The Strong Man in the World (47)
Main author: Xian Lesheng Zhu Hui
After the Liu He deposed incident, Huo Guang although his authority became more powerful, he also lost face. As mentioned before, when Huo Guang deposed the emperor, he actually did not prepare a candidate (this also shows that this matter has nothing to do with Liu He's character). So next, Huo Guang no longer dared to make hurried decisions. He decided to let the Queen Mother temporarily suspend the administration, and then conduct a detailed inspection and careful screening to find a good and obedient new emperor from the Liu clan!
However, Huo Guang looked at all the clans, princes, emperorschildren and grandchildren in the world, and he felt that they were all dissatisfied. They were either too stupid or stupid, or too cruel and dissolute. After repeated over and over again, there was no one he liked. At this moment, a great-grandson of Emperor Wu who was living among the people came into Huo Guang's sight. This great-grandson of the emperor was the only survivor of the witchcraft disaster in the prince's house. The grandson of Prince Wei Liu Ju and the grandson of Emperor Liu Jin's son Liu was ill.
At that time, Liu Ju's family was executed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, leaving only the infant Liu Bing in prison. In this way, Liu Ju's political opponents still refused to let the little boy go, and wanted to eradicate the child. Fortunately, the then warden Bingji risked his life to save him. At this time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also came to his senses, so he granted amnesty to the whole country and took advantage of the situation to release Liu Bing from prison. However, Bing Ji was still young and had no one to take care of him, so Bingji paid for the female prisoners to raise him. Later, when Emperor Zhao came to the throne, Liu Bing was completely rehabilitated. He was registered in the Zongzheng Mansion, registered as a clan household, and was adopted into Yeting (a community where palace service personnel such as maids and eunuchs lived together). However, he was still unknown to the public, so he never had an official position or a title. He only wandered around the streets and alleys every day, fighting chickens and lackeys, helping people in need, and became a slightly famous "Wuling Hero". Later, Ye Ting ordered Zhang He to be very optimistic about him (Note 1), so he invited famous teachers to teach him "The Book of Songs", "The Analects of Confucius", and "The Classic of Filial Piety", and tried his best to train this young man and help him He entered the circle of the children of the top dignitaries in the capital, such as Du Tuo, the son of the servant Du Yannian, and Zhang Pengzu, the son of General Zhang Anshi (Note 2), who were all his good brothers.
Fast forward more than ten years, Bingji has been promoted to the rank of General-General Shi, and has also been appointed as Doctor Guanglu. He is a close confidant of General Huo Guang. At this critical moment when the heir to the throne is uncertain, Bingji takes the opportunity to recommend Liu Bingji to Huo Guang, saying that this young man He is already eighteen years old, has good meditative skills, has beautiful talents, and is a good boy. He knows how to respect the elderly and the virtuous, and he knows how to be grateful. In short, he is much more qualified than that bastard Liu He. What's more important is that he has no roots or gangs, and his father-in-law Xu Guanghan is just a prisoner, so there is nothing to worry about. After hearing this, Huo Guang felt it was okay and said he could consider it.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Huo Guang raised it at the court meeting, everyone immediately raised their hands and passed it. It seems that although Prince Wei Liu Zhi had been framed and died tragically, he still left a huge political legacy for his grandson Liu Bing. After all, Liu Zheng had been the prince for thirty years. In his later years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty liked to travel around. He often handed over everything to Liu Zhi whenever he left the palace. Liu Zhi had a generous temperament and liked to recruit guests and support scholars. He often vindicated things that he thought were excessive punishments, and often promoted some talented people among the people, so he had far-reaching and profound political prestige in the government and the public. These people in the government and the public who sympathized with Liu Bing were the largest supporters of Liu Bing's rise to power. In addition, Huo Guang's elder brother Huo Qubing and Liu Zhi are cousins. With this relationship, Huo Guang also has a special affection for Liu Bing.
So, on July 25th of that year, Liu Bing had entered the palace, and the officials reported to the Queen Mother to support Bing as the new king of the Han Dynasty, and he was Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty . From prisoner to emperor, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty became the only civilian emperor in Chinese history who emerged in the middle stage of the feudal dynasty.
