Diqin Designer

Chapter 297: The Decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty (End of the Eastern Han Dynasty)
Note: Everyone, please note that this chapter is still about the Eastern Han Dynasty, but it ends in this chapter!

The First Emperor was really unable to hold back his excitement now. Empress Zhangdedou reminded him of someone 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. But even if he won, Zhao Ji's actions still traumatize him: a mother actually wanted to kill her own son for the sake of an adulterer!
After what happened with Zhao Ji and hearing about Empress Lu taking power, the First Emperor had been very wary of the harem and external relatives interfering in government affairs. Now he was even more determined to find a way to prevent the harem and external relatives from interfering in politics. He must not let the future kings of the Qin Dynasty repeat what happened to him and Zhao Ji, and he must not let the Qin Dynasty also have the incident of "Six Queens ruling the country."

Li Nian continued, "They have been hostile to the Han since the Western Han Dynasty. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, although the Xiongnu still existed, they were no longer strong. If they could get reinforcements from the Western Regions, they might be able to recover some of their strength. Unfortunately, there was Ban Chao in the Western Regions."

"At that time, the Xiongnu were divided into the Southern and Northern Xiongnu. The Southern Xiongnu were pro-Han, while the Northern Xiongnu were anti-Han. Dou Xian's request to go to war against the Xiongnu was not a sudden idea when he was on the verge of death, but because the Southern Xiongnu were requesting the Eastern Han Dynasty to send troops to attack the Northern Xiongnu. This was the life-saving straw he could grasp!"

"At Dou Xian's initiative, the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty appointed him as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, wearing a gold seal and a purple ribbon, and sent him to fight against the Northern Xiongnu. The next year, after the preparations for food, fodder, weapons and other supplies were completed, Dou Xian led his army to set out and fought a fierce battle with the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu at Jiluo Mountain, defeating the enemy army."

"When the Chanyu of the Northern Xiongnu fled, Dou Xian led his army to pursue the tribes of the Northern Xiongnu. They came to the Siqu Bidihai Lake and killed 13,000 people including the king. They captured more than one million horses, cattle, sheep and camels. A large number of Xiongnu tribes surrendered, with a total of more than 200,000 people."

"After the great victory, Dou Xian and his deputy general Geng Bing climbed up Mount Yanran, carved a stone to record their achievements and commemorate the great virtue of the Han Dynasty, and asked Ban Chao's brother Ban Gu to write an inscription, which is called 'carving a stone at Yanran'."

Li recited the "Inscription on Mount Yanran" and heard the lines "Then he crossed Zhuoye, stepped on Anhou, rode on Yanran, tread on Maodun's settlement, and burned Laoshang's dragon court", Qin Shihuang and his two companions sighed. Maodun could be considered a contemporary of theirs, but in this inscription he had become an ancient man.

But I always feel that this achievement of "carving the stone at Yanran" is still a little lacking compared with "sealing the wolf's lair and drinking from the vast sea".

In fact, although this achievement was great, it did not target the Huns at their most powerful time. The most important thing was that Huo Qubing's achievements were too dazzling and brilliant. It was amazing and regrettable that he achieved such great success at such a young age.

"Although the Northern Xiongnu were defeated, their Chanyu escaped. Dou Xian sent people to pursue him, trying to persuade him to surrender. After being defeated by Dou Xian, the Northern Xiongnu's strength was greatly reduced, and the people of the Northern Xiongnu also knew that they were no longer a match for the Han Dynasty."

"Under Dou Xian's call for surrender, many more Northern Xiongnu people surrendered. The Northern Xiongnu Chanyu also sent his younger brother, You Wen Yuyi Wang, to Luoyang to pay tribute to the Eastern Han Dynasty and to serve Emperor He of Han, Liu Zhao."

"But Dou Xian thought that the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu had not come to Luoyang in person and lacked sincerity, so he petitioned the court to send back the Right Wen Yudi King and prepare to attack the Northern Xiongnu again."

"When the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu saw that the Eastern Han Dynasty had sent his brother back, he knew that things were not going well, so he sent Che Xie Chu Wang and others to the Juyan Pass to meet Dou Xian, requesting to pay tribute to the Eastern Han Dynasty and to come to the capital to meet him."

"It seemed that there was nothing wrong with the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu doing this, but he didn't expect that what the Eastern Han Dynasty needed was not the Northern Xiongnu who surrendered superficially, but the Northern Xiongnu who were completely defeated."

"Dou Xian didn't think so much at the time. After meeting with the envoy sent by the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu, he asked the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty for instructions, and the court agreed that the Northern Xiongnu should submit to him."

"However, at this time, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu wrote a letter, suggesting that we take the opportunity to eliminate the Chanyu of the North, and then merge the Southern and Northern Xiongnu under the Han Dynasty."

