Liu Bang broke Pei. County seats

Gather Peicheng's fathers and elders to discuss the plan. Everyone elected Liu Bang as the county commander and turned his back on Qin to stand on his own. Liu Bang excused himself and said: "Now that there is turmoil and the princes are rising, Pei Ling should choose the most prestigious person in the county." If I miss the fathers and elders of the city, then I will not redeem myself, so I should quickly choose another merit to do great things. Everyone saw Liu Bang's humble words and was even more convinced. So everyone insisted on asking Liu Bang to serve as Pei Ling. Liu Bang still couldn't give in repeatedly, and Xiao He's persuasion was to no avail. Everyone was helpless, so they selected 9 of the most prestigious people in the county, together with Liu Bang, a total of 10 people, and wrote the names of 10 people on paper. The county order shall not be shirked. Seeing this, Xiao He suddenly had a plan, and hurriedly said to everyone: "You guys, this method is very good, it depends on the fairest of heaven." This little bit of hard work must be exhausted. Everyone agreed very much after hearing this, and said: "Xiao Gongcao has been doing things in the county for many years, and he has done things finely, and this matter should be handled by Mr. Xiao." The crowd applauded in unison. Liu Bang had no choice but to salute the sky, cast out a lot, and unfolded it in public, his name happened to be written on it, and he glanced at Xiao He, and wanted to excuse himself. Seeing this, Xiao He hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed the remaining paper lots on the plate, put them in his mouth and chewed them, and then said loudly; "Providence returns, what else to say." When the crowd heard this, they thundered with joy. Liu Bang had no choice but to promise. So, they held a ceremony in the county government hall, swore an oath, and according to the old system of the Chu State, called Liu Bang "Pei Gong". Afterwards, Liu Bang learned that the 10 paper lots written by Xiao He were all Liu Bang's name, and he knew that Xiao He really supported him, and he was very grateful in his heart. Since then, Xiao He has followed Liu Bang in the southern and northern wars and made great achievements.

Thoughtful collection of classics

In September of the second year of Qin II (208 BC), Xiang Liang's uncle and nephew killed Huiji County Shou Yintong and raised the banner of rebellion. Soon, he gathered more than 200,000 soldiers and horses, supported the 13-year-old Xiong Xin, the 12th grandson of the king of Chu, as the king, and met with Liu Bang's troops in Xuecheng. The generals agreed: Xiang Yu went north to rescue Zhao, and after relieving the siege of Julu, he attacked Qin from the north road to the west, and Liu Bang marched west from the south road to Guanzhong. After the two groups defeated the Qin army, who entered the Qin capital Xianyang first, and who became the king of Guanzhong.

Liu Bang led the army to move forward bravely, relying on the planning of Zhang Liang and others, avoiding the real and making the false, suppressing and appeasing at the same time, and winning the pass all the way to Guanzhong. Xiao He, as the governor, sat in the local area and supervised the logistics supply of the army. In October 206 BC, Liu Bang led a large army to Xianyang City. Prince Qin designed to kill the traitor Zhao Gao, sacrificed the jade seal, and surrendered to Liu Bang. As a result, the rebel army marched into Xianyang City. When the soldiers saw the majestic palace of the Qin capital and the bustling market, they immediately got carried away, and took advantage of the chaos to loot gold and silver property, and even Pei Gong couldn't help it, and took advantage of his free time to run to the Qin Palace to look around. When he saw the gorgeous palace rooms, the strange furnishings, the piles of gold and silver jewelry, the hunting dogs and horses, the rare playthings, and the groups of beauties, he was dazzled and fluttering, and even coveted the wealth of the Qin Palace and couldn't bear to leave. He was fascinated and hugged the beautiful woman into Hu Hai's bedroom, lay down on the dragon bed, and entered the gentle township. Suddenly, the general Fan Hao broke into the door and said loudly: "Does Pei Gong want to take the world, or do you want to be a rich man?" These luxurious things are the bane of Qin's demise. Don't get obsessed with it! ”

At the same time, Zhang Liang and others also came to state the benefits, and Liu Bang suddenly realized that he immediately ordered the soldiers to seize the palace treasury, and then led the soldiers back to Bashang. Only Xiao He, after entering Xianyang, was not greedy for gold and silver property, and second, he was not obsessed with beautiful women, but he rushed to the Prime Minister of Qin's Imperial History Mansion in a hurry, and sent soldiers to quickly surround the Prime Minister's Imperial History Mansion and prevent anyone from entering or leaving. Then let the faithful and reliable people check the books and archives of the relevant countries of the Qin Dynasty one by one, classify them, register them, and collect them all for future reference. Because, according to the canonical system of the Qin Dynasty, the prime minister assisted the Son of Heaven to deal with national affairs; The Imperial Historian supervises the imperial history of each county externally, and accepts the affairs of the minister internally. In addition to military power, the prime minister and the imperial historian almost controlled all the government affairs. Xiao He has been an official for many years, so of course he knows this. In this regard, the whole army admired it, and Liu Bang was ashamed and said: "Xiao He is indeed a talent, and it is not in vain for me to promote him." Xiao He's collection of these Qin Dynasty law books and archives enabled Liu Bang to know the world's key points, the number of household registrations, the situation of strength and weakness, customs and people's feelings, etc., and found a reliable basis for formulating correct policies and laws and regulations, which played a huge role in the establishment and consolidation of the Western Han Dynasty regime in the future. This also shows Xiao He's foresight.

Discerning talent strongly recommends Han Xin

Soon after Liu Bang took the lead in attacking Xianyang, Xiang Yu also led his army into the pass, and in February of the same year, he proclaimed himself the overlord of Western Chu, occupied the land of 9 counties in the east of Liang and Chu, and built the capital Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). And reneged on the original agreement, renamed Liu Bang as the king of Han, governed the remote and remote places of Ba, Shu and Hanzhong, and built the capital Nanzheng. In order to prevent Liu Bang from advancing eastward, Xiang Yu divided the Guanzhong region into three and gave it to three Qin Dynasty generals - Yongwang Zhanghan, Zhai Wang Dong Peng, and Saiwang Sima Xin. Liu Bang saw Xiang Yu's sinister intentions, held his breath, and had the heart to fight to the death with Xiang Yu. I had to adopt the suggestions of Xiao He, Zhang Liang and others, endure and enter Shu, take a break from the army, recruit talents, and then compete with Xiang Yu for a high level.

