Chapter 6: The destiny is here, change the barbarians into Chinese
The former king appointed the chief regent, the acting king, the prime minister, the general, and the Marquis of Luo Zhao to lead the army back to the capital. At the same time, dozens of princes came to the capital to pay homage to the emperor and hold alliances. At the same time, they rewarded merits and punished faults, especially the old land of Yin Ruins was to be feudalized again.
This was the first time that all the princes gathered in Haojing after the feudal system was implemented in the first year of King Kang. The etiquette issue made the entire royal court busy.
Normally, a powerful minister like Ji Zhao would certainly be subject to speculation by some people when he led his army back to the capital, but Ji Zhao had been prepared. The concubines he selected for the emperor were all noble ladies from powerful maternal families. Except for Queen Qi Jiang, the other three wives were all from powerful branches of the princes of different surnames.
Everyone could see that Marquis Luo was trying his best to maintain the balance of power in the royal capital, which made the emperor's relatives feel relieved. Those dukes and marquises really didn't want to confront Ji Zhao, and unless Taigong Wang stood on their side clearly, they had no chance of winning.
At the end of October, the army, which had set out from Yinxu and marched for a month, finally arrived outside Haojing.
The emperor personally led the princes, ministers, and ministers in the capital to welcome the victorious army outside the East King Gate of Haojing. Ji Zhao wore armor and sword, and bowed three times to the emperor in military uniform. Ji Yun quickly supported Ji Zhao and said with a smile: "Uncle Wang has made great contributions to the state of Zhou. The "Way of Kings" says that the emperor should treat the saints who have brought peace to the world with respect. Moreover, you once carried me on your back, which is a courtesy between father and son. Now asking you to salute me is not in line with the way of the ancient saints."
Ji Zhao did not insist. He turned around and pointed at the army heading east and said, "Your Majesty, in my first year, I followed your orders and went to war. Tens of thousands of soldiers were willing to fight in difficult circumstances. This was all due to the kindness of the late king. I hope to repay you a little. The reason why I was able to achieve great achievements is all due to the grace of the late king and your destiny."
Ji Yun pulled Ji Zhao towards his chariot, saying as they walked: "The Mandate of Heaven is when a sage appears. May your uncle be healthy and the Mandate of Heaven for the Zhou State be with you."
The two entered Haojing surrounded by thousands of people, and the three armies returned to the camp under the leadership of the generals. Later, the emperor's special envoy would give them rewards.
Those who were qualified to receive fiefs were brought to the palace. The authority of the central royal court was greatly demonstrated in this eastern expedition. The people of the Xia state who intended to cause chaos were completely defeated. After two generations of management by the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the power of the Dongyi people was weakened, but the situation of the four barbarians in the world was still quite grim.
It is impossible for the six armies of the emperor to go to war all the time. War is a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival or destruction. No one can guarantee victory all the time.
In real history, the emperor's authority fell into the hands of others, largely because the emperor's six armies were completely lost, leaving him without the military support to intimidate the princes.
Ji Zhao was planning to further strengthen the exchange of interests between the emperor and the princes during this feudal era. Simple tribute could not enable the Zhou emperor to gain sufficient benefits when the princes expanded, and was not conducive to the stability of the Zhou Dynasty.
It was another whole set of ceremonies to offer sacrifices to heaven. After all, Ji Yun was still young, so the main process was completed by Ji Zhao. The princes were tossed around for a whole day but did not feel tired. Those who had made meritorious services in this expedition were waiting for rewards, and those who had not just left it to fate.
As night fell, the palace was brightly lit, the sounds of stringed instruments were heard incessantly, and the sound of drinking and feasting could be heard everywhere. It was such a joyful place.
The next day.
The emperor summoned all the ministers to the palace, and they entered in order of their rank and official position. After entering the palace, they all knelt with solemn expressions.
Ji Zhao was seen standing on the right side of the emperor's throne with a sword in his hand, serving as regent. Taigong Wang was standing two steps below the emperor's left side, serving as assistant.
After a series of homages, Ji Zhao asked, "Do you know why I want to establish a state, but it is different from the Xia and Shang dynasties?"
Ji Zhao's incoherent words made everyone in the palace confused. Since ancient times, meritorious officials and royal family members have been rewarded with land. This is a matter of course. Is there any special reason?
"I don't know, please enlighten me, Grand Master."
An excellent supporting actor should be able to respond promptly.
Ji Zhao then spoke out the words he had prepared long ago: "I have discussed the feudal issue with the late king when he was still alive. This is a major issue concerning whether the State of Zhou should receive the Mandate of Heaven. The late king once told me that the Mandate of Heaven only descends upon the Xia people. The world is the land given by Heaven to the Xia people to survive, but a large amount of fertile land is occupied by the barbarians. If the Xia and Shang are not successful in conquering the barbarians, the Mandate of Heaven will decline. The late king and I are both worried that the State of Zhou will follow in the footsteps of the Xia and Shang."
It was the first time that everyone in the hall heard this statement, but if they thought about it carefully, wasn't the Shang Dynasty replaced by the Zhou Dynasty because it failed to properly deal with the Dongyi tribe and consumed a large number of troops?
