Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Gaozu Liu Bang

Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was born in a well-to-do family in Zhongyangli, Fengyi, Pei County (now Fengxian County, Jiangsu Province) in the fifty-ninth year of King Nan of Zhou (256 BC).His father's name is Rui, and he has four brothers. Gao Zu is the third eldest, the eldest brother is named Bo, the second brother is named Zhong, and the youngest brother is named Jiao.He was supported as "Pei Gong" when he was young, and was established as King of Han by Xiang Yu in the first year of King Han (206 BC); King Han officially proclaimed himself emperor in five years, and the country was named Han.He was the first emperor of the former Han Dynasty, and his temple name was "Gaozu".

Liu Bang also read some books when he was a child, but he was by no means a dutiful scholar.He has an open-minded and rough personality, and treats people generously.He seldom participates in family agricultural production, and his father has repeatedly blamed him for this.By the time of his youth, Qin Shihuang had unified the whole country. He passed the examination and became the head of Qin's Surabaya pavilion, and had a very close relationship with the county officials.But he also became a drunkard at this time.Cao, the mother of Liu Fei, the eldest son who was later named King Qi by him, was his maternal wife at that time.

Although Liu Bang has misconduct in life, he has great ambitions.Once, when he was escorting his husband to Xianyang, the capital, he met Qin Shihuang on a trip. Seeing Qin Shihuang majestically sitting in the car guarded by the guard of honor, he exclaimed, "Oh, this is what a man should look like!" Soon after returning from Xianyang, Liu Bang got married.His wife is the daughter of Lu Gong from Shanfu (now in the south of Shanxian County, Shandong).Lu Gong didn't live in Pei County before, but because of his good relationship with the county magistrate of Pei County, he moved to Pei County to avoid his enemies.When Lu Gong first arrived in Pei County, Cao, a heroic official in the county, heard that he was a distinguished guest of the county magistrate, and all came to pay homage to him.At that time, Xiao He was the chief official in Pei County. He hosted a banquet and announced to the visitors: "Any congratulatory gift less than 1,000 yuan will sit in the hall." Liu Bang was also one of the congratulators. He didn't bring any money, but said to the messenger: "I congratulate 10,000 yuan." The messenger went to tell Lu Gong, and Lu Gong hurried down to greet him in person.After Lu Gong saw Liu Bang, he thought he was very handsome and respected him very much, so he took him to the table and sat down.After drinking, Lu Gong signaled Liu Bang to stay and offered to marry his daughter to him.This was what Liu Bang wished for, so he married Lu Gong's daughter.Lu Gong's daughter was later known as Empress Lu in history.She gave birth to a son and a daughter for Gao Zu. The daughter was later called Princess Lu Yuan, and the son was Emperor Hui of Han.

After Liu Bang got married, in order to take care of the family, he often had to take leave and go home to help with some farm work.Once, Empress Lu and her daughter were pulling weeds in the fields, and an old man passing by asked Empress Lu for water, and complimented them that they were both born "nobility".After the old man left, Liu Bang also came to Tianzhong. Empress Lu told him about the meeting, and he immediately caught up with the old man and asked him to meet him too.The old man said: "The reason why your wife and children are noble just now is because they are like you, and your appearance is unspeakable." Liu Bang was very happy to hear that, and he thanked the old man and said, "If it is true as what your old man said, I will I will never forget your great virtue." At the end of the Qin Dynasty, a large number of laborers were required to build the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang in Mount Li, and Liu Bang was ordered to escort the prisoners to Mount Li as the head of the pavilion.On the way of escort, the prisoners fled one after another.Liu Bang estimated that when he arrived at Mount Li, almost all of these prisoners would run away.One day, when he walked to Daze in the west of Fengyi and stopped to rest, Liu Bang drank too much wine, so he untied the ropes of the prisoners and said to them: "You all run for your lives, and I will die from now on." Fleeing!" At that time, there were more than a dozen prisoners willing to follow Liu Bang, and Liu Bang led them to escape from Daze overnight.At that time, he ordered a person to explore the way ahead, and the person quickly reported back: "There is a big snake blocking the way ahead, let's go back and find the way." Liu Bang was already very drunk at this time, and he shouted loudly: "We A warrior walks, what are you afraid of!" So he rushed to the front to open the way, drew his sword and cut the snake in two.After walking a few miles, Liu Bang had an alcoholic fit and lay down by the roadside.The people behind went to the place where the snake died, and saw an old woman crying bitterly, and asked her why she was crying, she said: "Someone killed my son." Then asked: "Why was your son killed?" She said: " My son is the son of the White Emperor. He turned into a snake and lay across the road. He was beheaded by the son of the Red Emperor just now, so I cried." People thought the old woman was talking nonsense and wanted to make fun of her, but the old woman But suddenly disappeared.The people who came later continued to move forward and met Liu Bang, who had already sobered up, so they told him about it.Liu Bang was secretly happy, and relied on this, which made the prisoners who followed him respect him even more.

In the early days, Qin Shihuang often said: "The southeast has the air of the emperor." So he made many eastward tours, trying to suppress this cloud.After Liu Bang killed the big snake and heard about the miraculous thing, he began to suspect that Shi Huang was coming for him.Therefore, he took those prisoners who were willing to follow him and fled to the Mang and Dang Mountains (now northeast of Yongcheng County, Henan Province) and hid.But even so, Empress Lu and others went to look for him, and they were often able to find him quickly.Liu Bang was very surprised, so he asked her why.Empress Lu said: "where you are hiding, there are often colorful auspicious clouds in the sky, so I can find it as soon as I look for it." Liu Bang was very happy and quietly publicized this matter to the people. Everyone is willing to follow him.In this way, Liu Bang used superstition and his own personality to recruit a group of people around him, and became a hero recognized by the people at that time.

