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98-454: She played a role in the rise and foundation of her husband, Emperor Gaozu, and his dynasty, and in some of the laws and customs laid down by him. Empress Lü, even in the absence of her husband from the capital, killed two prominent generals who played an important role in Gaozu's rise to power, namely Han Xin and Peng Yue , as a lesson for the aristocracy and other generals. In June 195 BC, with

196-461: A daughter (later Princess Yuan of Lu ) and a son, Liu Ying (later Emperor Hui of Han ). Liu Bang later participated in the rebellion against the Qin dynasty under the insurgent Chu kingdom , nominally-ruled by King Huai II . Lü Zhi and her two children remained with her father and family for most of the time during this period. In early 206 BC, after the fall of the Qin dynasty , Xiang Yu divided

294-523: A descendant of nobility and so I feed you. I did not do so expecting anything in return!" A youngster from a butcher's family in Huaiyin would humiliate Han Xin, making fun of him by saying that despite Han Xin being tall and carrying around a sword, Han Xin was actually a coward. He said in front of a crowd: "If you do not fear death; stab me. If you fear death; come crawl between my legs." Han Xin gave it some thought, and eventually decided to crawl between

392-550: A general imperial pardon." As grandmother of the infant emperor, Lü Zhi retained her title as Empress Dowager and never claimed the title as Grand Empress Dowager. As a result, she played the role of an emperor and de facto filled the empty throne. She addressed herself as Zhen ( Chinese : 朕 ; pinyin : Zhèn ), a first-person pronoun reserved for use by the emperor after the Qin dynasty . Officials addressed her as Bixia, Imperial Majesty ( Chinese : 陛下 ; pinyin : Bìxià ), an honorific used when addressing

490-435: A hunting trip and did not bring Liu Ruyi with him because the latter refused to get out of bed. Lü Zhi's chance arrived, so she sent an assassin to force poisoned wine down Liu Ruyi's throat. The young prince was dead by the time Emperor Hui returned. Lü Zhi then had Concubine Qi killed in an inhumane manner: she had Qi's hands and feet chopped off, eyes gouged out, ears burned, nose sliced off, tongue cut out, forced her to drink

588-401: A letter to us, we fear. I retreat to preserve myself. I'm old and frail, I'm losing hair and teeth, and I struggle to maintain balance when I move. Your Lordship has heard wrongly, you shouldn't defile yourself. Our people did not offend you, and should be pardoned. We've two imperial carriages and eight fine steeds, which we graciously offer to Your Lordship. However, she continued implementing

686-524: A marriage proposal from the Xiongnu chanyu Modu , who wrote as follows in a letter meant to intimidate and mock her: I'm a lonesome ruler born in marshes and raised in plains populated by livestock. I've visited your border numerous times and wanted to tour China. Your Majesty is now alone and living in solitude. Since both of us are not happy and have nothing to entertain ourselves, I'm willing to use what I possess to exchange for what you lack. Lü Zhi

784-535: A poem titled "The Shrine of Han Xin", in which it states that it is unlikely for Han Xin to stay loyal when he held military power, yet rebel when he had not a single soldier. Some Chinese idioms and sayings originating from the events in Han Xin's life are listed as follows: While Han Xin was under house arrest, he did a mass organization of military books together with Zhang Liang . They put together one hundred and eighty-two books, removed certain parts and chose

882-409: A potion that made her mute, and had her thrown into a latrine . She called Qi a "human swine" ( 人彘 ). Several days later, Emperor Hui was taken to view the "human swine" and was shocked to learn that it was Concubine Qi. He cried loudly and became ill for a long time. He requested to see his mother and said, "This is something done not by a human. As the empress dowager's son, I'll never be able to rule

980-521: A son of Gaozu and Consort Bo , was installed on the throne as Emperor Wen of Han . Han Xin Han Xin ( simplified Chinese : 韩信 ; traditional Chinese : 韓信 ; pinyin : Hán Xìn ; Wade–Giles : Han Hsin ; ? – early 196 BCE ) was a Chinese military general and politician who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention and contributed greatly to the founding of

1078-444: A torturous manner. Lü Zhi also ordered Han Xin's family and relatives to be put to death as well. When Gaozu was putting down Chen Xi 's revolt, he requested reinforcements from Peng Yue but the latter claimed that he was ill and sent his subordinates to assist Gaozu instead. After Chen Xi's rebellion was quelled, Gaozu heard rumours that Peng Yue was plotting against him too, and he had Peng arrested and stripped off his titles. Peng

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1176-537: A trap and captured him, but Han was also at fault, which led to his downfall. When Gaozu was at war with Xiang Yu in Xingyang , Han Xin had just conquered the Qi kingdom and did not turn back to support Gaozu because he saw more danger of losing more soldiers if he went for saving lives of people at Pengcheng. The appointment as acting King of Qi was proposed later after many months of war defeats for Liu Bang. Besides, during

1274-532: A trap. They pretended Gaozu had returned from suppressing the rebellion and that there would be a feast to commemorate the success. Xiao He managed to persuade Han Xin into coming to Changle Palace, where the Empress lived, and he was bound and executed as soon as he stepped through the doors. Han Xin's clan was exterminated on the Empress's orders as well. Upon return from his campaign, Gaozu expressed both relief and regret when he learnt of Han Xin's death. He asked

