Chapter 49 Chapter Two: Rewarding Heroes

Assigning meritorious officials is a huge and complicated task. The status and rewards must be matched with the merits. However, everyone thinks that their own merits are greater and they can't settle down. This makes the work of assigning enfeoffments slow and inefficient. Son of Heaven's personal conquest, establishing affiliation The important leaders of the large army must be appeased, and they became the first batch of princes and kings. But these people are the most threatening to the new regime, and enfeoffing them is more or less a decision that has to be made out of unwillingness.

Although Han Xin's 300,000 army has been assigned to the main force of the imperial court, Han Xin owns the land of Chu and is still the chief military strongman other than Liu Bang. What is particularly frightening is Han Xin's military genius, which Liu Bang thinks is far beyond his reach. In order to ensure the stability of the dynasty, Han Xin is a major threat that must be dealt with. But dealing with Han Xin is a matter of utmost urgency. If the dog jumps over the wall in a hurry, Han Xin is no less terrifying than Xiang Yu. Liu Bang knew in his heart that he must deal with it carefully and prudently.

However, among the first batch of princes and kings, the first one to "win the bid was King Yan Zangcha who has always maintained a neutral state." Zang Tu's King Yan was granted by Xiang Yu, and Liu Bang just admitted the existing facts. So since Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty, Zang Tu has only passively resisted, and has not actively expressed support for the new regime. After Liu Bang moved his capital to Guanzhong, Zang Tu felt that "the sky is high and the emperor is far away. He intends to take the opportunity to become independent and break away from the jurisdiction of the central government."

Since the state of Qi has not had a new king since Han Xin was transferred to be the king of Chu, Zang Tu feels that there is no chance to lose. In July, Zang Tu announced that he would no longer serve the Han Dynasty. In order to express his determination to unify, Liu Bang decided to go on a personal expedition at any difficulty. The next month, Zhao Wang Zhang Er and Changsha Wang Wu Rui both died of old age and illness. Their sons succeeded to the throne, but their loyalty was also in crisis. Zang Tu originally judged that it was impossible for Liu Bang to send troops to come. He could strengthen Guanshan and make Liu Bang have to admit the facts. However, he did not expect that Liu Bang would overcome all difficulties and lead the army to conquer. He was inevitably panicked.

The Yan army had few troops and was soon surrounded by the Han army. Zang Tu had to surrender and was captured. Liu Bang then made Taiwei Chang'an Marquis Lu Wan the King of Yan. Lu Wan is Liu Bang's childhood sweetheart friend, and the two were born in the same year, the same month, and the same day. Since childhood, Lu Wan has waved flags beside Liu Bang, and the relationship between the two is like brothers. However, Lu Wan did not have much ability, and did not make much credit during the founding of the country, so she became the first prince to be entrusted without relying on her own strength.

This has shown that Liu Bang has enough military strength, and he no longer needs to admit his existing strength, but he can be promoted to the princes and kings based on his own preferences and relationships. Xiang Yu's general Li Jiben surrendered to Liu Bang as the commander of Chendi, but Liu Bang never re-elected him, and only asked his troops to wait in Yingchuan. When Liu Bang returned from Yandi, he camped in Luoyang and summoned Liji.Liji had had contact with Zang Tu before, and he was afraid that Liu Bang would know about it, and he was very sensitive to summon him at this time. He feared that he would be killed after entering Luoyang, so he declared independence. Liu Bang led his troops to attack him, and Liji was defeated and killed. .

Remake Han Xin and confirm that the military and political power is unified When Liu Bang set out to establish the authority of the new regime, the military strongman Chu Wang Han Xin was the first to be hit. Han Xin's 300,000 army was incorporated, and the land of Qi was also taken back. Although Chu State, the largest feudal clan in the world, was still retained, there was a big difference between it and Guling's agreement to divide the world together.In Han Xin's heart, he was naturally quite upset. After arriving in the state of Chu, Han Xin first inspected the counties and towns, and unified the military power over the Chu territory. He was accompanied by troops when he entered and exited, in case Liu Bang made another surprise attack to seize the command of the army.

