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[The man who killed all the Sima clan——Liu Yu, History, Sima Yi, Eastern Jin Dynasty]

Liu Yu is known as the most capable emperor in history. He was born in poverty and had great ambitions since childhood.

He led his troops to the north twice to recover lost territory. In that chaotic and dark era when the Five Barbarians invaded China, Liu Yu swept across the Five Barbarians, broke the aristocratic politics, and brought hope of unifying the world to the Han people again.

At the same time, Liu Yu also set a precedent of massacring the princes and nobles of the previous dynasty and killed all the descendants of the Sima family.

——"Who said that Liu Yu was the first to do so? It was clearly the Sima family that first destroyed the Cao family. Killing an emperor in public is probably the only time in history that this happened."

In this video, let us understand the legendary life of Emperor Wu of Song, Liu Yu, in chronological order.

In 420 AD, Sima Dewen, the last emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, issued an edict to abdicate. The 58-year-old King of Song Liu Yu accepted the abdication and proclaimed himself emperor, establishing the Liu Song Dynasty.

Chinese history entered a new stage - the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and Liu Yu was the first emperor of the Southern Dynasty. This "first" is not only the first in order, but also the first in achievement.

He was the most accomplished emperor since the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China and the Migration of Chinese Culture to the South, and he was also the emperor who came closest to unification.

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, where there were no commoners in the upper class and no aristocrats in the lower class, Liu Yu, who was born in poverty, emerged out of nowhere with his outstanding military talents, quelled civil strife, and took control of the military and political power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Internally, Liu Yu implemented a series of reforms, made important appointments to scholars from humble backgrounds, and laid the foundation for the Yuanjia Reign of the Southern Dynasties. Externally, he eliminated Southern Yan and Later Qin in the north, recovered the homeland, and made the Southern Dynasty's territory reach its peak. For a time, people believed that the chaotic times were about to end and great unification would soon come.

However, due to various reasons, the Liu Song Dynasty established by Liu Yu ultimately failed to achieve unification, but became even more chaotic than the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with internal strife and fathers and sons killing each other. The root cause of this civil strife was precisely planted by Liu Yu himself.

Liu Yu was born in 363 AD, when the Eastern Jin Dynasty was still in the reign of Emperor An of Jin.

Liu Yu's ancestors were descendants of Liu Jiao, the younger brother of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang. But by the time Liu Yu came to this world, his family was already very poor. Not long after he was born, his mother died of illness. As the family could not afford a wet nurse, his father Liu Qiao had to foster him in a family of the same clan, so Liu Yu had a nickname "Ji Nu".

At this time, the Eastern Jin Dynasty was ruled by aristocratic families. They had extensive connections and controlled the government, making it difficult for children from poor families to succeed.

Even the emperor had to be humble to the aristocratic officials. Although Liu Yu was a descendant of the royal family of the Han Dynasty, he could only be considered stable in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and even of low status.

If it were in peacetime, even if Liu Yu was a genius, he would only be able to live a mediocre life. How could he have the chance to be as powerful as a tiger?

However, the formation of a special forces unit at this time provided Liu Yu with an opportunity to emerge. This was the Northern Army.

The Northern Army was originally a new army formed by Xie Xuan to deal with the attack of the Former Qin in the north. Compared with the corrupt regular army, this army formed by refugees was more combat-effective and was the focus of attention from all parties. After Xie An and Xie Xuan, uncle and nephew, died one after another, the power of the Northern Army fell into the hands of Liu Laozhi.

When Liu Yu was young, he chopped wood, planted land, and even sold straw sandals. Later, he joined the Northern Army and worked under General Sun Wuzhong. With his military talent, Liu Yu soon attracted the attention of Liu Laozhi.

In 397 AD, Huan Xuan, the governor of Jingzhou, started a rebellion, and the territory actually controlled by the Eastern Jin Dynasty was reduced to the eight counties of Yangzhou. Two years later, the uprising of Sun En and Lu Xun quickly swept across Jiangdong. The Eastern Jin Dynasty court sent Xie Yan, the son of Xie An and the leader of the Northern Army, to suppress the rebellion. The Eastern Jin Dynasty, which had been established for more than 80 years, entered the countdown to its demise.