In April, the various princes led their troops back to their fiefdoms. According to Zhang Liang's strategy, Liu Bang died down, and people did not dismantle their armor, and they hurried towards Bashu. Along the way, many soldiers from the armies of other princes and kings voluntarily joined Liu Bang's banner, and it was at this time that Han Xin escaped from the Chu camp and defected to Liu Bang. Han Xin was originally a subordinate of Xiang Yu, he was brave and strategic, and he was a military strategist unparalleled in the world. But it was not reused under Xiang Yu, so he was thrown under Liu Bang. At first, Liu Bang made him a petty official in charge of grain and grass, and Han Xin was disappointed. By chance, Xiao He got acquainted with Han Xin. In the process of contact, Prime Minister Xiao Cheng found that Han Xin was courageous and knowledgeable, and he was a rare talent, so he recommended it to Liu Bang many times, but it did not attract Liu Bang's attention.

More than two months have passed in the blink of an eye. The officers and soldiers of the Han army were reluctant to stay in Shu for a long time, missing their hometown all day long, thinking about returning to the east, and more and more people deserted. One day, Han Xin saw that he was still not reused in the Han camp for a long time, so he left the Han camp in a fit of anger. After Xiao He learned about it, he immediately put down the urgent official business that had not yet been dealt with, and personally rode his horse to chase after Han Xin, and he didn't even have time to say hello to Liu Bang. Liu Bangzheng was anxious about the increasing number of deserters in the army, and suddenly a military official came to report: "Prime Minister Xiao Cheng has also run away." Liu Bang was shocked when he heard this, and said, "This is worth it!" I was about to discuss with him about the affairs of the army, why did he escape! "Send someone to find Xiao He now. I didn't see Xiao He's shadow for two days, and Liu Bang was so anxious that he was restless. Besides, Xiao He chased Han Xin, he worked tirelessly, asked all the way, chased all the way, until it was dark, and he didn't chase Han Xin. Just as he was about to get off his horse and rest, he suddenly saw a man leading a horse by the river from a distance. Xiao He suddenly shook his spirits, quickly stepped up, and shouted loudly: "General Han! General Han! He rode his horse to the river, got off his horse out of breath, and said angrily: "General Han, we finally hit it off at first sight, and we can be friends." Why don't you say a word and just leave? Han Xin remained silent. Xiao He said a lot of words to persuade him to go back. At this time, Teng Gong Xiahou Ying also rode a horse to arrive; The two begged each other bitterly, and they had to ask Han Xin to go back. They said, "If the king does not listen to our counsel again, shall we go together with the three of us?" Han Xin had no choice but to follow them back. On the third day, the three returned to Nanzheng.

Xiao He went to see Liu Bang, Liu Bang was shocked and angry when he saw Xiao He, and said, "You also want to escape?" Xiao He said: "I don't dare to run away, I went to chase the escaper." Liu Bang asked him, "Who are you chasing?" Xiao He replied, "Han Xin." After Liu Bang heard this, he said disapprerovingly: "There are more than ten generals who have escaped, and I haven't heard who you have chased, why do you want to chase Han Xin?" This is clearly lying to me! Xiao He said: "Those generals are easy to get, but Han Xin is one of the best outstanding talents today, and there will be no second one if he runs away." If the king only wants to be the king of Hanzhong, it will be okay if he doesn't have Han Xin; If you want to prepare to fight the world, you have to use Hanxin. How are you prepared? Liu Bang said: "Of course I want to play out, how can I be bored here?" Xiao He said: "If the king decides to go out of Hanzhong and can reuse Han Xin, he will naturally stay; If you don't reuse him, he'll leave eventually. "Then," Liu Bang made up his mind and said, "How about making him a general according to the prime minister?" Xiao He said: "Call him a general, he still has to go." "How about worshipping him as a general?" Xiao He said: "Very good. Liu Bang asked Xiao He to summon Han Xin at that time, and immediately worshiped him as a general. Xiao He said bluntly: "The king usually doesn't pay attention to etiquette. Worshipping the general is a big deal, not a child who asks him to come as if he was joking. If the king really wants to worship Han Xin as a general, he must first order people to build a platform to worship the generals, choose a good day, and the king must bathe and change clothes, fasting in person, and then hold a grand ceremony to worship the generals. In this way, all the soldiers can obey the command of the general, just like the command of the king. Liu Bang said: "Okay, I will listen to you, please do it." This is the origin of the historical story of "Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon". A few days later, Xiao He ordered people to build an altar to worship the generals. Liu Bang, the king of Han, chose an auspicious day, led hundreds of civil and military officials, came to the altar, and slowly climbed the steps. I saw a big flag hanging in front of the altar, waving in the wind, and there were spears lined up on all sides, and there was no noise. A round of red sun illuminates the altar, which is really a banner and a scepter. Prime Minister Xiao He has already presented the rune seal axe to Liu Bang, the king of Han. The generals in the golden helmets and iron armor under the altar are all looking forward to it, not knowing who this big golden seal belongs to. I saw Xiao He announcing the king's order on behalf of him, and shouted loudly: "I respectfully invite the general to come up to the altar to salute!" At that moment, a person suddenly flashed out, calmly stepping up to the altar. Everyone looked at it, it turned out to be Han Xin, and there was an uproar. It's no wonder that a small official who is not famous in the army is now worshipping as a general all of a sudden, how can it not make everyone talk about it. Everyone saw Liu Bang, the king of Han; Prime Minister Xiao He was so respectful that he felt more and more inexplicable. Later, Han Xin really did not disappoint Liu Bang and lived up to Xiao He's good intentions. In the Chu-Han War, Han Xin led the Han army to cross Chencang, fought Xingyang, broke Wei Ping Zhao, collected Yan and conquered Qi, won consecutive battles, set up ambushes on ten sides under the wall, annihilated Xiang Yu's entire army in one fell swoop, and pacified the world for Liu Bang. Obviously, in the Chu-Han War, Han Xin's full play and use of military talents, and even the Han King Liu Bang's ability to finally seize the world, to a certain extent, are inseparable from Xiao He's insight and talent.

