Prince Liu Jia, a member of the Liu clan, was initially unknown. In the first year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang defeated the Three Qins, and Liu Jia became a general responsible for securing the borders and joined Liu Bang's eastward campaign against Xiang Yu. In the fourth year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang lost a battle in Chenggao and retreated north of the Yellow River, where he joined forces with Zhang Er and Han Xin, set up a fortified camp in Xiuwu, dug in, building high walls and holding their position. He then sent Liu Jia with twenty thousand soldiers and a few hundred cavalry to cross the White Horse Ford into Chu territory, burning Xiang Yu's supplies and cutting off his logistics, starving Xiang Yu's army. Later, when the Chu army came to attack Liu Jia, he remained in his camp, coordinating with Peng Yue. In the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang pursued Xiang Yu to Guling and sent Liu Jia across the Huai River to besiege Shou Chun. Upon returning, Liu Bang sent people to persuade Zhou Yin, Chu's Grand Marshal, to defect. Zhou Yin indeed defected to Liu Bang's side and helped Liu Jia capture Jiujang, welcoming Ying Bu's army to join forces at Gaixia to attack Xiang Yu. After that, Liu Bang ordered Liu Jia to lead the army of Jiujang and the Grand Commandant Lu Wan to attack King of Linjiang in the southwest. After King of Linjiang died, Linjiang was renamed Nanjun. In the spring of the sixth year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang summoned the feudal lords in Chen to a meeting, deposed the King of Chu, Han Xin, and divided the land of Chu into two countries. Liu Bang's son was young, he had few brothers, and none were particularly capable. Liu Bang wanted to appoint feudal lords of the same surname to guard the world, so he decreed, "General Liu Jia has merit; we should consider appointing one of his sons as a king." The ministers all said, "Let Liu Jia be the King of Jing, ruling over fifty-two cities east of the Huai River; let Liu Bang's brother, Liu Jiao, be the King of Chu, ruling over thirty-six cities west of the Huai River." Then Liu Bang's son, Liu Fei, was appointed as the King of Qi.
In the eleventh year of Gaozu, in autumn, the King of Huainan, Ying Bu, rebelled and clashed with the Kingdom of Jing to the east. King Liu Jia of Jing fought it out with him but was defeated and fled to Fuling, where Ying Bu's army killed him. Later, Liu Bang personally took down Ying Bu. In the twelfth year, Liu Bang appointed Liu Pi as the King of Wu, putting him in charge of the land of the former Kingdom of Jing.
As for the King of Yan, Liu Ze, he was a distant relative of the Liu family. In the third year of Gaozu, Liu Ze became a minor official. In the eleventh year of Gaozu, Liu Ze led troops against Chen Xi and captured Wang Huang, receiving the title of Marquis of Yingling.
While the Empress was running things, there was this guy from Qi, Tian Sheng. He was traveling and ran out of cash, so he couldn't get home. He started painting pictures to please Marquis of Yingling, Liu Ze. Liu Ze was particularly fond of his paintings and, without hesitation, lavished him with two hundred catties of gold. Tian Sheng took the money and immediately returned to the Qi State.
Two years later, Liu Ze sent someone to tell Tian Sheng, "I don't want that money anymore!" Upon hearing this, Tian Sheng hurried to Chang'an. Instead of looking for Liu Ze, he rented a large house to live in and sent his son to flatter Zhang Ziqing, one of Empress Dowager Lu's favorites. After a few months, Tian Sheng's son invited Zhang Ziqing over for a feast fit for a king. Zhang Ziqing agreed. Tian Sheng set up a very luxurious tent and banquet; it was as lavish as any marquis's mansion, which startled Zhang Ziqing. Once they'd had a few rounds of drinks, Tian Sheng dismissed the attendants and said to Zhang Ziqing, "I've watched the princes and their families. They were all Emperor Gaozu's best men. Now, the Lu family are big shots because they helped Emperor Gaozu win, and the Empress Dowager Lu is related to the Lu family, holding great power. The Empress Dowager's getting old, and the Lus are losing their grip on power. She wants to make Lu Chan king and keep the throne in the family. But she's worried the ministers will rebel. You're the Empress Dowager's favorite, and everyone respects you. Why not subtly suggest it to the ministers and let the Empress Dowager know? She'll be thrilled. When the Lus are in charge, you'll be a marquis with ten thousand households! The Empress Dowager wants this. But you're a court official. If you rush things, you'll get into trouble."
Zhang Ziqing felt that Tian Sheng's words were spot on, so he subtly tipped off the ministers about this matter. When the Empress Dowager was in court, she asked for the opinions of the ministers. The ministers urged that Lü Chan be made King Lü. The Empress Dowager rewarded Zhang Ziqing with a king's ransom of gold, and Zhang Ziqing gave half of it to Tian Sheng. Tian Sheng refused and instead advised him, "When Lü Chan becomes king, many ministers will be dissatisfied. Right now, Liu Ze, the Marquis of Yingling, is a relative of the Liu clan and a great general, but he is still only a marquis and will surely feel discontent. If you tell the Empress Dowager about this, why not suggest that she appoint Liu Ze as king, granting him land from about fifteen counties? This way, he will be pleased, and the Lü clan's kingship will be secure." Zhang Ziqing passed Tian Sheng's message on to the Empress Dowager, who thought it was a good idea. Therefore, she made Liu Ze King of Langye. Langye was the region where Tian Sheng's hometown was located. Tian Sheng advised Liu Ze to leave Chang'an quickly and not delay. Just as Liu Ze left Hangu Pass, the Empress Dowager sent people to pursue him, but fortunately, he had already passed the pass and could not be caught up with.
After the Empress Dowager's death, King Langye Liu Ze said, "The Emperor's just a kid, and the Lüs run the show. We Lius are outgunned!" So he led his troops to join forces with the Prince of Qi, planning to march west and wipe out the Lüs. When they reached Liang, they heard that General Guan of the Han Dynasty was stationed in Xingyang, so Liu Ze pulled his troops back to defend the west, then quickly led his army straight to Chang'an. The Prince of Dai also arrived from the region of Dai. The generals and King Langye put their weight behind the Prince of Dai and made him Emperor. The new Emperor appointed Liu Ze as the King of Yan, and gave Langye back to Qi, putting things back the way they were.
Two years after becoming King of Yan, Liu Ze died and was given the posthumous title of Jing King. His son, Liu Jia, succeeded to the throne and became King Kang of Yan.
When it came to Liu Ze's grandson, Liu Dingguo, he had an affair with his father's wife, King Kang's wife, and had a son with her. He also took his younger brother's wife as his concubine and had sex with his three kids. Liu Dingguo wanted to kill an official named Fei Ru, so Fei Ru reported him to the court. Liu Dingguo then had Fei Ru arrested and killed on false charges to silence him. In the first year of Yuanshuo, Fei Ru's brother detailed Liu Dingguo's various crimes in a report, and the truth was finally exposed. The court ordered the bigwigs to discuss the matter, and everyone said: "Liu Dingguo is a total monster; he has violated human relations and defied the will of heaven; he should be executed!" The emperor agreed, and Liu Dingguo committed suicide. His kingdom was abolished and turned into a county.
Sima Qian said: King Jing, Liu Jia, was a king established in the early years of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the world had just been stabilized, and the situation had not completely settled down. Therefore, although Liu Jia had a distant relationship with Han Gaozu, he became a king through his own strategies and occupied the area around the Yangtze and Huai rivers. Liu Ze became a king because he dared to confront the Lu clan, and astonishingly, his descendants continued to be kings for three generations. Talk about a dynasty! Pretty amazing, right?
