Chapter 276: The Xia Emperor and the Han Emperor
Seeing that the hall suddenly fell into silence because of his elder brother's words, Luo Yi knew that it was his turn to liven up the atmosphere.
"Your Majesty, since ancient times, meritorious service has not been rewarded, and faults have not been punished. This is the root cause of cholera. Duke Zhao went to the grassland and made great contributions. He deserves to be rewarded."
Liu Bang looked at Luo Yi with gratitude. He was indeed his most trusted and trusted minister who always knew what he wanted and needed.
Sometimes, the king just wants you to ask for favors.
For example, now, Liu Bang has been completely confused by the doomsday aura of Luoling. He doesn't know what to do, and all the words he prepared before are stuck in his throat.
Luo Yi's two words woke Liu Bang up. Why are you still standing there? Take out the rewards you had prepared.
Wouldn't it be enough to just send my elder brother back to Zhaocheng? There's no need to panic. When has he said a word in these years?
Liu Bang was about to say something, but after thinking for a while, he stopped and said, "Duke Zhao was given by heaven, he is not a minister of the Han Dynasty. How should I reward Duke Zhao?"
Luo Yi said, "Your Majesty, you are not only the emperor of the Han Dynasty, but also the Son of Heaven of the Chinese. Although Duke Zhao is not a Han minister, he is a Chinese. Under heaven, the Son of Heaven is the most respected."
A smile appeared in Luo Ling's eyes. He didn't expect that Luo Yi would take this opportunity to upgrade the concept of Zhu Xia again and build it above a dynasty.
Although it is just an attempt now, as long as there is a precedent, it can be gradually advanced in the future.
Ah, you have made progress.
Liu Bang felt a little strange. He was not a monarch who was interested in academics, and he did not have a strong intuition about these conceptual things.
Although he felt a little strange as to why Luo Yi wanted to separate the emperor and the son of heaven, two identical things, but since Luo Yi said so, he naturally believed it.
So he said cheerfully: "Lord Zhao, you are from the Luo family. If I reward you with gold and silver, it would be an insult to you.
As for high positions and noble titles, there is no title in the world more honorable than your position as Duke Zhao.
After much thought, I realize that there is no one in this world who can match you.
Some time ago, when Zi Yu was telling me about ancient history, he said that the ancient sage kings and wise ministers all had the identities of both human and god, just like the Fengbo and Yushi who assisted Emperor Huangdi.
Zi Yu also said that the emperors in ancient times could deify all the spirits in the world, and even wise ministers and famous generals could be honored.
You have displayed great power on the grassland, and only the noble throne of God can be worthy of you.
I am willing to follow the example of the ancient sage kings and enthrone you as the god of the four seasons, on par with the gods of mountains, rivers, sun, moon and stars, and enjoy the sacrifices of the royal family and people all over the world."
The expressions of the ministers in the hall were numb.
While we are still here tirelessly thinking about moving up one step in our mortal title, Duke Zhao has already begun to enthrone gods.
The gap is too big.
They had never felt so emotional when Han Xin was granted the title of Marquis of 30,000 Households.
Although this is just an honorary title and does not bring any real power.
But the problem is, that is the throne of God!
With the throne conferred by the emperor himself, not only his descendants can offer sacrifices to him, but anyone can also offer sacrifices to him.
Thousands of years later, even if the family line is cut off, the incense will still exist forever in the world, which is very important for people of this era.
Luo Ling understood that Liu Bang conferred the title of god on him, a living person, naturally in order to allow him to stay safely in Zhaocheng.
But everything in this world will have an immeasurable impact on the future, and it is not a trivial matter to deify a living person for his merits.
What impact will this have on the future?
Will this matter become an unspoken rule in the future?
In the future, will those who have no more titles to be given and no more rewards to be rewarded be canonized as gods and then leave the world?
In addition to the Temple of the Philosophers, is it necessary to build another ancestral temple specifically for honoring those civil and military officials who have made significant contributions?
Pantheon? Pantheon?
Holy mausoleum?
Or should it be built according to the Temple of the Son of Heaven, the Temple of Literature or the Temple of War?
Luo Ling temporarily suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, bowed and thanked Liu Bang, then said: "Your Majesty, Ling has a favor to ask of you."
To Liu Bang, Luo Ling could say anything as long as he didn't appear in the world again, so he quickly said, "Duke Zhao, please speak."
Luo Ling then said: "Son of Heaven, since ancient times, the Son of Heaven has been in the center of the world, and the princes have served as fences to protect the Son of Heaven. This has been the case for three dynasties. Do you know why?"
Liu Bang was a little confused and thought that Luo Ling was dissatisfied with his reduction of the number of kings of different surnames, so he remained silent. Luo Yi knew that this was not the case, so he said, "Please ask Lord Zhao to help Your Majesty solve this puzzle."
Luo Ling said: "Your Majesty, if Qiongzhou now belongs to the Han Dynasty and there is a rebellion in Qiongzhou, where would you send troops from and how long would it take you to arrive?"
Liu Bang had some clues after hearing this, and he relaxed. He thought for a while and said, "If Chu cannot be pacified, then the best thing to do is to transfer troops from Guanzhong. If we attack from Chu, it will probably take half a year. If we start from Guanzhong, it will probably take a year to enter Qiongzhou."
At this point, a smart man like Liu Bang already knew what Luo Ling was going to say. It was too far away!
Luo Ling sighed and said, “The emperor is in the center of the world, and it is precisely because the emperor can only control that part that the only solution is to build a straight road that passes through the whole country.
This is exactly what Ling sighed about the First Emperor. He was talented, and the straight road built by the Qin Dynasty was necessary.