To be honest, Huo Guang is really awesome. He dared to establish an emperor, then deposed him, and then established another emperor. In the end, he did not leave a bad reputation and became a rebellious official and traitor. Instead, he became the number one contributor to the resurgence of the Han Dynasty. He built the Qilin Pavilion and was praised by all generations.This requires a lot of moral courage, political luck, and proficient political struggle ability...
What is even more impressive is that the fifteen-year-old Shangguan Empress Dowager, because her husband Emperor Zhao of the Han was the grandfather of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, was promoted to one level this time and became the Empress Dowager, and she was also the youngest Empress Dowager in Chinese history (Note 3).
Huo Guang, the maternal grandfather of the Empress Dowager Shangguan, naturally became the highest-ranking relative in Chinese history. He was four generations older than Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty.
At this point, this farce and tragicomedy about the ownership of the throne has finally settled, and Huo Guang Zhao Chongguo and others breathed a long sigh of relief. Soon, the new emperor issued an edict to grant amnesty to the whole country, and commended those ministers who had made decisions and supported the establishment of the emperor. He was granted the title of nobility or the title of marquis, and he awarded as many as 23 people in one breath, especially the general Huo Guang and the cavalry general Zhang Anshi. And 17,200 households were granted "more meritorious than Taiwei Jianghou Zhou Bo", totaling 20,000 households, ten times more than before, the highest number of marquises in the Western Han dynasty; at the same time, Emperor Xuan also rewarded him with 7,000 catties of gold, 60 million yuan, 30,000 pieces of silk, 170 slaves, 2,000 horses, and a mansion; this is simply the treatment of princes and kings . Zhang Anshi, on the other hand, served as the Right General for thirteen years in Emperor Zhao's dynasty before being granted 3,040 households. Now, he has been granted 10,600 households in one breath with "comparable merit to Prime Minister Chen Ping ". His sons Zhang Qianqiu, Zhang Yanshou, and Zhang Pengzu (this family really wants to live another five hundred years) were all worshiped as Zhonglang, General, and Attendant by Emperor Xuan. You know, Wei QingWhat great contributions Huo Qubing made, but in the end there were only 15,000 households. Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty was too generous.
Zhao Chongguo, who had not been enfeoffed for a long time, was finally granted the title of Yingpinghou with 1,279 households.
Regardless of quantity or quality, this is the largest reward for meritorious service since the founding of the Han Dynasty, except for the founding of the country by Emperor Gaozu. Through this reward, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty not only won over most of the important officials in the court, but also loosened the political alliance between Huo Guang and Zhang Anshi. It can be seen that Liu Bing was not only a grateful emperor, but also an emperor with deep political wisdom.
Of course, Huo Guang still has the final say in the current court. All major court affairs must be dealt with by Huo Guang before being reported to the emperor. Even the military power of the imperial army is controlled by the son-in-law of the Huo family. Liu Bing has always shown respect and trust to Huo Guang. All this will be left to time. After all, Lao Huo is already around sixty, and Liu Bing is only eighteen years old. He can afford to wait.
Sure enough, six years later, Huo Guang finally completed his historical mission and it was time to hit the road. In the spring of the second year of Dijie (68 BC), Huo Guang, who had worked hard all his life, finally died of illness. When Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty heard the news, he was sad, happy, and a little excited, so he and the Empress Dowager went to Huo Mansion to attend the funeral in person. He had mixed feelings and was possessed by drama. He shed tears and held a state funeral for him in accordance with the emperor's etiquette. He presented him with jade clothes, Zi Palace, Bianfang, Huangchangticuo, Dongyuan Wenming and other royal funeral utensils (Note 4), and also used the emperor's special Huangwuzuozi (yellow car cover and yak car decoration) and Si Horses and carriages carried his coffin. At the same time, five sergeants of the Northern Army (Forbidden Army) were mobilized to bury him, and Sanhe Guardsmen (the most elite border defense force in the empire) were mobilized to build a cemetery and an ancestral hall for him. Five ministers were dispatched to be responsible for the construction of the mausoleum. In addition, it was also stipulated that officials in the court with a salary of more than 2,000 dan should go to Huo Guang's home to worship. Finally, 300 households were assigned to guard the tomb for him, and full-time officials such as chiefs and ministers were set up to be responsible for guarding the tomb and offering sacrifices to him.
