Chapter 118 Suppressing the Rebellion
The early years of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bang smiled and said: "This Chen Ping..." He really lived up to the reputation of being good at planning for himself. He was indeed smart, and he could really use his wisdom to protect himself.

He remembered that when Chen Ping first returned to Han, some people said that he had bad conduct and was greedy for bribes, and therefore could not be trusted or reused. However, Chen Ping calmly stated the reasons why he defected to Nai Gong and accepted bribes, and also spoke well of Nai Gong, thus gaining Nai Gong's trust.

By the way, who were the people who said Chen Ping was two-faced? I think it was Zhou Bo and Guan Ying.

Zhou Bo, Liu Bang made a cruel judgment on Zhou Bo. This man might not necessarily bring about great disaster, after all, he was not that stupid, and Liu Heng did not seem that absolute, but he would definitely have to suffer a beating before the end.

Why? Isn't that natural?

Han Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Hui.

Lu Zhi also laughed. She had also experienced Chen Ping's self-seeking.

It has to be said that Chen Ping really calculated the situation and people's hearts just right. Not only was he able to protect himself, but he was also able to obtain rewards... Such a person would not go against the current situation when there is no hope.

Han Dynasty, during the first year before Emperor Wen.

Liu Heng was indeed very satisfied with Chen Ping. This Marquis Qu Ni was always able to understand his intentions, find a just right balance and entry point in everything, and handle affairs efficiently and competently. In the end, he gave him the posthumous title of "Xian", which was a reward for his life.

But Zhou Bo...

Liu Heng looked at Liu Qi and said, "Do you understand?"

Liu Qi replied seriously: "Your son knows that this is just a helpless act." It's not that there is any hostility, it's just an inevitable choice.

Liu Heng nodded. Yes, it was a helpless move. What else could I do? I am still very grateful to Marquis Jiang for his contribution in pacifying the Lü clan and choosing me to ascend the throne. I also appreciate his contribution to the Han Dynasty's conquests and defense against foreign enemies.

However, I have no choice. Chen Ping has retreated, but the others don't know how to retreat. In terms of rewards based on merit, Marquis Jiang is the first, but he is not as good as Chen Ping in judging the situation. Naturally, I can only use Marquis Jiang to weaken the arrogance of those meritorious officials.

After all, the example of the previous loser is still hanging there bloody.

Moreover, I have been very lenient and have never fabricated false accusations.

How did Liu Heng do it? He first hinted to Zhou Bo.

One day, Zhou Bo and Chen Ping were both there, and Liu Heng asked Zhou Bo: "How many cases are judged every year in the world nowadays?" Zhou Bo could not answer.

So Liu Heng asked Zhou Bo again: "What is the annual income and expenditure of the country now?" Zhou Bo still could not answer.

In this case, Liu Heng asked Chen Ping the same question. Chen Ping did not give a clear answer, but said that both matters "had a master", and "If Your Majesty asks about the case, you should hold the Chief Justice responsible; if you ask about money and grain, you should hold the Minister of Grain responsible."

Liu Heng asked him, since there are people in charge of these things, what are the responsibilities of the prime minister? Chen Ping said: "To assist the emperor in managing yin and yang, following the four seasons, and nurturing all things, to pacify the barbarians and the princes, to be close to the people, and to enable the ministers to perform their duties."

This incident had a great impact on Zhou Bo, and he felt the pressure. At the same time, someone advised him about his appointment as the Right Prime Minister, "You were the one who killed the Lü clan and welcomed the King of Dai. Now you are boasting about your achievements, receiving rewards from above, and holding an honorable position. The disaster will soon befall you."

Zhou Bo was not a fool. After hearing this, he understood his situation. Liu Heng had asked him questions, so Zhou Bo resigned from the position of Right Prime Minister due to illness, and Chen Ping became the sole Prime Minister.

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Liu Che knew Zhou Bo's deeds in detail, but even more crucial than him was his son Zhou Yafu.

"Wu Hou is honest and sincere, tactful and taciturn. He is not good at government affairs and is indeed not suitable for the position of Right Prime Minister." Not only is he not good at government affairs, he doesn't even know how to handle politics and how to act. In the end, he was accused of treason.

Thinking of the father and son of the Zhou family, Liu Che's eyes were far-reaching. Zhou Bo was okay, as he was able to realize his arrogance; but Zhou Yafu was really like that, he was arrogant and conceited, unable to see the situation clearly, and unrepentant.

Qin Dynasty.

As a military general, Wang Jian was quite politically savvy. He looked at Zhou Bo's various actions in the sky and shook his head secretly.

