In 180 BC, Lü Yan, a female protagonist of the first generation, died. Before Lü Hou died, he sealed Zhu Lü in an attempt to seize the foundation of the Han family. The lieutenants Zhou Bo and Liu Zhang, the Marquis of Zhuxu, went all out to eliminate Lü Lu and Lü Chan and return the world to Liu Shi. It was widely believed that Liu Hong was not the son of Emperor Hui's Liu Ying and was not qualified to ascend the throne. Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, was the eldest son of Liu Fei, the eldest son of Emperor Gao's Liu Bang, and was supposedly eligible to succeed to the throne, but some people said that Liu Xiang's uncle Si Jun was too rampant, and establishing Liu Xiang was equivalent to re-establishing a foreign relative like Lü Shi, which was unfavorable to the country. Everyone discussed for half a day, and finally decided to establish Liu Bang, the eldest of Liu Bang's surviving sons. Qunchen sent people to pick up Liu Heng to Chang'an as emperor on behalf of the state, that is, the famous Emperor Wen of Han. In other words, a series of historical feats such as the rule of Wenjing, the great destruction of the Xiongnu by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and the defeat of the Xiongnu by emperor Xuan of Han all originated from this princely state called daiguo, and its historical significance is self-evident.
Our question today is: Where is the daikoku? The earliest daiguo was in Wei County, northwestern Hebei Province, under the administration of Zhangjiakou City. King Wuling of Zhao, who was ridden by Hufu, once set up a dai county, during the period when Qin Shi Huang destroyed the Six Kingdoms, after the fall of the Zhao state, the Zhao king Qian had been imprisoned to Fangling, and the prince Zhao Jia established a new Zhao state regime in the north, although the zhao state's clan honored Zhao Jia as the king of Zhao, but its territory was far inferior to the original Zhao state, historically known as the dai state. After penetrating deep into Liaodong to destroy the Yan state, Wang Ben moved his division to the west to attack Dai.
Zhao Jia, the Acting King, is indeed a heroic figure, but his strength is not good, and he also lacks skills. After the defeat of the first world war, Zhao Jia, the acting king, saw that the inheritance left by his ancestors was gone, and committed suicide. After Liu Bang seized the world, he made his brother Liu Xi the acting king. Liu Xi is not very famous, but as long as you are familiar with the history of the Western Han Dynasty, you must be familiar with his son, who is the famous Wu King Liu Hao, the leader of the rebel army in the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.
Located in the valley of the Huliu River, a tributary of the Sanggan River, with the majestic Taihang Mountains to the south, Wei County was a military stronghold in the Central Plains for the defense of nomadic tribes in the north. However, Liu Heng's daiguo had little to do with Wei County, Hebei, and the Shiji-Gaozu Benji records that Liu Heng was the acting king, and the capital was in Jinyang (Taiyuan, Shanxi), while the Book of Han-Emperor Wen records that Liu Heng's kingdom was in Zhongdu.
Where is this? Nature is not too far from Taiyuan, Shanxi, and it is generally believed that there are two cities that are the most likely, both of which are well-known. Let's start with the first one – Yuji. Not far southeast of the main city of Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, is Jinzhong City, another provincial city in Shanxi Province, and the main urban area of Jinzhong City is all located in Yuci District. According to the records of gu Zuyu, a geographer in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, there was a zhongdu city in the eastern fifteenth mile of Yuci County (at that time), which was the capital of the Han Emperor Liu Heng during the contemporary reign.
The second city, which may be the former site of the Zhongdu City, may be more famous than Yuci, that is, Pingyao. The reason why Pingyao is famous is naturally because of the famous ancient city, which is one of the most important tourism resources in Pingyao. The famous Northern Wei geographer Li Daoyuan recorded in the "Notes on water classics" that after the water flowed into the water of The Infant Hou, it passed through Zhongdu County, also known as Zhongdu Water, which was verified by many scholars in later generations as the current Pingyao County.
Let's look at the situation of Yuci and Pingyao again. Yuci is north of Pingyao, separated by tens of kilometers, but the two places have one thing in common, that is, they are located in the Taiyuan Basin. To the west of the Taiyuan Basin is the Lüliang Mountains and to the east is the Taiyue Mountains, which flow between them through the Fenhe River, one of the most important rivers in Shanxi Province.
Picture - Pingyao Ancient City overlooking
Shanxi Province has many river valley basins running in a north-south direction, from north to south there are Datong Basin (Sanggan River), Xinzhou Basin (Hutuo River), Taiyuan Basin (Fenhe River), Linfen Basin (Fenhe River), Yuncheng Basin (west of the Yellow River). Among these basins, the Taiyuan Basin is right in the middle. For Shanxi Province, which is a narrow north-south stretch, this means that the Taiyuan Basin will inevitably become the central region of Shanxi Province. Although the distance between Yuci and Pingyao is not far, Liu Heng's daiguo cannot have two capitals, Yuci and Pingyao, which one is the location of the daiguo capital? Many scholars have different views on this matter. However, relatively speaking, there are slightly more views in favor of Pingyao as the capital of the country, mainly for geographical reasons.
Picture - Overlooking the ancient city of Pingyao
In the early years of the Han Dynasty, due to the great chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, productivity fell sharply, and it was difficult for the comprehensive strength to cope with the powerful Xiongnu in the north. In particular, emperor Liu Bang of Han was severely frightened at the Siege of Baideng (near Datong, Shanxi), which led to the overall defensive nature of the Early Han Dynasty's strategy against the Xiongnu. Taiyuan, Shanxi, was right in the middle of the Xiongnu and Han Dynasties, and was the military center of the Western Han Dynasty to defend against the Xiongnu. But the Xiongnu were most powerful in their cavalry, which came and went like the wind and was very mobile, making the Han Dynasty defenders miserable. Xiongnu cavalry often invaded the area of Taiyuan County, and Yuci was not far southeast of Taiyuan. That is to say, some scholars who support Pingyao believe that if Liu Heng's daigou state is in Yuci, it will be very insecure strategically. The Xiongnu cavalry can kill Taiyuan, although it may not be able to break Taiyuan, but if it is not successful in Taiyuan, the Xiongnu cavalry is very likely to attack Yuci, where the defense is relatively weak. Once Liu Heng, the acting king, was taken captive by the Xiongnu, this was definitely bad news for the Han Dynasty.
Picture - Overlooking Jinzhong
Some scholars believe that the biggest advantage of Pingyao compared to Yuci is that it is located south of Yuci, and the surrounding mountains are relatively complex, such as Fox Tu Mountain, Que Rat Valley, Tuanbai Valley, Maling, Jinsuoguan and other dangerous passes. This was a very prominent defensive advantage in ancient times when it was inconvenient to travel. Another point is that Pingyao is closer to Chang'an than Yuci, and once Taiyuan is invaded by the Xiongnu, it can flee south. Of course, due to the consideration of "the Son of Heaven guarding the gate of the country", Yuci may still be the capital of the country. For more historical map articles, please pay attention to the WeChat public account: Map Emperor
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