The great man will live forever

Chapter 17

Shouchun, Huainan Kingdom, is the fiefdom of Liu An, King of Huainan.

Liu An was extremely capable. His father, Liu Chang, was the bastard son of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and was named King of Huainan. As the eldest son, Liu An inherited his father's title, so he was also called King of Huainan.

Calculating this, he is Liu Che's uncle, and this man is also very capable. If Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was not too powerful, and someone like Zhu Yunwen had been the emperor, it is estimated that he might have been the first vassal king to successfully rebel. is the last one.

Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongle, was the only vassal king in history who successfully rebelled.

The success of his rebellion is simply unreplicable. Zhu Yunwen's series of blind operations, coupled with Zhu Yuanzhang's border guards against the nine vassal kings in the early stage, and the enfeoffment of old farmers like dividing their families, and another point is that Zhu Di himself is very capable.

If any of these three points were missing, he would not be able to succeed.

If Liu An could really rebel and become emperor, most future emperors would be alert, and Zhu Yuanzhang would probably be more vigilant, restrict Zhu Di's rights more, or change the strategy of enfeoffment, then Zhu Di would most likely not succeed.

Probably because no vassal king in history had successfully rebelled against the emperor, it gave Zhu Yuanzhang confidence. In addition, Zhu Yunwen behaved very obediently during his lifetime, so he thought that his training was pretty good.

Therefore, during his lifetime, Lao Zhu did not think that any vassal king would rebel unless Zhu Yunwen killed him. He thought Zhu Yunwen was very good and promised him during his lifetime that he would not kill his uncle.

He may have expected that Zhu Yunwen would weaken the power of the vassal king, but he did not expect that he would be so reckless, so deadly, and push him to death. Those are his closest relatives.

If he knew, he would probably be so angry that he could dig out the coffin board and curse this idiot grandson.

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang is so good to his sons and grandsons is that he has a certain mentality of an old farmer. After all, he was born in a poor farmer. He is a farmer through and through. He is even worse than a farmer and has been a beggar and a monk.

In the 31st year of Hongwu (1398), Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang died at the age of 71.

Zhu Yuanzhang was born in troubled times, burdened with the pain of the death of his parents. He started from abject poverty. He had no background, no backing, and no support. He earned everything by himself.

He established the huge Ming Dynasty almost with his bare hands and single-handedly, relying on his courage and determination.

He taught us that strong will and determination can overcome all difficulties.

He told us that persistent faith and a fearless mind are the most powerful weapons.

Zhu Yuanzhang, this life is enough, enough...

The history is similar but not exactly the same. If Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty were replaced by Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Di would have no choice but to die.

But if Zhu Yunwen came to the Han Dynasty, Liu An would most likely come to power.

It's a pity that there are no what-ifs in history. Liu An's abilities are very good, he is ambitious, ambitious, able to endure, and has wisdom.

But he happened to meet Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who was the only emperor throughout the ages, and his tragedy was doomed.

History books commented on Huainan King Liu An: "He was fond of reading and playing the harp. He didn't like hunting dogs and horses galloping. He also wanted to follow the people and become famous all over the world with his shady virtues."

The famous "Huainanzi" in later generations was written by Huainan King Liu An and his disciples. Its main content involves the study of "heaven, earth, and man". It integrates the thoughts of various scholars and hundreds of schools of thought, and is known as a "peerless and wonderful book". .

Mainly based on "Tao" theory as the core idea.Whether it is the choice of words or sentences or the writing style, it is the best among ancient texts. It integrates myths, fables, and historical allusions. It can be regarded as an important work of the Han Dynasty.

At this time, in Liu An's mansion, he opened a baggage, which revealed various exquisite things, mostly jade, carved into the shapes of tigers, leopards, monkeys, dragons, etc., as well as other rare and exotic animals.

"This is the emperor's jade seal, a finely crafted imitation."

Liu An pointed to a piece of exquisite jade seal that looked like a dragon and said to his son Liu Qian.

After speaking, he pointed to several other pieces of jade, and continued: "These are the seals of the prime minister, the imperial censor, the general, officials with more than two thousand stones, as well as the prefects and captains of nearby counties, and the emperor's talismans."

Good guy, you are so well prepared. At this time, Liu An is already 56 years old, with a long beard and slightly white hair.

He was born in 179 BC, and now it is 123 BC, but his mental outlook is extremely good. He likes Taoism, is good at health preservation, and can also make elixirs. This is a real elixir, not the mercury, sulfur, mercury of later generations. Yes, eating it is really good for health.

I guess if you keep it up, it won't be a problem if you live for a few more decades.

It seems that this guy invented tofu. He is very good at making tofu. Tofu has high nutritional value and is delicious. It has been passed down to future generations.

His eldest son Liu Qian asked, "How does father plan to use these things?"

