Chapter 19 Chapter 18 Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu

Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Jiazi Day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Jianping (6 BC) of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty were born in Jiyang County (where the government is located in the northeast of Lankao, Henan).Father Liu Qin, mother Fan.Liu Xiuxing is three, so the name is Uncle Wen.Liu Xiu joined the Green Forest Uprising Army at the age of 28, proclaimed himself emperor at the age of 30, reigned for 32 years, died in the second year of Jianwu Zhongyuan (AD 57), and was buried at the age of 62. , today's Mengjin County, Henan Province), with posthumous title "Guangwu" and temple name "Shizu", was a very influential emperor in the history of Chinese feudal society.

Liu Xiu is the ninth grandson of Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty.The fifth patriarch, Liu Mai, was conferred the title of Marquis of Chongling according to the custom of prince conferring marquis.Chongling is the name of the township, located in the north of Ningyuan County, Hunan Province today.In the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty (AD 45), Liu Ren, the grandson of Liu Mai, who was the emperor of the Han Dynasty, thought that Chongling was humid and poisonous in the mountains. He wrote a letter with the consent of the Emperor Han Yuan, and moved to Baishui Township, Caiyang County, Nanyang County (located at South of today's Zaoyang County, Hubei Province).Liu Ren is a young prince, and there are only 476 households in Shiyi, so he is not very noble.Liu Xiu's grandfather, Liu Hui, was only Liu Ren's younger brother. He had no title to attack, and he only served as a captain (in charge of guards in the county).In order to mark their royal lineage, Liu Ren and the others still called their new residence Chongling.Later, Liu Qin became the magistrate of Nandun County (where the government is located in the southwest of Xiangcheng, Henan Province), and Liu Xiu lived with his father in Nandun.When Liu Xiu was 9 years old, Liu Qin died, leaving behind his wife Fan and 3 boys and 3 girls.Orphaned and widowed, he lives under the care of Liu Qin's younger brother Liu Liang.Liu Liang was the county magistrate of Xiao at that time.

It is said that when Liu Xiu was born, there was a red light in the hall, which was as bright as day. Liu Qin was amazed, so he asked a man named Wang Chang for divination. Wang Chang avoided the crowd and said to Liu Qin: "This omen is unspeakable. !” In the year Liu Xiu was born, there was a place in Jiyang County where millet stalks produced nine ears.According to the literal meaning, the heading and flowering of grains is called Xiu, so the name of Liu Xiu comes from this.It is also said that Wang Mang was worried about the instability of the world, so he sent people to scout dangerous people and dangerous areas. A "Qi Watcher" named Suba came to Nanyang and saw a special kind of Qi in the sky above Chongling. He couldn't help admiring: "Qi Beautiful! Lush and lush." ​​When Liu Xiu raised his troops, a fire shot up to the sky from the south of his house, and it disappeared after a while.

When she was young, Liu Xiu was cautious, trustworthy, tall, with a high nose, a little protruding forehead, a dignified appearance, and a display of talent.He enjoys farming and has a gentle disposition.When I was about twenty-five or six years old, I went to visit Chang'an, the capital of Kyoto.In Chang'an, I studied "Shangshu" with a Lujiang native named Xu Ziwei, and I didn't learn it very well, but I just "understood the righteousness".He was very generous, and his classmates had no money to spend, so he and a classmate named Han Zi in the same dormitory paid for some donkeys, let the servants drive the donkeys for transportation, and earned money for the classmates.Once he was in Xinye (now in Henan Province) and heard that there was a beautiful woman named Lihua in Yin's family there, who was very beautiful and loved her; When traveling, there are many horses and chariots, and the momentum is great, so he said with great emotion: "Officials are treated as Jinwu, and wives are treated as Yin Lihua." The wish is nothing more than that.These make Liu Xiu very different from his elder brother Liu Yuyin (named Bosheng).Liu Weiyin has a resolute personality and does not care about family business. The consciousness of the Liu family is very strong. He is extremely dissatisfied with the Xinmang regime. He goes bankrupt and spends his wealth.At that time, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty Liu Bang liked making friends and didn't care about family property. Liu Xi, Liu Bang's second elder brother, devoted himself to managing the family business.But in the end it was Liu Xiu who became emperor, not Liu Yuyin.

At the end of the Xinmang period, there were years of famines, farmers everywhere rose up, and the world was in chaos.In October of the third year of Emperor Dihuang (AD 22), Liu Yuyin was in Chongling, and Liu Xiu and Li Tong's younger brother Li Yi were in Wancheng. They raised troops at the same time.When Liu Liang heard the news, he was furious and reprimanded Liu Xiu bitterly.Said: "You and your elder brother have different aspirations. Now the family property is about to run out. Instead of managing the family business, we will do this kind of thing together!"When Liu Weiyin raised an incident in Chongling, many people of the same clan were very frightened. They all said that Liu Weiyin was going to kill him, and they ran away one after another. , And said: "People as cautious and serious as Liu Xiu have rebelled, so what are you afraid of!" So he felt at ease.

In November of this year, Liu Xiu and other troops met the official army and fought in Chang'an, but they were defeated.Dozens of members of the Liu clan died in this battle, including Liu Xiu's second elder brother and second sister, Liu Liang's wife and two sons.Liu Xiu's second sister, Liu Yuan, died a heroic death.When the army was defeated, Liu Xiu fled alone on horseback. When he ran into his third sister Boji, he pulled her onto his horse.Not far away, I met Liu Yuan again and urged her to get on the horse. Seeing the pursuers behind, Liu Yuan waved and said, "Run quickly, you can't have both, and don't all die here." Killed Liu Yuan and her three daughters.