In July of the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched an uprising in Daze Township (southwest of Su County, Anhui today). After capturing Chen (now Huaiyang, Henan), Chen Sheng became the "king" and established " Zhang Chu" regime.The county magistrate of Pei County wanted to respond to Chen Shenglai to protect himself. Liu Bang's friends, Xiao He, the magistrate of Pei County, and Cao Can, the jailer, suggested to the county magistrate: "You are an official of the Qin Dynasty. Now you want to betray the Qin Dynasty and lead the children of Peizhong to raise troops. I'm afraid they won't listen to you. It's better to call back those who have fled, and gather hundreds of people, so that everyone will not be disobedient." The county magistrate agreed, and he asked Empress Lu's brother-in-law Fan Kuai to find him Liu Bang.At this time, Liu Bang had gathered hundreds of people, so he returned to Peicheng with Fan Kuai.But before Liu Bang arrived in Peicheng, the county magistrate began to regret again. He was afraid that Liu Bang would kill him if he entered the city, so he closed the city gate and planned to kill Xiao He and Cao Shen.After hearing the news, Xiao He and Cao Can fled across the city to Liu Bang.Liu Bang couldn't enter the city, so he wrote a letter and shot it into the city, calling on the elders of Peicheng to kill the county magistrate.Respond to all kinds of rebels.The people in the city were very resentful of the county magistrate's back-and-forth, and were dissatisfied with his usual fish and meat people, so they killed the county magistrate, opened the door to welcome Liu Bang, and wanted to elect him as the county magistrate.Many elders also said: "We have heard many miraculous things about you. You must become a noble person, and it is best for you to lead." Liu Bang refused repeatedly, and was finally embraced by everyone as "Pei Gong".Liu Bang set up an altar to sacrifice in the county magistrate's yamen, and declared that he was the son of the Red Emperor, so he set up a red banner and officially announced his rebellion against Qin.Then, Xiao He, Cao Shen, Fan Kui and others separately went to recruit soldiers and buy horses. The children of Peizhong participated enthusiastically, and the team quickly grew to two or three thousand people.It was September of the first year of Qin II, and Liu Bang was 48 years old.

At the same time that Liu Bang raised troops in Peicheng, Xiang Liang, the descendants of the original Chu nobles, and Xiang Yu's uncle and nephew also raised troops in Wuzhong (now Wu County, Jiangsu).They killed the prefect of Kuaiji, and soon formed an army of 8,000 Jiangdong disciples.Aristocrats from other six countries also raised their troops one after another and declared themselves kings. In December of the first year of Qin II (207 BC), Chen Sheng was killed by Zhuang Jia, a coachman.In June of the following year, Xiang Liang knew that Chen Sheng was indeed dead, so he summoned all the generals in Xue County, and made King Chuhuai's grandson Xin the King of Chuhuai, with Xuyi as his capital (now Xuyi, Jiangsu).At this time, Qin General Zhang Han had already conquered Wei and Qi.In July, the Chu army rested and began to counterattack Qin.The Chu army won successive victories, and Xiang Liang was dazzled by the victories. He became proud and refused to listen to others' advice.In September, after Zhang Han received reinforcements from Qin Guanzhong, taking advantage of Xiang Liang's unpreparedness, he suddenly attacked Dingtao at night.As a result, the Chu army was defeated and Xiang Liang was killed.After Zhang Han killed Xiang Liang, he believed that Chu State was no longer a threat, so he crossed the river to attack Zhao State.King Zhao asked for help from King Huai of Chu.After receiving Zhao's request for help, King Huai of Chu discussed with the generals and decided to divide the troops into two groups: Song Yi as the general, Xiang Yu as the second general, and Fan Zeng as the last general, going north to rescue Zhao; and Liu Bang as the general going west Guanzhong.At first, King Huai of Chu made an agreement with the generals: "The one who enters the pass first is the king." However, due to the strength of the Qin army, many generals were unwilling to rush into the pass.Only Xiang Yu asked to enter the customs with Liu Bang in order to avenge Xiang Liang.King Huai of Chu and the veterans considered that Xiang Yu was tough and cruel, not as generous as Liu Bang.So in the end they did not agree to Xiang Yu's request, and sent Liu Bang to lead the army into the customs alone.

After repeated battles, in August of the first year of King Han (206 BC), Liu Bang invaded Wuguan and approached Xianyang.Qin Xiang Zhao Gao killed the second emperor and sent someone to ask Liu Bang for peace, but Liu Bang refused.In the ninth month, Prince Ying of Qin came to the throne. He killed Zhao Gao and sent troops to resist Liu Bang at Gaoguan.Liu Bang led his army to attack Qin by bypassing the pass, defeated the Qin army in the south of Lantian, and then defeated the Qin army in Lantian.In October, Liu Bang arrived in Bashang, the eastern suburb of Xianyang (now east of Xi'an, Shaanxi).Qin Ziying was forced to ride a white horse in a plain car, tied his neck with a belt, and surrendered to Liu Bang with a seal in his hand.The Qin Dynasty fell.

In October, Liu Bang entered Xianyang.At that time, he regarded himself as the "King of Guanzhong" and planned to live in the palace and enjoy himself.Fan Kui reminded him that this would repeat Qin's mistakes, but he didn't take it seriously.So Zhang Liang once again remonstrated: "The rule of the Qin Dynasty was brutal and immoral, which is why you can enter Guanzhong. If you want to eliminate cruelty for the world, you must first be simple. Now you have just entered Qin, but you are content with Pleasure, this is the so-called 'helping others to abuse', and besides, 'loyal words are harmful to the ears, and good medicine is good for the disease'. Although Fan Kuai's words are a bit harsh, but in order to win the world, I hope you still follow his advice." In this way, Liu Bang Only then did they follow their advice, "It is the treasury of Qin Chongbao's property, and it will be returned to the army."Only Xiao He returned to the army with the "Book of Prime Minister Qin Yushi's laws and decrees".

