Chapter 48 12. Preemptive strikes, Zhou Bo seized the army and pacified Zhu Lu

In the autumn of the eighth year of Gaohou (180 BC), Empress Lu was critically ill. The Changle Palace was gloomy, and Empress Lu was at her last moment.After the news of Empress Lu's critical illness came out, Prince Liu and the ministers of the Han Dynasty were in a state of waiting, and a storm was brewing in Chang'an City. Empress Lu sent someone to call her nephews Lu Lu and Lu Chan on the hospital bed, and said: "After Emperor Gao pacified the world, he made a covenant with the ministers that the king is not the Liu family, and the world will fight against him." Now the Lu family is the king. Both the Liu family and the ministers are angry. I will die soon, the emperor is still a child, and the ministers may mutiny. So you must firmly control the army, guard the palace, and never leave the palace for my funeral. Do not be restrained .” Lu Chan and Lu Lu knelt on the ground and wept, saying, “I would like to obey the Queen Mother’s order.”

On the first day of August, Empress Lu died of illness at the age of sixty-two, and was buried in Changling with Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. Lu Lu and Lu Chan immediately called the members of the Lu family to discuss countermeasures. Lu Lu said: "Our Lu family was crowned king and marquis, and it was very prosperous for a while. Now that the queen mother is gone, those ministers and princes will definitely attack us. We have the risk of exterminating our family. Disaster." Everyone present was shocked, and Lu Chan said firmly: "Now we have military power, we can't sit and wait for death..." That night, they made a detailed plan and prepared to raise troops to make trouble.Unexpectedly, the secret was leaked out.

This matter starts with Qi Wang Liu Fei, Liu Bang's son born before marriage, and the eldest among his brothers.After his death, the eldest son Xiang succeeded to the throne, and the second son Liu Zhang was fifteen years old and named Zhu Xuhou.At that time, in order to control the Liu family, Empress Lu married all the daughters of her Lu family to Liu Bang's sons and grandsons as wives.The Liu brothers dare not disobey their orders, but most couples have a bad relationship and cannot end well, and Liu Zhang is an exception.Liu Zhang married Lu Lu's daughter. The Lu family was gentle and docile, and Liu Zhang had a bold temperament. .

After several princes of the Liu family died early one after another, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were aggrieved but did not dare to speak out.Liu Zhang is bold and resolute, and wants to fight for the injustice of the younger uncles.So when he served as a wine supervisor at a banquet with Empress Lu, Liu Zhang first asked to drink with military orders.Then he also used the topic on the spot, saying that the key to planting a good land is to pull out all the seedlings in the field that he did not plant.After hearing this, Empress Lu knew that she was ridiculing herself, and that she was insinuating that Zhu Lu would not end well, so she remained silent.At this time, a member of the family surnamed Lu escaped from drinking. Liu Zhang immediately chased him out of the palace, cut him into two pieces on the spot, and reported to Empress Lu: "There was a man who escaped from drinking, and I executed him by military law." When Hou and Zhu Lu heard this, they were shocked and turned pale, and they have been a little afraid of Liu Zhang ever since.

When Zhu Lu was plotting to rebel in Lu Lu's mansion, Liu Zhang's wife, Lu Shi, happened to be returning to her natal family. She felt that the atmosphere in the house was tense, so she quietly asked the servants at home, but the servants didn't know what was going on.Lu felt that something was wrong, so she went to her father's study and heard about their plan.Lu was taken aback and was at a loss for a while.Lu knows that if this matter is revealed, her father and brother will not end well, but if their plan succeeds, her husband may be decapitated.Thinking of this, Mrs. Lu hurried home and told her husband the whole incident, asking him to prepare in advance to protect himself.

Of course, Liu Zhang didn't just think about self-protection. After he knew the news, he immediately reported the news to his elder brother Qi Wang Liu Xiang, and asked him to send troops from outside to enter Chang'an to destroy Zhu Lu.So Qi Wang Liu Xiang marched westward. When Lu Chan got the news, he immediately sent General Guan Ying to lead the army to deal with it.As soon as Guan Ying arrived in Xingyang, he discussed with the generals and said: "The Lu family leads the army and wants to take over the Liu family. If we attack the king of Qi, won't we help the Lu family rebel?" Secretly informed the King of Qi, asking him to contact the princes, wait for the time is right, and join forces to attack the Lu family.When King Qi received the notice, he stood still for the time being.