The uprising army rapidly grew to more than 100,000 people.The army has a large number of people, and the generals all advocate the establishment of an emperor surnamed Liu, so as to unify orders and conform to the hearts of the people.The heroes in Nanyang all thought that Liu Weiyin was the most suitable, because Liu Weiyin had prestige and strict military management.Most of the generals of the Xinshi and Pinglin Army like to be loose and indulgent, and they are worried that they will not be free if Liu Yuyin is established.They thought Liu Xuan was cowardly and easy to influence, so they planned to support Liu Xuan.Liu Xuan was the great-grandson of Liu Ren, Marquis of Chongling. In the Pinglin Army, he was known as General Gengshi.After Liu Xuan became emperor, he changed Yuan to the first year of Gengshi, and conferred a large number of official titles, including Liu Yuyin as Da Situ and Liu Xiu as Taichang General.

Wang Mang was shocked by the situation in Nanyang, so he dispatched troops, and quickly gathered 430,000 horses, known as millions, and ordered Sikong Wangyi and Situ Wangxun to lead the suppression.Wang Yi and Wang Xun set off from Luoyang, and the flags and vehicles traveled thousands of miles.Wang Yi and Wang Xun met Liu Xiu first. Liu Xiu's generals, seeing that the enemy was too powerful, did not dare to fight, and all ran back to Kunyang City.They worry about their wives, children, and children, and they all want to return to their homeland to protect themselves.Liu Xiu calmly analyzed the situation and prospects to the generals, and said in a stern tone: "There is not much food and grass now, and the enemy is strong. Fighting the enemy together, there is still hope of victory. If you disperse, you will be wiped out. The city has not been captured yet, so there is no way to rescue the soldiers. Once Kunyang is lost, all the armies will be finished within a day. Why don’t they work together to build fame and fame, but just want to guard their wives and belongings?” General The soldiers couldn't stand these words, and shouted angrily: "How dare General Liu speak like that!" Just at this time, news came that Wang Yi and Wang Xun's army had arrived in the north of the city, and the queue stretched hundreds of miles without seeing the rear.The generals usually don't value Liu Xiu, but now that the matter is urgent and they can't think of a solution, they say, "Let's ask General Liu to make up his mind again." Liu Xiu told everyone his proposition and specific methods, and the general We agree.At that time, there were only 8,000 or 9,000 people in Kunyang City. Liu Xiu asked Wang Feng and Wang Chang to guard the city. He and Li Yi and other 13 people rode out of the south gate of the city at night to gather the troops outside.Liu Xiu went to Yan County and Dingling area, and gathered all the troops there to rescue Kunyang.The generals were reluctant to part with their belongings and asked to leave some troops to guard them.Liu Xiu said: "If you defeat the enemy now, you will have 10,000 times more treasures than this, and you can even win the world. If you are defeated by the enemy, you can't even keep your head. What's the use of property?" When he arrived in Kunyang, Liu Xiu personally led more than a thousand infantry and cavalry as vanguards.At this time, Kunyang City was surrounded like an iron barrel, and it was raining all day long, and it was necessary to hold the door above the head to fetch water.Wang Feng asked Wang Yi and Wang Xun to surrender several times, but Wang Yi and Wang Xun refused and decided to capture Tuping.Liu Xiu stopped four or five miles away from the enemy army. Thousands of enemy soldiers faced him. After a while, they killed a dozen enemies.After a small victory in the first battle, the morale was slightly boosted. The generals said happily: "General Liu is usually afraid when he meets a small enemy, but now he is very brave when he meets a big enemy. It's really strange. Go forward and we will help you in the battle." Liu Xiu moved forward again, but the enemy army was defeated and retreated. Nearly a thousand enemies were killed, and their morale was greatly boosted.Liu Xiu led another 3,000 death squads and rushed straight to the enemy's central army area from the west of the city.Wang Yi and Wang Xun underestimated the enemy and ordered the troops to guard their camps and not move. They only led more than 10,000 people to fight, but they were defeated.The army did not dare to rescue, and Wang Yi was killed.Liu Xiu's army joined forces to attack, Wang Mang's army fled everywhere, trampled on each other, lying dead for hundreds of miles, the water did not flow, Wang Xun fled back to Luoyang with the remaining thousands of people, Liu Xiu captured countless armaments, It took a month and it still hasn't been cleaned up.

The battle of Kunyang sounded the death knell of Wang Mang's regime.Wang Mang was restless because of it, and he couldn't eat because of his sorrow.Heroes from all over the country flocked to kill the state and county officials, proclaimed themselves generals, accepted the reign title of Emperor Gengshi, and waited for orders.Some of Wang Mang's confidants planned to kill Wang Mang, surrender to the rebel army, and preserve the clan.At this time, the generals of Xinshi and Pinglin Army saw the increasing prestige of Liu Weiyin and Liu Xiu brothers, and felt uneasy. They urged Liu Xuan to get rid of them, and even Li Yi, who had a close relationship with Liu Weiyin brothers, turned his face to flatter him. Upstart.However, Liu Yuyin's subordinates were dissatisfied with Liu Xuan's appointment as emperor from the very beginning. Some people said: "Brother Bo Sheng was the one who raised the army to plan big things. What does the current emperor do?" They publicly rejected Liu Xuan's appointment.So Liu Xuan killed Liu Yuyin and those who were dissatisfied with him.Liu Xiu was deeply disturbed by this, and hurried to Wancheng to plead guilty.Officials under Liu Yuyin went to meet him and condolences to him, but he just exchanged a few words in public, expressing that his fault was his own, and he didn't talk with people in private, he didn't talk about Kunyang's military exploits, he didn't mourn for his brother, he ate, talked and laughed as usual , as if nothing had happened.Seeing that Liu Xiu had no intention of opposing him, Liu Xuan felt a little ashamed, and made him General Polu and named him Marquis Wuxin.And whenever Liu Xiu lives alone, he always does not drink alcohol or eat meat, so as to express his sorrow.The people around him found that there were weeping tears on his pillow and kowtowed to persuade him to forgive him, but he denied it and said, "It's nothing, don't talk nonsense."

