OBS Chapter 2274
Chapter 2274
Chapter 2274
Thor felt no burden whatsoever about taking the blame, or rather, he was quite happy to do so.
Because although Thor was the youngest among them, he possessed the most leadership qualities… or rather, from a young age, Odin and Frigga had been consciously or unconsciously cultivating Thor's abilities in this area… though not with great success. Odin and Frigga had a very detailed plan for Thor even before he was born.
They hoped their son would be a handsome, brave, calm, intelligent, and responsible child.
But things never quite go exactly as planned.
Handsome... well, he is handsome.
Brave... If Thor isn't brave, then nobody is. This guy is just a stubborn fool.
As for composure and intelligence... to be honest, Frigga always thought that when Thor was pregnant, he might have eaten something that caused Thor's development to be somewhat incomplete, and his brain was like it was covered in cement, so he couldn't be smart at all. Frigga and Odin are both rare smart people, especially Odin. Don't be fooled by his irritable appearance, this old guy is never stupid. A fool can't be a tyrant!
Throughout history, a recurring theme is evident: both enlightened and tyrannical rulers were often intelligent. A prime example is Emperor Yang of Sui (Yang Guang) and Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin). Yang Guang is a notorious tyrant, while Li Shimin is a renowned enlightened ruler, yet both were intelligent. Emperor Yang of Sui was not only a monarch but also a highly talented poet. Over 40 of his poems are included in the *Complete Poems of the Sui Dynasty*, showcasing his remarkable poetic talent. However, he is considered a tyrant not because he neglected state affairs for poetry, but because his excessive diligence in governance became unbearable for the nation. Under his rule, widespread oppression led to peasant uprisings at the end of the Sui Dynasty. His talent was overshadowed by his tyranny, so much so that many only know him as a tyrant and not as a poet.
Emperor Taizong of Tang was also a very talented poet, but his poetic talent was overshadowed by his political achievements. As a result, his reign was known as the "Reign of Zhenguan" and was familiar to everyone, but few people knew that he was a poet.
In some ways, Li Shimin and Yang Guang had many similarities. Both were very talented poets, both wanted to make achievements during their reigns, and both were very diligent in their duties. But why are their actions so differently in the eyes of later generations?
First, let's look at Yang Guang. He was eager to achieve great things, but he was too impatient. At the beginning of his reign, he built Luoyang, the eastern capital, constructed the Great Wall, and dug the Grand Canal. At the same time, in order to showcase the wealth of his country, he constantly went on tours, each with an entourage of up to 100,000 people. It's easy to imagine that although Yang Guang was eager to achieve great things, he wanted to do too much. However, he also knew that his time was limited, so he tried to do as much as possible within the limited time. As a result, the Grand Canal was dug, Luoyang was built quickly, and the Great Wall was also built rapidly. At the same time, while showing off the country's strength, he was excessively extravagant. Although his actions were impressive, he failed to consider the feelings of the people. The consequences are predictable: the people had no choice but to rebel. When the people rebelled, Yang Guang lost his pride. He was terrified of hearing such news, and his heart became increasingly fragile until his final defeat.
Li Shimin was different. Learning from the precedent of Yang Guang, he understood that proper talent management was crucial for long-term stability. Many of the talented individuals he appointed later became very famous, including Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, and Xu Shiji. Wei Zheng often caused Li Shimin trouble, but Li Shimin did not distance himself from him because of this, demonstrating that he was open to advice. Wei Zheng also provided a very important piece of advice: "'The ruler is the boat; the people are the water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it.' Your Majesty finds this daunting, which is indeed as Your Majesty decrees." This statement also helped Li Shimin achieve the "Reign of Zhenguan."
In fact, most wise rulers in history were tyrants!
When we think of famous emperors in history, we often think of Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizu of Song, and even emperors from other ethnic groups like Genghis Khan and Emperor Kangxi. These emperors share a common trait: they were adept at political maneuvering, showing no mercy even to their own brothers and key ministers, yet they were benevolent and loving towards the common people, leaving a lasting legacy. However, they also have many negative stories about them, such as Qin Shi Huang's "burning of books and burying of scholars," Emperor Wu of Han's extravagant construction projects in his later years, Emperor Taizong of Tang's "Xuanwu Gate Incident," Emperor Taizu of Song's "Chenqiao Mutiny," and Genghis Khan's westward conquest of Europe, which also resulted in the massacre of countless cities and the turning of many fertile lands into wastelands. It must be said that they were good emperors, but they all had well-known flaws. However, there is one monarch who left an extremely positive impression on history. When he is mentioned, everyone knows his "benevolent ruler" side, but his other side—that of a "tyrant"—is little known. In terms of political maneuvering and tactics, Emperor Wen of Han was arguably unparalleled among the emperors of ancient China, with few able to rival him.