During the Sun En Rebellion, Xie Yan underestimated the enemy, advanced rashly, and did not care about his soldiers, and was eventually killed by his subordinates.

Liu Laozhi, who had been through many battles, was quite good at judging people, and promoted Liu Yu to join the army, hoping that he could help him sort out this mess. Liu Yu, who was 37 years old at the time, finally waited for the first highlight moment in his life.

For the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sun En was a terrifying name. He used the Five Pecks of Rice Sect to win over the hearts of the people, gathered hundreds of thousands of people in a few months, swept across Jiangdong, and brought disaster to the pampered children of the gentry.

But for Liu Yu, Sun En's hundreds of thousands of chaotic troops were just a mob and nothing to be afraid of. Liu Yu was brave in battle, strict in military discipline, and full of strategy, often defeating the enemy with a small force. Sun En was defeated and soon fled to the sea.

But while Liu Yu had quelled the civil strife, the capital Jiankang had already changed dynasties. In 403 AD, Huan Xuan forced Emperor An of Jin to abdicate and established the Huan Chu regime. Liu Laozhi was forced to hand over his military power and hanged himself. The old boss who promoted him was dead. What should the 41-year-old Liu Yu do?

Liu Yu, who came from a poor family, had never had a good impression of the Sima royal family. Therefore, after Huan Xuan usurped the throne, he considered the situation and expressed his willingness to submit to him, which won Huan Xuan's favor. However, although Huan Xuan came from a prominent family, he did not have the talent to be a king.

After the forced change of dynasty, not only did it fail to create a new atmosphere, but it indulged in pleasure and quickly lost the support of the people.

A year later, the 42-year-old Liu Yu saw that Huan Xuan could not achieve anything, so he simply summoned the former members of the Northern Army in Jingkou and raised an army in the name of suppressing the usurpation of power. People from all over the country responded.

In less than a year, the Huan Chu regime was eliminated and Emperor An of Jin was restored to the throne. As the chief meritorious official, Liu Yu also obtained the military and political power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and became a new generation of powerful officials.

However, compared with his predecessors, he came from a poorer background, and he had to work harder to keep the position after suddenly obtaining this high position.

Liu Yu, who rose to power through military exploits, knew very well that Huan Xuan's failure was due to his shallow foundation. He usurped the throne in a hurry before accomplishing any achievements, and was regarded as a traitor. He was emperor for only three months before he stepped down in a hurry.

Therefore, Liu Yu learned his lesson and was not in a hurry to change the dynasty. Instead, he wanted to eliminate the opposition forces, make some achievements, and make everyone convinced before accepting the abdication in a natural way.

So how did Liu Yu accumulate political capital for changing the dynasty? Facts have proved that Liu Yu was not only a talented military strategist, but also an outstanding politician.

After taking power, he vigorously implemented a series of reforms. In the economy, he reduced taxes and levies and developed production; he conducted land surveys and farmland surveys on the nobles; in administration, he selected talented people and made use of scholars from poor families; in culture, he developed education and collected books; in military, he reorganized the army and prepared for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains to recover the homeland.

In 409 AD, Murong Chao, the emperor of Southern Yan in the north, ascended the throne and allowed his troops to plunder Huaibei.

Liu Yu decided to try his hand at it and personally led his troops to attack. He drove Murong Chao all the way back to Guanggu, the capital of Southern Yan, and surrounded Guanggu with his large army.

Eight months later, the desperate Southern Yan court opened the city and surrendered. Liu Yu rushed into the city, brought the Southern Yan Xianbei noble Murong Chao back to Jiankang, and beheaded him in public.

Liu Yu originally planned to pursue the victory and continue the Northern Expedition, but a fire broke out in his backyard, forcing him to withdraw his troops first.

Lu Xun, who had rebelled with Sun En, gathered more than 10 refugees to attack Jiankang. When Liu Yu returned, he found that there were only a few thousand soldiers in the city, and many of the soldiers he brought back were injured and sick, making it difficult to deal with Lu Xun's army.

