刘敬叔孙通列传

Liu Jing was a native of Qi. In the fifth year of the Han era, while serving as a conscript guard on the western frontier, he passed through Luoyang, where Emperor Gaozu was staying. There, Liu Jing detached himself from the pole of his carriage, wore his sheepskin coat, and requested an audience with General Yu of Qi, saying: "I wish to see the Emperor on urgent state matters."

General Yu wanted to give him fine clothes, but Liu Jing replied: "If I am dressed in silk, I will appear in silk; if in coarse cloth, in coarse cloth—I shall never change my clothes for the occasion." General Yu therefore submitted his request to the Emperor. The Emperor summoned Liu Jing for an audience and provided him with a meal.

General Yu wanted to give him fine clothes, but Liu Jing replied: "If I am dressed in silk, I will appear in silk; if in coarse cloth, in coarse cloth—I shall never change my clothes for the occasion." General Yu therefore submitted his request to the Emperor. The Emperor summoned Liu Jing for an audience and provided him with a meal.

General Yu wanted to give him fine clothes, but Liu Jing replied: "If I am dressed in silk, I will appear in silk; if in coarse cloth, in coarse cloth—I shall never change my clothes for the occasion." General Yu therefore submitted his request to the Emperor. The Emperor summoned Liu Jing for an audience and provided him with a meal.

Soon afterward, the Emperor questioned Liu Jing, who expounded: "Does Your Majesty wish to establish Your capital at Luoyang and thereby rival the splendor of the Zhou dynasty?" The Emperor replied: "Indeed."

"When King Cheng assumed the throne, the descendants of the Duke of Zhou served as his tutors and ministers. He then constructed Chengzhou at Luoyang, making it the center of the realm. Feudal lords from all directions submitted tribute and tribute offerings, and distances were measured equally. One who possessed virtue could easily rule as king; one without virtue could easily perish. Those who dwelt there wished only that the Zhou would cultivate virtue to attract people, never wishing to rely upon defensive terrain that might allow later generations to grow arrogant and tyrannical, oppressing the populace."

"When King Cheng assumed the throne, the descendants of the Duke of Zhou served as his tutors and ministers. He then constructed Chengzhou at Luoyang, making it the center of the realm. Feudal lords from all directions submitted tribute and tribute offerings, and distances were measured equally. One who possessed virtue could easily rule as king; one without virtue could easily perish. Those who dwelt there wished only that the Zhou would cultivate virtue to attract people, never wishing to rely upon defensive terrain that might allow later generations to grow arrogant and tyrannical, oppressing the populace."

"During the Zhou zenith, the realm was harmonious, the four Yi tribes followed the prevailing customs, admired righteousness, cherished virtue, attached themselves to the sovereign, and served without a single soldier stationed abroad or a single battle fought. The peoples of all eight Yi nations, however great, submitted and brought their tribute offerings. When the Zhou declined, the realm split in two; the world no longer came to court, and Zhou could not govern. This was not because Zhou's virtue had diminished, but rather because its strength had weakened."

"Now Your Majesty arose at Feng and Pei, gathered three thousand soldiers, marched directly to Shu and Han, pacified the three Qin territories, fought Xiang YuXiang YuHere's the translation of "The Warrior Who Almost Ruled the World" into English: **The Warrior Who Almost Ruled the World**The most feared warrior in Chinese history — brilliant in battle, catastrophic in politics — whose stubborn nobility cost him an empire.View profile → at Xiongyang, contested the passes of Chenggu, engaged in seventy major battles and forty minor ones—until the people's flesh was strewn across the fields and fathers and sons collapsed upon the wilds, their numbers beyond calculation. The sounds of weeping have not ceased, the wounded have not yet risen. To wish to rival the prosperity of the reigns of Cheng and Kang—your minister considers this impossible."

"Now Your Majesty arose at Feng and Pei, gathered three thousand soldiers, marched directly to Shu and Han, pacified the three Qin territories, fought Xiang YuXiang YuHere's the translation of "The Warrior Who Almost Ruled the World" into English: **The Warrior Who Almost Ruled the World**The most feared warrior in Chinese history — brilliant in battle, catastrophic in politics — whose stubborn nobility cost him an empire.View profile → at Xiongyang, contested the passes of Chenggu, engaged in seventy major battles and forty minor ones—until the people's flesh was strewn across the fields and fathers and sons collapsed upon the wilds, their numbers beyond calculation. The sounds of weeping have not ceased, the wounded have not yet risen. To wish to rival the prosperity of the reigns of Cheng and Kang—your minister considers this impossible."

