Chapter 346 Taunting
Luo Jing recruited troops to be on the safe side rather than to start a war directly. He had already sent envoys to the kingdoms and marquisates to capture those princes and marquises who had committed crimes.
The imperial court still has influence and power among the nations, and how could most of the princes and dukes dare to rebel? This is no longer the most powerful period for the princely kingdoms.
Having enjoyed wealth and glory but without the tempering of life-and-death crisis, one will become more and more timid, just like the Liu princes and Che marquis today.
Luo Jing sat quietly in Luoyang City, on the one hand preparing for war, on the other hand waiting for the arrival of the Liu princes.
As he expected, the imperial envoys arrived at the vassal states, holding Luo Jing's order in their hands, and first went to the meritorious states that were enfeoffed in the core of the kingdom, and then both sides went straight to the capital of the kingdom, "Dong'e Hou has been ordered to pacify Shandong and supervise the counties and states. You are all legally bound by Dong'e Hou's order to come and capture him. Surrender quickly and follow me to Luoyang to meet Dong'e Hou and explain all the secrets."
The princes were terrified. They never expected that Luo Jing would actually send people to capture them directly.
Normal political struggles do not unfold like this. Usually, people first look for evidence, then plot against each other until they are able to kill someone, and then they suddenly attack and win the battle in one go.
However, Luo Jing sent people here in such a high-profile manner, which made everyone hesitate. Some princes were extremely frightened and said to their attendants: "Dong'e Hou wants to harm me. If I surrender, my life and death will be in his hands. It seems that I have no choice but to rebel now."
Then he was stopped by his ministers and sons.
Are you crazy!
Can't you see how strong the imperial court's military is?
In the past, when the big countries spanned several counties, they were unable to defeat them. Now, there is only one county left, and the meritorious officials in the court are sharpening their knives, waiting to make achievements and become famous.
If we go over to them now, wouldn't that be giving them military merit?
Loyal ministers and filial sons do not want to see their lord and father do such an unwise thing, while those who are disloyal and "filial sons" do not want to die on a ship that is destined to sink.
So they all advised, "Your Majesty, this is exactly the court's strategy. If you raise an army this time, wouldn't that be a proof of rebellion?
Marquis Dong'e is the son of King Luo Wen, a member of the Luo family with holy marks. He will not deliberately frame you.
You follow these people now, and we will wait for your news in the junior high school.
If the Marquis of Dong'a really wants to take action, he will have to consider us. At that time, we can still lead the kingdom's soldiers to rescue you.
Moreover, you are a member of the royal family, a relative of the Han Dynasty. The Marquis of Dong'a is not qualified to hear the case concerning you. You need to report it to the Zongzhengfu.
You can rest assured.”
Luo Jing would not make something out of nothing, nor would he fabricate such a thing. This has never happened in the past thousand years, and this is something that everyone is sure of.
But the problem is that these princes themselves are not very clean, so they naturally feel uneasy. It is the natural reaction of a mouse seeing a cat or a bandit seeing a constable.
In the end, under the persuasion of these ministers and sons, most of the princes chose to surrender from their hearts.
…
Luoyang.
As one prince after another came to Luoyang, perhaps because they were emboldened by numbers, these people gradually became more arrogant.
"I am a descendant of Emperor Gao, and of the same generation as the current emperor. I should call you the emperor's brother. Although the Marquis of Dong'e is of noble status and has great power, he is an outsider after all. This is our Liu family's family affairs, so you'd better not get involved."
Some other princes used Han laws to argue, "Marquis Dong'e, Emperor Gao established the Zongzheng in the past and stated that all royal family affairs were to be handled by the Zongzheng. What qualifications do you have to arrest me? It would be better to call the Zongzheng instead!"
"Marquis Dong'e, you are so young, yet you hold a high position. This is all due to the legacy of King Luo Wen. Isn't it good to be a close minister of His Majesty in Chang'an City in peace and stability?
Why do you have to come to Shandong to wade into this muddy water? "
“Dong’e Hou, if you don’t let me go back now, you will be charged with the crime of arresting a relative without authorization. Even if you are a descendant of the Luo family, you cannot bear the consequences. If Duke Zhao trampled on the laws of this dynasty in order to save you,
The consequences would be disastrous.”
Later, his voice even took on a harsh tone, "Dong'e Hou, this is no longer Bang Zhou, but my Liu family's world. I advise you to be careful with your words and actions. Otherwise, even if it is the Luo family, can they protect you forever?"
The relatives of the Han royal family were indeed a group of privileged people in the Han Dynasty. If they broke the law, they would be tried by the Zongzhengfu and then reported to the emperor for the final decision.
