When it comes to Emperor Guangwu of Han, everyone knows that it is Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and what about Emperor Wen of Han Guang? There may be fewer people who know this nickname, so is there such an emperor in history? Yes, and when his name is mentioned, many people think, "Oh, it was him."
This person's surname was Liu Mingyuan, a Xiongnu, who was a very strong former Zhao Kaiguo emperor during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Why would a Xiongnu be surnamed Liu? This matter is early to say, that is because Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, once gave a woman in the family and relatives to Mao Dun Shan Yu, and since then, most of the descendants of Mo Dun Shan in this branch have begun to take Liu as their surname.
The time between Liu Bang and Liu Yuan is too long, the Western Han Dynasty is completed by the New Dynasty, the New Dynasty is followed by the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms entered the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the Western Jin Dynasty was completed after the Return of the Three Kingdoms to the Jin Dynasty. However, Liu Yuan,the Southern Xiongnu force, did not just come, and at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Yuan and his grandfather participated in the sweeping of the Yellow Turban as a reinforcement. Later, Cao Cao divided this army into five, appointing Liu Yuan and his father Liu Bao to command one of them. Then, when Sima Yan, the founding emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty, further weakened and dispersed them through reform, and let the five branches settle in different places under the duwei system, but on the whole, they were all in the area of present-day Shanxi.
From the time of Sima Zhao, Liu Yuan, as the son of one of them, was a hostage in Luoyang, where there were many hostages of this type, eating and drinking, but not giving any actual positions. This was still the case with Sima Yan, and although Sima Yan himself was very important to Liu Yuan, liu yuan repeatedly lost the opportunity to lead the army because of his different ethnic groups and the opposition of many ministers.
It was not until after Liu Bao's death that Sima Yan let him return to his hometown to renew his throne, and this time Liu Yuan finally began to exert his personality charm like a fish, and what strict legal system under his rule, his own courtesy corporal, this kind of reputation soon spread. Not only did the people and horses of the five departments come to him, but even many talented Confucians in distant states and counties came to serve him.
By the time Sima Zheng became emperor, Liu Yuan had already been made the Governor of the Five Ministries, the first time since his grandfather that the Five Ministries had been put under the administration of one person again. Beginning in 291 AD, the Rebellion of the Eight Kings broke out in the Western Jin Dynasty, and since then it has not stopped intermittently, Liu Yuan saw that the time had come, and gathered his people to begin to implement his plan for the founding of the country step by step in the name of responding to Sima Ying.
Sima Ying had the upper hand for a while, but in the midst of the melee, who could sit still, at a critical moment when he was about to face the pressure of a hundred thousand troops, Liu Yuan said to Sima Ying: "You defend the city, wait for me to go home and call someone to go!" As a result, when he went back, he did not come back, and Sima Yingcheng did not hold it and was defeated.
It was during this period that he said that famous passage to his subordinates, the original text is obscure, simple and clear summary is: "The ancient Dayu is from Dongyi, king Wen of Zhou is from Xirong, and who can be an emperor is virtuous." We have a hundred thousand people, ten in one top of the Jin Dynasty, and beating them is like playing. It is best that we establish a dynasty like the Great Han in the future, and at the very least we can build a great northern regime like Cao Wei of the Three Kingdoms. Having said that, strong soldiers and strong horses may not be convincing to the Han people, but when Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, and we were called brothers alone, the elder brother perished and became the top of the younger brother, what is inappropriate? "
In 304 AD, Liu Yuan was proclaimed king, the state name was Han, and the capital was Zuo Guocheng. He not only established the throne of god for the emperors of the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties, but also posthumously enfeoffed Liu Chan of the Three Kingdoms. From then on, he divided the territory and conquered the east and west, and officially became emperor four years later.