The greatest achievement of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty

The main historical achievements of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty are:

First, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty implemented some political systems that strengthened centralization and consolidated the unity and development of the Western Han Dynasty.

When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty first ascended the throne, his grandmother, the Queen Mother Dou, held the power. In 135 BC, Empress Dowager Dou died, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty began to take all power into his own hands to realize his political ambitions. He first attacked Tian, ??his relative, Prime Minister, and then strengthened the status of Shangshu and Zhongshu who collected and transferred documents around him, making the prime minister a position in name only. Since then, Zhongshu and Shangshu have become the institutions issuing orders from the central government.

In order to strengthen the centralization of power and completely solve the problem of the vassal state, he ordered the vassal kings not to pass the fiefdom only to the eldest son who succeeded the throne, but also to allocate part of the fiefdom to several other sons, and they must not pass it on to each other. Belongs to all. As a result, the territory of the vassal state became smaller and smaller, and its power became weaker and weaker. Later, it was unable to confront the central government. This was a smart move by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also strengthened the original supervision system and established a new system for selecting officials. He adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion and ordered each county and state to recommend one person each for filial piety and integrity every year, and used the method of "writing on the bus" so that officials and people could submit memorials to the emperor to advise on state affairs. Special talents are awarded to officials.

Second, in order to strengthen and consolidate his rule, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion of "deposing hundreds of schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", which consolidated the unity and centralization of the country and had a profound impact on subsequent history. Long lasting effects.

Dong Zhongshu believed that the emperor governed the people according to the will of God. God gave him the power to rule the people and he must not violate it. This statement just catered to the wishes of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who adopted this idea as a tool for ruling thought and maintaining the feudal system. When holding the test, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not accept anyone from other schools of thought, but only Confucian scholars. Therefore, if you want to be an official, you must accept Confucianism, and scholars have become Confucian scholars.

Third, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to fight against the Xiongnu, which consolidated the regime of the Western Han Dynasty and unified the country, creating extremely favorable conditions for the economic and cultural development of the Western Han Dynasty.

From 133 BC to 119 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to conduct many large-scale battles with the Xiongnu, and finally achieved an overall victory against the Xiongnu, which fully demonstrated his talent and outstanding strategy. Military command ability. In the process of fighting against the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also used a large number of immigrants to strengthen border defense and develop production.

Fourth, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian on two missions to the Western Regions, which strengthened the economic and cultural exchanges between the Han Dynasty and the West.

In 138 BC, Zhang Qian, a famous explorer in Chinese history, was ordered by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to go to the Western Regions as an envoy. The purpose was to unite the Yueshi people to jointly defend and attack the Xiongnu forces. In 119 BC, Zhang Qian was ordered to make his second mission to the Western Regions. Subsequently, countries in Central Asia and the Western Regions often visited Chang'an for visits and trade in the name of paying tribute. The personnel and trade exchanges between China and various countries in the Western Regions began in the Western Han Dynasty, passed through the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and continued until the Tang Dynasty for more than 1,000 years.

Fifth, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up the southern and southwest territories, allowing the Yue people, various ethnic minorities in the southwest, and the Han people to better integrate together.

After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made the three Yue tribes belong to the Han Dynasty, he moved them to the Yangtze River, Huaihe River, Nanhai and other places, and lived with the Han people for a long time. They gradually integrated with each other and formed a There is no completed "grand unification" situation. In the process of opening up the southwest region, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty introduced iron production tools and higher Han culture to these areas, which more or less eliminated the isolation of these areas and promoted the development of local economy and culture.

Sixth, vigorously build water conservancy and develop agricultural production.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Cao Canal, Bai Canal, and Longshou Canal were built. Six auxiliary canals were also opened next to the Zhengguo Canal built in the Qin Dynasty to irrigate the highlands. In 109 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent tens of thousands of soldiers to block the breach of the Yellow River. After this treatment, there have been no major floods in the lower reaches of the Yellow River for about 80 years.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also vigorously promoted major measures to develop agriculture such as settlement and reclamation. He also vigorously promoted the farming method and new agricultural tools, which greatly promoted the development of agriculture.