Diqin Designer

Chapter 259 Why the Han Dynasty is praised by later generations

Li Nian said: "However, God is jealous of talents. In the sixth year of Yuanshou, when Emperor Wu was planning to send troops to the Xiongnu again to completely eliminate the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu, Huo Qubing died of illness at the age of 24!"

The youngest and most brilliant general of the Han Dynasty fell. Li Nian's words made Ying Zheng, Meng Tian and Meng Yi fall into silence. They had thought of many possible endings for Huo Qubing in their minds, but they never thought that Huo Qubing would die of illness at the age of 24.

The young man who went on an expedition at the age of eighteen, was made a marquis at the age of eighteen, and "seized the Wolf's Lair and drank from the vast sea" at the age of twenty-two, killing so many Xiongnu people that there was no royal court south of the desert, died just like that?
Although they were not the monarchs of Huo Qubing and were not born in the same era as Huo Qubing, the three of them still felt sorry for Huo Qubing in their hearts. They felt sorry for his talent and sighed for his fate. It was truly a case of God being jealous of talented people.

Ying Zheng took the initiative to ask: "What illness did Huo Qubing die of? Didn't Emperor Wu ask anyone to treat him?" If he had a general like Huo Qubing under his command, he would definitely summon doctors from all over the world to treat him.

Li Nian said: "Emperor Wu loved Huo Qubing very much, why didn't he let someone treat him?"

"Most people in later generations believed that Huo Qubing's death was caused by his leading troops to fight the Xiongnu in the desert for a long time in a harsh environment, with poor food, drink and rest, which gradually accumulated over time. However, some people also believed that Huo Qubing died of some disease."

"These two possibilities are more likely. Although Huo Qubing was young, he led troops in many battles for a long time. Moreover, he led cavalry in battles, often crossing hundreds or even thousands of miles. This put a heavy burden on his body. The disease accumulated in his body and suddenly broke out, leading to his sudden death. "

"As for the death from some disease, the Xiongnu people had different living customs from the Han people, and the Xiongnu people often traveled with the Western Regions. It is not surprising that they carried some unknown disease, and it is also possible that they transmitted it to Huo Qubing."

"It is unlikely that Emperor Wu assassinated Huo Qubing or that someone else murdered him. Emperor Wu was preparing to conquer the Xiongnu again, so there was no reason for him to assassinate Huo Qubing. Others also knew that Huo Qubing was loved by Emperor Wu. If Emperor Wu knew that Huo Qubing was murdered, he would be furious."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng sighed and said, "Huo Qubing was named in the hope that he would be free from illness and disease throughout his life, but in the end he still died of illness."

Li Nian said: "After Huo Qubing died, Emperor Wu was very sad and allowed Huo Qubing to be buried with him in his imperial mausoleum, and gave him the posthumous title of 'Jinghuan'..."

After listening to Emperor Wu's actions after Huo Qubing's death, Ying Zheng said: "The fact that Emperor Wu did this shows how much he loved Huo Qubing. It is a good story that the monarch and his subjects get along so well. Huo Qubing was Emperor Wu's general, but Emperor Wu treated him like his son or nephew."

Li Nian said: "Huo Qubing died too young, leaving behind only one son. However, this son also died of illness six years later. Although Huo Yun and Huo Shan were adopted as Huo Qubing's grandsons, during the reign of Emperor Xuan, the Huo family was exterminated by Emperor Xuan because of some of their deeds, and Huo Qubing's descendants were exterminated."

Although he achieved glory that many famous generals could only dream of, it was too short-lived. After his death, he even had no descendants and his family line was cut off. Could it be that God really couldn't stand the fact that Huo Qubing had such a smooth life before his death?

Li Nian continued: "Emperor Wu not only conquered the Xiongnu and eliminated the threat to the Han Dynasty, but also conquered the Baiyue and Wei Dynasty Korea. Almost all the surrounding countries were conquered by the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty also expanded its territory and its prestige spread far and wide!"

"As for how great the Han Dynasty's reputation is, you can tell by looking at its envoys. The Han Dynasty would send envoys to various countries, and these envoys would kill envoys from other countries, kill monarchs, snatch queens, and start rebellions within their borders. They would order the monarchs of other countries around and treat them like dogs and horses..."