It is said that the traitors were more cruel. The Southern Xiongnu and the Northern Xiongnu were originally one family. However, after the split, they treated their former fellow tribesmen even more cruelly than the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is more hateful to be an enemy of the same tribe than to be an enemy of outsiders.

"The court of the Eastern Han Dynasty agreed to the proposal 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 ready to deal a fatal blow to the Northern Xiongnu."

"Dou Xian believed that the Northern Xiongnu were weak and wanted to take the opportunity to completely destroy them. In the third year of Yongyuan, the Eastern Han army defeated the Northern Xiongnu at Jinwei Mountain and beheaded more than 5,000 people. The Northern Xiongnu Chanyu fled again and his whereabouts were unknown, but the war between the Xiongnu and the Eastern Han Dynasty was not over yet."

The Huns are really tenacious. They have existed since the Qin Dynasty and fought with the Han Dynasty from the Western Han Dynasty to the Eastern Han Dynasty, but they have not been completely destroyed and can still continue to thrive.

The First Emperor couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Maodun, you died a good death!
Thinking of this, the First Emperor said: "The Xiongnu have existed since the Qin Dynasty, and it has been three hundred years since the Eastern Han Dynasty. They have existed for such a long time, it seems that they have jumped out of the 'historical cycle'. What is the reason?"

Li Nian had never thought about this question. After thinking about it, he replied, "I think the Xiongnu was able to survive for so long for the following reasons: First, the Xiongnu was not a nation based on farming, so they were not as severely restricted by land as the Central Plains dynasties. When they were short of food and other things, they would often plunder other countries to get what they needed, but the Central Plains dynasties would not often do so;"

This is very similar to some countries in the Age of Discovery. When they couldn't make food on their own, they would rob others. There's nothing wrong with calling them robbers.

"When looting, if they can get enough for what they need, it will alleviate their own problems. If they cannot, they can still consume the population, which can also alleviate their own problems."

"The living environment and customs of the Xiongnu are also important factors. The Xiongnu live in the desert grasslands, and in winter, the grasslands are often cold and snowy, which can kill the elderly, women and children. The Xiongnu also worship wolves and eagles, and believe that the weak and old should die, while the young and strong should live, which can also alleviate the problem;"

"Secondly, the Xiongnu were both a country and a tribe. Their dynasties often perished, but the tribe survived. The same is true for our Huaxia tribe. Many dynasties have changed, but the Huaxia tribe has always existed."

"The third reason is because of the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty is a powerful enemy of the Xiongnu, which makes them worry day and night and forces them to be strong enough. If they are not strong enough, how can they avoid destruction in the battle with the Han Dynasty?"

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

Li Nian said: "Dou Xian has made such great achievements, and his reputation has grown. He has taken control of the government of the Eastern Han Dynasty and has great power. His brothers and nephews also hold high positions. As a result, the Dou family has become more domineering and arrogant. Even the slaves and retainers of the Dou family have taken advantage of the power of the Dou family to do evil things."

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

Li Nian smiled and said, "Dou Xian was destroyed because they participated in the murder of the emperor. When Emperor He of Han, Liu Zhao, ascended the throne, he was young, but he would eventually grow up, and one day Empress Zhangde Dou would have to return the power of government to Liu Zhao. But how could Empress Zhangde Dou be willing to hand over the power and let Liu Zhao rule the country?"

"Moreover, Liu Zhao was adopted by Liu Xun to Empress Zhangde Dou. Empress Zhangde Dou was not Liu Zhao's biological mother. On the contrary, she killed Liu Zhao's biological mother and had it concealed."

"Liu Zhao is getting stronger day by day, so Empress Zhangde and others are naturally worried. In addition, the Dou family is domineering and has had many conflicts with Liu Zhao. They are also worried that Liu Zhao will settle their crimes after he gains power. It is better to strike first!"

"So they came up with the idea of ​​killing Liu Zhao and establishing a new emperor. Wouldn't it be possible to continue to guarantee their power and position by establishing a young emperor?"

"Unexpectedly, although Liu Zhao was only fourteen years old at that time, he was extremely intelligent. He secretly learned about the plans of Empress Zhangde and Dou and others, and also planned how to counter them. As a result, Liu Zhao was more skilled and arrested all those who participated in the murder of him in April of the fourth year of Yongyuan."

This little emperor is quite amazing. He is only fourteen years old but he has such courage and wisdom. He not only sees through the enemy's conspiracy, but also kills the powerful enemy in one fell swoop.

Li Nian said: "After being counterattacked by Liu Zhao, Liu Zhao did not immediately deal with Dou Xian because of his consideration for Empress Zhangde Dou. Instead, he asked Dou Xian and other members of the Dou family to return to their fiefdoms. When Dou Xian and others arrived at their fiefdoms, he forced them to commit suicide. Thus, Dou Xian died and Empress Zhangde Dou lost power."