The nobles in the court suggested that Liu Yu take the emperor and flee Jiankang, but Liu Yu insisted on defending the city and mobilizing the people in the city to hold on to the city. Like Sun En, although Lu Xun had a large number of people, they were just a motley crowd. Not only could they not break through Jiankang, but they also did not get any benefits from the surrounding counties and could only retreat to Jiangzhou. Liu Yu led his troops to pursue and completely quelled Lu Xun's rebellion in early 411 AD.

Afterwards, Liu Yu pacified Liu Yi, the governor of Jingzhou, and Sima Xiuzhi, and completely took Yangzhou and Jiangzhou, the foundation of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and at the same time recovered Yizhou and Hanzhong, pacified the separatist forces in the south, and basically recovered the territories of the Eastern Wu and Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, confronting the Northern Wei and Later Qin in the north.

At this time, Liu Yu was already the most powerful official in the country, and there was no way he could be promoted. Even if he wanted to change the dynasty, it would be fine. However, the Later Qin in the north soon sent Liu Yu another great gift.

In 416 AD, Emperor Yao Hong of the Later Qin Dynasty ascended the throne. The Qiang and Hu tribes in the northwest rose up in rebellion and civil strife broke out. Liu Yu took the opportunity to launch a northern expedition and successfully recovered the ancient capital of Luoyang. He then marched all the way to Chang'an and forced Yao Hong to surrender.

By this time, Liu Yu had recovered the areas south of the Yellow River, north of the Huai River, and the upper reaches of the Han River. This was the largest territory that the Jiangzuo regime could have since the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China and the Yongjia Migration to the South, and it was also the largest territory of the entire Southern Dynasty.

However, this was the beginning of a nightmare for the Sima royal family. In 418 AD, the 56-year-old Liu Yu was granted the Nine Gifts and was granted the title of Duke of Song. The Jin Emperor An, who was mute and did not know the seasons, had lost his usefulness and was secretly executed.

Emperor Sima Dewen ascended the throne and became the last emperor of the Sima clan, known in history as Emperor Gong of Jin. Soon after, Liu Yu was promoted to King of Song and granted the emperor's ceremonial guards.

In 420 AD, Emperor Gong of Jin officially issued an edict to abdicate, and the Jin Dynasty was declared dead. The Jin Dynasty lasted for more than 150 years since Sima Yan became emperor. The 58-year-old Liu Yu accepted the abdication and became emperor, and the country was named the Great Song, which is known in history as the Liu Song.

Except for one Sima clan member who went north to surrender to Wei, all the Sima clan members who stayed in Jiangzuo were imprisoned and killed.

However, what is quite dramatic is that Liu Yu learned the lesson of the decline of the Eastern Jin royal family and the dominance of powerful ministers, and enfeoffed his sons in various important cities, laying the groundwork for the subsequent civil strife in the Liu Song Dynasty.

In 422 AD, Liu Yu planned to attack the Northern Wei Dynasty, hoping to unify the world. However, he had to cancel the plan due to illness before he set out. Soon after, Liu Yu died in Jiankang at the age of 60.

Since the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China and the Migration of the Han Chinese to the South, Liu Yu was the most accomplished emperor of the Han Chinese regime in the south.

He was born in a poor family and was fostered in other people's homes since childhood. When he grew up, he sold straw sandals and farmed. Later, he joined the Northern Army and stood out in the troubled times. With his outstanding military talents, he quelled the civil strife, marched north to the Central Plains, and reached the pinnacle of power.

What is even more rare is that Liu Yu was not only able to conquer the world on horseback, but also able to rule the world on foot. After taking power, he promoted local decisions, promoted scholars from humble backgrounds, suppressed the aristocracy, ended the aristocratic family politics that had lasted for more than a hundred years, and brought new vitality to the weak Jiangzuo society, laying the foundation for the Southern Dynasty's governance during the Yuanjia period.

However, even a centipede can survive even after death, let alone a wealthy and powerful family that has been operating for hundreds of years. They have complex roots and still have a significant influence in Jiangzuo.

