Chapter 38 Lou Jing offered advice to Chang'an

At first, Liu Bang wanted to make Luoyang his capital for a long time, and most of the officials also held this view.Later, because of a reminder from a soldier named Lou Jing, everything changed. One day, Liu Bang was sitting idle in the palace after he left the imperial court. Suddenly Lou Jing, a guard, asked to see him, and Liu Bang ordered him to come in.It turned out that Lou Jing was from the state of Qi. This time, he served as a soldier and went to Longxi for defense. When he passed Luoyang, he suddenly thought of something and wanted to meet Liu Bang.But how can I see the emperor as a commoner? Because I visited a fellow villager whose surname is Yu, who is now a general, I asked him to introduce him first.General Yu promised.Seeing that Lou Jing was wearing a Zhanyi and a sheep's fur, he thought that this kind of clothing would be indecent when he went to see the emperor, so he took off his silk clothing and asked him to change it.

Lou Jing said: "Ordinary people must do their duty. If you should wear silk clothes, you will use the silk clothes to see you; if you should wear shackles, you will wear them. I am a commoner, and I dare not change my clothes." So he took off the sheep. Qiu, just wear a sweater.General Yu heard that what he said was reasonable, and he didn't insist on it.So he took Lou Jing with him to the gate of De Palace and asked him to wait temporarily.General Yu first entered the palace, informed Liu Bang, and then came out to summon him. Lou Jing entered the palace with General Yu and met Liu Bang. Liu Bang first ordered him to give him food and wine. After Lou Jing had finished eating, Liu Bangfang began to ask him why he came.Lou Jing replied: "Your Majesty will make Luoyang the capital. Do you want to be more prosperous than the Zhou Dynasty?" Liu Bang nodded.So Lou Jing said: "Your Majesty's acquisition of the world is different from that of the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty was composed of princes, who accumulated virtue for more than ten generations, and became the son of heaven until King Wu. The Duke of Zhou became king and Fang camped in Luoyi. Because the land is moderate, the princes are convenient for paying tribute. It is intended to make the descendants of later generations convince others with virtue and not want to rely on danger, so as to develop the habit of arrogance, luxury and tyranny. However, although Duke Zhou built Luoyi, he did not move the capital. Later, King Ping moved east. The Zhou family became weak and split into two The feudal lords refused to accept and Zhou was unable to control. It was not due to weak morality, but because the situation was too weak. Now Your Majesty has risen abundantly, defeated Qin and defeated Chu, fought seventy times and fought forty times in small battles, and won the world exclusively by force. The people were in chaos and devastated. At the time of Chengkang. For your Majesty's sake, it is better to set up the capital in Guanzhong. Guanzhong is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the terrain is dangerous. The hinterland is vast and rich in products. It is called Tianfu. If you move the old nobles of the six countries to Xianyang, you can control them nearby It can also enrich the population of Guanzhong, and Xianyang, as the capital of the country, will be as solid as gold.”

After hearing this, Liu Bang felt that what Lou Jing said was reasonable, so he expressed his opinion to the ministers for discussion.Most of the officials at this time were from Shandong. They thought that Luoyang was close to Shandong and it was convenient to move around, so they didn’t want to go west to Guanzhong. They are all in Guanzhong, but when Qin II died, we should make Luoyang the capital like the Zhou Dynasty. Besides, Guanzhong is located in the west, which is too far away from our hometown in the east. Moreover, there is Chenggao in the east of Luoyang and Chenggao in the west. It’s worthless, and it faces Luo with its back to the river, so it’s dangerous.”

When Liu Bang heard the words, he was puzzled, and asked Zhang Liang about the words of Lou Jing and the officials.Zhang Liang said: "Although Luoyang has dangers to defend, the plain in the middle is only a few hundred miles away, and the fields are relatively small. It is surrounded by enemies on all sides, so it is not a country that uses military force. In Guanzhong, there are Huo and Han on the left, and Long and Shu on the right. Only one side faces the princes in the east; when there is no war, grain can be transported by the river and Wei canal to supply the capital. Once there is a change, troops will be sent to transport salaries and go down the river. This is very convenient. The country thinks, the ministers think for themselves, Lou Jing is right."

After listening to Zhang Liang's words, Liu Bang agreed, and moved his capital to Chang'an in Guanzhong from now on. Such a straightforward action, in addition to various strategic and rational considerations, the Guanzhong complex left by him when he first entered the Qin Dynasty made him feel emotional. There is no resistance to relocation. In recognition of Lou Jing, he was given the surname "Liu" and the title "Chunshenjun". When Liu Bang went to Guanzhong, he saw that the palace in Xianyang was dilapidated, so he ordered Xiao He to build the Changle and Weiyang palaces in the south of the Weishui River, and moved there when the palaces were completed.At this time, Liu Bang was temporarily living in Liyang and Luoyang.

The Changle Palace in Chang'an was completed, and all officials below Prime Minister Xiao He moved to Chang'an to manage affairs. Prime Minister Xiao He presided over the construction of Weiyang Palace, and Weiyang Palace built Dongque, Beique, Qiandian, Arsenal, and Taicang. One day, Liu Bang was very angry when he saw the magnificent palace. He said to Xiao He: "You have been with me for so many years, why don't you understand? The world is in turmoil and chaos. Do you want to build the palace so extravagantly and magnificently?” Xiao He smiled and said: "It is precisely because the world is not yet stable that we can take advantage of this opportunity to build a palace. Besides, the emperor takes the four seas as his home. If the palace is not magnificent, the majesty of the emperor cannot be established, and future generations cannot surpass it."

Liu Bang was overjoyed when he heard this. It is said that after the great chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the people were all weak, and it was embarrassing to immediately build a luxurious palace for the king at this time.However, even an ordinary civilian can afford a decent life, but still needs to buy a new house and furnish it.The emperor is in power, and it is human nature to expand his residence.