So, Zhao Tuo, hailing from Zhending, a Zhao by name, After the unification of the Qin Dynasty, the Lingnan region was divided into Guilin, Nanhai, and Xiang commanderies. Thirteen years were spent here, exiled convicts mixing with the local Yue. Zhao Tuo was then the magistrate of Longchuan in Nanhai. During the reign of the Second Qin Emperor, the prefect of Nanhai, Ren Xiao, was seriously ill and about to die. He summoned Zhao Tuo and said to him, "Word's come that Chen Sheng's in revolt, and the Qin's tyranny's pushed everyone over the edge. Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, Chen Sheng, Wu Guang – everyone's up in arms, scrabbling for power like a pack of wolves. The heartland's a mess, no telling when it'll settle down, with warlords popping up everywhere, defying the Qin. Nanhai is remote, and I’m worried the rebels will come here. I want to take the initiative to cut off the road to the Central Plains, prepare for defense, and wait for the outcome of the various princes' battles. I am very ill. Besides, Panyu, nestled between mountains and sea, is a natural fortress, stretching for thousands of miles. And I've got plenty of support from the north; we can easily stand on our own two feet here. There are no reliable officials in the prefecture, so I called you here." After speaking, he handed the seal to Zhao Tuo and asked him to act as the prefect of Nanhai. After Ren Xiao kicked the bucket, Zhao Tuo shut down the roads to Hengpu, Yangshan, and Huangxiguan, saying, "The rebels are about to come. Quickly cut off the roads and gather the army to protect ourselves!" Then, Zhao Tuo used the opportunity to purge the Qin loyalists in Nanhai, replacing them with his own men. With the Qin gone, Zhao Tuo took Guilin and Xiang, crowning himself King of Nanyue. Eleven years into the Han, Liu Bang sent Lu Jia to formally recognize Zhao Tuo as King of Nanyue, forging an alliance to keep the south peaceful and secure the border with Changsha.
During the reign of Empress Gao, some officials suggested banning trade between Nanyue and the Central Plains, especially in iron goods. Zhao Tuo said, "Empress Gao enfeoffed me as king and allowed us to trade. Now, she listens to the slander of treacherous officials, discriminates against the barbarians, and cuts off trade. This must be the idea of the King of Changsha. He wants to rely on the power of the Central Plains to eliminate Nanyue, annex my territory, and seek rewards for himself." Zhao Tuo then proclaimed himself as the Martial Emperor of Nanyue, sent troops to attack the border towns of the Kingdom of Changsha, captured several counties, and then withdrew his troops. Empress Gao sent General Longlu Hou Zao to suppress them, but due to hot and humid weather, the soldiers fell ill on a large scale, and the army could not cross the mountains. Over a year later, Empress Gao passed away, and the Han Dynasty withdrew its troops. Zhao Tuo thus controlled the border areas with his strong military power, bribed the Minyue, Xiu, and Luoyue regions with wealth, and made them submit, expanding his influence east and west for over ten thousand li. He rode in a golden chariot, flew his own banner, declared himself emperor, and claimed equality with China.
In 179 BC, Emperor Xiaowen of Han had just ascended the throne, began to establish peace throughout the land, and sent envoys to inform the vassals and the barbarians that his succession to the throne was in accordance with the will of heaven, and he intended to implement benevolent governance. Emperor Xiaowen also had the parents of Zhao Tuo buried, established a guard town in Zhending to protect the tomb, and performed annual sacrifices. He ennobled Zhao Tuo's brothers and showered them with gifts.
Then, Emperor Xiaowen ordered Prime Minister Chen Ping and others to recommend suitable candidates to go to Nanyue. Chen Ping recommended Lu Jia, stating that Lu Jia was familiar with the situation in Nanyue during the previous reign. Therefore, Emperor Xiaowen summoned Lu Jia, appointed him as Grand Master of the Palace, and sent him to Nanyue. The Han Dynasty sent only Lu Jia.
Lu Jia arrived in Nanyue, and Zhao Tuo was very afraid. He quickly wrote a letter to apologize to the Han Dynasty, saying, "I, Zhao Tuo, a humble subject, had tense relations with Nanyue during the time of Empress Lü. I suspected that the King of Changsha falsely accused me in front of Empress Lü, and I heard that Empress Lü killed members of my Zhao family and destroyed our ancestral tombs. Therefore, I felt disheartened and overstepped the borders of Changsha. Moreover, the climate in the south is humid, and it is located in a barbarian area. To the east, there are thousands of people in Minyue who claim to be kings, and to the west, there are kings in Oulu and Luoyue. Being old and foolish, I took the emperor's title for a bit of fun. How dare I tell the emperor!" Zhao Tuo then kowtowed to apologize, expressing his willingness to forever be a vassal of the Han Dynasty and pay tribute regularly. Afterwards, Zhao Tuo issued a decree in Nanyue stating, "I have heard that two tigers cannot share a mountain. The Emperor of the Han Dynasty is a wise monarch. From now on, the title of emperor, as well as the imperial yellow carriage and the left flag (ancient flags of the emperor's chariot), are abolished."
