Liu Jia was the King of Jing and a cousin/distant cousin of the founding emperor Liu Bang. We don't know much about his early military career. In 206 BC, after Liu Bang pacified the Three Qins, Liu Jia was appointed as a general in charge of consolidating the border areas. He later fought Xiang Yu in the east.
Once, Liu Bang was defeated in Chenggao and forced to cross the Yellow River northward, where he joined forces with the armies of Zhang Er and Han Xin, stationed in Xiuwu, building strong defenses. Liu Bang sent Liu Jia to lead twenty thousand troops, along with several hundred cavalry, to attack the Chu army. They crossed the Baima Ford into Chu territory and burned Chu supplies to weaken Xiang Yu. When the Chu army attacked later, Liu Jia always avoided battle and instead covered each other's backs with Peng Yue. Liu Bang pursued Xiang Yu to Guling and then sent Liu Jia to cross the Huai River to besiege Shou Chun. After Liu Bang got back, he sent someone to get Chu's Grand Marshal, Zhou Yin, on their side. Zhou Yin indeed betrayed Xiang Yu, helped Liu Jia capture Jiujiang, and welcomed the army of Ying Bu. They met at Gaixia and finished off Xiang Yu. Afterwards, Liu Bang appointed Liu Jia to command the army of Jiujiang and attacked Gong Wei, the King of Linjiang, from the southwest, who died in battle, leading to the renaming of Linjiang as Nanjun.
Liu Jia made many contributions, but Liu Bang's son was young, he had few brothers, and they weren't very capable. Liu Bang wanted to appoint some relatives with the same surname as kings to consolidate his rule, so he decreed, "General Liu Jia has made contributions; one of his sons should be made king." The ministers all said, "Liu Jia should be King of Jing, ruling the area east of the Huai River." Liu Jia became the King of Jing for six years, but then Ying Bu, the King of Huainan, rebelled and attacked Jing from the east. He was defeated, fled to Fuling, and was killed.
Liu Ze, King Yan, was Liu Bang's cousin. In 204 BC, Liu Ze served as a low-ranking official. In 200 BC, he attacked General Wang Huang, who served under Chen Xi, and was later appointed as the Marquis of Yingling (a title of nobility).
During the reign of Empress Dowager Lü, there was a man from the Qi state named Tian Sheng. He ran out of money while traveling and couldn't afford to return home. He used his painting skills to please the Marquis of Yingling at that time (later the Prince of Langya), Shen Shiqi. Shen Shiqi was very pleased and gave him a fortune—200 catties of gold—as a gift. After receiving the money, Tian Sheng hightailed it back to the Qi state.
Two years later, Shen Shiqi sent someone to tell Tian Sheng, "I regret it; I won't give you the money!" Tian Sheng ran to Chang'an but didn't dare to see Shen Shiqi. Instead, he rented a large house to live in and had his son brown-nose the eunuch Zhang Qing, who was favored by Empress Dowager Lü. After living there for a few months, Tian Sheng's son invited Zhang Qing to their home as a guest and prepared a feast. When Zhang Qing arrived and saw Tian Sheng's house and furnishings, which were fit for a marquis, he was shocked. After drinking, Tian Sheng secretly told Zhang Qing, "I have observed the mansions of more than a hundred princes, all of whom were loyalists of Emperor Gaozu. Now, the Lü clan, which originally strongly supported Emperor Gaozu in taking over the world, has great merit, and the Empress Dowager is a relative who supports them. The Empress Dowager was getting on in years, and the Lü clan was a bit of a lightweight. She wants to make Lü Chan the King of Lü and, in the future, let the Lü clan inherit the throne. The Empress Dowager is anxious, afraid that the ministers will not agree. You are now the most trusted person of the Empress Dowager, and the ministers all respect you. Why don't you drop hints to the ministers to tell the Empress Dowager about this? The Empress Dowager will be very happy. If the Lü clan becomes king, you can also be appointed as a powerful marquis! The Empress Dowager wants to do this, but you're in the inner circle, so tread carefully, or you'll get yourself into hot water."
