Preface
In Chinese history, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu, was a highly regarded monarch who, with his outstanding talent and courage, ushered in a new era of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
However, as a monarch who was forcibly promoted to the throne by a landlord, he was faced with the dilemma of not being able to reproduce the glory of the Western Han Dynasty. So, what factors caused the Eastern Han Dynasty to be unable to reproduce the glory of the Western Han Dynasty?
Why is the longevity and achievements of the dynasty built by a founding emperor who is known as "virtuous, benevolent, and benevolent and benevolent to meritorious heroes" far inferior to that of his predecessors? Today, we will explore the legendary life of Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
1. The son of Haoqiang
In 5 BC, Liu Xiu was born in Jiyang County, Chenliu County, and his ancestors were descendants of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty. However, by his generation, the family had fallen into the middle, and his father was only a small county magistrate. When he was 8 years old, his father died, and Liu Xiu had no support, so he had to go to his uncle Liu Liang in Nanyang.
On the surface, Liu Xiu is diligent in farming and lives an ordinary life. But in fact, his family is a well-known landlord in the Nanyang area, monopolizing the local political power, and straddles both black and white, which can be described as a proper underworld and evil force. In the last years of the Western Han Dynasty, which was full of starvation, the Liu Xiu family made a fortune by reselling grain and farming.
Liu Xiu's family roots are deep, which can be seen from his upbringing. Although on the surface he is just an ordinary peasant child, in fact, his uncle Liu Liang is the county magistrate of Nanyang County, and the family is deeply rooted in the local area, and his power should not be underestimated.
Moreover, although Liu Xiu's father is only a small county order, it is enough to prove their family's status and influence in the local area. More importantly, Liu Xiu's life in Nanyang is not as simple as it seems. Not only did he secretly hide some outlaws, but even the officials didn't dare to come to the door to ask, and his brother Liu Jiu was a good man, and compared him to Liu Bang's brother Liu Xi.
All these signs show the special status and strength of the Liu Xiu family in the local area. In 14 AD, Liu Xiu enrolled in Chang'an Taixue and got acquainted with the other two wealthy families in Nanyang, Deng Yu and Zhu You, laying a political foundation for future entrepreneurship.
This undoubtedly further strengthened Liu Xiu's political capital and social influence. As a descendant of the wealthy family of landlords, Liu Xiu received a good education from an early age, and met other children of wealthy families who were also from prominent backgrounds in Chang'an Taixue, which laid a solid foundation for his future rise.
II. Raising troops
Soon after Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, the Wang Tian system he implemented seriously violated the interests of local tyrants and powers, and triggered the intensification of contradictions within the ruling class. The peasants everywhere revolted one after another, sparks burned the prairies, and the landlords Haoqiang also joined the anti-reckless army.
Liu Xuan was extremely dissatisfied with this, but the strength of the Green Forest Army was too strong, so he could only endure it temporarily. The following year, Emperor Gengshi killed Liu Xiu, and Liu Xiu became the leader of the Nanyang Hao clan.
Although Liu Xiu's brother Liu Xiu is also a hero, he is still a little reckless and impulsive after all. In the early days of the uprising, he played the slogan of "restoring the cause of the ancestors and setting the autumn of eternity", apparently hoping to directly obtain a leading position by virtue of his force and prestige.
But in fact, the quality of his troops was too poor and his combat effectiveness was not strong, and it was difficult for him to gain an independent foothold in troubled times. In contrast, Liu Xiu is more cautious and deep. Although he also participated in the uprising, he did not rush to fight for leadership for a moment, but chose to endure and wait and see.
When the Green Forest Army, a more powerful peasant uprising force, appeared, Liu Xiu quickly joined it, and through various means, gradually gained the trust and support of the Green Forest Army. This kind of prudence and forbearance is the key to Liu Xiu's ability to eventually become the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
He is well aware of his family background and political capital, and is adept at using these advantages rather than blindly pursuing force and prestige. This wisdom and political skill laid a solid foundation for his future rise.
3. Win over Hebei Haoqiang
In 23 AD, the Green Forest Army captured Chang'an, Wang Mang was killed, and the new dynasty was destroyed. However, the Central Plains is still in a state of separation, and the heroes from all walks of life are secretly competing with each other, and the Hebei region is particularly critical.
The Hebei region has always been the key to the political pattern of the Central Plains. In the turbulent period of the late Western Han Dynasty, it became the focus of competition among all walks of life. Liu Xiu knew this very well, so after he won the support of the Nanyang wealthy family, he immediately set his sights on Hebei.