In November, Liu Bang called together some well-known people from various counties and announced to them: "Our purpose of entering the customs this time is to overthrow the tyranny of Qin. We will not invade you, don't be afraid! You have suffered from Qin's harsh laws. For a long time, the family of slanderers, and those who slander abandon the city. I once agreed with the princes that the first person who enters the customs will be the king of Guanzhong, and I should be the king of Guanzhong. So now I have three chapters with you: the murderer dies, the wounded and the thief is punished. The old Qin law will be abolished, and all officials and administrators will be retained." Liu Bang sent people together with the original officials of the Qin Dynasty to the counties and villages to publicize.The common people were very happy when they heard about it, and they all brought beef, mutton, wine and meat to condolences to the rebels.Liu Bang resigned and said: "There is a lot of food in the warehouse, and I can't let you spend money." The people were even more happy, lest Liu Bang would not be the king of Guanzhong.

At this time, a counselor named Xi Sheng offered advice to Liu Bang and said: "Qin's wealth is ten times that of the world, and the terrain is also very dangerous. Now I heard that Zhang Han has surrendered to Xiang Yu and was named King Yong and called King Guanzhong. If they Come, I am afraid you will not be able to be the king of Guanzhong anymore. You should quickly send troops to guard Hangu Pass, and do not let them enter." Liu Bang thought his opinion was right, so he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass. After Xiang Yu rescued Zhao and wiped out the main force of the Qin army, he also led his army to Guanzhong.In the twelfth month of the first year of King Han, he came to Hangu Pass.Seeing that the gate was closed, and hearing that Liu Bang had pacified the pass, Xiang Yu was furious, and immediately ordered Dangyang Lord Yingbu to break through the Hangu Pass, and then led an army of 400,000 to Xixia (now the west bank of Xishui in the northeast of Lintong, Shaanxi).At this time, Liu Bang's left Sima Cao Wushang heard that Xiang Yu was angry. In order to ask for the title, he secretly sent someone to complain to Xiang Yu, saying: "Pei Gong wants to be king in Guanzhong, let Ziying be the prime minister, and take all Qin's treasures for himself. When Xiang Yu heard this, he added fuel to the fire, and his adviser Fan Zeng also advised Xiang Yu to get rid of Liu Bang as soon as possible, so he ordered the soldiers to reward Liu Bang and attack Liu Bang early tomorrow morning.Liu Bang had only 100,000 people at the time, and he was completely at a disadvantage in terms of military strength.When the catastrophe was approaching, Liu Bang came to the savior.This savior is Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Bo.Xiang Bo had a close relationship with Zhang Liang, Liu Bang's adviser, and Zhang Liang once saved his life.He heard that Xiang Yu was about to attack Liu Bang, so he rushed into Liu Bang's army overnight, trying to take Zhang Liang away.But Zhang Liang said to him: "Pei Gong is in great trouble. As a counselor, I can't leave without saying a word. If I want to leave, I have to tell him about it." Liu Bang was shocked when he heard this, and asked Zhang Liang to think about countermeasures quickly.Zhang Liang said: "Now you should go and explain to Uncle Xiang in person that you dare not betray King Xiang." Liu Bang entertained Uncle Xiang with good wine and made an appointment with his sons and daughters, and then said: "After I entered the pass, Qiu never dared Take it, register the officials and people, and seal the treasury to wait for the general (referring to Xiang Yu). Therefore, the general is sent to guard the gate. It is to guard against thieves and other accidents. I look forward to the general's arrival day and night, how dare I rebel! I hope you can speak for me General, explain the situation." Xiang Bo agreed, and said to Liu Bang, "You must go personally to apologize to King Xiang at dawn tomorrow." After Liu Bang agreed, Xiang Bo returned overnight, told Xiang Yu everything Liu Bang said, and advised Xiang Yu to say: : "If Pei Gong doesn't break through the pass first, can you enter the pass smoothly? He has made great achievements, so he shouldn't be treated like this, it's better to treat each other well." Xiang Yu agreed and canceled the attack plan. Early the next morning, Liu Bang led Zhang Liang, Fan Kui and more than a hundred cavalrymen to Xiang Yu's camp to apologize to Xiang Yu.Xiang Yu entertained Liu Bang, and at the banquet, swords were drawn and swords were drawn, and the famous "Hongmen Banquet" in history was performed.After the Hongmen banquet, Xiang Yu led his troops to slaughter Xianyang in the west, killed the prince of Qin, burned the palace of Qin, plundered property and women, and then returned east.In February of the first year of King Han (206 BC), as the supreme commander, he respected King Huai as Emperor Yi, and appointed all generals as kings and lords.A total of 19 feudal lords were entrusted: Xiang Yu established himself as the Overlord of Western Chu, governing the nine counties of Liang and Chu, and his capital Pengcheng; he established Liu Bang as King of Han, governing 41 counties of Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, and his capital Nanzheng (now Nanzheng, Shaanxi). In the fourth month, Xiang Yu sent the princes to their respective states.Liu Bang had no choice but to go to Nanzheng.At that time, Xiang Yu only gave him 30,000 soldiers, plus