When Zhang Qing heard this, he felt that Tian Sheng's words made perfect sense, so he secretly told the ministers about this matter. When the Empress Dowager held court, she asked the ministers for their opinions. The ministers requested that Lü Chan be made the King of Lü. The Empress Dowager rewarded Zhang Qing with a thousand gold, and Zhang Qing gave half of it to Tian Sheng. Tian Sheng refused, instead advising Zhang Qing, "If Lü Chan becomes king, a lot of ministers would be unhappy. Right now, Marquis Shen Shiqi of Yingling is a relative of the Liu clan and a great general. He definitely won't be happy. After you tell the Empress Dowager about this matter, have her appoint Shen Shiqi as king, give him ten or so counties to make him happy; this way, the Lü clan's kingship will be more secure." Zhang Qing followed Tian Sheng's advice, and because the Empress Dowager's sister, Lady Lü Xu, was Shen Shiqi's wife, the Empress Dowager ultimately appointed Shen Shiqi as the King of Langya. King Langya and Tian Sheng immediately fled their fiefdom without stopping. Once they were past Hangu Pass, the Empress Dowager indeed sent people to chase after them. They'd already left, but turned back.
In the second year of King Langya Liu Ze's reign, the Empress Dowager passed away. Liu Ze said, "The emperor's young, the Lü clan runs the court, and the rest of the Liu clan are weaklings." So he led his troops to join forces with the Prince of Qi, planning to attack the Lü clan. When they reached Liang, they heard that General Guan was stationed in Xingyang, so Liu Ze changed direction, retreated to defend the west, then hot-footed it to Chang'an. The Prince of Dai also arrived from Dai. King Langya and the generals put the Prince of Dai on the throne. In the first year of Emperor Wen's reign, Liu Ze became the King of Yan, and the Langya kingdom was reassigned to the Qi kingdom.
King Yan Liu Ze died in his second year of reign, given the posthumous title of King Jing. His son, King Kang Liu Jia, succeeded him but died nine years later. His son, Liu Dingguo, then took the throne. Liu Dingguo slept with his father's concubine and had a son with her. He also took his younger brother's wife and committed incest with his three children. Liu Dingguo wanted to kill an official named Fei Ru and the inhabitants of Yingdi, who then reported him. Liu Dingguo sent people to arrest and kill these individuals under false charges to silence them. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the brothers of the inhabitants of Yingdi wrote a detailed account of Liu Dingguo's crimes. The court officials all agreed that "Liu Dingguo was a total monster, a disgrace to humanity, defying Heaven itself. He deserved to die!" The Emperor approved their request. Liu Dingguo committed suicide, and his kingdom was abolished forty-two years later. During the reign of Emperor Ai of Han, in order to continue the bloodline of the Liu Ze family, Liu Ze's great-grandson's son Wuzhong Gong Shiguisheng was posthumously made the Marquis of Yingling. However, he was later killed during the chaos of the Gengshi era.
King Wu, Liu Bi, was the son of Liu Bang's brother, Liu Zhong. Liu Bang made Liu Zhong the King of Dai. When the Xiongnu attacked Dai, Liu Zhong couldn't hold it and ran off to Luoyang to surrender. The Emperor, being his brother, let him off, demoting him to Marquis of Heyang instead. His son Liu Bi was conferred the title of Marquis of Pei. Later, when Jing Bu rebelled, Liu Bang personally led the army to suppress the rebellion. At twenty, Liu Bi was a cavalry officer under Liu Bang, helping defeat Jing Bu. Jing Bu killed Prince Jing, Liu Jia, leaving no heir. Liu Bang worried that Wu and Kuaiji were too tough to handle and needed a strong prince – his own sons were too young. Therefore, he appointed Liu Bi as King of Wu, allowing him to rule over three commanderies and fifty-three cities. After Liu Bi got the royal seal, Liu Bang summoned him, took one look, and said, "You look like trouble!" Liu Bang regretted it instantly, clapped him on the back, and said, "Fifty years from now, the southeast will be in revolt. Don't let it be you! We're all family, but watch yourself!" During the reign of Emperors Xiaohui and Empress Lü, things were finally calming down, and the princes were busy keeping the peace and running their lands. In Wu, Yuzhang's Copper Mountain was a hotbed of illegal activity. Runaways flocked there to make fake money and boil sea salt, so taxes were unnecessary, and the treasury overflowed.
