Chapter 322: Shock
"According to the will of Emperor Renzong Xiaohui, acting on behalf of the Emperor, the Regent Prime Minister declares:
The death of King Huainan was a great misfortune for the clan, and the emperor was deeply saddened.
I summoned the sons of King Huainan, and they all have the ability to govern the country and maintain peace, but they are stranded in Shandong and cannot be used by the court.
What the King of Huainan lamented before his death was that as a concubine's son he could not receive the grace of the court and had no place to settle down.
The imperial court was worried, and the King of Huainan was also worried.
I thought that the common people had surplus wealth at home, and even if it was divided differently, everyone still got something. I also thought that although the crown prince inherited the throne, all the princes could be made kings.
From this perspective, regardless of whether they are high or low, noble or humble, rich or poor, the love that parents give their children is the same.
It is not what a filial son should do to let an elder of the clan like the Prince of Huainan pass away with regret.
The court knew about this but did not make amends, which was a mistake.
I can't help but ask, as the most honorable prince of the Han Dynasty, he does not walk with the royal family and is not as kind and filial as the common people, is this as it should be?
The elder brother is a king, dressed in fine clothes and fed with delicious food, and can go out and come easily, while his brothers are humble and poor. Isn't it a joke that brothers are so friendly and respectful to each other?
When people are living in this world, virtue comes first and talent comes second. The clan is the pillar of the country. If the virtue is poor, wouldn’t it be a disaster for the country?
I have been entrusted with the management of state affairs by the will of Emperor Xiaohui, and I am truly worried.
I have thought deeply. In the past, King Lu Cheng of Qi demoted himself to a duke. Emperor Gao gave the counties of Qi and conferred titles on the thirteen marquises of the Lu family. Until now, the marquises of the Lu family are as close as a family and have no conflicts among them.
This is an example that the clan should learn from and emulate.
Dividing Huainan Kingdom equally among the sons of King Huainan in the name of the imperial court may help fulfill King Huainan's last wish and allow him to rest in peace.
Only in this way can the court's grace be demonstrated, its impartiality be just and impartial, harmony be achieved among the princes and kingdoms, and the outstanding members of the clans be made to serve the court.
Author:
Make it known to the world.
The Crown Prince of Huainan inherited the title of King of Huainan and ruled Jiujiang County. The three sons of King Huainan were King of Hengshan, King of Lujiang, and King of Yuzhang. The kingdom's regulations, ministers, and rituals and music remained the same as before.
The four sons each returned to their own country and settled in their own position. The King of Hengshan, the King of Lujiang, and the King of Yuzhang became the new rulers. This is a great grace from the court. They must do their best to defend the land for the emperor and govern the people for the world.
In the old county of Jiujiang, there are few Han people but many native people. The kings should cultivate the land diligently and work hard.
Prince of Huainan, Your Majesty is deeply moved by the brotherly love and respect of the people of Huainan Kingdom, and has granted you 100 pieces of cloth, 10,000 coins, and three pieces of jade to honor your merits.
All is known. "
When the imperial edict was issued, the whole world was shocked.
It is too obvious what the court wants to do.
In recent years, the imperial court has always regarded recuperation as its top priority, and no one expected that Luo Xin would take such a big move.
But if you look closely at the current time point, it is indeed the best time in recent years.
This was the second time that the Chang'an court took major action against the princes after Liu Bang's death.
The first time was to collect taxes. At that time, the imperial court had strong military forces, most of the founding heroes were still there, and the princes were relatively loyal to the court, so things went relatively smoothly.
But what about this time?
The imperial court naturally became more and more powerful, and Prime Minister Luo Xin and General Han Xin were still alive. Although Ying Hou, an old minister from the Gao Emperor's period, did not speak much in the political arena, no one could ignore him.
Naturally, this decree was first spread in Chang'an City, and then the messengers spread it to all directions.
The envoys from the Huainan Kingdom in Chang'an City were so embarrassed that their faces turned green. They never expected that just by entering Chang'an once, three quarters of the territory of the Huainan Kingdom would be lost.
"The imperial court wants to reduce the power of the feudal lords!"
The chief envoy of the Huainan Kingdom delegation said angrily: "The late king has just passed away, and the court is humiliating us like this. They simply don't take our Huainan Kingdom seriously."
The many princes were established to reduce their power.
It is not difficult to come up with this idea. After all, we all know that when forces are united, they are strong, while when forces are divided, they are weak.
There are two key points in implementing this policy. The first is to have a strength that is strong enough to make the princes fearful.
This strength does not need to exceed the sum of all the princes. As the strongest force, it is enough as long as it can defeat the second and third at the same time.