the tens of thousands of voluntary followers, it was less than 100,000.In order to guard against attacks from other princes, and to express to Xiang Yu that he would no longer go east to fight for the world, Liu Bang accepted Zhang Liang's suggestion and burned the plank road leading to Hanzhong.In this way, from Chen Sheng's rebellion against Qin to Qin's demise, the three-year war temporarily subsided. Although Liu Bang came to Nanzheng, he was not willing to be named King of Han.At that time, it was only considering that he was alone and lonely, so he did not immediately rise up against Xiang Yu. But when he arrived in Nanzheng, the situation changed: on the one hand, the soldiers led by Liu Bang were not convinced, eulogized and missed their hometown, longed to return to the east, and the morale of the army was unstable. A decision must be made immediately; on the other hand, Xiang Yu's unequal entrustment and Qi Guotian Rong's rebellion also provided Liu Bang with an opportunity to advance eastward.Liu Bang decided to go out and compete with Xiang Yu.It just so happened that Prime Minister Xiao He recommended Han Xin to him again, thinking that "if you want to fight for the world, you have nothing to do with it", so Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as a general.Han Xin suggested to Liu Bang: "Our military officers and soldiers are all from Shandong (referring to the east of Hangu Pass). They look forward to returning east day and night. With this morale, we can make great achievements. We should immediately make a decision and lead the army eastward. "Liu Bang was very happy, so he gave him full authority to deploy the battle plan.In May of the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), Liu Bang took Xiao He as his prime minister and stayed behind in Bashu to appease the rear. He and Han Xin led an army to secretly cross Chencang (now East Baoji, Shaanxi), and soon occupied the entire Guanzhong. The Chu-Han War officially broke out. . In November of the second year of King Han, when Xiang Yu was fighting fiercely with Qi and Zhao, Liu Bang led his troops out of the pass and marched towards the Central Plains.The Han army was so powerful that Henan Wang Shenyang voluntarily surrendered, and Liu Bang set his land as Henan County.Zheng Chang resisted, was defeated by Han Xin, and was forced to surrender.Liu Bang returned to Guanzhong and moved his capital to Liyang (now Liyang, Shaanxi).In order to disintegrate the enemy and consolidate the rear, he ordered that if the enemy general leads ten thousand people, one county will be enfeoffed as ten thousand households, and the original gardens and gardens of the Qin Dynasty will be opened for farming. In March, Liu Bang crossed the Yellow River to the north, and King Bao of the Western Wei Dynasty led his troops to surrender.Yin Wang Sima Xin resisted and was captured after being defeated by Liu Bang.Then, Liu Bang crossed the Yellow River south and conquered Luoyang.In April, Liu Bang led the princes from all walks of life, a total of 560,000 people, to attack Chu in the east, and soon captured Pengcheng. Xiang Yu knew that after Liu Bang left the Guandong and entered, he did not immediately return to the division to fight.He is going to deal with Liu Bang with all his strength after completely defeating Qi State.At this time, hearing that Liu Bang had occupied Pengcheng, he led 30,000 elite soldiers and hurried back to Pengcheng.At that time, Liu Bang was still buying wine in Pengcheng and celebrating his achievements with the princes from all walks of life. The Chu army launched an attack on the Han army in the morning and defeated the Han army within a day.The Han army fled along the Valley and Sier River, and more than 100,000 people were killed.He was overtaken by Xiang Yu on the East Sui River in Lingbi (northwest of Su County, Anhui today), and hundreds of thousands of Han troops were killed, "the Sui water did not flow".Liu Bang escaped with only dozens of cavalry, and met his daughter and son on the road, but the father and wife were captured by the Chu army.Seeing Liu Bang's defeat, the princes from all walks of life rebelled one after another. Liu Bang retreated to Xingyang to collect the escaped soldiers.At this time, Xiao He sent reinforcements from Guanzhong, and even the elderly over 56 years old and the young people under 20 years old were conscripted into the army.At the same time, Han Xin also withdrew his troops and came to join them, and the Han army revived.In the fifth month, the Han army defeated the Chu army in the south of Xingyang between Jing and Suo, preventing the Chu army from crossing Xingyang to the west.During this period, Liu Bang also sent lobbyists to say that Yingbu had surrendered to Chu.Yingbo was a fierce general under Xiang Yu. His rebellion not only caused Xiang Yu to lose an important force, but also relieved the pressure on Liu Bang's frontal battlefield because Xiang Yu had to divide his troops to counter the rebellion. At that time, the Han army set up defenses in Xingyang.In order to ensure the food for the army, the Han army built tunnels to pass through the Yellow River to Ao Cang, the large granary in the original Qin Dynasty, to carry food.However, Xiang Yu invaded the corridors of the Han army many times, causing the Han army to lack food. In April, Xiang Yu besieged Xingyang.Liu Bang had no choice but to ask Xiang Yu for peace, and the west of Xingyang was Han.Xiang Yu was about to agree, but Fan Zeng thought: "It is easy to completely wipe out the Han now. If you miss this opportunity, you will definitely regret it in the future." So