Chapter 5 Chapter Five: The Martyrs of "Centralization" in the Western Han Dynasty

As a well-known prosperous age in Chinese history, the Wenjing rule of the Western Han Dynasty has always enjoyed a high reputation. During this 40-year "golden age", China's agricultural output, the amount of cultivated land, and even people's living standards have undergone qualitative changes.The country has a long period of peace and stability. Except for the short-term rebellion of the princes and the invasion of the Huns, there have been basically no large-scale wars. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and the laws of the country are lenient. The money and grain levied over the years, and the warehouse reserves are abundant, which is unprecedented in the previous Chinese dynasties.The living standards of ordinary people have also been greatly improved. For example, in cities, almost every household has a carriage, and those who only have a few pony horses at home are embarrassed to take them out to make people laugh. This level of living standard is basically equivalent to that in modern society. , Every family can afford to drive a BMW and Mercedes-Benz.Undoubtedly, this is the first peak period in the history of Chinese feudal society, and it is a well-deserved feudal prosperity.

In every prosperous age, there is a natural gathering of talents, and the era of Wenjing is also a gathering of talents of all kinds.Although China in this period still advocated the Taoist theory of governing by doing nothing, paying attention to abiding by established laws, following the statutes of the ancestors, not changing the system easily, advocating letting nature take its course, and being conservative and inaction, there were still a group of heroes who carried on the past and ushered in the future.In terms of military affairs, Wei Shang, the most outstanding commander against the Huns in the Wenjing era, was the competent guardian of the northern gate of the Han Empire.Zhou Yafu, the famous general who commanded the battle to put down the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, is also an outstanding military strategist in Chinese history.And what played a key role undoubtedly included political excellence.The most outstanding figure in these two generations is undoubtedly Chao Cuo.

When it comes to Chao Cuo, what modern people are most impressed with is that he strongly advocated the cutting of feudal vassals, and was treated as a scapegoat by Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, and he died unjustly.In fact, Chao Cuo was an extremely important figure for the transformation of the entire Western Han Dynasty.His achievements are not limited to the reduction of feudal vassals, he is also the founder of comprehensive political and military reforms in the Western Han Empire under "government by doing nothing".He has made great contributions to the overall prosperity of the rule of Wenjing.

Chao Cuo, born in 200 B.C., was born in Yuzhou, Henan Province. Compared with the situation that the intellectuals in the Western Han Dynasty had multiple teachers, Chao Cuo learned a lot when he was young.He not only studied Legalism with Zhang Hui, a legalist of the Western Han Dynasty, but also traveled to Shandong to study Confucianism with Fu Sheng, a Confucian master at this time.However, in the early Western Han Dynasty when Huang-Lao Taoism was advocated, both Legalism and Confucianism were "out-of-the-line" knowledge at that time. Chao Cuo, who learned these "out-of-the-line" knowledge, was also very "out-of-the-line" in the political arena when he was young. .He first became famous for his knowledge, passed through the local government to promote Xiaolian, and became Chang'an's Taichang anecdote, a small official in charge of sacrifices.This official rank is not high, and the power is not great, but there are some luxuries, such as the financial expenses of the sacrifice and the apportionment, there is always a place to make money.However, Chao Cuo is known for being "stern, straightforward and profound", that is to say, he is strict and uncompromising in matters big and small, and he is also a clean and honest official, so he offended many people.He was most famous during this period for his excellent writing skills, especially his literary talents for writing sacrificial rites. He was well-known far and wide, but this little talent was nothing in the Western Han Dynasty.Therefore, Chao Cuo, who is talented and has offended many people, has a litter for several years in this small position.

