God of War through the ages: Han Xin

Chapter 44 Han Xin lost his military power and Liu Bang became emperor

Liu Bang's attitude towards Han Xin is very contradictory.

Although Xiang Yu's head was sent to his case by Lu Matong and others, Liu Bang knew in his heart that the peach tree was planted by Han Xin, and Lu Matong and others were just picking peaches, and then handed the peaches to the landlord Liu Bang.Without Han Xin who stepped forward to plant peach trees in Liu Bang's most difficult time, Liu Bang would not be able to eat peaches.

Liu Bang's art of employing people is perfect. Of course, he knows that people are not profitable. Han Xin planted a peach tree for himself, and he is more qualified to enjoy peaches than anyone else.Lu Matong and other five people were enshrined as marquises by Liu Bang because they snatched Xiang Yu's body. What should Han Xin enshrine?

Long before Gaixia encircled Chu, Liu Bang had made Han Xin the king of Qi under Han Xin's disguised coercion, which made Liu Bang's little favor for Han Xin almost drop to zero.Everyone hates those who grab charcoal in the snow, and Han Xin's immature experience in the world made his image in Liu Bang's heart worse and worse.However, Liu Bang should not have the intention to kill Han Xin at this time. All he has to do is to transfer "jobs" to Han Xin, and he must never let Han Xin be the king of Qi again.

This is Liu Bang's consistent thinking about Han Xin-to restrict Han Xin from developing his own direct lineage in the army.Although Han Xin didn't stay in Qi for a long time, he trained nearly 40 elite soldiers in a very short period of time, which made Liu Bang feel a chill down his spine.If Han Xin is allowed to develop in Qi State, it won't take long before Han Xin will firmly control Qi State, and the Qi army will be more threatening to Liu Bang's rule than the Chu army.

Move a nest for Han Xin.

The best place for Han Xin to go is naturally Huaiyin, which is a place that Han Xin will never forget in his life.The story of Han Xin's humiliation under the crotch is well known in the world, and it is also a great gift from Liu Bang to Han Xin to let Han Xin return to his hometown in fine clothes.As for the title, of course it is still a prince, but it has changed from the king of Qi to the king of Chu.

Liu Bang still doesn't know whether Han Xin is willing to return to Huaiyin to be the king of Chu. In terms of wealth, Chu is not as good as Qi. Will Han Xin be greedy for the prosperity of Qi and refuse to go to Chu?Liu Bang considered from his own standpoint, regardless of whether Han Xin was willing to enter Chu, the command of the Qi army could not continue to be placed in Han Xin's hands, otherwise Liu Bang would not sleep well.

Take back the command of the Qi army first, and the bachelor Han Xin will not have the capital to bargain with himself, so he will naturally be obedient.Liu Bang changed Han Xin to be King of Chu, which may have a deeper meaning: Xiang Yu was also King of Chu before!Han Xin knew about Xiang Yu's end, if Han Xin could guess Liu Bang's deep meaning.

This time Liu Bang went north to slaughter Lu. Although Han Xin also went north with the army, he did not go to Lu County. Instead, he was stationed in Dingtao to recuperate.It should be Liu Bang's intention that Han Xin be stationed in Dingtao.Since Han Xin's debut, he has made countless military exploits, but Liu Bang has become an inconspicuous supporting role. How can Liu Bang not "envy, jealous and hate"?
As the world gradually calms down, there will be fewer and fewer wars in the future. Liu Bang has a rare chance to make a decent military exploit, so he kicked Han Xin away and attacked Lu himself.And with Han Xin's IQ, he should also be able to see Liu Bang's meaning. If Han Xin wins all the military exploits, Liu Bang will lose face in front of the officials.

Dingtao is more than 300 miles away from Lu County, far away from Liu Bang, which made Han Xin feel the preciousness of freedom.Liu Bangwen failed, and Wu failed, but Han Xin still felt pressured by the arrogance of ambition in him, which is an aura that Xiang Yu does not possess.

During the days when Liu Bang was not around, Han Xin basically had nothing to do every day.Xiang Yu is dead, the general situation of the world is initially determined, and Han Xin will have less and less room to use his skills in the future. Han Xin will always have a sense of loneliness, even fear.Han Xin didn't know what he would do if he didn't lead troops to fight.