Liu An did not answer directly, but instead asked a question, "Do you know what heroes, heroes, squires and rich men fear most?"

"Fear? Fear of what?"

Liu Qian thought for three seconds and replied: "Oh, it's nothing more than moving his family and being exterminated against the will, just like the last time he moved to Maoling."

In the second year of Yuanshuo, that is, 127 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued the famous "Order to Move Maoling".He ordered all wealthy families with a wealth of more than 300 million yuan to move to Maoling near the capital.

Some historians pointed out that in terms of wealth and power, this standard is roughly equivalent to today's billionaires.

Most of the wealth in the Han Dynasty was in the form of land and real estate. The wealthy people who were ordered to move had to sell land and real estate at low prices.

However, if all the wealthy households in the country are to move, who will buy the land?
As a result, local governments stepped forward to purchase tens of millions of acres of fertile land at low prices and then distributed it to displaced landless farmers, while the state only collected one-tenth of the tax.

This was a very powerful policy. It aimed at the annexation of land by local powerful powers and the personal dependence of farmers brought about by the annexation, which resulted in the country lacking sufficient peasant population and land to cope with state affairs and the emperor's selfish desires.

More fundamentally, he was actually aiming at a long-term political and national policy that actively suppressed the phenomenon of monarchical autocratic centralization that threatened the unification of feudal countries.

It is worth mentioning that Liu Che’s expropriation of property from billionaires was not a bloody revolution, but a very charming soft relocation policy, unlike the violent demolitions of some institutions today.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very smart. He rewarded the wealthy families who moved to Maoling - the government paid a high "demolition compensation" of 20 yuan to each relocated household, and also rewarded them with political honors and the ability to get rid of businessmen. status and join a famous family.

The children of Maoling, who lost their land after their families migrated, no longer hoarded wealth, but spent lavishly, making Chang'an the most luxurious city in the world; and "children of Maoling" has also become an ancient buzzword reserved for the "rich second generation".

Of course, even if this is the case, their property has actually shrunk too much.

"Yes, Maoling is no longer their biggest fear. Moving to Shuofang City in Xingjian is what scares them even more."

A year ago, in 124 BC, Wei Qing regained the land of Heshuo, defeated King Aiyang and Loufan, and built Shuofang City.

The so-called land of Heshuo generally refers to the area north of the Yellow River in ancient times. Later "History of the Song Dynasty·Geography" said: "Heshuo covers an area of ​​[-] miles, and the land is flat and there is no danger."

Liu An said, picked up the bamboo slip, and continued: "Using the memorial from the Prime Minister and the Yushi doctor, the emperor announced that the emperor would recruit a large number of wealthy people to go to Shuofang to guard the border, and ordered them to set out as scheduled. If everything is ready, this It’s just a fire that reaches the sky, enough to cause chaos in the world. Year after year, there are conquests, and the people are dissatisfied. At this time, we come out to plead for the people.”

As Liu An spoke, he danced with his hands, his face glowing red, and he raised his hand upwards, like a burning flame, getting higher and higher. Liu Qian on the side also had a smile on his face.

"My father is wise."

"This is not enough, not enough. When the time comes, our assassins ambushing in the capital will look for opportunities to assassinate Wei Qing and leave the main force of the Han army leaderless."

Liu Qian almost applauded. If this father became the emperor, he would be the crown prince.

"As expected of my father, your plan is very sophisticated and meticulous. It is impeccable. It can make the emperor panic. But what should we do with the ministers of the imperial court?"

Liu An glanced at him and said: "Of the ministers in the imperial court, only Ji An and a few others who abide by their duties are difficult to bribe. The others, like Gongsun Hong and others, are all flatterers. When the time comes, when our army arrives, The hearts and minds of the military and the people are with us, so why aren’t they just fagots?”

"My father's wisdom and far-sightedness are comparable to those of Liu Hou."

The two smiled at each other.

The Liuhou mentioned by Liu Qian was naturally Zhang Liang, one of the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty, who was honored as Mousheng by later generations.

Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, said this: "I am not as good as Zifang when it comes to strategizing and planning, and winning a battle thousands of miles away. I am not as good as Xiao He in controlling the country, caring for the people, providing salaries, and never running out of food. Even if he is a millionaire The army must win in battle, and capture in attack. I am not as good as Han Xin. These three are all outstanding men, and I can use them. This is why I conquer the world."

These two guys are really selling themselves off, bragging about themselves, but it is undeniable that Liu An's ability is indeed good, and his plan is also very good.

However, before they could laugh for long, a subordinate came running over in a panic.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Liu An asked calmly, "What's going on, why are you so flustered?"

The subordinate looked at Liu Qian and said, "It has something to do with the prince."

"Tai" means big.Before the Han Dynasty in China, the official heirs of princes and kings were also called "princes".