The first turning point in Chao Cuo's life occurred during the reign of Emperor Wenwen of Han Dynasty.At that time, the Han Dynasty needed to send someone to study Shangshu from Fu Sheng, a Confucian master in Shandong.In the Western Han Dynasty, many Confucian classics were lost, especially the "Shangshu". The only one who was proficient in the whole country was Fu Sheng who lived in Qidi.Although Confucianism was not popular during this period, it was still cultural rescue work after all.Because of his talent and learning, Chao Cuo was recommended by his boss and got this important opportunity.He seized this opportunity. After returning from his studies, he not only explained his learning experience to Emperor Wenwen in detail, but also expounded his personal reform views on major national affairs by borrowing many articles from Confucian classics, especially for Emperor Wenwen who was very concerned about it. 3 issues: the issue of agricultural production, the issue of fighting the Huns, and the issue of strengthening centralization.It was this little incident that allowed Emperor Hanwen to meet this inconspicuous young man for the first time.Although Chao Cuo's proposal was not accepted by Emperor Hanwen, he got a promising job because of it: Prince Sheren.That is, the teacher of Liu Qi, who was the prince at that time.

In this promising job, Chao Cuo performed very well. He not only earnestly completed the task of teaching Prince Liu Qi, but also took the opportunity to instill Confucianism in Liu Qi.In addition, Chao Cuoqing's upright character and excellent planning ability have won the respect of the prince Liu Qi. Long before Liu Qi ascended the throne, he was recognized by the government and the public as the "prince's think tank".At the same time, Chao Cuo was not idle when it came to national affairs.In 168 BC, an almost humiliating war broke out in the Western Han Empire: the Xiongnu invaded Shanggu, Yuyang, and Yunzhong on a large scale.The unbearable Emperor Wenwen of Han attacked the case and decided to fight back against the Xiongnu with heavy troops. This time, Emperor Wenwen of Han gritted his teeth and mobilized 130,000 troops to meet the enemy, intending to severely injure the Xiongnu.However, something unexpected happened to him: after the main force of the Han army was concentrated on the front line, not only did they not dare to confront the Huns, but they watched the Huns burn, kill and loot. , complacently pulled out his horse and returned north under the eyes of the Han army.The 130,000 Han troops assembled at the border not only did not shoot a single arrow, but instead "gifted" the Huns to leave the country.The cruel reality made Emperor Wen of the Han very angry. It was hard for him to imagine why after more than 10 years of hard work, the Han Dynasty still had nothing to do with the arrogant Huns.After the battle ended, Emperor Wen of the Han ordered all officials to speak freely and discuss ways to deal with the Xiongnu.

Of course, there were many reasons why the Han Dynasty could not defeat the Xiongnu. Among them, the more important ones were that the Han army did not have a strong cavalry force at this time, and its mobility was far behind the Huns. Can't beat it.Second, the long-term failure of the war against the Huns, as well as the fact that the Huns repeatedly invaded and plundered, made the upper-level military figures of the Han Dynasty generally suffer from "Hungarian fear".All of the above caused the Han army that swept across the Central Plains to be in a state of pustule for a long time when facing the Huns.

Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty didn't want to be a pustule, and many people in the Han Dynasty didn't want to, and Chao Cuo was one of them.However, the memorials of the officials at that time either cursed the Xiongnu and demanded to take the initiative to attack, but they could not come up with a practical solution;But the person who really proposed the solution to the problem was Chao Cuo, who was inconspicuous at the time.He published two memorials one after another: "On Guisu Shu" and "Yan Bing Shi Shu". These two memorials are not well-known in history, but in fact, they are two memorials that reversed the military policy of the Western Han Dynasty. It is not too much to say that they are the starting point for the invincible Western Han cavalry to take off.

Because these two memorials are about the two most important issues of counterattacking the Huns-saving money and training troops. The one that talks about saving money is mainly "On Gui Su Shu".It was difficult in the Western Han Dynasty to fight back against the Huns. The difficulty was that it cost a lot of money to organize soldiers and horses, provide food and grass, and charge into battle. Gold and iron horses were all spent on money.A huge war is enough to consume most of the national economic reserves.Especially the wars with the Xiongnu were mostly concentrated in the northern frontiers, where the production was relatively backward and the areas had been damaged by wars for a long time. Once a war broke out, the soldiers, horses, money and food would all be supplied from the interior.To fight back against the Xiongnu, we must store wealth, and we must store wealth, but the productivity of the border areas is backward, what should we do?Chao Cuo has a way. In "On Gui Su Shu", Chao Cuo told Emperor Han Wen that although the development of production between regions is unbalanced, the material reserves in different regions can be adjusted through relevant national policies.For example, a reward system can be adopted to give titles and government rewards to those who provide food to the frontier.This is the famous system of "worshipping nobles with millet" in the era of Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty.With this system, the Western Han Dynasty began to accumulate a large amount of food and grass wealth, and a chain reaction formed with this was that within a few years, the border areas of the Western Han Dynasty had sufficient grain storage. Tax reductions and exemptions formed a virtuous circle, and the agricultural development of the Western Han Dynasty advanced by leaps and bounds.

