he went to Chang'an to study at the age of thirteen. There he met Liu Xiu, a son of a wealthy clan in Caiyang County, Nanyang County.
The two were like-minded, hit it off at first sight, and soon became close friends. Who would have thought that this friendship would become a key point in changing the fate of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In 22 AD, Wang Mang's new dynasty collapsed, the world was in chaos, and peasant uprisings broke out in various places.
Liu Xiu, with the support of the Deng Yu family and the Yin family, began to fight back against Wang Mang. In this process, although Deng Yu was not directly involved on the surface, he had been secretly giving advice to Liu Xiu, and with his intelligence and strategy, he made key contributions to Liu Xiu's rise.
In 23 AD, Liu Xuan of the Nanyang clan was proclaimed emperor with the support of the Green Forest Army, and he was the first emperor. Many ministers recommended Deng Yu one after another, hoping that he could join the camp of Emperor Gengshi. But Deng Yu resolutely refused, he made it clear that he wanted to follow Liu Xiu, and informed the first emperor that he would inevitably fail.
Since then, Deng Yu has devoted himself to Liu Xiu's account. He proposed a lofty plan to Liu Xiu: "Recruit heroes, please the hearts of the people, establish the cause of the ancestors, save the lives of the people, and worry about the public, the world is not enough!" As long as we win the hearts of the people and recruit talents, we will definitely be able to restore the hegemony of Gaozu Liu Bang, and finally defeat other competitors and occupy the Central Plains.
With the help of Deng Yu, Liu Xiu was able to integrate the forces of the major wealthy clans in Hebei, defeat other competitors step by step, and occupy the Hebei region. In order to further consolidate this alliance, Liu Xiu also married Guo Shengtong, the daughter of a wealthy family.
At this point, Liu Xiu basically has the strength to compete in the Central Plains. At the beginning of 25 AD, Deng Yu was ordered to lead more than 20,000 elite soldiers to cross the Taihang Mountain and enter the Hedong region. The battle did not go smoothly at first, Deng Yu's army was defeated first, and the generals believed that their morale had been greatly damaged and suggested retreating overnight.
But Deng Yu insisted on not retreating, and he judged that although the Green Forest Army was numerous, its strength was not strong. So he adopted the strategy of avoiding its edge and holding on, and when the enemy army was slack, he suddenly launched a fierce offensive, completely defeated the Green Forest Army, and pacified the Hedong area.
At this point, Liu Xiu had taken Hebei as his base and had occupied the Shanxi region and became a powerful political force. In 25 AD, Liu Xiu ascended the throne in Baixiang County, Hebei, established the Eastern Han Dynasty, and appointed Deng Yu as the Great Situ.
Liu Xiu's evaluation of Deng Yu is: "Deeply loyal and filial, strategizing, and winning thousands of miles away." At this time, Deng Yu was only 23 years old, but he had already made great contributions in the process of Liu Xiu's fight against the world.
The humble and promising Deng Yu
When Liu Xiu was preparing to march into Guanzhong, Deng Yu was cautious, he believed that the Red Eyebrow Army had just annihilated the Green Forest Army of the First Emperor, and it was in a state of sharp edge, so it was not appropriate to launch an attack rashly.
It was not until 26 A.D. that Deng Yu finally led his troops south and entered Chang'an after recovering the three counties of Shangjun, Beidi, and Anding, and seizing sufficient grain, grass and animal husbandry resources. The battle did not go well, Deng Yu suffered repeated defeats, and was finally defeated, and fled back with only 24 cavalry.
But this defeat did not affect Deng Yu's status in Liu Xiu's heart. In the following ten years, Deng Yu continued to follow Liu Xiunan to fight in the north and made many achievements. In 37 AD, Liu Xiu unified the world, and Deng Yu was named Gaomi Marquis for his merits and gained a high political and social status.
However, even so, Deng Yu still maintains a humble and cautious character. He was never greedy for power, nor did he form a faction for personal gain, and all his expenses were taken from his fiefdom and taxes.
At that time, Liu Xiu deliberately intended to reduce the strength of the founding heroes, but Deng Yu still met as a special advancement, and regarded Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty as a guest. Even when he was seriously ill, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty visited him many times, which shows that Deng Yu's loyalty and virtue won the respect of the Son of Heaven. In 57 AD, Deng Yu died of illness and received the nickname of "Yuanhou".
