Liu Song's Xiaowu Emperor Liu Jun carried out a series of reform measures during his reign, so that Liu Song, who fell into the decline of national strength after Yuan Jia, began to show the momentum of ZTE. This series of reforms laid the foundation for the political landscape of the Southern Dynasty, which was continued by other dynasties that followed. Many of these measures were praised by later generations, but the management reform of the Liu Song imperial family was criticized by the world and became the focus of debate in later generations. Liu Jun's management of the members of the royal family was very strict, and a series of measures were taken to suppress and limit the power of the royal family in the local area, which caused many members of the royal family to rebel. In particular, his method of killing his clan brothers was considered to be very cruel, and it was also greatly criticized in later history books.
During the twelve years of Liu Jun's reign, the clan was brutally suppressed by him, and many Princes of Liu Song were killed for various reasons such as rebellion, leaving him with a cruel reputation in history. Liu Shuo, the prince of Nanping, sided with crown prince Liu Shao in the course of his struggle for the throne, and did not announce his surrender until after Liu Shao's defeat. Therefore, after Liu Jun ascended the throne and stabilized the political situation, he was quickly put to death. The following year, Liu Yixuan, the king of Nan Commandery, rebelled at the instigation of Zang Zhi and was killed by Zhu Xiuzhi, the assassin of Jingzhou. In the third year, Liu Hun, the king of Wuchang, proclaimed himself the King of Chu and secretly made a campaign against Liu Jun, but after the matter was leaked, he was deposed as a Shuren and sent to Shi'an Commandery. Soon after, Liu Jun sent a member of the outer riding attendant Dai Mingbao to force him to death, at the age of seventeen.
Liu Shi, the king of Jinling, was jealous of Liu Jun because of his great merits in the war of the throne, so he used the excuse of the Northern Wei invasion to repair the city and gather grain and grass soldiers and horses in Guangling. Later, someone accused Liu Shi of rebellion, and Liu Jun ordered him to be demoted. Liu Shi disobeyed the order and killed Shi Yuanlang of Yanzhou to plot a rebellion, and was eventually defeated by the famous general Shen Qingzhi's attack on Guangling City. Later, Liu Xiumao, the king of Hailing, was dissatisfied with Liu Jun's use of the pawn system to monitor the prefectures, counties and clans, and in a fit of rage, he killed the pawnbrokers, and as a result, he was killed by the officers and soldiers before he could escape from the inner city. Among these slain Liu Song clans were both Liu Jun's uncle and his half-brother. In addition, he killed his eldest brother Liu Shao, and after he ascended the throne, he executed the second brother Liu Mao's family who stood in Liu Shao's camp, so he gained a reputation in history that six relatives did not recognize.
However, what was surprising was that when he killed the Clan Prince, there was a Clan Prince who was looked at differently by him, and this was Liu Hong, the King of Jianping. Liu Hong was the seventh son of Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong, and his favorite son. In his later years, when Liu Yilong wanted to abolish the crown prince Liu Shao's crown prince, the first candidate considered was Liu Hong. Only because of the opposition of his confidants Jiang Zhan, Xu Zhanzhi and others, liu Yilong hesitated. In the end, Liu Yilong did not have time to depose the prince, but was killed by Liu Shao, and the ending was very tragic. After Liu Jun attacked Liu Shao as emperor, Liu Hong was looked at differently and arranged to meet his mother, Empress Dowager Lu. In the early days of Liu Jun's reign as emperor, Liu Hong was the most favored prince of the clan and became the prime minister who held the real power of the imperial court.
Liu Jun's kindness to Liu Hong far exceeded that of other clan brothers, and he was not jealous of his power, but also constantly promoted to the rank of knight. Even when Liu Hong was seriously ill, he was still ready to add his Kaifu Yi tongsan division, which was a very high honor and status at that time. After Liu Hongying's early death, Liu Jun asked the imperial court to posthumously honor him as a servant and a situ, give him twenty swords, and give him Xuanjian. Liu Jun was very saddened by Liu Hong's death, and not only went to mourn before the spiritual throne on the day of the synodic, but also personally wrote an epitaph and preface. Moreover, at the time of each reward in the clan room, Liu Hong, who had already died, did not fall behind. It can be said that Liu Jun really did a brotherhood to Liu Hong, and is the real elder brother's love for his brother. This contradicts his aggressive killing of his brothers and finds it incomprehensible.