The city of Chang'an is in turmoil.Taiwei Zhou Bo learned that the Lu family was about to launch a rebellion, and immediately rushed to the prime minister's mansion to discuss countermeasures with Chen Ping. Chen Ping said: "Now Zhu Lu is standing still and waiting for an opportunity. We must preemptively strike." But the military power is in the hands of Zhu Lu. What to do?Chen Ping thought for a while and said, "Lu Lu is available." One sentence reminded Zhou Bo, so Zhou Bo thought of a plan. Li Ji, son of Minister Li Shang, and Lu Lu were good friends. Zhou Bo found Li Ji, declared his interests to him, and asked him to persuade Lu Lu.Li Ji said to Lu Lu: "The queen mother is dead, and the emperor is young. As the king of Zhao, you stay in Chang'an to lead the army. The ministers and princes suspect you, which is not good for you. If you can hand over the military power to the Taiwei, When we return to our fiefdom, the soldiers of Qi will retreat, and the ministers will feel at ease." Lu Lu did not insist on rebelling like Lu Chan, he just wanted to protect himself, and what Li Ji said was indeed very reasonable.Lu Lu thought for a while, then listened to Li Ji's words, and handed over the Northern Army to Taiwei Zhou Bo.

Zhou Bo took the general's seal, ran quickly to the northern army camp, and issued an order to the soldiers: "Now the Lu family wants to seize Liu's imperial power, what do you think should be done? Those who want to help the Lu family bared their right arms, Help the Liu family to bare their left arm." Most of the soldiers in the Northern Army are loyal to the Liu family, and under such circumstances, of course they cannot help the Lu family to rebel.As soon as the order was passed on, all left sleeves were taken off at once, revealing his left arm.Zhou Bo successfully took over the northern army and seized Lu Lu's military power.

At this time, Lu Chan was still in the dark, and had no idea that Lu Lu's northern army had fallen into Zhou Bo's hands.However, Zhou Bo and Chen Ping had already made strict arrangements and were only waiting for Lu Chan to act. Lu Chan led his troops to Weiyang Palace, intending to hold the young emperor hostage, but he didn't expect that the northern army would change hands, and it was no longer under Lu Lu's control.Zhou Bo sent Liu Zhang with more than a thousand soldiers to kill Lu Chan.Then, Zhou Bo led the northern army and launched a bloody struggle with the Lu family's forces.King Qi moved upon hearing the sound and responded quickly, so the Lu family was soon destroyed.

Once the Lu family is destroyed, will the young emperor continue to be emperor?Zhou Bo pointed out: "In the past, the emperor appointed by Empress Dowager Lu was not the child of Emperor Hui. Now that we have eliminated the Lu family and let such a fake prince become the emperor, isn't the Lu family a party when he grows up?" The ministers suffered from Lu's monopoly In order to eliminate hidden dangers, they had to use a ruthless tactic comparable to that of Lu Zhi: they said that the little emperor Liu Hong was not Liu Ying's biological son, and kicked him off the throne, so that his aunt Zhang Yan would also be convicted. Was thrown into limbo.Soon Liu Hong "died suddenly".At this point, the last trace of blood related to the Lu family was cut off.

During the reign of Empress Lu, a group of Lu's relatives was cultivated, which intensified the contradictions within the Han ruling class. Therefore, after her death, a bloody struggle between the Liu's royal family and the Lu's relatives immediately broke out.Empress Lu died without completing her political plan, and the internal contradictions of the Han ruling class suddenly intensified. A bloody struggle between Liu's royal family group and Lu's foreign relatives group ended in the victory of the royal family group.There are many reasons for the Royal Group's victory, and none of them can be dispensed with.The disclosure of secrets, Liu Zhang's decisiveness, Zhou Bo's strategy...inadvertently contains the inevitability of history.