Another problem in counterattacking the Huns is military training.Compared with saving money, military training was more of a headache for the Han Dynasty.The Han nationality is an agricultural nation, but in the age of cold weapons, the most lethal unit is the cavalry. To resist the Huns, it is necessary to have a strong cavalry unit. Compared with the Huns who grew up on horseback, the Han people rode on bow horses. How can the gap in shooting be made up overnight.It takes time for people to learn how to ride a horse, and it takes time to accumulate war horses. The Central Plains itself does not produce good horses. The only horse-producing area in China, the area north of Yanzhao, is also very limited and cannot support the supply of war horses for the entire empire.Chao Cuo also has a way. His first way is to "recruit people to strengthen the frontier", that is, to recruit people from the Central Plains to the border for reclamation, and the government will distribute farm tools, provide land, and give tax relief policies.At the same time, repair the fort, distribute weapons to the people, encourage them to form associations to protect themselves, and then select the strong and strong to join the army. This will have the most reliable source of soldiers.At the same time, funded by the Western Han government, a large number of Huns were recruited to live in Han, and they were invited to train cavalry for the Han Dynasty, and even serve as soldiers in the Han army. These people were familiar with the Huns' fighting methods and could bring excellent war horses And advanced cavalry training methods.Therefore, after the implementation, the quality of cavalry in the frontier areas of the Western Han Dynasty has improved by leaps and bounds.

If we look at the history behind, we have to marvel at Chao Cuo's foresight: Chao Cuo's method of "recruiting the people and strengthening the frontier" has been passed down to later generations. Cultivate and guard the border."Even for the Western Han Dynasty, because of this decree, the Western Han Empire has since then had a cavalry corps that is powerful enough to compete with the Huns.Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, who had the most outstanding military exploits in counterattacking the Huns in the Western Han Dynasty, most of their soldiers were composed of good people from the frontier reclamation. Their combat effectiveness made the Huns frightened.The effect of recruiting the Huns as soldiers is even more significant. There are a large number of Huns in the cavalry regiment of the Western Han Dynasty. These people belonged to the Han Dynasty for generations and made military exploits for the Han Dynasty.And the initiator of all this is Chao Cuo. During the decades when the Western Han Empire was ravaged by the Huns, although some people continued to propose counterattacks against the Huns and advocated attacking the Huns, the person who really started a practical policy and found a way to defeat the Huns started with Chao Cuo.He may not be an outstanding military strategist, but he is an outstanding military builder. The Han Empire spread Chao Cuo's two memorials to the whole country at an extremely fast speed.Since then, the originally desolate northern frontier has developed at an extremely fast speed.Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Youbei were important frontier defense towns, and soon there were excellent cavalry troops, and they began to win small-scale wars with the Huns. Thanks to this policy, a new generation of Western Han cavalry generals began grow up. But during the period of Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty, Chao Cuo didn't receive much attention. He had outstanding talents and upright character, but he just learned the strictness of this one, and he was very dissatisfied by the nobles and princes.Therefore, he can only participate in politics as a prince, and his status is not high.And Emperor Wenwen of Han also seemed to want to leave this "big talent" to his son, and Chao Cuo was very favored by Liu Qi's side.At the same time, he turned against a well-rounded figure at the time——Yuan Ang.During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty, Yuan Ang was known as the "Unparalleled Scholar of the Country". He was also known for his loyalty. For example, when Zhou Bo was convicted, he tried his best to rescue him, and when Huainan King broke the law, he boldly exposed him.He also served as the prefect of the frontier, fought against the invasion of the Huns, and was a famous capable minister for a time.But this person has a few problems, one is narrow-minded, he can hold grudges for many years if he disagrees with one word; the other is aloof and arrogant, he looks down on everyone.He is also a person with strong social connections. His family background