Dynasties of ChinaWestern HanWestern Han lineage
Benshi and others · Reign 74–49 BCE
The emperor's great-grandson, who grew up among the people, reorganized the civil service, established a guardian of the Western Regions, made the Xiongnu a vassal, and created the "Zhaoxuan Zhongxing".
Liu Xun, formerly known as Liu Bingji, is the great-grandson of Emperor Wu, the grandson of Crown Prince LiLiu Ju, and the son of Imperial Grandson ShiLiu Jin. In 91 BC, his grandparents and parents died in the witchcraft disaster. He was imprisoned in the county prison when he was only a few months old. The warden, Bing Ji, took pity on his innocence and sent female prisoners to nurture him. After Yu She was released from prison, he was raised by his grandmother Shi Liangdi's natal family. Yeting ordered Zhang He to fund his education and marry him to Xu Pingjun, the daughter of Xu Guanghan. He is good at folklore, likes knight-errants, and is familiar with the evil in the village and the gains and losses of official administration.
Liu He was deposed in 74 BC, and Huo Guang adopted Bing Ji's recommendation and made him emperor at the age of eighteen. During Huo Guang's reign, he was humble and tolerant; after Huo Guang's death in 68 BC, he took charge of the government. Two years later, the Huo family rebelled and was executed by the clan. After taking office, he comprehensively checked the reputation and integrity, believed in rewards and punishments, and attached great importance to the selection of county guards. He said, "Those who share this with me are only good at two thousand stones." A group of officials such as Huang Ba and Gong Sui emerged. Changpingcang was also established to stabilize grain prices and promote social and economic prosperity.
Externally, he united with Wusun to defeat the Xiongnu, sent Zhao Chongguo to farm to pacify the Western Qiang, and established the Protector of the Western Regions. In 51 BC, the Xiongnu Hu Hanye Chanyu entered the dynasty and declared himself a vassal, and the prestige of the Han Dynasty reached its peak. He advocated that "the Han family has its own system, which is based on the overlord's way." He did not purely follow Confucianism, but in his later years he began to reuse the eunuchs Honggong and Shi Xian. He died of illness in 49 BC and was buried in Du Ling.
Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty was born among the people, and was well aware of the sufferings of the people. During his twenty-five years in office, he rectified the administration of officials, punished those who believed in rewards, and developed the social economy. He also used force and diplomacy to make the Huns become vassals and the Western Regions surrendered. Together with the Emperor Zhao period, it is called "Zhaoxuan Zhongxing". However, in order to consolidate the imperial power and kill the Huo family, he appointed eunuchs to be in charge of Zhongshu in his later years, which opened the door for eunuchs to interfere in politics; he also failed to properly deal with the weakness of Crown Prince Liu Shi.
SocietyThe great-grandson of the emperor in prison
After the witchcraft disaster, Liu Bing, who was only a few months old, was imprisoned in the county prison. Bing Ji selected cautious female prisoners to take turns raising him. In 87 BC, Emperor Wu listened to Wang Qi's statement that there was emperor Qi in Chang'an Prison, and ordered that all the prisoners be killed. Bing Ji refused the messenger behind closed doors, and the emperor's great-grandson was saved.
PoliticsSuccession into the great system
After Liu He was deposed, Bing Ji recommended the emperor's great-grandson who was living among the people to Huo Guang. In July, he entered Weiyang Palace and was first named Marquis of Yangwu. Then he received the seal and ribbon and became the emperor. At the age of eighteen, he succeeded Emperor Zhao.
PeopleThe old sword has deep love
When the ministers discussed the appointment of the queen, they tended to favor Huo Guang's daughter. Emperor Xuan issued an edict to find the "Old Sword of Wei Shi". The ministers understood his intention and made his wife Xu Pingjun the queen. This allusion later evolved into the idiom "The old sword has deep love".
PoliticsQueen Xu was poisoned
In order to make her youngest daughter Huo Chengjun the queen, Huo Guang's wife ordered the female doctor Chun Yuyan to poison Queen Xu when she was giving medicine after giving birth, and Queen Xu died. Huo Guang learned about it later but did not pursue the case. Huo Chengjun was made queen the following year.
MilitaryLian Wusun defeated the Xiongnu
At Wusun's request, five Han generals led more than 100,000 cavalry out of the fortress. Colonel Chang Hui Chijie led Wusun's 50,000 cavalry deep into the fortress. They defeated the Xiongnu Youguli Royal Court and captured nearly 40,000 people. The Xiongnu weakened from then on, and their vassal states deserted one after another.
PoliticsHuo Guang passed away and Emperor Xuan took charge
When Huo Guang passed away, Emperor Xuan was buried with a ceremony that was almost like that of an emperor, and he immediately took charge. He adopted Wei Xiang's suggestion and abolished the "secondary seal" system in which memorials had to be opened and read by the minister in charge first, so that the ministers could submit the memorial directly, and gradually reduced the military power of the Huo family's descendants.
PoliticsThe Huo clan was exterminated
The news that Huo Guang's wife poisoned Queen Xu was gradually revealed. Huo Yu, Huo Shan, Huo Yun and others were frightened and conspired to depose Emperor Xuan. After the incident, the Huo family was executed by the clan, implicating dozens of families in the execution, and Queen Huo Chengjun was deposed.
SocietyRenamed Liu Xun
The imperial edict stated that the name of the emperor in ancient times should be "difficult to know but easy to taboo". The word "sick" was too commonly used, and people were often punished for violating the taboo when writing letters. So the name was changed to Xun, and those who had committed crimes for violating the taboo were pardoned.