"Furthermore, the Qin region is girded by mountains and rivers, its four passes providing natural defenses. Should sudden danger arise, a million troops can be assembled there. With the Qin heritage as foundation and the most fertile lands as resources, this is indeed what we call a 'storehouse of heaven.' Should Your Majesty enter the Pass and establish the capital there, even if chaos befalls the region east of Mount Xiao, the old Qin territories can be preserved intact."

"Furthermore, the Qin region is girded by mountains and rivers, its four passes providing natural defenses. Should sudden danger arise, a million troops can be assembled there. With the Qin heritage as foundation and the most fertile lands as resources, this is indeed what we call a 'storehouse of heaven.' Should Your Majesty enter the Pass and establish the capital there, even if chaos befalls the region east of Mount Xiao, the old Qin territories can be preserved intact."

"Furthermore, the Qin region is girded by mountains and rivers, its four passes providing natural defenses. Should sudden danger arise, a million troops can be assembled there. With the Qin heritage as foundation and the most fertile lands as resources, this is indeed what we call a 'storehouse of heaven.' Should Your Majesty enter the Pass and establish the capital there, even if chaos befalls the region east of Mount Xiao, the old Qin territories can be preserved intact."

Emperor Gaozu questioned his ministers, all of whom were natives of Shandong. They vied to argue that the Zhou dynasty lasted several hundred years while Qin perished in just two generations, urging that the capital should not be relocated to the old Zhou capital. The Emperor hesitated and could not decide.

When Marquis Liu himself clearly declared that entering the Pass was advantageous, the Emperor that very day turned his carriage westward to establish the capital in Guanzhong.

The Emperor then declared: "The one who originally advised establishing the capital in the Qin lands was Liu Jing—but Liu is his clan name!" He granted Liu Jing the surname Liu, appointed him as a Cavalier Attendant, and honored him as Lord of Fengchun.

In the seventh year of Han, the King of Han, Xin, rebelled, and Emperor Gaozu personally led an expedition against him. Arriving at Jinyang, the Emperor heard that Xin and the Xiongnu intended to jointly attack Han. Enraged, the Emperor dispatched envoys to Xiongnu.

The Xiongnu concealed their strong warriors and fat horses and cattle—only the elderly, weak, and scrawny livestock were displayed. Ten successive envoys were sent, all reporting that the Xiongnu could be attacked.

The Emperor then dispatched Liu Jing to reconnoiter the Xiongnu. Upon his return, Liu Jing reported: "When two states clash, each should boast of their strengths. Yet when I went, I saw only the weak, the frail, the elderly, and the meager—surely an attempt to appear weak while preparing an ambush to seize advantage. Your minister believes the Xiongnu cannot be attacked."

By this time the Han forces had already crossed the Gouzhung range, and more than two hundred thousand troops were in motion. The Emperor flew into a rage, cursing Liu Jing: "You Qilu slave! You earned your position through rhetoric, yet now you presumptuously try to demoralize our army!" He had Liu Jing fettered and imprisoned at Guangwu.

Returning to Guangwu, the Emperor pardoned Liu Jing, saying: "I did not heed your counsel, which led to the predicament at Pingcheng. I have already executed the ten envoys who declared the Xiongnu could be attacked." He enfeoffed Liu Jing with two thousand households and made him a Marquis of Guannei, titled Marquis Jianxin.

When Emperor Gaozu withdrew from Pingcheng, the King of Han, Xin, fled into Xiongnu territory. At this time, Modu was Khan, his forces powerful, with three hundred thousand mounted archers under his command. The northern frontier suffered repeated harassment. The Emperor, troubled by this, consulted Liu Jing.

Liu Jing replied: "The realm has only recently been pacified; the soldiers are exhausted from warfare and cannot be governed through force. Modu killed his father and assumed power, took his father's wives as his own, and rules through brute strength—kindness and righteousness cannot persuade him. The only viable strategy is to think in terms of long-term descendants becoming subjects. But I fear Your Majesty may be unwilling to do this."