is very prominent, and he has friendships from top to bottom, and even rangers often make friends with him.Such a character is naturally not compatible with Chao Cuo. Chao Cuo is a cold and arrogant person who also likes to be proud of his talents.Moreover, both of them are vying for favor with Prince Liu Qi, so it is impossible not to pinch each other.As early as when Chao Cuo was the Prince Sheren, Yuan An was already a powerful Zhonglang general. In front of the Prince Liu Qi, the two often slandered each other.Even "not a word" for many years.And it was this Yuan An who finally sent Chao Cuo to the point of no return. Chao Cuo made his fortune after the death of Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty in 157 BC, and the prince Liu Qi, who had always admired Chao Cuo, came to the throne. The first official appointment after Han Jingdi Liu Qi ascended the throne was to promote Chao Cuo to internal history (that is, the mayor of Chang'an City), becoming a high-ranking figure in the imperial court at that time.If it weren't for the excessive opposition from the government and the opposition, perhaps the promotion would have been faster.At this time, Chao Cuo had already made enemies on all sides. From the late period of Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty, Chao Cuo discussed the most in his memorials, which was the issue of the princes and kings that the Western Han Dynasty had come to an end at this time.On this issue, many people of insight in the ruling and opposition parties have reached a consensus.For example, Yuan An, who was at odds with Chao Cuo, was also worried about the issue of the princes, but most people's attitudes were to adopt the policy of slowing down and taking advantage of the internal contradictions of the princes to divide and rule the princes and kings, and constantly weaken the princes. power.However, Chao Cuo resolutely opposed it. He believed that the problems of the vassal states were imminent, and the court must adopt a tough attitude and strictly implement the policy of cutting the vassals.In addition, he was impatient, so he wrote a lot of letters on this issue, but his opinions were not adopted. On the contrary, everyone on the earth knew that Chao Cuo was an enemy of the princes of the world. It is also for this reason that many important ministers opposed Chao Cuo's appointment.In the early days of Emperor Han Jing's accession to the throne, the strongest opposition was the then prime minister Shen Tujia.This Shentujia was not an ordinary person either. As early as during the Chu-Han War, he was an infantry company commander under Liu Bang's command. He was the only remaining "old revolutionist" in the Western Han court at this time.After the founding of the People's Republic of China in the Western Han Dynasty, although his administrative ability was limited, he was known for his uprightness and integrity, especially his "high ideological awareness".Whatever Liu Bang said, he firmly believed that it was right.In his eyes, Chao Cuo's remarks are of course deviant, and this heresy must be eliminated as soon as possible.Shen Tujia's method is very simple - labeling.He insisted on accusing Chao Cuo of "insulting the first emperor", and aggressively wrote a letter to Emperor Han Jing, demanding that Chao Cuo be killed.The hat was over-buttoned, but his timing was wrong.At this time, Emperor Han Jing came to the throne not long ago, you said that Chao Cuo was a traitor at this time, didn't you slap Emperor Han Jing?As a result, Shentujia's memorandum fell into disrepair, but Chao Cuo was blessed by misfortune: Shentujia, who had hit a wall, was an "old revolutionary" temper.A big rock was removed from Chao Cuo's head in an instant. Chao Cuo, who moved the big rock, can finally let go of the policy he has always advocated-cutting the feudal clan.It should be said that he has a good eye.The vassal states of the Western Han Dynasty have become stronger and stronger. If they don’t cut it now, they will have no chance to do so in the future. Instead, they will be controlled by the vassal states, resulting in the weakening of centralization.But after all, this is an errand that offends people.The ancients in China always said that "there is no close relationship". Even if there is a big conflict with the emperor, the various princes and states are still a family. If Chao mistakenly made an outsider to deal with the emperor's "self-family", the end would be doomed. tragic.But Chao Cuo didn't care so much. When he was offering sacrifices to minor officials, he dared to offend others. When he was serving as a prince, he dared to change the military system of the Western Han Dynasty. All his selflessness and fearlessness were all for one ideal - the world . As early as when he was doing internal history, Chao Cuo started to do