At the same time, in order to effectively control the local area, Liu Yu appointed his own son to guard it, and invisibly returned to the old path of the Western Jin Dynasty. Liu Yu's descendants would repeat the mistakes of the Sima family. Not only did they fail to complete the great cause of unification, but they also perished in internal strife.

Liu Yu's ambitions ultimately failed.

——"Alas, it's such a pity for Liu Yu. It's hard to imagine a man holding a big knife and chasing thousands of people. It's a bit too fantastical."

——"Those who achieve great things must have sold straw sandals when they were young."

——"Can't you sell fish?"

——"Liu Bei sold straw sandals when he was young, and Liu Yu also sold straw sandals when he was young, so I, Liu Ming, will sell straw sandals now!"

——"The Sima family deserves it, they should be killed! Look at how the Sima family treated the Cao family."

——"His surname is Liu, and he also has Han blood. Why didn't he do the same as Liu Bei and claim to support the Han Dynasty? Is there any big shot who can explain this to me?"

——"The situation is different. At that time, the Han Dynasty was about to be destroyed. If Liu Bei raised his arms and called for support for the Han Dynasty, there would still be loyal and righteous people willing to follow him. For Liu Yu, the Han Dynasty had been destroyed for nearly 200 years. Who would be willing to pay attention to you? Supporting the Sima family is still okay. (Laughing to death)"

——"It seems that there was a minister named Liu who always helped Liu Yu. I can't remember who he was at the moment, but I remember he was a civil official."

——"Liu Muzhi is the equivalent of Wang Meng to Fu Jian. If he hadn't died, Liu Yu would have swallowed up a large part of the Northern Wei Dynasty, let alone unified the country. Without him, no one could take care of the rear, and Liu Yu had to handle the logistics by himself, which was very energy-consuming."

[One order to massacre 20 people, the Five Barbarians invaded China and made Ran Wei the founding emperor - Ran Min, the history of the Five Barbarians' invasion of China]

Ran Min is a very controversial figure in history. He was despised by his enemies as the "son of a slave", but he usurped the throne of Later Zhao.

In order to eliminate the opposition forces, he ordered the massacre of more than 20 people. Some people said that he killed innocent people indiscriminately and was cruel and inhumane, while others said that he was acting in the name of justice.

How should we view this period of history 1700 years later? In this video, we will tell the story of Ran Min's life.

Ran Min's ancestral home was in Neihuang County, Wei Prefecture. In the late Western Jin Dynasty, the Five Barbarians invaded China and the people of the Central Plains were scattered everywhere. In order to survive, Ran Min's father Ran Zhan joined the army of refugees - the Beggars.

When Shi Le, the king of Later Zhao, attacked the State of Chen, he captured Ran Zhan and was adopted by his nephew Shi Hu. Although Ran Zhan was a Han Chinese, he made great contributions to Later Zhao and helped Shi Hu attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty many times.

His son Ran Min was even more brave and was regarded as a grandson by Shi Hu. The Hu and Han generals were very respectful of Ran Min. After Shi Le died, Shi Hu seized the throne and killed all of Shi Le's descendants.

As Shi Hu's adopted grandson, Ran Min's wealth also doubled, and he directly entered the core circle of the Later Zhao high-level officials. Moreover, he would turn the Later Zhao upside down.

What was the situation of the Later Zhao at that time? The Five Barbarians' Invasion of China was an unprecedented dark era in Chinese history. The foreign barbarian regime ruled very cruelly. They killed people without restraint and invaded without limit, bringing heavy suffering to innocent Han people.

The father and son of Shi Hu of the Later Zhao Dynasty, who were born in Jiehu, were the best among them. After Shi Hu usurped the throne, he regarded the Han people as slaves and forced them to build palaces for him. From Chang'an to Luoyang, the bodies of the victims were everywhere on the trees along the way.

Shi Hu's crown prince Shi Sui was even worse than his father. He not only raped the wives and daughters of officials, but also cut off the heads of beautiful palace maids and sent them to all directions. He also killed and ate nuns, cooked them together with beef and mutton, and gave them to his attendants, asking them to tell whether it was beef or human flesh.

Such brutal behavior is unprecedented and unparalleled in the Twenty-Five Histories.