Through various means, including bribery and marriage, Liu Xiu successfully won over the big families of Geng Yi, Ma Yuan, Dou Rong, and Liang Tong in Hebei. These powerful families not only possess rich financial resources and vast territory, but also control the local military power. With their support, Liu Xiu's strength can be described as a rapid advance.
More importantly, Liu Xiu also further consolidated his relationship with Hebei Haoqiang through his marriage with the Liu Yang family of Zhending Wang. Guo Shengtong, as Liu Yang's niece, is undoubtedly a very important candidate. Liu Xiu did not hesitate to give up the position of Yin Lihua in the main room, and also married Guo Shengtong as his wife, which shows how much he attaches importance to this marriage.
With the support of the two powerful groups of Nanyang and Hebei, Liu Xiu's strength has finally reached a new height. Seeing this, Emperor Gengshi was uneasy and tried to recall Liu Xiu, but was refused. This marked Liu Xiu's official break with Emperor Gengshi, and finally ascended the throne in August 25, establishing the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Fourth, the suppression of the peasant army
Although Liu Xiu is the emperor, he knows that he is only the spokesperson of Haoqiang Group. In order to consolidate his rule, in the next ten years, he took advantage of the defeat of both the Red Eyebrow Army and the Green Forest Army to sweep away the remnants of the peasant army.
Subsequently, he recovered the Kwantung region, pacified the separatist forces such as Longxi and Bashu, and finally reunified the world in 36 years. It can be said that Liu Xiu's so-called "entrepreneurship" is nothing more than the integration of resources within the privileged class, rather than pushing through the old and bringing forth the new.
After Liu Xiu ascended the throne, the biggest challenge he faced was how to consolidate his dominance. As a spokesman for the landlord Haoqiang clique, he knew that the potential threat of the peasant army had to be dealt with first.
Therefore, at the critical moment when the Red Mei Army and the Green Forest Army were both defeated, he quickly mobilized troops to the south and suppressed these peasant rebels again and again. Although these peasant armies were outnumbered, they lacked unified command and weaponry, and it was difficult for them to form an effective resistance to Liu Xiu's elite troops.
After solving the threat of the peasant army, Liu Xiu successively recovered the Kwantung, Longxi, Bashu and other regions, and finally completed the unification of the entire Central Plains in 36 years. This process can be said to be an integration of resources within the privileged class, rather than a real entrepreneurship.
Liu Xiu did not rise from the reckless generation like the founding fathers of the Western Han Dynasty, and created a new dynasty with his heroism and pioneering spirit. On the contrary, he simply relied on his own political skills and the support of the powerful group, skillfully integrated the existing resources, and finally ascended to the throne.
This also doomed the fate of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As the spokesperson of the landlord Haoqiang Group, Liu Xiu and his successors can hardly really promote social progress and change, and can only stick to the rules and lack innovative vitality. This is also the fundamental reason why the Eastern Han Dynasty was ultimately unable to continue the glory of the Western Han Dynasty.
5. Weak imperial power
The Eastern Han Dynasty, on the other hand, was destined to fail to continue the glory of the Western Han Dynasty due to its class attributes, and could only stick to the rules and lack innovative vitality. Even if Liu Xiu has both ability and political integrity and treats heroes well, it is difficult to shake the interest groups that support him.
The Eastern Han Dynasty, as a spokesman regime elected by a powerful group of landlords, was destined to be weak in its imperial power. Even a brilliant politician and military strategist like Liu Xiu has a hard time really controlling the situation and can only act cautiously within the framework of vested interests.
The most typical example is Liu Xiu's attempt to correct the tax system, but he was met with blatant disobedience from local tyrants. This fully exposed the limitations of the imperial power of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and even the founding emperor could hardly shake the powerful landlords who supported him.
In contrast, the Western Han Dynasty was founded by ordinary people, and the founding fathers were mostly reckless, full of personal style and pioneering spirit. With their heroism and creativity, they created a glorious dynasty.
The Eastern Han Dynasty was destined to fail to continue the glory of the Western Han Dynasty due to its class attributes. Even a figure like Liu Xiu can only act cautiously within the framework of vested interest groups, and it is difficult to truly promote social progress and change. This is also the fundamental reason why it was difficult for the Eastern Han Dynasty to surpass the Western Han Dynasty in the end.
epilogue
Liu Xiu's life witnessed how a figure who was admired as the "most perfect emperor" was limited by his own class attributes, and it was difficult to establish a truly powerful dynasty.
Although he had outstanding qualities, he was only the spokesman of the powerful landlord group after all, and he was powerless to change the foundation of the Eastern Han regime. This may be the reason why he has not been influential and well-known in history.
The pioneers of an era often come from the bottom, while the guardians of an era are mostly vested interests. Liu Xiu's legendary life has witnessed this.