Chapter 141: Luoguo's Operation, the King of Heaven and the Princes
The Qin State tore up the alliance and brazenly invaded the Hexi region, dealing a severe blow to the Wei State, which had already suffered severe damage.
Not long after the Wei army was completely annihilated on the battlefield in Korea, the Wei state, which was in a panic, responded to the attack of Qin and suffered heavy losses again. After nearly 10,000 people were beheaded, the Wei state fled hastily from Hexi.
In fact, Qin was also feeling insecure. Qi's victory over Wei was expected, but such a great victory was unexpected.
The State of Wei was actually ambushed and its army was destroyed. The losses suffered by the State of Qi were far smaller than what the State of Qin had estimated, which changed a lot of things.
The Qin State didn't even know whether it should directly defeat the Wei State. If it really defeated the Wei State completely, who would support the prosperous Qi State afterwards?
Qi chased the Zhao and Wei armies all the way while Han was overjoyed to regain its lost territory. Zhao retreated towards the center of the country, hoping to rely on the mountains and rivers to stop Qi, and at the same time quickly sent people to ask for peace with Qi.
Not to mention Wei, as a defeated country it was a dream to get away with it. It also asked for peace with Qi together with Zhao and was willing to hand over all the remaining cities of Wei in the east to Qi, as well as some cities adjacent to Han.
The State of Chu had originally planned to take advantage of the State of Qi after it weakened, but it did not expect this to be the outcome, so it quickly defended its own territory.
The State of Yan, which was in the process of reform, immediately sent envoys to congratulate the State of Qi, and any little thoughts in its mind were basically forgotten.
The State of Qi is now too powerful, especially when its momentum is at its peak, no one in the world can compete with it.
All of a sudden, envoys from the six kingdoms of Qin, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan and Chu came to Linzi one after another. Linzi city was already a prosperous place in the world, and with the arrival of so many envoys, it became even more noisy.
The envoys of various countries vied with each other to present tribute to the King of Qi, fearing that the Duke of Qi would feel disrespectful to him, which was like regarding themselves as subjects of a vassal state.
Although this was just an act of expressing humility, it clearly defined the status of Qi.
The ruler and his ministers of Qi looked at the tributes offered by the six kingdoms, among which Zhao, Wei and Han each offered land. It was a scene that they had not seen for many years.
In the Qi Palace, countless armored soldiers stood tall and majestic, their swords, spears, and halberds flashing cold light under the sunlight.
Rows of palace maids walked by, carrying tributes brought by the princes from both sides of the high steps and came into the hall.
The envoys from various countries have all arrived in the hall, and they are all people of noble status, either princes of a country or prime ministers.
The hall was very noisy. Prince Sheng of Qin was the last to offer tribute. Then, in front of everyone, he bowed and said, "Duke Qi.
In the past, your ancestor Duke Huan of Qi united the nine states and brought peace to the world. Eventually, the emperor granted your ancestor the title of duke, appointed him as a prefect, and bestowed upon him the nine gifts.
Now your achievements even surpass those of your ancestors. The territory of Qi is three thousand miles from south to north, and the population of Qi is the largest among all countries.
When foreign officials came to Linzi City, they even felt the crowds when walking on the streets. All the princes in the world admired you.
The State of Wu is willing to offer its land to you.
Qin, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao and Wei, the six most powerful vassal states, are all willing to be your allies.
This is because your virtue has been recognized by everyone in the world.
After looking through all the countries in the world, I really can't find anyone with higher moral character than you.
If there is anyone who thinks that his virtues can rival those of the Duke of Qi, please stand up.
I, the minister, will use my sharp sword to test your virtue for the Duke of Qi to see if it can match the Duke of Qi’s character in the slightest.”
This series of flattering words made the Duke of Qi feel a little flattered, and Lu Ji pulled him hard, and the Duke of Qi then said modestly: "Sir.
You really praise me too much. All I did was to obey the will of God.
I have only made some small contributions to the various countries in the world, and I really don't deserve such praise from you.
How many virtuous and talented people are there among the various countries in the world?
I really don’t dare to be proud.”
A smile of admiration appeared on Gongzi Sheng's face, and he was about to continue praising, thus leading to the event of becoming king.
Unexpectedly, Han Xiang interrupted him directly, stepped forward and said loudly: "Duke Qi.
Gongzi Sheng is right, your virtue is as clear as the sun and the moon.
Before the foreign ministers came to Qi, the monarch said to them: "Han was able to survive because of the grace of the Duke of Qi. If we fail to treat the Duke of Qi with respect, how can we convince the people of the world?"
I don't want to be such an ungrateful monarch.'
The king is willing to pay homage to you as a vassal of the Ji clan."
One prince becomes a vassal of another prince?
Everyone immediately turned their eyes to Luo Li, only to see that he had his eyes slightly closed, not saying anything, but with his brows slightly furrowed.
Qi Xiang Lu Ji immediately said: "Han Xiang, the king knows the good intentions of the Marquis of Han, but the princes are the king's subjects. How can you be a vassal of another prince?"
The states of Wei, Wu and Song that surrendered were directly demoted to the rank of kings, and they lost their noble titles.
Unexpectedly, the Prime Minister of Han laughed out loud and said, "The king is the one with virtue. The king admires the virtue of Duke Qi and is willing to be a descendant of the Ji family. Please be king!"
"boom!"
It was like a meteorite hitting the ground, instantly leaving everyone speechless. Some people were horrified, while others were simply not expecting it.
Oh shit!
The Prime Minister of Wei was stunned. He also wanted to ask the Duke of Qi to become king. Even the reason was exactly the same as that of Han. The Marquis of Wei was unwilling to remove the title of princes like the Marquis of Wu did.
