Chapter 297 The Decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty (End of the Eastern Han Dynasty)

Note: Guys, please note that this chapter is still writing about the Eastern Han Dynasty, but it will end in this chapter!

The First Emperor really couldn't stand it anymore. Queen Zhang Dedou reminded him of a person who had a great influence on him, his mother Zhao Ji!

If he hadn't been more skilled, he might have been killed by his mother and Lao Ai together. But even if he succeeded, Zhao Ji's operations still left him with a shadow: there was a mother who wanted to give up her own son for the sake of an adulterer. Kill him!

Originally, after experiencing the Zhao Ji incident and hearing about Empress Lu's claim to control, the First Emperor was very wary of the harem and relatives interfering in politics. Now he has become more determined. He must find a way to prevent the harem and relatives from interfering in politics, so that the future kings of the Qin Dynasty cannot be allowed to do so. The story of him and Zhao Ji should not be repeated, let alone the "six queens coming to court" incident in Great Qin.

Li Nian continued: "Since the Western Han Dynasty, they have been hostile to the Han Dynasty. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, although the Xiongnu existed, they were no longer strong. If they could get supplies from the countries in the Western Regions, they might be able to recover some of their strength. Unfortunately, There is Ban Chao in the Western Regions.”

"At that time, the Huns were divided into Northern and Southern Huns. The Southern Huns were pro-Han and the Northern Huns were anti-Han. Dou Xian's request to send troops to conquer the Huns was not a sudden thought when he was on the verge of death. It was because the Southern Huns were requesting the Eastern Han Dynasty to send troops to attack the Northern Huns. This is the life-saving straw he can grasp!”

"At Dou Xian's initiative, the Eastern Han Dynasty court appointed him as a general of chariots and cavalry, wearing a gold seal and a purple ribbon, and went out to conquer the Northern Huns. In the second year, after preparations for food, grass, weapons and other supplies were completed, Dou Xian led his army to set off to fight with the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu. The enemy was defeated in the great battle at Jiluoshan."

"The Chanyu of the Northern Xiongnu fled. Dou Xian led his army to pursue the tribes of the Northern Xiongnu. They approached the Private Canal and Biduhai. He killed 13,000 people below the king and captured more than a million livestock, horses, cattle, sheep, and camels. A large number of Xiongnu tribes More than 200,000 people surrendered before and after.”

"After the great victory, Dou Xian and his deputy Geng Bing climbed up to Yanran Mountain and carved stones to commemorate the mighty virtue of the great Han Dynasty. They ordered Ban Chao's brother Ban Gu to make an inscription, which is 'Le Shi Yanran'."

Li Nian chanted the "Inscription on the Mountain of Feng Yanran" once, and when he heard the words "Surpassed Zhuoxie, crossed Anhou, rode on Yanran, crept to the district of Dunluo, burned the dragon court of Laoshang", the hearts of the three emperors were greatly moved. Youxi, Maodun can be regarded as a contemporary of them, but in this inscription he has become an ancient person.

But I always feel that compared with the achievement of "conquering the stone Yanran" and "sealing the wolf to live in Xu, and drinking from the vast sea of horses", there is still something missing.

This is actually because although this achievement was great, it did not hit the Huns at their peak. The most important achievement of Huo Qubing was too dazzling. It is amazing and regrettable that he achieved unparalleled achievements at such a young age.

"Although the Northern Huns were defeated, the Northern Huns chanyu fled. Dou Xian sent people to pursue him in an attempt to surrender. After being defeated by Dou Xian, the strength of the Northern Huns was greatly reduced, and everyone in the Northern Huns also knew that they were no longer a match for the Han Dynasty. ”

"After Dou Xianzhao surrendered, many Northern Huns surrendered. The Northern Xiongnu Chanyu also sent his younger brother You Wenyu, King Yi, to Luoyang to pay tribute to the Eastern Han Dynasty, and stayed to serve the Han and Emperor Liu Zhao."

"But Dou Xian believed that the Shanyu of the Northern Huns did not come to Luoyang in person and lacked sincerity, so he petitioned the court to send back King You Wenyu and prepare to attack the Northern Huns again."