Later, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, the Crown Prince of the State of Wu came to the capital to see the Emperor. He was also invited to play a board game with the Crown Prince. The teacher of this Wu Crown Prince was from the State of Chu, gruff and arrogant. During the game, the Wu Crown Prince was pushy and rude, which angered the Crown Prince, who flipped the board in a rage and killed him. His body was then sent back to Wu for burial. Upon hearing this, the King of Wu was furious, saying, "The whole world belongs to one Emperor. If my son dies in Chang'an, he should be buried in Chang'an. Why send him back?" So he sent his son back to Chang'an for burial. The King of Wu had a chip on his shoulder over this incident, becoming increasingly disrespectful and often faking sick to avoid attending court. The court knew it was because of his son, so they secretly investigated and found he was not actually ill. Any messengers from Wu were picked up, questioned, and punished by the court. Fearing the consequences, the King of Wu plotted how to deal with the court. He later sent messengers to get even with the court, but the Emperor grilled the Wu messengers. Helplessly, the messengers said, "Things are looking grim! The King of Wu pretended to be sick at first, but now that he has been exposed and questioned, he is even more fearful and reclusive. He is probably afraid that Your Majesty will kill him, and now he has played his last card. Only Your Majesty can cut him some slack and give him a break!" Upon hearing this, the Emperor pardoned the messengers from Wu and allowed them to return, also giving the King of Wu some walking sticks so he wouldn't have to come to court anymore.
Finally, Wu Guo could breathe easy, and the Wu King's scheming died down. However, thanks to its copper mines and salt production, the people never had to pay taxes. The Wu King often looked after talented people and gave the villagers gifts during festivals. The Wu King refused to cooperate with other counties trying to arrest fugitives. This went on for over thirty years, allowing Wu Guo to flourish and grow a huge population.
It is said that back then, Chao Cuo became the Crown Prince's advisor, winning the favor of the Crown Prince. He constantly badmouthed the Wu King to the Crown Prince, urging him to reduce his territory. He also repeatedly petitioned the Emperor about this matter. Emperor Wen was soft-hearted and couldn't bring himself to act decisively, so the Wu King became more and more arrogant.
When Emperor Jing ascended the throne, Chao Cuo became the Grand Master of Remonstrance. He said to Emperor Jing, "Back when Emperor Gaozu just conquered the world, there were few brothers and the sons were young, so he generously enfeoffed kings of the same surname. He enfeoffed his son Liu Fei as the King of Qi with seventy-two cities, his brother Liu Jiao as the King of Chu with forty cities, and his nephew Liu Bi as the King of Wu with over fifty cities. These three are all relatives of the Emperor and took away almost half of the world! Now this Wu King had conflicts with the Crown Prince before, pretended to be ill, and did not attend court. By the ancestors' rules, that's a death sentence! Emperor Wen remembered the old times and did not kill him, only gave him a symbolic punishment. Wasn't that generous enough? But he showed no remorse, instead becoming more arrogant, secretly minting coins, producing salt illegally, and plotting rebellion with fugitives from across the land. If we reduce his fiefdom, he may rebel; if we don't, he will rebel sooner or later. Cutting his territory now means a quick, small rebellion; delaying it means a slow, larger one."