In September of the first year of Gengshi (AD 23), Liu Xuan's army captured Chang'an and Luoyang one after another.Liu Xuan planned to use Luoyang as the imperial capital and ordered Liu Xiu to repair the palace.When Liu Xiu took office, he arranged staff and issued documents. From the work order to the attire of officials, all the old systems of the Han Dynasty were restored.At that time, officials from the Guanzhong area came to welcome Emperor Liu Xuan to Chang'an. When they saw Liu Xuan's generals wrapping a piece of cloth on their heads, without military crowns, and some even wore women's clothes, they didn't look solemn and majestic. Seeing Liu Xiu's staff alone, they are in awe.Some old officials said with tears: "I never expected to see the majesty of the officials of the Han Dynasty again today!" They felt admiration and yearning for Liu Xiu.

When Liu Xuan arrived in Luoyang, he needed to send a close general to the Hebei area on behalf of the imperial court to declare the imperial court's edict and ask the prefectures there to abide by the imperial edict.After some controversy, Liu Xiu was selected.This provided Liu Xiu with an opportunity to avoid the vortex of contradictions and display freely.Liu Xiu was in Hebei. Everywhere he went, he inspected the officials and took them up and down according to their abilities; rehabilitated the unjust prisons and released the prisoners;The officials and the people were overjoyed, and they scrambled to offer wine and meat as comfort, but Liu Xiu refused to accept them all.During his stay in Hebei, Liu Xiu also crushed a rebellion that pretended to be the son of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty and set up a separate court.When the fake Wang Lang was defeated and surrendered and asked for generous treatment, Liu Xiu said: "Now, if Emperor Cheng is reborn, his world will not be obtained, let alone the person who falsely called Liu Ziyu!" Wang Lang was a marquis of tens of thousands of households, and Liu Xiu said: "It's enough to save your life." After cleaning up the seized documents and files, it was found that officials and Wang Lang colluded to slander Liu Xiu. There are thousands of materials.If the clues provided by these materials are pursued, it will inevitably make a large number of people panic.Liu Xiu didn't look at them all. He summoned Wang Lang's officials and burned them face to face.He explained: Doing this is "to reassure (relieve) the anti-siders (those who feel uneasy)." Emperor Gengshi sent envoys to Hebei, made Liu Xiu the king of Xiao, and ordered Liu Xiu to stop all military operations, and rushed to Chang'an with the meritorious generals.This shows that Liu Xuan is worried about Liu Xiu and wants to weaken his influence and regain his power.Liu Xiu naturally understood this intention, so he refused to be recruited to Chang'an on the grounds that "Hebei is not peaceful".From then on, the rift between Liu Xiu and Liu Xuan became clear. In the autumn of the second year of Gengshi (AD 24), Liu Xiu mobilized troops from various counties, successively defeated and incorporated bronze horses in Guantao (now Guantao County, Shandong Province), Puyang (mountain name, in present-day Mancheng County, Hebei Province) and other places. , Gaochao, Chonglian and other peasant rebels.Liu Xiu knew that the recruited generals were suspicious of him and felt uneasy, so he ordered the surrendered generals to return to the barracks to reorganize their own troops.Then, he rode alone to inspect the armies.Seeing that Liu Xiu was not wary of them, the generals who surrendered said one after another: "King Xiao puts his heart in people's womb, so why not surrender to death (repay with death)?" Excellent military strength. The area around Hebei was largely pacified, and the Red Eyebrow Army led by Fan Chong, Feng An, Xu Xuan and others, who were active in the eastern part of Henan today, was rapidly marching towards Chang'an.Once Chimei captured Chang'an and Liu Xuan was defeated, there would be a good opportunity to seize the Guanzhong area.Liu Xiu felt that the time to fight for the world had come.On the one hand, he sent General Deng Yu to lead 20,000 elite soldiers to the Guanzhong area, acting according to his own circumstances; on the other hand, he chose Hanoi County (Governing Huai County, now Wuzhi County, Henan Province) with a dangerous location and rich wealth, based on the Taihang Mountains in the north and the Yellow River in the south. ) as a foothold for advancing the Central Plains, he chose Kou Xun, a good general with both civil and military skills, as the prefect of Hanoi, and dubbed him the title of "General Military".He explained the mission to Kou Xun and said: In the past Han Gaozu and Xiang Yu fought for the world and left Xiao He in Guanzhong. Now I will hand over Hanoi to you.Your task is to ensure the supply of military supplies, train soldiers and horses like Xiao He did; to block the troops from outside and prevent them from coming to this territory, especially to prevent Liu Xuan's army from the south of the Yellow River from coming.Later, Kou Xun really lived up to his trust.Liu Xiu deployed heavy troops in Mengjin (south of today's Meng County) to spy on Luoyang. After