Xiang Yu no longer agreed to make peace and stormed Xingyang.Liu Bang used Chen Ping's plan to drive a wedge between Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng.Xiang Yu sent envoys to persuade him to surrender, and Liu Bang sent people to entertain him with a bountiful meal.Seeing the envoy, he pretended to be surprised and said, "I thought it was Yafu's envoy, but it turned out to be King Xiang's envoy." Then he took away the good food and replaced it with poor food.The envoy was very angry and went back to report to Xiang Yu.From then on, Xiang Yu suspected that Fan Zeng had an affair with Han, and he no longer accepted some of Fan Zeng's propositions.Fan Zeng was furious at this, and said to Xiang Yu: "The overall situation of the world has been basically settled, so please take care of yourself, my lord. Please let me live my life as an ordinary person." Xiang Yu agreed.In this way, Fan Zeng left Xiang Yu and died of anger with sores on his back before he reached Pengcheng. In May, the Chu army's offensive against Xingyang became more violent.Under such circumstances, General Ji Xin suggested to Liu Bang that he should pretend to surrender instead of Liu Bang, so that Liu Bang would take the opportunity to escape.So Ji Xin took Liu Bang's car and descended from the east gate, attracting the Chu army to surround him on all sides. Liu Bang led dozens of cavalry to break through from the west gate.Xiang Yu failed to catch Liu Bang and was so angry that he burned Ji Xin to death. After Xiang Yu occupied Xingyang, he then conquered the important town of Chenggao (now Sishui Town, Xingyang, Henan).In October of the fourth year of King Han (203 BC), Cheng Gao was recovered by Liu Bang.After Liu Bang captured Chenggao, he immediately besieged Xingyang.When Xiang Yu heard that Cheng Gao had fallen, he immediately returned to his army.Liu Bang withdrew from the siege and retreated, and the two armies faced off at Guangwu Mountain in the northeast of Xingyang.After several months of stalemate, Xiang Yu felt that going on like this would be bad for him.Because after Liu Bang captured Chenggao, he could get military rations from Ao Cang, but the Chu army often attacked the grain road because of Peng Yue's harassment in the rear, and the military rations could not be supplied.In order to force Liu Bang to surrender, Xiang Yu came up with a way. He brought Liu Bang's father, the grandfather, who was captured before, to the front of the battle, and said to Liu Bang, "If you don't surrender now, I will cook your father." Without any fear, he said: "You and I were ordered to conceive the king, 'about brothers'. My father is your father. If you must cook your Lao Tzu, then for the sake of brothers, we will share it with you." Let me have a bowl of broth." Xiang Yu was so angry that he was about to kill the grandfather.Xiang Bo persuaded him: "I don't know who will win the world. Besides, those who fight for the world don't care about their families. Even if they kill them, it won't work. It will only deepen the hatred between the two parties." Xiang Yu had no choice but to give up. Soon, Xiang Yu challenged Liu Bang alone.Liu Bang smiled and refused, saying: "I only fight wits with you, not strength." Self-respect is two crimes; after saving Zhao, he should pay back, but led his troops into the pass, it is three crimes; burning Qin palace, privately collecting its property, is four crimes; killing Qin Jiang's prince and infant is five crimes; 200,000 is six crimes; uneven distribution is seven crimes; driving Emperor Yi out of Pengcheng and making himself the capital is eight crimes; assassinating Emperor Yi is nine crimes; killing the lord for a minister is ten crimes for injustice I led the righteous soldiers and the princes together to kill the traitors, so why bother to challenge you alone?" Xiang Yu was furious when he heard this, and shot Liu Bang in the chest with his bow. The two sides confronted each other for 10 months. Liu Bang's soldiers had a lot of food, and Xiang Yu's soldiers were exhausted.Finally, under the discussion of the debater Hou Gong, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu agreed: the two sides will use Honggou (now Xingyang, Zhongmou, and Kaifeng in Henan Province) as the boundary to "divide the world in the middle", with the west belonging to Han and the east belonging to Chu.Xiang Yu returned Liu Bang's father and wife. After the agreement on the chasm, Xiang Yu led his troops to the east, and Liu Bang also wanted to lead his troops back to the west.Zhang Liang and Chen Ping remonstrated: "The Han has occupied most of the world, and all the princes have returned. Chu's army is exhausted. This is the time when the sky is about to perish. If you don't take this opportunity to destroy Xiang Yu, it will be a legacy of raising a tiger. "Liu Bang woke up and immediately pursued the Chu army. In October of the fifth year of King Han (202 BC), Liu Bang caught up with Xiang Yu in the south of Yangxia.He sent envoys to join forces with Han Xin and Peng Yue to attack Xiang Yu.When they arrived at Guling (today's Taikang West, Henan Province), before the armies of Han and Peng arrived, Xiang Yu attacked Liu Bang, and the Han army was defeated.Liu Bang had no choice but to stick to the wall again.He asked Zhang Liang for a strategy, and Zhang Liang said: "If you can seal Han Xin with the land of Qi and seal Peng Yue with the land of Liang, they will definitely do their best to help you defeat Xiang Yu." So Liu Bang sent someone to inform Han Xin and Peng Yue that as long as they did not After attacking Chu and defeating Xiang Yu, they