In 60 AD, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty ordered people to draw portraits of 28 generals in Luoyang South Palace, called "Yuntai Twenty-eight Generals", and Deng Yu ranked first. It can be seen that in the days when Liu Xiu fought the world, whether he was making suggestions or fighting on the battlefield, he could be comparable to the most famous founding heroes at that time, such as Xiao He and Zhang Liang.
However, in terms of ability and merit, Deng Yu is still slightly inferior, and can only be regarded as a weakened version of their combination. But from the perspective of descendants and family development, Deng Yu is undoubtedly far stronger than the first two.
He had 13 sons, 4 of whom were made marquises, which shows that he was extremely powerful in the world. It can be said that it is with the efforts of Deng Yu's father and son that the Deng family has become one of the most prominent wealthy families in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The pinnacle of authoritarianism: Deng Sui and Deng Qiu
Although the Deng family was already very prominent, it was not until the third generation of Deng Yu that he really grasped the actual political power. The key figure in this transformation is Deng Sui, the granddaughter of Deng Yu. In 102 AD, Deng Sui entered the court of Emperor Han He with his outstanding talent and steady and dignified character, and was favored by Emperor Han He, and finally became the empress.
In the palace, Deng Sui was always cautious and self-controlled, but he was proficient in scriptures and books, and he was well-versed in astronomical calculations, and every time Emperor Han He asked for the opinion of the concubine, she could always satisfy Emperor Han He. Gradually, Emperor Han He's favor began to favor Deng Sui, which aroused the jealousy of the Empress Yin at that time.
But every time Queen Yin's framing and conspiracy were easily resolved by Deng Sui. In 102 AD, Empress Yin was deposed due to her involvement in witchcraft, and Deng Sui was officially canonized as the empress. Due to the deteriorating physical condition of Emperor Han He, Deng Sui was also allowed to participate in the political affairs of foreign dynasties.
In this regard, Deng Sui was not as arrogant and lascivious as usual, but more humble and respectful. Even if Emperor Han He wanted to reward her family, she begged to stop it. Her elder brother Deng Qiu was just a tiger general in the entire Han and Emperor dynasties.
In 105 AD, Emperor He of the Han Dynasty died, and Deng Sui welcomed Liu Long, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty who had just been born for less than 100 days. After that, Deng Sui controlled the government as the empress dowager for 16 years. During this period, she promoted her brother Deng Qiu to be the general of the chariot and cavalry, and became her most powerful assistant.
With the joint efforts of Deng Sui and Deng Qiu, they overcame the most serious ten years of natural disasters in the Eastern Han Dynasty, provided a large number of relief to the victims, and maintained social stability. At the same time, they also pacified the Southern Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, Xiqiang and other external troubles, and expanded the territory of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
In this golden age, Cai Lun's papermaking, Zhang Heng's armillary sphere and geodynamic instrument and other major scientific and technological achievements were also made during this period. It can be said that the reign of Deng Sui and Deng Qiu brought the Eastern Han Dynasty to its heyday and became the peak of the Deng family.
According to historical records, the Deng family produced a total of 29 marquis, 2 dukes, 13 important generals above the general level during this period, as well as countless officials such as Zhong 2,000 Shi, state pastors, and county guards. It can be seen that they have become the most prominent wealthy family in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
What's even more rare is that although Deng Sui reused her relatives, she still strictly required them to abide by the law, so she was praised by the historians as the most virtuous queen of the "Six Queens of the Eastern Han Dynasty".
The decline of the Deng family
However, the authoritarian move of the Deng family still aroused the opposition of other political forces after all. In particular, Emperor An of the Han Dynasty and his empress Yan had a lot of complaints about this.
In 121 AD, Deng Sui died of illness, and Emperor An of Han officially took charge of the government and vigorously promoted Yan's relatives. The four brothers of the Yan family were successively appointed as the secretary of the school, took charge of the forbidden army, and began to gradually eliminate the power of the Deng family.
Soon after, Emperor An of the Han Dynasty made Deng Qiu the Marquis of Shangcai, promoted him to Tejin, and deprived him of his military power. At this time, the eunuch Li Yan framed Deng Qiu's late brother Deng Kui, accusing him of plotting to depose Emperor An of Han and set up Liu Yi, the king of the plains.