Perhaps Han Xin has set his sights on the vast desert grassland in the north, where there is a Hun cavalry that makes the Central Plains frightened.The Xiongnu harassed the border year after year, which was a serious problem for the Central Plains.Han Xin defeated the enemies of the Central Plains, he must be very eager to have an iron-blooded contest with the Hun King Maodun, but he didn't know if Liu Bang would give himself such a chance.

Han Xin's worry soon became a reality. Before Han Xin could react, Liu Bang ran into Dingtao camp with lightning speed.A whirlwind blew past, and then chicken feathers flew around, and the seal on Han Xin's case was held in Liu Bang's arms.

……

Han Xin stared at Liu Bang dumbfounded. Liu Bang hugged Yinxi and looked at Han Xin with a smile on his face.

Despite Liu Bang's pale and powerless excuses, Han Xin understood that Liu Bang never regarded himself as a friend, and what he got for his infinite loyalty to Liu Bang was Liu Bang's strong suppression of himself.It's not that Han Xin can't hand over the command of the Qi army. Liu Bang is kind to him, and he will move away happily, but it is hard for him to bear Liu Bang's sneaky way.

"Historical Records Huaiyin Marquis Biography" records that "Gaozu attacked Qi Wangjun", and this is not the first time Liu Bang stole Han Xin's soldier amulet.Liu Bang stole the military talisman again and again, which shows that he does not trust Han Xin at all. If he goes through open channels, Han Xin may not be willing to surrender his military power.

The hundreds of thousands of Qi troops trained by Han Xin were stolen by Liu Bang with a smile on his face.Since Xiang Yu's death, Han Xin has undoubtedly become Liu Bang's most dangerous enemy. In Liu Bang's view, only Han Xin who has no soldiers and no power is the Han Xin that Liu Bang can tolerate.If the tiger's fangs are not pulled out and its claws are cut off, who would dare to be in the same room as a tiger?
Han Xin's anger was engraved in his heart, but his face was as calm as water. He was used to Liu Bang's boxing tactics.At least Han Xin had a clear conscience, he never had the idea of ​​betraying Liu Bang, and he was the general of the Han Dynasty, and it was his power to mobilize the military power of the King of Han, so it was hard for Han Xin to say anything.

There is no record in the historical data of what Liu Bang said to Han Xin after he seized the army, but it must have involved Han Xin's redesignation of the king of Chu. Qi, you can't stay any longer.You have made great achievements for the Han Dynasty, and conquered the world for me in the mountains of swords and seas of fire, but you have not enjoyed the glory and wealth.You are from Chu, so just be the king of Chu, and return to Huaiyin to show off your might.

Han Xin did not express any objection to this.

Han Xin has not been back to Huaiyin for many years. Every night when the people are quiet, Han Xin will think about his life in Huaiyin. The figures of Mrs. Ting Zhang, Piao Mu, and Evil Younger often pass through Han Xin's mind. It is time to go back.

Not only Han Xin, but also Ying Bu, Peng Yue and others returned to their hometowns.

Yingbu's hometown is Liu (now Lu'an, Anhui), and he was named King of Huainan by Liu Bang, which can be regarded as returning home.In fact, as early as Xiang Yu's period, Yingbo was named King of Jiujiang, governing the six places.However, Yingbo later betrayed Xiang Yu and was beaten into a bachelor. Since returning to Han, Yingbo has also made many outstanding achievements, so this is the second time he has returned home.

Peng Yue was from Changyi, Qi State. He did not belong to Liu Bang's most trusted Peiren Group, nor did he belong to Xiang Yu's Chu Group.In terms of difficulty, Peng Yue's situation is more dangerous than Han Xin's. After all, Han Xin's previous opponents were relatively weak, while Peng Yue's lone army fought guerrillas in the hinterland of Chu State, and Xiang Yu directly confronted him.

If Liu Bang's confrontation with Xiang Yu in Henan helped Han Xin's northern line strategy objectively, then Peng Yue's guerrilla warfare in the hinterland of Chu, "attacking the masses with less", weakened the strength of the Chu army, and objectively helped Liu Bang.Because Peng Yue had been fighting in Wei for a long time and served as the prime minister of Wei, Liu Bang named Peng Yue the king of Liang to govern the territory of Wei, and Peng Yue deserved it.