In addition, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty also issued an edict saying that Huo Guangsu Wei was loyal and upright, as successful as Xiao He, and gave him the extremely glorious double posthumous title "Xuan Cheng". "Sheng Shan Zhou Wen" is called "Xuan", and "the people are settled and the government is established" is called "Cheng". In the "Posthumous Law Explanation", they are also comments reserved for emperors. This kind of grace is simply chilling.
Then, Emperor Xuan issued an edict appointing Huo Guang's son Huo Yu as the right general Grand Sima . Huo Guang's nephew Huo Shan was appointed as the captain of Fengche to be the minister. Huo's relatives all lived in the guards and exempted Huo Guang's descendants from taxes and corvee for generations.
Seeing Emperor Xuan's arrangement, it seems that the era of the hereditary shogunate of the Huo family is coming. However, it is a pity that after nearly a hundred years of autocratic imperial power cultivation in the three dynasties of Wen, Jing, and Wu, it is impossible for such an era to come. Everything is an appearance and everything is smoke.
The reason why Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty did this was, first of all, out of gratitude. After all, without Huo Guang, there would be no Liu Bingji today, let alone the revival of the Han Dynasty. In fact, the so-called "Han Xuan Zhongxing" is half of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty and half of Xuancheng Hou Huo Guang. Half; but the more important thing is the second point, praise and kill. Liu Bing has planned to kill the Huo family. Not only does he want to bury Huo Guang in great splendor, but he also wants to reward the Huo family excessively, so that they will be pampered and arrogant. If arrogance leads to chaos, he can legitimately eliminate the threat and maintain the good reputation of loving and protecting heroes. Therefore, Huo Guang naturally became the minister with the highest funeral standards in Chinese history. However, behind this infinite scenery and honor, there was a murderous intention and an abyss lurking.
In short, Liu Bing has finally recovered, and the thorns in his back that have been bothering him for so many years have finally disappeared! Emperor Xuan felt refreshed and comfortable, so he gradually took back his power and boiled the frog in warm water for half a year.
It was not until August of the second year of Dijie (68 BC) that Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty finally took back the military power of the Chang'an Forbidden Army from the Huo family and their sons-in-law. Facts have proved that this emperor, a civilian emperor who was affectionate and righteous, also had great willpower and was a political master who was proficient in power.
Liu Bing has been a puppet emperor in name only for 6 years under Huo Guang's power. Over the past 6 years, he has been secretly accumulating strength and cultivating confidants, but he never dared to touch a hair of Huo Guang's party. This is because he knows that he will never win the battle in his life. Huo Guang is a terrifying opponent, so he can only wait and endure until death helps him win the game. Then he can turn the gears of imperial power again and gradually chip away at the military power controlled by the Huo family's party through overt and covert promotions, transfers to other counties, and disintegration.
In fact, Huo Guang can still be regarded as Emperor Xuan's teacher of strategy, but he is better than his master. In fact, although the two men had very different identities, they had quite similar life experiences. They had both been involved in the folk market in their early years. They both stepped onto the political stage by chance. They spent years or even decades keeping a low profile before finally making a fortune. The corrupt scholars and second-generation officials in the court simply could not play their tricks and could only be led by them.
Then there was peace for more than a year. In the fourth year of the Zhidi Festival (66 BC), Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty took action again and wiped out the entire Huo family who had been relieved of military power, fearful day and night, and decided to take risks and launch a coup. There was Sima Qian's grandson Yang Yun). Except for Huo Guang's daughter Queen Huo who was condemned to Zhaoyang Palace and escaped death (and later committed suicide), there were thousands of Huo family members whose "diers married as servants, Zhucao, Jiuqing, and county guards" and who were connected to the Huo family and were killed (Note 5).
This is exactly what happened: watching him build a Zhulou, watching him entertain guests, watching his building collapse...
It collapsed completely!
For a time, Chang'an was shaken, and the ministers were frightened, and they were in panic all day long. After all, Huo Guang has been in power for twenty years. Even if the people in the court are not his relatives and best friends, they are also his students and former officials. There is no one who can stand alone.
So, on a dark and windy night, Zhao Chongguo, a veteran general from the Four Dynasties, entered the palace alone and talked secretly with Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty all night. No one knew what they said that night.
Afterwards, a friend asked Zhao Chongguo what happened that night, but Zhao Chongguo smiled mysteriously and kept it secret.How can the secrets of the palace be leaked easily, or you will be beheaded!