Lu Jia returned to the court, and Emperor Xiao Wen was very pleased. Until the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, Nanyue continued to be a vassal state, sending envoys to meet the Han Emperor and offering tributes. However, within Nanyue, they secretly retained their old titles and names. When offering tributes to the Han Emperor, they used the same titles and etiquette as tributary states. It was not until 137 BC that Zhao Tuo passed away.
Zhao Tuo's grandson, Zhao Hu, succeeded him as the King of Nanyue. At this time, the King of Minyue, Ying, launched an attack on the border cities of Nanyue. Zhao Hu sent a letter to the Han Dynasty saying, "Both Nanyue and Minyue are vassals of the Han Dynasty and should not attack each other without authorization. With Minyue invading, I await the Emperor's command." The Han Dynasty considered Nanyue loyal and trustworthy, adhering to the alliance, so they decided to send troops to attack Minyue, dispatching two generals. Before the Han army crossed the mountains, Ying's brother, Yushan, killed Ying and surrendered to the Han Dynasty, and the Han army withdrew its forces.
The emperor sent Zhuang Zhu to deliver the emperor's message to King Zhao Hu of Nanyue. Zhao Hu kowtowed and said, "I'll never be able to repay your kindness!" He then sent his crown prince, Zhao Yingqi, to serve the emperor in Chang'an. He told Zhuang Zhu, "We've just come through a war, and the messenger's leaving soon. I am preparing day and night to go to the capital to meet the Emperor." After Zhuang Zhu left, Zhao Hu's ministers advised him, "The Han's destruction of Yingdu, the Chu capital, scared Nanyue. Moreover, the late king once said that serving the Emperor must be respectful and courteous; don't just go running to the Emperor with empty flattery. Once you go to the capital, you might never return—that's how empires fall!" So Zhao Hu pretended to be ill and ultimately did not go to the capital to meet the Emperor. Over a decade later, Zhao Hu became seriously ill, and Crown Prince Zhao Yingqi requested to return to the country. Zhao Hu died and was given the posthumous title of King Wen.
After Zhao Yingqi ascended to the throne, he secretly hid the imperial seal of his grandfather Zhao Tuo (Nanyue Martial Emperor). While in Chang'an serving the Emperor, Zhao Yingqi married a woman from the Jiu family in Handan and had a son named Zhao Xing. After Zhao Yingqi ascended to the throne, he requested to appoint the Jiu clan woman as queen and Zhao Xing as his heir. The Han repeatedly sent envoys to urge Zhao Yingqi to the capital, but he was too busy enjoying himself and killing people to worry about the Han laws—he didn't want to end up like the other vassal kings. Therefore, he continued to claim illness and refused to go to the capital to meet the Emperor. He sent his son, Zhao Cigong, to Chang'an to serve the Emperor. Zhao Yingqi died and received the posthumous title of King Ming.
After Zhao Xing succeeded to the throne, his mother became the Empress Dowager. Before marrying Zhao Yingqi, the Empress Dowager was involved with An Guo Shaoji, a man from Baling. After Zhao Yingqi's death, in the fourth year of Yuanding, the Han Dynasty sent An Guo Shaoji to persuade the King of Nanyue and the Empress Dowager to enter the court, and demanded that they swear allegiance to the Han Dynasty, like the other vassals. The Han Dynasty also sent smooth-talking officials like Zhong Jun to read the edict, sent tough guys like Wei Chen as An Guo Shaoji's guards, and had Wei Bo De and his troops camped out in Guiyang, just in case. The King of Nanyue was still young, the Empress Dowager was Chinese, and she had previously been involved with An Guo Shaoji. This time, when An Guo Shaoji was sent by the Han Dynasty, the two hooked up secretly again. Most of the people of Nanyue knew about this, so a lot of people weren't on her side. The Empress Dowager was afraid of rebellion and wanted to use the Han to their advantage, so she kept trying to convince the King of Nanyue and the ministers to submit to the Han Dynasty. Therefore, she sent word that she wanted to see the emperor every three years, like the other vassals, and to remove the border checkpoints. The Emperor of the Han Dynasty agreed to her request, gave Lv Jia, the Nanyue Prime Minister, a silver seal, and gave Nanyue the seals for their top officials. The Han Dynasty also scrapped Nanyue's old punishments and brought in Han law, so Nanyue was just like the other vassal states. Han envoys stuck around to keep the peace. The King of Nanyue and the Empress Dowager began getting ready to head to court.