Han Xin's actions naturally spread to Liu Bang's ears very quickly. This was undoubtedly a blatant confrontation against the new regime, and Liu Bang was naturally unhappy. At this time, another major event happened that made Liu Bang even more unacceptable. Long Qie, one of Xiang Yu's left and right generals, died in the Battle of Weishui, but the other general, Zhong Limei, disappeared after the siege. Zhong Limei had defeated Liu Bang's army several times, and Liu Bang hated him. Zhonglimei and Han Xin are heroes, especially Han Xin appreciates Zhonglimei's resourcefulness and bravery, so under Liu Bang's pursuit, Zhonglimei secretly attaches himself to Han Xin.It didn't take long for Liu Bang to know the news. He ordered Zhong Limei to be arrested and sent to the capital for trial, but Han Xin refused.

In October, the officials in charge of hunting down Zhong Limei formally proposed to the court that Han Xin had the intention of rebelling by sheltering the court for repeat offenders. Liu Bang summoned a pre-battle meeting and asked the generals of the army for their opinions. The generals all advocated adopting a tough attitude, suppressing the border with a large army, and capturing Han Xin and Zhong Limei. Liu Bang bowed his head and remained silent. Chen Ping said next to him: "Does Han Xin know about Han Xin's accusation?" Liu Bang: "I don't know yet!"

Chen Ping: "How does Your Majesty's army compare with Han Xin's army in terms of combat effectiveness?" Liu Bang: "It's better!" Chen Ping: "How do the generals here compare with Han Xin in terms of their ability to command battles?" Liu Bang: "Not as good as Han Xin." Chen Ping: "Your Majesty's army is not as powerful as Han Xin's, and His Majesty's general command ability is even worse than Han Xin's. Under such conditions, you send troops to fight. I am very worried for your majesty!" Liu Bang: "Then what should we do?"

Chen Ping: "Since ancient times, the Son of Heaven has often had the etiquette of hunting and meeting princes to show concern for the local people. Now your majesty can pretend to go hunting in Yunmeng area and meet princes in the western border of Chen and Chu. "Han Xin received the news of the princes of the Son of Heaven's Hunting Meeting, and he will come to the alliance in an unarmed posture according to etiquette. As long as Han Xin is not ready for a decisive battle, His Majesty can easily capture him. This can be done by a strong man." Liu Bang agreed with Chen Ping's strategy very much, so he ordered to inform the nearby princes that he would go hunting in Yunmeng area and meet the princes in Chendi. Then Liu Bang led the imperial guards to set off. The accompanying generals also led their legions to follow the patrol. When Han Xin heard the news, he was half surprised and half suspicious. The investigation of Zhongli's incident had not yet yielded results, but Liu Bang led the princes to patrol and wanted to join the alliance in Chendi. What is the conspiracy? If you raise your troops to rebel at this time, you will be encircled and suppressed. Although the victory or defeat is still unknown, this has not been Han Xin's original intention, so he hesitates. A guest suggested to Han Xin: "As long as you kill Zhongli and always show your loyalty to the emperor, the emperor will be happy and there will be no disaster." Han Xin thought it made sense, so he had to discuss it with Zhong Limei. Although Zhong Limei didn't think that this would solve Han Xin's crisis, but he couldn't bear to implicate Han Xin and the soldiers and civilians of Chu State himself, so he had to commit suicide. In December, Liu Bang met the princes in Chendi, and Han Xin went to have an audience with Zhong Limei's head. But Liu Bang still ordered the soldiers to arrest Han Xin. Han Xin pleaded not guilty and protested to Liu Bang. Liu Bang announced the indictment of the investigating officials to Han Xin and the princes. Han Xin couldn't help sighing on the spot: "Sure enough, as others have warned me repeatedly: 'The cunning rabbit dies, the lackey cooks, the high bird stalks the bow, the enemy's country is destroyed, and the adviser is dead' The world is completely settled, and I, the hero who fought the world for the emperor, will be cooked and killed what." Liu Bangnai ordered Han Xin to be tied up with weapons, loaded in the army, and returned to Luoyang. A good general is better than a good soldier After returning to Chang'an, Liu