Chapter 23 The Changing Luosu
Ji Zhao stood under a peach tree with his hands behind his back, looking at the black hole of nothingness not far away.
As time goes by, the world has gradually become more beautiful.
From time to time, pink peach petals fell on his shoulders, and the fragrance was refreshing.
Every time a petal falls, a new petal is born. This is a peach tree whose petals will never stop falling.
“Historical revisionist force.”
Ji Zhao murmured this new term softly. The existence of the system seemed to remind him all the time that this was not the real world.
But looking at the living person and those descendants who worship him, who can ignore it?
As his soul continued to be nourished, the expression on his face became less and less intense.
He picked up a petal from his shoulder, and a colorful butterfly landed on his knuckles amid the fluttering of petals. "Go!"
The butterfly spread its wings and flew high, its colorful wings fluttering lightly, passing through the black hole, as if it flew out of this world.
[You use your luck points to activate the Ancestral Blessing on Luo Su, and you can exert a stronger influence on him. ]
[You used your luck points to activate the ancestral blessing on the Luo family. Your direct descendants will be more calm.]
Ji Zhao squandered countless luck points, subtly changing the family style.
Luo Su was handling government affairs when he suddenly smelled a sweet fragrance. He looked up from his desk and saw a butterfly flying towards him with a fragrant smell.
The subordinates on his left and right seemed not to have seen it, and he was immediately startled, knowing that this was someone sent by the ancestor.
The butterfly flew directly into his forehead, a heavy and melodious bell sounded, and he saw a peach forest. He saw a man whose face was not clearly visible standing under the peach forest.
"Ancestor!" Luo Su bowed deeply, his tone filled with excitement and disbelief. He actually saw the ancestor!
"Get up."
When Luo Su looked up, he saw a handsome and elegant face. There seemed to be endless stars in his eyes and his temperament was indifferent, like a god.
Then he saw the old ancestor said to him warmly: "Luo Su, you are the first descendant of the Luo family who is qualified to come here, and you are also the most outstanding descendant of the Luo family so far, so I brought you here."
Hearing the old ancestor praising him as the first descendant of the Luo family who was qualified to meet the old ancestor, Luo Su was filled with pride and asked excitedly: "Is there anything the old ancestor wants to teach me?"
[Players please feel free to speak, the system will automatically block certain speeches. 】
Ji Zhao ignored the system's prompts and said leisurely: "Even in ancient times, you were a sage who assisted the Holy King. Now you are in charge of the destiny of the Zhou Dynasty and you are doing a good job.
I just want to talk to you. How do you think the dynasty's destiny and the clan's inheritance can be maintained for a long time? "
“Grandfather, you once said that the key to maintaining the dynasty’s destiny lies in the hearts of the people.
In the world there are princes, dukes, ministers, great officials, common people, barbarians, and slaves.
If we lose the hearts of the princes and ministers, my Zhou state will probably collapse in an instant.
But during these years in power, I have been terrified every time I saw the large number of Yuanshi who did not obtain fiefs, and the people who followed the emperor and ministers in battle but went bankrupt. These are the people who will truly destroy the Mandate of Heaven.
If my policies can be implemented and these people's problems can be solved, then the Mandate of Heaven of the State of Zhou can be maintained."
Luo Su said that Bang Zhou's destiny could be maintained, but he knew in his heart that even if he could revive Bang Zhou's national destiny, his descendants would not have his prestige and ability, and Bang Zhou would be finished sooner or later.
From the words of the ancestors, one can tell that he is a sage king who appears once in a few hundred years.
Although my father and grandfather were rare talents in governing the country, they could only maintain the clan's inheritance and could not change the fate of the decline of a dynasty.
Ji Zhao naturally saw what Luo Su was thinking, and said indifferently: "What you think is right.
Destiny rotates, and human power cannot interfere with it.
The Zhou Dynasty lasted only a hundred years, but it had already shown signs of decline. Your reforms have brought the Zhou Dynasty back to its peak, but fortune and disaster go hand in hand.
The root of Zhou's prosperity will also be the cause of its decline."
Hearing this, Luo Su said solemnly: "The drawbacks of feudalism have gradually emerged in recent years.
The Xiong Dun incident was a precursor, but this matter cannot be stopped and must not be stopped.
Is this the eternal law of heaven?
Bang Zhou was different from Shang, so it prospered. In the future, there would be a country different from Bang Zhou that would destroy it.
By then, with the nest overturned, will Luo Guoan's eggs be safe?
How should we, the Luo family, pass on our legacy?"
Ji Zhao said calmly: "Bang Zhou will definitely perish, but as long as Bang Zhou can survive, let it survive.
As long as Bang Zhou was still around, Luo State could remain stable even if some of its descendants were not good enough.
If the Zhou Dynasty perishes, the Luo clan will become a rootless duckweed, and it will be difficult to maintain the clan's wealth and prosperity."
From Ji Zhao's words, Luo Su seemed to have seen the collapse of Zhou and the scene of fire in the capital of Luo State, which made him shudder.