Sit in Guanzhong to ensure military salaries

In August of the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), Liu Bang led his army to quietly leave Nanzheng, and adopted the plan of "repairing the plank road in the Ming Dynasty and secretly crossing Chencang" offered by Zhang Liang and Han Xin, and marched eastward, leaving Xiao He to be responsible for collecting taxes from Bashu and supplying military rations. After the Han army soldiers were in Shu, they missed their hometown, and the heart of returning to the east was very keen, once they returned to the east, they were all like tigers going down the mountain, fighting bravely to be the first, and the soldiers and horses of King Yong Zhang Han lost their helmets and unloaded their armor, and fled in the wilderness. The Han army was like a bamboo, and occupied the land of Sanqin in less than a month. Liu Bang ordered Xiao He to sit in Guanzhong to pacify the people, and at the same time be responsible for the raising and supply of soldiers and food, while he himself led a large army of men and horses to march towards Pengcheng.

Due to several wars, Guanzhong at this time was already devastated and dilapidated, and the Qin capital Xianyang was set on fire by Xiang Yu for 3 months, and it has become a piece of rubble. After Xiao He stayed in Guanzhong, he immediately appeased the people, resumed production, and made every effort to clean up the broken situation in Guanzhong. On the one hand, he re-established the already scattered ruling order, and on the other hand, he extended favors to the people to reassure the people. He not only promulgated and implemented new laws, re-established the ruling order and ruling institutions of the Han Dynasty, built palaces, county seats, and so on. In addition, the original royal garden of the Qin Dynasty was opened, allowing the people to farm, giving the people titles, reducing taxes and so on. He also asked the people to nominate people who were over 50 years old, virtuous, and able to set an example, and appointed them as the "three elders", one from each township; Then the three elders of each township were selected as the three elders of the county, assisted by the county order, educated the people, and at the same time exempted them from forced labor, and gave them wine and meat at the end of each year. In this way, because Xiao He was shrewd and well-governed, and promulgated decrees for the benefit of the people, agricultural production was quickly restored, a solid rear was established, and the needs of the front line were guaranteed.

In the second year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang took the opportunity of Xiang Yu's army to go eastward and invaded Xiang Yu's old nest Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). After the Han army entered Pengcheng, it was carried away by the victory, paralyzed carelessly, and relaxed its vigilance, and was soon killed by Xiang Yu with 30,000 elite soldiers who made a detour and besieged Liu Bang in Lingbi of Pengcheng (now south of Suixi City, Anhui). Fortunately, thanks to Chen Pingxian's plan of "golden cicada shelling", he was able to flee back to Xingyang with dozens of remnants of cavalry. At this time, most of the strong men in Guanzhong had been requisitioned, Xiao He sent the old and weak and young people under the age of service to Xingyang for reinforcements, and Han Xin also collected troops to join Liu Bang, Liu Bang was able to regain his strength and hold on to Xingyang and Chenggao with Xiang Yu's army. At that time, Xiao He sat in Guanzhong, conscripted soldiers, transported grain and grass, and supplied the Han army; Serve the crown prince, formulate laws and regulations, and establish the order of the temple. Every time the relevant matter was reported to Liu Bang, Liu Bang always agreed and allowed it to be done. Even if it is too late to report, Xiao He can also implement it first according to the specific situation, and wait for King Han to come back and make a report. Liu Bang fought several battles, abandoned the army and fled, and if Xiao He had a little second heart at that time, he could put Liu Bang to death. But Xiao He requisitioned Guanzhong soldiers every time to make up for the shortage of the Han army, and Liu Bang was able to regain his strength and turn the crisis into safety many times. In 203 BC, Xiang Yu also fell into the predicament of running out of food due to years of war. However, Liu Bang's troops, because Xiao He was sitting in Guanzhong, constantly sent food and troops to the front, forming a good situation of strong soldiers and more food. Later, Liu Bang became stronger and stronger, and finally forced Xiang Yu's soldiers to be defeated and kill Wujiang by himself.

Liu Bang on meritorious deeds and rewards

After rewarding the feudal princes, the problem of fixing the capital is imminent. At first, he planned to set the capital in Luoyang, but later the soldier Lou Jing met Liu Bang and suggested that the capital should be Xianyang (now northwest of Chang'an County, Shaanxi) according to the dangerous situation in Guanzhong. After Liu Bang solicited Zhang Liang's opinion, he immediately decided to set the capital in Xianyang. and named Lou Jing as Fengchun Jun and gave him the surname Liu. So, Liu Bang temporarily lived in Liyang and ordered Prime Minister Xiao He to build Xianyang. In 199 BC, the palace was completed, and Xiao He asked the royal driver to look at it. Liu Bang then went from Liyang to Xianyang, and Xiao He took over and introduced Youguan. The largest one, called Weiyang Palace, is surrounded by twenty or thirty miles. East and west, the gate is the widest. The scale of the temple is also high and open, especially the former hall is the most luxurious and magnificent. Arsenal, Taicang, next to the separate hall, the weather is majestic. After Liu Bang inspected it, he thought that the palace room was too magnificent and luxurious, and blamed Xiao He Dao: "My uprising was originally to save the people. Now that the people are exhausted, how can this palace be built so luxurious? Xiao He saw that the Han Emperor blamed, and said unhurriedly: "It is precisely because the world has just settled down that it is good to take the opportunity to levy more people and things to build the palace, and the Son of Heaven takes the four seas as his home, so that the magnificence of the palace can show its majesty, and it will not be rebuilt by future generations." Liu Bang saw that Xiao He answered so decently, so he turned his anger into joy and said: "In this way, I can't help but blame you." Xiao He listened to Emperor Han comforting himself, and then said: "Although Weichen has been forgiven by Bixia in this matter, it will be a long time coming, and it is inevitable that there will be mistakes, and I still hope that Bixia will teach him." Emperor Han smiled and said: "You are quite far-sighted, I remember that when this place was conquered, the generals took advantage of the chaos in the palace, and they inevitably took something with them, but you only took books and watches, and now things are done in an orderly manner, which is much more convenient." Xiao He also smiled and said: "The minister has no strength, he has been an official all his life, and he regards the classics of the previous dynasty as a treasure, and he can learn from them on weekdays." Today, Bixia is a word to break. Bixia is talented and intelligent, pay attention to everything, and it is really not within the reach of his subordinates. When Emperor Han heard this, he pointed to the surroundings of Weiyang Palace and said to Xiao He: "You can build a city wall here, as a capital city, and call it Chang'an." Since then, Xianyang has been renamed Chang'an. So far, the Western Han Dynasty built the capital of Chang'an, which lasted more than 200 years, and Xiao He became the earliest planner and designer of the city.

