Cause & Context
Early Han enfeoffment of imperial kinsmen had let large vassal states such as Wu and Chu grow until they threatened the center. Emperor Jing adopted 's "reduce the vassals" policy, provoking a fierce rebellion among the kings.
Epochal Overview
Liu Pi of Wu allied with Chu, Zhao, Jiaoxi, Jiaodong, Zichuan, and Jinan — seven kingdoms in all — under the slogan "Clear the emperor's flank and execute ." Emperor Jing dispatched the general , who routed the rebel armies thoroughly within three months.
Civilizational Impact
The swift pacification entirely dissolved the imperial kinsmen's substantive threat to the center and marked the final consolidation of Han central authority. It laid the crucial groundwork for Emperor Wu's grand ambition and institutional unification.
Key Figures
General was the core commander of the suppression, winning a decisive victory through a strategy of strong fortification and severed supply lines. The censor-in-chief was the architect of the reduction policy and ended a tragic political sacrifice.