Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che (156 BC - 87 BC) was the seventh emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. His temple name was Shizong and his posthumous title was Emperor Xiaowu. He ascended the throne in 141 BC and reigned for 54 years. He made Chang'an his capital and ushered in the heyday of the Western Han Dynasty. Politically, he promulgated favor orders to split the feudal lords' fiefdoms, established the power of the prime ministers between China and North Korea, and set up thirteen prefectures and governors to supervise local areas, completely strengthening the centralization of power; ideologically, he adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion of "deposing all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", established Taixue to teach Confucianism, and also created the first reign title "Jianyuan", becoming the first emperor in China to use a reign title. Militaryly, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were sent on many expeditions to defeat the Xiongnu, recover the Hetao area, open up South Vietnam, Korea, Southwest Yi and other places, and set up the four counties of Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang in the Hexi Corridor, laying the foundation for the territory of later generations. Diplomatically, Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions twice to formally open the Silk Road and promote economic and cultural exchanges between China and the West. Economically, the policy of government-run salt and iron and even output was implemented, and the five-baht coin was minted uniformly to stabilize prices and increase fiscal revenue. His contribution was in opening up new territories and establishing the orthodoxy of Confucianism. In addition, he was depleted of national power by successive battles and caused disasters caused by witchcraft in his later years, which had a profound impact on Chinese history.