Emperor An of Han was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. As a result, not only other members of the Deng family were affected, but also Deng Guangde, Marquis of Xiping, Deng Guangzong, Deng Zhong, Marquis of Xihua, and others, all of whom were deposed as concubines, and the power of the Deng family was almost wiped out.
In the end, even Deng Qiu himself was dismissed and returned to the feudal country, and all the other clan members were also relegated back to the township. This political hunt can be said to be a huge blow in the history of the Deng family, which has plunged them into a deep crisis.
In fact, for Deng Kui's accusation of rebellion, a discerning person can see the flaws at a glance. Since Deng Kui has died, but he has been accused of rebellion, the arrangement of the crime is undoubtedly from the hands of powerful people. And the eunuch was a close confidant of the royal family, and the only one who could instruct him was Emperor Han An himself.
It can be said that this is just an excuse for Emperor An of Han to take the opportunity to clear the power of the Deng family. After that, Emperor An of the Han Dynasty directly ordered Deng Guangzong, Deng Zhong and others to commit suicide, and Deng Qiu also died of hunger strike because he could not bear the humiliation.
As the remnants of the Nanyang Deng family, in order to escape the disaster of killing, they had to be forced to move out one after another. As a result, the once glorious Deng family finally suffered the most tragic collapse since the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Deng Mengnu in the late Eastern Han Dynasty
Although the Deng family suffered a catastrophe, after all, it had accumulated several generations of heritage, how could it fall. Decades later, one of Deng Sui's nieces, Deng Xiang, gave birth to a daughter named Deng Mengnu.
This Deng Mengnu later experienced a magnificent life process. In 153 AD, during the period of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, Deng Mengnu was sent to the palace, won the favor of Emperor Huan, and was canonized as the queen.
As a result, the Deng family also recovered, and many clan members were successively made marquis, ranking in important positions such as school captains and generals. But this revival was short-lived and ultimately failed.
The reason is that, compared with the ancestor Deng Sui, Deng Mengnu lacks a city government and strategy. She was proud of her status, arrogant and jealous, and these characteristics eventually caused Emperor Huan's dissatisfaction.
In 165 AD, Emperor Huan issued an edict to depose Deng Mengnu and send her to the riot room control. Not long after, the once beautiful Deng Mengnu died of grief. Since then, members of her family have also been severely sanctioned.
This marked the last loss of power of the Deng family in the Eastern Han Dynasty. With the final collapse of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Deng family also completely stepped off the stage of history.
The fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the decline of the Deng family
At the beginning of its establishment, the Eastern Han Dynasty was once a dynasty full of vitality and hope. Liu Xiu led Deng Yu and other founding heroes to jointly promote the rise of this dynasty. Deng Yu played an indispensable role in it, he was talented, loyal and brave, and made great contributions to the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Under the impetus of Deng Yu and his descendants, the Deng family became one of the most prominent wealthy families in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Not only did they occupy an important position politically, but they also had extensive influence in the military and administrative spheres.
Deng Sui and Deng Qiu controlled the government for many years during the heyday of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which brought the Eastern Han Dynasty to a historical climax. Under their rule, the Eastern Han Dynasty society fell into great governance, and science and technology also developed like never before.
However, this splendor did not last long. The authoritarian move of the Deng family eventually aroused opposition from other political forces. Emperor An of Han took the opportunity to purge the power of the Deng family on a large scale, causing them to suffer a complete annihilation.
Although the Tang family later made some revival, it ultimately failed. Deng Mengnu's arrogance once again aroused the emperor's dissatisfaction, and finally led to her downfall.
With the final collapse of the Eastern Han Dynasty, this once glorious and dazzling family also completely fell and has been in a state of collapse ever since. Their rise and fall in the Eastern Han Dynasty perfectly reflects the whole process of the final fall of this dynasty.
epilogue
The rise and fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty is a historical chapter full of legends. In these turbulent times, the story of the Deng family is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing microcosms.
From the founding heroes to the power of the government and the opposition, and then to the collapse, they have experienced what ups and downs. The rise and fall of this family not only witnessed the glory and fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but also reflected the cruel nature of the power struggle.
The wheels of history roll forward, but these past events are forever engraved in our memories. The story of the Deng family has left us with a profound enlightenment: the pursuit of power often means inevitable destruction; And the true value lies in loyalty, courage and humility.
Such revelation should perhaps also be the wisdom that we need to draw on in our time. Let us work together to continue to write a more brilliant chapter in history in this rapidly changing world.