Among the eight princes with different surnames, Han Xin and Zangcha were trapped and died, while Ying Bu and Zangcha were killed by Liu Bang and fled to Xiongnu, and were finally defeated by Chai Wu, a general of Han Dynasty. Zhang Er and Liu Bang were in-laws, and naturally they died, but their son Zhang Ao (that is, Liu Bang's son-in-law) was abused by Liu Bang many times. Finally, Liu Bang also took away the throne from him, and the baron ended here. Lu Wan, Liu Bang's favorite close friend, was finally hunted by Liu Bang and fled to Xiongnu.
However, Wu Rui, the king of Changsha, not only died well, but also continued his knighthood for five generations. Later, because the descendants of the Wu family had no children, the title naturally terminated. What's going on here?
First of all, Wu Rui is kind and loves the people. This is actually the most important thing. Wu Rui is the queen of Fu Cha, the king of Wu. When Wu Rui was the prefect of Poyang in Qin Dynasty, he cared about the people and ignored taxes. It also led the people to build water conservancy projects and vigorously develop agricultural production. After Guangwu Uprising, Chen Sheng was the first person to call for an uprising against Qin. Later, Liu Bang named him King of Changsha. He also cares about the people on the land, actively develops production, promotes "Swiss" rice, and makes the local people have plenty of food and clothing. It can be said that Wu Rui, whether an official in A Qin or the Changsha king of Liu Bang, has won the praise and love of the people. This made Liu Bang like him very much (even if he had to be punished, there was no reason to punish him).
Second, Wu Rui took the initiative to find Liu Bang. After Wu Rui betrayed Qin, he soon defected to Xiang Yu. However, he was soon persuaded by his good friend Sean to find Liu Bang. Moreover, he defected to Liu Bang, unlike others who threatened Liu Bang. During the struggle between Chu and Han, Han Xin coerced Liu Bangli to make him King of Qi. Peng Yue and Ying Bu threatened Liu Bang to seal their land. These people, Liu Bang had bad feelings for them from the beginning. I just had to promise them because of the situation. Wu Rui not only took the initiative to vote, but also never made such a request to Liu Bang.
Third, when Ying Bu rebelled, Wu Rui stood firm. Ying Bu is Wu Rui's son-in-law, but during the rebellion in Ying Bu, Wu Rui's position was very firm. He did not respond to Ying Bu's call and joined the rebellion in Ying Bu. This ability to gain a foothold in a crisis is particularly valuable. Therefore, Liu Bang commented on Wu Rui: "Changsha Zhong Wang, its decree."
Fourth, Wu Rui kept a low profile. Besides being clever, Wu Rui also benefited from having a good friend, Sean. Sean clearly saw Liu Bang's character of "lying on the sofa and not letting others sleep soundly", so he resigned early and retired. After retirement, he lived in Wu Rui's house for a period of time, which had a great influence on Wu Rui. He advised Wu Rui to keep a low profile and never make public. Wu Rui did exactly as Sean said, and Liu Bang repeatedly tested him. He handled the past well and avoided Liu Bang's doubts about him.
Fifth, Wu Rui belittled himself many times. When others are king, they all feel that their territory is too small and they want more. Wu Rui is different. He gave most of his territory to Liu Bang's children, and at the same time gave his elite troops to Liu Bang's cousin Wang Jing Liu Jia. These measures made Liu Bang very happy and no longer doubted him.
Sixth, the territory of Wu Rui at that time was Baiyue, and many places were wild and not rich and fertile. So Liu Bang didn't care too much. Even if the land in Wu Rui is recovered, it will not be of much use. Under various coincidences, Wu Rui eventually became a special case of Liu Bang's separatist regime. (Reference:
Historical records)