Old man Lü Jia, he was getting up there in years. He has been the prime minister of three Yue kings. Over seventy of his relatives held positions of county magistrate or higher. His male relatives married Yue princesses; the women married Yue princes, brothers of the king, or other royals. He was hugely influential in Yue, incredibly well-respected. He had a vast network of spies, and his popularity even exceeded that of the Yue king. He often submitted memorials to the Yue king, advising him many times, but the Yue king never listened. Lü Jia had been plotting a rebellion for ages, often feigning illness to avoid the Han envoys. The Han envoys kept a close eye on Lü Jia, but didn't dare touch him yet. The Yue king and the queen mother also feared that Lü Jia and his followers would strike first, so they hosted a banquet, with the Han envoys present, hoping to take the opportunity to kill Lü Jia and his followers. At the banquet, the Han envoy sat east, the Queen Mother south, the King north, leaving Lü Jia and his ministers to the west – all drinking merrily. His brother, a general, had his troops camped just outside the palace walls.
A few drinks in, Queen Mother Wang said to Lv Jia, "It's good for the country that Southern Yue's come over to us. But Prime Minister, you keep making excuses about it being inconvenient. What's the real reason?" She was trying to provoke the envoys of the Han Dynasty to take action. The Han envoys exchanged glances, eyed their weapons, and backed down. Lv Jia saw the writing on the wall and got out of there. Queen Mother Wang flew into a rage, wanting to spear Lv Jia, but the King of Yue stopped her. After Lv Jia left, he recalled his brother's army to the garrison, faked an illness, refused to see the King or the Han envoys, and started plotting a rebellion with the ministers. In fact, the King of Yue had never intended to kill Lv Jia, and Lv Jia knew this, so there was no movement for several months. Queen Mother Wang's behavior was improper, and the people were dissatisfied with her. She wanted to eliminate Lv Jia and the others on her own, but she did not have the strength to do so.
The Emperor heard about Lv Jia's rebellion, but didn't think much of it. The King and Queen Mother were still kids, with no real power to fight back. The envoys we sent were gutless and couldn't make up their minds. The Emperor figured the King and Queen Mother were probably already on the Han side, leaving only Lv Jia to stir things up. He didn't see the need for a full-scale invasion, just sending Zhuang Can with two thousand men to check things out. Zhuang Can said, "If it's just to talk them down, a handful of guys will do. But if it's a fight, two thousand ain't enough." The Emperor couldn't persuade Zhuang Can, so he had to let him go back.
At this time, there was a warrior named Han Qianqiu, who used to be the Prime Minister of Jibei. He stood up and said, "Vietnam is so small, and both the King of Vietnam and the Dowager Queen are willing to surrender. Only Lu Jia is causing trouble. With just two hundred brave warriors, I can kill Lu Jia and report this to the Emperor!" The Emperor heard this and sent Han Qianqiu and the Dowager Queen's brother Jue Le with two thousand men to Vietnam. Upon seeing the Han army arrive, Lu Jia and his men immediately rebelled. Lu Jia issued a proclamation throughout the land, saying, "The King is still young, the Dowager Queen is Chinese, and they are colluding with the Han envoys, wanting to surrender and offering all the treasures left by the late King to the Emperor to please him. They followed the Han envoys to Chang'an and were sold into slavery. They only cared about their own short-term gain, disregarding the kingdom's well-being and the future of their descendants!" Then, Lu Jia and his brother led their army and killed the King of Vietnam, the Dowager Queen, and the Han envoys. They then sent word to the King of Cangwu and the neighboring counties, proclaiming the King of Vietnam's eldest son, the King's wife (Lady Shu Yang) and her son Jiande, as the new King.
Han Qianqiu's army marched into and broke through several small cities. Later, the Yue Kingdom actually took the initiative to supply them with provisions and a clear path. They were about to reach Panyu, only forty miles away, when the Yue Kingdom army suddenly attacked, completely annihilating them. The Yue Kingdom also placed the Han envoy's credentials in boxes, put them on the border, made a show of apologizing, and at the same time deployed troops to defend important passes. The Emperor declared, "Although Han Qianqiu was not successful, he was still one of the army's best!" So he appointed his son Yan Nian as the Marquis of Cheng'an. Meanwhile, since Jue Le's sister was the Empress Dowager, he was willing to surrender to the Han Dynasty from the beginning. The Emperor also appointed his son Guangde as the Marquis of Longkang. Then, the Emperor issued an edict: "My position as Emperor is weak; the feudal lords rule independently, and I criticize the ministers for not attacking the rebels. Now, Lu Jia, Jiande, and others have rebelled and are so arrogant. I order the criminals and mobilize 100,000 southern naval forces to suppress them!"