1372-575: Is generally not regarded as a real monarch , so he is also not included in the list of emperors of the Han dynasty . Lü Zhi died of illness at the age of 61 in 180 BC and was interred in Emperor Gaozu 's tomb in Changling ( 長陵 ). Near the end of Wang Mang 's Xin dynasty (AD 9 – AD 23), Lü Zhi's body was desecrated by Chimei rebels when they raided Gaozu's tomb. Emperor Guangwu , who restored

1470-498: Is limited." Han Xin also found the hooligan and appointed the hooligan as a zhongwei (中尉; equivalent to a present-day lieutenant). He to his subordinates: "This man is a hero. Do you think I could not have killed him when he humiliated me? I would not become famous even if I killed him then. Hence, I endured the humiliation to preserve my life to achieve great things in the future." In 209 BC, Han Xin joined Xiang Liang 's rebel army when rebellions erupted throughout China to overthrow

1568-587: Is true when people say: The hunting dog becomes food as well after it is used to hunt game; a good bow is discarded when there are no birds left for shooting; an advisor dies after he helps his lord conquer a rival kingdom. Now that the empire is in place, I no longer serve any purpose!" Liu Bang's only response was: "Someone claimed you had rebelled", and proceeded to cuff Han Xin and bring him back to Luoyang . Although Gaozu pardoned Han Xin and released him later, he still demoted Han from "King of Chu" to "Marquis of Huaiyin". After his demotion, Han Xin knew that Gaozu

1666-464: Is uncertainty whether these children were Emperor Hui's; the traditional view is that they were not, while modern historians believe that they were born to his concubines. Emperor Hui died in 188 BC and was succeeded by Emperor Qianshao, one of the children Empress Zhang adopted. Empress Dowager Lü closely monitored and controlled the imperial court and kept the whole army firmly in her hands, thus maintaining power more strongly than before. His death and

1764-465: The heqin policy of marrying Han princesses to Xiongnu chieftains and paying tribute to the Xiongnu in exchange for peace between both sides. In 191 BC, at Lü Zhi's insistence, Emperor Hui married his niece Zhang Yan (Princess Yuan of Lu's daughter) and made her empress. They did not have any children. It was alleged that Lü Zhi told Zhang Yan to adopt eight boys and have their mothers killed. There

1862-475: The Chu–Han Contention . Xiang Yu initially took no action against Liu Bang's family. In the eighth lunar month , Liu Bang sent his followers, Wang Xi ( 王吸 ) and Xue Ou ( 薛歐 ), to meet Wang Ling ( 王陵 ) in Nanyang and fetch his family. However Xiang Yu mobilised troops to Yangxia ( 陽夏 ) and prevented the Han forces from advancing. In the summer of 205 BC, Liu Bang took advantage of the situation when Xiang Yu

1960-552: The Guanzhong region) directly north of his own fief. Guanzhong was rightfully Liu Bang's, according to an earlier promise by Emperor Yi of Chu (previously known as King Huai II of Chu) to appoint whoever conquered Guanzhong first (during the rebellion against the Qin dynasty) as king of that area. This marked the beginning of a four-year power struggle for supremacy over China between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, from 206 BC to 202 BC, known as

2058-720: The Guanzhong Basin , Wei River Basin , or uncommonly as the Shaanzhong region , is a historical region of China corresponding to the crescentic graben basin within present-day central Shaanxi , bounded between the Qinling Mountains in the south (known as Guanzhong's "South Mountains"), and the Huanglong Mountain, Meridian Ridge and Long Mountain ranges in the north (collectively known as its "North Mountains"). The central flatland area of

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2156-535: The Han and Tang (both considered China's historical golden ages ) also had the crownland established in the Guanzhong region. The Guanzhong Plain traditionally includes the central part of modern Shaanxi province and the extreme northwestern tip of Henan province (the western half of Sanmenxia ). The average altitude of the region ranges from 300 to 700 m (980 to 2,300 ft) above sea level . Xi'an ,

2254-640: The Han dynasty in AD 25, posthumously replaced Lü Zhi as "Empress Gao" in Gaozu's temple with another of Gaozu's concubines, Consort Bo . Lü Zhi was enshrined in a separate temple instead. In the aftermath of Lü Zhi's death, her clan members were overthrown from their positions of power and massacred, in an event historically known as the Lü Clan Disturbance . The masterminds of this coup d'état included ministers who previously served Emperor Gaozu, including Chen Ping , Zhou Bo , and Guan Ying . Liu Heng,

2352-461: The Han dynasty . Han Xin was named as one of the "Three Heroes of the early Han dynasty" ( Chinese : 漢初三傑 ), along with Zhang Liang and Xiao He . Han Xin is best remembered as a brilliant military leader for the strategies and tactics he employed in warfare, some of which became the origins of certain Chinese idioms , he was undefeated in battle and for his accomplishments he was considered

2450-724: The Qin dynasty . Han Xin continued serving Xiang Yu (Xiang Liang's nephew) after Xiang Liang was killed in action at the Battle of Dingtao. He was not placed in high regard and worked as a "langzhong" (郎中; sometimes translated as Captain of the Palace Guards ). He constantly proposed strategies to Xiang Yu but was ignored. During this time, he became well acquainted with Zhongli Mo , one of Xiang Yu's top generals. In 206 BC, Han Xin deserted Xiang Yu's army and went to join Liu Bang . Initially, after joining Liu Bang's army, Han Xin