it. He used the power of internal history to change various regulations on the control of the princes, and imposed strict restrictions on the princes' access to Beijing.After Shen Tujia's death, Emperor Han Jing took the opportunity of promoting Tao Qing, the former censor doctor, to succeed the prime minister, and conveniently promoted Chao Cuo to be the censor doctor.At this time, Chao Cuo finally had enough power to realize his ideal.In 155 BC, Chao Cuo formally submitted the "Strategy for Cutting Fans" to Emperor Han Jing.The content of this policy is earth-shattering. It points out that the feudal lands of Wu Wang, Chu Wang and others in the vassal states now occupy more than half of the territory of the Han Empire. The country's territory was reduced to about the size of a county.If the contents of this memorial were followed, then Liu Bi, the most powerful king of Wu at this time, would lose four-fifths of his territory, and the second most powerful king of Chu would also lose three-fifths of his territory.It is impossible for a prince without a territory not to fight with the court. It is even more impossible for such a strong measure not to cause resistance. Chao Cuo himself foresees that the consequences of his doing so will inevitably cause a large-scale riot. The princes rebelled, but he told Emperor Han Jing in the memorial: Wu Wang Liu Bi has always been rebellious. He will rebel if he cuts the feudal clan. The rebellion is much smaller, so it is urgent to cut down the vassal. This memorial undoubtedly caused a strong earthquake in the ruling and opposition parties at that time. Even Liu Qi, Emperor Jingdi of the Han Dynasty who had always admired Chao Cuo, did not dare to make a decision lightly: everyone knows that this is bound to be a memorial that will arouse strong resistance. .Therefore, Emperor Han Jing summoned a group of ministers to discuss, most of them did not express their views, and they could not express their views. Everyone on the earth knew that Emperor Han Jing appreciated Chao Cuo, and opposing Chao Cuo's suggestion was to oppose Emperor Han Jing, and the consequences would not be good.But if you choose to support Chao Cuo, no one can bear this responsibility when the riot breaks out.It was Wei Qihou Dou Ying who clearly expressed his position in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty - he opposed it.He is the natal nephew of Emperor Han Jing's mother, Empress Dowager Dou, and the cousin of Emperor Han Jing, so of course there is no need to worry about "taking responsibility".This person is also a great minister in the Wenjing period, capable of writing and martial arts, but his political views are contrary to Chao Cuo.He himself was born with a foreign relative, and Chao Cuo's policy not only suppressed the princes, but also suppressed the foreign relatives, which he naturally opposed.Moreover, this person is also a "nationalist". Although he is the same as Chao Cuo on the issue of the Xiongnu, advocating abandoning the peace policy and fighting back against the Xiongnu, he also advocates national unity, uniting the princes and kings, and jointly dealing with the Xiongnu.Therefore, on the issue of princes, he has always advocated adopting a soft policy, which is exactly the opposite of Chao Cuo's needle. So the officials discussed, and finally turned into a "debate match" between Chao Cuo and Dou Ying.In this debate contest, Chao Cuo gave full play to his sharp eloquence and his ability to quote from many sources, and he refuted Dou Ying speechlessly.Especially on the issue of the Xiongnu, the phrase "to get rid of the barbarians, we must first settle down inside" silenced all the opposition.The matter is so settled-cutting the fan, using the strongest means to cut the fan, completely cutting off the threat of the princes to the court. Chao Cuo's tone was very firm, but his specific actions were also very dark.He was originally a hot-tempered person, he was very efficient in doing things, and he was also in charge of inspections, and all the vassal states had his eyeliner. , such as the economic problems of King Wu, the life style of King Chu, and so on.The reason for the cutting was found in a basket, and the initial stage of the attack was also very smooth, and a large area was hit as soon as the shot was taken: Changshan County of King Zhao was cut, Donghai County of King Chu was cut, and Yuzhang County and Kuaiji County of King Wu were cut. Cut it off, the six counties of King Jiaoxi were cut off... In just a few months, the whole country was full of shouts of "cutting". It can be said that the toughness of the means of reducing the vassal this time is unprecedented in Chinese history, but the calm response was beyond the expectations of the courtiers.The princes who were cut down from all walks of life all obeyed the law