Three winters later, King Chu came to the capital to see the Emperor. Chao Cuo took the opportunity to tell Emperor Jing, "A few years ago, when King Chu was mourning for Queen Bo, he engaged in disgraceful conduct in the mourning residence. He should be punished for his crimes!" As a result, the Emperor issued a decree pardoning King Chu, but only having his territory reduced to just Donghai Commandery. Two years later, King Zhao made a mistake and also had his fiefdom of Changshan Commandery reduced. The King of Jiao Xi, Liu Yang, for selling official positions and titles and committing wrongdoing, also had six counties of his fiefdom reduced.
The court was discussing how to weaken the power of the Wu Kingdom. The King of Wu was afraid that his land would continue to be reduced, so he planned to rebel. He felt that other princes were not worth relying on. Hearing that King Liu Yang was brave and loved war, and that other princes feared him, he sent the official Ying Gao to persuade King Liu Yang. Ying Gao told King Liu Yang, "King Wu is not very capable and has been worrying all along. He dares not bear the responsibility alone, so he sent me to explain his thoughts to you." King Liu Yang asked, "What's his game plan?"
Ying Gao said, "The Emperor now favors treacherous officials, believes in the slanders of villains, arbitrarily changes laws, seizes the princes' land, increases taxes continuously, and harshly punishes the upright. The situation is getting worse day by day. As the saying goes, 'The truth will out.' Both Wu and Jiao Xi are well-known states, but now they are both under severe scrutiny by the court and cannot be peaceful. King Wu was unwell and hadn't been to court in over twenty years. He lived in constant fear of suspicion, unable to defend himself. He was terrified of the consequences. I heard that Your Majesty has made some mistakes regarding your title, and with the court reducing princes' territories, your guilt may not be limited to just land reduction." King Liu Yang asked, "Is that right? What's your plan?"
Ying Gao said, "Evil people help each other, good people support each other, those who sympathize with each other seek help from one another, those with common aspirations follow each other, and those with shared interests live and die together. Now King Wu believes that he and you share common concerns and hopes to offer himself as a sacrifice to end the chaos. What do you think?" King Jiaoxi said in surprise, "I couldn't possibly do that! Although the emperor is powerful, we all have to die in the end. How can we not serve him?" Ying Gao replied, "The Grand Secretary is in cahoots with the emperor, seizing the lands of the vassals and alienating loyal ministers and virtuous officials. The court is rife with discontent, and the vassals are all thinking of rebellion. The situation has reached its peak. Comets and locust plagues—signs of terrible times—have struck. The people are suffering, and it is time for the sages to rise. King Wu plans to eliminate the Grand Secretary internally and rely on your power, Your Majesty, externally. Once they strike, the whole world will fall to them. If you agree, King Wu will lead King Chu to attack Hangu Pass, guard the food in Xingyang and Aocang, resist the Han army's advance, and then station the troops to wait for you. If you can personally lead the troops, then the world can be divided evenly, with the two kings ruling their respective territories. Wouldn't that be ideal?" King Jiaoxi said, "Okay." Ying Gao returned to report to King Wu, still worried that King Jiaoxi might change his mind, so he personally went to Jiaoxi to confirm the agreement.
When the ministers of Jiaoxi heard that the king wanted to rebel, they advised him, "The combined lands of all those vassal states wouldn't even be a twelfth of the Han Empire! Don't worry the Queen Mother! One emperor is hard enough as it is. Imagine the chaos if you win—two emperors battling it out!" However, King Jiaoxi did not listen and directly contacted the states of Qi, Zichuan, Jiaodong, and Jinan, all of which agreed to support him.
Before these princes were just severely punished, they were already afraid and seething with resentment. When the orders to reduce the territories of Wu, Kuaiji (modern-day Jiangsu), and Yuzhang came down, King Liu Bi of Wu was the first to rebel, killing all senior officials below the rank of 2,000 stones in the Han Dynasty. Jiaxi, Jidong, Zichuan, Jinan, Chu, and Zhao also rebelled together, sending troops to the west. The King of Qi regretted it, violated the agreement, and shut the city gates. The walls of Jibei were not yet repaired, and his chief minister forcibly controlled the king and prevented him from sending troops. The Kings of Jiaxi and Jidong took the lead and, together with the states of Zichuan and Jinan, attacked Linzhi. The King of Zhao secretly sent people to contact the Xiongnu, preparing to join forces to fight together.
