In 74 BC, outside the Golden Horse Gate of Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City, the capital of the Han Dynasty, a bloody massacre was about to be staged. Escorted and monitored by thousands of Janissaries, more than 200 courtiers of the old Changyi State were escorted to the execution ground, where mourning and crying were everywhere. Although these courtiers were bound by the five flowers, they still cried out loudly and cursed their former Lord:
"When the break continues, it is chaotic"!
However, as soon as the words fell, so did the executioner's sharp blade. In just one morning, more than 200 heads fell to the ground.
So why were these 200 courtiers killed? Before dying, why did they shout "break" and what did they really mean?
On June 5, 74 BC, the 24-year-old Han Zhao Emperor Liu Fuling died, leaving no children, and the huge dragon chair had no owner. After deliberation, the actual ruler of the imperial court, the great general Huo Guang, and the right general Zhang Anshi made a decision to make Liu He, the grandson of Emperor Wu of Han, the Prince of Changyi, emperor.
For Liu He, who was only 18 years old and lived in the feudal kingdom, the position of emperor was undoubtedly a big pie thrown down from heaven. So, overwhelmed, he immediately announced the matter to more than 200 of his courtiers and instructed them to pack their bags and go to Chang'an to enjoy their wealth together. Amid the cheers of his courtiers, Liu He stepped onto the royal carriage bound for Chang'an.
Arriving in Chang'an, Liu He was received by Huo Guang and others. On the same day, Liu He accepted the emperor's seal and officially became the master of the Han Empire. In the eyes of young Liu He, the emperor was ordained by heaven and was the supreme god of the world, and every word and even every posture had the power of thunder. Whoever he wants to die, he must die; if he wants people to live, he can live; whoever he wants to be rich can obtain wealth similar to that of Tao Zhugong and Deng Tong.
Judging from the history books, Liu He was a kind person. As soon as he ascended to the throne, he was enfeoffed as a vassal, and more than 200 old ministers were promoted beyond the ranks. For Liu He's decision, the courtiers of the Changyi State all celebrated each other and were overjoyed. However, Liu Hejunchen did not notice that Huo Guang, Zhang Anshi and the others were staring at themselves with cold eyes, as if they were going to eat them.
Soon, Liu He's courtier Gong Sui discovered something strange. So he wept bitterly and advised Liu He: "The idea that the great king was made the son of heaven was the idea of the former emperor's old subjects. If you want to be an official, you must first seal the old minister. If you spoil the old people of Changyi country as you do now, and cross the ranks and promote them, I am afraid that a great disaster will come! For Gong Sui's advice, Liu He, who was indulging in ecstasy, did not listen to a word.
After that, the servant Zhang Chang also advised: "The former emperor died early and had no descendants, and the chancellor was afraid that the imperial throne was vacant, so he established His Majesty as the son of heaven." His Majesty succeeded to the throne in his prime, and the ministers and the people were still in a wait-and-see state. Now you are not a former subject, but a junior of changyi country, this mistake is really too big! ”
In fact, Gong Sui and Zhang Chang had long realized that in the imperial court, Huo Guang and other old ministers were the ones who really had the final say. The reason why Huo Guang established Liu He was that he took a fancy to his youth. In their eyes, young monarchs were easier to control and more able to secure their power and wealth. However, Liu He supported his cronies and squeezed out the power that originally belonged to them, which was obviously contrary to their previous fantasies.
For politicians like Huo Guang, power is even more important than their lives. If they want to seize their power, they will only risk the world and fight to the death.
Liu He ascended the throne only 27 days ago, and Huo Guang and the others did indeed try to see liu he and the old ministers of Changyi State and brandished a butcher's knife. First, these seasoned ministers took the lead in closing the palace gates and isolating the old ministers of Changyi state from Liu He; later, Huo Guang secretly informed Emperor Han Zhao's wife, Empress Shangguan, of his plan to depose Liu He. As a grandson, Empress Shangguan naturally turned to her grandfather's side. Subsequently, Empress Shangguan, dressed in full dress, suddenly announced the convening of a royal council, which was attended by Liu He, Huo Guang, and other former courtiers.
At the meeting, Huo Guang and others played together, believing that Liu He was absurd and rebellious and lacked the ability to run the jiangshan. During his 27 days on the throne, he did 1127 wrong things and deserved to be deposed immediately. Before Liu He could argue, Empress Shangguan solemnly announced, "Yes! ”
It was this "ke" word that threw Liu He and the rulers of Changyi into the abyss. First, the courtiers took Liu He's seal and drove him back to Changyi. The former ministers of changyi state, except for Gong Sui and Zhang Chang, were all beheaded. In the cry of more than 200 lives, Liu He slipped back to his old feudal country.
