Emperor Profile: Liu Bang- Emperor Gaozu of Han: 汉高祖短记

This is an excerpt from a larger series regarding various noted Chinese emperors. This short segment in particular briefly covers the context of the founding Gaozu Emperor of Han- Liu Bang.

Art (Below) by 果Z

Music: The Mighty Wind Blows

THE OUTLAW EMPEROR- EMPROR GAOZU OF HAN- LIU BANG

Endlessly resourceful and full of cunning, the peasant born Liu Bang has the soul of a gambler and dealmaker. Charismatic, gregarious, and generous he was a vivacious contrast to many in his age. He would suffer many upsets yet the clever rebel always had the miraculous ability to bounce back to the playing field- whether via promises, bribes, or grand persuasion that suited his needs. A self made hero capable of a humane acts yet dangerous hand in equal measures.

 Because Qin's succession was not ensured- chaos soon erupted in the wake of the First Emperor's passing. A powerful eunuch named Zhao Gao 赵高 soon seized power within the imperial court- the clique in power soon sought to preserve their stranglehold on court power by propping up a malleable son of the Emperor- Qin Er Shi (lit "Qin the 2nd") and they did so by framing the First Emperor's capable crown prince Fusu for treason then forcing him to commit suicide under falsified edicts. 

Purges soon erupted within the highest echelon of the empire with Zhao Gao destroying many capable generals and ministers via lawfare and padding out the state with sycophants- a famous anecdote "Pointing to Deer and Calling it Horse" 指鹿为马  attributed to Zhao Gao's vile influence on the clueless 2nd Emperor had the eunuch regent present a deer to the emperor and call it a horse, and anyone who corrected this lie was later marked for death. Meanwhile- multiple pockets of the Qin realm exploded in popular revolt.

If Qin had lasted generations beyond after its founding unifier- it would have certainly been remembered to better lights- and likely something akin to that of Sargon of Akkad, Genghis Khan, -at least by their own people. However the imperial project was rapidly disintegrated in his passing. The rebels were a wide assortment of profiles: revanchist former nobles, popular peasant bands, former Qin officers, and many outlaws. Soon the Qin had multiple rebellions within its territories, though some were rapidly put down, others continued to erupt. Unlike the formation of the Zhou- which also saw a massive rebellion immediately after the death of its first short ruled- sovereign, ensuring centuries of primacy thereafter, the Qin (with the purge of many capable generals) was rapidly regionally consumed. 

The man who would ultimately prevail against (and ironically uphold) the Qin was born to a peasant family. Liu Bang- born from the vanquished kingdom of Chu and grew up in the wake of Qin unification was once a lowly regional Qin sheriff assigned to escort many penal labors between Qin districts, when some of his prisoners escaped and he was marked for late arrival at his destination (an offense automatically punishable by death.) Instead of walking to his death- he decided to rebel with his freed prisoners. In time he soon joined several other rebellious bands against Qin rule- including Xiang Yu- a descendant of a high noble line of slain Chu generals also intent on toppling the Qin dynasty. Both served a new king of resurrected Chu and were sent on 2 prongs against the Qin domains. The Chu king promised both that whoever took the Qin capital would be greatly rewarded. In the east- Xiang Yu scored a miraculous lopsided victory at Julu- and utterly shattered a combined theater of Qin forces in the northeast- making him a dominant player among the coalition of desperate rebels.  

But in the west- at the guarded pass of what was the old Qin heartlands, the more flexible Liu Bang arrived and promised peace and clemency to the Qin remnants. The new Qin emperor Ziying- who manage to ascend to power after purging other cliques inside the Qin court- saw the inevitable collapse of the Qin forces surrendered to Liu Bang and was offered clemency. However in Liu Bang's wake, Xiang Yu arrived- though flushed with victory, Xiang was livid at the sparing of the heartland of the kingdom that genocided his clan. Instead Xiang reneged on Liu Bang's promise and sacked the Qin capital, looted and burned down the Erpang Palace, burned the Qin imperial library (where many collected texts from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States that were confiscated were kept,) burned the Qin imperial tombs (ironically sealing the Terracotta Army under earth) and slaughtered many Qin officials, including executing Ziying. Despite the fact that the clever Liu Bang took the Qin capital first, Xiang Yu strong armed their patron's promise, and instead of allowing Liu to acquire the Qin heartlands, instead sidelined Liu Bang into a more periphery title, that of the fief of Han beside the Han river (from which the new state derived its name) and trapped between multiple generals loyal to Xiang Yu. Feeling his power secured as the 1st among equals of the victorious rebellion, Xiang Yu then brazenly killed their Chu King patron.

