Liu Xiuchuan

Liu Xiu studied in Chang'an in his early years, got acquainted with the meaning of "Shang Shu", and got acquainted with Deng Yu, Zhu You and others who later became "Yuntai Twenty-eight Generals". At the end of the New Dynasty, due to Wang Mang's unrealistic reforms and natural and man-made disasters, people were in dire straits and uprisings broke out in various places. Liu Xiu initially had no intention of raising an army, but seeing the chaos in the world, he decided to raise an army. He and his brother Liu Yan raised an army in Nanyang, called the Chongling Army, and defeated Wang Mang's army with a small number in the Battle of Kunyang, laying the foundation for the overthrow of the new dynasty. Liu Xiu's charisma and political wisdom were one of the key factors in his success. During the unification process, he abolished Queen Guo and Prince Liu Qiang, and instead established Yin Lihua as Queen, and her son Liu Yang as Prince, which showed his decisiveness and emphasis on talents. Liu Xiu also paid attention to the administration of officials, selected talents, had strict requirements for local officials, and strict rewards and punishments, which changed the officialdom. Liu Xiu's military talents are equally outstanding. In the Battle of Kunyang, he fought against Wang Mang's 420,000 troops with less than 10,000 troops, and finally won. This battle not only demonstrated his military prowess, but also greatly enhanced his reputation. In terms of personal life, the love story between Liu Xiu and Yin Lihua has been widely circulated and has become an eternal legend. He once lamented: "If you are an official, you should be King Wu, and if you want a wife, you should be Yin Lihua." Later, he did marry Yin Lihua. In general, Liu Xiu, as the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, showed outstanding talents and charm in terms of military, political and personal morality, and was a great emperor in Chinese history.