Bang ordered an amnesty for the world. Tian Ken, an official in charge of the relationship between the princes and the court, said to Liu Bang: "Your Majesty subdued the most threatening king of Chu, Han Xin, and now he has established a capital in Guanzhong to stabilize the authority of the Han Dynasty. "Guanzhong has always had the reputation of a victorious country, steep rivers and steep mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack, condescending, and controlling the princes in the Central Plains to the east is very helpful for the stability of the regime. "However, since Han Xin was transferred away from Qidi in the east, there has been no perfect arrangement. Huqidi has rich lands such as Langya and Jimo in the east, Mount Tai in the south, the Yellow River and Mengjin in the west, and the Yellow River and Mengjin in the north. It has the advantages of aquatic products and trade in the Bohai Sea; the area is 2,000 miles wide, and the number of troops that can be assembled is as high as one million. It is far away from Guanzhong. "For a place like this, enfeoffment to any prince will pose a major threat to the imperial power. Therefore, I suggest that unless you are a close child, you should not be enfeoffed as the king of Qi, so as to stabilize the development of the royal power of the Han Dynasty." Liu Bang deeply agreed and gave Tian Ken a reward of 500 catties for his creative comments on state affairs. Since the palaces in Chang'an are all under construction, important court meetings are still held in Luoyang. After the weapon system Han Xin, Liu Bang paid great attention to the attitude of the Han Xin army in Chu, and keeping Han Xin by his side was more or less a hostage. Liu Bang's cousin, Liu Jia, has made great achievements in camping in Chu area in the past few years, and his local connections are quite good.Liu Bang sent Liu Jia to temporarily station in Chu to act as Han Xin's agent, and Han Xin himself had to go to the court for investigation first. After arriving in Luoyang, Liu Bang immediately pardoned Han Xin for his crimes, but also officially removed him from the throne of Chu King and changed him to Huaiyinhou. This shows that Liu Bang also did not believe that Han Xin was in danger of rebelling, in order to just cut off Han Xin's military power to resolve his long-term threat to the court. Han Xin deeply felt Liu Bang's fear of his own ability, and he also said that he was ill and could not go to court, but he was resentful in his heart, and he publicly expressed his unwillingness to join Zhou Bo, Guan Ying and other generals. Some generals sympathized with Han Xin, while others openly rejected him. The attitude also caused a tense confrontation among the senior generals of the Han Dynasty Army. Fan Kuai, a fierce general who had a life-and-death relationship with Liu Bang, sympathized with Han Xin very much. Although Fan Kui was born in a low family, he married the sister of Empress Lu and had a close relationship with Liu Bang. Fan Kui had a cheerful personality, always brave and loyal. He always admired Han Xin's military talent, and resented Liu Bang's close ministers who excluded Han Xin. Therefore, during this period, he often deliberately expressed his closeness and friendship with Han Xin. Once when Han Xin visited Fan Kuai's mansion, Fan Kui personally knelt down to see him off. When facing each other completely according to the etiquette of princes and kings, and proclaimed himself a minister, Han Xin was deeply moved and publicly stated: "I would like to be comrades with Fan Kuai and others in my life, and I don't want to fight for fame and power among senior generals." Liu Bang is also well aware of Han Xin's injustice, but for the country's stability for a hundred years, sacrificing Han Xin is a last resort.Therefore, he often summoned Han Xin in the other palace, hoping to appease Han Xin's dissatisfaction with private friendship. One day, Liu Bang entertained Han Xin very easily and discussed the abilities of the generals with him. Han Xin was not a direct descendant of Liu Bang, so he was not very familiar with the generals, but after arriving in Luoyang, the interests of the generals deepened. With Han Xin's carefulness, he quickly had a very in-depth evaluation of the abilities of the generals. Liu Bang started talking, so he asked Han Dao: "Then how many troops do you think I am capable of commanding?" "Your Majesty leads the