Some of these princes spoke in an advising tone, unwilling to confront Luo Jing, while others were really stern, especially when they said that the world was no longer Bang Zhou's, their heads seemed to be held high.
Looking at these people's wonderful performances, Luo just wanted to laugh.
And he did so. In the hall, Luo Jing burst into laughter, with endless sarcasm in his laughter.
This blatant mockery made some people even more angry, and they were interrupted by Luo Jing just as they were about to speak.
Luo Jing shouted angrily, "Princes?
How dare a mere prince act so arrogantly in front of me?
Even if I am not a descendant of the Luo family, my identity as a member of the Han Dynasty alone is something you cannot compare to.
My father is the King Luo Wen of the Han Dynasty, the regent and prime minister, second only to the emperor and above all other kings.
Even your father would have to bow his head and pay respect before my father. In terms of contributions to the Han Dynasty, all of you kings combined are not even as good as a single hair of my father.
My mother is Princess Lu Yuan, the only legitimate daughter and eldest daughter of Emperor Taizu Gao and Empress Gao. In terms of her high status in the clan, who are you?
They are just a group of vicious dogs, yet they dare to bark in front of me. It is really ridiculous.
When I was reading ancient books, I saw a sparrow asking Kunpeng how high he could fly. Kunpeng replied, "90,000 miles." But the sparrow said, "90,000 miles might not be as high as the top of a tree branch."
After meeting people like you today, I realized that the ancients were right. There really are people with such narrow vision.
You are still here speaking so arrogantly. "
Who are you and what is my status? Why are you comparing yourself with me? In Luo Jing's opinion, this group of princes are simply asking for humiliation.
How many years?
How many years has it been since anyone has been able to compare family background and status with the Luo family?
Even a monarch as confident as the First Emperor never compared himself with the Luo family in this regard, but directly tried to erase all traces of the Luo family.
The princes were so angry and humiliated by Luo Jing that their faces turned red and their foreheads even felt like smoke was coming out.
"Marquis Dong'e! I am a prince!"
"How dare you humiliate me like this?"
Luo Jing said, "When my ancestors divided the land among the princes, the ancestors of the Liu family were not yet born. You are barking here, isn't that just asking for trouble?"
At this point, the princes completely stopped their activities. If they continued to talk, Luo Jing would have to look up the genealogy of their Liu family. If it was found out that the Liu family was still a vassal of the Luo family, even the Emperor Gao would not be able to raise his face.
The First Emperor may have felt embarrassed in this regard. The Qin State was granted land by Duke Xuan of Luo himself, and a large amount of resources was left in the old land of Fenghao. A lot of resources were also allocated from Luoyi. This was the reason why the Qin State was able to win the competition with the Ying clan. This is the history that the Qin State cannot erase.
"Dong'e Hou, what's the point of always reminiscing about the past?
In the past, the Shang Dynasty ruled the nine provinces of the world, but was eventually defeated by the Zhou Dynasty. A large number of merchant nobles became slaves. Now that the Zhou Dynasty has perished, this is indeed the world of our Han Dynasty.
We are now just like the princesses in the Zhou Dynasty. The clan law is still the rule set by the great King Su. As the descendant of King Su, do you want to violate it?
Let’s ask Zong Zheng to come and judge.”
Since his status and position cannot intimidate Luo Jing, then he can go back to the clan system. Besides, this is the law of the Han Dynasty, and Luo Jing cannot openly defy the law of the Han Dynasty.
If he dared to do so, the only outcome would be that he would be taken back to Zhaocheng by Duke Zhao and would never be allowed to leave again.
Everyone thought that Luo Jing was finally out of options, but they didn't expect Luo Jing to sneer and say, "Only the Zongzheng Mansion can try you?
Open your eyes wide and see what this is. "
Luo Jing stretched out his hand and took out a token made of fine jade and a small jade seal from his arms. The princes were shocked when they saw it.
Instantly, infinite fear arose in my heart!
————
Luo Jing captured most of the princes and brought them to Luoyang City with just a handwritten order, which did not even come from the emperor. Many historians have ignored this event, but it was actually a landmark event in the ancient transition from a feudal system to a centralized system.
This incident shows that the central court has completely crushed the local princes both in terms of strength and in name.
The tug-of-war between the central and local governments during the Zhou Dynasty was gone forever. The centralized system was initially established in the Qin Dynasty and reached its peak in the Han Dynasty.
This incident also proved that it was no longer necessary to implement large-scale enfeoffment in the heartland of the dynasty, because the central government's influence on these enfeoffment areas was already too great. - "History of the Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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