Success is also Xiao He, and defeat is also Xiao He

Success is also Xiao He, defeat is also Xiao He, the success or failure of metaphorical things comes from the same person. This was originally a folk slang, which can be found in Song Hongmai's "Rong Zhai Continued Writing: Xiao He Xuan Han Xin": "Han Xin rebelled, and Empress Lu wanted to summon him, but he was afraid that he would not be able to do so, but he conspired with Xiao Xiangguo, and deceived people to call Chen? It has been broken, and the letter said: 'Although the illness is strong, he will congratulate. 'Believe, and you will be punished.' The letter is a general, and it is recommended by Xiao He, and now he is dead, and he has a plan, so the slang has the words "success is also Xiao He, defeat is also Xiao He". ”

When Han Xin was young, he defected to Xiang Liang with a sword and was unknown; After being subordinate to Xiang Yu, he only did a Langzhong, and he offered many suggestions for reuse, but Xiang Yu did not adopt them. When Liu Bang entered Shu, Han Xin abandoned Chu and joined Han, still unknown. was only a welcoming official, but he was beheaded for breaking the law, and he spoke wildly from the knife, alarming Teng Gong Xiahou Ying, and recommended him as the governor of Su Du; It was Xiao He who discovered Han Xin's genius, but he was still not reused. When the army arrived in Nanzheng, Han Xin realized that he had no day, so he fled with the generals. Xiao He didn't have time to ask for instructions, so he chased Han Xin under the moon. Someone reported to Liu Bang that the prime minister had also fled, and Liu Bang was furious. Two days later, when Xiao He came back, Liu Bang was happy and angry, and said angrily: "Why did you run away too? Xiao He said: "I don't dare to run away, I am going to chase the escaper." Liu Bang learned that he went to chase Han Xin, and said: "The generals ran dozens of people, but you didn't chase them, but only chased Han Xin, isn't it fake!" Xiao He said: "The generals are easy to hear." As for those who believe, there is no one in the country. If the king only wants to be called Wang Hanzhong, he doesn't need Han Xin; If you want to compete for the world, except for Han Xin, there is no second person who can conspire with you to do great things! So he persuaded Liu Bang to choose an auspicious day, fasted and set up an altar, and solemnly worshiped Han Xin as a general. Overnight, Han Shin succeeded him as general from a nobody. Unifying the three armies, this is Cheng Ye Xiao He. Later, Han Xin strategized and chased the Central Plains, laid half of the country for the Liu Han Dynasty, and made the king and prince. He was accused of rebellion. Liu Bang cut his military power. In the tenth year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang personally recruited Chen Xuan. Han Xin said that he was not sick, but he secretly sent someone to contact Chen, and the retainers told him, and Empress Lu, who was sitting in the capital, wanted to summon Han Xin, but he was afraid that he would not give in if he supported the army, so he discussed strategies with Xiao He. After all, Xiao He is scheming, he sent someone to send a message to Han Xin, claiming that Chen Feng had been arrested and killed, and the princes and ministers would enter the palace to congratulate. Xiao He deceived Han Xin and said: "Even though you are sick, you have to reluctantly enter the palace to congratulate, so as not to make the emperor suspicious." ”

Poor Han Xin was smart and confused for a while. As soon as he stepped into the palace gate, he was hijacked and bound by the sword and axe hand who was ambushed by Empress Lu, and was set up in the hanging bell room of Changle Palace, and his head was in a different place. This is the second time he has been executed, and he sighed: "Isn't it providence that I regret that I did not adopt Kuaitong's scheme, and that I was deceived by a woman and a child?" So he killed Han Xin's family and three clans. This is defeat and Xiao He.

In February 202 BC, after Liu Bang became emperor, in order to consolidate the emerging Western Han regime, he began the struggle to exterminate the kings with different surnames one by one. He saw that Han Xin was highly respected and held military power, so he first attacked him. In fact, as early as after Han Xin became a general, Liu Bang was suspicious of Han Xin. On the one hand, he skillfully used Han Xin to conquer the city and conquer the city, and made great achievements for the founding of the Han Dynasty; On the other hand, after he was full-fledged and strong, he began to squeeze out and belittle Han Xin step by step. In the Chu-Han War, when Han Xin broke Wei Ping Zhao on the northern front and collected Yan and conquered Qi, he appeased Han Xin and named him the king of Qi; After the Han army surrounded the Chu army and eliminated Xiang Yu at Yuxia and Zuihou, Liu Bang immediately changed the title of Han Xin to the king of Chu, keeping him away from the deep-rooted Qi land; Later, he took the opportunity of parading Yunmengze to design and capture Han Xin, and escorted him back to Kyoto for murder, put him under house arrest, and at the same time cut Han Xin's military power, and Zuihou demoted him to the Marquis of Huaiyin, who only had a false name'In 197 BC, Chen Xi, Marquis of Yangxia, rebelled and established himself as king. Liu Bang personally led a large army to the conquest. At that time, Han Xintui said that he was sick and did not go with him. Who knows, Han Xin's subordinates wrote to denounce, saying that Chen Xi's rebellion was Han Xin's idea, Han Xin and Chen Xi secretly agreed that the inside should be combined with the outside, and Han Xin would do the internal response, and prepare to fake the holy decree one night, release all the slaves and prisoners imprisoned in the prison, kill Empress Lu and the crown prince Liu Ying, and then take the world together. As soon as Empress Lu heard that the matter was important, he hurriedly and secretly summoned Prime Minister Xiao He to discuss countermeasures. After the two agreed on the countermeasures, Xiao He would implement them.

