Emperor Gaozu of Han
He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one of the greatest emperors in history, credited with establishing the first Pax Sinica, one of China's longest golden ages.[6] He initially entered the Qin dynasty bureaucracy as a minor law enforcement officer in his home town in Pei County, within the conquered state of Chu.In 202 BC, Liu Bang emerged victorious following the Battle of Gaixia, unified most of China under his control, and established the Han dynasty with himself as the emperor.During his reign, Liu Bang reduced taxes and corvée labour, promoted Confucianism, and suppressed revolts by the rulers of vassal states not from his own clan, among many other actions.[9] According to records, the young Liu was outspoken, charismatic, generous and forbearing, but showed little interest in education or work[10] and frequently ran into trouble with the law; he was dependent on his brother for subsistence and his father called him a "little rascal".[13] Liu was responsible for escorting a group of penal labourers to the construction site of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum at Mount Li.In Wu County, a rebel group led by Xiang Liang installed Xiong Xin as King Huai II (楚懷王) of Chu.[citation needed] Liu Bang was made Marquis of Wu'an (武安侯) and ordered to lead an army to attack the Guanzhong region, the heartland of the Qin dynasty.Liu Bang then found a chance to escape Xiang Yu's camp by pretending to go to the latrine, and then led his troops out of Xianyang towards the west.[citation needed] After occupying Xianyang, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" and split the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms.[18] From 206 to 202 BC, Liu Bang engaged Xiang Yu in a power struggle – historically known as the Chu–Han Contention – for supremacy over China, while simultaneously attacking and subjugating the other kingdoms.Merely four months after Liu left for Bashu, a rebellion broke out in the Qi territories in late 206 BC, prompting Xiang Yu to lead his troops to suppress the revolt.[20] While Xiang Yu was busy suppressing the rebellion in the Qi lands, Liu gathered an army of 560,000 from the Bashu and Guanzhong regions and marched east to attack Western Chu.Liu then ordered Peng Yue to lead his 30,000 men to pacify the surrounding areas, while he led his 560,000 troops into Pengcheng (彭城; present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu), the Western Chu capital, apparently unopposed.Upon learning of the fall of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu left the bulk of his forces to continue fighting in Qi, while he personally led 30,000 elite troops to retake his capital.By noon, Xiang Yu had routed Liu's unprepared forces, driving them towards the nearby Gu and Si rivers, where over 100,000 men drowned or were killed by Chu soldiers.[citation needed] Upon reaching Xiayi (下邑; east of present-day Dangshan County, Anhui), Liu regrouped his forces and prepared for a treat.Shortly after, Liu's forces attacked and captured Feiqiu (廢丘; present-day Xingping, Shaanxi); Zhang Han, the King of Yong, committed suicide after his defeat.Liu reorganised his forces – incorporating reinforcements from the Guanzhong region – and marched east to attack Xiang Yu again at Jing and Suo counties, both around present-day Xingyang, Henan.He also sent messengers to meet Han Xin and Peng Yue, seeking their assistance to launch a coordinated attack on Xiang Yu from three directions.However, Han Xin and Peng Yue failed to mobilise their forces, so Liu ended up being defeated by Xiang Yu at Guling (固陵; south of present-day Taikang County, Henan).After retreating and reinforcing his defences, Liu sent word to Han Xin and Peng Yue again, promising to award them fiefs and noble titles if they joined him in attacking Xiang Yu.Eventually, he was left with only 28 men when he reached the northern bank of the Wu River (烏江; near present-day He County, Anhui), where he made a last stand and managed to slay over a hundred enemy soldiers before committing suicide by slitting his throat.In 195 BC, the emperor issued two decrees: the first officialised the lowering of taxes and corvée; the second set the amount of tribute to be paid by the vassal kings to the imperial court in the 10th month of every year.After becoming emperor, he still had a disdain for Confucianism until he met the scholar Lu Jia, who wrote the Xinyu (新語), a 12-volume book espousing the benefits of governing by moral virtue as opposed to using harsh and punitive laws (as the Qin dynasty did previously).Sometime in January or February 195 BC, after suppressing Ying Bu's rebellion, Liu passed by Confucius's birthplace in Shandong, where he held a ceremony to pay tribute to the philosopher.Feeling worried that her son might lose his status as crown prince, Lü Zhi sought the help of Zhang Liang, who recommended four reclusive wise men, the Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang, to speak up for Liu Ying.[32] After the Han dynasty was established, Liu enfeoffed various princes and vassal kings and awarded them each a territory in exchange for their allegiance and assistance in governing the empire.However, the emperor was displeased, scolding the physician, "Isn't it Heaven's will that I managed to conquer this empire despite being of humble origin and armed with nothing but a sword?[37][38] 大風起兮 雲飛揚 威加海內兮 歸故鄉， 安得猛士兮 守四方！ A great wind came forth the clouds rose on high Now that my might rules all within the seas, I have returned to my old village Where will I find brave men to guard the four corners of my land?
Liu ZhiyuanZhuanxuChinese namefamily nameMing dynastyEmperor of the Han dynastyEmperor Huistate of ChuChang'anHan ChanglingEmpress LüEmpress GaoConsort QiLiu FeiEmperor Hui of HanLiu RuyiEmperor Wen of HanPrincess Yuan of LuPosthumous nameTemple nameDynastyLiu TuanTraditional ChineseSimplified ChineseStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinWade–GilesSuzhouneseYue: CantoneseYale RomanizationJyutpingSouthern MinTâi-lôOld Chinesegiven namefounder and first emperorHan dynastyChinese historiographyPax SinicaQin dynastylaw enforcement officerPei CountyQin Shi Huangfirst emperor in Chinese historyXiang YuQin heartlandZiyingEighteen KingdomsSichuanChongqingShaanxiThree QinsChu–Han ContentionBattle of GaixiacorvéeConfucianismrulers of vassal states not from his own clanarranged marriagesXiongnuBattle of BaidengLiu YingEmperor YaoYellow Emperorright to ruleWarring States periodLiu TaigongjiaolongmagistrateWaihuang CountyretainerLord XinlingXiao HeCao ShenXianyangLü ZhigentryShanfu Countya daughterQing dynastypenal labourersQin Shi Huang's mausoleumMount Lipunishable by deathMount MangdangWhite EmperorRed EmperorChen ShengWu GuangDazexiang uprisingFan Kuaisix stateswars of unificationWu CountyXiang LiangXiong XinSong YiGuanzhongZhang LiangFeast at Swan Goose GateWestern Han dynastyLuoyang Ancient Tombs MuseumWestern Hanwine warmerMetropolitan Museum of ArtXiang Zhuangsword danceFan ZengLintong DistrictXiang BoEpang PalaceBattle of JuluSichuan BasinHan RiverHanzhongQinling Mountainsgallery roadsHan XinChencangZhang HanBattle of PengchengPeng YueXuzhouJiangsuXiao CountyPrincess YuanXiahou Ying