But his biggest mistake was that he should not have mobilized people from all over the world to build it in just a few years.
If those projects were divided into several decades of construction, would the Qin Dynasty have perished in just a dozen years?"
Liu Bang asked: "Lord Zhao, even if a straight road is built, Qiongzhou is so remote that it is really the end of the world. If there is a rebellion, it will cost a lot to mobilize troops every time."
Liu Bang was not the kind of emperor who was fond of ostentation. He was always very pragmatic and would not do anything that was not beneficial just for the sake of a little face.
Luo Ling smiled and said, "This is exactly what I want to say. A thousand years ago, King Su led his army to the east. At that time, the land of Zhuxia was full of forests and lakes, and the roads were rugged and difficult to travel. There were no roads like today, which lead in all directions.
In such an environment, King Su drove the barbarians all the way into the mountains. When they reached the end of the east, King Su sighed: "When I die, I am afraid that no one will be able to lead troops to such a far distance." He believed that princes should be set up here to defend the barbarians for the emperor.
So the princes established their own states on the spot, and all the supplies they needed to conquer the barbarians were from the local area. The emperor sat in Haojing, and the world was governed with ease.
Now that you have established your capital in Guanzhong, you are aware that in fact much of Shandong's land can be directly governed.
But have you ever thought about areas further south?
As for Lingnan, I'm afraid you won't be willing to set foot in that area for hundreds of years."
This sentence really touched Liu Bang's heart. He really didn't want to go to Lingnan. He didn't want it even if it was given to him for free. The miasma was too serious and he might even die if he went there.
Liu Bang remembered that when he destroyed Qin, Luo Ling had gone to Lingnan to persuade Zhao Tuo to stay in Lingnan. He knew that Luo Ling wanted to ask for a throne for Zhao Tuo, so he asked: "Do you want me to make Zhao Tuo a king?
But Zhao Tuo probably wouldn't want to. He was like an emperor in Lingnan, so why should he accept the title from the Central Plains dynasty?"
Luo Ling's eyes sparkled as he said loudly, "Your Majesty, don't worry. If Zhao Tuo doesn't want to, Ling will go to Lingnan again. He will obey."
The voice was very calm, but very domineering. Liu Bang was shocked and thought to himself: I, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, don't dare to provoke him, so I certainly wouldn't dare to provoke a mere Zhao Tuo.
Then he heard Luo Ling say: "Zhao Tuo established the country of the Xia Dynasty, and you are the emperor of the Xia Dynasty. There is only one emperor, so he must submit to you.
The emperor of the Han Dynasty did not have to rule Lingnan, but the Son of Heaven had to rule all the countries in the Xia Dynasty, just as the princes of the Zhou Dynasty had to accept the fiefdoms granted by the Son of Heaven.
Even rebellious states like Zhao, Wei and Han had to obtain the emperor's golden seal and golden book before they could become honored princes.
If Zhao Tuo is unwilling to accept the title, he will be cutting himself off from the rest of the country and calling himself a barbarian. The whole world should unite to defeat him."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yi couldn't help but look at his elder brother. He was truly worthy of being his elder brother. He guessed his intention with just one sentence, and was able to put it into practice in a short period of time.
Liu Bang now deeply felt the difference between the two. "What Lord Zhao meant was that Zhao Tuo should be made a vassal and come to pay homage to me?"
During the Zhou Dynasty, there was a distinction between the princes within the capital and those outside the capital. In fact, there was never anything new in the world. What the central government could control was considered within the capital, and what it could not control was considered outside the capital.
The kings enfeoffed by Liu Bang were outside the capital, and the marquisates that were under his jurisdiction were inside the capital. Zhao Tuo was a prince in a circle further out than those outside the capital, and did not even belong to the sequence of the Han Dynasty.
"Exactly!"
Luo Ling nodded. Liu Bang thought about it for a moment and realized that this would not harm the Han Dynasty at all. Even if it did, he would not dare to refute it. So he immediately said, "Let's follow what Lord Zhao said and confer the title of King of Lingnan on Zhao Tuo."
The banquet ended in an enthusiastic atmosphere when Luo Ling expressed his intention to return to Zhaocheng to continue writing. Liu Bang's eyes were filled with tears. After paying such a high price, he finally sent this great god away.
Once Luo Ling left, the world seemed to return to its original state in an instant. The court began to be filled with swords and sabers again. Facing countless surging undercurrents, Liu Bang was actually a little intoxicated. Compared to the feeling of powerlessness in the face of Luo Ling, this kind of struggle that he was more familiar with was easier to deal with.
He turned his attention to Ying Bu, the strongest among the princes he had appointed, but also the most restless one.
At this time, a carriage and a boat came out of Luo Village.
To the west of Guanzhong, the second son of the Luo family was heading towards the unknown Western Regions with a map.
————
In the previous article about the Zhou Dynasty, we talked about the downgrading process of the title "king". It was separated from "Son of Heaven" and essentially became a title of nobility.
Until it was replaced by "Emperor", it completely lost its function as the title of the supreme ruler, but after the establishment of the Han Dynasty, "Emperor" soon encountered a similar fate and was placed below "Son of Heaven".
The main reason is that the "dynasty" associated with the "emperor" is a political entity, while the "Zhu Xia" associated with the "Son of Heaven" is a concept with civilization, and what civilization can extend is obviously stronger than what a political entity can influence.
This is not just a change in name, it also has a profound impact on the construction of the power system of ancient Chinese dynasties. —— "Analysis of the Aristocratic System of Ancient Dynasties"
It started to take off. I have long wanted to build my own political system.
(End of this chapter)
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