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A Fragile Victory and a Fateful Decision After proclaiming Liu Xuan as the Gengshi Emperor, the Han restoration forces split their efforts: Liu Yan was sent to besiege Wan County once more, while Wang Feng, Wang Chang, and Liu Xiu marched on Kunyang (modern Ye County, Henan). Kunyang, lightly defended, fell quickly, followed by…
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The Liu Brothers of Chongling In Chongling County, Nanyang (modern Henan), lived Liu Qin – a distant descendant of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang. He was the eighth-generation grandson of the Han founder, and his three sons – Liu Yan (eldest), Liu Zhong (second), and Liu Xiu (youngest) – were ninth-generation heirs of…
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In 9 CE, Wang Mang, a former minister of the Han dynasty, usurped the throne and declared the establishment of the “Xin” dynasty. Obsessed with antiquity, he sought to restore the institutions of the ancient Zhou dynasty, believing that older systems were inherently superior to those of the Qin and Han. Rather than advancing…