The word "scoundrel" has different meanings in ancient and modern times. Now to say that someone is a scoundrel is a proper derogatory term, a scoundrel, flirting with cats and dogs, idle. In short, not a serious person.
However, Sima Qian said that Liu Bang "scoundrel" meant that there was no occupation to live on. He is neither an official nor a farmer. If you don't have craftsmanship, you can't buy and sell, and it has nothing to do with moral character.
The characteristics of hooligans are that they bully the weak and fear the hard, run rampant in the township, and are hated by the people, and these evil deeds can not be seen in Liu Bang.
Liu Bang's characteristics are that he specializes in bullying officials, such as not taking the Peixian county order in his eyes, and daring to play the county order's friend in public, without bringing a penny, he dared to say that he gave a gift of 10,000 yuan.
Therefore, Liu Bang is not a hooligan. At that time, people evaluated Liu Bang as an "elder". 比如，义帝派刘邦西入关中，就是因为刘邦是个长者。
For another example, Xiang Yu grabbed Wang Ling's mother and forced Wang Ling to surrender to him. Wang Ling sent an envoy to negotiate, and Wang Ling's mother privately told the envoy that Liu Bang was an elder and asked the envoy to tell Wang Ling not to have two thoughts about Liu Bang, and then committed suicide. 王母认可自杀，也不让儿子被判刘邦，难道还不能说明刘邦是个长者吗？
既然刘邦是个长者，名声非常好，为什么会被误读为流氓，无赖呢？ This has to do with the way he speaks.
In the history books, Xiang Yu is described with the most common word "anger". And the word most used to describe Liu Bang is "scolding". This "scolding" is not the foul language we now understand, spitting lotus flowers. Rather, it means harshness, criticism, scolding.
This way of communication is too different from the noble corporal Lixian, who speaks in a gentle and elegant way, and cannot be accepted by some people, such as Wei Bao, Yongya, etc., nor can it be accepted by later generations of literati and ink writers, and over time a misunderstanding of Liu Bang has been formed.
Liu Bang is fast-talking, straightforward, and has not received aristocratic education, and his words are relatively vulgar, but his words are not rough, and they are not bad. If there is merit, there must be a reward, and Tong Su is not deceived and is not ambiguous. Even Liu Bang's most hated Yongya, who has merit, is still a marquis.
Some people will question, how can Liu Bang kill Han Xin and Peng Yue? Is this the work of the elders? That's how I see it.
Killing Han Xin and Peng Yue is a political struggle, and it does not involve personal morality, and Liu Bang cannot leave the risk to future generations. Let's imagine if Liu Bang hadn't killed Han Xin and Peng Yue. After Liu Bang's death, the descendants could not control the two, and there was another war, the people were miserable, and the country changed hands. At that time, what will we say about Liu Bang? Would you say that he was merciful?
Therefore, for those in high positions, stabilizing the political situation and making the world peaceful is the greatest good. 刘邦所诛杀的都是政敌，有能力作乱的诸侯王级别的人物，目的是消除动乱的隐患。
Strictly speaking, Han Xin and Peng Yue are both princes and kings, not ministers, but kings. 他们有自己的军队和官僚，管理自己封国内的人民。 Later history proved that such princes and kings were the bane of war. The Seven Kingdoms Rebellion in the Western Han Dynasty, the Eight Kings Rebellion in the Western Jin Dynasty, and the warlord division in the late Tang Dynasty are all vivid examples.
And Liu Bang is very good to the heroes within his group, all those who should be crowned marquis are feudal marquis, and those who should be feudal are all feudal officials.
汉高祖刘邦，绝对是一个标准的好皇帝。