When the seven countries rebelled, King Liu Bi of Wu mobilized all the troops in the country and issued an order, saying, "I am sixty-two years old this year, personally leading the troops into battle! My son is only fourteen years old, and he is also a soldier. Every man, from my elders to my youngest son, will fight!" Shortly, more than 200,000 troops were assembled. He also sent people to contact Minyue and Dongyue, and they too sent troops to help.
In January of 154 BC, I (King Liu Bi of Wu) rebelled in Guangling! First, I crossed the Huai River and absorbed the Chu army. Then I sent envoys to write letters to the various vassal kings, saying in the letter:
Hey Jiaoxi, Jiaodong, Zichuan, Jinan, Zhao, Chu, Huainan, Hengshan, Lujiang, and Changsha Prince – how's it going? I need to tell you about the situation in the Han Dynasty. There's this scumbag in charge of the Han Dynasty now. He has no merit but seizes the land of the vassals, arrests, interrogates, and punishes the ministers of the vassals, and doesn't treat us Liu family like royalty. He’s trashing everything my old man built, promoting treacherous individuals, deceiving the people, and seeking to endanger the state! The emperor is in poor health, incompetent, and can’t see clearly. I'm thinking of marching on him – what do you guys think?
My little kingdom of Wu, it's only three thousand square miles, and not many people, but I can gather an army of five hundred thousand elite soldiers. I've been buddies with Nanyue for thirty years, and their king's happy to send over another 300,000 troops. Although my abilities are limited, I’m willing to personally lead all of you in action. Nanyue troops hit Changsha. Changsha Prince, you take the north. Then, west to Shu and Hanzhong! Kings of Chu, Huainan, and Yue, you three will attack from the west with me. Kings of Qi and Zhao, you must take control of Hejian and Henei. Some troops can enter Linjin Pass, while others meet me in Luoyang. Kings of Yan and Zhao, you have an agreement with the Xiongnu king. Yan, you head north to take control of Daijun and Yunzhong, then lead the Xiongnu army to Xiaoguan, advancing straight to Chang'an. Together, let's restore order under the heavens and stabilize the temple of the founding emperor. I hope you all can strive hard!
Chu's eldest son and those three Huainan kings – they've been stewing for ten years, itching to get even. But I haven't heard from you guys, so I've been holding back. So, let's save the Liu family, kick some butt, and make history!
Although the state of Wu is poor, I have been frugal for more than thirty years, saving money, training the army, and working day and night to prepare, all for today! All of this is for this goal, hoping that everyone can work together!
Those who can kill or capture the enemy's general will be rewarded with five thousand jin of gold and appointed as a lord of ten thousand households; those who can kill or capture the enemy's column generals will be rewarded with three thousand jin of gold and appointed as a lord of five thousand households; those who can kill or capture the enemy's assistant generals will be rewarded with two thousand jin of gold and appointed as a lord of two thousand households; those who can kill or capture the enemy's officials of two thousand stones (a rank in the Han Dynasty) will be rewarded with one thousand jin of gold and appointed as a lord of one thousand households; all of these people will be appointed as lords.
If a city or army surrenders, ten thousand surrendered soldiers equals capturing a general; five thousand surrendered soldiers equals capturing a column general; three thousand surrendered soldiers equals capturing an assistant general; one thousand surrendered soldiers equals capturing an official of two thousand stones; the rewards for minor officials will decrease according to their contributions. All other rewards are double the standard military rate. If you already have a title and land, you will be further rewarded without considering your previous title and land.
I hope that you will inform all the scholars not to deceive me. I have plenty of wealth; it doesn't have to be taken from the state of Wu. You use it every day, and you can't use it all up. If someone deserves a reward, just tell me, and I will personally deliver it. I hereby inform you of these situations.