Before the execution, why did the old courtiers say that "the judgment is continuous"? In Liu He's later years, he gave the answer. In a small conversation with his friend Sun Wanshi, Liu He, who had become the Marquis of Haixia, revealed that a family courtier had entered the palace and asked him to close the palace gates, launch a coup d'état, and behead the general Huo Guang. However, due to Liu He's hesitation, he eventually "lost it". Although a coup may not succeed, it is better than sitting still.
After Liu He was deposed, Huo Guang learned the lessons of the past and made Liu He's great-grandson, Liu Yi, who was the same age as liu he, as emperor. Compared with Liu He, who was a prince, Liu Yi had no influence around him at all. Liu Yi was already the grandson of Emperor Wu of Han, the crown prince of Liu Zhao. In the scourge of the Witches, Emperor Wu of Han almost slaughtered Liu Zhao's family, leaving only Liu Yi, who was still in his infancy.
After that, the young Liu was already imprisoned, and without the help of a kind jailer, Feng Ji, he would probably die in prison. With the revelation of the curse of the witches, Emperor Wu of Han re-recorded Liu Yi as an imperial register, allowing him to live as a commoner.
It can be said that although Emperor Wu of Han was Liu Yiji's great-grandfather, he was also the enemy who killed his parents. Even if the two were related by blood, Liu Yi was already very resentful of Emperor Wu of Han.
Because Liu Yi was born a prisoner, he suffered from the white eyes of others. At the same time, he grew up in the folk, compared with Liu He, who grew up in a small brocade and raised in the hands of women, Liu Yi has learned more about the way of being cautious and cautious. Therefore, although Liu He's illness is similar to Liu He's age, he is much more experienced in the world.
After Liu Yi had ascended the throne, he immediately did a big thing, that is, he gave his grandfather Liu Zhao a nickname - "戾". In terms of decency, "戾" is not a good word. However, according to the "Explanation of Words", "戾" also means "anger because of grievances". On the one hand, Liu Yi has given his grandfather a bad comment, expressing his users of the old policies of Emperor Wu of Han, and at the same time saying that he will not liquidate Huo Guang and others, the old ministers of Emperor Wu of Han. On the other hand, Liu Zhao, on the other hand, highlighted the grievances of the crown prince from the side, thus proving the legitimacy of the imperial power of his own descendants of the prince.
Obviously, Liu Yiji's decision was very clever, and it immediately stabilized the emotions of Huo Guang and others and dispelled their doubts.
Only two years later, Liu Yi had already erected a temple for Emperor Wu of Han. Compared with later dynasties, it was very difficult for the Han Dynasty to establish an imperial temple. There are more than 20 emperors in the two Han Dynasties, and only 7 have temple numbers. Without a major contribution, a temple cannot be erected. In the eyes of the people at that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was exhausted and controversial, and he should not have built a temple.
However, what was surprising about Liu Yi was that Liu Yi had vigorously defied public opinion and insisted on building a temple for Emperor Wu of Han. The reason why Liu Yi had built a temple for Emperor Wu of Han, who had killed his entire family, was to emphasize to the world: "I am the eldest grandson of Emperor Wu of Han, while Emperor Liu Fuling of Han Zhao and Liu He the King of Changyi are just sons." In this way, Liu Yi had established the authority of his imperial rule by affirming the "enemy" Emperor Wu of Han. At the same time, the establishment of a temple for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was also an acknowledgement of Huo Guang's power. After all, Huo Guang's name as a chancellor came directly from Emperor Wu of Han. Respecting Emperor Wu of Han was equivalent to respecting Huo Guang.
Compared with Liu He, Liu Yi had deeply understood Huo Guang's strength and horror. The history books have recorded that Liu Yi has felt that Huo Guang, who is standing behind him, is "like a man on his back".
In order to curry favor with Huo Guang, Liu Yi had already raised Tao Guang and was willing to be a puppet, and asked Huo Guang for big and small affairs and let him make a decision. However, there was only one thing, Liu Yi had defied Huo Guang's proposition, that is, who to choose as empress. According to Huo Guang's meaning, his daughter Huo Chengjun should be made empress. However, Liu Yi had already taken care of his old feelings and made his private wife Xu Pingjun empress, which made Huo Guang and his Huo family very dissatisfied.
According to historical records, Huo Guang's family was furious, and his wife colluded with the imperial doctor to kill Xu Pingjun after pregnancy, which Huo Guang did not know. But in the author's opinion, this may be the Spring and Autumn Brushwork of historians, but it is only for His Holiness. In fact, such a big conspiracy, Huo Guang could not be unaware of it at all.
For the real murderer of his wife, Liu Yi naturally knew it. After all, there were already rumors in the folk at that time that Huo Guang was the murderer of Empress Xu. However, even so, Liu Yi had chosen to swallow his anger and swallow his voice, and Tao Guang was obscure. He not only immediately made Huo Guang's daughter empress, but also rewarded Huo Guang's family in a big way.