the arrangements were made, Liu Xiu led an army back to central and northern Hebei.Along the way, the generals gave Liu Xiu titles one after another, asking him to be called emperor.Liu Xiu refused all of them, sometimes pretending to be surprised and saying: "Why do you say such things? It's time to behead!" When he arrived in Nanpingji (now south of Zhaoxian County), the generals tried to persuade him again and again, but they still refused.When everyone left, General Geng Chun said: "People put aside their relatives and hometowns and followed the king through life and death. They originally wanted to climb the dragon and become the phoenix, and realize their wish to be appointed officials and nobles. Now the king is delaying and going against everyone's wishes. I am worried. When people are disappointed, they will have the idea of ​​leaving. Once people disperse, it will be difficult to gather again.” Liu Xiu thus believed that the generals wanted him to be emperor out of sincerity and out of personal interests, not in vain Let.So he said: "I will consider this issue." When he arrived in Yan County (in the north of Baixiang County), Liu Xiu summoned General Feng Yi from the front line of Luoyang and asked him about the situation in the world.Feng Yi was the closest person to Liu Xiu at that time. Ever since Liu Xiu became the lieutenant of Sili, he has been by his side, accompanying and taking care of Liu Xiu through the most difficult times, and often advised Liu Xiu to prepare mentally to fight for the world.He did not fight for fame, and whenever he was rewarded for his meritorious deeds, he always squatted under the big tree and remained silent. The army called him "General Big Tree".He will not tell lies to Liu Xiu; he is the military leader on the front line in Luoyang, and he understands the situation of the war. His estimates are more reliable, so Liu Xiucai summoned him to inquire.Feng Yi said to Liu Xiu: "Emperor Gengshi's defeat has been decided. It is up to you to consider the issue of the ancestral temple and the country. You should listen to everyone's opinions." Just at this time, a Confucian scholar named Qianghua came to see Liu Xiu from Guanzhong with a red talisman in his hand, and said: "Liu Xiu sent troops to arrest him, but the four barbarians gathered in the wild, and fire dominated the April 7th." Four Seven" is 28, from Liu Bang's proclaiming emperor in 206 BC to Liu Xiu's army in 22 AD is 228 years; fire refers to the Han Dynasty, according to Yin Yang and Five Elements, the Han Dynasty belongs to the fire virtue.This shows that Liu Xiu is the "son of heaven", and if he is no longer the son of heaven, it will not only violate the expectations of the people, but also violate God's will.So Liu Xiu built an altar at Wuchengmo, Qianqiu Pavilion in the south of the city, and went up on the platform on Jiwei Day in June to pray to the gods of heaven and earth. He became emperor, and this year was changed to the first year of Jianwu (AD 25). Liu Xiu ascended the throne in Yancheng, but did not decide the capital of the country.Where is the capital?At that time, the center of gravity in people's minds was of course Chang'an, but it was impossible to get Chang'an in a short period of time. Liu Xiu wandered in Hanoi County for more than a month, and finally decided on Luoyang.He first sent troops to occupy Wushejin (in the north of Gong County, Henan Province) and other fortresses to prevent the separatist forces east of Xingyang from coming to compete, and then ordered the siege of Luoyang.When Liu Xuan went to Chang'an, Li Yi and Zhu Tuan were left to guard Luoyang. Both of them persuaded Liu Xuan to kill Liu Yuyin, and they were Liu Xiu's enemies.Li Yi was willing to surrender, and Liu Xiu handed Li Yi's letter to the prefects and county lieutenants for circulation, and said that he was deceitful and capricious, and he should be vigilant against such people.The news was soon known by Zhu Yu, who felt that Li Yi's behavior was undoubtedly to betray him, so he sent someone to assassinate Li Yi.Zhu Tuan's assassination of Li Yi caused chaos in the Luoyang army. The generals were suspicious of each other, and some went out of the city to surrender.Liu Xiu killed two birds with one stone, not only splitting and disintegrating the enemy army, but also eliminating the enemy with the help of a knife.When Luoyang was surrounded, Liu Xiu sent court officer Cen Peng, who was originally Zhu Tuan's subordinate, to persuade Zhu Tuan to surrender.Zhu Tuan replied in the city: "I know my crimes are too deep to surrender." Liu Xiu said: "Those who do great things don't care about minor resentments. If Zhu Tuan surrenders now, he can keep his official title. How could he kill him?" Where is his head? I swear to the Yellow River in front of me, I will never break my promise!" Cen Peng went to convey Liu Xiu's words again, but Zhu Yu didn't believe it, so he lowered a rope from the city and said to Cen Peng, "Your words are true, just Follow the rope up." Cen Peng grabbed the rope and went up.Seeing that there was no fraud, Zhu Yu agreed to surrender.Zhu Yu tied himself up and asked Cen Peng to accompany him to plead guilty to Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu untied him from the rope with his own hands and asked Cen Peng to send him back to Luoyang overnight.Early the next morning, Luoyang's defenders opened the gates and surrendered to Liu Xiu.Liu Xiu appointed Zhu Yu as General Pingdi and named him Marquis of Fugou. Liu Xiu strictly forbade the army to plunder after entering the city. General Xiao Guang violated military discipline and ran rampant, so he was sentenced to death.Luoyang quickly settled down. Liu Xiu succeeded, more or less, overtly or secretly using the Red Eyebrow Uprising Army, and Liu Xiu defeated Liu Xuan through the Red Eyebrow Army.Therefore, when the Red Eyebrow Army entered Chang'an and Liu Xiu ascended the throne, the two changed from collaborators to enemies.After all, the Red Eyebrow Army did not have a strategic vision, so they robbed a city and conquered a place, and then gave up moving elsewhere. They were chased and blocked all the way during the flow, and suffered heavy losses.In the third year of Jianwu (AD 27), the red-browed army marched to Yiyang and was exhausted. They suddenly found that Liu Xiu had already led the army there. Yuxi was also handed over to Liu Xiu.At this time, there were still more than 100,000 people in the Red Eyebrow Army, and their armor and equipment were piled up in the west of Yiyang City, as high as the mountains.Liu Xiu ordered food to be distributed to the hungry surrendering soldiers; the next day they were assembled and lined up on the bank of the Luoshui River for the leaders to watch, and said to Fan Chong and others: "Do you regret the surrender? Let you go now." Go back to the barracks, command your troops, and compete with me. I don’t want to force you to submit.” Xu Xuan and others kowtowed and said, “When we left Chang’an, the monarch and his ministers agreed to surrender and obey orders. It’s just that the common people are ignorant and cannot tell them in advance .Now being able to surrender is like walking out of the tiger's mouth and returning to the embrace of a loving mother. I am sincerely happy and have no regrets at all." Liu Xiu said with pleasure and contempt: "You are a sharp knife among blunt knives. He is a capable person." Liu Xiu arranged for Fan Chong and other generals of the Red Eyebrow Army and their wives to live in Luoyang, and gave them fields and houses.The little emperor Liu Penzi supported by the Red Eyebrow Army was a member of the royal family. Liu Xiu made him a doctor (a small official who managed the chariot and horse portal and served as a guard) in his uncle Liu Liang's Zhao Wangfu. Chimei was pacified, but Liu Xiu was still facing a situation where there were many heroes and mountains: peasant uprisings came one after another; after more than two hundred years of reproduction, Liu Bang's descendants were all over the world. In the trend of "Hande", whoever has some strength, who doesn't want to inherit the "great cause" of their ancestors?There are many people who are trying to compete for the throne of the emperor or intend to separate one side and dominate.It took Liu Xiu more than ten years to basically get rid of these opponents and achieve the roughly unification of the so-called "world" at that time. On the basis of summarizing the failure of the previous dynasty, Liu Xiu established a new set of strategies for governing the country. As early as when he was fighting, Liu Xiu realized the importance of Confucianism.The so-called "before getting off the bus, visit Ruya first".He tried every means to draw some famous Confucian figures to his side, either as officials, or with titles.In this way, a large number of famous scholars at that time, such as Fan Sheng, Chen Yuan, Zheng Xing, Du Lin, Wei Hong, Liu Kun, Huan Rong, etc., quickly gathered around him.Liu Xiu treated them with courtesy, or listened to their strategies, or used their fame and knowledge to coerce his subordinates psychologically, and suppressed their pride and omnipotence. Liu Xiu himself is a person who loves Confucianism.After the court deliberations are over, he often discusses the principles of Confucian classics with the ministers of civil and military affairs, and he doesn't go to bed until midnight.Prince Liu Zhuang advised him to pay attention to health and maintain his spirit. He said, "I like this, and I don't feel tired." Sometimes Liu Xiu personally presided over and adjudicated the debates between Jinwen Jingxue and Guwen Jingxue at that time.Since the pacification of Kai Xiao and Gongsun Shu, Liu Xiu never talked about military issues unless it was an emergency.The crown prince once asked him about the war, and he said: "This issue is not something you should get involved in." Once, someone wrote a letter suggesting that taking advantage of the opportunity of the Xiongnu's internal division and severe famine, it would take several years Time wiped out the Huns in one fell swoop, and he resolutely rejected this suggestion. Liu Xiu advocated Confucianism so much, and did not talk about military affairs, in order to plan to transform his official team to meet the fundamental need of changing from taking the world to defending the world.Most of his original team of officials were promoted based on military merits in the war.This