2548-710: The Quanrong nomads, with collaboration from Marquess of Shen , killed King You of Zhou and sacked the Zhou capital Haojing in 771 BC , the Western Zhou dynasty collapsed and the surviving Zhou court fled east to Luoyi . The Yíng clan , then a minor marcher vassal based in the Longxi Basin as a buffer state on the western frontier of the Chinese civilization, sent troops to escort King Ping of Zhou along

2646-545: The Three Qins in Guanzhong . Han Xin ordered some soldiers to pretend to repair the gallery roads linking Guanzhong and Hanzhong, while sending another army to secretly pass through Chencang and make a surprise attack on Zhang Han . Zhang Han was caught off guard and the Han forces emerged victorious, proceeding to take over Sima Xin and Dong Yi 's kingdoms. The strategy employed by Han Xin, known as mingxiu zhandao, andu Chencang (明修棧道, 暗度陳倉; lit. "appearing to repair

2744-455: The Three Qins , led a northern campaign to attack the kingdoms of Wei , Dai, Zhao , Yan and Qi , moved south to destroy Chu in Gaixia . As such, he is seen to have contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty . When we look at how he rejected Kuai Che 's suggestion to declare independence, and how he received Gaozu at Chen (present-day Huaiyang , Henan ), how can we say he had

2842-482: The Warring States period . The average annual temperature is around 13 °C (55 °F), and the annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 900 mm (16 to 35 in), averaging around 600 mm. Because some years have low precipitation and evaporation rates are high, the region's natural vegetation is a mix between forests and steppes . Before human settlements converted the plains for agriculture , it

2940-477: The Wei River from the ruined old Zhou capital of Fenghao . Four passes were then built to defend this new heartland against hostile attacks from both the east and the west. During the Warring States period , Qin grew powerful under Shang Yang 's legalist reforms, and militarily became increasingly more successful, and its rivals to the east claimed that the Qin army was a "troop of tigers and wolves", and it

3038-662: The list of emperors of the Han dynasty . Emperor Gaozu had previously decreed that no non-imperial clan members could become princes (not including the vassal kings ), a rule that Lü Zhi herself had a hand in creating. In spite of this, Lü Zhi attempted to install some of her kinsmen as princes. The Right Chancellor Wang Ling ( 王陵 ) opposed her decision but the Left Chancellor Chen Ping and general Zhou Bo accepted this move. When Wang Ling rebuked Chen Ping and Zhou Bo in private for going against Emperor Gaozu's law, they rationalized that their compliance with

Empress Lü - Misplaced Pages Continue

3136-455: The "God of War". In recognition of Han Xin's contributions, Liu Bang conferred the titles of " King of Qi " on him in 203 BCE and " King of Chu " in the following year. However, Liu Bang feared Han Xin's growing influence and gradually reduced his authority, demoting him to "Marquis of Huaiyin" in late 202 BCE. In early 196 BCE, Han Xin was accused of participating in a rebellion, lured into a trap and executed on Empress Lü Zhi's orders. Han Xin

3234-468: The Battle of Guling, Han Xin did not keep his promise to help Gaozu, and caused Gaozu to lose the battle. Since then, Gaozu had the intention of killing Han Xin but did not do so as he was not yet powerful enough. When Gaozu's empire came into place, Han Xin no longer served any purpose. [REDACTED] Quotations related to Han Xin at Wikiquote Guanzhong Guanzhong ( Chinese : 关中 , formerly romanised as Kwanchung ) region, also known as

3332-585: The Empress for Han Xin's last words, which were, "I regret not listening to Kuai Che's advice, and now I have been deceived by such vile people. This is the heaven's will!" In another section of Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian , The Hereditary House of Chancellor Xiao, the events of the Chu-Han Contention are told from Xiao He's point of view, and puts a different narrative on the death of Han Xin. In this autobiography, Liu Bang

3430-543: The Guanzhong region, and used it as his base to eventually defeat Xiang Yu in the subsequent civil war . After establishing the Han dynasty , Liu Bang created a new capital named Chang'an , which is just across the Wei River from the ruined Qin capital Xianyang. Since the Western Zhou dynasty, the area was the capital region of China for a total of 12 dynasties including the Qin, Western Han , Sui , and Tang . By

3528-415: The Han dynasty. Not long after, Chen Xi rebelled and Gaozu personally led an army to suppress the rebellion, while Han Xin claimed sickness and stayed behind. While Gaozu was away, one of Han Xin's household servants offended him, so Han Xin locked him up as punishment. The servant's young brother gave news of Han Xin's desire to rebel to Empress Lü Zhi , who then plotted with Xiao He to lure Han Xin into

3626-536: The Prince of Liang, to Zhao, and forced him to marry a daughter of Lü Chan. The Lü clan grabbed the authority of Zhao and oversaw Liu Hui, thus making Liu Hui feel restricted. Princess Lü had a favored concubine of Liu Hui poisoned to death. Liu Hui was distressed and committed suicide in fear in July 181 BC. For the matters above, Lü Zhi was criticized for "having murdered three princes of Zhao". In 192 BC, Lü Zhi received