The only option left was to upgrade the Duke of Qi to the rank of king, and it would be very reasonable for a vassal to be a vassal of the king.
The Marquis of Wei and the Marquis of Han are both very smart, and they are both princes of the Ji clan. It's really outrageous.
Seeing that Han Xiang had beaten him to the throne, Wei Xiang hurried out and bowed, saying, "Duke Qi, Wei is also willing to serve you as king. Your virtue is so high that only the throne can match it."
Prince Sheng of Qin stood there awkwardly. What should he do if his lines were snatched away?
Two princes of the Ji clan were willing to serve Duke Qi as king. All eyes were on Prince Li of Luo. What would the State of Luo do about this?
The princes of the Central Plains, the princes of the Ji clan, wanted to accept another prince as their king, which was a naked challenge to the Mandate of Heaven of the Zhou Dynasty.
The eyes of the Qi king and his ministers also fell on Luo Li.
They had not thought about the fact that Han and Wei would worship the king.
Although I have thought about this kind of thing in private, and there is now a state of Chu in the palace, which has been the king for hundreds of years.
However, as a prince in the Central Plains, king is still a sacred word, and this title only belongs to the one in Luoyi.
Thinking of the emperor in Luoyi, Duke Qi suddenly felt that it was very reasonable for him to become king.
Luo Li understood the attitude that everyone was waiting for him to take. He knew that this was what his father had said, the consequence of trampling on the royal power.
Han and Wei both dared to directly accept Duke Qi as their king. If I were not here today, I am afraid Qi would have directly agreed. By then, everyone in the world would have declared themselves kings.
Then the status of the Zhou royal family would naturally be even lower.
So he asked directly: "If you want to be king, should I call you the King of Qi or the Emperor of Qi?"
Everyone's heart skipped a beat, and the Duke of Qi quickly said, "Of course it's the King of Qi. I may have some virtues, but I haven't received the mandate of heaven. How dare I usurp the throne of the Son of Heaven?"
Luo Li then asked: “If so, where did your throne come from?
Can the throne be jointly held by the princes?
If you think you have enough virtue to be king, then go to Luoyi and ask the Zhou emperor to offer sacrifices to the heaven and ask for your kingship."
Since it is impossible to stop Qi from claiming the throne, then just separate the titles of king and emperor. All the people in the world call themselves emperors anyway.
This was equivalent to agreeing to the Duke of Qi becoming king. The Duke of Qi almost jumped for joy. Lü Ji gently pulled his robe and whispered, "Sir, even if Luo agrees, you can become king, but you cannot become king alone. You should become king together with Qin and Chu.
Qin was the overlord of the western frontier and would suppress Wei later, so it was a target worth winning over.
Chu has always been the king of its own. If the princes of the Central Plains recognize his throne, he will not be hostile to Qi in the short term."
Duke Qi frowned and said, "If that's the case, then there are four kings in the world, right?"
When there are too many things, they become worthless. It is most honorable when there is only one king in the world.
If there were two truly powerful kings, it could be tolerated, but with so many kings at once, what's the point of being a king?
Lu Ji still whispered: "My Lord, Prince Li just said that the king is not equal to the Son of Heaven. The Son of Heaven is the only one. But if you become the king, you will not be a simple subject. This is what you need."
The difference between a king and a non-king is completely a difference in political status.
The Duke of Qi was persuaded, and he said to the crowd: "The Marquis of Wei and the Marquis of Han are willing to make me their king. If I refuse their kindness, it would be too arrogant and not in accordance with the etiquette of treating the rulers of the Xia countries.
But I dare not claim to be king alone, so I ask Prince Sheng and the Prime Minister of Chu to report to the Duke of Qin and the Marquis of Chu.
I am willing to honor the two monarchs as kings. If they are willing, they can go to Luoyi and offer sacrifices to Haotian in front of the Zhou emperor. If their virtues are sufficient and Haotian has mercy on them, we can become kings together. "
The Chu State naturally didn't care, but Gongzi Sheng was a little hesitant.
He didn't expect that Qi would honor Qin as its king at the same time. The left minister Wei Yang had never mentioned this before.
But at this moment, he had no time to think about it, so he could only bow and say, "Your Majesty, I will return to my country and report this matter to you, Your Majesty."
As everyone brought this shocking news back to the country, Luo Li walked out of Linzi, looked toward the west, then looked at Qi State, shook his head and said, "What a pity."
…
The Three Kingdoms Period was an event worthy of special mention in the middle of the Warring States Period, marking the further decline of the Zhou royal family. The Zhou royal family was now left with only the title of common ruler of the world and the Nine Cauldrons, which symbolized royal power.
The Xiangwang incident not only completely destroyed the sacredness of the Zhou emperor, but also completely destroyed the sacredness of the title "king".
The State of Luo proposed that the Zhou emperor offer sacrifices to heaven and grant the three kingdoms the title of king. This was essentially a "feudal king" and was uniquely different from the Zhou emperor's "Heavenly King".
Placing the "princes" below the "Son of Heaven" in terms of the relationship between heaven and man was an effort made by the State of Luo to ensure the sole sacredness of the Son of Heaven of Zhou.
But the result is that the divine meanings such as "Supreme" and "Son of Heaven" that have always been associated with "king" have gradually been stripped away from "king".
In fact, "king" was eventually downgraded to a title above the fifth rank, and after the unification of the country, "emperor" eventually replaced "king". ——"The Rise and Fall of the Zhou Dynasty"
This chapter was written by me and has no real academic basis.
(End of this chapter)
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