End of Chapter 326
Han Xin led the Guanzhong young men out of Guanzhong. In fact, he was a little confused because he didn't know what to do in this war.
He had experienced countless wars in his life, but he had hardly ever felt any pressure, whether it was defeating Meng Tian, breaking through the pass and destroying Qin, or directly conquering the Three Qins. Even when he was fighting in Zhao State with a group of new soldiers, he felt okay.
Among all the wars in his life, only the battle with Xiang Yu was stressful. Xiang Yu charged too fiercely and he struggled to hold on. With the help of many powerful generals, he was able to break up the battle lines and then regroup, eventually defeating Xiang Yu.
Even when he was fighting the Huns, he knew very well that as long as he did not leave the Great Wall and enter the grassland, he would be invincible.
As a result, Luo Xin now asked him to lead troops to pacify the King of Huainan and the King of Wu.
What kind of rotten fish and shrimp is this?
Do I still need to do it myself?
If Luo Xin wasn't his brother-in-law, he would have gone on strike on the spot. Wouldn't it be better for me to use this time to chat with Cai Niang?
The two men are getting older and will soon be separated by death. What is the point of fighting?
With this mentality, Han Xin was naturally a little anxious during his march, but he was a military genius after all, and his skills were still seamless and perfect, something that only existed in military books.
Those Chehou who came along were basically the second or even third generation of each family. They all knew very well that they came here just to gain military merit and also to learn something from the great General Han Xin.
After Han Xin met Liu Chen in Nanyang, he led his army to Huainan State without saying a word.
When the King of Huainan saw that the assassination attempt on Liu Chen had been exposed, he hastily assembled the Huainan army.
He sent envoys to the State of Wu again. It was certainly not a coincidence that he responded to the King of Wu's letter, but because the two had already exchanged letters.
The King of Wu was a smart man. Ever since the court started to collect taxes, he knew that the court would sooner or later reduce the power of the princes. From that time on, he began to consciously contact the princes, wanting to fight against the court together.
He originally wanted to wait until Han Xin or Luo Xin died. After all, these two men were getting older, and by then there would be only a young emperor left. Wouldn't that be difficult to deal with?
He originally thought that there was still a lot of time and Luo Xin would hand the matter over to the emperor.
So he had been pretending to be submissive, but he did not expect that Luo Xin would take direct action when the world had not yet fully recovered, and would directly split the country.
The Huainan Kingdom was divided into four parts, and instantly changed from a powerful country to a medium-sized country. The threat to the imperial court was much smaller. The King of Wu naturally did not want Wu to be like this, so he had to follow Luo Xin's footsteps and directly sent a letter of call to the princes.
However, the results were not satisfactory. On the one hand, he had not been in business long enough, the interest links were not strong enough, and he had not deceived people enough.
On the other hand, the King of Jiaodong in Qi was directly blocked in Qi by Marquis Che of the Lu family. The two supervised each other and no one thought of causing trouble.
King Han Liu Ruyi was blocking the most critical land. Compared with the other princes, he was closer to the imperial court due to the influence of Liu Ying and Luo Yi.
The King of Wu originally wanted to raise an army with the King of Yue, but he did not expect that the King of Yue, who always followed his lead, seemed to be unaware of this matter and hid in the old place where Yue State was held and refused to come out.
The King of Wu and the King of Huainan mobilized all the male men in their country, from the age of fourteen to sixty, and required them to go to the battlefield. Hundreds of thousands of people were going to fight the imperial army in the Jianghuai area.
When Han Xin saw so many people, he lost interest in fighting. He felt that he might have overestimated them.
"I don't know the soldiers!"
This is Han Xin's evaluation of the coalition forces of Huainan and Wu.
Han Xin knew very well how strong the troops he led were. With 5,000 soldiers fully armored and skilled in battle formations, it was impossible for them to lose against an army that was large in number but disorganized as a group, as long as the generals were normal.
Unless you meet a god like Han Xin who believes that the more you have, the better.
Although he looked down on the coalition forces of the two countries, Han Xin knew that this war not only had to be won, but also had to be won quickly, and without causing particularly heavy casualties. This was the reason why his eldest brother-in-law asked him to lead the troops personally.
Although these marquises who came with the army were not as good at commanding troops as their fathers, they were still brave and good at fighting. Han Xin easily defeated the flank of the Wu army on the bank of the Huai River, and then they collapsed one after another.