3724-466: The Qin dynasty soon fell into chaos due to the corrupt rule of Qin Er Shi and Zhao Gao , and various rebellions broke out. In 206 BC , the rebel leader Liu Bang successfully invaded Guanzhong and forced the last Qin ruler, Ziying , to surrender the capital Xianyang, ending the Qin dynasty. Liu Bang entered the capital peacefully, and issued strict orders forbidding his troops from looting and harming

3822-847: The basin, known as the Guanzhong Plain (关中平原; pinyin: Guānzhōng Píngyuán), is made up of alluvial plains along the lower Wei River and its numerous tributaries and thus also called the Wei River Plain . The region is part of the Jin - Shaan Basin Belt, and is separated from its geological sibling — the Yuncheng Basin to its northeast — by the Yellow River section southwest of the Lüliang Mountains and north of

3920-633: The capital Chang'an to suppress a revolt in Julu started by Chen Xi , the Marquis of Yangxia. A year before, Chen Xi met Han Xin before departing from Chang'an for Julu, and it was alleged that Han Xin was involved in the rebellion. Lü Zhi became wary of Han Xin, and after consulting the chancellor Xiao He , she had Xiao summon Han to meet her in Changle Palace. There, the empress had Han Xin taken by surprise, captured, and subsequently executed in

4018-404: The capital, had him detained, and then summoned Liu Ruyi again. Emperor Hui tried to save Liu Ruyi by intercepting his half-brother before the latter entered Chang'an, and kept Liu Ruyi by his side most of the time. Lü Zhi refrained from carrying out her plans for several months because she feared that she might harm Emperor Hui as well. One morning in the winter of 195–194 BC, Emperor Hui went for

Empress Lü - Misplaced Pages Continue

4116-462: The death of Gaozu, Empress Lü became, as the widow of the late emperor and mother of the new emperor, Empress Dowager (皇太后, Huángtàihòu), and assumed a leadership role in her son's administration. Less than a year after Emperor Hui's accession to the throne, in 194 BC, Lü had one of the late Emperor Gaozu's consorts whom she deeply hated, Concubine Qi , put to death in a cruel manner. She also had Concubine Qi's son Liu Ruyi fatally poisoned. Emperor Hui

4214-576: The eastern end of the Qinling separate the region from the (then) politically orthodox Central Plain , which is located east of the strategic Hangu Pass and therefore was historically referred as the Guandong ("east of the pass") region by the Qin people, who later conquered the eastern states and unified China as a centralized empire — the Qin dynasty — for the first time during the 3rd century BC . Afterwards, subsequent prominent dynasties such as

4312-404: The emperor directly, not Dianxia, Imperial Highness ( Chinese : 殿下 ; pinyin : Diànxià ), an honorific used when addressing the empress or empress dowager directly. The edicts (敕, chi) she issued were referred to as Sheng Zhe (聖制), which were the personal orders of the emperor. Conventional historians do not consider Emperor Qianshao a true sovereign , so he is usually omitted from

4410-478: The empire (China), he plotted a rebellion and caused his clan to be implicated and exterminated . Is this not Heaven's will? In volume 12 of Zizhi Tongjian , after the entry on Han Xin's death, Sima Guang commented on Han as follows: Many people would think that Han Xin was the first person to propose the grand plan for unifying China: he started his plan together with (Emperor) Gaozu in Hanzhong, conquered

4508-469: The empire." From then on, Emperor Hui indulged himself in carnal pleasures and ignored state affairs, leaving all of them to his mother, and this caused power to fall completely into her hands. Around the winter of 195-194 BC, Liu Fei , the Prince of Qi, Emperor Gaozu's eldest son born to Lady Cao ( 曹氏 ), visited Chang'an and he and Emperor Hui attended a banquet hosted by the empress dowager. Emperor Hui honoured Liu Fei as an older half-brother and treated

4606-522: The empress dowager's wishes was necessary to protect the empire and the Liu clan. Lü Zhi promoted Wang Ling to the position of Grand Tutor ( 太傅 ) but the latter claimed that he was ill and declined, so she ordered him to return to his marquisate (Wang Ling held the title of Marquis of Anguo). Lü Zhi then appointed Chen Ping as Right Chancellor and her illicit lover Shen Yiji ( 審食其 ) as Left Chancellor. Lü Zhi then proceeded to make her kin nobles. Her first step

4704-594: The former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms . Liu Bang was named "King of Han " and given the lands in the remote Bashu region (in present-day Sichuan ) as his domain. However, Liu Bang's family, including Lü Zhi and her children, remained in Pei County , which was a territory of Xiang Yu's kingdom of Western Chu . Later that year, Liu Bang attacked and seized the Three Qins (three kingdoms covering

4802-572: The gallery roads while making secret advances through Chencang"), became one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems . When Xiang Yu died in 202 BCE, Zhongli Mo (one of Xiang Yu's generals) came to Han Xin and requested refuge. On account of their past friendship, Han Xin protected Zhongli Mo and let him stay with him. When Emperor Gaozu heard that Zhongli Mo was hiding in Han Xin's territory, he ordered Han to arrest Zhongli Mo, but Han Xin refused. A year later, Gaozu heard rumours that Han Xin