…
After returning, Luo Su experienced another change of thought. Originally, the Regency Council had handed over full authority to the Duke of Qi to handle the Quanrong Rebellion.
But looking at the letter in his hand, Luo Su decided to give his own opinion.
Under the overall command of the Duke of Qi, the Quanrong tribe that attacked the royal capital had retreated.
However, the news that has been coming back in recent days has confirmed some of the two people's original speculations.
The occurrence of the Quanrong Rebellion was indeed due to the decline of Haojing, but the first to be unable to bear it were not the western vassal states, but their allied Qiang people, and those Quanrong tribes that basically did not invade each other with the Zhou Dynasty.
The economic recession and the reduction of commodity exchange led to a significant decline in the living standards of these tribes, which eventually led to the Qiang people's inaction and the joint invasion of the Quanrong tribe.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the western princes went with the flow, resulting in the current situation. Now the Duke of Qi has contacted some princes and built a defense line west of Haojing.
Luo Su was really shocked and frightened. He had long been aware of the degeneration of the nobles. Several generations of Luo Hou had been working tirelessly to correct this trend among the princes of the Ji clan.
But he didn't expect that the western princes had already fallen to such a mad level. Now that they can go with the flow, they will dare to collude with each other in the future.
It was so difficult and arduous for our ancestors to start their business. The war to destroy the Shang Dynasty and the war for the princes to establish their own countries were full of difficulties and dangers.
At that time, the nobles of Bang Zhou worked hard and devoted themselves to everything, so that they could find a chance to survive in the midst of death.
But now these princes and ministers are born in a greenhouse, with fine wine and delicious food, gorgeous clothes and so much wealth that the martial spirit of their ancestors has been completely lost.
Luo Su was already in shock and anger at the demise of the Zhou Dynasty and the fall of the Luo family, so he immediately wrote back to the Duke of Qi: "Uncle, the Regency Council has given you full authority to deal with the subsequent rebellion of the Quanrong.
But I am really angry with these western princes, and my thoughts are in turmoil. I have to say these words for your reference.
First, I suggest that those princes who abandoned their countries without much resistance should report their names to Luoyi, and those who died should be given bad posthumous titles.
All those who were still alive were escorted to the royal capital. Since these people were unaware of the princes' responsibility to defend their territory, they were directly stripped of their titles, expelled from their kingdoms, and demoted to commoners.
Second, for the princes who were unsuccessful in resisting but suffered heavy losses or even died in battle, his eldest son should be arranged to inherit the country, but his family should be rebuked and his honor should be reduced.
The titles of marquises, earls and vicars were demoted in turn and parts of their property were confiscated; barons were not demoted but had half of their fiefdoms cut.
Third, the princes who resisted fiercely were rewarded with wealth and slaves according to their merits as compensation for their losses.
Fourth, deprive the princes of their rights to obey the king's orders, severely reprimand him, and confiscate as much property as possible from the country established by his clan, but do not touch him, as his participation is still needed in the defense of the west.
Fifth, by appeasing the Ruoqiang tribe, we can reaffirm our friendship and be willing to provide them with food and salt for the winter; we must severely hold the Heiqiang tribe accountable for whether they want to become an enemy of Bangzhou.
Sixth, we must not let go of the Quanrong's invasion this time. After integrating the power of the western princes, we must take the initiative to attack and eliminate those tribes that have always been dissatisfied with Bangzhou."
This punishment was certainly severe, but Luo Su knew that he was the only one with enough prestige to do so. If he was not strict, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Qi Hou Lu Bai attached great importance to Luo Su's opinion, and attacked them in different categories, which also prevented the western princes from forming an offensive and defensive alliance.
"The Grand Master was really ruthless. A large number of princes in the west were directly stripped of their titles and expelled from their kingdoms. Some were even demoted to commoners. It is said that this was because he indulged the Quanrong to cause chaos."
"The rest of the vassal states are not as miserable as they used to be. At least ten years of development work has been lost this time."
"Who made them commit the biggest taboo of the Luo Kingdom? They allowed the Quanrong to cause chaos in the royal capital. Their hearts are damnable."
People were talking about it everywhere in the royal capital. This incident increased Luo Su's deterrent power, but it also made some people alert.
…
“Have you heard?
A few days ago, the head of the Wang family went to the residence of Grand Tutor Luo Gong and said that he hoped to be granted a title outside the capital."
"Why is he crazy? He didn't leave when so many great nobles were being enfeoffed at the same time in the first year, so why is he leaving now?"
"Didn't he see what happened to the Qi family? He only gave a barbarian a title of 70 libo. There is indeed nothing wrong with the etiquette.
But the gap between the great noble families whose ancestors produced three dukes and the twelve princes in the first year is too big. "
"It is said that Grand Tutor Luo Gong invited seventeen families, but twelve of them left the town later. As for the rest, the two families who kept to themselves were relatively well-off.
The Qi and Wang families actually wanted to seize the lands of the twelve families and the vacant positions within the capital.
You really don't know how to live or die.
What kind of person is Lord Luo? The two clans have been suppressed for the past few years. They can't stand it anymore, so they want to leave."
