Sima Qian read the records of the marquis's enfeoffment and sighed when he mentioned the "Marquis of Bian": "That makes sense!" Changsha Wang was a battlefield hero, worthy of being called a loyal minister. In the past, when Emperor Gaozu pacified the world, those meritorious ministers who were not of the same surname were made kings, with a total of eight princes appointed. By the time of Emperor Xiaohui, only the Changsha Kingdom remained, having been passed down through five generations until it was extinguished due to lack of heirs. For five generations, they ruled without incident, faithfully governing their kingdom—a testament to their reliability! Therefore, their descendants also benefited, with many people being appointed marquis without much merit.
During the fifty years from Emperor Xiaohui to Emperor Xiaojing, the court also awarded posthumously some meritorious ministers from the time of Emperor Gaozu, as well as those who had contributed from the Dai Kingdom and the Wu and Chu regions, along with those who had surrendered from foreign countries to serve the court, totaling more than ninety lords appointed. These loyal subjects served the country faithfully, setting a fine example of loyalty and virtue.
The tables in Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) are not translated. If you are interested in these tables, you can click on the Republic of China flag above to view the Traditional Chinese page.