4900-530: The highest rank in the army, the Commander-in-Chief (大將軍). Xiao He also chided Liu Bang's usual ill-mannered behaviour, demanding that Liu Bang hold a formal ceremony for the event. Liu Bang relented and held a special ceremony for Han Xin's appointment. After the ceremony, Han Xin analysed the situation for Liu Bang and devised a plan to conquer Xiang Yu's Western Chu kingdom. In late 206 BCE, Liu Bang's forces left Hanzhong and prepared to attack

4998-500: The history of this 8-year period is considered and recognized as the reign of Empress Dowager Lü. She dominated the political scene for 15 years until her death in August 180 BC, and is often depicted as the first woman to have ruled China. While four women are noted as having been politically active before her— Fu Hao , Yi Jiang , Lady Nanzi , and Queen Dowager Xuan —Lü was the perhaps first woman to have ruled over united China. Lü Zhi

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5096-502: The hooligan's legs. Because of this, he was mocked by all the town for his cowardice. Several years later, after becoming the King of Chu , Han Xin returned to his hometown. He found the woman who fed him and rewarded her with 1,000 taels of gold. He found the Chief of Nanchang Pavilion and gave him a hundred coins, saying, "You are not a good person. You do good things but your generosity

5194-408: The intention of rebelling? The reason for his rebellion was that he felt unhappy about losing his noble title. Lu Wan was merely Gaozu's neighbour, yet he was appointed King of Yan, while Han Xin only received the title of a marquis and could only have audiences with Gaozu. Is this not an example of how Gaozu treated Han Xin unfairly? I think that Gaozu did treat Han Xin unfairly when he lured Han into

5292-409: The intention of replacing Liu Ying with Liu Ruyi as crown prince, reasoning that the former was too "soft-hearted and weak" and that the latter resembled him more. Since Lü Zhi had strong rapport with many ministers, they generally opposed Gaozu's decision but the emperor seemed bent on deposing Liu Ying. Lü Zhi became worried and she approached Zhang Liang for help, and the latter analysed that Gaozu

5390-841: The journey. In gratitude, King Ping granted a mid-level nobility to the Yíng leader, Count Xiang , and promised him authority to permanently claim any lands his clan can recapture from the nomads. The resultant Qin state then spent the next few centuries fighting off various nomads to its north and west and eventually consolidated its base in the Guanzhong Plain and the Loess Plateau . The Qin capital then relocated progressively east from Qinyi (in modern Qingshui County , Gansu ) to Yong (in modern Fengxiang County , Shaanxi ), then to Yueyang (in modern Yanliang District of Xi'an , Shaanxi), and eventually to Xianyang northeast across

5488-404: The knowledge of Liu Bang, because Han Xin's reputation amongst the military was too high, and combined with his talents, became a threat to the throne. Although historians have always looked to Sima Qian's records for facts, some believe it is possible that as a citizen of the Han dynasty, he could not go against the government acknowledged version of events. A Tang dynasty poet, Xu Hun , once wrote

5586-634: The land. When Han Xin heard that Gaozu was heading towards the land of Chu, his first instinct was to rebel, but he decided he had committed no crime and stayed put. At this time, someone told Han Xin that if he were to present Zhongli Mo's head to Gaozu, than he would be happy and spare him. Han Xin then met Zhongli Mo to decide their next course of action, and brought up this idea. Zhongli Mo then promptly slit his own throat, but not before claiming Han Xin would follow soon after. Han Xin brought Zhongli Mo's severed head to Gaozu and explained his innocence, but Gaozu ordered Han to be arrested. Han Xin exclaimed, "It

5684-507: The latter respectfully. Lü Zhi felt offended and secretly instructed her servants to pour a cup of poisoned wine for Liu Fei, and then toasted him. Just as Liu Fei was about to drink the wine, Emperor Hui realised his mother's intention and grabbed Liu Fei's cup as if he would drink from it. Lü Zhi immediately jumped up and knocked the cup out of Emperor Hui's hand. Liu Fei then offered to give up an entire commandery from his principality to Lü Zhi's daughter, Princess Yuan of Lu . Lü Zhi accepted

5782-406: The locals told me that when Han Xin was still a commoner, his ambition was very different from ordinary people's. When his mother died, he was too poor to give her a proper funeral. However, he found a scenic area, on high and flat ground and capable of housing thousands, and buried her there. I've personally been to his mother's grave and it was exactly like what the locals described to me. If Han Xin

5880-419: The locals. However, he was forced to hand control over to another more powerful rebel leader Xiang Yu , who sacked, pillaged and torched Xianyang before enfeoffing the Guanzhong region to three surrendered Qin generals Zhang Han , Sima Xin and Dong Yi , collectively known as the " Three Qins ". However, merely four months later, Liu Bang returned with his newly appointed generalissimo Han Xin and reconquered

5978-455: The magistrate, was in charge of the seating arrangement and collection of gifts from guests at a banquet in Lü Wen's house, and he announced, "Those who do not offer more than 1,000 coins in gifts shall be seated outside the hall." Liu Bang (later Emperor Gaozu of Han ), then a minor patrol officer ( 亭長 ), went there bringing a single cent and said, "I offer 10,000 coins." Lü Wen saw Liu Bang and