Not long after, Emperor Xuan issued an edict, saying that because there were phoenixes gathering in the area of Mount Tai and Chenliu, and there was nectar falling in the Weiyang Palace , this was an auspicious omen. Therefore, in order to build a beautiful Han harmonious society, he declared a general amnesty for the world. It is also solemnly emphasized that although the Huo family has committed serious crimes of rebellion, it has nothing to do with the deceased General Huo Guang. The general has been in charge of the empire for twenty years, but he has always adhered to the principles of being a minister and was loyal to the country. His moral integrity has been tested and no one can doubt it (Note 6). The reason why Emperor Xuan did this was partly due to Huo Guang's contribution. More importantly, Emperor Xuan was able to succeed to the throne as the grandson of the crown prince because of Huo Guang's push. If this was denied, the legitimacy of Emperor Xuan's own political system would be questioned; and the fourth son of Emperor Wu of Han Prince Guangling Liu Xu is still alive. If Huo Guang is overthrown, who knows whether Liu Xu will take the opportunity to run out and cause trouble.
Since Emperor Xuan has spoken, the Han family and later generations generally affirm Huo Guang's loyalty and contribution to the Han Dynasty (Note 7). His biggest problem is that he did not restrain his family's arrogant behavior, did not strictly educate his descendants, and did not let his descendants retreat bravely. Of course, when you reach Huo's status, it is difficult to escape unscathed. Giving up power may lead to death faster.
In short, a new great era belonging to Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty has finally arrived!
Note 1: Zhang He was originally a disciple of Prince Wei. After the great change in witchcraft, he was sentenced to castration . He was in charge of Ye Ting, so he could take care of and support the grandson of his old master. After Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty came to the throne, in order to repay Bingji and Zhang He, he named Bingji Marquis of Boyang and promoted him to prime minister, while Zhang He was posthumously named Marquis of Ende (Zhang He has passed away) and set up 200 people to guard his tomb. It can be seen from this that extending a small helping hand to a noble person in distress is a sign of kindness and a worthwhile investment. However, adding insult to injury to Li Guang like Ba Lingwei did is just to make a good talk for a while and then suffer disaster afterwards. Why bother?
Note 2: Zhang He is Zhang Anshi's younger brother. His son died young, so Zhang Anshi adopted Zhang Pengzu to Zhang He. Because of this relationship, Zhang Pengzu Shao and Emperor Xuan sat at the same table and studied books in Yeting. The two had a deep relationship and often traveled together.
Note 3: What is even more exaggerated is that 25 years later, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty passed away and Emperor Han Yuan came to the throne. The 42-year-old Shangguan became the youngest imperial great-grandmother and concubine in Chinese history, and died ten years later. During the long night, the sound of copper leaks stopped. Although the Shangguan family had a high status, they had been widowed in the palace for nearly forty years. Both of their parents were killed by the husband's family. It was a lonely and miserable life.
Note 4: Zi Gong refers to the coffin made of catalpa wood; Dongyuan Wenming refers to the lacquered wood cladding made by royal craftsmen; Huang Chang Ti Coo refers to a square wall built with cypress poles in the corridor of the tomb to prevent tomb robbers.
Note 5: This is recorded in " Hanshu ", and " Zizhi Tongjian " records dozens of companies. This number may be more reliable. In addition, Huo Guang's granddaughter Shangguan, as the empress of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, is the grandmother in the sense of the Han imperial line, so she has not been implicated.
Note 6: Fifteen years later, in the third year of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty (51 BC), Emperor Xuan built a Qilin Pavilion because he thought about the "beauty of the brachium and buttocks", and displayed portraits of the eleven heroes of the Han Dynasty. Huo Guang still ranked first, and he was the only one to enjoy the highest courtesy of "professing a minister without a name". The portrait was recorded as "Da Sima, General Bo Luhou, surnamed Huo". In addition, after Huo Guang, during the reigns of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty and his son Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, there was no longer the post of general.
Note 7: For example, before Li Shimin passed away, he said to Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang: "You are loyal and loyal, and Jane is in my heart. In the past, Han Wu sent Huo Guang, and Liu Bei asked Ge Liang. I will entrust you with your future affairs." ("Old Book of Tang·Biography of Chu Suiliang") actually compared Huo Guang with Zhuge Liang and believed that they were both models of loyal ministers.