group of people is good at beheading generals and slaughtering cities, but they are also fond of meritorious deeds, so they are not suitable for governing places and gathering people.And even if they were a little uneasy, disobedient, or even violated the law to some extent, it was inconvenient for Liu Xiu to have too strict requirements on them.With the subsiding of the war and the activeness of Confucianism, Liu Xiu gradually changed the quality and structure of the official team, replacing the heroes with civil servants. The heroes handed over their power, left their official positions, and returned to their homes to be pampered. When Liu Xiu was young, he was gentle by nature and lacked agility.Even after the throne, it is still the case.Once when Liu Xiu returned to his hometown, the aunts and aunts of the same clan saw him, the nephew who had become the emperor, accepted his reward, and ate and drank the banquet he set up, very happy.Talking to each other by his name, he was cautious and honest when he was a child, he was kind to others, he didn't care about small things, he was good at everything, but he was too gentle.Liu Xiu laughed and said, "I want to rule the world with judo." Liu Xiu was not joking, he really wanted to use "softness" as the way to govern the country. Liu Xiu's "judo" is first manifested after the conquest and occupation, focusing on appeasement and not slaughtering.For those who surrendered, only their leaders were sent to the capital, and for the common people, they were sent home to farm the land; their camps were demolished, and they were not allowed to gather again.He advocated that wars of conquest do not necessarily involve attacking land and slaughtering cities, but the main point is to stabilize order and gather the dispersed population. The second content of Liu Xiu's judo is that some decrees are promulgated in favor of slaves.In the 11th year of Jianwu, an imperial edict was proclaimed: "The nature of heaven and earth is precious to human beings. Killing slaves and maidservants will not reduce their crimes"; The law that slaves shoot people and punish them with death.The imperial edict of the second year of Jianwu announced: If the sold wife and son are willing to return to their parents, let them do as they please; those who dare to detain them will be punished according to the law.In the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth years of Jianwu, an edict was repeatedly issued and announced: those who have been forced to be slaves since the eighth year of Jianwu will be restored to their status as civilians; those who sell themselves will not be returned; "Lueren Law" (for the powerful forces in Qingzhou and Xuzhou at that time forced the weak people to be their slaves). The third content of Liu Xiu's judo is to reduce the sentence and lighten the tax, and save the government.In the seventh year of Jianwu, an order was issued to release prisoners in the Kyoto area and all counties and countries. Except for those who committed capital crimes, all prisoners will not be prosecuted. Announce the name, exempt him from the crime, and let him go home with peace of mind.The imperial edict of the sixth year of Jianwu announced that due to the improvement of the grain storage situation due to the army's garrison, the system of collecting one-tenth of the land tax would be stopped, and the system of collecting one-thirtieth of the land tax implemented in the second year of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty (155 BC) would be restored. The government and officials of the Han Dynasty were greatly expanded during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The huge bureaucracy was an important reason for the lack of civilian use during and after the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.After Liu Xiu ascended the throne, a large number of government offices were merged and officials were reduced.On this issue, Liu Xiu also showed great courage. In the sixth year of Jianwu, when he adjusted counties and the feudal states equivalent to counties, he "consolidated and saved more than 400 counties, reduced official positions, and set one out of ten."These measures have greatly saved costs and lightened the burden on the people. Promulgating map prophecy and deifying imperial power are also the content of Liu Xiu's "judo" governing the country.Liu Xiu didn't believe in these things at first, but later found that they were really "magic weapons" to support and maintain his own government orders and rule, so he promoted them wantonly.In his later years, he simply "announced the prophecy to the world" as a legal tool of ideological rule.Once he discussed with Zheng Xing, a doctor of Taizhong, whether to hold a suburban sacrificial ceremony. He said that he planned to make a decision based on the prophecy. Zheng Xing said that he did not study the prophecy.He was furious and said, "You don't study the prophecy, do you disapprove of the prophecy?" Zheng Xing had to say that he had little knowledge and hadn't learned some books, so he didn't disapprove, so he avoided a catastrophe.Huan Tan, a famous materialist philosopher, once wrote a book saying that the prophecy book "The Qun Xiaozhi Shuo" is