An important reason why Liu Bang was able to win among the Chu and Han dynasties was that he was able to recruit heroes and recruit rebels, and many of the people who were originally Xiang Yu's subordinates defected to Liu Bang's camp.
When competing for the throne, there is nothing wrong with this, but as an emperor, the idea of governance must change in time. What emperor doesn't want his ministers to be loyal.
The way Liu Bang dealt with two people is recorded in the Zizhi Tongjian, which is very representative.
First of all, let's talk about a positive one, that is, the treatment of Xiang Yu's loyal minister Ji Bu. Ji Bu is Xiang Yu's subordinate, and he has forced Liu Bang into a desperate situation many times, and after Liu Bang became emperor, he offered a reward for the arrest of Ji Bu, and dared to hide the three clans.
Ji Bu had no choice, disfigured and sold himself to the Zhu family in Ludi as a slave, the Zhu family actually knew that this person was Ji Bu, so they treated him well, and said to Liu Bang's founding hero Xiahou Ying: What is Ji Bu's crime? And those who are vassals do their duty. Now that His Majesty has just obtained the world, he has killed loyal ministers for his own personal grudges, which shows that His Majesty has no heart.
Xiahou Ying waited for the opportunity to make a statement to Liu Bang, who then pardoned Ji Bu, summoned him, and appointed him as Langzhong.
Below, let's take a look at the opposite side, that is, the treatment of Ding Gong who took refuge in himself. Liu Bang was defeated in the Battle of Pengcheng and fled, and Ding Gong led his troops to catch up with Liu Bang west of Pengcheng, and the two armies met in short arms. Liu Bang felt deeply in danger, so he said to Ding Gong: "You and I are both sages, do you want to hurt each other?" When Ding Gong heard this, he led his troops back, and Liu Bang also broke through.
After Xiang Yu's defeat, Ding Gong visited Liu Bang, and Liu Bang took Ding Gong to the army to parade and show the public, saying: "Ding Gong is not loyal as Xiang Yu's courtier, and the person who makes Xiang Yu lose the world is Ding Gong", so Liu Bang killed Ding Gong and said: "Let the future generations be courtiers do not follow Ding Gong!" ”
The butt decides the head, when Liu Bang was competing with Xiang Yu for the world, the generals who defected, Liu Bang did not refuse, and he was also added to the knighthood. After he became emperor, all his courtiers were in the four seas, and Liu Bang wanted to establish the orientation of loyalty to the monarch, so that the country could last for a long time, so he let Ji Bu go and killed Duke Ding. Sima Guang used "killing one person and the world is afraid" to explain the reason for Liu Bang's approach.