Historical Lesson: The Fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty
Two weeks ago, I discussed whether people learn from history, using the Eastern Han Empire (second half of the first century) as an example. I explored how members of the extended imperial family competed with emperors for power. Today, I'm revealing the answer: from one perspective, the emperor won, but from another, nobody truly won—because the Eastern Han Empire eventually collapsed.
The Power Struggle
Members of the extended family initially held significant power. To maintain control, they worked with young emperors, then transitioned their influence to the next generation. By sharing power with other families, they preserved their authority even if it meant dividing it.
Emperors weren't naive—they recognized that their mothers, foster mothers, and wives had competing interests and didn't always prioritize the empire's welfare. This reality exposed the selfishness and darkness of human nature. Mothers often favored the majority of their children over the singular emperor, leading family members to compete against him for power.
Blood relationships proved stronger than marital bonds, prompting many family members to seize power from the emperor through alliances with ministers, nobles, and generals.
The Rise of the Eunuchs
Emperors discovered that eunuchs could be valuable allies. Eunuchs controlled the palace and, having been castrated, had no biological family connections—some even harbored resentment toward their birth families. This made them singularly loyal to the emperor.
Emperors empowered eunuchs to control the palace and broader government, using them to bring charges against ministers and scholars. The eunuchs became tools to eliminate or reduce the power of extended family members.
However, the eunuchs eventually realized they could control the emperor as puppets, just as the extended families had done before. They became the actual winners of this power competition, dominating for over thirty years across several generations.
The Empire's Collapse
The empire eventually fragmented into warring factions. By the late second or early third century, three major divisions emerged: the largest controlled by Cao Cao, the second by Sun Quan, and the smallest by Liu Bei. Cao Pi (Cao Cao's son) forced the last Han emperor to abdicate and claimed the throne himself, though he only inherited his father's territory.
Implications and Lessons
This power struggle had devastating consequences:
1.    Corruption of Values: Emperors granted eunuchs prestigious titles like marquis, elevating a previously despised group. Eunuchs even married and adopted children, climbing the power ladder and marrying their daughters to princes or sons to princesses—all for power rather than genuine relationships.
2.    Abandonment of Principles: Confucian principles were abandoned as people became purely power-minded, seeking benefits and privileges rather than serving the greater good.
3.    Loss of Loyalty: As people recognized that emperors were puppets and eunuchs held real power, loyalty shifted to local bases rather than the central government. More people abandoned Confucianism and turned to Buddhism and Daoism.
Conclusion
This historical example teaches us that our choices have serious consequences. When seeking collaboration or help, we must be extremely careful about our partners. A bad choice can lead to chaos and division—as it did for the Han Dynasty within just twenty or thirty years.
We must think beyond immediate problems and consider how our choices will affect the future. Be cautious about whom you work with, as they may change the direction of your future entirely.
 
#Power corruption#Trust and betrayal#Loyalty conflict#Self-interest vs. collective good#Consequences of choices#In-group/out-group dynamics
 
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