This happened three times in a row, and the coalition forces completely collapsed.
Han Xin forced himself to stop and did not cause any more killings.
The King of Wu and the King of Huainan surrendered.
The King of Huainan and the King of Wu were taken directly back to Chang'an City. Such criminals naturally had to be tried by the emperor.
This activity was specially arranged by Luo Xin as a lesson to Liu Heng, letting him know why the feudal lords had to be reduced.
This was the first time that Liu Heng met the Han royal family members guarding the four corners, his relatives, and also the people who betrayed him.
The King of Huainan and the King of Wu did not look embarrassed after being beaten, but the fear in their eyes made the two men look extremely timid. They did not have any of the aura of the rulers of millions of people and the kings of tens of thousands of brave soldiers.
After seeing Liu Heng, the two men knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, "Your Majesty, I really have no intention of rebelling. I am a relative of the Han Dynasty and can defend the land for you. Please forgive my mistakes."
Both the King of Huainan and the King of Wu knew that although Liu Heng did not personally rule the country, as long as Liu Heng asked to forgive them, Prime Minister Luo Xin would not object.
Liu Heng is a child, and children are the most soft-hearted. As long as you appeal to their emotions, he will definitely survive!
The two were thinking this in their hearts, and then they saw that Liu Heng's small body actually exuded a fierce aura. They couldn't help but be shocked, and a bad feeling instantly filled their hearts.
Liu Heng looked coldly at the King of Huainan and the King of Wu who were begging for mercy. Although he was young, he knew right from wrong, good from bad, and had a very high sense of honor for the world.
Now seeing the two kings in such a state, Liu Heng felt that it was a disgrace to the Liu royal family. Not to mention forgiving them, Liu Heng even wanted to drag the two of them out directly so that they would not be an eyesore in front of him.
“Why rebel?
Isn’t the grace the royal family has bestowed upon you enough?
The Han Dynasty was won by Emperor Taizu Gao, who was appointed by heaven, and a group of founding heroes who shed blood. They exterminated the tyrannical Qin Dynasty and defeated Xiang Yu. Was there not danger every time?
Your fathers didn't accomplish anything, but they were honored and respected just because of their blood relationship with Emperor Taizu Gao. Are you still not satisfied?
Do you still want to come to Chang'an and sit on the emperor's throne?
Do you still want to wear the emperor’s crown?
Then you are wrong!
Under the King Su, under the heavens, there is only one, the Son of Heaven!
The Emperor Gao passed the throne to the late Emperor, and the late Emperor passed it to me. The next Son of Heaven must be determined by me. If I don’t give it to him, no one can snatch it away!
Even if they are from the Liu royal family, anyone who touches them will die."
Liu Heng's voice was not loud, but it was filled with deep anger and chill, and even murderous intent.
Luo Xin said nothing, but the satisfaction in his eyes grew stronger and stronger. As a king, it is a very important quality to not be easily influenced by others.
The King of Huainan and the King of Wu were somewhat panicked. They did not expect Liu Heng to be so ruthless at such a young age. The King of Huainan quickly said, "Your Majesty, we are all relatives of the Han Dynasty, your relatives. Are we not as trustworthy as those meritorious officials?
I am innocent. It is the treacherous officials in the court who are trying to sow discord between you and me. Your Majesty, you must see clearly."
As soon as the King of Huainan opened his mouth, the King of Wu felt that he was in trouble. Why don’t you say something else? You said there are treacherous ministers in the court.
The King of Wu was still trying to make amends, but Liu Heng did not give him the chance and shouted angrily, "You are such an unrepentant evildoer.
Traitor?
Who is the traitor?
Are you talking about my uncle, the Regent Prime Minister?
The Grand Prime Minister has been in power since the time of Empress Gao, and was ordered by the late Emperor to assist him.
He also followed the late emperor's will and held the Han Dynasty in one hand and carried me on his back in the other. For the past thirty years, the whole country has been in peace.
After reading through the history books, this is the second Su Wang!
You actually say that such a loyal minister is a traitor?
Turn out your heart, lungs and intestines and clean them up, they stink.
Someone come here! "
Liu Heng's angry voice was heard far away. The guards on both sides of the hall immediately stepped forward. Liu Heng waved his hands with disgust and said, "Take them out and deal with them according to Han law. I don't want to see these two evildoers again."