The second point is to find a reasonable reason to implement it.
This reason is not the kind of forced reason that will only lead to war in the end, but a reason that conforms to the current values of the world, can put the court at the highest moral point, and can win a lot of support for the court.
After all, the purpose of reducing the power of the feudal lords is to integrate strength, not to fight wars and internal consumption.
"Eunuch, please return to the country. The imperial delegation is on the way. I really don't know how the Queen Mother and the King will respond."
His face was gloomy. He was the uncle of the Prince of Huainan. How could he not be shocked and angry when he suddenly heard the news?
But he still forced himself to suppress his anger and wanted to leave Chang'an quickly. If the kingdom was unwilling to accept the imperial edict, there would definitely be a war between Huainan Kingdom and the court. Staying in Chang'an would be courting death. If the kingdom accepted the imperial edict, then there would be no value for him to stay in Chang'an. "Return to Huainan Kingdom. The imperial edict is not something we can question. The only thing we can do is obey the Queen Mother's orders."
The Huainan Kingdom delegation hurriedly left Chang'an City. Compared with the hustle and bustle when they came, it was very quiet when they left.
Compared with the chilly mood of the Huainan Kingdom's delegation, the dukes in Chang'an City began to get agitated.
When Marquis Liu was driven out of Chang'an City, although other families did not suffer any major incidents, they still felt the royal family's suspicion of the group of meritorious officials.
This was extremely fatal. They were all close ministers of the emperor, and the power of their family depended on their close relationship with the emperor. If they lost these, they would almost lose everything.
Now the court has sent a loud signal.
These people naturally wanted to forge ahead bravely. They did not dare to go to the Dong'e Marquis Mansion, but the Ying Marquis Mansion was directly trampled by the descendants of these founding heroes.
"Lord Ying, I am loyal to your majesty. If there is a war, although I am old, I can still put on armor and fight."
“…”
"Marquis Ying, if the Prime Minister issues an imperial decree, I will obey His Majesty even if I die."
Some people even found the palace directly through Zhang Yan's relationship. Zhang Yan smiled helplessly at Luo Xin and said, "Grand Prime Minister, are you going to use force against the vassal kingdoms? In recent days, too many meritorious officials have come to me to ask what you think.
How could I know since I am not in charge of important military and national affairs?
It’s really annoying.”
Luo Xin had expected this outcome a long time ago, and he had deliberately indulged in it. Those envoys from the vassal kingdoms who remained in Chang'an City must be very nervous now.
He just smiled and said, "Don't worry, Queen Mother. War is a major issue for a country. It is a matter of life and death. We must be careful about it.
I will never resort to war, especially against my clan members who are the pillars of the country.
Unless there are some rebellious people who attempt to challenge the laws of the court and challenge the majesty of His Majesty, in that case, no matter how kind I am, I will have to deal with the world with thunderous wrath."
Luo Xin's attitude was soon heard by Zhang Yan as well as by the meritorious officials, and then the envoys of the princes all knew about it. This was the first time that Luo Xin had made a clear statement, and the meaning of his words was quite obvious.
That is to peacefully reduce the power of the vassal states, just like the Qi State in the past and the Huainan State today, dividing the large vassal states that span counties and prefectures into small vassal states.
The imperial envoy arrived in Huainan and announced this major event. Naturally, the King of Huainan was livid, after all, three quarters of his land had been taken away.
But dividing the land is not such a simple matter. What Luo Xin wants is not just to divide some kingdoms. He really wants to make it impossible for the kingdoms to be gathered together again, so as to achieve the idea of reducing them step by step.
What is being cut down now are kingdoms, and later on will be counties, and then counties, until the kingdoms are abolished.
In order to achieve this goal, Luo Xin provided Liu Chen and the other two with resources during their establishment of the country.
Especially Liu Chen, the new King of Hengshan. Luo Xin has high hopes for him. He is one of the most important chess pieces in determining whether he can completely dismantle the Huainan Kingdom.
Liu Chen himself was very clear about this. Before leaving Chang'an, he went to Changle Palace to meet Luo Xin and said, "I will not disappoint the Prime Minister. The four kingdoms of Huainan will never betray the court."
There were so many princes in the Han Dynasty, and naturally their personalities were different. Some princes were more arrogant, claiming to be the brothers and nephews of Emperor Gao, and the uncles of the current emperor, with noble status.
These people were already dissatisfied with Luo Xin's regency, and they were even more resentful of Luo Xin's intention to reduce the power of the feudal lords. Some people even openly denounced Luo Xin in the country.
The author is very short
(End of this chapter)
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