In the early Han Dynasty, the official title of the legal heir of the prince was a certain crown prince. Later, in order to distinguish him from the crown prince, it was changed to the title of prince. This will not be changed for future generations. The same applies to the sons of kings with other surnames or vassal kings.

"what happened?"

"Tingwei Zhang Tang has arrived and has already arrived at the gate of the Prime Minister's Office."

Liu Qian was shocked, "They want to arrest me?"

"We are discussing!"

Liu An quickly asked: "Or is it to prevent Lei from joining the army?"

"Originally, it was about this matter, but I just heard that the king's nephew Liu Jian was angry with the prince. He heard from guests that the prince had conspired to detain the emperor's envoy Huo Qubing, so he went to Zhang Tang to show off. Report the two cases to the prince, and make one case at the same time, so the Tingwei wants to arrest the prince."

I have to say that as Liu An's subordinate, this subordinate was qualified and made his words clear immediately.

Liu Qian was a little angry and was about to yell, "You! Him!"

Liu An grabbed his arm and asked, "When did you and Liu Jian form a grudge?"

Liu Qian said angrily: "Liu Jian has always been resentful of his father's failure to grant him a fiefdom. Last month, he insulted me with evil words. In anger, I had one of his limbs cut off." Ears, so hatred developed.”

Liu An was a little angry and said, "Hey, when was it? You didn't tell me anything about such a big thing." After he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and walked out with his subordinates.

Liu Qian said hurriedly from behind: "Father, one person is responsible for the work, and I will go."

After he finished speaking, he was about to run out past Liu An.

Liu An called out to him, it was his own child after all, "Stop, you are plotting to detain the emperor's envoy, you have ten heads and it is not enough to chop him off."

"Then what should we do? Father, what do you think we should do?"

Liu Qian clapped his hands, feeling helpless.

"Let Zhang Tang do it."

Liu An said, took out a pill and drank it. He was a little angry, but took the medicine to calm down.

This is the medicine he practiced himself. When his mood fluctuates too much and he is particularly angry, taking it has a very good effect. This is probably the reason why he can live to be 57 years old and still active.

Outside the palace, Prince Liu Qian of Huainan was already making preparations, with Xu soldiers standing in front of him.

"You all listen to me. As soon as you hear my signal to take action, take action immediately without hesitation at all. Do you hear me?"

Liu Qian was giving orders to the soldiers in front of him.

"promise."

"You guys go here, you guys go there, you have to hurry."

"Hurry up, hurry up, do you hear me?" the butler urged from the side.

"You guys stay here!"

Following his order, the soldiers in front of Liu Qian quickly ran around. In just a moment, they were hiding around the palace and in the rooms, and were ready.

Seeing that the arrangements were almost completed, Huainan King Liu An left. He came out and said to Liu Qian: "Open the palace door. I will personally greet the envoy. Zhang Tang, a cruel official, has been famous for a long time. Even if he is killed, he will be eliminated for the people." Harmful."

After a while, Zhang Tang arrived at the gate of Huainan Prince's Mansion and was stopped by two eunuchs.

"The imperial envoy Zhang Tang came to pay homage to the King of Huainan."

He was very powerful and came alone. The two eunuchs did not dare to neglect and led him inside.

There were two large stone pillars at the gate toward Huainan. The door was open, and there was a long staircase in front of it. Then there were soldiers standing around. Zhang Tang walked faster and went in after a while.

In the palace, King Huainan sat high on the throne, showing his splendor, holding a golden Zen staff in his hand, symbolizing royal power.

During this period, the king of the feudal state had all the control over the feudal state, including the appointment of officials, military affairs, taxation, and everything else was subject to the king's command.

Of course, due to the promulgation of Liu Che's favor order, the area of ​​the feudal state was gradually reduced. This is the terrible thing about the first conspiracy of the ages. It weakened the strength of the feudal state without spending a single soldier.

"Why is Zhang Tang the only one here? Where are the other officials from the feudal state that I summoned? Why is there no one?"

King Huainan was a little confused when he heard that Zhang Tang was the only one coming in.

Liu Qian, who was standing aside, tilted his head and said, "Father, please calm down and see what kind of medicine he is selling in his soup gourd."

"Ah."

At this time Zhang Tang came in, with a sword on his waist. This sword was not simple. It was given to him by Liu Che before he left.

Zhang Tang bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty asked me to say hello to King Huainan."

At this moment, Zhang Tang represented the emperor. King Huainan did not dare to neglect. He quickly put down the golden Zen staff in his hand and saluted. He crossed his hands and clasped his fists slightly, "Let the emperor worry about it. Everything is fine. Mr. Tingwei himself. Just coming?"

"I'm here to congratulate the king."

"I have been surrounded by enemies on all sides for a long time, and my journey is becoming increasingly difficult at the end of the day. How can I be happy?"