Xiao He returned home, with mixed feelings in his heart, according to the plan, he sent a henchman, dressed as a soldier, secretly went around the north, and came back deliberately saying that the emperor had sent a message, saying that Chen Xi had been wiped out, and the emperor was about to return to the dynasty in triumph. When all the ministers heard the good news, they all came to the palace to congratulate them, but only Han Xin said that he was sick. The next day, Xiao He sent someone to invite Han Xin to the Prime Minister's Mansion for a banquet, but who knew that Han Xin claimed to be sick and politely declined. So, Xiao He came to Han Xin's mansion in person and went directly into Han Xin's inner room on the pretext of visiting the sick. Han Xin saw that Xiao He had already come, and he could no longer shirk it, so he had to greet Xiao He. Xiao He said: "You and I have always been good friends, and I invite you to the banquet because I have something to say to you." Han Xin hurriedly asked what he had to say. Xiao He said: "In the past few days, the emperor has sent good news from Zhaodi, saying that the conquest army has won a complete victory, and Chen Xi has fled to the Xiongnu. Your claim that you are sick and do not go to court has aroused people's suspicions. Now that the emperor has won the battle, everyone will go to congratulate him, but if you don't go, I'm afraid it's not good. What Xiao He said was very reasonable, and Han Xin was reluctant to make it difficult. What's more, Xiao He was his original protector, and he was even more convinced, so he followed Xiao He to the Changle Hall to congratulate Empress Lu. Don't you know that there are already sword and axe men in ambush in the palace, and when Empress Lu saw Han Xin's plan. Drinking ordered the knife and axe hand to tie Han Xin to the ground. Han Xin saw that something was wrong, and hurriedly shouted: "Prime Minister Xiao Cheng come and save me!" How do you know that Xiao He has already avoided it, where is the shouting to respond? Empress Lu sat on the Changle Palace, and counted all the crimes of Han Xin's secret plot against Chen Xi, how he wanted to harm her and the prince, and did not allow Han Xin to plead, so he ordered the knife and axe man to drag him to the bell room next to the palace and kill him. Subsequently, Empress Lu ordered Han Xin's father, mother, and wife to be hunted down and killed.

Xiao He assisted Empress Lu and killed Han Xin, which was very in line with the Han Emperor's strategy of "consolidating the foundation", and it was to remove a piece of heart disease for Liu Bang. Liu Bang was even more kind to Xiao He and sealed 5,000 households. This is the origin of the phrase "success is also Xiao He, defeat is also Xiao He".

Self-stigma to relieve suspicions

After Xiao He planned to punish Han Xin, Liu Bang was even more favored to him, in addition to sealing Xiao He, he also sent a captain to lead 500 soldiers to be the escort of Xiangguo. All the guests congratulated and were full of joy. Xiao He was also very happy. On this day, Xiao He set up a banquet in the mansion to celebrate, beaming with joy. Suddenly, there was a doorman named Zhaoping, but he was dressed in plain clothes and white shoes, and he came in to mourn. Seeing this, Xiao He was furious and said, "Are you drunk? ”

This man named Zhaoping was originally the Marquis of Tanglin in the Qin Dynasty. After the death of Qin, he lived in seclusion in Guo Wai's home to plant melons, the taste was extremely sweet, and the people of the time called Donglin melons. Xiao He entered the customs, heard the name of the virtuous, recruited to the scene, and every time he acted, he would consult with him and benefited a lot. Today, when he saw that Xiao He still did not understand what he meant, he said: "Don't be happy, there will be endless trouble from now on!" Xiao He was puzzled and asked: "I am the prime minister, and I am too favored, and I am cautious and cautious, and I dare not be a little negligent, why did you say this?" Zhaoping said: "The Lord went to the south to conquer the north, and personally braved the arrows and stones. And the public security is in the middle of the capital, not with the battle array, but has to seal the food and the city, I guess the will of the Lord, I am afraid that I am suspicious of the public. Don't you see the fate of Han Xin, Marquis of Huaiyin? When Xiao He heard this, he suddenly realized, and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. The next morning, Xiao He hurried into the court, resigned from the feudal city, and took out a lot of family wealth, transferred it to the treasury, and transferred it to the military quarters. Emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty was very happy and rewarded.

Liu Bang personally led his troops to conscript. He was in the front, and every time Xiao He sent someone to deliver military rations to the front, Liu Bang had to ask: "What is Xiao Xiangguo doing in Chang'an?" The envoy replied that Xiao Xiangguo loved the people like a son, and in addition to handling military supplies, he was nothing more than doing something to appease and sympathize with the people. After Liu Bang heard this, he was always silent. to repay Xiao He, Xiao He did not know what the Han Emperor meant. One day, Xiao He occasionally asked about the doorman, and the doorman said: "The prince will soon be full of people." Xiao He was shocked and hurriedly asked why. The doorman then said, "The public position is the head of the hundred officials, what other position can be given to you again?" Besides, as soon as you entered the customs, you won the love of the people, and it has been more than ten years now, and the people have supported you, and you have tried your best to do things for the people in order to appease the people. Now the emperor has asked you about your daily life several times, because he is afraid that you will have any bad actions with the help of the popularity of the people in Guanzhong! Just imagine, once you take advantage of the false call and retreat yourself, won't you put the emperor in a situation where you can't fight and have no way to return? Now why don't you buy a private house at a cheap price, deliberately let the people scold you, resent you, and create a bad reputation, so that the emperor will not be popular with you when he sees you, and he will rest assured of you. Xiao He sighed and said, "How can I exploit the people and be a corrupt official!" The doorman said, "You really understand others and are confused with yourself!"