After hearing the news of the rebellion of the seven states, the emperor sent Zhou Yafu, along with thirty-six generals, to attack the states of Wu and Chu; sent Ji to attack the state of Zhao, Luan Bu to attack the state of Qi, and Dou Ying to station in Xingyang to monitor the armies of Qi and Zhao.
Initially, when news of the Wu and Chu rebellion reached the army before its departure, Dou Ying recommended the former prime minister of Wu, Yuan Ang. The emperor summoned Yuan Ang and asked him about the strategy of Wu and Chu. Yuan Ang replied, "Wu and Chu wrote letters to each other, saying that 'the villainous Zhao Cuo had been illegally shrinking the territories of the vassal states,' which is why they rebelled. Their stated goal was to jointly attack Zhao Cuo, restore the original territories, and then stand down. The best course of action would be to execute Zhao Cuo, send envoys to pardon the seven states, return their lands, and achieve a bloodless end to the conflict." The emperor took his advice and had Zhao Cuo executed. (Details are recorded in the "Biography of Yuan Ang".) The emperor appointed Yuan Ang as Tai Chang, in charge of sacrificing to the ancestral temple, and sent him as an envoy to Wu. The younger brother of the king of Wu, De Hou, was appointed as Zong Zheng to assist the imperial relatives. By the time Yuan Ang reached Wu, the combined Wu and Chu forces had already attacked Liangdi. Zong Zheng, being related to the king of Wu, went to see the king first and read the imperial edict to him. When the king of Wu heard that Yuan Ang had arrived and knew that he had come to persuade surrender, he laughed and said, "I have already proclaimed myself as the Eastern Emperor, who else should I bow to?" He refused to meet with Yuan Ang, keeping him under guard in the camp, intending to use him as a hostage. Yuan Ang refused to yield, so he was surrounded and guarded, even facing the threat of being killed. Yuan Ang escaped to Liangdi under cover of darkness and returned to court to report. Despite the emperor's best efforts, the rebellion continued unabated.
Tiao Hou Zhou Yafu led a six-carriage retinue to rush to Yingyang to meet the army. When he arrived at Luoyang, he met Ju Meng and happily said, "The seven states have rebelled. I came here with the convoy, never expected to be okay. I thought the lords had already captured Ju Meng, but now Meng is safe, and I am stationed in Yingyang, so we're good to go east of Yingyang." When he arrived at Huaiyang, he visited his father's former guest Deng Wuyou and asked him, "Got any good ideas?" Deng Wuyou said, "Wu's army is a real powerhouse; it's tough to confront them head-on. Chu's army is weak and won't last long. For the general now, the best bet is to pull back to northeast Changyi and dig in, letting Liang territory go to Wu. Wu will definitely go all out to attack Liang. You need to hold the line, send light troops to cut off the passages of Huai River and Si River, and block Wu's supply route. Let Wu and Liang bleed each other dry, wait 'til they're out of food, and you'll take Wu down." Tiao Hou said, "Good!" So he adopted his plan, defended to the south of Changyi, and sent light troops to cut off Wu's supply route. When the Wu King first started his rebellion, Wu's minister Tian Lubo served as the top general. Tian Lubo said, "All our forces are in the west; there's no other clever plan to get ahead. I want 50,000 troops to take a different route, go up the Yangtze, retake Huainan and Changsha, and then link up with the King at Wuguan. That's a winning strategy!" The prince of Wu advised, "This rebellion's army isn't loyal; anyone could turn on the King. What then? Besides, taking off with his own troops is a bad idea; he'll only hurt himself." Wu King did not agree to Tian Lubo's request.
Next, the young general Huan of the state of Wu said to the King of Wu: "Wu has many foot soldiers, suitable for fighting in difficult terrain; the Han excels in chariot and cavalry warfare on open ground. I hope we bypass all cities, advance quickly, seize Luoyang's arsenal and the granaries of Aocang, and use the natural barriers of mountains and rivers to rally the feudal lords. Even without taking Guanzhong, the empire will be ours. A slow advance, leaving cities undefended, would allow the Han's chariots and cavalry to reach Liangchu's borders and crush us." The King of Wu asked the old general of Wu, who replied, "That's just youthful bravado; he doesn't grasp the bigger picture!" So the King of Wu did not adopt General Huan's plan.