“These big clans have committed too many crimes. They are already very powerful, and there are countless small clans standing with them.
However, during the first year of the reign, the twelve great noble families left the city, and almost all of their traditional political allies left.
In addition, in recent years, many small clans have been sent to serve as noble clans in the vassal states, and these large noble clans have long lost their former glory."
"Without Lord Luo's drastic measures, we wouldn't have been able to get into the Ministry of Justice, let alone get a fief. It would have been hopeless at that time."
"The previous King Su, the current Lord Luo, no wonder the rumor says that when the Luo Kingdom was destroyed, the Mandate of Zhou ended. It does make sense."
"Be careful with your words! The Mandate of Heaven will last forever like the sun!"
Luo Su, who is often the topic of private conversation in the Zhou Dynasty and other countries, is facing the biggest crisis since he came to power.
Moreover, Luo Su knew very well that the crisis was not caused by a certain interest group, but came from all directions.
If it were not for his lofty prestige and the powerful strength of the Luo State, he would have died without a burial place long ago.
He granted the Qi family the land of Yue, and a branch of the Wang family the land of Wu. Wu and Yue were even more barbaric areas than the Chu State, so naturally these two families hated him to the core.
But Luo Su didn't care. The Wang family and the Qi family were both powerful noble families. The Wu Yue they established in the east and the Chu State in the west were able to strangle the throats of the southern barbarians.
Especially when the Fang State that preserved the culture of the Shang Dynasty was discovered south of the Yangtze River, it was even more necessary to seal the Wang family, a relative of the Ji clan, in Wu to keep them under surveillance.
At that time, the princes in the western part deliberately indulged the Quanrong to rebel. A total of two earls, five viscounts, and twelve barons were stripped of their titles and expelled from their kingdoms. Seven of them were demoted to commoners, and countless others were deprived of their lands, fined, demoted, or punished by imperial decree.
The effect was also very significant. The financial problems of the royal capital were greatly alleviated, and the royal family took back a lot of land from the noble families.
However, after the military strength of the royal capital was restored, Luo Su began to take back the power that had been transferred during the Xiong Dun Rebellion and re-sent ministers to various vassal states.
He also hoped to make some changes to the hereditary aristocracy system within the royal capital. He hoped to change the fundamental system of Bang Zhou.
From here on, the vassal states and the nobles in the capital began to rebel, and even the Duke of Qi and the Duke of Song began to disagree with some of his policies.
The Duke of Qi and the Duke of Song were his most important allies, and the coalition forces of the three kingdoms and the six armies of the emperor were his military guarantee.
Although Shen Hou was one of them, his prestige was far from comparable to that of Qi Hou.
Luo Su did not have much anger in his heart. He had tried, but except for the direct descendants of the Luo family, even the royal family of the Luo State were opposed.
This is the reality. The inherent defects of Bangzhou cannot be changed by the ruling class itself.
The defects of Xia and Shang were corrected by the revolution of Tang and Wu, but he did not know about the defects of Bang Zhou.
…
Luo Su tidied his clothes and took a sedan chair to the palace, where the Regent Queen Mother had set up a banquet.
He entertained the ministers and officials within the capital, as well as the princes from outside the capital who came to Luoyi to attend the ceremony of Ji Xi's coming of age and taking power.
But Luo Su knew in his heart that this was prepared for him, and it was the ultimatum given to him by everyone.
Luo Su knew that it was time to abandon those radical reforms, otherwise those non-radical reforms that could continue the Mandate of Heaven would also fail.
As soon as Luo Su arrived, princes and ministers came up one after another.
"Lord Luo, I brought this from the country, specially for you."
"Lord Luo, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are still as charming as ever, just like the prosperity of the Zhou Dynasty."
They enthusiastically expressed their enthusiasm and kindness to Luo Su, as if those undercurrents were not initiated by them.
Luo Su returned the gifts one by one.
He wondered in his heart, how many of these nobles would still have descendants a thousand years later.
I wonder which generation of Luo's descendants will sweep these nobles who are unwilling to keep up with the times into the dustbin of history?
Tonight's banquet was very lively, the moonlight was very bright, and Luo Su's statement made everyone at the banquet feel as if there was a moon living in their hearts.
…
From historical records, we can clearly know that Luo Housu was the most advanced among the slave-owning aristocrats. He was keenly aware of the inherent defects of slavery and tried to change it.
His reforms cannot be said to have failed, as the system of the Western Zhou Dynasty did undergo many changes, but we can still see that he was a slave-owning aristocrat, and all his reforms were intended to safeguard the interests of the slave owners.
So after encountering widespread opposition, especially from the sources of support for his reforms, he was able to realize that social change had not yet reached that point, and he decisively stopped some of the more radical reforms.
However, his family always retained these policies, and after the emergence of iron tools and the significant improvement in productivity, they successfully led the entire Xia Dynasty to begin the process of abolishing slavery.
He was the most advanced person of his time, bar none. ——Institutional Reform in the Pre-Qin Period
(End of this chapter)
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