Xiao He didn't understand that for ordinary petty officials, Emperor Han was not afraid that they would be ambitious. Therefore, anyone who commits acts of corruption and perversion of the law will be severely punished. For ministers like himself, the Han Emperor mainly prevented them from being ambitious, and for the trivial things of corruption and perversion of the law, it was not serious. In order to relieve the lord's suspicions and protect himself, Xiao He had no choice but to do some bad things against his will to embezzle people's property from the stigma festival. Soon, Xiao He's actions were secretly reported to Liu Bang. Sure enough, after Liu Bang heard it, he didn't ask as if nothing had happened. When Liu Bang returned triumphantly from the front line, the people blocked the road and wrote a letter, accusing Xiao Xiangguo of forcibly seizing and buying a private farmhouse, worth tens of millions.

After Liu Bang returned to Chang'an, when Xiao He went to see him, Liu Bang smiled and handed over the people's letter to Xiao He, and said meaningfully: "As a prime minister, you are also competing with the people for profit!" That's how you "benefit the people"? Apologize to the people yourself." Liu Bang asked Xiao He to admit his mistakes to the people and compensate for the land price on the surface, but he was secretly happy in his heart, and his suspicion of Xiao He gradually disappeared. Xiao He, who was in charge of the country and the people, did things that infringed on the interests of the people against his will, and he was very uneasy in his heart, always looking for an opportunity to compensate the people. Soon, Xiao He saw that the cultivated land in Chang'an was small, and the people lacked food and clothing, but there were many idle wastelands in the Son of Heaven's Shanglin Garden for raising birds and beasts. Xiao He felt that it was too wasteful, so he asked the emperor to distribute these wastelands to the people to cultivate, and after harvesting the crops, he left the straws to support the birds and beasts. Emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty was ill at the time, and when he saw this recital, he hated Xiao He for pleasing the people, and in a fit of anger, he ordered Xiao He to be arrested and imprisoned. The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty thought that Xiao He had committed the crime of great rebellion, and they did not dare to defend him for fear of affecting themselves. Fortunately, there is a person named Wang Weiwei, who usually respects Xiao He, and asked Liu Bang by the way when he was guarding Liu Bang: "What big crime did Xiao Xiangguo commit?" Liu Bang was still angry, and said: "Hugh wants to mention him? I get angry when I mention him. When Li Si was the prime minister of Qin, all the good deeds he did belonged to the monarch, and if something went wrong, he took it on himself. Now Xiao He has received a lot of bribes from businessmen, and he actually asked me to open the forest garden for the people to cultivate, is this obviously to please the people and gain a good reputation for himself? I don't know what kind of monarch I think I am! Wang Weiwei heard the words and said: "Bixia is inevitably suspicious of the prime minister. The ministers heard that the people were sufficient, the monarch was insufficient, the country was prosperous for the people, and the useless was turned into beneficial, which was exactly the duty that the prime minister should do to reconcile Ding Nai. The common people are grateful, and they will never be grateful to the prime minister alone, because such a good appearance must be chosen by a wise monarch. There is another layer, if the prime minister is ambitious, Bixia has been fighting abroad for several years, and he can sit in Guanzhong without much effort at that time, why should he use the imperial garden to show favor to the people, and buy people's hearts? Seeing that Emperor Han was listening carefully, Wang Weiwei paused for a moment and continued: "The former Qin perished, and it was precisely because of the suspicion of the monarchs and ministers that Bixia was given a chance. If Bixia is suspicious of Prime Minister Xiao Cheng, she not only looks down on Xiao He, but also looks down on Bixia herself. Liu Bang listened, although he was not very happy, but after all, thinking about Wang Weiwei's words, there was some truth after all, so he waved his hand and ordered someone to release Xiao He that day.

Kai Grace releases cautiously and respectfully

Xiao He was already in his 60s at the time, and when he saw Liu Bang release him, he was even more terrified, cautious and respectful. Although his hands and feet were numb because of the torture instruments he wore all over his body, he couldn't even walk, and he was unkempt and barefoot, and he was filthy, but he didn't dare to go back to the house to bathe and worship the Son of Heaven again, so he had to go to the temple like this to thank him. Liu Bang saw that Xiao He was so embarrassed, and he also felt a little uncomfortable, so he comforted Xiao He and said: "Xiangguo doesn't need to be polite!" This time, it was originally a petition from Xiangguo for the people, and I didn't allow it. I'm just a godless son like Xia Wei and Shang Xun, but you are a virtuous prime minister. The reason why I imprisoned Xiangguo is to let the people know your virtuous ability and my mistakes! Although Liu Bang's words were insincere, he finally acquiesced to Xiao He's honest government for the people. From then on, Xiao He was even more sincere and fearful of Liu Bang, and he was more respectful. Liu Bang also treated each other politely as usual, but Xiao He could only remain silent about state affairs from then on.