King Wu led the army alone, and before crossing the Huai River, other guests were appointed as generals, captains, lieutenants, and marshals; only Zhou Qiu did not receive an official position. Zhou Qiu, originally from Xiapi, fled to the state of Wu, where he sold wine and achieved little. King Wu looked down on him and did not grant him an official position. Zhou Qiu then went to see King Wu and said, "I am not capable enough to hold a position such as a lieutenant. I do not wish to request to be a general; I only ask for a military governor's seal. I will surely repay you." King Wu then granted it to him. After receiving the seal, Zhou Qiu quickly rushed back to Xiapi at night. When he arrived, he gathered the officials and ordered his followers to kill them on charges of treason. He then gathered his brothers and powerful local figures and declared, "The Wu army is attacking, and they'll slaughter everyone in Xiapi! Surrender now, your families will be spared, and those who contribute will be rewarded." He spread the word, and the people of Xiapi surrendered. By morning, Zhou Qiu commanded an army of thirty thousand men; he reported to King Wu and led his army to attack northern cities. By the time they reached Chengyang, the army had grown to over a hundred thousand and defeated the army of the commander of Chengyang. When he heard King Wu was routed, Zhou Qiu knew he was on his own, so he led his army back to Xiapi. Before reaching Xiapi, he died of a boil. In the second month, news of King Wu's defeat reached the Emperor, who then issued a decree to his generals, which went something like this:
"Word is, good deeds are rewarded, bad deeds punished. Our founding emperor made great achievements and established the feudal states. Both King You and King Dao Hui left no descendants, so Emperor Xiao Wen took pity on them and specially cared for King You's son Sui and King Dao Hui's son Yang, allowing them to continue worshiping at their ancestors' temples. As feudal states of the Han Dynasty, their virtue was legendary, their accomplishments unmatched. But this King of Wu betrayed morality, violated justice, and colluded with fugitives from all over the country, disrupting the nation's monetary system and shirking his duties for over twenty years by claiming illness. The court has tried to punish him many times, but Emperor Xiao Wen has always been lenient, hoping he would repent. Unexpectedly, he joined forces with Kings Chu Wu, Zhao Sui, Jiaoxi Yang, Jinan Pi Guang, Zichuan Xian, and Jiaodong Xiong Qu in a treacherous plot, threatening our ancestors' tombs, butchering officials and messengers, terrorizing the populace, and committing unspeakable atrocities. They've gone so far as to burn down the ancestral temples and loot sacrificial items. I'm beside myself! I'm in mourning in the back rooms, and I need this dealt with NOW! General, quickly go and encourage the soldiers to crush these rebels! The more rebels you kill, the greater your merit. For every head above the rank of a 300-shi official, execute them all. No exceptions! Disobey this order, and you die!"
That's the Emperor's word. Get moving, General!
Initially, King Wu led his army across the Huai River and, in alliance with King Chu, defeated the army of Jibei, pressing their advantage. King Liang became afraid and sent generals to fight, but both armies of Liang were defeated, and the soldiers fled. Liang repeatedly pleaded for help from King Liang, but he refused. Liang appealed to the court, accusing King Liang of inaction. The court ordered him to intervene, but he found excuses to delay. Liang had no choice but to appoint Zhang Yu, brother of a fallen general from the Han-Chu alliance, as the general, and only then did they manage a small victory against the Wu army. The Wu army wanted to head west, but Liang's cities were well defended, so they did not dare to go west and instead ran to where King Liang's army was stationed, which was Xia Yi. The Wu army pressed their attack, but King Liang stayed behind his fortifications. With their food supply cut off, the soldiers were hungry and exhausted, challenging King Liang multiple times. Eventually, the Wu army secretly attacked King Liang's fortifications at night, panicking the southeast of his camp. The King ordered his army to prepare for defense in the northwest direction, and sure enough, the Wu army attacked from the northwest. The Wu army failed to break through, suffering a crushing defeat, with many soldiers starving or deserting.