were named King Qi and King Liang.Han and Peng immediately reported: "We will enter the army immediately." At this time, Zhou Yin, the great Sima of Chu, was also persuaded by Liu Bang to surrender, and Wang Yingbu of Huainan also led troops to fight.In this way, the Han army has an absolute advantage in military strength.In December, the two sides fought at Gaixia, and 300,000 Han soldiers surrounded Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu was running out of troops and food.One night, he suddenly heard the singing of the Han army on all sides, thinking that the Han army had completely occupied the Chu land.Sad in his heart, he got up and drank in the tent.He asked the beauty Yuji to accompany him to drink, ordered his beloved horse "Wuzhui", and then sang a tragic song generously: "Strengthening the mountain and overwhelming the world, the time is not good, the dying is not dying. The dying is so helpless, Yu Xi Yu Xi Nai Ruo!" Yu Ji sang together: "The Han soldiers have already conquered the land, and there are songs from all directions. The king is exhausted, and the lowly concubine can't live." The two sang several times, and Yu Ji slayed herself with tears.Xiang Yu wept for a few lines, stepped on his steed, led 800 cavalry, and broke out overnight. After dawn, the Han army realized that Xiang Yu had broken through.Liu Bang ordered the cavalry general Guan Ying to lead 5,000 cavalry in pursuit.When Xiang Yu crossed the Huai River, there were only more than a hundred people in his entourage.When I arrived at Yinling (northwest of Dingyuan, Anhui today), I lost my way and fell into the Daze again.Xiang Yu led his troops east to Dongcheng (now southeast of Dingyuan, Anhui), where he was overtaken by Guan Ying.At this time, there were only 28 cavalry around Xiang Yu, and he fought fiercely with the Han army three times, killing hundreds of Han soldiers, and finally drew his sword and killed himself.The Chu-Han War finally ended with Liu Bang's victory. In the first month of the fifth year of King Han (202 BC), Liu Bang established Han Xin as King of Chu and Peng Yue as King of Liang according to the agreement with Han Xin and Peng Yue.So Han Xin, Peng Yue, Huainan Wang Yingbu, Zhao Wang Zhang Ao, Yan Wang Zang Tu, Han Wangxin, and Wu Rui Shangshu, who had been named the king of Changsha not long ago, respected Liu Bang as emperor.Liu Bang declined, and they all said: "Your Majesty was born in a poor and humble family. He wanted to destroy the chaotic Qin Dynasty, and he used the King of Han to punish the injustice. He pacified the world and made contributions. "You really think this will benefit the people of the world, then you can." On the third day of February, Liu Bang officially proclaimed himself emperor in Yang, Dingtao, Shandong, and his country name was Han, which is Han Gaozu.Then, he issued an edict to respect the queen Lu Zhi as the queen, and the prince Liu Ying as the crown prince. After Emperor Gaozu proclaimed himself emperor, Luoyang was his capital.In May, a grand celebration banquet is held in Nangong, Luoyang.At the meeting, Gaozu asked the officials to speak freely and summed up the experience and lessons of Han victory and Chu defeat.At that time, Gao Qi and Wang Ling believed that: Gaozu could "share the benefits with the world", but Xiang Yu "did not benefit others", which was the reason for Xiang Yu's failure.Gaozu thought they only knew one thing, but not the other.He said: "I am not as good as Zhang Liang when it comes to strategizing and winning thousands of miles away; I am not as good as Xiao He when it comes to guarding the country to appease the people and providing food and wages; when it comes to leading an army of millions, invincible and invincible , I am not as good as Han Xin. But I was able to use them to display their intelligence, which is the reason for victory. But Xiang Yu has only one Fan Zeng, but he can't make good appointments, which is the reason for failure." Regarding Gaozu's words After analysis, all the ministers expressed their satisfaction. At this time, Lou Jing, a soldier of Qi, came to Luoyang from Shandong to see Gaozu.He believed that Gaozu's way of conquering the world was different from that of the Zhou Dynasty. He should not set his capital in Luoyang like Zhou did, but should set his capital in Guanzhong according to Qin's danger.Gaozu submitted his proposition to the officials for discussion, and many people opposed it, thinking that it was better to stay in Luoyang.Only Zhang Liang supported Lou Jing and told Gaozu that Guanzhong is "a golden city thousands of miles away, and a land of abundance", with both offensive and defensive capabilities.Gaozu agreed very much, so he started driving immediately, moved westward to Guanzhong, and established his capital in Chang'an.Because Chang'an is located in the west, it is opposite to the Han Dynasty, which was rebuilt by Emperor Guangwu in Luoyang, so later historians call it "Western Han Dynasty". "Han inherited the Qin system", the political system of the Western Han Dynasty basically inherited the system of the Qin Dynasty.Like Qin, the central government of Han was dominated by the emperor, with officials at all levels, mainly the Sangong and Jiuqing.The three males are the prime minister (called Xiangguo in the early Han Dynasty), Taiwei and Yushi doctor.The prime minister assists the emperor in handling government affairs and is the highest official in the country; the Taiwei is in charge of the national military and is the highest military officer;Jiuqing: One is Fengchang (Taichang), in charge of ancestral temple sacrifices and