obediently, without even saying "no".A few timid ones took the initiative to write a letter to plead guilty, crying bitterly and making self-criticism.All in all, it's pretty peaceful up and down. At this time, Chao Cuo's life has been so smooth that it couldn't be smoother, and the scenery couldn't be more beautiful. After being suppressed for more than 20 years, he will finally stand up as a serf and sing, and even the prime minister who wanted to kill him, finally pissed himself to death up.The princes who want to cut you will cut you if they want to cut you, and those who have offended him will kill you if they want to.For example, Yuan An, who had "not spoken to him" for many years, was also drugged by him. On the charge of being bribed by the princes, Chao mistakenly read a book and was sent home in despair. But after the scenery, there are endless dangerous peaks. At this time, Chao Cuo is already in crisis.Under the "machete" of cutting the feudal clan, an undercurrent is also quietly surging.Unexpectedly, the princes who were ready to risk their lives were about to start risking their lives. Their spearheads would not only be Chao Cuo who was shouting and killing, but also above him, the highest seat of power in the Han Empire-the throne.Chao Cuo's father persuaded Chao Cuo: "If you do this, the royal family of the Han Dynasty will be stable, but our Chao family will be in danger." After the persuasion was ineffective, the old man committed suicide by taking poison, but his worries before his death changed soon. became a reality. In the first month of 154 BC, the princes who were killed in Chao Cuo's "Fan Cutting" campaign, after careful preparations, finally showed their fangs of revenge - the side of the Qing emperor, Chao Cuo.Under this name, the seven princes and kings of Wu Wang, Chu Wang, Jiaoxi King, Jinan King, Zhao Wang, Zichuan King, and Jiaodong King jointly rebelled. . For the outbreak of the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, whether it was Chao Cuo, who advocated the reduction of feudal clans before, or Liu Qi, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty who supported him, they were all prepared for the outbreak, but it was discovered after the riots that the preparations were far from enough. The outbreak point of the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion was Yangzhou, the important town of King Wu Liu Bi. The number of soldiers and horses belonging to King Wu alone was as many as 200,000.The king of Wu and the king of Chu joined forces and directly attacked the Henan area. Once Henan fell, Tongguan, the capital of the Western Han Empire, would be exposed to the eyes of the rebels.In the east, the kings of Jiaoxi, Jinan, Zichuan, and Jiaodong joined forces to attack Linzi, the gateway to Shandong, and fought a bloody battle with King Qi who was loyal to the Central Committee of the Western Han Dynasty.In the north, Zhao Wang, who was located in an important border town, not only sent troops south, but also joined forces with the Xiongnu.The Western Han Dynasty, known as the "central government", was actually under the attack of the East, South, and North routes. To be precise, it was the 4th route, because at this time the ambitious Xiongnu military officer Shan Yu had already assembled heavy troops on the northern border of the Western Han Dynasty. However, once the Han army fails in battle, they will rush over viciously, and even seize Chang'an, the capital of the Western Han Dynasty.Because of this, the elite cavalry used to guard against the Xiongnu in the Western Han Dynasty were pinned down on the northern front, unable to participate in the counter-insurgency war going south.All of a sudden, there were shouts of beatings and killings all over the country, and Chao Cuo, who had been in a hurry before, suddenly became an "enemy of the whole people". Regarding the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, Emperor Han Jing's arrangements were relatively calm.Long before cutting down the vassal, he vigorously wooed his half-brother King Liang, and used him to guard Suiyang and guard the gateway from Henan to Tongguan.Li Ji and Luan Bu each led elite soldiers to Qi and Zhao to meet the rebels, and General Dou Ying was stationed in Xingyang as a mobile force to contain the Qi and Zhao armies.As for the main force, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty chose Zhou Yafu as the commander-in-chief, and led 36 generals to meet the rebels of Wu and Chu.In terms of candidates, these choices are all correct, but the troops that can be mobilized by the Western Han Empire are seriously insufficient at this time.The number of rebels in the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms was claimed to be 500,000, but the actual number of troops participating in the war was more than 300,000.At this