The more Li Nian spoke, the more he felt a sense of déjà vu. Why did the actions of the Han envoys look so familiar? Now he remembered, wasn't this the same operation done by the Eagle Sauce in later generations?
It turns out that the operations that the Eagle Sauce has done have already been done by the ancestors of the Han Dynasty. After hearing what Li Nian said, Meng Tian and Meng Yi's eyelids jumped. Are these Han envoys so reckless, so bold and fearless of death?

But they also figured out why the Han envoys were so bold. With the powerful Han Dynasty supporting them from behind, what could other countries do to them? What could they dare to do to them?

Some Han envoys even hoped to be killed, so that the Han Dynasty would have a reason to send troops: either I kill you or you kill me, but you have to think clearly, if you kill me, the Han Dynasty's heavenly soldiers will emerge from the ground tomorrow and turn your country into a county of the Han Dynasty.

No wonder people in later generations admired the Han Dynasty and referred to it together with the dynasty called "Tang" as "Han and Tang". It was indeed strong, and strong in external terms, superior to other countries, allowing the people to stand up straight without having to serve other countries.

"The Han envoys went to all corners of the country, not only expanding the territory, but also promoting cultural and academic exchanges. But I think the most important thing is that they brought back many unprecedented crops to China."

"In later times, where I come from, there is a saying that 'Zhang Qian's strict selection' was used. Zhang Qian was the most famous of the Han envoys. He made two diplomatic missions to the Western Regions and brought back many crops, including grapes, alfalfa, pomegranates, sesame, cucumbers, peppers, and walnuts."

"It contains fruits, vegetables and seasonings, which enriched the Chinese diet and had a profound impact. Because the crops Zhang Qian brought back were more practical and delicious in later generations, they were jokingly called 'Zhang Qian's Strict Selection'."

Li Nian added: "Emperor Wu reigned for 54 years, and he was a leader in both civil and military affairs. There are not many who can compare with him. However, Emperor Wu had merits as well as faults. Although he established the prestige of the Han Dynasty, he also caused some problems."

Li Nian's expression straightened up. "One is that Emperor Wu 'abolished all schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone'. Although Emperor Wu had no intention of strengthening Confucianism, he just wanted to use this to deepen his power. However, Confucianism did develop because of Emperor Wu's policies."

"Second, Emperor Wu used military force frequently. Although he demonstrated the might of the Han Dynasty, he also exhausted the vitality that Emperors Wen and Jing had finally recovered. He wanted to use military force again, but he did not know that the people were exhausted. As a result, there were more than two million refugees in Guanzhong, and 400,000 people were not registered. The situation of 'empty city granaries, many people fled' and 'the whole country was wasted, and people began to eat each other' appeared."

This made Ying Zheng think of himself in history as Li Nian had said. He also abused the people's power, but Emperor Wu seemed to be better than him. Emperor Wu abused the people's power because he wanted to use foreign troops, but what was he doing? Building the Great Wall, building mausoleums, and building palaces...

"Third, Emperor Wu was old and afraid of death. He was superstitious about immortals and gods, so he summoned alchemists to refine elixirs to prolong life and immortality. He even went to Donglai to seek immortality. He was also keen on Fengshan, suburban sacrifices, and traveling around the country."

Now, the sense of déjà vu of Ying Zheng is even stronger. No wonder they are called "Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi" together. Is it possible that all great rulers will be like this when they are old?

But Li Nian's words immediately made Ying Zheng feel that he was better than Emperor Wu in superstition. Li Nian said, "Because Emperor Wu was superstitious, many alchemists, sorcerers and witches gathered in Chang'an. Some people thought that they could expose their opponents for cursing Emperor Wu with witchcraft and use Emperor Wu to get rid of their enemies."

Meng Tian asked: "You can use this method to frame others. When Emperor Wu wakes up, they will know that what they did was deceiving the emperor. Isn't it dangerous? And others can also use the same method to retaliate against them. Aren't you afraid of suffering the same disaster?"

(End of this chapter)