Bow down and die

On April 25, the twelfth year of the Han Dynasty (195 BC), Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, died of illness in Changle Palace at the age of 62. In the same year, the crown prince Liu Ying ascended the throne as Emperor Hui. Xiao He succeeded him as prime minister. However, at this time, Xiao He was very old. During this period, on the basis of the "Three Chapters of the Law", Xiao He referred to the Qin Law, extracted the content that was in line with the social situation at that time, and formulated a total of nine chapters of the law. This was the beginning of the Han Dynasty's production of legal decrees. The nine chapters of the Han law formulated by Xiao He deleted the harshness and harshness of the Qin law and made the law more concise. In 193 BC, the elderly Xiangguo Xiao He, due to his perennial work for the Han family, finally became bedridden. When he was critically ill, Emperor Hui of Han personally visited him and took the opportunity to ask: "After a hundred years of prime minister, who can replace him?" Then Emperor Hui asked, "How is Cao Shen?" When Xiao He heard this, he struggled to get out of his sick body, kowtowed to Emperor Hui, and said: "Bixia can get Cao Shen as the prime minister, even if I Xiao He dies, I will have no grudges!" The end of the story. married a wife of the same family, Feng Yipin Lady, and gave birth to two sons, the eldest son Xiao Lu, and the second son Xiao Yan.

After Xiao He's death, Cao Shen succeeded him as prime minister, and all official affairs were carried out according to the old rules, as usual, and the people were governed quietly and enjoyed. After a long time, some courtiers participated in his role in front of Emperor Hui, and Emperor Hui also suspected that he relied on the old and sold the old, so he summoned Cao Shen to ask the reason. Cao Shen asked Emperor Hui rhetorically: "Bixia thinks about himself as a saint and a hero, can he be as good as the first emperor?" Emperor Hui blushed when asked, and replied: "I haven't become a champion in my year, and I have no experience, how can I get the first emperor!" Cao Shen asked again: "Bixia is the minister and the prime minister of Xiao?" "I don't seem to be able to do it." Hui Di replied. Bixia is exactly what she said! Emperor Fu Si started with cloth clothes, and conquered the south and the north to have the world. If it weren't for great wisdom and great courage, we would not have been able to get to this point. Prime Minister Xiao Cheng clearly formulated the decree, which has a scale and has been practiced for a long time, and is praised by all the people. Today, Bixia uses ministers as ministers, as long as they can abide by the law, follow the old rules, and continue the old business, it is a fortunate thing. If you think you are wise; Overthrowing the law will lead to disorder up and down, and I am afraid that if we want to seek peace today, there is no way to get it! Emperor Hui suddenly realized. This is the origin of the idiom "Xiao Gui Cao Sui". In this way, Cao Shen has been in power for 3 years, and he strongly advocates quiet and inaction without disturbing the people. Xiao He formulated haode laws and regulations to govern the country, so that the political stability and economic development of the Western Han Dynasty and the people's living standards improved day by day.

In the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, he had already killed Xiang Yu, pacified the world, rewarded meritorious deeds, and the ministers competed for merit, but they could not be assessed after more than a year. Because of Xiao He's greatest merit, Gaozu made him the Marquis of Xu, and he got the most territory. The heroes all said: "We have personally dressed ourselves in armor and held weapons, and many of us have fought more than 100 battles, and some of us have experienced dozens of battles, siege and field battles, and seize territory, and our contributions are big and small." Now Xiao He has no hard work, just relies on writing and making suggestions, and does not participate in the battle, but has more fiefs than us, this is weishenme? Gao Zu said, "Do you know about hunting? They said, "Yes." Gao Zu said, "Do you know the role of the hound?" They said, "Yes." Gaozu said: "When hunting, it is the dog that chases and kills the beast and the rabbit, but it is the man who finds the trace of the beast and shows the dog where the beast is. Now you can only catch running beasts, and the nature of the merit is comparable to that of the hunting dog, as for Xiao He, he can find the trail and indicate the direction, and the nature of the merit is comparable to that of the hunter. Besides, you only follow me by yourself, and there are two or three people in one of the more families. Now dozens of people in Xiao He's whole family are following me, and his exploits cannot be forgotten. "No one dared to speak anymore.

The princes all accepted the reward, and when they ranked their positions, everyone said: "Cao Shen, the Marquis of Pingyang, has suffered seventy wounds on his body, and he has the most credit for attacking the city and seizing the territory, and he should be ranked first." "Gao Zu has already overruled the heroes and given Xiao He a lot of territory, and when it comes to ranking the ranks, there is no reason to refute them, but he still wants to rank Xiao He first. Hou Eqianqiu stepped forward and said, "Everyone's opinion is wrong. Although Cao Shen has the merit of attacking the city and seizing the territory, this is only a matter of temporary gain. The emperor and the state of Chu fought for five years, often lost troops, and fled alone several times, but Xiao He often sent troops from Guanzhong to the place where the emperor was located to replenish, without the emperor's order to requisition, but many times tens of thousands of troops arrived when the emperor was short of troops. The Chu and Han sides confronted each other in Xingyang for several years, and the army did not have ready-made food, so Xiao He transported it by water and land in Guanzhong to supply food, so as not to make the front line short of food. Although the emperor has lost the area east of the mountains many times, Xiao He often waits for the emperor in the pass, which is the work of thousands of generations. Now, even if there are hundreds of people like Cao Shen missing, what is the loss for the Han Dynasty? The Han Dynasty had them, and it didn't necessarily have to rely on them to succeed. How can the merits of one moment be allowed to prevail over the merits of thousands of generations? Xiao He should be ranked first, and Cao Shen should be ranked second. Gao Zu said, "Yes." So he let Xiao He rank first, and allowed him to go to the palace with a sword and shoes, and he could walk without walking when he met the emperor.

Gaozu said, "I have heard that the selection of sages should be greatly rewarded. Although Xiao He's credit is high, because of E Jun's comments, everyone understands it more clearly. So on the basis of the fiefdom of the Marquis of Guannei that Eqianqiu originally enjoyed, he was named the Marquis of Anping. On this day, Gao Zu rewarded more than a dozen of Xiao He's fathers, sons, and brothers, and each of them had a fief. He also sealed 2,000 territories to Xiao He, because when Gaozu went to Xianyang to serve in the past, only Xiao He gave himself two more gift money than others.