THE DUEL OF CHU- HAN CONTENTION

In the aftermath of that coup- Xiang Yu then proceeded to divide the overturned realm into Eighteen Kingdoms under the pretext of offering restoration of many vanquished kingdoms. It was a very short lived policy- as within the year this was outlined localized wars had already broke off between the newly consecrated regional kings. Thus did for a brief glimpse the restored world looked little different from the centuries of Warring State that it had just waded out of 2 decades ago. Liu Bang however- despite the initial attempt to box him in between Xiang Yu's loyalists, proved to be a capable player. He managed to consolidate enough of the former Chu king's loyalists and also much of the populace of the old Qin heartlands under his sway. The Guanzhong region (nestled mountainous region around the Qin capital at Chang'An- and for centuries hence would be known for the power of its military elites and peerless military tradition) would become a key loyalist region for Liu Bang due to his earlier clemency. Eventually, the fragmented 2nd iteration of warring kingdoms was reduced to only 2 major blocs, between that of the Liu Bang in the west and Xiang Yu in the east. 

Although the likes of Lu Bu from Three Kingdoms era had largely been remembered as a peerless warrior in popular recollection- Xiang Yu was perhaps the closest ruler to the image of a peerless god of battle. Born from a long line of slain Chu lords that had served as its generals, Xiang Yu's entire career was distinguished by his band wading into suicidal odds and came out in victory. Yet despite his many strings of victories, he was outwitted by Liu Bang.

During their clashes Xiang Yu proved to be a vastly superior tactician and general, defeating multiple Han armies with lopsided victories, however, every time Han was beaten, Liu Bang still was able to pounce back with shocking resourcefulness. In time the desperate Liu Bang courted the capable general Han Xin- who held much of the north and was at the time seen as a vital Sword of Damocles that may descend on either the west or the east. Having secured his loyalty, Liu Bang then convinced Han Xin to fall upon Xiang Yu. Utterly politically outmaneuvered, Xiang Yu became trapped in the west- north pincer and was eventually cornered and slain along with his loyal band. Han supremacy was ensured.

Liu Bang's intention for the realm was a de facto compromise, despite having reunited the realm under his sway, he still continued under a pretense of autonomy for the various remaining powers. In that the kingdoms which had sided with him were allowed to exist as allied vassals- with them mostly existing in the eastern coast- while the Guanzhong region (the former Qin heartland) remained a bastion of Han control with enough imperial army directly under his authority to overwhelm the easter kingdoms should they get any ideas. Liu Bang's first attempt had most of such kingdoms either married into or slotted with members of the Liu clan- turning the ostensive disparate patchwork of potentially capricious vassal kingdoms all de facto into part of an imperial whole. Perhaps most tellingly of his intentions: Liu Bang built up a new grand palace not far away from the ruins of the former Qin one- and styled the new capital Chang'an- meaning the city of "Long Peace"/ "Eternal Peace." 

Han dynasty Chang'an- largely consisting of a series of nestled palace complexes. The site is old, since the founding of even Western Zhou- the valley had been the old royal heartland of Zhou- that is until the Rong barbarians invaded and slew its king and burned the palace- forcing the surviving court relocate to the new royal capital of Luoyang. Overtime these western regions became the heartland of the Qin. By the Han Chang'an rose again to become a main city- and with a 2nd capital in the east at Luoyang.

