Chapter 360 Tribute
The tribute system of inner and outer vassal states formulated by Luo Chen inherited part of the ritual system of the Zhou Dynasty. However, the Zhou Dynasty system was more strict, and the distinctions between the vassal states were more obvious, while that of the Han Dynasty was much simpler.
There are now two and a half countries in the world. The first is the Han Dynasty, the central dynasty ruled by the emperor, the common leader of all countries. The other is the extremely remote Lingnan Kingdom, which was developed in Lingnan under the order of the emperor.
The last half is the Kingdom of Zhao. The state of the country is extremely strange. It is both an external vassal state and an internal vassal state. It is both independent and non-independent. It is very subtle.
The grand tribute held every five years was one of the biggest political events in the entire Han Dynasty.
Especially after the Han court completely subdued all the vassal states, there were no more vassal states looking for reasons not to participate in the tribute.
All the vassal kingdoms in the world sent large delegations to Chang'an to express their loyalty to the royal family, with whom they were becoming increasingly distant by blood ties.
All the disturbances disappeared after the envoys from Zhaogong Kingdom entered Chang'an City, and then all the focus fell on Zhaogong Kingdom.
The envoys from the Kingdom of Zhao had a very distinct special color. Whether it was the flags, the patterns on the carriages, or the clothes worn by the envoys, everywhere there were images of flying phoenixes, which was a totem inherited from the ancient state of Zhou.
The size of the delegation reached thousands of people, including 500 fully armed knights. They rode on tall horses that Luo family bought at a huge expense. The horses had extremely strong impact force. Large bows and crossbows were hung on the horses, and sharp blades were placed beside them. Each of them was relatively large in size, and one could even see the bulging muscle lines between their bent arms. At first glance, one could tell that they were the real elite.
In today's world, with armor becoming more and more powerful, the gap in combat power between well-trained soldiers and peasant soldiers is too big. The era when everyone was a soldier has gradually passed. The most elite imperial guards and palace guards of the Han Dynasty do not exceed 30,000 people.
If these 500 elite soldiers of the Luo family were to wear armor and go to the battlefield, they could be expanded into a legion of 10,000 people, and could also be used as a killer weapon to decide the outcome of the battle. They are one of the most valuable assets of the Luo family.
Countless people were discussing and whispering, "Lord Zhaogong actually sent such a large delegation. It's really shocking. Those warriors must be the world-famous brave warriors. It is said that they were established in Bang Zhou a thousand years ago. They are a military force that has been passed down for thousands of years and are the strongest elite in the world."
Ordinary people could only watch the excitement, but the powerful saw a different meaning in it. "Lord Zhaogong seemed to be particularly concerned about this tribute, and actually sent such a large delegation."
This was not the first time that the various countries came to Chang'an to pay tribute, and it was not the first time for the Kingdom of Zhao to come either, so the changes this time were particularly noticeable.
"What does Luo want to do?"
In Changle Palace, Liu Heng also asked Luo Jing with some doubts. Luo Jing shook his head and said, "The master of the family didn't give me any information about this. You should ask my elder brother yourself. He is waiting in the side hall."
The eldest brother that Luo Jing mentioned was naturally the oldest male in his generation of the Luo family and the eldest son of Luo Ling. There were relatively few males in their generation. The second oldest Luo Zhongkan and the fifth oldest Luo Chen had no sons, the third oldest Luo Yi had only one legitimate son, and Luo Xin also had a legitimate son, Luo Jing. The rest of the brothers also had difficulty in having children. Many of them did not want to have more after having one. Only Luo Ling, as the head of the family, who carried the responsibility of reproduction, had many descendants.
Upon hearing this, Liu Heng immediately said, "Ah Jing, please invite the young master in quickly. He is a distinguished guest of the Han Dynasty."
The heir of a prince is called the crown prince, the heir of a marquis is called the heir apparent, and the heir of a duke is called the prince. This was the rule of the Han Dynasty.
Luo Jing responded and hurried to the side hall. An old man with gray hair was sitting there calmly. His face was serious and old-fashioned, which made him look a little intimidating. He was wearing the most ordinary Confucian scholar's clothes, but he had an awe-inspiring aura. Luo Jing bowed deeply and said, "Jing greets big brother. May big brother be well."
Seeing Luo Jing, Luo Ban smiled from his serious face and asked, "Ah Jing, have you been living well in Chang'an these years?
I see that you are a little weak. Are you overworked for state affairs? Do you need your family to assign more doctors to you? You must take care of yourself."
Although Luo Jing is no longer the young man he was in the past, he still said shyly: "Thank you for your concern, brother. Jing is doing well. Brother, His Majesty invites you to the palace. Please follow Jing."
Upon hearing this, Luo Ban adjusted his crown, smoothed out a few wrinkles on his clothes, and stood up, "A Jing, lead the way."
After entering the palace, Luo Ban bowed to Liu Heng and said, "I pay my respects to the emperor. I extend my regards to the emperor on behalf of my father. May the emperor be well and blessed."
"I am fine."
Liu Heng returned the greeting and said, "How are you? Please ask Zhao Gong'an for me."
After a round of greetings, Liu Heng asked the question again: "The size of the Zhaogong Kingdom's envoys is much larger than in the past. I wonder what else Zhaogong has come to Chang'an for this time, besides paying tribute?"