The King of Wu wanted to say something more, saying that he and the King of Huainan were not on the same side, but the guards did not give him the opportunity. They simply covered his mouth tightly to prevent him from saying any dirty words that would displease the emperor.
The King of Huainan was completely stunned. He never expected this would be the outcome. We are a family. We are the royal family of the Han Dynasty.
By the time the two kings were dragged out, Liu Heng was a little out of breath for a moment. The emotional outburst just now was too tiring for his slightly thin body.
Liu Heng stood there for a long time without moving, and Luo Xin stayed beside him without saying anything. After an unknown amount of time, Liu Heng slowly came back to his senses. Seeing that Luo Xin was still standing, he quickly said, "I was a little distracted for a moment. Uncle, you are old, please sit down quickly."
Luo Xin and Liu Heng sat down and asked with a smile: "Your Majesty must have had a lot of thoughts just now."
Liu Heng asked hesitantly, "Uncle, is it true that there is no long-lasting loyalty and trust in this world?
Why did the Ji-Jiang alliance last for a thousand years during the Bang Zhou period, and why were the Luo and Lu families still close until the time of Empress Gao?
In the past, when King You of Zhou lost his country, the princes of the Ji clan, such as Jin and Zhang, worked together to stabilize the status of the Zhou royal family. If it were not for the bloody royal capital of King Xi, the Zhou Dynasty might even have returned to its old land of Fenghao in Guanzhong.
At that time, the Zhou Dynasty had been in existence for more than two hundred years, but the Han Dynasty had only been in existence for a few decades, and only three generations, and the princes had become so alienated from the royal family that had granted them the land.
I don’t understand!
I really don’t understand!
Uncle, your wisdom is profound, please help me solve my doubts."
Liu Heng's eyes were full of confusion as he looked at Luo Xin. Luo Xin looked at Liu Heng and sighed slightly, thinking to himself: Because that was the Bang Zhou established by King Wu and King Su, and the Mandate of Bang Zhou was the Mandate of the Luo family, and now is the Han Dynasty established by Liu Bang.
There is a difference between close and distant relatives.
But Luo Xin naturally couldn't say that. He pondered for a moment, then chanted: "The spirit of the Su King is in heaven, and the destiny of Bang Zhou will last forever!"
Luo Xin had taught him this hymn to the emperor, and it was also recorded in the classics of hundreds of schools of thought. He knew that it was used on the most important occasions during the Zhou Dynasty.
But what does it have to do with his current problem?
Luo Xin sang again: "The spirit of the Su King is in the sky, and the glory of the Xia people will last for thousands of years."
The Zhou state and the various Xia states.
The end of the Zhou Dynasty was the beginning of the Xia Dynasty.
No big men!
Liu Heng understood some of it, but not some of it.
But he knew that the Lu family was not special, the princes with the surname Ji were not special, the special one was the Luo family.
The key hub for maintaining relations between the Zhou royal family and these allies was the Luo family.
"Uncle."
Liu Heng bowed to Luo Xin again and said sincerely: "Thanks to you."
————
In the early days of the Han Dynasty, Dong'a Hou Luo Xin was the most critical founder. He ruled for a very long time, had great political prestige, and was extremely capable in governing the country.
He came to power during the reign of Empress Lü, the second de facto ruler of the Han Dynasty, and formulated a series of financial and taxation systems for the dynasty. Huang-Lao and Confucianism came into being during this period. Of course, the most prominent were the Legalists of Qi who were good at finance.
During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, Luo Xin began to deal with the problem of the powerful princes. Reducing the power of the princes was an eternal theme in ancient history.
The central court always tried its best to reduce excessive power of local governments, but Luo Xin's reduction of power was different. After suppressing the rebellions of King Huainan and King Wu, he did not directly make the local governments entities dependent on the central government, but retained a certain degree of autonomy. He only abolished the feudal system of the pre-Qin period and the Liu Bang period, and instead formed a form of floating states.
From the decrees he issued and the subsequent policies, it can be seen that his goal was to create a dynamic balance between the central court and the localities, reduce internal friction while enhancing vitality, try his best to maintain the fighting power of the permanent property holders, that is, the aristocracy, and in this way slow down the pace of land annexation. His reforms can be said to be very successful. - "The Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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