The Sixteen Kingdoms period was a period of chaotic great division in Chinese history. The wars since the end of the Han Dynasty led to a sharp decline in the population of the Central Plains, and a large number of Hu people moved inland. Coupled with the wrong ruling strategy of the Western Jin Dynasty, which led to the intensification of class contradictions and the serious internal friction of national strength, this series of factors superimposed together, which eventually led to the emergence of this chaotic history. The first to unveil the curtain on this history of division were Li Xiong, who claimed the throne in Chengdu in 304 AD, and Liu Yuan, who claimed the title of emperor at Zuoguocheng (左国城; in present-day Xishan County, Shanxi). The protagonist today is Liu Yuan.
Liu Yuan, ziyuanhai, Xiongnu, distant ancestor was Mao Dun Shan Yu in the early Han Dynasty. Because Mo Dun Shan Yu married the daughter of Liu Bang of Han Gao Zu Liu and was about a brother with Liu Bang, Mo Dun Shan Yu took "Liu" as the Han surname for his descendants. Liu Yuan was clever and clever since childhood, and his mother was also a Xiongnu with the surname Huyan, but liu Yuan died when he was seven years old. Seven-year-old Liu Yuan wept like an adult and touched the neighbors, and when Sikong Wang Chang heard about this, he asked people to send money and goods to praise Liu Yuan's filial piety. As a hostage in Luoyang, the capital of the Western Jin Dynasty, he was deeply influenced by Han culture, and in his early years he also aspired to serve the Jin court, but he eventually became one of the first people to raise the banner of division, and there are complex historical reasons behind this.
Because he lived in the Central Plains for a long time, Liu Yuan's tribe had a high degree of Sinicization, and Liu Yuan worshiped the party scholar Cui You as a teacher since childhood, read Confucian classics, and often talked with his classmates about the past and the present. Later, Liu Yuan learned martial arts, was good at archery, and had excellent physical strength.
Because Liu Yuan's tribe was strong in strength, with a total of about 30,000 people, his father Liu Bao was a left marshal, and his grandfather's brother Hu Kitchenquan was Shan Yu, so during the Cao Wei period, the teenage Liu Yuan was forced to stay away from his people and was sent to the capital Luoyang as a hostage to prevent the Xiongnu rebellion. At that time, sima zhao was very courteous to Liu Yuan, and later Sima Shi usurped the throne, and Sima Yan, the emperor of Jinwu, also admired Liu Yuan and wanted to entrust him with a heavy responsibility, intending to let him lead the army to Pingwu.
In fact, at this time, Liu Yuan had no rebellious heart against the Central Plains Dynasty. First of all, because Liu Yuan was influenced by Confucian culture from an early age, he also received good courtesy when he went to Luoyang as a hostage. Secondly, in the process of his growth, there was no major conflict between the Xiongnu and the Han, and Liu Yuan also made many celebrity friends when he was in Luoyang. Therefore, Liu Yuan had no motive for rebellion for the time being, and at this time, Sima Yan could basically rest assured that Liu Yuan would be entrusted with a heavy responsibility. However, Kong Ke and Yang Jue said: "The subordinates observed Liu Yuan's talents and felt that there was probably no one in today's world to match them. If His Majesty lets him control a small number of soldiers and horses, it will be difficult to succeed in Pingwu; if he grants authority, then after Pingwu, I am afraid that he will have Jiangnan and will no longer be a vassal. Those who are different from my race must have different minds. With Liu Yuan commanding his clan, his subordinates were still worried and chilled for His Majesty. If Jiangnan, who relies on natural danger, supports Liu Yuan, how can he! ”
When Sima Yan heard this, he no longer mentioned the appointment of Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan was therefore very devastated.
Later, the Xianbei tribe of Guanzhong rebelled against the bald tree function, and the imperial court repeatedly failed to suppress it. Li Xi, a servant of Shangshu, advised Emperor Wu: "If Your Majesty can recruit the troops of the five Xiongnu departments, grant Liu Yuan the title of a general, and order him to fight the rebellion in the west, Liangzhou will be determined." Kong Ke jumped out again and said, "Li Gong's words have not yet broken the principle of eliminating danger." Li Xi said angrily, "With the strength and good fighting of the Xiongnu, Liu Yuan's proficiency in the use of troops, plus Feng Xuan Shengwei, to eliminate the rebellion, what else can be said?" Kong Ke said, "If Liu Yuan can pacify Liangzhou and cut down trees, I'm afraid liangzhou will really be in danger." At that time, the dragon will travel in the sky like a rain of clouds, and will no longer be a thing in the pool. Emperor Wu of Jin thought Kong Gong was right, feared that Liu Yuan would take the opportunity to lead the clan to rebellion, and once again abandoned the appointment of Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan was again devastated.
Twice entering the career path was blocked, Liu Yuan was discouraged, his mentality gradually changed, and he no longer wanted to make contributions to the imperial court. After Liu Bao's death, Liu Yuan returned to his hometown and took the place of ZuoBu Shuai. He was quite politically talented, and there were many heroes and celebrities gathered under his account. By the time Yang Jun came to power, Liu Yuan was officially established as the leader of the Five Xiongnu Departments. After the Rebellion of the Eight Kings began, Sima Ying, fearing that Liu Yuan would rebel, dismissed him from his official post and sent him to Yecheng as an official. Due to the western Jin dynasty's discriminatory and defensive posture against the Xiongnu, which caused dissatisfaction among the Xiongnu high-level, coupled with the infighting in the Western Jin dynasty's court, the strength was greatly reduced, so the Xiongnu high-level Liu Xuan and other conspired to divide the territory, revive the Xiongnu state, and elect Liu Yuan as the great Danyu.
After the conspiracy of the people secretly informed Liu Yuan, Liu Yuan, who had been suspected and ostracized by the imperial court for many years, immediately agreed. Liu Yuan, on the pretext of returning to the tribe to attend the funeral, asked Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, to let him go back, but Sima Ying did not agree. Later, when the kings of the Sima clan attacked, Liu Yuan returned to Zuo Guocheng on the pretext of moving rescue troops, and gathered more than 50,000 people in just twenty days.
In the first year of Yongxing (304), Liu Yuan officially ascended the Throne of Han at Zuoguocheng. In the name of Fu Han, he posthumously honored Liu Chan, the lord of the Han Dynasty, as Emperor Xiaohuai, and established Liu Bang, the ancestor of han Gaozu, to worship him with three ancestors and five gods. And Liu Yuan claimed that the emperor was only the beginning of the chaotic world of the Sixteen Kingdoms.