MilitaryZhao Chongguo Tuntian Pingqiang
The Xiqiang tribes rebelled, and Zhao Chongguo, a veteran general in his seventies, volunteered to join the army. He advocated focusing on appeasement and division. He dismissed the cavalry and left the infantry to garrison Huangzhong. He successively wrote letters stating the benefits of garrison. Finally, the Qiang people surrendered in large numbers and the rebellion subsided.
PoliticsEstablish the Protectorate of the Western Regions
The Xiongnu King Ri Zhu led his troops to surrender to the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty used Zheng Ji, who originally protected Shanshan on the southwest road and was also a chariot guard, on the northwest road. He was named Duhu, governed Wulei City, and governed the N & S countries in the Tianshan Mountains.
Lasting legacyThe establishment of the Protectorate of the Western Regions marked the official inclusion of the present-day Xinjiang region under the jurisdiction of the central dynasty. The Wulei City ruins are generally believed to be located in present-day Luntai County, Xinjiang.
EconomySet up a permanent warehouse
There had been good harvests in successive years, and the price of grain had been as low as five cents per stone. Da Si Nong Zhongcheng Geng Shouchang petitioned to build a granary in the border county. When the grain was cheap, it was purchased at a higher price and when the grain was expensive, it was sold at a reduced price. This was called Changping Granary, which not only protected farmers but also stabilized grain prices.
DiplomacyHu Hanxie enters the court
After the Xiongnu civil strife, Huhanxie Chanyu decided to join the Han Dynasty and went to Ganquan Palace to pay homage in person in the first month of the year. Emperor Xuan treated him with courtesy, placed himself above the princes and kings, gave him a golden seal, and sent troops to escort him back to Monan. The Xiongnu became a vassal of the Han from then on.
CultureShiquge meeting
Confucian scholars were summoned to discuss the similarities and differences of the Five Classics in Shiqu Pavilion of Weiyang Palace, and Emperor Xuan personally adjudicated it. He also appointed doctors from Liangqiu's "Yi", Daxiahou's "Shangshu" and "Guliang Spring and Autumn period", and the classics were further incorporated into the official unified interpretation.
PeopleThe eleven heroes of Qilin Pavilion
Because the Huns surrendered, and in memory of their assistant ministers, they ordered people to paint eleven portraits of Huo Guang, Zhang Anshi, Han Zeng, Zhao Chongguo, Wei Xiang, Bing Ji, Du Yannian, Liu De, Liang Qiuhe, Xiao Wangzhi and Su Wu in Qilin Pavilion.
PoliticsDu Ling died of illness
He died of illness in Weiyang Palace in December, and Crown Prince Liu Shi ascended the throne. Before his death, he appointed his relative Shi Gao, Crown Prince Taifu Xiao Wangzhi, and Young Master Zhou Kan to assist in the administration. Buried in Du Ling, southeast of Chang'an.
Lasting legacyThe Du Mausoleum site is located in the southeastern suburbs of present-day Xi'an City. The seals of the emperor's mausoleum and the mausoleums of the queens and queens are well preserved to this day.
After assisting the two emperors Zhao and Xuan for nearly twenty years, Liu He was abolished and Emperor Xuan was established, giving power to both the government and the opposition. After Emperor Xuan came to the throne, he returned to power. Emperor Xuan was humble and refused, and all matters were still closed to Bai Huo Guang. After his death, his family rebelled and was wiped out. Emperor Xuan still listed him as the first hero of Qilin Pavilion.
A native of Lu, he protected the infant emperor's great-grandson when he was a prisoner, and recommended Huo Guang to succeed him, but never mentioned his old favor. Emperor Xuan learned of this and named him Marquis of Boyang. When he was the prime minister, he was generous and knowledgeable. He didn't ask about the death or injury in a fight on the road, but he asked why the cow was panting to check the season.
Jiyin Dingtao, as a censor, suggested that Emperor Xuan remove the deputy title to weaken the power of the Huo family, or serve as prime minister after Guang's death. He pays attention to current affairs and often reports the customs and disasters reported from various places, and works with Bing Ji to assist the government.
A native of Shanggui in Longxi, he was familiar with the situation of the Xiongnu and Qiang people. Emperor Wu accompanied Li Guangli on his expedition to break through and perform meritorious service. When he was more than seventy years old, he pacified the Western Qiang and advocated farming. He left behind the famous saying that "a hundred hearings is better than a first sight."
People from Kuaiji traveled to the Western Regions many times as soldiers, plowing fields in Ququ and defeating chariot divisions. In 60 BC, Queen Sun Zhu surrendered to the Xiongnu and was appointed as the first Protector of the Western Regions, with the title of Marquis of Anyuan.
A native of Yangxia, Huaiyang, when he was appointed as the prefect of Yingchuan, he put education first, and his administrative achievements were the best in the world. He was the representative of Xunli in Emperor Xuan. In 55 BC, he succeeded Bing Ji as prime minister, but his talents were better than local governance, and his reputation as prime minister was not as good as that of the prefect.
The daughter of Xu Guanghan, a violent and mean man, she married Emperor Xuan when he was humble and gave birth to Emperor Yuan Liu Shi. After becoming queen, she lived a frugal life. After giving birth, she was poisoned by a female doctor ordered by Huo Guang's wife.
Proficient in arithmetic and financial management, he requested grain to be purchased from Sanfu and other places nearby to supply the capital to save water transportation, and he also established Changpingcang. Liu Hui's "Nine Chapters on Arithmetic Notes" preface states that he had deleted and supplemented "Nine Chapters on Arithmetic".