different from the "Five Classics" and should be discarded. Liu Xiu was very dissatisfied after reading it.Once discussing Jianlingtai, Liu Xiu said that he planned to make a decision based on the prophecy, and asked Huan Tan, who was silent for a long time and said, "I don't read the prophecy." Liu Xiu asked him why he didn't read the prophecy, and Huan Tan told him again. Views on Prophecy.Liu Xiu immediately shouted angrily: "Huan Tan is not a holy man, so I will behead him!" Die in fear. As a Mingjun, Liu Xiu never indulges in indulgence or extravagance.He doesn't like drinking, listening to music, and doesn't hold pearls or jade.He once ordered the Taiguan (the official in charge of food) not to accept the delicacies offered by the county and the country.The famous horses and swords that were paid tribute by distant countries were given to the knights.After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there were as many as 3,000 people in the harem. Except for the empress, those with noble ranks were divided into 14 ranks, including Jieyu, Ronghua, and Chongyi.After Liu Xiu came to the throne, only queens and nobles had ranks, and the treatment of nobles was only tens of hu.In addition, there are beauties, palace ladies, and female adopters, all of whom do not have the rank and treatment prescribed by the title.When Liu Xiu was alive, he wanted to build a mausoleum in advance, named Shouling. He specially told the ground not to be too big, not to build a high tomb, and to keep water in the low-lying places. Liu Xiu often displays a generous, easy-going and modest demeanor.Burning Wang Lang's documents to reassure people's hearts, forgiving Zhu Tuna to descend to Luoyang, and expressing sincerity to accept the bronze horse are all examples that are often praised.In the fourth year of Jianwu, Kai Xiao, who ruled in Longyou, was wandering between Gongsun Shu and Liu Xiu. He was hesitant about which side to submit to, so he sent his general Ma Yuan to Chengdu and Luoyang to observe the situation.Ma Yuan has been considered a great talent since he was a child, and he is well-known in Xizhou and respected by Kai Xiao.But he was deeply moved by Liu Xiu's demeanor when he met him.When Liu Xiu received such an important envoy as Ma Yuan, he was not promoted to the hall, but just in plain clothes, without even a hat, and sat alone under the verandah of Xuande Hall in Luoyang Palace, while an eunuch guided Ma Yuan to meet him. he.He smiled and said at the beginning: "Your guest travels between the two emperors and has seen a lot. I am deeply ashamed to see you today." This easy-going and modest gesture made Ma Yuan feel a sense of a wise king. Charming, he kowtowed and said: "Under the current situation, not only the monarch is choosing his subjects, but the subjects are also choosing the monarch." Then he talked about the heavily guarded situation when Gongsun Shu met him, and said: "I am coming from afar now. Your Majesty doesn’t even have guards when you meet me, so you won’t be wary of me being a spy and assassin?” Liu Xiu smiled and said, “You can’t be an assassin, you’re just a lobbyist.” This meeting made Ma Yuan feel that Liu Xiu His magnanimity is very similar to Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and he is a real emperor.Later, Ma Yuan persuaded Kai Xiao to submit to Liu Xiu.Kai Xiao didn't listen, so he got away and surrendered himself. Liu Xiu's magnificent and generous spirit is also reflected in his treatment of "yimin", "hermit" and unruly characters.Taiyuan County (governed by Jinyang, south of today’s Taiyuan City) has many descendants of the Dukes of the Jin State in the Spring and Autumn Period. They often maintain a kind of opposition to the new rulers, or seek revenge, or live in seclusion. Ken surrendered.Until the early Han Dynasty, Taiyuan was still known as a "difficult" place.During Liu Xiushi, there was a man named Zhou Dang in Guangwu County, Taiyuan County (now south of Daixian County, Shanxi Province), who was very famous in the local area.Later, as a last resort, he wore short cloth single clothes and wrapped his head with bark to meet the court officials. Liu Xiu summoned him in person.According to etiquette, when a scholar is summoned by an honorable person, he must declare his name, otherwise it will be disrespectful to the other party.When Zhou Dang met Liu Xiu, he didn't announce his name, but said that his ambition was that he didn't want to be an official.Liu Xiu agreed to him.Dr. Fan Sheng wrote a letter saying that Zhou Dang was arrogant and rude in front of the emperor, but he gained a high reputation and should be punished for the crime of "disrespect".Liu Xiu circulated Fan Sheng's letter to the ministers, and issued an edict saying: "Since ancient times, the kings and lords of the Ming Dynasty have people who are unwilling to serve him. Boyi and Shuqi will not eat Zhou Su. The Zhou party in Taiyuan, no Accepting my salary is also their own wish. Give him 40 bolts of silk." Liu Xiu's old classmate Yan Guang, named Ziling, was born in Yuyao, Kuaiji (now Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province). He had a high reputation since he was young, and Liu Xiu had a good impression of him.After Liu Xiu