In the eleventh year of Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Chen Feng rebelled, Gaozu personally led his troops to Handan to suppress it, the rebellion has not been quelled, Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, rebelled in Guanzhong, and the Empress Lu adopted Xiao He's strategy and killed Han Xin, and the details are recorded in the "Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin". After hearing the news of Han Xin's execution, Gaozu sent an envoy to appoint Prime Minister Xiao He as Xiangguo, sealed him with 5,000 households, and ordered a lieutenant to lead 500 soldiers as Xiangguo's guard. People congratulated Xiao He, and only Zhao Ping came to express their condolences to him. Zhaoping is the original Tanglin Marquis of Qin, after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, he became a commoner, his family was poor, and he planted melons in the east of Chang'an City, his melons were very sweet, so the folk called "Dongling melons", which was named according to Zhaoping. Zhaoping said to Xiao He: "Disaster is coming from now on. The emperor was sleeping in the open air, you stayed in the imperial court, did not brave the arrows to fight, but gave you a territory, and set up a guard for you, this is because the Marquis of Huaiyin has just rebelled in the capital, and the emperor is not at ease with you. He did not set up a guard to protect you in this way to add glory to you. I hope that you will not accept it if you give up your fiefdom and take out all your private property to sponsor military expenses, and the emperor will be happy in his heart. Xiao He followed his advice, and Gao Zu was very happy.

In the autumn of the twelfth year of Gaozu, the cloth rebelled, and Gaozu personally led his troops to suppress it, and sent envoys back many times to ask what Xiangguo was doing. Because Xiao He was in the army, he pacified and encouraged the people as he did when he quelled Chen Xuan's rebellion, and took out all his belongings to supply the army. One of the guests said to him, "You won't be exterminated for a long time. Your status is Xiangguo, and your merit is the first, can you still be promoted? And you have been supported by the people since you first entered the customs, and for more than ten years, the people have attached themselves to you, but you are still trying to win the favor of the people. The emperor has sent people to ask about your situation many times, because he is afraid that you will subvert Guanzhong. You don't buy much land now, forcibly borrow money from others at a low price, and use these methods to destroy your reputation, so that the emperor can rest assured of you. Xiao He listened to his idea, and Gao Zu was very happy.

When Gaozu returned from the war against Tubu, the people blocked the road and wrote a complaint, saying that Xiangguo forcibly bought the people's land and houses at a low price, worth tens of millions of dollars. When Gaozu arrived in Chang'an, Xiao He went to visit, and Gaozu said with a smile: "The dignified Xiangguo actually fished from the people. He gave Xiao He all the people's denunciation letters, and said to him: "Go and confess your mistakes to the people yourself." Xiao He pleaded for the people: "Chang'an is a small place, and there is a lot of vacant land in Shanglin Yuan, I hope to allow the people to go in and cultivate, and don't let them take away the straw and stay it as fodder for livestock and animals." Gao Zu was very angry and said, "Xiangguo accepted a lot of goods from the merchants, and came to ask me to go to the forest garden for them!" He handed Xiao He over to Ting Wei and imprisoned him, and shackled him. A few days later, a guard surnamed Wang accompanied Gao Zu, and he stepped forward and asked Gao Zu, "What great crime did Xiao Xiangguo commit?" Why did the emperor suddenly lock him up? Gaozu said: "I heard that when Li Si assisted Qin Shi Huang, he attributed good things to the emperor, and took responsibility for his mistakes. Now Xiangguo has taken the money from the vendors, but he asked me to go to Lin Yuan for the people, and used this method to please the people, so I locked him up and punished him. Wang Weiwei said: "Within the scope of his duties, if it is beneficial to the people, Xiangguo asks the emperor, this is really what the prime minister should do, how can the emperor suspect that Xiangguo is because he accepted the merchant's money?" Moreover, the emperor resisted the Chu State for several years, Chen Feng and Huang Bu rebelled, and the emperor personally led troops to quell it. Xiao Xiangguo is not profiting himself at this time, but now he will covet the money of businessmen? And the emperor of the Qin Dynasty lost his country because he couldn't hear people talk about his mistakes, so how could Li Si share the responsibility for the emperor's mistakes? The emperor suspects that the prime minister's insight is so short-sighted? When Gao Zu heard this, he was unhappy, and on this day, he sent a messenger to release Xiao He with a talisman. Xiao is old, he has always been respectful and cautious, and he confessed to Gaozu barefoot. Gaozu said: "Xiangguo doesn't have to be like this, you ask for Shanglin Yuan for the people, I don't agree, I'm just a monarch like Ji and Xuan, and Xiangguo is a virtuous prime minister." I deliberately locked you up so that the people would know my fault. ”

Xiao He has always been bad with Cao Shen, and when he was seriously ill, Emperor Xiaohui personally went to visit his illness and asked him by the way: "If you are 100 years old, who can take over your position?" He replied: "No one knows the ministers better than the sovereign." Emperor Xiaohui said, "What do you think of Cao Shen?" Xiao He kowtowed and said, "The emperor has found a suitable candidate." I don't regret that I'm dead. ”

Xiao He always chose to buy land and houses in remote places, built houses without walls, etc., and said to people: "If the future generations are good, they will follow my simplicity, and if they are not successful, this kind of house will not be taken away by powerful people." "In the second year of Emperor Xiaohui, Xiangguo Xiao He died, and his nickname was Wen Zhonghou.

Xiao He has four generations of descendants who have lost their hereditary titles due to their guilt, and whenever the line is broken, the Son of Heaven always looks for Xiao He's other descendants, and then crowns him as a marquis, and no one can compare with him.

Taishi Gong said: "Xiao He Xiangguo served as a minor official in the Qin Dynasty, mediocre and mediocre, and had no outstanding achievements. When the Han Dynasty arose, he relied on the glory of the Son of Heaven. Xiao He guarded the family background of Guanzhong for the Han Dynasty, taking advantage of the people's hatred of the Qin Dynasty's decrees, following the trend and reforming politics with them. Han Xin, Duo Bu and others have all been killed, and Xiao He's exploits are very prominent. His position is at the head of the ministers, and his reputation will be passed down to future generations, and his achievements can be compared with Hong Yao, San Yisheng and others when King Wen of Zhou. ”