In 154 B.C., Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty's mentor and one of the three princes of the Han Empire, the imperial historian Chao Cuo, was beheaded in the east market of Chang'an Street because of a political turmoil. Although historians have often quarreled over trivial matters, on this case, they unexpectedly reached a consensus that Chao Cuo's death was an unjust case.
Come, let's take a look at the wrong story. Born in Yingchuan (present-day Yuzhou, Henan) in the seventh year of Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Chao Cuo was an avid student of Shen Shang and Legalism from an early age, and was known for his eloquence and debating skills.
During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, he was promoted to the rank of official and served as the head of the Taichang Dynasty (similar to the Ministry of Rites in later generations**) Later, his official document was discovered by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty for his excellent writing, so he was promoted to a subordinate official of the crown prince (Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty).
As a result of his many helpful suggestions, he was appreciated by the emperor and was appointed as a prince's servant, a door doctor, and a family order. "Historical Records: Yuan Angchao's Wrong Biography".
In the Prince's Mansion, Chao Cuo was deeply loved by the crown prince Liu Qi for his profound knowledge and outstanding eloquence, and was known as a "think tank". Although there are not many records of the mistakes of this period in the history books, we know that he was by no means an ordinary person, and "doing things" was his true color.
With the approval of the crown prince and full of hope for the future, Chao Cuo was not satisfied with the status quo, but wrote to Emperor Wen of Han many times to express his political opinions.
Although his suggestion was not adopted by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen was amazed by Chao Cuo's talent and promoted him to the rank of middle doctor. At this time, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty had just become an emperor from a foreign vassal king, and it was impossible to immediately implement the national policy of cutting the feudal domain proposed by Chao Cuo, whether it was the timing or his own legal considerations.
However, Emperor Wen promoted Chao Cuo to a higher position and continued to let him confer his doubts for the crown prince Liu Qi, which shows that he agreed with Chao Cuo's suggestion to cut the feudal domain. After all, the more powerful the princes are, the more difficult it is to control them.
Therefore, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty decided to put the reduction of the feudal domain into practice after succeeding to the throne.
Historically, Chao Cuo, as the number one think tank of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, was promoted to the rank of internal historian, became his "first staff officer", and was trusted by the emperor, while other high-ranking officials were marginalized.
Chao Cuo often asked for words, and the emperor listened to his advice, so he was favored, surpassing Jiuqing. This caused the dissatisfaction of Prime Minister Shen Tujia, because Chao Cuo robbed him of his position and made him a vase, which made Chao Cuo a thorn in the side of others.
In order to save time entering the palace, Chao Cuo carved a door in the back wall of his house to facilitate entry and exit. After Prime Minister Shen Tujia learned about it, he used Chao Cuo to illegally dig the wall (which is actually the outer wall of Liu Bang's mausoleum) on the charge of disrespect, and wanted to bring down Chao Cuo.
However, after Emperor Jing of Han learned the truth, he said that it was not illegal and supported Chao's wrong approach. Although Chao Cuo won on the surface, this incident foreshadowed the end of Chao Cuo.
Officialdom emphasizes unity, and the wrong favor has aroused the jealousy of others. This incident has deepened this hatred. Therefore, although Chao Cuo won in this matter, his ending was basically finalized.
Chao Cuo boldly proposed to cut the feudal domain, but at the time it was regarded as "looking for trouble". He lacked legal basis and challenged the ancestral system, and the princes and kings did not explicitly want to be independent. The nobles were accustomed to a comfortable life, and cutting the feudal domain could lead to rebellion.
Chao Cuo's move was seen as ruining their happy life, so there was basically no one to support him. But Wei Qihou Dou Ying was the only one who dared to speak out against it. Chao Cuo and Dou Ying's political disagreement eventually led to a political struggle to the death.
On the performance, the emperor asked the princes and princes to assemble, but only Dou Ying objected, so there was a contradiction with Chao Cuo.
Historians know that Dou Ying, Marquis of Wei, was one of the representatives of the "Dou family" of the Han Empire during the Wenjing period, and he was powerful. As the prime minister, Chao Cuo seems to be in a high position, but in fact, he has offended the strongest groups in the Han Dynasty.
First of all, the dove occupies the magpie's nest, making its high-ranking and powerful colleagues an ornament; And because of the "cutting of the domain", he not only offended almost all the kings surnamed Liu, but also offended the Dou family.
The consequences are obvious, and Chao Cuo has become the target of public criticism in the "cutting feuds" operation. Not only did the princes surnamed Liu launch a rebellion (the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms) with the slogan of "Punish Chao Wrong, Qing Jun Side", but the bigwigs in the DPRK and China also regarded Chao Wrong as the culprit of everything.
What's even more terrifying is that Emperor Jing of Han, who was originally full of confidence in cutting the feudal domain, panicked in the face of a huge rebellion. Faced with the voices of the Manchu dynasty supporting Chao Cuo, Emperor Han Jingdi's heart began to waver.
The ultimate defeat of the Chao Wrong faction stems from their usual personality traits - uprightness, harshness, and lack of human touch. This personality trait leads them to be in conflict with others, even to the point where they cannot be reconciled.
Among them, the contradiction between Chao Cuo and Yuan Ang is particularly intense, the two have never spoken under the same roof, and they are full of hostility towards each other. Although the history books do not detail the reasons for their feud, Chao Cuo's personality traits make him full of enemies.
Eventually, this personality trait led Chao Cuo down the path of self-destruction.
After Chao Mistake gained power, Yuan Ang was dismissed from office for the crime of **, and tried to hold Yuan Ang accountable after the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu. After Yuan Ang learned of this, he found Chao Cuo's political opponent Dou Ying, and offered Emperor Jing of Han a clever plan to "kill Chao Cuo to appease the hearts of everyone".
Although Chao Cuo was wrongfully killed, his death seems to be an inevitable result. He was a poor man, lacked political allies, and offended the interests of the Han Empire by cutting down his feudal domains.
When Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty was anxious to unite, Chao Cuo became the best flag worshipper.