Although Zhou Bo realized his problems and situation at this time and resigned from the position of right prime minister, could he last long? Not necessarily. After all, he still needed others to remind him that he could not serve as the right prime minister.

If it were a more perceptive person, like Chen Ping, he would have responded as early as when Liu Heng appointed him as the right prime minister.

Now, although Chen Ping is the sole prime minister, how long will Chen Ping live? If he is not far away, then Zhou Bo will definitely be appointed as prime minister again by Liu Heng - can he make the right response?

Zhou Bo was certainly not stupid, but he was not smart enough either.

[More than a year later, Chen Ping died and was posthumously named Marquis Xian.

This posthumous title is very good, but it is a posthumous title after all. The person is dead, and the living have to consider more things - for example, who will take the position of prime minister?

Liu Heng then pulled Zhou Bo out and made him the prime minister. After all, Zhou Bo was a long-time minister and the most meritorious official in punishing the Lu family. Who else could it be if not you? 】

Qing Dynasty, late Kangxi period.

When the ministers in the hall saw this, they couldn't help but shudder, and didn't make a sound.

They fully understand such a situation, such a dead end situation, and the misery that will inevitably come with being involved!
Over the years, no matter those who had plans in mind or those who just wanted to do things and didn't want to get involved in other things, they were all involved in the life-and-death battle of this dynasty and could not get out at all.

It's so tragic! When everyone thinks about the situation in recent years, they can only sigh.

[After Chen Ping's death and Zhou Bo's reappointment as prime minister, the central government temporarily entered a period of stability.

The central government has calmed down, but problems are starting to arise again at the local level. 】

The early years of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bang suddenly became alert. The affairs of the central government were nothing more than those. The key lay in the group of meritorious officials who had killed Lu and supported the emperor. Liu Heng's actions since entering the capital had proved that he could handle these matters well.

But the place?

They are not the Huns. If they were the Huns, Tianmu would not have used the word "place".

So, what were there in the local areas? The princes - those princes of different surnames who were granted fiefs after he ascended the throne to consolidate his rule.

Liu Bang nodded. Probably... No! He suddenly denied his own speculation. Because of Lü Zhi. According to his understanding of Lü Zhi and his recognition of her ability, after Lü Zhi took power, even if she could not completely eliminate those foreign princes, she could at least weaken their power and prevent them from casually wielding a knife against the central government. At least they would not suddenly rebel now, just a few years after Liu Heng ascended the throne.

Who else could it be? The princes of the Liu family.

Lu Zhi glanced at him and said coldly: "How can the princes of your Liu family not rebel? Liu Heng is just your second son, and he has no reputation. If he can ascend the throne, why can't others?" Otherwise, why would she be so strict about guarding against Liu Bang's sons.

Don't forget that the person who made the greatest contribution at that time was Liu Xiang, but in the end he was not able to ascend the throne.

[After Liu Heng ascended the throne, in order to show favor to those who had made contributions and to appease the royal family, he conferred titles and rewards on the existing princes with the surname Liu and appointed a new group of princes with the surname Liu.

These princes who were granted favors and titles also became an important force in protecting the emperor. Their wings spread throughout the Han Dynasty, effectively fighting against the arrogant and conceited group of meritorious officials at that time, forming a certain degree of balance and helping Liu Heng stabilize the situation at that time.

After all, under the patriarchal system, the power of clans with the same surname is usually an important support for the patriarch.

However, the increase in the number of princes with the same surname did not only bring benefits, but also obvious disadvantages - this was clearly reflected in the case of Zhu Di in the Ming Dynasty, and Li Shimin in the Tang Dynasty was also an example to some extent.

Han Dynasty, during the first year before Emperor Wen.

Liu Heng sighed. Yes, after the princes with the same surname gave him clan support, they also brought the unique problems that originated from the same surname: rebellion and usurpation of the throne, and fighting for the throne.

If this problem was not obvious when he first ascended the throne and he did not feel deeply about it, it became quite clear after "Skyfall" showed the stories of emperors of several dynasties after the Han Dynasty.

We both have the surname Liu, so why can you be emperor but I can't? My power is equally strong!

The early years of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bang was also helpless about this. His plan was to establish a three-party check and balance to maintain the stability of the Han Dynasty. This plan was quite effective - at least it was still very useful before Liu Ying's death.

However, Liu Heng could not follow this plan. After all, he lacked the power of his relatives by marriage, and the power of the group of meritorious officials had increased because of their support for the new emperor. Therefore, apart from the princes of the same surname, what other choice did he have?

Ming Dynasty, Yongle period.

Zhu Di twitched his lips. Why did he have to be mentioned when telling the story of Emperor Wen of Han?
However, he was not wrong about the problem of these princes with the same surname. He had made preparations for this early on. He had already used methods such as reducing the power of the princes and providing them with honors. At this time, the princes of the Ming Dynasty could do nothing about the court.