court etiquette; the other is Lang Zhongling (Guang Luxun), in charge of the emperor's guards and court affairs; the third is Weiwei (Zhongdafuling), in charge of the guards of the palace; The fourth is the imperial servant, who is in charge of the emperor's horses and ceremonies; the fifth is the Tingwei (Dali), who is in charge of the prison; The emperor's relatives; the eighth is the internal history of the millet (Da Nong Ling, Da Si Nong), in charge of the national finance; the ninth is the Shaofu (Kaogong), in charge of the emperor's private finances. The local government is basically the same as Qin, implementing the system of prefectures and counties.In the early Qin Dynasty, the whole country was divided into 36 counties, and several counties were added in the last years.In the early Han Dynasty, Gaozu set up 15 counties across the country.Later, when Gaozu eliminated kings with different surnames, he restored some counties one after another, and at the same time set up some small counties from the large counties in Qin Dynasty.In this way, adding the 15 counties in the early Han Dynasty, there are 36 counties in total.The county has a guard and a lieutenant.The county guard (prefect) is in charge of the political affairs of a county, and the county lieutenant (duwei) is in charge of the military affairs of a county.Unlike the Qin Dynasty, there was no longer a censor in the county of the Han Dynasty.Counties are set up under the county, county magistrates are set up in large counties with more than 10,000 households, county magistrates are set up in small counties with less than 10,000 households, and there are prime ministers and lieutenants under the magistrate and chief.The Ling and the Chief are in charge of the political affairs of a county, the Cheng assists the Ling and the Chief, and the Wei is in charge of the military affairs of a county.There is a township under the county, and the township has Sanzhi, Youzhi, Yufu, and Youqi.Sanzhi is in charge of education, a rank or stingy husband listens to lawsuits, collects taxes, patrols and bans thieves.There are pavilions in the countryside, and the chief of the pavilion is set up to seek robbers.The head of the pavilion is in charge of the affairs of the pavilion, and begs the thief to hunt down the thieves.There is a Li under the pavilion, and there are Lizheng and Prison Gate.The most basic rural organizations are Shi and Wu.Why are ten families, there is a leader; five families are in a team, and there is a team leader.The organization of the townships in the Han Dynasty was slightly different from that in the Qin Dynasty, that is, it was stipulated that one of the three elders in each township should be elected as the three elders of the county. connection between. Different from Qin Dynasty, Gaozu not only continued to implement the system of prefectures and counties, but also divided up some princes and kingdoms.At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, seven kingdoms with different surnames were entrusted first, and later, except for Wu Rui, the king of Changsha, the rest were wiped out one after another.However, in the process of flattening kings with different surnames, Gaozu entrusted nine kings with the same surname, all of whom were sons, nephews, and brothers of Gaozu.Gaozu stipulated that the status of the princes and kingdoms is equal to that of the counties. The ministers of the kingdom (later changed to ministers) and Taifu must be appointed by the central government to handle government affairs on behalf of the central government. Without the tiger charm of the central government, the princes and kings are not allowed to send troops without authorization, and the princes and kings are not allowed to violate the central decree Wait.In addition to the vassal kingdoms, Gao Zu also entrusted many vassal states.The status of these marquis countries is equal to that of counties, and most of them are awarded to ministers who have made meritorious service.In this way, the local system of the Han Dynasty was the parallel system of prefectures and counties and princes and kingdoms. In order to maintain the hierarchy of honor and inferiority, Gaozu also followed Qin's 20-level title system.On the basis of the laws of the Qin Dynasty, Gao Zu also reformed a new law, which is the famous "Nine Chapters Law" of the Han Dynasty.While enacting the law, Gaozu followed the example of the Qin Dynasty and established a set of etiquette system.In short, through the above series of measures, a unified centralized feudal empire was re-established. However, the succession of the Han Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty is mainly reflected in the ritual and legal system, but the ruling policy of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was quite different from that of the Qin Dynasty, and this difference was summarized, formulated, and implemented by referring to the lessons from the demise of the Qin Dynasty. After eight years of war, the population of the Han Dynasty dropped sharply at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the economy was in decline.Therefore, Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, first took measures to solve the problem of labor shortage: prisoners were released, refugees returned to their hometowns, soldiers were demobilized, slaves were liberated, and births were encouraged.At the same time, adjust the land and develop the landlord economy. In order to mobilize farmers' enthusiasm for production, on the basis of Qin's tax system, Gaozu adopted a policy of light corvee and low tax.In addition to slack corvee and low