army, it is best not to exceed 100,000." "Then how many troops can you command?" "There is no limit for ministers to command the army. It can be said that the more the better." Liu Bang laughed and said: "Since the more you are, the better, and your abilities are much higher than mine, why were you captured by me instead?" Han Xin also said frankly: "Although Your Majesty is not good at commanding troops, he is good at commanding generals. That's why I was captured by Your Majesty! Your Majesty's ability to command generals is beyond the reach of Dasheng!" A dog is not as good as a man After careful evaluation and detailed internal distribution work, the long-awaited distribution of heroes was finally announced. The number one hero is actually Xiao He who has never led troops to fight and is in charge of the internal management of Guanzhong and Hanzhong. Xiao He, as the lord of the Xiangguo, was granted the title of Marquis of Bing and had eight thousand households in the city, which was higher than Fan Kuai, Li Shang, Zhou Bo, Guan Ying and other army generals. The generals felt aggrieved, and said one after another: "The ministers and others put on strong and persistent, and fought on the front line. There were more than a hundred battles for many, and tens of rounds for the small ones. Only by sacrificing blood and sweat did they win the credit. Above us, we cannot understand His Majesty's thoughts!." Liu Bang explained: "Do you all know how to hunt? Let me use hunting as an example! When hunting, it is the hounds that hunt down wild animals and rabbits, but it is the hunter who directs the hounds so that they can catch the prey effectively! "Now the credit of the general is like a hunting dog. As for Xiao He, he commands and provides supplies behind the scenes, so that the generals can effectively establish credit, just like a hunter. "So you are just a meritorious dog, and Xiao He is a meritorious person. Is the meritorious dog's contribution greater, or the meritorious person's contribution greater?" The officials were relatively silent and all acknowledged Xiao He's contribution. Soon, Cao Shen had helped Han Xin to negotiate Pingqi and Zhao, and Liu Bang was able to effectively take over the command of Han Xin's 300,000 troops. Cao Shen made the most contribution, so he was named Pingyanghou, with ten thousand households, and his favor was above Xiao He. Zhang Liang was originally an aristocrat of Han, who planned strategies and became Liu Bang's counselor and teacher as a guest minister. Liu Bang politely asked Zhang Liang to choose 30,000 households from Qi as a fief. But Zhang Liang humbly said: "At the beginning, I revolted in Xiapi City, so I met Your Majesty in Liujun and today, this is also God's intention to instruct me to follow Your Majesty. "Your Majesty's willingness to follow my advice and achieve today's achievements is due to fate and not due to the merits of the minister. I only wish to be promoted to Marquis of Liu, and I am satisfied. I dare not accept the reward of 30,000 households!" Liu Bang enfeoffed Zhang Liang as Marquis of Liu in the Jin Dynasty, with tens of thousands of households in the city. Another counselor, Chen Ping, was also granted the title of Marquis of Household for his meritorious service. Chen Ping also resigned and said: "This is not just the credit of the humble minister." Liu Bang asked: "I used my master's strategy to defeat the enemy. It's not just my master's credit. How can I say that?" Chen Ping: "If it wasn't for Wei Wuzhi, how would I have the chance to serve His Majesty?" Liu Bang: "That's right, this also shows that Mr. is indeed a righteous man who never forgets his roots." So Wei Wuzhi was rewarded again. The performance of counselors is completely different from the performance of generals in fighting for power. This is indeed the reason why Liu Bang is particularly relieved of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping. Fragmented children, laying the foundation of the Liu family After the announcement of the first batch of enfeoffment plans, Liu Bang was anxious to enfeoff his children in order to restore the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty. The Qin State adopts a centralized system of prefectures and counties, so the Ying clan has no strength. When the world is in chaos, there is no power to serve as king. Liu Bang has always been worried about the comparison of the pros and cons between the