To explain this question, we must first start from Liu Hong's origin and political position. Liu Hong was the seventh son of Liu Yilong, and his mother was Cao Jieyu (曹婕妤), who was born in the Cao clan of peiguo. Cao Jieyu was not very favored in Liu Yilong's harem, but Liu Hong himself was looked at differently by Liu Yilong. This is mainly because Liu Hong's political stance is relatively stable, and he does not excessively favor a certain door valve clan, which makes Liu Yilong more satisfied. The Cao clan of peiguo was actually a descendant of Cao Shan, the prime minister of the early Han Dynasty, and after mixing with some of the Cao Wei royal family, he was one of the high-gate lords in the Wei and Jin dynasties. However, after the Yongjia Rebellion to the south, the Cao clan of the Pei state began to decline, and by the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, its power was no longer large. Therefore, in Liu Yilong's harem, Cao Jieyu, who was born in the Cao clan of the Pei Kingdom, was not outstanding.
However, with the support of the Peiguo Cao clan, Liu Hong's reputation in the door valve is very good, which is the place where Liu Yilong values it most. Liu Hong was modest and thrifty, meticulous and cautious, well versed in political affairs, courteous to the Magi, and maintained good relations with his brothers and the clan of doormen. Even the always arrogant crown prince Liu Shao, after killing his father, when faced with the brothers' rebellion to besiege Jiankang, took the initiative to send someone to invite him to the inner temple to discuss countermeasures. Liu Hong's reputation was not only very high among the door valve clan, but also very good among the cold doors. He pays attention to talent and learning, and treats the scholars and the cold door equally, which makes Liu Jun, who has always been partial to the cold door, take a look. Therefore, he became a fragrant food that everyone wanted to win in the royal infighting, and his status was very transcendent.
When Liu Jun raised an army to besiege Jiankang, Liu Hong seemed to be in Liu Shao's camp, but secretly sent his close associate Zhou Fadao to send liu Jun with a handboard. This hand was given to him by Liu Jun when he left Jiankang, and he used it as a relic to show His political position to Liu Jun and secretly cooperate with Liu Jun's attack on Jiankang. Therefore, after Liu Jun ascended the throne, most of the clan brothers who stood in Liu Shao during the war were held responsible, but Liu Hongqing went straight up and became the prime minister of the Liu Song court, and even grasped the power of the forbidden army. In addition, when Liu Jun faced the rebellion of the princes of the clan, Liu Hong firmly sided with Liu Jun, which was one of the reasons why Liu Jun valued him more. It is precisely because of Liu Hong's existence that Liu Jun's relationship with the royal family and the door valve was once relaxed.
From a political point of view, Liu Yilong's sons Liu Jun and Liu Hong are the most similar. Due to the legacy of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the Liu Song dynasty was the pattern of door valve politics, and the resources of the state and the imperial court were controlled by the door valve family. Liu Jun and Liu Hong were the rulers who supported the people-oriented politics, and they actively promoted the people-oriented politics, which played a decisive role in the recovery of Liu Song's national strength. In Liu Jun's later reforms, many of the plans were continuations of Liu Hong's lifetime, which greatly improved Liu Song's economic strength, improved the living environment of the people at the bottom, and reversed the actual combat strength of the army in northern Wei. It can be said that at the end of Liu Jun's period, Liu Song's strategic posture overpowered the Northern Wei, which was inseparable from some of the basic systems and plans established during Liu Hong's period.
Liu Hong is most commendable for his gentler political methods, which is very different from Liu Jun, who is known for his radicalism. He used moderate political means to achieve political goals, and made the Door Valve clan and clan officials gladly accept it, which was difficult for Liu Jun to do. With Liu Jun's fierce temper, once things did not go along with the way, he made a lot of complaints, and the internal contradictions in the imperial court were fierce, which buried a great hidden danger behind him. It can be said that the existence of Liu Hong is the conciliator between Liu Jun and the Hundred Officials and the Door Valve Clan, and it is also the most appropriate candidate. If he had not died young, Liu Jun would not have had to push too reform, and he would not have left a hidden danger for Liu Song. Such hidden dangers broke out after Liu Jun's death, bringing disaster to Liu Song.
In summary, Liu Hong can be looked at differently by Liu Jun, and the fundamental reason is that his political stance and philosophy are similar to Liu Jun's, and his political means are smarter than Liu Jun's. Whether in the battle for the throne or in the clan battle after Liu Jun's ascension to the throne, Liu Hong sided with Liu Jun. Liu Jun's reputation in the clan because he was ostracized by Liu Yilong was very bad, so it was not easy to have Liu Hong, a supporter of the clan. The two took the same path in their political philosophy, so they became tacit partners in politics. Unfortunately, God did not give Liu Jun a chance, and Liu Hong died young at the age of twenty-five, leaving Liu Jun alone to face the siege of the door valve and the clan room. Although Liu Jun's powerful ability to quell the civil unrest, it also laid hidden dangers for Liu Song.