time, the Western Han Empire had less than 100,000 troops that could be mobilized in the first place.Therefore, in the first month of the war, the situation of the Han army was extremely critical: the Wu and Chu rebels on the southern front drove straight in and surrounded Suiyang; the Qidi Four Kings rebels on the eastern front surrounded Linzi; It became a stalemate.What's more terrible is that the rebels never mentioned the matter of seizing power, and only said that "Qingjun side, punish Chao Cuo", which almost gave the whole world an illusion: kill Chao Cuo, and the princes will retreat. Chao Cuo's fate became dangerous because of this. At that time, not only the princes and kings reacted strongly to the cutting of the vassals, but also the relatives and nobles opposed it everywhere. After all, it was the death of a rabbit and the fox was sad.And when the frontline war was not going well, Emperor Han Jing naturally also considered making peace with the princes and looking for the possibility of a "peaceful solution".But the most important reason is that Chao Cuo was already in a situation where the wall was overthrown by everyone at this time. It has become the consensus of many officials to kill Chao Cuo and thank the princes. It was Yuan An, who had been dismissed by Chao Cuo earlier, who proposed to Emperor Han Jing to kill Chao Cuo. He had a good personal relationship with Liu Bi, king of Wu, the mastermind of the rebellion. He revealed the "peace signal": kill Chao Cuo, stop cutting the feudal clan, and I will withdraw my troops.This condition cannot but make Emperor Han Jing tempted. After all, in the Western Han Dynasty, which admired Huang Lao's inaction, it is best to turn major events into minor ones.And the one who really played a key role in killing Chao Cuo was actually Dou Ying, who had argued with Chao Cuo for cutting the vassal.Relying on his relationship as the nephew of Empress Dowager Dou, Dou Ying sent a signal to Emperor Han Jing to kill Chao Cuo through his aunt Empress Dowager Dou.And Chao Cuo himself also made a wrong choice. After the rebellion broke out, he suggested to Emperor Han Jing that Emperor Han Jing personally conquer the rebels. For Emperor Han Jing who had never experienced war, this behavior was useless. Different from gambling.And this suggestion also offended Zhou Yafu, who held a heavy army.Therefore, Chao Cuo's death is inevitable. Regarding the killing of Chao Cuo, the process recorded in the history books is as follows: First, Yuan Ang returned from a mission to the rebel army, led by Dou Ying, met with Emperor Han Jing in secret, and proposed to kill Chao Cuo.But at this time, Emperor Han Jing was still hesitating. Ten days later, Prime Minister Tao Qing and others joined forces to impeach Chao Cuo, the imperial historian.The content of the impeachment is very knowledgeable, and it did not criticize the policy of reducing the vassal. After all, it was decided by Emperor Han Jing himself. Instead, he accused Chao Cuo of asking Emperor Han Jing to conquest himself. , also helped him make up his mind: kill!In August 154 BC, Chao Cuo was suddenly attacked on his way to court and captured by soldiers. He quickly declared his guilt and was killed in Dongshi. In the early days after Chao Cuo's death, Emperor Han Jing really felt a sigh of relief. He quickly sent envoys to the rebel camp to inform Chao Cuo of his death and prepare to restore the fiefs of the Seven Kingdoms, but Wu Wang Liu Bi did not accept it. It is called "Eastern Emperor".Only then did Emperor Han Jing realize that he had been fooled.But Chao Cuo's death was not worthless: in the early days of the rebellion, the rebels' pretext was "the side of the emperor", but now that the "side of the emperor" has been cleared, the rebellion continues, which is tantamount to a slap in the face.At the same time, by taking advantage of the time period during which Chao Cuo was killed, the Han Empire completed preparations for a decisive battle.In the next two months, the Han Empire mobilized the elite cavalry from the north to go south, leveling the land first, and then cutting off the food roads of the Wu and Chu rebels, and finally completely wiped out the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion.Afterwards, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty continued Chao Cuo’s policy of cutting vassals, depriving the princes of the Han Dynasty of their military and financial power, and the princes could only collect taxes in their territories, and their power was greatly reduced. The seven countries that had been pacified were all classified as Western Han Under the rule of counties and counties, the centralized power of the Han Empire has been greatly strengthened since then.Chao Cuo, who just died of injustice, became the first tragic martyr in this great change.