Emperor Wen of Han was the son of Liu Bang and his mother, Bo Ji. Given his mother's status, he could at most have been a vassal king. Indeed, from birth, he was destined not to be the crown prince and received no favor from his father, Liu Bang, from a young age. After he grew up, his father even exiled him to the frontier to guard the Han border. However, perhaps this was in accordance with Mencius's words: "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their will, strains their muscles and bones, starves their body, empties their resources, and frustrates their endeavors, so as to strengthen their resolve and increase their abilities." During his harsh days on the frontier, he reflected deeply and matured considerably. Heaven favored him, and he eventually became emperor. Liu Bang was considered merciful. After his death, Empress Lü, during her reign, supported her own son, Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying, while simultaneously eliminating dissidents, either killing or exiling her non-biological princes to the frontier, thus achieving her goal of consolidating power. During this period, Empress Lü also offered Emperor Wen of Han the opportunity to become a vassal king in the interior, but Emperor Wen resisted the temptation and refused. Emperor Wen understood that although conditions in the interior were much better, the power struggles were far more complex, and he could die at the hands of Empress Lü if he was not careful. Therefore, he chose to remain on the frontier and refused Empress Lü's offer on the grounds of defending the borders of the Han Dynasty.
On September 10, 180 BC, shortly after Empress Lü's death, a fierce power struggle erupted among the three major political forces of the Han Dynasty: the Empress's relatives, the group of military veterans, and the group of vassal kings. The result was an agreement reached between the two groups, led by the military veteran Grand Commandant Zhou Bo and the imperial clansman Liu Zhang, who then launched a sudden attack to exterminate the Lü clan, effectively ending Empress Lü's faction's political dominance. After the extermination of the Lü clan, the two groups naturally needed to divide the spoils. However, the crucial question was how to deal with the young Emperor Liu Hong. Liu Hong could not continue as emperor, and the question of which vassal king from the imperial clan would become emperor was also critical. There was a premise: this emperor had to be obedient, the empress's faction could not be too powerful, and the group of military veterans absolutely could not accept the emergence of another Empress Lü. The reason for forcing the young emperor to abdicate was simple, based on Zhou Bo's words: "The young emperor, along with the princes of Jichuan, Huaiyang, and Hengshan, are not sons of Emperor Hui. The Empress Dowager tricked them into claiming them as other men's sons, killed their mothers, raised them in the harem, and then had Emperor Hui establish them as empresses to strengthen the Lü clan. Now that the Lü clan has been destroyed, if the young emperor continues to rule, we will have no one left to rely on. It would be better to choose a virtuous prince to establish." Everyone knew perfectly well whether the young emperor was Emperor Hui's biological son. This was blatant lying; the young emperor, along with Liu Tai (Prince of Jichuan), Liu Wu (Prince of Huaiyang), and Liu Chao (Prince of Hengshan), were not princes and their rule was illegitimate. However, there was no other way. Allowing the young emperor to remain on the throne would not reassure either the military veterans' group or the princely groups. The young emperor's fate was inevitable. From Zhou Bo's speech, it can be seen that as the chief figure of the military veterans' group, he was naturally the most important person in charge of the court after the coup. Some analysts suggest that Zhou Bo killed the young emperor or other sons of Emperor Hui to avenge Empress Lü's clan when they grew up. However, this theory doesn't hold up to scrutiny, as a child under ten years old is far easier to control than the later Emperor Wen of Han, who was in his twenties. After all, a child, in terms of shrewdness, ability, and influence, poses no threat to powerful ministers, and the young emperor was already practically isolated. Continuing to allow the child installed by Empress Lü to be emperor would not pose a significant danger to the military clique.
It is clear that the reasons given by the military clique led by Zhou Bo were untenable, and Zhou Bo was not telling the truth. The real reason was simply that the Lü clan had to be completely and thoroughly eradicated. The young emperor, being an heir to Empress Lü, could not be spared. With the young emperor deposed, choosing an emperor from among the Liu clan princes became inevitable. Furthermore, if an ambitious individual were to support the young emperor, the military clique would be utterly destroyed. After some behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the military clique assessed the power of the princes and their relatives, and chose Liu Heng, the Prince of Dai, who was known for his kindness, benevolence, and good reputation. Therefore, they sent envoys to escort Liu Heng to Chang'an to inherit the throne.
Emperor Wen of Han entered the capital with only six people, including Song Chang and Zhang Wu. On the 29th day of the intercalary ninth month of 180 BC, Liu Heng, the Prince of Dai, formally ascended the throne as Emperor Wen of Han at his residence in Chang'an. The reason for ascending the throne at the Prince of Dai's residence was that there was still a young emperor in Weiyang Palace, and the military clique did not kill him; only the new emperor could kill the young emperor. The next task was to be completed immediately—to carry out the palace purge.