So the King of Wu, with over a thousand of his best men, snuck off under the cover of darkness, crossed the Huai River, escaped to Dantu, then laid low in Dongyue. The Dongyue army had more than ten thousand troops, and the Han bribed Dongyue, who then double-crossed the King of Wu. He went to rally his troops, only to be assassinated. They chopped off his head and sent word to the emperor ASAP. His son, Ju, fled to Minyue. After the King of Wu abandoned the army and fled, the troops scattered, surrendering to General Tiao Hou and the Liang forces. Chu's King Wu's army was crushed, and he killed himself. Linzi, Qi's capital, was under siege by three other states for three months, but they couldn't crack it. The King of Jiaoxi was sitting there barefoot, guzzling water, apologizing to the Empress Dowager. His son, Prince De, said, "The Han army has withdrawn; I see that they are exhausted. Now is a good time for a surprise attack! Let's quickly gather the remaining troops and catch them off guard. Even if we lose, we can always escape to the sea!" The King of Jiaoxi said, "My soldiers are exhausted and cannot be used anymore." He blew him off.
General Gonggao sent a letter to King Jiaoxi, saying: "I've come to deal with some bad guys under the Emperor's orders. Anyone who doesn't surrender is toast! What do you intend to do? Make a decision quickly!" King Jiaoxi, with his bare arms, bowed his head so fast it was like a hummingbird's wings, ran to the gate of the Han army camp, and said, "I'm clueless about the law, I've upset the people, and I've caused you guys a lot of trouble coming all this way to our little backwater. I am willing to accept the punishment of being executed!" General Gonggao came out with a golden drum to meet him, saying, "Rough day, huh? Please tell me about the process of your mobilization." King Jiaoxi knelt down, bowed in apology, and said, "Recently, the court is dominated by those treacherous officials who have altered the laws of the former Emperor and seized the land of the princes. I and other princes feel that they are too unjust, afraid that they will cause chaos in the world, so the seven states joined forces to kill that rat Chao Cuo. Now I heard that Chao Cuo has already died, and we have withdrawn our troops back to our country." The general said, "Since you think Chao Cuo is not good, why didn't you report to the court earlier? Without the Emperor's seal, you mobilized troops to attack a just country. From these things, you are probably not just trying to kill Chao Cuo, right?" Then the general showed the Emperor's edict to King Jiaoxi and said, "You're on your own!" King Jiaoxi said, "I deserve to die!" After speaking, he committed suicide. They also whacked the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince. They offed the kings of Jiaodong, Zichuan, and Jinan, too. General Li attacked the state of Zhao, and after ten months, he conquered Zhao, and the King of Zhao committed suicide. The King of Jibei was not executed because he was forced to rebel. King Wu was the first to rebel; he even got Chu troops on his side and allied with the states of Qi and Zhao. He started his rebellion in January, but by March, he was toast.
So, King Jing, or King Chu as he's also known, was appointed as king during the early days of the Han Dynasty. Back then, the country wasn't fully unified, so even though his territory was relatively remote, he managed to become king through his own strategies and guarded the Jianghuai region. Then there's Liu Ze, who started as a nobody, using tricks to deal with the Lu family, and as a result, his descendants were kings for three generations—three generations of emperors, can you believe it?! That's a pretty scary story, huh?
And then there's the King of Wu, who occupied advantageous positions in the mountains and seas, kept taxes low, so everyone loved him. But his son was the start of all the family's problems. Back then, kingdoms were usually small, and important places like that weren't given to lords—to stop this kind of thing happening! And Chao Cuo, he considered the country's long-term interests, but the calamity ended up falling on him. That old saying, "Don't seek power, or you'll pay the price," really applies to him! So true!