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6076-551: The most important fortress of the above passes was the Hangu Pass, which commanded the chokepoint on a narrow land corridor along the south bank of Yellow River and what was then the only traversable passage into the Guanzhong region from the North China Plain . The formidable resilience of the Hangu Pass was what enabled the Qin state to defeat numerous anti-Qin alliances formed by its eastern enemy states during

6174-549: The new government to launch military campaigns to pacify these regions thereafter. Gaozu placed Empress Lü Zhi and the crown prince Liu Ying (Lü Zhi's son) in charge of the capital Chang'an and making key decisions in court, assisted by the chancellor Xiao He and other ministers. During this time, Lü Zhi proved herself to be a competent administrator in domestic affairs, and she quickly established strong working relationships with many of Gaozu's officials, who admired her for her capability and feared her for her ruthlessness. After

6272-589: The offer and allowed him to leave. Lü Zhi also played a role in the death of another of Gaozu's sons, Liu You , the Prince of Zhao. Liu You married Lü Zhi's niece but was caught having an affair with another woman, so Lü Zhi's niece reported to her aunt that Liu You was plotting a rebellion. Lü Zhi summoned Liu You to Chang'an and had him imprisoned and deprived of food. Liu You was afraid of committing suicide and eventually starved to death, in February 181 BC. Lü Zhi then transferred another of Gaozu's sons, Liu Hui,

6370-476: The provincial capital of Shaanxi and the largest city in Northwest China , is located at the center of the region, mostly south of the Wei River. Other major prefectural cities in the Guanzhong region include (from west to east) Baoji , Xianyang , Tongchuan and Weinan . The four major historic fortifications that enclose Guanzhong region are: Two more passes were later added, namely: Historically

6468-446: The reign of her son than she had when she was empress, and she became the powerful and effective lead figure in his administration. Lü Zhi did not harm most of Gaozu's other consorts and treated them according to the rules and customs of the imperial family. For example, consorts who bore male children that were instated as princes were granted the title of "Princess Dowager" ( 王太妃 ) in their respective sons' principalities. One exception

6566-451: The reliable bits, and came out with thirty-five books. Han Xin himself also wrote three essays regarding military strategy. His descendants are said to have fled to the area of modern Guangdong and Guangxi and changed their name to Wéi (韋) . At the end of Han Xin's biography in Shiji , Sima Qian commented on Han as follows: I've been to Huaiyin (present-day Huai'an , Jiangsu ), and

6664-407: The river's bend at the tri-provincial junction among Shaanxi , Shanxi and Henan . The name Guanzhong means "within the passes", referring to the four major mountain pass fortresses historically defending the region. The region was the traditional heartland of Qin state during Zhou dynasty and thus often nicknamed the " 800 li of Qin land ". The Yellow River , Lüliang Mountains and

6762-648: The saying, "Xiao He chases Han Xin under the moonlight" ( 蕭何月下追韓信 ). In the meantime, Liu Bang had a nervous breakdown after hearing that Xiao He had left him. When Xiao He returned after a few days, while Liu Bang was relieved, he was also furious. He angrily asked Xiao He, "Why did you run away?" Xiao He explained, "I did not run away; I was chasing down Han Xin." Liu Bang got angry again, saying, "There were dozens of deserters, yet you did not chase after them. When you say that you chased after Han Xin, you must be lying to me." Xiao He then explained Han Xin's talent and forcibly insisted that Liu Bang immediately promote Han Xin to

6860-569: The succession of an immature child left power completely and solely in the hands of Empress Dowager Lü, and as a regent, legitimized her as the first female absolute ruler in Chinese history to do so exclusively. Lü Zhi's position as regent was first recorded in the official history of Ban Gu in the Book of Han : "Emperor Hui died and the prince was established as emperor, the Empress Dowager presiding over court and issuing edicts, and gave

6958-425: The support of those four men; he is fully fledged and difficult to unseat. Empress Lü is really in charge!" This marked the end of the dispute over the succession and affirmed Liu Ying's role as crown prince. In June 195 BC, Emperor Gaozu died and was succeeded by Liu Ying, who became historically known as Emperor Hui of Han . Lü Zhi was honoured by Emperor Hui as empress dowager . She exerted more influence during

7056-469: The truce and attacked Xiang Yu, eventually defeating the latter at the Battle of Gaixia in 202 BC and unifying China under his rule. Liu Bang proclaimed himself Emperor of China and established the Han dynasty . He instated Lü Zhi as his empress and their son Liu Ying as crown prince. Even after Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang)'s victory over Xiang Yu , there were still unstable areas in the empire, requiring

7154-402: The war ended and Emperor Gaozu returned, she remained in power and she was always influential in many of the country's affairs. Lü Zhi is known for her roles in the deaths of Han Xin and Peng Yue , two of Emperor Gaozu's subjects who contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty , of whose military capabilities both she and her husband had been apprehensive. In 196 BC, Gaozu left

7252-435: Was Concubine Qi , whom Lü Zhi greatly resented because of the dispute over the succession between Liu Ruyi (Qi's son) and Liu Ying. Liu Ruyi, the Prince of Zhao, was away in his principality, so Lü Zhi targeted Concubine Qi. She had Qi stripped of her position, treated like a convict (head shaved, in stocks , dressed in prison garb), and forced to do hard labour in the form of milling rice. Lü Zhi then summoned Liu Ruyi, who