short life of the Qin imperial family and the long-term regime of the Zhou Dynasty, and he really wanted to use the feudal system to establish the foundation of Liu's imperial power. The purpose of rewarding Tian Ken back then was to express the importance of this policy. At this time, the most urgent needs are Chu State in the south and Qi State in the east. The former princes and kings of these two countries were both the military strongman Han Xin who caused Liu Bang the most headache. Since Han Xin was abolished as Marquis of Huaiyin, he has been unable to find a successor. In particular, the state of Chu has a vast territory and a strong military force. In order to completely prevent the sequelae of other military strongmen, Liu Bang divided the state of Chu into two. Liu Bang's cousin Liu Jia, acting as the king of Chu, was granted the title of King Jing and owned fifty-three counties east of the Huaihe River. Thirty-six counties, including Pengcheng, Xuecheng, and Donghai, which were the original essence of the state of Chu, made his cousin Liu Jiao the king of Chu. Fifty-three counties including Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Daijun in the original Dai State in the Northern District of Zhao State, Jin made his brother Liu Shan the Dai King. With the land of Qi in 73 counties including Jiaodong, Jiaoxi, Linzi, Jibei, Boyang, and Chengyang, the eldest son Liu Fei was granted the title of King of Qi. Liu Fei was the illegitimate son of Liu Bang who had a relationship with others outside before marrying the Lu family. He was later adopted as the eldest son of the concubine and born to the Lu family. He was born to Liu Ying and has the legal inheritance right. Although Liu Fei is the eldest son, he must be subject to Liu Ying. In order to compensate, he was granted the most extensive and richest state of Qi. Another prince who gave Liu Bang a headache was also named Han Xin.He is a descendant of Korean aristocrats. He once raised troops in Korea to rebel against the puppet regime set up by Xiang Yu. Later, he was supported by Liu Bang and was officially appointed as Han Wangxin of the King of Han. Han Wangxin has always been famous for being brave and good at fighting. In addition, Korea's territory is quite large. It starts from Gongshui and Luoshui in the north, Wancheng and Yecheng in the south, and Huaiyang in the east. It's quite a threat. When Liu Bang redesignated the feudal lands of the feudal princes, he specially placed all the original elite areas of South Korea under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court, and designated the thirty-six counties of Taiyuan County in the northwest of Zhao State as South Korea, and reassigned Han Wangxin to this place to defend against the Hu outside the Great Wall. people invaded. Han Wangxin is headed by Jinyang City, an important military town. Soon, Han Wangxin wrote another letter saying: "South Korea is a frontier fortress. The Huns often invaded the country. Jinyang is far away from the border. Please build the Mayi fortress as a defensive base." Your Majesty doesn't know?This rebellious ear Assigning meritorious officials is a huge and complicated task. The status and rewards must be matched with the merits. However, everyone thinks that their own merits are greater and they can't settle down. This makes the work of assigning enfeoffments slow and inefficient. "There are so few people like Zhang Liang and Chen Ping who are full of wisdom and not greedy!" Sometimes even Liu Bang feels very impatient. Except for more than 20 people who obviously have specific and great contributions, the rest are still fighting day and night and have not been awarded. Liu Bang is also in a hurry to deal with the enfeoffment of the princes surnamed Liu, and he is a little too lazy to deal with these noisy heroes. One day, Liu Bang and Zhang Liang were walking and chatting in the Nangong Palace in Luoyang. From the Fudao (the high-level corridor between the inner palace and the palace), they saw many generals sitting on the sand and gesticulating. They didn't know what they were discussing. Liu Bang asked Zhang Liang curiously: "Guess what they're talking about?" Zhang Liang also half-jokingly said: "Your Majesty really doesn't know? They are discussing how to rebel." Liu Bang also laughed and said: "The world has just stabilized, why are they rebelling?" Zhang Liang explained: "Your Majesty was born in civilian clothes, and