"The Shanyu of the Northern Xiongnu saw that the Eastern Han Dynasty had repatriated his younger brother, and knew that something was wrong. He sent Prince Che Xie and others to Juyan fortress to meet Dou Xian, requesting to be professed to the Eastern Han Dynasty, and wanted to come to Beijing to see him."

"It seemed okay for the Shanyu of the Northern Xiongnu to do this, but he didn't expect that what the Eastern Han Dynasty needed was not the Northern Xiongnu who superficially surrendered, but the Northern Xiongnu who was completely defeated."

"Dou Xian didn't think so much at the time. After receiving the envoy sent by the Shanyu of the Northern Xiongnu, he asked the Eastern Han Dynasty court for instructions, and the court agreed that the Northern Xiongnu would surrender."

"However, at this time, the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu wrote a letter, suggesting that he take the opportunity to destroy the Northern Chanyu, and then the Northern and Southern Xiongnu merged and returned to the Han Dynasty."

Not to mention that the two Japs were more ruthless, the Southern Huns and the Northern Huns were originally one family, but after the split, they treated their former compatriots even more cruelly than those of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Being enemies of the same clan is more hateful than being enemies with outsiders.

"The Eastern Han Dynasty court agreed to the suggestion of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu, so the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu led his army to defeat the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu. But the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu escaped again, but this time, the Eastern Han Dynasty was also prepared to give the Northern Xiongnu a fatal blow."

"Dou Xian believed that the Northern Huns were weak and wanted to take the opportunity to completely eliminate them. In the third year of Yongyuan, the Eastern Han army defeated the Northern Huns at Jinwei Mountain and beheaded more than 5,000 people. The Northern Xiongnu chanyu fled again and disappeared, but the Xiongnu and The war in the Eastern Han Dynasty is not over yet.”

The Xiongnu are really tenacious. They have existed since the Qin Dynasty. They fought with the Han from the Western Han Dynasty to the Eastern Han Dynasty. They have not been completely destroyed and can continue to run around.

The First Emperor couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Maodun, you died well!

Thinking of this, the First Emperor said: "The Huns have existed since the Qin Dynasty and have existed for three hundred years in the Eastern Han Dynasty. They have existed for such a long time and seem to have jumped out of the 'law of historical cycles'. What is the reason?"

Li Nian really had never thought about this question. After thinking about it, he replied: "I think that the Huns can survive for so long for the following reasons: First, the Huns did not build a country based on farming, so they will not be like the Central Plains Dynasty. Seriously neglecting the land, they often plundered other countries to obtain what they needed when food and other supplies were insufficient, but the Central Plains dynasties often did not do this;"

This is very similar to some countries in the Age of Discovery. If you can't eat at home, you will rob other people's food. It's not wrong to say that they are like robbers.

"When looting, if they can rob enough of what they need, their own personal problems will be alleviated. If they cannot rob, they can also consume the population, which can still alleviate their own personal problems."

"The living environment and customs of the Huns are also important factors. The Huns live in desert grasslands, and in winter, there are often low temperatures, wind and snow in the grasslands, which can kill old people, women and children. The Huns also worship wolves and eagles, and believe that the weak and old deserve death. The young and the strong should live, this can also alleviate the problem;"

"The two Xiongnu are both a country and a clan. Dynasties are often destroyed, but clans remain forever. The same is true for our Huaxia clan. Many dynasties have changed, but the Huaxia clan has always existed."

"The third is because of the big Han. The big Han is a powerful enemy of the Xiongnu, which makes them worry day and night, forcing them to be strong enough. If they are not strong enough, how can they not fall in the fight with the big Han?"

The First Emperor thought about what Li Nian said and felt that it made sense, and then asked: "What happened to Ban Chao and Dou Xian?"

Li Niandao said: "Dou Xian made such a great contribution, so he was very famous. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, he took over the government and had power in both the government and the public. His brothers, nephews and nephews also held high positions. As a result, the Dou family became more domineering and arrogant. Even the slaves of the Dou family also relied on him. Doing evil under the influence of the Dou family.”

Meng Tian shook his head and commented: "If you act like this, disaster is not far away!"