Due to restrictions on kings with different surnames, the Liang Guoguo granted by Peng Yue is not in the important town of Daliang, but in Dingtao.Based on the same principle, Han Xin failed to get a few good fruits from Liu Bang. Although Han Xin was named King of Chu, the capital of Chu State was not in the important town of Pengcheng, but in Xiapi (now Suining, Jiangsu Province), more than a hundred miles southeast of Pengcheng. Ancient Pi Town).

It is not out of his original intention that Liu Bang pursued the enfeoffment system of kings with different surnames. It can be seen from the fact that Liu Bang has continuously barbarized countries into prefectures and counties since he came out of the Three Qin Dynasties.It's just that there must be a buffer stage for the transition from localism to nationalism. This stage is to confer kings with different surnames. As for what to do in the future, Liu Bang has already prepared a draft in his mind.

At the same time, the kings with different surnames and Han Wangxin were named King Han, and their capital was Yangzhai, which was decided before.Han Wangxin, Han Xin, Yingbu, and Peng Yue are the four kings with different surnames in the early Han Dynasty, especially the last three. They have no personal friendship with Liu Bang. These three are also the objects of Liu Bang's key defenses.

As for other kings with different surnames, for example, Wu Rui, the original Hengshan king, was granted the title of Changsha king, and his capital was Linxiang.Wu Rui's feudal kingdom is too remote to affect the overall situation of the Central Plains.Yan Wang Zang Tu is weak and insignificant, and the Minyue Kingdom in Jiangdong and the Nanyue Kingdom in Lingnan will not arouse Liu Bang's suspicion.

The thorny problem of kings with different surnames has been initially resolved, and the next thing Liu Bang has to do is to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.Xiang Yu only claimed to be the overlord, indicating that he was still following the route of dividing the princes, and Liu Bang made it clear that he wanted the barbarian princes to be counties, but the kings with different surnames headed by Han Xin did not smell bloody murderous intent from it, they were still immersed in returning home in joy.

Han Xin and others had not returned to the fief at this time, but they jointly signed the Shu in the name of the princes and kings, and asked Liu Bang, the king of Han, to be the emperor. "Han Shu·Gao Di Ji" records this way of persuasion as follows: "In the past, Qin was the way to perish, and the world punished it. The king first won the king of Qin, and settled in the pass, and he made the most contributions in the world. Survival and death will be in danger, saving and defeat will continue, and peace will be achieved. All the people have meritorious deeds. They also benefit the princes and kings who have meritorious service, so that the country can be established. The land division has been determined, but the title is compared, and the division between the upper and lower. The merits of the king will not be announced in future generations. I will worship the emperor's title after death. .”

Liu Bang is hypocritical enough. He obviously wanted to be emperor, but he pretended to give in. He said nothing more than the lie of "I have no talent or virtue, please choose the virtuous and respect him".Han Xin and others knew that Liu Bang was used to pretending, so they naturally wanted to give the King of Han face and persuaded him to come in again and again.Liu Bang was "forced" to be helpless, so he "had to reluctantly" and happily accepted the persuasion of the princes.

On the third day of February in the fifth year of the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.), the heavens and the earth warmed up, and the willows were green and the flowers were red. With the support of his servants, Liu Bang, the king of the Han Dynasty, climbed up the mountain in Fanshuizhiyang (one said to be Xingyang, Henan Province) in high spirits. , said to be Shandong Dingtao) on the enthronement platform, accepting congratulations from princes, kings and officials.

Under the imperial edict: Han followed Huo De, dressed in red, and set his capital in Luoyang.Respect the queen Lu Zhi as the queen, the crown prince Liu Ying as the crown prince, and respect the deceased mother as Mrs. Zhaoling.As for the old father Liu Taigong, Liu Bang has not yet figured out how to give his father a proper title, so Liu Taigong is still a minister, and he has to give a royal gift to Liu Bang when he sees Liu Bang, of course Liu Bang dare not accept it.

For a newly established regime, the most important thing, in addition to lenient punishment and tax reduction, to appease the people, is to distribute meritorious officials.There are three types of heroes in Liu Bang's hero book:

[-]. Foreign officials, such as Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Ying Bu, princes and kings with different surnames who made great contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty.