became emperor, he kept his name incognito and refused to meet each other.Liu Xiu made people draw his portrait, and posted it all over the world to look for it.Later, it was found that he was fishing by a lake in Qi State, and he was sent three times to invite him.Liu Xiu was very happy and went to see him in person that day. He lay on the bunk and couldn't get up or speak.Liu Xiu lay down with him, touched his belly and said, "Hey, hey, Ziling, can you help me?" She still refused.After a long time, I opened my eyes and looked at Liu Xiu and said, "Everyone has his own aspirations, so why force me?" Then he closed his eyes again, Liu Xiu was disappointed, so he had to leave, and sighed, "Zi Ling, I am determined not to do it." Will you be my servant?" Afterwards, Liu Xiu saw him again, and talked for several days only about his old contacts, not about asking him to be an official.Liu Xiu asked him calmly: "How am I compared to before?" He replied: "Your Majesty has improved a bit." Liu Xiu shared the same bed with him, and he pressed his foot on Liu Xiu's stomach.Liu Xiu insisted on asking him to be an advising doctor, but he still refused, and then lived in seclusion in Fuchun Mountain (in present-day Tonglu, Zhejiang). Liu Xiu often takes a sober and sometimes disgusting attitude towards the praise and flattery of his subordinates, and praises some upright officials.In his imperial edict, he often said that he was "poor in virtue", and those who wanted to submit the edict should not praise him for his sageness.The counties and counties often reported some so-called "Jiarui" things, and the ministers asked the historians to write these "Jiarui" records into a book to pass on to future generations, but Liu Xiu did not allow them.Once, Liu Xiu went out hunting and returned late at night. He wanted to enter the city through the northeast gate of Luoyang City, but Zhi Yun, who was in charge of this gate, refused to open it.Liu Xiu asked someone to light a torch and told that the emperor was back. Zhi Yun said: "The fire is flickering, and it is far away, so I can't see clearly." It still didn't open.Liu Xiu had no choice but to turn to the east gate and enter the city.The next day, Zhi Yun wrote a letter to criticize Liu Xiu, saying that he was hunting in the mountains and forests day and night, which would lead to a bad atmosphere and endanger the country.Liu Xiu rewarded Zhi Yun with 100 pieces of cloth, and demoted the person in charge of the east gate to be a county captain of Dengfeng. However, Liu Xiu is the emperor after all, and he cannot tolerate things that hurt his dignity. Da Situ Han Xin is straightforward and speaks without hiding anything, and Liu Xiu is often dissatisfied with him.In the fifteenth year of Jianwu, Liu Xiu found out the letters between Kai Xiao and Gongsun Shu, who had been defeated by him, and read them to the officials during the court meeting. Han Xin, who was outspoken, felt that these letters were very talented.就说：“亡国之君皆有才，桀、纣亦有才。”在刘秀听来，这话有讥笑他不如隗嚣、公孙述有才华的意味，于是大为恼怒。恰巧在这次朝会上，韩歆又列举大量事实证明即将发生饥荒和动乱，言辞激烈，说起话来指天划地。感到自尊心受到了损伤的刘秀，当即就罢了韩歆的官，要他回家当老百姓去。韩歆回家后，刘秀仍是怒气未消，又专门派人带着他的诏书去谴责他。大司徒为三公之一，是朝廷最高官职，相当于宰相，罢官之后皇帝特诏谴责，这意味着要治死罪。司隶校尉鲍永，一向是个以直言敢谏出名的官吏，认为韩歆是说真话，为此罢官，已经不公，坚持不要再治罪。结果是，鲍永被贬为东海国相，韩歆及其子韩婴被迫自杀。韩歆曾随刘秀征战，有军功，被封为扶阳侯，他的事引起朝臣的普遍不满，刘秀只好仍按大司徒的规格给他举行了葬礼。 刘秀对官吏要求严格，至以粗暴方式对待；对贪赃枉法行为惩罚严厉。他在当皇帝的初期，内外群官，多由他自己选任；如干不完他交办的事，尚书一类的近臣常被拉到面前棍打鞭抽，以至于使得“群臣莫敢正言”，尚书令申徒嘉极谏不听。他认为俸禄两千石以上的州郡官吏多不称职，稍有过失，即行罢免，结果造成州郡官吏更换频繁，疲劳于道路；官吏们心怀恐惧，争相媚上，虚报政绩，以求声誉。建武六年，执金吾朱浮上书指出这个问题，此后刘秀对州刺史、郡太守的更换采取了缓慢慎重的做法。 同所有的皇帝一样，刘秀当皇帝后同族、亲戚都要大沾其光。凡是同族中随同起兵的族父、族兄们，非封王即封侯。叔父刘良封赵王；大姐刘黄封湖阳长公主；三妹伯姬封宁平长公主；被刘玄杀了的大哥刘纟寅追谥为齐武王，刘纟寅两个儿子，一封齐王，一封鲁王；在小长安战役中死去的二哥刘仲追封为鲁哀王，二姐刘元追封为新野长公主。刘秀的母亲樊娴都老太太是湖阳县人，卒于起兵前夕，湖阳樊氏一家封了五个侯；刘秀的外祖父樊重，刘秀是否见过，史无明载，追爵谥为寿张敬侯，在湖阳专为立庙。总之，舂陵的刘氏家族及亲戚们一切都荣耀得很，光彩得很。 刘秀生了11个儿子，有4个是皇后郭氏所生，美人许氏生了1个，皇后阴氏生了5个。刘秀于建武二年立郭氏为皇后，郭氏子刘疆为太子，阴氏为贵人。建武十七年，废郭氏，立阴氏为皇后，十九年废郭氏子刘疆，立阴氏子刘庄为太子。 阴氏，就是南阳新野的阴丽华，是刘秀多年梦寐以求的美人。更始元年六月，刘秀经昆阳之战成了大英雄，与阴丽华结了婚。这年刘秀29岁，阴丽华19岁。九月，刘秀要去洛阳任司隶校尉，暂把阴氏送回新野。十月，刘秀又被派往河北。次年春，大约二三月间，刘秀又在真定娶郭氏，而且“有宠”。郭氏，名圣通，真定国槁县（今石家庄市东南）人，是当地著姓大富豪。当时的刘秀既需要贵族势力的支持，又需要富豪的钱粮援助，故娶郭圣通为妻。第二年（建武元年，公元25年）十月，刘秀住进了洛阳宫以后，就派人把阴氏接到洛阳。次年二月策立郭氏为皇后，阴氏为贵人。 刘秀和阴氏在一起的时候最多，有时出征也带着她，汉明帝刘庄就是建武四年阴氏随刘秀出征彭宠到达元氏时生下的。刘秀最喜爱的儿子是阴氏生的刘庄，经常带在身边。这些不免引起郭氏的嫉妒和担心。刘秀就指责郭氏“怀执怨怼，数违教令”，骂她就像鹰隼一般凶狠。当刘秀的统治完全巩固了以后，建武十七年（公元41年）十月，终于把郭氏废掉，换上了他最喜爱的人阴丽华为后。郭氏的被废给太子刘疆带来了巨大压力，他惶恐不安，一再要求辞掉太子，与别的弟兄平等，经常托朝臣和弟兄们向父亲转达心愿。起初刘秀不许，拖了一年多，建武十九年（公元43年）六月，把他与已被封为东海王的刘庄换了位置。刘秀对他有歉意，加大了他的封土，给了他不少超出诸王的待遇。 刘秀对贵戚的过分行为有所约束，一般能够理智对待。司隶校尉鲍永、都事从官鲍恢抗直不避豪强，敢于弹劾贵戚的恣纵行为，曾弹劾刘秀叔父赵王刘良仗势呵斥京官为“大不敬”，刘秀借此告诫贵戚们应当约束自己，“以避二鲍”。刘良临死时，刘秀去看他，问他有什么要说的话。刘良说他没有别的话了，只有一件事，他的朋友怀县李子春犯了罪，县令赵熹要判他死刑，希望能保住他的命。刘秀说：“官吏执行法律，我不能徇情枉法。另说别的愿望吧。”刘秀大姐湖阳公主的奴仆大白天行凶杀人，躲在公主家中，官吏不能捉捕。洛阳县令董宣听说公主要出夏门（洛阳城北面最西头的门），杀人的那个奴仆驾车，就在夏门外万寿亭截住车子，把公主数落一通，当面杀了那个奴仆。公主立即回宫告到刘秀那里，刘秀大怒，把董宣召来，要当面打死。董宣说：“要求允许我说一句话再死。”刘秀说：“你想说什么？”董宣说：“靠着陛下的圣明大德，汉朝才得到中兴。现在放纵奴仆杀人，将怎么治理天下？我不用打，还是自己死吧。”说着就把头撞到柱上，血流满面。刘秀赶紧要小太监抱住他，让他给公主叩个头消消气。董宣坚决不叩，刘秀就要人按着脖强叩，董宣就两手撑地，最终也不低头。湖阳公主不满地说：“文叔当平民百姓时，经常藏匿逃犯，官吏不敢上门追捕。如今当了天子就不能在一个县令身上施加一点威严？”刘秀笑着说：“这就是天子与平民百姓不同啊。”刘秀奖励了董宣，给他加了一个“强项令”（意为刚强不肯低头的县令）的美名。后来刘秀一直记住这个县官。董宣当了5年洛阳令，74岁时死在任所。刘秀派专人临视，见他家中一贫如洗，只有一块布盖着尸体，妻子对哭，刘秀伤情地说：“董宣廉洁，死了才知道！” 建武中元二年（公元57年）二月戊戌日，刘秀在洛阳南宫前殿逝世，临终遗诏说：“我无益百姓。丧葬，一切都要像孝文皇帝那样，务从约省。刺史、俸禄两千石的官吏，都不要离开城郭，也不要派官吏来吊唁。”