"Dou Xian had a huge impact on the Eastern Han Dynasty and even the entire world. Because of his conquest of the Northern Xiongnu, the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu were driven westward. They arrived in Zhuzhou (Europe), invaded all the way west, and finally reached Rome and destroyed Rome at that time."

Li Nian couldn't help laughing when he said this. The people of Zhuzhou, is that all? They can't even beat the defeated generals of the Eastern Han Dynasty, so how can they be the opponent of the Han Dynasty?
The First Emperor and his two companions had similar thoughts. The Huns, who were defeated by the Eastern Han Dynasty, actually ran to the west and destroyed the powerful country of Zhuzhou. It seems that the people of Zhuzhou are no match for them!
The First Emperor shook his head and said, "Although Dou Xian is very capable and has the merit of 'carving a stone in Yanran', he is too arrogant and domineering. He deserves death!"

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

Compared to Dou Xian, he was more interested in Ban Chao and wanted to know what this guy had done in the Western Regions. Li Nian said: "What happened in Luoyang did not affect Ban Chao's management in the Western Regions. He led his Western Region coalition forces to defeat the Kushan Empire, the country that sent lions and giraffes to Liu Jing. The Kushan Empire was an empire established by the Yuezhi people who migrated to the west."

"During the Western Han Dynasty, the Yuezhi were defeated by the Xiongnu and moved westward. Later, they were defeated by the Wusun, who were supported by the Xiongnu, and moved westward again. This time, they found a country that was weaker than them. This country was called 'Daxia' in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty. It actually had nothing to do with the Xia Dynasty during the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties."

"The Yuezhi people defeated this country, seized its land, and established the Great Yuezhi Kingdom. Later, the Great Yuezhi Kingdom became more powerful and had a larger territory, and established the Kushan Empire!
The people in the west are really no match for them. The Huns who were driven away by the Eastern Han Dynasty were able to run to Zhuzhou and destroy a country. The Yuezhi people who were driven away by the Huns were also able to destroy a country. If the Qin Dynasty went there, wouldn't they all be defeated?

"The Kushan Empire and Ban Chao fought because the Yuezhi King of the Kushan Empire proposed to marry a Han princess when he sent envoys to pay tribute to the Eastern Han Dynasty with lions and giraffes, but was rejected by Ban Chao. The Yuezhi King was resentful and sent troops to attack Ban Chao."

"But the Yuezhi had been migrating westward for too long, and there was no other country in their area that could rival them. They had long forgotten the power of the Han Dynasty, and were badly defeated by Ban Chao. The entire Kushan Empire was shocked by this, and it paid tribute to the Eastern Han Dynasty every year."

Meng Tian laughed and said, "Now they remember how they got there. They won't behave themselves until they are beaten!"

Li Nian said: "In the third year of Yongping, Liu Zhao re-established the Western Regions Protectorate and appointed Ban Chao as the new Protector. When he was the Protector General of the Western Regions, more than 50 countries in the Western Regions submitted to the Eastern Han Dynasty again and sent hostages to the Eastern Han Dynasty one after another."

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

When Li Nian mentioned "Western Great Qin", the First Emperor became interested and asked, "Which country is the Western Great Qin?"

When Li Nian answered "Roman Empire", the Emperor's interest immediately waned. How could a country destroyed by the Huns be called "Da Qin"? This was simply an insult to his Da Qin. If Da Qin came to the West in the future, it would make sure that the Western countries could not use the name "Qin".

"But the envoys sent by Ban Chao did not reach Rome. They only reached the Mediterranean and returned. However, they reached Tiaozhi, Parthia and other countries. These countries also sent envoys to the Eastern Han Dynasty to pay tribute."

"After staying in the Western Regions for many years, Ban Chao had grown old and was homesick. In the 14th year of Yongyuan, Ban Chao returned to Luoyang and died of illness in Luoyang at the age of 71!"

"Ban Chao is the person with the greatest achievements since the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate by the Han Dynasty. Without him, the Eastern Han Dynasty might have lost control of the Western Regions during the reign of Liu Xun. That's why I have said so much!"

The First Emperor nodded and said, "Ban Dingyuan, you are stationed at the border for the country and guard the distant places. My Great Qin will also have such a man to guard the border for the Great Qin and deter the four directions!"

After saying this, the First Emperor asked, "What happened to Liu Zhao later? When he was fourteen years old, he was able to counter Dou Xian and others. He must have done something."

But I have heard from Li Nian that there were "six queens ruling the country" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, so Liu Zhao's situation may not be too good.

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

But when it reaches its peak, it means it has reached the highest point and cannot go any higher. The next step is to maintain stability or decline downward, with a high probability of declining.