it was through these subordinates that he won the world! Now Your Majesty is the emperor, and so far, all those who have been rewarded are close subordinates and people whom His Majesty loves, and those who have hatred in their lives are also punished." kill. "If it is true that according to the military records in the past few years, the land and property in the world cannot be divided equally among the meritorious subordinates. On the one hand, these generals are afraid that His Majesty will not be able to give all the rewards, and they are even more worried that their daily mistakes may become punishable. excuses, so we gathered to discuss how to plot rebellion!" After hearing this, Liu Bang felt that it made sense. Although Zhang Liang was joking, if the reward issue was not resolved early, something would happen. Liu Bang then asked Zhang Liang: "Then what should we do now?" Zhang Liang: "Your Majesty hates the most in your life, and everyone knows who is it?" Liu Bang: "It's Yong Chi who is in charge of finances and money. He betrayed me in the early years, and he often deliberately insulted me and made me angry several times. I wanted to kill him, but because of his strong ability, he also established a lot. Thanks to him, that’s why I forgive him again and again, and I don’t have the heart to punish him.” Zhang Liang: "Then hurry up and reward Yong Chi first! These subordinates can rest assured!" Therefore, Liu Bang immediately held a banquet, Jin granted Yongchi the title of Shi Fanghou, and asked the prime minister and Yushi on the spot to evaluate everyone's merits as soon as possible, as the basis for the Jin enfeoffment. After the banquet, all the officials said happily: "Even Yong Chi has been made a Marquis, so what problems do we have?" Naturally, Zhang Liang didn't think that the speed of conferring rewards was too slow to cause rebellion, otherwise he would have issued a warning before Liu Bang asked. It’s just that Liu Bang’s eagerness to promote his own people and Liu’s children will indeed cause uneasiness among the unentrusted subordinates and affect work efficiency, so he took this opportunity to give Liu Bang reminders and suggestions. Assessing credit, Xiao He is the first After working overtime and rushing to work, the encapsulation work was finally completed smoothly, and Liu Bang finally breathed a sigh of relief. The next job is to evaluate "Yuan Gong", which is the ranking list for evaluating merit. Rewards, like modern credits, awards and bonuses." A total of eighteen people were put on the competition list, including Xiao He, Cao Can, Zhang Ao (Zhang Erzi, who inherited his father's credit), Zhou Bo, Fan Kui, Li Shang, Xi Juan, Xia Houying, Guan Ying, Fu Kuan, Jin She, Wang Ling, Chen Wu, Wang Su, Xue Ou, Zhou Chang, Ding Fu, Chong Da and others. Most of the generals believed that Cao Shen had the most food towns during the Jin Dynasty and should be ranked first, so they all said: "Cao Can, Marquis of Pingyang, suffered more than 70 injuries, attacked the city and plundered land, and has the most credit in the merit list, so he should be ranked first." Liu Bang smiled without expressing his opinion. Hou Eqianqiu of the Guannei Stands alone, arguing that Xiao He is the number one. Liu Bang asked why. E Qianqiu replied: "Although Cao Shen has the credit for capturing cities and land in the field, all of this can only be regarded as a temporary credit, and Xiao He's credit is long-term, and the influence is naturally greater than that of Cao Shen. "Think about it, Your Majesty and the Chu army have been fighting each other for five years, injuring countless troops, and being forced to retreat several times, but Xiao He is still replenishing His Majesty's troops from Guanzhong, often tens of thousands of people, Let us regain our military might and fight repeatedly. "There were times when your majesty ran out of food, and the whole army was in a state of starvation and was in danger of collapse. Xiao He immediately transferred food from Guanzhong, and provided it endlessly to maintain our combat effectiveness. "Your Majesty was defeated in Shandong (referring to the Central Plains) several times, but Xiao He used the whole Guanzhong as his Majesty's backing. This is the merit of all ages. "Today, even without the merits of Cao Shen's hundreds of times, the Han army can still defeat the Chu army, but without Xiao He, the situation may be completely different. How