From Rewarding Merit to Being Descendants of Yao:The Sorcerers of Liu Bang and Changes in the Mandate of Heaven Between Han Dynasties
According to Feng shan shu,Liu Bang used to appoint sorcerers as officials.Four of them,Liang,Jin,Qin,and Jing,are problematic,whether interpreted in terms of Liu Bang's ancestor worship,divine unification,or comforting the vassals.By examining the demand for witchcraft in the wars between the Qin and Han dynasties,and by sorting out the origins of Liu Bang's soldiers,it can be proved that the origins of the soldiers Liu Bang recruited in the midst of his wars coincide with those of the sorcerers.Combined with the context of Feng shan shu,it can be judged that the original intention of setting up the sorcerers was related to the concept of rewarding merit at the time.Since the four sorcerers coincide with the migration of the ancestors of Liu Bang as mentioned by Liu Xiang,Hanshu chose them to prove that Liu Bang was descendant of Yao.It was in line with the situation,and also shows that Narrative on the Mandate of Heaven in Han dynasties changed from direct and vague statements to rhetorical and specific ones.
Liu BangsorcererMandate of HeavenFeng shan shuBan Gudescendants of Yao
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