Li Nian smiled and said: "Dou Xian was destroyed because they participated in the murder of the emperor. Emperor Liu Zhao of the Han Dynasty was young when he came to the throne, but he will eventually grow up. One day, Queen Zhang De Dou will return the power of the government to Liu Zhao . But how could Queen Zhang De Dou be willing to hand over power to Liu Zhao? ”

"Moreover, Liu Zhao was adopted by Liu Jin to Empress Zhang Dedou. Empress Zhang Dedou was not Liu Zhao's biological mother. On the contrary, she killed Liu Zhao's biological mother and had others hide it."

"Liu Zhao is getting stronger day by day, so Queen Zhang De Dou and others are naturally worried. In addition, the Dou family is domineering and has caused many conflicts with Liu Zhao. They are also worried that Liu Zhao will liquidate his crimes after taking power, so it is better to strike first. ! ”

"Then I came up with the idea of killing Liu Zhao and establishing a new emperor. If I establish a young emperor, wouldn't they be able to continue to ensure their power and status?"

"Unexpectedly, although Liu Zhao was only fourteen years old at that time, he was extremely intelligent. He secretly learned about the plans of Queen Zhang Dedou and others, and also planned how to counterattack. It turned out that Liu Zhao was superior and Yu Yongyuan In April of the fourth year, all those involved in his murder were wiped out."

This little emperor is quite powerful. At only fourteen years old, he has such courage and wisdom. He not only discerned the enemy's plot, but also killed the powerful enemy in one fell swoop.

Li Niandao: "After being counterattacked by Liu Zhao, Liu Zhao did not immediately deal with Dou Xian out of concern for Queen Zhang De Dou, but asked Dou Xian and other Dou family members to return to their fiefdom. When Dou Xian and others arrived, he forced them to do so. After committing suicide, Dou Xian died and Queen Zhang De Dou lost power."

"Dou Xian had a huge impact on the Eastern Han Dynasty and even the entire world. Because of his conquests against the Northern Huns, he drove the remnants of the Northern Huns to the west. They arrived at Zhuzhou (Europe) and invaded all the way to the west. Finally, he came to Rome and destroyed Rome at that time."

Li Nian couldn't help laughing when he said this. People from Zhuzhou, this, this? He couldn't even defeat the defeated generals of the Eastern Han Dynasty, so how could he be a match for the Han Dynasty?

The first emperor and the other three also had similar thoughts. The Huns who were defeated by the Eastern Han Dynasty actually went to the west and destroyed the powerful country of Zhuzhou. It seems that the people of Zhuzhou are not good either!

The First Emperor shook his head and said: "Although Dou Xian is very capable and has the ability to 'conquer Shi Yanran', he is too domineering and arrogant, and he has a right to die!"

After commenting on this sentence, the First Emperor asked again: "How is Ban Chao doing in the Western Regions?"

He was more interested in Ban Chao than Dou Xian, and wanted to know what he had done in the Western Regions. Li Niandao: "What happened in Luoyang did not affect Ban Chao's operations in the Western Regions. He led his Western Region coalition forces to defeat the Kushan Empire, the country that gave Liu Jin lions and giraffes. The Kushan Empire was the migration of the Yuezhi people An empire established further west.”

"During the Western Han Dynasty, the Yueshi people were defeated by the Huns and moved westward. Later, they were defeated by Wusun supported by the Huns and moved westward again. This time they found a country weaker than them. This country was mentioned in "Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Biography of the Western Regions" "Da Xia" is called "Da Xia", but in fact it has nothing to do with the Xia of Xia, Shang and Zhou."

"The Yuezhi people defeated this country, seized its land, and established the Great Yuezhi Kingdom. Later, the Great Yuezhi Kingdom became more powerful and wider, and established the Kushan Empire!

The people in the west are really not good. The Xiongnu who were driven away by the Eastern Han Dynasty can go to Zhuzhou to destroy the country, and the Yuezhi people who are driven away by the Xiongnu can also destroy the country. So if the Qin Dynasty drives over, can't they all be taken?