Second, the internal ministers are mostly the backbone of the Peiren Group, such as Xiao He, Cao Can, and Fan Kuai. Although Zhang Liang is not from Peiren, he is also a personal friend of Liu Bang.

[-]. Yuanchen, that is, the semi-independent separatist regimes of Minyue Kingdom and Nanyue King.

Liu Bang first wanted to get rid of these foreign ministers who had no personal relationship with him. He had already confirmed the feudal states of the princes and kings, and now they were all driven away, and returned to their respective territories to rule as kings and hegemons.Yuan Chen and Liu Bang don't have much friendship, they all guard their borders, don't fight against the court, otherwise there will be no good fruit to eat.

As for the Peiren Group, Liu Bang has not entrusted them for the time being. This does not mean that Liu Bang ignores the contribution of the Peiren Group. On the contrary, it shows that Liu Bang attaches great importance to the Peiren Group.Common sense is like this, seal outsiders first, and then seal your own people.

Moreover, the problem of internal division of labor is far more complicated than the problem of dealing with foreign ministers.The estranged relationship can directly use violence to solve the problem, but the trusted group cannot do this, and can only solve the problem in a civilized way. The internal relationship of the Kepei Group is intricate, constantly cut, and the reason is still chaotic, which makes Liu Bang a headache.

It was not until two years later, in December of the sixth year of the Han Dynasty (201 BC), that Liu Bang began to discuss the merits of his ministers.As soon as the decree was made, the officials began to compete for merit, biting each other, and Liu Bang was so angry that he cursed.The military generals were very dissatisfied with Liu Bang's appointment of Xiao He as the leader of the meritorious service. They asked Liu Bang to explain: We have experienced many battles and have many scars on our bodies, but Xiao He is just a literary official.

In order to deal with these troublesome warriors, Liu Bang put forward the famous "gong dog theory": "Although you are brave and good at fighting, you are like hunting dogs. You are chasing and killing hares under the command of your master. It is a merit dog. Xiao He is The master who issued the order is a meritorious person." Under Liu Bang's strong pressure, the warriors did not dare to continue to make trouble.Even such meritorious generals as Han Xin and Cao Can have no objection to Xiao He's claim to the top, so what qualifications do they have to criticize Xiao He?

It is true that Xiao He has made great contributions to the township of the country, caring for the people, and providing food and grass, but it seems inappropriate to take the first place in the credit.Liu Bang's insistence on appointing Xiao He as the leader of the meritorious service is actually sending out an obvious political signal to the outside world-the world has been settled, and the country must be governed by literature in the future.Then I linked to Liu Bang's "gong dog theory", which shows that Liu Bang intends to "abolish" this group of arrogant and domineering warriors.Zhang Liang and Chen Ping saw Liu Bang's deep intentions, and they didn't want to go into this muddy water. Chen Ping lived in seclusion in court, while Zhang Liang lived in seclusion at home for more than a year, ignoring world affairs.

With the initial determination of the world, it is inevitable for the rulers to implement the policy of "promoting literature and suppressing martial arts". However, most of these heroes have old connections with Liu Bang.Counselor Liu Jing advised Liu Bang to abandon his decision to make Luoyang his capital and move his capital to Guanzhong. Most of the heroes and generals were from the Kanto region and were close to Luoyang, so they didn't want to go to the relatively remote Guanzhong, and they all opposed it.

Zhang Liang supported Liu Jing's suggestion, thinking that the country with four frontiers in Guanzhong is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and can rely on the food of Bashu inside and the benefits of horses outside, which is enough to establish a foundation for eternity.Liu Bang listened to Zhang Liang's words and felt that Zhang Liang's words were very reasonable, so he immediately moved west to Guanzhong and made Chang'an his capital.When Liu Bang decided to move the capital, he also intended to cut off the connections between the heroes of Guanzhong nationality and Guanzhong, and it was relatively safer to control them in Guanzhong.

As for the princes and kings with different surnames headed by Han Xin, Liu Bang has not moved them for the time being. He needs time to stabilize the court situation, and he knows how he should deal with Han Xin.

(End of this chapter)