In the autumn of 112 BC, Weiwei Lu Bode was appointed as the General of Fubo, advancing down the Hui River from Guiyang; Chief of the Main Jue Yang Pu was appointed as the General of the Lou Boat, advancing down the Hengpu from Yuzhang; the Duke of Guiyi was appointed as the General of the Ge Ship and the General of the Xiali, starting from Lingling, with one part going down the Li River and another part reaching Cangwu; the Duke of Chiyi used convicts from Bashu and recruited soldiers from Yelang, marching down the Zangke River. All the armies eventually converged on Panyu.
In the winter of the following year, 111 BC, Commander Lou led an elite force to capture Xunshan first, broke through the Shimen, captured a ton of Yue boats and supplies, pressed their advantage, demoralized the Yue army, and waited for Commander Fu's ten-thousand-strong army. Commander Fu led a contingent of convicts, who arrived at the meeting point later due to the long journey, and only had over a thousand people when they met Commander Lou, and then attacked together. Commander Lou's troops arrived in front, reached Panyu, finding Jiande and Jiadu to be heavily fortified. Commander Lou secured a strong position southeast of the city; Commander Fu stationed to the northwest. In the evening, Commander Lou broke through the Yue defenses and set the city on fire. The Yue had heard tales of Commander Fu's prowess, and with the late hour, they did not know how many troops the Han army had. Commander Fu then set up camp, sent envoys to negotiate a surrender, promised to give them seals, and encouraged them to persuade one another to surrender. While Commander Lou's assault and burning of the city funneled the enemy into Commander Fu's camp, the next morning, the city had surrendered to Commander Fu. Lv Jia and Jiande, under cover of darkness, escaped to sea with a few hundred men, heading west. Commander Fu then questioned the surrendering nobles, learned about Lv Jia's escape direction, and sent people to pursue. As a result, Captain Sima Suhong captured Jiande and became Marquis Haichang; Yue Lang Dou Ji captured Lv Jia and became Marquis Lincai.
King Zhao Guang of Cangwu, a member of the same clan as the King of Yue, voluntarily submitted to the Han Dynasty upon hearing of the arrival of the Han army and the establishment of Jieyang Ling in the Yue territory. The Guiling governor, Ju Weng, also persuaded the Ou Luo to submit to the Han Dynasty, and they were both made marquises. Chi Yi, Marquis of his marquisate, and his Nanyue troops had not yet arrived at the battlefield when Nanyue was already brought under control. The Nanyue region was subsequently divided into nine counties. General Fubo was promoted as a result. General Lou Chuan was made the Marquis of Liang for his achievements in capturing a fortified city.
From the time King Wutuo first declared himself king, after five generations and ninety-three years, the kingdom of Nanyue fell.
Sima Qian said that King Wutuo of Nanyue originally served under Ren Xiao. When the Han Dynasty was first established, he was made a noble. At that time, there was a plague in Longluo, and Wutuo became even more arrogant and domineering. The Ou and Luo countries fought each other, causing unrest in Nanyue as well. When the Han army reached the border, King Zhao Yingqi of Nanyue hurried to the capital to pay homage to the emperor. Later, the kingdom of Nanyue was destroyed, all because of the trouble caused by that woman, the 樛女. Although Lv Jia was loyal to some extent, he ultimately could not protect the descendants of Wutuo. Their lavish fleet and decadent lifestyle made the Nanyue kingdom proud and complacent, leading to their downfall. On the other hand, General Fubo, despite facing difficult circumstances, became increasingly clever, finding ways to turn the situation around and ultimately achieving success. The transformation between success and failure is as unpredictable as a tangled mess.
Check this out, the rise and fall of the Southern Yue Kingdom is truly wild. From the subordinates of Ren Xiao to the local warlords, and finally to its ultimate demise, the ups and downs in between are really amazing. The arrogance of Zhao Tuo, the weakness of Zhao Yingqi, the loyalty of Lv Jia, and the wisdom of General Fubo all shape this period of history. The saying "the swings of fortune are as unpredictable as spilled ink" really captures the chaos and unpredictability of history. There's a lot to learn from this story.