can Cao Shen's momentary achievements be compared with Xiao He's eternal achievements? ? "According to my subject's opinion, Xiao He is the first, and Cao Shen is the second." Liu Bang praised E Qianqiu's opinion very much.Therefore, Xiao Hezhi ranked first in the ranking of Yuangong, and he was specially given the special respect of being able to carry a sword to the temple and enter the court without kneeling. Liu Bang said publicly: "I heard that 'those who recommend virtuous ministers are more worthy of rewards', although Xiao He has made great contributions, but without Mr. E's recommendation, the contributions would not be so evident." So E Qianqiu's Shiyi was added, and he was named Anpinghou. In order to confirm that Xiao He's contribution is the first, Liu Bang ordered more than ten Xiao He's father, son and brother to be named on the same day. Since Xiao He had never participated in the front-line battle, his influence on the battle situation was exerted through Liu Bang, and it was difficult for the officers and soldiers involved in the battle to feel his importance. Indeed, only Liu Bang and his staff and logistics staff knew his contribution best.Therefore, if Liu Bang overemphasizes Xiao He's contribution, he will be strongly rebounded by these frontline generals. After all, Liu Bang is a smart man, and there are two super geniuses Zhang Liang and Chen Ping beside him to advise him, so he adopted this gradually accepted method to highlight and confirm the importance of Xiao He. First, there is a debate between the meritorious person and the meritorious dog, setting Xiao He's position in the merit evaluation, and then comparing him with Cao Shen, the leader of the generals, and through E Qianqiu's explanation, Liu Bang's affirmation of the merits on the battlefield is only temporary, It is the merit of all ages to stabilize the national strength in the rear of the management. Immediately win the world, but not immediately govern the world. The performance of generals in wartime is of course important, but after the world is peaceful, the management function of civil officials is more worthy of attention. Only when the functions of civil officials are affirmed can the system be effective. This is the main purpose of Liu Bang's well-intentioned efforts to establish the importance of Xiao He. 【Chen Wende Commentary】 Laozi's "Tao Te Ching Chapter 47": "Know the world without going out, don't peep into the hood, see the way of heaven, the farther you go, the less you know. It is because the sage knows it without doing it, it is famous when it is not seen, and it is made by doing nothing." The truth of the world is to let nature take its course, and those who can understand the truth of nature can know the world without going out of their homes.The way of heaven must also be in line with nature, and those who can know the principles of nature can know the way of heaven without looking out the window.Those who are farther away from the way of nature will be able to understand less truth. The sage who understands the Dao can discover the principles of the world without looking far away, can tell the essence of things without observing, and can let everything transform itself and observe it without doing it himself. The ancients said that those who know the current affairs are heroes, which is also explaining this truth.Military generals fight for strength, civilian officials fight for wisdom, even Han Xin, who is known for his resourcefulness, is still inferior to Zhang Liang, Chen Ping and Xiao He in this respect.It is probably because he is self-confident and unable to recognize the changes of yin and yang, rain, spring, summer, autumn and winter in nature, which makes him walk into a tragedy of "the cunning rabbit dies, and the lackey cooks it." The more powerful people need power to protect themselves, the person who is most disturbed by power is often the person with the highest power. The person who understands this truth is the most competent NO. 2. Otherwise, if the master is so powerful, he will die. Zhang Liang was highly valued and respected by Liu Bang from the beginning to the end. Although Chen Ping had many shortcomings, he was extremely trusted by Liu Bang.And Cao Shen has gone through hundreds of battles, with more than 70 body wounds, and his credit is still not as good as that of Xiao He, who does not stay out of the house and does not spy on him. This is the reason.