In 68 BC, Huo Guang died, and Liu Yi had already made a jaw-dropping move against this "wife-killing enemy" - mourning him with emperor's etiquette and building a mausoleum for him with the emperor's specifications.
The reason why Liu Yi had done this was to paralyze the Huo family and create the illusion that he was still a puppet of the Huo clan, after all, "a worm with a thousand feet, dead but not stiff", the Huo clan still had power to the opposition; on the other hand, praising Huo Guang was also confirming the legitimacy of his claim to the throne, without Huo Guang's approval, there would be no throne of his own. This point, Liu Disease is already very clear.
In the end, Liu Yi had successfully deceived the Huo family and secretly set out to cut the power of the Huo family. In the end, Liu Yi had successfully forced Huo Shi to rebel, and easily struck him against it, destroying the Huo Guang clan and avenging his wife with an arrow. Since then, Liu Yi has gone from a prisoner and puppet to the real master of the Han Empire.
Liu Yiji is undoubtedly a mature politician, he is good at hiding his feelings for the sake of the overall situation, never emotional, and finally step by step to the peak of power. In addition, he did not "abolish the government as a person", nor did he abolish their correct policies because he had a vendetta against Emperor Wu of Han and Huo Guang. Even Liu Yi had listed Huo Guang as the head of the Seventeen Heroes.
Adhering to their tenet of "resting with the people and vigorously promoting agriculture", Liu Yi had successfully restored the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, rapidly expanded its population and wealth, and the stubborn enemy, the Xiongnu, was also subdued under his rule. The Han Dynasty extended its territory beyond the Great Wall and for the first time brought the western regions under Chinese rule. As a result, the han dynasty reached its peak, and this era was called "the rule of Zhaoxuan". Therefore, the scholar Liu Xiangcai called him "the talent of talent governance", and the greatness of Liu Xiangcai's illness is beyond doubt!
From the success or failure of Liu He and Liu Yi, we can draw a conclusion. The so-called politics is to distinguish who is a friend and who is an enemy. The so-called leader, only someone can speak and count. No one praises, even the emperor is just a widow. Liu He was too naïve politically to know who to unite with, thinking that no one dared to resist even if he said anything. So he wanted to prop up trusted courtiers and make them the basis of his power. However, he did not expect that the real people in the imperial court were not himself, but Huo Guang and others. Liu He wanted to tear down his real power base and wanted to build a castle in the air, but the final result was naturally to fall on his head and bleed.
But Liu Yi already knew clearly who his power base was. Who is the one who should unite or even obey? Therefore, by respecting his father's enemy Emperor Wu of Han and his wife's enemy Huo Guang, he finally gained the approval of the power base, thus sitting firmly on the throne and eventually becoming a generation of holy kings.
In Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian, he devotes great space to depicting the power struggle from the scourge of the witches to the fact that Liu Yi had killed Huo. This period of history is the most vivid political textbook, so that people can understand what is the essence of politics and power.
Therefore, I suggest that you read more history, draw more wisdom from the wisdom of the ancients, and learn the way of scheming. "Zizhi Tongjian" is almost a book that can comprehensively improve the quality of people in all aspects, and after reading it, it is equivalent to living for 1300 years.
The reason why the author says this is because the "Zizhi Tongjian" was originally an imperial textbook, and it was all about power and conspiracy. As long as you learn the power schemes in the "Zizhi Tongjian", whether it is to deal with the world or to study and work, you can be at ease.
For the general public, reading texts is still more difficult. Therefore, Tao Tao recommends a set of good books to everyone - "Vernacular Zizhi Tongjian".
This set of books was co-translated in the 1980s by Huang Jinfeng, professor of Chinese language and doctoral supervisor of National Taiwan University, and gathered 27 professors and scholars from many colleges and universities in Taiwan.
Because the scholars who compiled this book are all Guoxue masters, this set of books is by no means the Zizhi Tongjian that is shoddily made and carries private goods on the market now. Instead, it respects the original text, translates it word by word, and adds no more than one word, so as to get close to and restore the original meaning of the "Zizhi Tongjian". It is not explained by a "modern vision", and it is even more uneven. And it's the whole book.
Inside there are portraits of important people
There is a concise genealogical table of emperors and a brief list of official systems. After coming out, he was recommended by the master of traditional Chinese studies Qian Mu and Tai Jingnong.
As a history lover, it is very cost-effective to start this set, because this set of activities in the headlines, a set of ten books, the original price of 498, now the headline readers as long as 208, it can be said that it is very valuable.
You can click on the link below to purchase. The previous more than 4,000 copies were sold out, and now a new batch is added, and the number is not much, and it is almost out of stock:
Vernacular Zizhi Tongjian [a full set of 10 books] ¥208 to buy