It was the first empire in history to truly achieve the unity of form and thought, and many of its decisions during the founding period unwittingly affected the historical development of the Chinese nation for the next 2,000 years.
Lou Jing, a native of Qi during the Western Han Dynasty, was a grassroots defender of the border passes, and was appreciated by Liu Bang for his repeated tricks, and was named "Fengchun Jun" and given the national surname. His story is legendary, and his strategy has had a significant impact on history.
In 202 BC, after Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu in the siege of Xiaxia, he decided to make Luoyang the capital in high spirits. This is the origin of "Luoyang, the capital of the western part of the emperor", which is contained in the "Zizhi Tongjian-Han Ji III".
At the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, a group of people in Pei County, including Liu Bang, believed that Luoyang was the ideal capital. Their reasons are: first, Luoyang has a superior geographical location, convenient transportation, and the ability to radiate the whole country, so that as the capital, it can better control the whole country; Second, Luoyang was the ancient capital of the Zhou Dynasty, and Liu Bang built his capital here, which can show intentions comparable to those of King Wen of Zhou; Third, Luoyang is relatively close to their hometown of Pei County.
The so-called "returning to the hometown in brocade clothes is like walking in brocade at night", no matter when and where, people will want to return to their hometown to show off when they are developed, and Liu Bang is no exception. At this time, our protagonist Lou Jing appeared.
That year, he set out from Qidi and went to the border of Longxi. When passing through Luoyang, Lou Jing did not have a trace of shyness and inferiority, he found his fellow countryman, General Yu, and asked to meet the emperor.
When Lou Jing met Liu Bang, the policy was relaxed, and he bluntly pointed out that although Luoyang was strategically located, it was at risk of being attacked from all sides. He pointed out that if you are strong, you can easily attack others, but if your strength is average, others will easily attack you.
He emphasized that the rise and fall of a country depends on virtue, and if virtue is noble, it is easy to rule, and if virtue is decaying, it is easy to perish. When the Zhou Dynasty was in its heyday, the world was harmonious, and the Quartet came to the court, but when it declined, the four sides were not convinced, and the situation could not be controlled.
Therefore, if you want to rule a country well, you must not only rely on strength, but also on virtue.
Liu Bang woke up and found that now was not the time for him to show off. There were also seven princes with different surnames around the Han Empire, none of whom were fuel-efficient lamps. If they rebel one day, staying in Luoyang will only give them a chance.
Safety is paramount, and now you need to move quickly. So, should the capital be built in **? Lou Jing put forward the suggestion that Chang'an should be the new capital. He believes that Chang'an is easy to defend and difficult to attack, rich in materials, and has both strategic advantages and material support.
In this way, you can not only control the princes, but also protect your own inheritance. At the same time, Chang'an's geographical location is also conducive to controlling the situation in the world. So, after consulting Zhang Liang, Liu Bang immediately decided to move the capital to Chang'an, and set off on the same day.
Chang'an and Luoyang have always had inconclusive battles in history. Each of them has its own merits and is difficult to judge. However, looking back at the Western Han Dynasty, we can see that if the capital had been set in Luoyang at that time, then the heart of the Western Han Empire would have been placed next to the princes and kings with different surnames.
This will undoubtedly lay hidden dangers for incidents such as the Han Shin rebellion. Therefore, when the capital of the Western Han Dynasty was Chang'an, Lou Jing proposed to move the powerful nobles of the Six Kingdoms of Shandong to Chang'an City.
This decision not only strengthened the economic strength of the Han region, but more importantly, effectively prevented the remnants of the six countries from destroying the unity. Since then, although all the kings with different surnames in the early Han Dynasty have rebelled, due to the obvious geographical advantages and strong economic strength of the Western Han regime, the turmoil of these princes and kings has never set off a big storm.
It can be said that the rivers and mountains of the Western Han Dynasty can be quickly stabilized, and Lou Jing has made great contributions. Chang'an was able to become the ancient capital of the later Thirteen Dynasties, and it should also be thanks to Lou Jing's wisdom.