"A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise. This is a famous allusion in the King's Huainanzi. In life, blessings and misfortunes follow each other, so there are misfortunes in blessings, and blessings in misfortunes. The opposite is true."

This soup is probably from someone who has read "Huainanzi" in detail.

King Huainan asked unhurriedly, "Where is the disaster and where is the blessing?"

"Your Majesty's lack of strict discipline in educating his children caused Prince Liu Qian to violate the state law many times. However, the Emperor, thinking of his close relatives, decided to exempt him from the death penalty. His fault was only to cut off two counties, so congratulations to your Majesty."

"You are deceiving everyone with your nonsense. Aren't you here to arrest Liu Qian today?"

King Huainan said and pointed to his son beside him.

"The king's nephew Liu Jian first accused Liu Qian of treason. The subordinate officials dared not to ask questions. If they did not ask questions, then the subordinate officials were derelict in their duties. As the saying goes, it is difficult for an upright official to deal with household affairs.

Xiaguan didn't know about this matter before he left the capital, and the emperor didn't know about it at that time either. Xiaguan was afraid that the king would be implicated, which would cause trouble to the royal family, so everyone came here to ask for instructions in advance.

If the king does not agree to my summons to Liu Qian, I just ask the king to write a handwritten edict to the court. "

Liu Qian on the side shouted angrily: "That Liu Jian is just slandering and spreading rumors."

"Stop talking." King Huainan stopped him, but Liu Qian did not shut up.

"Bring the person here and see how I deal with him."

He couldn't keep tearing down his son. Liu An stood up and looked directly at Zhang Tang with bright eyes.

"Lord Tingwei, where is Liu Jian now?"

"Liu Jian was afraid of Liu Qian's revenge, so he asked his subordinates to protect him. Besides, he is also a royal family member of the king, so his subordinates have ordered the Prime Minister to take him to the Han army camp in Huainan to stay temporarily. After summoning the crown prince, I will report to the emperor for instructions on how to deal with it."

After hearing the result, Liu An was not angry. He sat down slowly and said calmly: "You arranged it very carefully."

"I'm taking my leave." Zhang Tang understood that the calmer Liu An was, the harder it would be to deal with him. After all, biting dogs don't bark.

After Zhang Tang finished speaking, he strode outside, said goodbye and left.

After he walked out of the door, Liu Qian hurriedly said: "Father, why didn't you kill Zhang Tang just now?"

"Didn't you listen to what he said? The Prime Minister, the Internal Secretary, and the Lieutenant have all gone to the military camp. Killing him would be tantamount to rebellion. Do we have soldiers in our hands?"

Originally, the feudal kings had many soldiers in the past, but after the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion and Liu Che came to power, a series of policies were promulgated, and their soldiers became less and less.

"No, Father, these things we have done will be exposed sooner or later. You push and push again and again, and I understand. Father, you are not a person who does big things at all."

Liu Qian was young after all. Did he think rebellion would be so simple?
"You!" Liu An looked at him and wanted to scold him, but couldn't.

"Just let me bear all the troubles alone." Liu Qian said, shaking off his sleeves and walking outside.

He went to his backyard and got furious,
"Get out, get out!"

"Bring me a drink."

He knocked over a lot of things and ended up taking a few swigs from a bottle of wine.

The servants, wives and concubines on the side were all frightened and quickly told him.The housekeeper was in the yard, and the housekeeper came with several soldiers.

When they arrived, they saw Liu Qian pulling out the sword from his waist.

"Prince, what are you going to do?"

"What else can be done is to end everything in this world." Liu Qian looked at the sword with determination in his eyes.

The butler on the side said angrily, "Prince, no matter how I tried to dissuade you, you all insisted on rebelling, so just rebel. But when the time comes, why are you so indecisive? How can you achieve great things like this?"

Liu Qian blushed, stood up and said angrily: "How can I not be disappointed?"

"Previously, I have explained to the king that this is a road of self-destruction. It seems that it is fate!"

This steward is both the steward of the palace and their counselor. He knows everything about them and can almost be regarded as their most trusted person.

The housekeeper shook his head in disappointment and was about to leave, but at this moment, Liu Qian brushed his hand and put the sword on his neck.

He wanted to commit suicide but was afraid.

"If a person doesn't have some courage, I'm afraid he won't be able to do even this last thing."

The housekeeper looked down upon him, waved his sleeves and left.

Liu Qian's hand holding the sword was trembling, tears were rolling in his eyes, sweat was falling on his forehead, his mouth was open, but he couldn't make any other sound.

It takes great courage to face death. He used a little force and lightly made a mark on his neck.

"Crack" the sword fell down.

He gently touched the blood that was oozing slightly, then burst into tears, half-knelt on the ground and cried loudly.

(End of this chapter)