"If it was his father Liu Xun who left behind the problems of the harem and foreign relatives interfering in government affairs, then Liu Zhao had experienced these things personally, but did not change. But this cannot be entirely blamed on him. After all, he died very early like his father, at the age of 27."

"In fact, few emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty lived long after Liu Zhuang. Because they died early, many emperors had few or even no offspring. In addition, the harem, relatives, and eunuchs interfered in politics, which led to frequent changes in the throne. Few emperors reigned for long periods of time. Many were young sons who ascended the throne before they grew up and then died."

"Therefore, later generations also called the Eastern Han Dynasty the 'Eastern Han Kindergarten', meaning that it had many child emperors. The same was true for Liu Zhao, who died young. Although he had children, they were all too young, one was sick, and the other was only a hundred days old when he ascended the throne."

After hearing this, the First Emperor and his two companions understood that even if the Eastern Han Dynasty did not have many problems originally, it would become a problem under these circumstances. Most of the emperors were children of a few years old, and some were even babies of over a hundred days old. It would be strange if there were no problems.

A strange idea popped up in the First Emperor's mind: Could it be that the first few emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty did too good a job, so God wanted to make up for it in the future and intentionally weakened the Eastern Han Dynasty?
Li Nian was unaware of the superstitious belief that had emerged in the First Emperor's mind, and continued, "A baby who was over a hundred days old couldn't even walk, and he had to be carried to court. Naturally, he couldn't handle government affairs, so Liu Zhao's queen Deng Sui took charge of the court and handled government affairs for the young emperor."

"This Deng Sui was different from Empress Zhangde and Empress Dou. Although she was in power, she was a virtuous empress, different from the other five. During her reign, the Eastern Han Dynasty was hit by frequent disasters, including meteorites, earthquakes, floods, hail, and locust plagues. Many places suffered from natural disasters."

These words made the First Emperor more convinced of the thought in his mind. Could it be that God saw that the Eastern Han Dynasty was doing too well, so he deliberately weakened it?

"When the various ethnic groups outside saw that the Eastern Han Dynasty was weakened by natural disasters, they took the opportunity to rebel and invade. At this time, the Eastern Han Dynasty was on the verge of survival, but Deng Sui led the Eastern Han Dynasty to overcome it. Not only did she eliminate the impact of natural disasters in the country, she also quelled the external threats."

"If it weren't for Deng Sui, the Eastern Han Dynasty would have been seriously damaged even if it hadn't perished. Unfortunately, after Deng Sui, the other empress dowagers who ruled the Eastern Han Dynasty were not as virtuous as her. In addition, the throne changed too frequently, and eunuchs interfered in politics, and the Eastern Han Dynasty gradually declined."

"With many problems accumulating, the Eastern Han Dynasty came to an end. During the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, a Taoist priest led the people of the world to shout out the words that have been passed down to later generations to the Eastern Han court: The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should be established, the year is Jiazi, and the world will be blessed!"

"Someone in later generations added another sentence to this Taoist: I am Zhang Jiao, and I beg you to die with me!"

Listening to these two sentences, the three of them seemed to have passed through the mist of time and saw a magnificent era, where there were heroic spirits, beautiful women sighing, promises worth a thousand gold, and plots and betrayals, some people ascended to the top and some people were reduced to ashes...

What Zhang Jiao wanted to do was not only to bury the Eastern Han Dynasty, but also to bury the Han Empire that had lasted for four hundred years. This end would surely be more grand than the collapse of any other dynasty, and the slogans he shouted were also full of heroism.

Li Nian said: "Although the Eastern Han Dynasty came to an end, it still took a long time for it to actually fall, 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 suppressing the foreign enemies and fighting them."

"That was a wonderful era that was known to almost all Chinese people in later generations. Even if you don't know that period of history, you will definitely know that person, who made 'wisdom' become the symbol of that surname. When people in later generations heard that someone had the same surname as that person, they would naturally think that this person must be very smart."

Of course, although it was wonderful, it was unfortunately not friendly to the people. When the three families returned to the Jin Dynasty and the chaotic times ended, nine out of ten houses in the world were empty.

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

After listening to Li Nian's words, the First Emperor became very interested. There was such a powerful person who could make people feel the wisdom of a surname with his own achievements?
But the First Emperor knew that it would take a long time to talk about that era, so he suppressed his desire to hear the whole story and said, "Let's stop here today. Please tell me more next time. I really want to know who could have brought a family to this point."

Li Nian nodded and smiled, "He is not only the embodiment of wisdom, but also a loyal minister. He is a model of ministers throughout the ages, and a minister that all kings of all dynasties want to have! In the future, he will be praised by all Chinese people, even countries like Jiaoben, because of a novel."

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

The Emperor's interest grew stronger, but he shook his head and said, "You should focus on the matters at hand first, and put the country's major plans first, and don't delay on such trivial matters."

(End of this chapter)