Luo Ban said, "Zhaocheng is going to present a great gift to the emperor this time. The treasure is precious, so we sent more people to protect it. There is nothing else to do."
Now Liu Heng became even more interested. What kind of treasure could make the Luo family value it so much?
They actually sent out 500 brave warriors, enough to start a small war, for protection!
To be honest, Liu Heng felt a little scared when these 500 men came to Chang'an City with real swords and guns. After all, there were many imperial guards but they were not in the city. It was hard to say whether the palace guards could defeat that group of brave warriors.
If those brave warriors were not wearing armor, Liu Heng would really have to find a reason not to let them enter Chang'an City.
Seeing that Liu Heng was indeed eager to see it, Luo Ban immediately took out a cylinder from his long sleeves and slowly took out paper from it.
Liu Heng and Luo Jing stared with wide eyes at a white cylindrical object being taken out by Luo Ban and then spread out flat. It was extremely smooth and even reflected light.
Liu Heng didn't recognize what it was and couldn't help but feel confused. Luo Jing looked at the snow-white paper and asked with some uncertainty and disbelief: "Brother, is this... the paper that our family has been researching?
Didn’t you say you had no clue a few years ago?”
Luo Ban smiled and twirled his beard, "It is paper. After years of research, the family has finally completely broken through the constraints of the past."
Paper?
Liu Heng was even more confused. He knew about paper, but it was too useless and not many people used it. So, this snow-white thing in front of him was paper?
Liu Heng couldn't help but reach out and touch it. Although it was not as smooth as silk, the surface was still very smooth, completely different from the paper he remembered. He couldn't help but ask, "Is this the treasure that Luo presented?"
Luo Jing whispered, "Your Majesty, this paper can be used for writing. You can try writing with a pen."
Upon hearing this, Liu Heng picked up the brush from the table and started writing on the paper. Just after writing the word "Liu", Liu Heng stopped writing completely. His face was full of ecstasy and his eyes were full of infinite heat. He stared at the paper in front of him with burning eyes.
“What a treasure!
Isn’t this a powerful weapon bestowed by God on the Han Dynasty to help it prosper?
Isn't this God's recognition of my achievements over the years?"
Liu Heng sighed. With his intelligence, he certainly understood what this thin piece of paper represented.
As long as the price of this kind of paper is not too expensive and the production can keep up, these bamboo slips on the desk today will probably no longer be seen soon, and everyone will use more convenient and lighter paper to write.
Liu Heng looked at Luo Ban and smiled, "You are indeed the Luo family. This must be the best tribute I could receive at this ceremony. I think that just sending these is not enough to show its preciousness.
Ah Jing, if you can write a brilliant essay on this paper and present it at the ceremony, the white paper and the essay will complement each other, which will surely be a shocking sight. I am looking forward to it."
It has to be said that Liu Heng knows how to maximize profits.
Of course Luo Ban had no objection. The Luo family's purpose was to come here to improve their reputation. Liu Heng's method could better improve their reputation, so they should follow Liu Heng's method.
Luo Jing escorted Luo Ban out of the palace and agreed to meet him later. Luo Jing then returned to Changle Palace, and saw Liu Heng still looking over and over at the piece of white paper with the word Liu written on it. He walked over and sat down, smiling, "If Your Majesty likes it, I'll ask you to send some to the palace. This is a tribute, and you won't be missing if anyone else's is missing."
Liu Heng shook his head and said, "Of course I like it, but a gentleman loves money and gets it in a proper way. I can't get these things for no reason, especially from the Luo family where A Jingni is.
I was thinking, when paper is unveiled at the ceremony, or even becomes popular, what should I do with it first? "
It turned out that because paper was so useful and Liu Heng's mind worked so quickly, he thought of many uses for it in a short period of time, and thus fell into confusion.
Seeing this, Luo Jing smiled and said, "I don't know, but I will definitely make several copies of all the essays I have written in these years, and then scatter them in various counties and states, so that people all over the world can read about the splendor of the Han Dynasty."
Liu Heng smiled and said, "I asked the literate palace maids to help you. This is a good thing to show the grace of the court."
As the day of the ceremony approached, the atmosphere in Chang'an city gradually became tense. The various government offices responsible for maintaining public order became more strict, and the curfew policy was also enforced more strictly.
Naturally, it was not just Luo Ban who accepted the summons from Liu Heng. Other important princes also reported the affairs of their fiefdoms to Liu Heng. In particular, the northern kings and county governors, such as the King of Yan and the King of Dai who were close to the Xiongnu, were required to report military information in detail.
Another very important vassal king was the King of Lingnan. Zhao Tuo was also very old, so it was impossible for him to come in person. Like Luoling, he sent his own crown prince Zhao Nan.
Liu Heng met with Zhao Nan in Changle Palace and listened to the news about Lingnan.
————
It was a great year, and the princes entered the capital. Prince Banbei met Changle and presented Luo paper to the emperor. The emperor was suspicious, and Dong'e said, "Hold the painting thing, the emperor should test it."
The emperor took up the pen and tried it. He could see every detail. He was surprised and delighted. He said to his attendants, "History records that the Han Dynasty prospered like this!" - "Book of Han: Annals of Emperor Xiaowen"
(End of this chapter)
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