Characters and story series of the Two Jin Dynasties and The Northern and Southern Dynasties (37) - Liu Yuan

Liu Yuan (劉元海), a native of Xinxing County (新郡), luyi County (present-day Wutai County, Shanxi). During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Emperor Zhao of Han (reigned for six years), the Xiongnu leader Mao Dun Shan Yu was a descendant, the Southern Xiongnu Shan Yu Yu was the grandson of Yu Fuluo, the son of Liu Bao the King of Zuoxian, his mother was Hu Yan, and Liu Yuan was a descendant of the Hanhua Xiongnu nobles (Han Gaozu Liu Bang married a daughter of a clan to Mo Dun Shan Yu as a princess, so The descendants of Mo Dun Shan Yu all took Liu as their surname). As the Western Jin dynasty court deteriorated and displaced people from all over the world revolted against the Jin Dynasty, Liu Yuan took advantage of the situation to establish the first minority regime in the Central Plains, the Xiongnu Han State Regime, which further pushed the Central Plains into war and turmoil.

In 187 AD, emperor Ling of Han ordered the southern Xiongnu to send troops to cooperate in the counter-rebellion, and Qiangqu Shan Yu sent his son Zuo Xian Wang Yu Fuluo to lead troops, just at this time the tribe was in civil unrest, Qiangqu Shan Yu was killed, Yu Fu Luo could not go back, simply led the army to stay in the Eastern Han Dynasty, claiming to be Shan Yu. After Yufu luo's death, his brother Hu Jiquan succeeded to the throne and appointed Yu Fuluo's son Liu Bao as the King of Zuoxian, and later Cao Cao divided Hu Jiquan's army into five departments, appointing Liu Bao as the left commander, and the rest of the troops were also served by Liu Surname, and in the early Western Jin Dynasty, most of the Xiongnu tribes lived near Jinyang.

Liu Yuan was young and intelligent, and also practiced martial arts, and when Liu Yuan became an adult, he was dignified, talked well, and was an all-rounder in literature and martial arts, and everyone around him was willing to get acquainted with Liu Yuan. When Liu Yuan was in Luoyang as a hostage, Sima Zhao, the chancellor of Cao Wei, liked him very much, and after Sima Yan ascended the throne, Wang Hun, who was good friends with Liu Yuan, repeatedly recommended him to Sima Yan, the emperor of Jinwu, and Sima Yan also greatly appreciated Liu Yuan and wanted Liu Yuan to lead the army, but Sima Yan's ministers said that Liu Yuan was a Xiongnu and might have different intentions, so Sima Yan's appointment of Liu Yuan was shelved.

From 270 to 278 AD, the bald-haired xianbei chieftain Bald Shu was able to raise an army to kill Shi Hulie and Liangzhou's assassin Shi Yangxin of Qinzhou, so the Western Jin Dynasty sent troops to Qin and Liang'er prefectures to prepare to quell the rebellion, and Sima Yan, the emperor of Jinwu, once again remembered Liu Yuan and prepared to let Liu Yuan lead his troops to recover the lost land, but the ministers were worried that after Liu Yuan put down the rebellion, with military power, it would be like a fish in the water, no longer a thing in the pool, so Emperor Wu of Jin once again gave up his plan to appoint Liu Yuan.

In 279 AD, Liu Yuan's father Liu Bao (劉豹), the left commander of the left department, died, and with the approval of the Western Jin dynasty court, Liu Yuan succeeded his father to the throne, Liu Yuan was already light on wealth and righteousness, and the rewards and punishments were clear, so the five Xiongnu Haojie all joined in. In 290, sima zheng, the emperor of Jinhui, succeeded to the throne, and his cousin Yang Jun assisted in the imperial government, and Yang Jun appointed Liu Yuan as the governor of the five capitals and the marquis of Hanguang Township. In 300 AD, Liu Yuan was dismissed from office because of the defection of his tribesmen from Sai, and soon after Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, guarded the city of Yicheng and recommended Liu Yuan, so Liu Yuan came to Yecheng. After that, the rebellion of the Eight Kings resumed, and the various princes of the Sima family came to power one after another, so the world was in chaos.

Liu Yuan's cousin Wang Xuan and others also secretly jointly elected Liu Yuan as The Great Danyu, and sent their henchman Hu Yanyou to Yicheng to tell Liu Yuan the contents of the secret plot, so Liu Yuan requested to return to his hometown on the grounds of performing a funeral ceremony, Sima Ying did not agree, Liu Yuan asked Hu Yanyou to go back first, telling Liu Xuan and others to recruit five people and horses, together with many Hu people in Yiyang, ostensibly claiming to respond to Sima Ying, but in fact trying to plot rebellion.

In order to compete for control of the central government, Sima Ying first defeated Sima Qi, and then was jointly attacked by Ma Teng of dongying company and Wang Jun, the general of Anbei, Liu Yuan told Sima Ying that he had gone back to persuade the Five Xiongnu to rescue him, Sima Ying was very happy, and appointed Liu Yuan as Shan Yu in the north, and after Liu Yuan returned to Zuo Guocheng (左国城, in modern Lishi, Shanxi), Liu Xuan and others gathered 50,000 people for the title of Liu Yuan's big danyu. In 304, Liu Yuan proclaimed himself King of Han at ZuoguoCheng and established the state as Han (historically known as Han Zhao and Former Zhao).

When Sima Teng heard the news, he sent the general Nie Xuan to attack Liu Yuan, but as a result, he was defeated, and Liu Yuan took advantage of the victory to pursue and sent Liu Yao to attack Taiyuan and Zhongdu one after another. In 305, Sima Teng fought several battles with Liu Yuan, but they could not win, and as a result, Liu Yuan captured Pushan (蒲阪, in present-day Yong County, Shanxi) and Pingyang (平陽, in modern Linfen, Shanxi), and at Zhao Wei's forces of Ji Sang, Shangjun Sibei Lu Zhiyan, the chieftain shan zheng of the Ji clan, Wang Mi of the Donglai people, and Shi Le, all surrendered to Liu Yuan one after another, and Liu Yuan's power increased greatly, and he had the ability to chase deer from the Central Plains.

In 308, Liu Yuan officially declared himself emperor and moved the capital to Pingyang (平陽, in modern Linfen, Shanxi) at the suggestion of Taishi Lingxuan Yuxiu. Soon, Liu Yuan ordered his son Liu Cong, the general Wang Mi, Liu Yao, Liu Jing, and others to attack Luoyang twice, but without success. In 310, Liu Yuan died and was succeeded by his son Liu He (Liu Yuan's eldest son), but soon after, Liu Cong (Liu Yuan's fourth son) killed Liu He and established himself, and the following year attacked Luoyang, captured Emperor Huan of Jin, and created the Yongjia Rebellion.