7350-495: Was also held captive together with her. In the autumn of 203 BC, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu came to a temporary reconciliation, known as the Treaty of Hong Canal, which divided China into west and east under their Han and Western Chu domains respectively. As part of their agreement, Xiang Yu released Lü Zhi and Liu Bang's family and returned them to Liu. Lü Zhi was given the title of "Queen Consort of Han" ( 漢王妃 ). Liu Bang later renounced

7448-526: Was around the age of 12 then, to Chang'an, intending to kill him together with his mother. However Zhou Chang ( 周昌 ), the chancellor in Liu Ruyi's principality, whom Lü Zhi respected because of his stern opposition to Emperor Gaozu's proposal to make Liu Ruyi crown prince, temporarily protected Liu Ruyi from harm by responding to Lü Zhi's order that, "The Prince of Zhao is ill and unfit for travelling over long distances." Lü Zhi then ordered Zhou Chang to come to

7546-416: Was beginning to distrust him and had become wary of his talent. Hence, Han Xin claimed to be ill and stayed at home most of the time to reduce Gaozu's suspicions. Around 197 BCE, Chen Xi (Marquis of Yangxia) met Han Xin before leaving for Julu, where Han Xin promptly pulled him aside, dismissing all nearby servants. He promised to aid Chen Xi from inside the capital if Chen Xi were to start an uprising against

7644-666: Was born in Huaiyin (modern-day Jiangsu Province ), which was an area of Chu during the warring states . According to legend, he may have been a descendant of the Han Sect of the Han Kingdom , but he was incredibly poor. The people from his hometown say that when his mother died, he did not have enough money to give her a proper burial. Regardless, he still searched until he came across a high and raised plot of land, thinking that one day, he could settle ten thousand households here to live and guard over his mother's grave. Because he

7742-475: Was born in Shanfu County (單父; present-day Shan County , Shandong ) during the late Qin dynasty . Her courtesy name was Exu ( Chinese : 娥姁 ; pinyin : Éxǔ ). To flee from enemies, her father Lü Wen ( 呂文 ) brought their family to Pei County , settled there, and became a close friend of the county magistrate. Many influential men in town came to visit Lü Wen. Xiao He , then an assistant of

7840-415: Was changing the succession on grounds of favouritism. Zhang Liang invited the " Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang ", a group of four reclusive wise men, to persuade Gaozu to change his decision. The four men promised to assist Liu Ying in future if he became emperor, and Gaozu was pleased to see that Liu Ying had their support. Gaozu told Concubine Qi, "I wanted to replace (the crown prince). Now I see that he has

7938-478: Was demoted to the status of a commoner and exiled to the remote Qingyi County (青衣縣; in present-day Ya'an , Sichuan ). During his journey to Qingyi, Peng Yue encountered Lü Zhi, who wanted to have him killed. He pleaded with her to spare his life and let him return to his hometown in Changyi (昌邑; present-day Jinxiang County , Shandong ), and the empress pretended to agree. Peng Yue was brought to Luoyang , where he

8036-858: Was greatly delighted and recommended Han Xin to Liu Bang. Liu Bang was not overly impressed but made Han Xin the Captain of Rations (治粟都尉) to be in charge of food supplies. During this time, Han Xin often met up with Xiao He (Liu Bang's Chancellor), who was greatly impressed by him. In April of that year, Liu Bang faced a mass desertion of soldiers. Han Xin figured that despite both Xiahou Ying and Xiao He having recommended him to Liu Bang, Liu Bang did not use him, so he saw no reason to stay and also deserted. When Xiao He heard that Han Xin had left, he immediately rushed to personally find Han Xin and bring him back, and did not manage to inform Liu Bang in time. Xiao He eventually caught up with Han Xin and managed to persuade Han Xin to go back with him. This event gave rise to

8134-534: Was home to a diverse range of wildlife . The Guanzhong region became the heartland of the Zhou after Jī clan leader Gugong Danfu relocated his people south from Bin (modern day Binzhou, Shaanxi ) to evade the violent raidings by Xunyu , Xianyun and Di nomads. It is from Guanzhong region that the Zhou state prospered and eventually conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. After

8232-476: Was immediately notified of Han Xin's rebellion and execution, rather than waiting until after his return. Throughout history, historians and scholars alike have debated over the plausibility of Han Xin's rebellion. Although the Records of the Grand Historian have it written in black and white, many believe that Han Xin was loyal until his death. They believe that Lü Zhi and Xiao He framed Han Xin of treason, under

8330-496: Was infuriated at the rude proposition, and in a heated court session, her generals advised her to rally an army and exterminate the Xiongnu immediately. As she was about to declare war, an outspoken attendant named Ji Bu pointed out that the Xiongnu army was much more powerful than the Chinese. At Ji Bu's words, the court immediately fell into a fearful silence. Rethinking her plans, Lü Zhi rejected Modu's proposition humbly, as follows: Your Lordship does not forget our land and writes

8428-485: Was more modest and unassuming, did not boast about his achievements, and not been so egoistic, he would have attained fame, glory and wealth. In that case, his contributions to the Han dynasty would be comparable to those of the Duke of Zhou , Duke of Shao , and Jiang Ziya , and his descendants would be proud of him. However, Han Xin did not change himself for the better. Instead, when peace and stability had been restored in

