How Liu Bang Founded the Western Han Dynasty

In the last episode of the Qin series, Xiang Yu died at the Wu River and the Chu-Han struggle finally came to an end. But once Liu Bang held the realm in his hands, he discovered that winning the world and sitting securely in it were not the same thing.

He had a throne now. What he did not yet have was a settled capital, a stable court, obedient lords, or a safe way to deal with men like Han Xin.

After Xiang Yu Fell, Liu Bang Still Had to Root the Han State

In 202 BCE, Liu Bang formally proclaimed himself emperor. The Han dynasty was born.

On the surface, the world looked pacified. In reality, the new empire was full of wreckage. Years of war had torn up the land, displaced the people, and left powerful men all over the map with their own ambitions.

Liu Bang first made Luoyang his capital. That was not a strange choice. It sat near the center of the realm and had the prestige of an old Zhou royal city.

But almost at once, voices rose against it. If Han wanted not only to begin but to endure, Luoyang was not enough.

Liu Jing Arrived in Worn Fur and Spoke the Hardest Truth

The man who pressed this argument was Liu Jing.

He was no grand court figure. He was a minor man bound for frontier duty who insisted on seeing the emperor while passing through Luoyang. Even when a friend urged him to borrow proper clothes, he went in wearing his old fur coat.

Once admitted, he did not flatter. He asked directly whether Liu Bang truly meant to establish the capital there.

When Liu Bang said yes and pointed to Zhou precedent, Liu Jing cut through the comparison. Zhou had built its rule gradually through a long moral and political order. Liu Bang had won his realm through brutal war. The two situations were not the same.

What Han needed, he argued, was Guanzhong. With mountains and passes for defense, rich land within, and long experience as Qin's strategic base, it gave a ruler something harder than prestige. It gave him a core that could survive eastern disorder.

That argument landed.

Zhang Liang Made the Case Even Clearer, and Chang'an Was Chosen

Liu Bang was persuaded enough to call a larger court discussion. Some still defended Luoyang, but Zhang Liang made the balance unmistakable.

Luoyang was not without advantages, yet its secure depth was too small. Guanzhong, by contrast, could threaten the lords when advancing and protect the throne when retreating. It was the seat of empire.

Liu Bang trusted Zhang Liang deeply. With Liu Jing setting the direction and Zhang Liang sharpening the logic, the emperor decided to inspect the region himself. In the end he chose the south bank of the Wei River and fixed the capital at Chang'an.

The name suggested long peace. Han had not achieved that yet, but now it had at least chosen the ground from which to pursue it.

Zhang Liang Understood That a Great Meritorious Minister Should Know When to Withdraw

Chang'an was not the only question before the new court.

Zhang Liang had been one of Liu Bang's most valuable strategists from the anti-Qin struggle through the war with Chu. But men like that often understand danger better than anyone else.

Once Han was established, Zhang Liang slowly stepped back from active affairs and eventually asked to withdraw. On the surface he spoke of old vows fulfilled and honors already sufficient. Beneath that was something more sober. He understood imperial psychology. When the realm is unsettled, great service protects a man. Once the realm is settled, great service can frighten the throne.

Liu Bang did not want to lose him, but he could not truly hold him.

The New Dynasty Barely Began Before New Trouble Rose

Even with the capital chosen, Han was not calm. Rebellions still broke out. Xiang Yu's old networks had not vanished. The court had to build institutions while still suppressing unrest.

Then another disturbing report arrived. Zhongli Mo, one of Xiang Yu's famous generals, was still alive and had taken shelter with Han Xin.

For Liu Bang, this was no small matter. Zhongli Mo had once battered him badly in war. Now that enemy stood beside Han Xin, another man far from court and still rich in prestige and military influence.

So the emperor ordered Han Xin to arrest Zhongli Mo at once.

Han Xin did not treat the order with urgency. He believed Zhongli Mo was under control, believed his own merit gave him room to hesitate, and believed distance from court still protected him.

That hesitation only deepened Liu Bang's suspicion.

Han Xin Was Not Brought Down on the Battlefield, but by Liu Bang and Chen Ping

Before long, accusations of Han Xin's treason reached the throne. Liu Bang was not entirely sure how far Han Xin had gone, but he did know one thing: if he fought Han Xin openly, victory was not guaranteed.

Some urged war. Chen Ping advised a trap.

Rather than force Han Xin into genuine rebellion, he suggested pretending to tour Yunmeng and summoning the regional lords to meet the emperor in Chen. If Han Xin thought it was ordinary court ritual, he would likely come in person.

That was exactly what happened.

Han Xin, still unsure but not ready to rebel first, even brought Zhongli Mo's head in order to show loyalty. It made no difference. Liu Bang had not come to trust him again.

Once Han Xin arrived, guards seized him and bound him. He was taken back to Chang'an, stripped of the title King of Chu, and reduced to Marquis of Huaiyin. More importantly, he was kept in the capital, effectively under watch.

His edge was not yet entirely destroyed, but it had been broken.

Once the Realm Was Won, Ranking Merit Became Another Battle

With Han Xin cut down politically, Liu Bang faced another dangerous task: rewarding the founders.

This sounds simple. It never is.

Every great contributor believes his merit is large. Every ranking wounds someone. At court, argument flared around who deserved the highest place.

Many thought military achievement should put Cao Can first. Liu Bang insisted otherwise. Xiao He ranked first, Cao Can second.

When generals protested that Xiao He had not charged on the battlefield, Liu Bang answered with his hunting analogy. The dogs chase the beasts, but the hunter directs the chase. Without Xiao He securing the rear, calming the people, and managing supply, the fighting men would have had nothing to fight with.

It was a political answer, but also a true one.

Zhang Liang, for his part, again showed restraint. Though Liu Bang offered him an enormous fief, he accepted only the title Marquis of Liu and refused more.

The founding court was already sorting itself between those who knew how to advance and those who knew when not to.

Enfeoffing Yong Chi Helped Calm the Most Dangerous Anxiety

Even after major figures had been rewarded, many still waited anxiously.

They counted merit day and night and feared both exclusion and later revenge. Once Liu Bang saw a cluster of commanders talking together below the South Palace in Luoyang and asked Zhang Liang what they were discussing.

Zhang Liang answered plainly: rebellion.

The emperor was shocked. The realm was already his. Why rebel now?

Because, Zhang Liang said, those already favored were the emperor's intimates. Those who had offended him feared liquidation. Since not everyone could receive a marquisate, many worried they would get neither reward nor safety.

So Zhang Liang proposed a brilliant move. First enfeoff someone the emperor was known to dislike.

That man was Yong Chi.

Liu Bang followed the advice, held a banquet, and granted Yong Chi a title. Once everyone saw that even a man disliked by the emperor could be rewarded, much of the court's floating fear subsided.

Internal Trouble Was Only Half the Story

By this point, Han at least had a skeleton. The capital had been fixed. Merits had been distributed. Han Xin had been neutralized. Court nerves had eased somewhat.

But another enemy was already approaching.

Inside the central plains, men fought over territory, rank, and allegiance. On the northern steppe stood a rival built on cavalry and speed.

As internal disorder was only just being pressed down, Han's great external danger was already arriving.

In the next episode, we turn to the Xiongnu advance and the siege at Baideng, where Liu Bang came dangerously close to losing not only a campaign, but the dynasty itself.