"The Kushan Empire and Ban Chao started fighting because the Yuezhi King of the Kushan Empire proposed to marry an Eastern Han princess as his wife when he sent an envoy to pay tribute to lions and giraffes to the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, Ban Chao refused. Out of resentment, he sent troops to attack Ban Chao."

"But the Yuezhi people have been moving west for too long, and there is no country in their area to rival them. They have long forgotten the strength of the Han Dynasty, and were defeated by Ban Chao. The entire Kushan Empire was shocked by this and paid tribute to the Eastern Han Dynasty every year."

Meng Tian smiled and said: "This reminds them of how they got there. If they don't get beaten, they are dishonest!"

Li Niandao: "In the third year of Yongping, Liu Zhao reestablished the Protectorate of the Western Regions and appointed Ban Chao as the new Protector. When he was protecting the Western Regions, more than fifty countries in the Western Regions surrendered to the Eastern Han Dynasty again and sent protons to the Eastern Han Dynasty. ”

"Ban Chao was also named 'Marquis of Dingyuan' by Liu Zhao for his merits, and history books often call him Ban Dingyuan. But Ban Chao's merits were not limited to the Western Regions, and he even sent envoys to the Qin Dynasty in the west."

Hearing Li Nian mention the "Great Qin in the West", the First Emperor became a little interested and asked: "What country is the Great Qin in the West?"

After Li Nian answered "Roman Empire", the First Emperor's interest suddenly weakened. Is a country that was destroyed by the Xiongnu worthy of being called "Great Qin"? It is simply an insult to his Great Qin. If Great Qin comes to the West in the future, it will make sure that the Western countries are not allowed to use the name "Qin".

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"But the envoys sent by Banchao failed to reach Rome. They only returned after reaching the Mediterranean. However, they reached Tiaozhi, Parthia and other countries. These countries also sent envoys to pay tribute to the Eastern Han Dynasty."

"After staying in the Western Regions for many years, Ban Chao was old and homesick day by day. In the fourteenth year of Yongyuan, Ban Chao returned to Luoyang and died of illness in Luoyang at the age of seventy-one!"

"Ban Chao is the person who has made the greatest contribution since the Han Dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Without him, the Eastern Han Dynasty might have lost control of the Western Regions when Liu Jin was in power. That's why I said more!"

The First Emperor nodded and said: "Ban Dingyuan is stationed in the border for the country and is stationed in the far distance. My Qin will also have such a son, guarding the border for the Qin and intimidating all directions!"

After saying this, the First Emperor asked again: "What happened to Liu Zhao later? At the age of fourteen, he was able to counteract Dou Xian and others, so he should have made a difference?"

But I had already heard from Li Nian that there was a "sixth empress coming to court" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Liu Zhao's affairs might not be too good.

As expected, Li Nian said: "Liu Zhao is quite intelligent and capable, and he has made great achievements both internally and externally. It is generally believed that the Eastern Han Dynasty reached its peak in his hands."

But when it reaches its peak, it means that it has reached the highest level and cannot go higher. The next step is to maintain stability or decline downwards, which is most likely to decline downwards.

"If it is his father Liu Jin who left behind the problems of the harem and the interference of relatives in politics, then Liu Zhao has experienced these things personally and has not changed. However, this cannot be entirely blamed on him. After all, he passed away like his father. Very early, at the age of twenty-seven.”

"It is said that few emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty after Liu Zhuang lived long. Due to their early death, many emperors and princes had few or even no heirs. In addition, due to factors such as harems, relatives, and eunuchs intervening in politics, the emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty changed frequently, and the reigns were There are very few who are older, and many of them are still young, they have reached the throne before they grow up, and then pass away."

"Therefore, later generations also called the Eastern Han Dynasty the 'Eastern Han Kindergarten', meaning that there were many infant emperors. The same was true for Liu Zhao. He died young. Although he had heirs left behind, they were all too young, and one was sick while the other was on the throne. He was only a hundred days old.”

After listening to this, the three emperors understood that even if the Eastern Han Dynasty didn't have much problems in the first place, it would become a problem under such circumstances. The emperor was probably a child of several years old, or even a baby that was more than a hundred days old. There is a ghost.