8526-465: Was no more food. Han Xin understood that he was no longer welcome and never visited them again. Once, when he was suffering from hunger, he met an old woman washing clothes by the river who provided him food. She did so for all the dozen days that she had laundry to do. Han Xin was incredibly delighted and promised to heavily repay her for her kindness. She, however, scolded him, saying: "A young man such as you cannot feed himself. I take pity that you are

8624-437: Was not Empress Dowager Zhang Yan 's son, and his birth mother was executed by the empress dowager. He remarked that when he grew up he would make Empress Dowager Zhang pay for his mother's death. When Lü Zhi heard about this, she had the young emperor secretly confined in the palace and publicly announced that the emperor was seriously ill and unable to meet anyone. After some time, she told the imperial court that Emperor Qianshao

8722-425: Was not given any important roles. Once, he violated military law and was due to be punished by execution. When it was his turn to be beheaded, Han Xin saw Xiahou Ying (one of Liu Bang's trusted generals) and said, "I thought the King wanted to rule an empire. Why, then, is he killing valiant men?" Xiahou Ying was surprised by his words and his looks, and spared Han Xin's life. After conversing with Han Xin, Xiahou Ying

8820-477: Was occupied with suppressing rebellions in the Qi kingdom to attack and capture Western Chu's capital of Pengcheng . Xiang Yu immediately withdrew from Qi and launched a counterattack, defeating Liu Bang's forces at Suishui ( 睢水 ). Lü Zhi and Liu Bang's family were captured by Chu forces and held hostage. During this period of time, Lü Zhi started an illicit affair with Shen Yiji ( 審食其 ), one of Liu Bang's followers, who

8918-450: Was often said that "Guanzhong produces generals; Guandong produces ministers". After constructing irrigation systems such as Zhengguo Canal , the already fertile Guanzhong region became extremely productive, allowing Qin state to become the preeminent power, repeatedly defeating and seizing more territory from its rivals to the east, and eventually unified China and established the Qin dynasty in 221 BC . After First Emperor 's death,

9016-571: Was plotting a rebellion. By this time, Zhang Liang had already retreated from political affairs, so Chen Ping was Gaozu's most trusted advisor. After discussion, they came to the conclusion that Gaozu could not best Han Xin in battle, so it would be most ideal to strike Han Xin when he was unprepared. Chen Ping proposed to lure Han Xin into meeting, on a pretext of Liu Bang touring the Yunmeng Marshes (present-day Jianghan Plains , Hubei Province ). He sent this message out to all warlords across

9114-633: Was shocked by his mother's cruelty and fell sick for a year, and thereafter no longer became involved in state affairs, and gave more power to his mother. As a result, Empress Dowager Lü held the court, listened to the government, spoke on behalf of the emperor, and did everything (臨朝聽政制, "linchao tingzheng zhi"). With the untimely death of her 22-year-old son, Emperor Hui, Empress Dowager Lü subsequently proclaimed his two young sons emperor (known historically as Emperor Qianshao and Emperor Houshao respectively). She gained more power than ever before, and these two young emperors had no legitimacy as emperors in history;

9212-441: Was so impressed with him on first sight, that he immediately stood up and welcomed Liu into the hall to sit beside him. Xiao He told Lü Wen that Liu Bang was not serious, but Liu ignored him and chatted with Lü. Lü Wen said, "I used to predict fortunes for many people but I've never seen someone so exceptional like you before." Lü Wen then offered his daughter Lü Zhi's hand in marriage to Liu Bang and they were wed. Lü Zhi bore Liu Bang

9310-407: Was still sick and suffered from psychosis , and was thus incapable of ruling. She then proposed that the emperor be replaced. The court complied with her wish, and Emperor Qianshao was deposed and put to death. He was succeeded by his brother, Liu Yi ( 劉義 ), who was renamed to Liu Hong ( 劉弘 ), and was also historically known as Emperor Houshao of Han . Like his predecessor Emperor Qianshao, Liu Hong

9408-408: Was subsequently executed on false charges of treason. Lü Zhi ordered Peng Yue's body to be mutilated and had Peng's clan exterminated as well. In his late years, Emperor Gaozu started favouring one of his younger consorts, Concubine Qi , who bore him a son, Liu Ruyi , who was instated as Prince of Zhao in 198 BC, displacing Lü Zhi's son-in-law Zhang Ao ( Princess Yuan of Lu 's husband). Gaozu had

9506-479: Was to install her maternal grandson Zhang Yan (張偃; Princess Yuan of Lu 's son, Empress Zhang Yan 's brother) as the Prince of Lu. Over the next few years she instated several of her nephews and grandnephews as princes and marquises. In an unprecedented move, in 184 BC, Lü Zhi also granted her younger sister Lü Xu ( 呂須 ) the title of Marquise of Lingguang, in a separate fief from that of the latter's husband Fan Kuai . Around 184 BC, Emperor Qianshao discovered that he

9604-416: Was unable to obtain a government post nor become a merchant, he lived a life of destitution and was despised by those around him, as he often relied on others for his meals. He especially often went to the 亭長 (Chief) of Nanchang Pavilion for food, and as months passed the Chief's wife increasing began to hate Han Xin. At one point, she cooked and ate very early in the morning, so that when Han Xin arrived, there

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