As the saying goes, "There cannot be two suns in the sky, two rulers in a country, or two tigers on one mountain," and unless one is male and the other female, there cannot be two emperors in Chang'an. The young emperor and the other sons of Emperor Hui must be eliminated, but how to do so is a major headache. Emperor Wen was fully aware of the meritorious clique's intention to use him to kill the young emperor, but he was powerless to do anything about it. From Emperor Wen's perspective, he absolutely did not want to personally lead this matter, because no matter how eloquently it was presented, it was still regicide.
From the perspective of the military elites, "We've already given you the emperor; what's wrong with letting you kill someone? Only by killing the young emperor can you prove you're one of us." However, there were those willing to act as intermediaries for Emperor Wen. Liu Xingju, the younger brother of King Liu Zhang of Qi and Marquis of Dongmou, said, "I have no merit in eliminating the Lü clan; I request permission to leave the palace and enter the palace with Grand Master of the Palace, Marquis of Ruyin, Teng Gong." Liu Xingju's willingness to do this dirty work was to express his stance to Emperor Wen and show his allegiance to him. After all, Liu Zhang was initially the most popular candidate. In the end, not only did he fail to become emperor, but Cao Ku, the Grand Secretary and main supporter of King Liu Zhang in the capital, was also dismissed and lost his political life. King Liu Zhang's faction suffered a series of severe blows. Under these circumstances, Liu Zhang and Liu Xingju were naturally eager to prove themselves, so they were willing to do the dirty work that the young emperor was unwilling to do, thus expressing their loyalty to the emperor. Liu Xingju's willingness to go to the Qing Palace made him an excellent candidate to represent the imperial clan, something Emperor Wen of Han was more than happy to accept. However, Emperor Wen was still uneasy, so he sent Xiahou Ying, the Marquis of Ruyin and representative of the meritorious officials, to accompany him. After all, the young emperor had officially reigned for four years and couldn't be easily killed. Xiahou Ying led troops into the palace and expelled the young emperor.
Historical records state: The young emperor asked, "Where do you intend to keep me safe?" Teng Gong replied, "To the Lesser Treasury." He then escorted the emperor's imperial carriage to the new residence, reporting, "The palace is prepared." The emperor entered Weiyang Palace that very evening. That night, he appointed Song Chang as General of the Guards, commanding the Southern and Northern Armies, and Zhang Wu as Palace Attendant, to serve in the palace. Looking back now, it's poignant; the young emperor's fate was self-evident, but Emperor Wen of Han certainly wouldn't have interfered with his deposition or execution. After Xiahou Ying drove the young emperor out of the palace, he immediately welcomed Emperor Wen to Weiyang Palace that very night. Emperor Wen immediately appointed his trusted confidant Song Chang as General of the Guards and Zhang Wu as Palace Attendant. Thus, Emperor Wen's two most trusted confidants took control of the military power in the capital and the palace. At that time, the main imperial guards in Chang'an were the Northern and Southern Armies. The Northern Army was responsible for guarding the area outside the palace and within Chang'an, and its commander was called the Commandant of the Guards; the Southern Army was responsible for guarding the Weiyang Palace and the area outside Changle Palace, and its commander was called the Commandant of the Guards. Emperor Wen of Han's control over the military in Chang'an meant that his throne was secure.
Liu Heng's first wife was the Queen of Dai. Although no records exist, it's certain she was a member of Empress Lü's family—a perfectly normal practice. After Empress Lü's downfall, the Queen of Dai vanished, undoubtedly meeting a terrible end. Furthermore, her four sons died within two months of each other, publicly stated to have died of illness. Liu Heng's swift disassociation and severing of ties is truly ruthless, but unavoidable; it was a pledge of allegiance to the powerful elite group.
Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng, was a gloomy, cruel, and low-key man with a deep and calculating mind, yet he was also extremely capable and ambitious. He reversed the chaotic situation under Empress Lü's autocratic rule after Liu Bang's death, and his contribution to consolidating the Liu family's rule was indispensable. He was the founder of the "Reign of Wen and Jing" in the Han Dynasty, but this emperor truly cannot be ranked among the wise rulers.
Needless to say, Frigga was known for her intelligence. In fact, the queen was equivalent to the prime minister in secular society, and most of the political affairs in Asgard were handled by Frigga.
But the child born from their union turned out to be incredibly dense!
Calmness was nowhere to be seen; this guy's temper was as volatile as Odin's, which suggests that Odin was indeed Thor's father.