Tang Dynasty, Wude period.

Li Yuan's breath was choked in his chest again, unable to move up or down, causing pain in his chest.

Why bring this up again? Why add insult to injury?

Didn't he know? Didn't he know that giving Erlang so much power and territory would cause problems? Didn't he read the history books and understand the dangers of kings with the same surname?
But what can he do! Erlang has made so many contributions, can he just ignore it?

Although he did not make Jilang the crown prince at that time, he was thinking about the eldest brother...

[Which princes did Liu Heng confer titles on?]

He first appointed Liu Sui, the son of Liu You, the former King You of Zhao, as the King of Zhao; and moved Liu Ze, the former King of Langye, to be the King of Yan.

Later, Liu Sui's brother Liu Qiang was made King of Hejian; Liu Zhang, Marquis of Zhuxu, was made King of Chengyang; Liu Xingju, Marquis of Dongmu, was made King of Jibei; the crown prince Liu Wu was made King of Dai, and later moved to King of Huaiyang, and later moved to King of Liang; Liu Can was made King of Taiyuan, and later moved to King of Dai; and Liu Yi was made King of Liang.

Except for the three princes, the others were members of the Liu clan, including the sons of Liu Heng's brothers.

Although this approach increased the power of the princes of the same surname to protect the emperor, it also boosted the power of some dissatisfied people, the representative figure being King of Jibei Liu Xingju.

Who was Liu Xingju? He was the third son of Liu Bang's eldest son Liu Fei. His eldest brother was Liu Xiang, who had great hopes of succeeding to the throne at that time, and his second brother was Liu Zhang, who was named King of Chengyang.

Liu Xiang started his rebellion because Liu Zhang, who was guarding Chang'an at the time, got wind of the news and secretly sent a letter to warn him. Liu Xingju was also in Chang'an at the time. They all planned to support Liu Xiang as emperor, but they failed. Instead, Liu Heng, who was insignificant in their eyes, "plucked the peach", and Liu Xiang died of illness the following year.

The early years of the Han Dynasty.

Since Liu Bang had figured out the problem, he no longer cared about it and became lazy again.

It was nothing more than an internal fight within the Liu family. It was the Liu family's business no matter what. Besides, Liu Heng did not look like a man without ability or confidence, so it would not be difficult to suppress the rebellion.

Of course, this is also because Liu Bang saw the miracle and introduced it to the dissatisfied people.

Since Liu Xingju and Liu Xiang wanted to support Liu Xiang, how could Liu Heng not know about this? Liu Heng must have known about this after ascending the throne for several years. Since he knew the original plan of these two people, couldn't he guess that Liu Xingju was dissatisfied with him and might even rebel? It is also impossible.

And if Liu Xingju decided to rebel, would the other princes follow him?
So this matter is not a big deal.

As for the fact that Liu Xingju is 80% likely to die, let him die. Everyone will die.

Han Dynasty, during the first year before Emperor Wen.

Liu Heng also remembered Liu Xingju, a person who did not occupy much place in his memory.

It was nothing else but that Liu Xingju's so-called "rebellion" was too frivolous and too insignificant. Although he intended to rebel, he did not seriously investigate intelligence, nor did he choose a good opportunity. In the end, he was defeated and committed suicide before he could even fight a few battles.

No experience at all.

[At this time, Liu Xingju's second brother Liu Zhang also passed away, leaving Liu Xingju alone. The weak and alone Liu Xingju began to look for an opportunity to start an uprising. After all, if he rebelled rashly, his strength would certainly not be able to defeat the central government.

However, what he called looking for the opportunity was actually no different from not looking for it.

In May of the third year, the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu led his troops to invade Henan Province, and raided the barbarians in Shangjun and Baosai, killing and looting the Han people.

At this time, Liu Heng arrived at Ganquan Palace, which was the Linguang Palace of the Qin Dynasty. In response to the invasion of the Right Wise King, he sent Prime Minister Guan Ying, yes, it was Guan Ying, to lead the troops to attack. At this time, the position of Taiwei had been abolished by Liu Heng, and the power was returned to the Prime Minister.

After the Huns withdrew, Liu Heng did not return to the capital immediately. Instead, he went to Taiyuan on the way to meet with the old ministers of Dai State. He also rewarded the local people and exempted them from taxes and labor service for three years.

It was at this time that Liu Xingju started his rebellion. According to his news, the emperor was going to attack the Huns, and Chang'an around him would inevitably be empty.

I have to say that this news is more than one step behind. 】

(End of this chapter)