tax, Gaozu also mobilized the enthusiasm of farmers by "granting nobles" and "reviving nobles".While emphasizing the development of agricultural production, Gaozu also adjusted the policies of industry and commerce.The main measure is to relax restrictions on private industry and commerce.As a result, not only industry and commerce were revitalized, but also agricultural production. In order to ensure that the people can have a stable environment to engage in production, Han Gaozu also properly resolved the relationship with the Xiongnu.He adopted the "marriage" strategy, marrying the daughter of the clan as the princess to Modu Chanyu, and gave a large amount of property to the Huns.In this way, the Huns' harassment of the Central Plains was greatly reduced, and the relationship between the Han and the Huns was temporarily peaceful, thus providing a relatively stable production environment for the people of the Central Plains. Due to the implementation of the above measures and policies, the agricultural production in the early Han Dynasty developed greatly and the economy recovered quickly.By the time of Emperor Hui and Empress Lu's reign, it was already "food and clothing breeding".In the early years of Emperor Wu, there was an unprecedented economic prosperity of "everything is full, and the government treasury is full of goods". Liu Bang became the emperor, so he was inevitably full of arrogance.In October of the ninth year of Emperor Gaozu (198 BC), when he hosted a banquet for Yingbu and others, he said to his father proudly: "Earlier, your old man always said that I was a rascal, so I am not as good as my second brother who can manage the industry. Now Look again, is it the second elder brother who has more property, or mine?" He enjoyed all the privileges of the emperor to his heart's content.The taste is extremely delicious, the ears are full of voice, embrace Aiji, and do whatever she wants.But he never forgot: the world is not peaceful, and there are still hidden dangers: one is divided kings with different surnames. , They have all made great contributions to the ancestors. Although they are not strong, they will make a fuss if they are not handled properly. Too heavy, people's sense of loyalty to the emperor is weak; there is also the problem of the same surname king.In order to consolidate unity and strengthen imperial power, Gaozu has been working hard to eliminate these hidden dangers in the eight years since he became emperor to his death. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty first solved the problem of princes and kings with different surnames.And the coolest one is to deal with Han Xin.In December of the sixth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, it was revealed that Han Xin, the king with a different surname, conspired to rebel.At that time, Gaozu was doubtful, so he asked the generals what to do, and the generals said: "Send troops to kill him." Chen Ping thought that the soldiers of Chu State were excellent, and Han Xin was good at using troops. It is better to pretend to be hunting in Yunmeng and inform the kings of different surnames to meet in Chen County (now Huaiyang, Henan).Han Xin will definitely come to see him. At that time, as long as there is a strong man, he can be arrested without any trouble.Gao Zu followed suit.As soon as Han Xin arrived in Chen County, he was immediately arrested by Gaozu.韩信大叫冤枉，他说：“果然像人们说得那样：'狡兔死，走狗烹；高鸟尽，良弓藏；敌国破，谋臣亡。'天下已平定，我本来就该给烹了。”高祖对他说：“你不要大声嚷，有人告你谋反。”然后就把韩信捆绑起来，押上囚车。但到了洛阳，因查无实据，高祖又赦了韩信，降为淮阴侯。这样一来，韩信对高祖非常怨恨。 高祖七年，韩信密谋让陈豨在外地造反，引得高祖亲自率兵平叛，自己在都城发兵袭击吕后和太子。不料被人告密，吕后采用萧何的计策，把他骗入宫中逮捕，然后斩首于长乐宫的钟室。 这样，经过7年不懈的努力，除长沙王吴芮作为点缀外，高祖终于削平了异姓王。 汉高祖在消灭异姓王的同时，较为妥当地解决了安置中小将领的问题。高祖六年，他分封萧何等大功臣20多人后，由于中小将领很多人都争功不决，暂时没有行封。有一次，高祖在洛阳南宫的阁道上，望见很多将领坐在沙地上窃窃私语，就问张良：“这是在说什么？”张良说：“你还不知道吗？他们是在谋反。”高祖有点不明白：“天下已经安定，为什么还要谋反？”张良解释说：“他们是怕你不能尽封，还怕你记仇杀掉他们。”高祖问怎么办，张良则问他平生最狠而又人所共知的人是谁。高祖说是雍齿，并说曾想把他杀掉，因为他功劳多、忍心少。张良便说：“现在应赶快封雍齿为侯，大家看到雍齿都能先受封，自然人人安心，不会忧虑了。”不久，高祖大摆宴席，封雍齿为什方侯，并催促丞相、御史赶快“定功行封”。这一招果然很灵。酒后，大家都非常高兴地说：“雍齿还能封侯，我们肯定也都能封侯了。” 至于对六国的残余贵族，汉高祖也同样没有忘记要消除他们。高祖九年（公元前198年），他接受娄敬的建议，并命娄敬把六国的残余贵族和各地的一些名门豪族十几万人都迁到了关中。这样一来，既便于高祖对他们进行控制，也使他们丧失了当地的社会基础。 为了更加稳固统治，高祖即位后还极力强化皇权。这是因为当时封建专制主义刚刚建立，不少人仍然保持着战国以来那种“士无常君，国无定臣”的观念。故此，必须从礼仪规制和观念道德上加以引导、整肃。在这方面，刘邦干了两件很漂亮的事情。一是尊父亲为太上皇。当时，父亲太公和刘邦住在一起。高祖为了表示孝顺，五天就去拜见一次太公。太公习以为常，可是他的属官却认为这不符合礼法，就对太公说：“天无二日，地无二王。皇帝虽然是您的儿子，但是人主；您虽然是他父亲，却是人臣。怎么能让人主拜见人臣呢？这样的话，皇帝的威重就没法实行了。”于是高祖再来拜见时，太公就手持扫帚出门迎着退行，不再让高祖拜见。高祖看到大惊，赶快下车去扶着父亲。而太公说：“皇帝是人主，怎么能为我乱了天下礼法！”高祖知道是太公的属官所劝后，对属官能够明白自己的心意很欣赏，就赐给他们黄金500斤，然后下诏尊太公为太上皇。这样，他既可以名正言顺地拜见太上皇，又借机更加宣扬了皇帝的至高无上。 二是对季布、丁公的不同处理。季布和丁公两人是异父同母兄弟。楚汉战争时，他们都是项羽手下的大将。季布曾率兵几次把高祖打得很狼狈，手下一点不留情；丁公也曾率兵追击过高祖，但最后把他放了。高祖称帝后，想起季布给自己的难堪，就下令捉拿季布。可又一想自己也正需要忠臣来巩固统治，于是就改变初衷，下令赦免季布，拜季布为郎中。丁公听说季布都能赦免拜官，自己曾对高祖有恩，如果去见高祖肯定更会受到重赏。因此他就去谒见高祖。但他没有想到，高祖却把他抓了起来，对群臣说：“丁公这个家伙给项王做臣不忠，就是他使项王失去了天下。”接着就把他杀了，在军中示众。并对群臣说：“让以后做人臣的都知道不要像丁公那样！” 不只是引导、整合，汉高祖也采取铁腕手段打击权臣，巩固皇权。萧何系狱就是一例。刘邦感到相权太重，对皇权已造成威胁。高祖十二年（公元前195年），高祖平定英布叛乱回到长安不久，萧何代表老百姓对他建议说：“长安地方狭小，而上林苑中空地很多，已经废弃。希望陛下能下令允许百姓进去耕作，不要把它变成了养兽的场所。”高祖听了大怒，说他是受了商贾的贿赂，才来为他们请求开放上林苑的。因而不顾多年交情，下令把萧何逮捕，关进监狱。过了几天，有人问他相国犯了什么大罪。高祖解释说：“我听说李斯做秦始皇的相国，有功都归于秦始皇，有坏事都算是自己的。现在相国却接受商贾的很多贿赂，为他们请求开放我的上林苑，讨好百姓。所以我要把他关进监狱治罪。”通过整治萧何，高祖不仅打击了相权，而且更加提高了皇帝的权威。 就这样，汉王朝的统治越来越巩固。 然而，经过这些激烈的斗争，汉高祖刘邦也已经心力交瘁。高祖十一年，他平定英布叛乱时被流矢射中，在回长安的道上开始发病，回到长安后病已经很重。当时吕后曾派人请了一位良医来治病，高祖问他自己的病情如何。医生安慰他：“病还可以治。”高祖知道自己的病已经难以医治，因此他怒骂医生说：“我一布衣提三尺剑取得天下，这不是天命吗？天命决定我就要死，即使是神医扁鹊来了又有什么用呢！”然后他赐给医生50斤黄金，就让他回去。吕后看到高祖不久人世，就问他后事如何安排：“陛下百岁以后，萧相国假如也死了，可以让谁来接替？”高祖回答曹参。吕后又问曹参死后谁可接替，高祖说：“王陵可以接替曹参，但王陵缺乏计谋，可以让陈平帮助他，陈平智谋有余，但难以独任。周勃为人敦厚，不善言辞，但安定刘氏的一定是周勃，可以让他担任太尉。”吕后又问这以后的政事安排，高祖说：“这以后的事你也不会知道了。” 高祖十二年四月二十五日，汉高祖刘邦辞世，终年62岁（一说53岁）。死后葬长陵，谥“高皇帝”，庙号“高祖”。