At last after over 600 years of wars within the realm- internal peace was established truly in China proper. Liu Bang began to foster commerce within the realm with laisse- affaire Daoist influenced liberalism for merchants and also greatly reduced harsh sentences for lawbreakers, standard of living improved and stabilized under his rule. However- ever aware that his lineage was new and his grip on power largely momentary he still proved to be a deadly foe against challengers. Of the great meritorious generals that helped him won him the realm- Liu Bang soon began to fear them in the event that his position was weakened. Most famously he ordered the execution of the invincible general Han Xin which had elicited disapproval across the ages. Other senior ministers took the oppurtunity to retire, already afraid they may be next to incur the emperor's displeasure. Liu Bang's execution of Han Xin also came at probably the worst of times- for right after, the Xiongnu invaded from the north. 

NEW CHALLENGES, NEW HEADWINDS

Fresh from the internal purge, Liu Bang raced off north with the Han army to confront the threat. The result was a disaster. Liu Bang was soon surrounded by the enemy and if it was not for a ploy that bribed the queen of the Xiongnu Chanyu (chieftain) Liu Bang would not have escaped from the trap. Humiliated- the Han sued for peace by offering tributes and marriage to the Chieftains. The policy of diplomatic marriages- Heqin (pronounced huh chin) had been variously debated- more conservative readings have read it as a position of weakness: the humiliating marriage to an would be equal/ superior- along with outflow of tributes. 

Xiongnu: in old Chinese is actually pronounced "Hunnu" and the prevailing consensus among many historians is that the Xiongnu were the ancestors of the Huns.

More realist historians (including many of steppe descended states such as Mongols and Turkic writers) have remarked that Heqin in fact provided an insidious infiltration. That through this mechanism, the Han was able to both hijack the main royal line of the Chanyu but also raise the princes to culturally be inculcated with Chinese luxury and steered toward Chinese interests, thus overtime either remake or dismantle the regime from within. 

One of the "Four Great Beauties" of Chinese history- Wang Zhaojun (frequently depicted in red fur lined robe and with an exquisite pipa) was a renowned beauty married off to the Chanyu.

Regardless of the interpretation, for the time being Liu Bang returned to Chang'an and focused largely on the internal affairs of the empire. To defend from the outside threats, the Han relied on the construction of its own Han Great Walls and cultivating a strong economy, stockpiling up a native reserve of strong war horses which took nearby a century, all the while Liu Bang and his successors slowly stripped the various vassal kings of their power. Han retained the Qin system of universal conscription for a period of time: most male commoners to serve in the military for two years- one year of training and one of active service, typically between the ages of 20 and 56. Meritocracy rather than old feudal distinctions of hereditary nobility was also retained- though with large degrees of laisse- affair hands off approach in economics. Punishment in general for various crimes were lessened, paving the way for unimagined level of internal peace and prosperity unseen in centuries, and prosper, Han most certainly did. After his death- Liu Bang was conferred the posthumous temple name of Gaozu- meaning "High Ancestor."

Ah the mighty wind blows, scattering the flying clouds,
After I unified the realm, I returned home.
How can I assign my fierce warriors to guard the four corners of our nation.

- Liu Bang, "Song of the Mighty Wind"

After becoming the emperor- Liu Bang once returned to his home town and met with his childhood friends. There, they drank and celebrated for days- but once during a lull during the merriment he was supposed to have composed this poem, despite the sweetness of reuniting (with him almost like a mythical figure descended from nimbus and being the great wind,) he was filled with worries about how after unifying the realm and turned swords to plough shares- how to still guard the 4 corners of the nation on the new changing days ahead.

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From top to bottom- prioritizing left to right. Topmost- Qin Shihuang (Shihuang is a title meaning "First Emperor") of Qin- Ying Zheng. Mid level left- Emperor Gaozu of Han- Liu Bang. Mid level right- Emperor Hongwu of Ming- Zhu Yuanzhang. Bottom left- Emperor Taizong of Tang- Li Shimin. Bottom right- Emperor Wu of Han- Liu Che.