A strange thought came to the mind of the First Emperor: Could it be that the previous emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty did too well, so God wanted to make up for it later and deliberately weakened the Eastern Han Dynasty?

Li Nian didn't know the superstition emerging in the heart of the First Emperor, and continued: "A baby that is more than a hundred days old can't even walk, and it has to be carried to court. It is naturally impossible to handle political affairs, so Liu Zhao's queen Deng Suilin The court title system handles government affairs for the young emperor."

"This Deng Sui is different from Queen Zhang De Dou. Although she is called a virtuous queen, she is different from the other five. During her rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty, internal disasters occurred frequently in the Eastern Han Dynasty, including meteorites, earthquakes, floods, and hail. , Locust plagues followed, and many places suffered from natural disasters. ”

These words made the First Emperor even more serious about the thought in his heart. Could it be that God saw that the Eastern Han Dynasty was going too smoothly, so he deliberately came to weaken the Eastern Han Dynasty.

"When the external ethnic groups saw that the Eastern Han Dynasty was weakened by natural disasters, they took the opportunity to rebel and invade. At this time, in the autumn of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Deng Sui led the Eastern Han Dynasty to overcome it, not only eliminating the impact of domestic natural disasters, but also quelling foreign invasion."

"If it hadn't been for Deng Sui, even if the Eastern Han Dynasty had survived at this time, its vitality would have been severely damaged. Unfortunately, after Deng Sui, the other Eastern Han Dynasty queen mothers who came to rule were not so virtuous. In addition, the throne changed too frequently, and eunuchs interfered in politics. Problem, the Eastern Han Dynasty was declining day by day. ”

"With the accumulation of many problems, the Eastern Han Dynasty came to an end. During the reign of Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty, a Taoist led all the people of the world to shout out to the Eastern Han Dynasty the saying that has been passed down to later generations: The sky is dead, Huang Tiandang is standing, and the age of Jiazi is good for the world. ! ”

"Someone in later generations added another sentence to this Taoist: The poor Taoist Zhang Jiao, please die!"

Listening to these two sentences, the three emperors seemed to have passed through the mists of time and saw a magnificent era. There were heroes and lofty sentiments, beauties lamenting, promises of gold, and conspiracies and betrayals. Some people rose to the top and became kings, while others fell to the bottom. For ashes...

That corner will not only bury the Eastern Han Dynasty, but also the Han Dynasty that lasted for four hundred years. This ending will definitely be more grand than the collapse of a general dynasty, and the slogans it shouts are also full of heroism.

Li Niandao: "Although the Eastern Han Dynasty came to an end, its true demise still took a long time, and the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty had nothing to do with foreign enemies. On the contrary, when the Eastern Han Dynasty fell, the heroes of that era were still fighting against the foreign enemies."

"It was a wonderful era that will be known to almost all Chinese people in later generations. Even if you don't know that history, you will definitely know the person who single-handedly made 'wisdom' a symbol of that surname. Later generations When you hear someone with the same surname as that person, you will naturally think that this person must be very smart.”

Of course, it's wonderful, but it's a pity that it's not friendly to the people. Three families returned to the Jin Dynasty, and when the troubled times ended, the world was empty.

"The late Eastern Han Dynasty is often associated with that era, because almost all the heroes of that era were born in the late Eastern Han Dynasty!"

After listening to Li Nian's words, the First Emperor became very interested. How could such a powerful person single-handedly make people think that a surname is wise?

But the First Emperor also knew that the story about that era must be very long, so he suppressed the desire in his heart to hear the details and said: "I will stop here today, and I will tell you about it next time. I really want to know who can make someone with the same surname That’s it.”

Li Nian nodded and said with a smile: "That person is not only the incarnation of wisdom, but also a loyal minister. He is a model of ministers through the ages, a minister that kings of all dynasties want to have! In future generations, that person will be praised by all Chinese people. Even countries like Foot Basin know it because of a novel.”

"If I have time, please write it for Your Majesty!"

The First Emperor was even more interested, but he shook his head and said: "It's better to focus on the matters at hand first, and put the country's national affairs first, and don't wait for other things to delay."

(End of chapter)