The behind-the-scenes truth of Lu Pheasant's manipulation of the government has been revealed
Around the eighth year of Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (199 BC), a fierce game was launched between Liu Bang and Empress Lü, the focus of the game was Liu Ying's position as the prince, Liu Bang wanted to replace Mrs. Qi's son Liu Ruyi, and Empress Lü of course wanted to keep his son's position as prince, so what power did Empress Lü have, and even let Liu Bang give up the replacement of the prince's position?
One of the forces: Lu Qiang's relative, the Lu family hero group in the early Han Dynasty.
I don't know if this underestimation is intentional, it always makes people feel that the power of the Lu family's relatives is actually not large, but it is not difficult to conclude from historical materials such as "Historical Records - The Biography of the Heroes of Gaozu Heroes" and "Historical Records - The Benji of the Empress Dowager Lü" and other historical materials that the Lu family meritorious group behind Lu Pheasant in the early Han Dynasty is indeed a force to be reckoned with.
Although Lü Fei's elder brother Lü Ze was named Marquis of Wu only after the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, and it seems that he is not conspicuous in the list of meritorious heroes in the early Han Dynasty, his influence in the imperial court, especially in the army, cannot be ignored.
In the anti-Qin war and the dispute between Chu and Han, in addition to Guo Meng, the Marquis of Dongwu, who was clearly identified as Lu Ze's subordinate, there were also Ding Fu, Yangdu Marquis, Feng Qian, Qu Chenghou, Yangxia Marquis, Zhu Zheng, Duchang Marquis, Xinwu Marquis and others, Yangling Marquis Jin She, Aling Marquis Fu Kuan, Bocheng Marquis Guo Ting, Chengtao Marquis Feng Wuze, Chengtao Marquis Zhou Xin and others were also present, and Ding Fu, Feng Ying and others were also present. Ding Fu, Feng Yu and others are ranked as eighteen nobles. In addition, Feng Wuxian's positions in Langzhong and King Aiwu, and Zhou Xin's position as county magistrate in Lu County were completely inconsistent with Liu Bang's bureaucratic system, indicating that the Lu family was likely to have their own official positions.
As mentioned earlier, there are indications that the Lü family was a force to be reckoned with in the early Han dynasty, and they were Lü Qian's staunchest supporters. In addition, Liu Bang's decision to depose the crown prince in the eighth year of Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (199 BC) may have been due to the fact that Lü Ze was killed in a battle to appease Han Wangxin in the same year, indicating that Liu Bang feared the Lü family. In the later years of Liu Bang's reign, Chen Xuan's rebellion and Fan Xu's assassination may have been aimed at weakening the Lu family's power in the army.
Power 2: The power of the original match, the power of the dynasty's favoritism.
As Liu Bang's original wife, Lu Qiang had already known Liu Bang's gang before Liu Bang set out on the expedition"Fox friends and dogs"and Xiao He, Cao Shen and others. When Liu Bang fled to Mangdang Mountain as a military apprentice, Lu Qiang was also willing to send them clothes and food, and even stayed in prison for a period of time. allowed Liu Bang to establish a certain degree of intimacy with his direct colleagues in the first class.
According to the division of factions, there were roughly the following four forces in the court in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty: the Fengpei faction composed of Liu Bang's former colleagues and friends, such as Xiao He, Zhou Bo, Cao Shen, Fan Xu, Xiahou Ying, etc.; The Fengpei faction composed of heroes who defected to Liu Bang in the war, such as Zhang Liang, Chen Ping, Li Shang, Gu Ying, Fu Kuan, etc. The Fengxiao faction is composed of heroes who defected to Liu Bang in the war, such as Zhang Liang, Chen Ping, Li Shang, Gu Ying, Fu Kuan, etc.; The princes scattered all over the country, such as Wu Rui, the king of Changsha, Zang Di, the king of Yan, Han Xin, the king of Han, and Yingbu, the king of Huainan; and the Lü Hou faction mentioned above. The king of Changsha, the king of Yan, Zang Di, the king of Han, Han Xin, the king of Huainan, Yingbu, etc., as well as the above-mentioned faction of the Empress Lu.
Although the turmoil over the replacement of the crown prince is a game between Empress Lu and Liu Bang, it is also a game between Empress Lu and Liu Ying's mother and son, Mrs. Qi and Liu Ruyi's mother and son, so in the eyes of the ministers in the palace, this is the so-called choice between Empress Lu and Liu Ying, Mrs. Qi and Liu Ruyi.
The influence of the princes and kings with different surnames on the government was relatively limited, and the Lu faction was obviously on the side of Lu Hou, while the Fengpei family was more inclined to stand on the side of Lu Pheasant because of the previous relationship, such as Xiao He, Fan Xu, etc. As for the heroes, most of them remained neutral and became the main targets of Empress Lü's conspiracy, such as Zhang Liang, who vaguely sided with Lü Pheasant. As a result, Lü Pheasant quickly seized power in the palace, and even let Liu Bang take over the government after his death.
Strength 3: The influence of the traditional patriarchal system and the natural advantages of Liu Ying's primogeniture.
At the heart of the patriarchal system is primogeniture, which means that the eldest son is the legitimate heir to the throne. This system was established in the Xia Dynasty, developed in the Shang Dynasty, and perfected in the Zhou Dynasty, and has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people for thousands of years. In fact, the patriarchal system had a profound influence throughout ancient China and is still in play today.
The son of Liu Bang's original wife Liu Ying is undoubtedly not only a son-in-law, but also the only son-in-law, while Liu Ruyi is only a concubine, and abolishing the concubine is obviously against the patriarchal system. Under the influence of this traditional patriarchal system, Liu Ying, as a sister-in-law, has a natural advantage, which is also one of the main reasons why many neutral ** choose Lu Pheasant.
If the above two points only allowed Empress Lu to control the movements of the imperial court, which was enough for Liu Bang to dispel the idea of quickly replacing the throne, then this point was enough to shake the foundation of the Western Han Dynasty. Why did Zhang Liang let Lu Pheasant go to invite"Shangshan Sihao"？As the late Qin Dynasty believed in Huang Lao"Four famous doctors", they represent the direction of civil society to a certain extent.
You know, at this time, the Western Han Dynasty has just been established, not only the political situation is unstable, but the continuous rebellion of the princes and kings with different surnames is a headache for Liu Bang, if the change of generation touches the patriarchal system, then even if he is dedicated to Liu Ruyi, then it is difficult for a misplaced Liu Ruyi to sit firmly in the country, and may even cause major turmoil and threaten the governance of the country.
As mentioned earlier, Lu Pheasant, who has the above three powers, has an absolute advantage in this game, and Mrs. Qi and Liu Ruyi only rely on Liu Bang's favor, how can they be Liu Bang's opponents? The common opposition of the ministers and the superficial support of the people forced Liu Bang to think carefully, and he finally gave up the idea of replacing the crown prince.