Of course, what made them believe the most was that Ji Zhao brought up the late king. It was recognized by everyone that the late king was appointed by heaven.
“Four years ago, I took over the king’s duties and established feudal lords in this palace to reward relatives, meritorious officials, and descendants of the previous dynasty. The emperor gave them land, population, and wealth in the hope that the Xia monarchs could rule over the barbarians and eventually turn the barbarians into Xia people. In this way, the Mandate of Heaven of our Zhou State would be extended.
However, they did not think of repaying the emperor's kindness and conquering the barbarians who refused to submit to the king's rule. Instead, they rebelled and caused trouble, which weakened the power of the Xia people. In the end, God punished them.
I am carrying out a large-scale killing in the east under the guidance of the will of heaven. If I do not impose the most severe punishment on the rebels, how can the merits of the loyal ministers be highlighted?
The opening line of "The Way of Kings" is "The king's cause cannot be partial, and the Xia and the Yi cannot coexist!" I hope you can all remember the identities of the princes of the Zhou Dynasty and use the Zhou rituals to rule the Yi people.
If they fail to do so, the emperor will never let go of anyone who has affected the destiny of the Zhou Dynasty. He will demote their titles and confiscate their lands, or even strip them of their titles and kingdoms. He may even take back their surnames and demote them to commoners, making them ashamed to face their ancestors after their death.
Deprived of surnames and demoted to commoners!
Everyone felt sad, as their surname was the source of their bloodline and their clan name was the symbol of their nobility, once these two were taken away from them, they would become wandering ghosts. In this era of bloodline aristocracy, no official position would be given to them, unless the emperor had mercy on them, otherwise, even though the empire was big, there would be no chance of recovery.
Now everyone put fighting the barbarians as the top priority of the feudal state, which was exactly what Ji Zhao wanted to see.
From the perspective of later territorial changes, the Zhou Dynasty's contribution was simply unparalleled. Hundreds of armed colonial groups attacked everywhere and almost wiped out other cultural tribes in the entire Central Plains. Moreover, they were all unified under the common leader, the Zhou emperor, and formed a cultural identity that lasted for hundreds of years.
It laid a very solid foundation for the subsequent unification of the Qin and Han dynasties.
The feudal system is a very suitable system for the current era. What Ji Zhao has to do is to greatly strengthen the cultural exchanges between the vassal states on the original basis, so that all the vassal states will identify with their Xia identity and make all the vassal states who collude with foreign races become the laughing stock of the world.
"I have compiled three books, The Rites of Zhou, The Kingly System, and The Way of Kings, to teach the emperor. The Rites of Zhou is the foundation of the Zhou state. You must study it carefully so that you can serve the emperor wholeheartedly."
Ji Zhao raised a piece of white silk cloth to signal everyone, "The feudal system implemented in the first year only had its form, but not its spirit, so the four thieves rebelled against yin and yang, disrespected heaven, and harmed the people, causing war and killing. Today, the feudal system will be re-established. From now on, the yin and yang of heaven are in order. You must act according to the rules and not go beyond them, so that my country Zhou will enjoy the mandate of heaven forever, and you can also enjoy wealth and honor forever."
The feudal system adjusted by Ji Zhao was finally put into practice. In order to demonstrate the grace of Zhou, the system of two kings and three officials was proposed.
Among the descendants of the three kings Yao, Shun and Yu who were previously enfeoffed, only the descendants of King Yu retained the title of Duke of Qi. Then the title of Duke of Song was inherited by King Zhou's half-brother Zican. However, the fiefdom of Song was greatly reduced. Ji Zhao gave him the three old tribes of the Shang Dynasty and asked him to appease the remaining survivors of the Shang Dynasty. Zican was very grateful. He did not care about the size of the land and title, but this division of fiefdoms proved that the Zhou Dynasty would really not target and kill all the survivors of the Shang Dynasty again.
Afterwards, the descendants of Huangdi, Yao and Shun were granted fiefdoms in Zhu, Tang and Chen respectively, and all of them were marquises, second only to the two kings.
Of course, although the title was high, the position was not good, and Ji Zhao placed it next to the powerful vassal states of the Ji clan.
But the princes certainly would not care about this. After all, it was a free benefit, and even the descendants of the Shang Dynasty could still enjoy a piece of land.
After the virtual seal
"The Marquis of Qi, the Marquis of Yan, the Marquis of Bao, and the Marquis of Hui came forward to be conferred the title."
Four unrelated marquises stood up hurriedly. Among them, only Taigong Wang knew what Ji Zhao wanted to do. After all, among the four marquises, only the Marquis of Qi was in power in the royal capital, and the other three were granted fiefs in the frontiers.
"I am here!"
Regarding the four people pointed out by Ji Zhao, there is no need to say much about the Duke of Qi, one of the Three Dukes. In the eyes of the princes and ministers, he is the only one in Bang Zhou who can fight against him. The other three are all younger brothers of King Wu. Because they were born out of wedlock, they were granted fiefs in remote places. However, four years have passed, and their conquests of the barbarians have been quite effective. They are all relatively powerful branches among the Ji clan today.
“The heaven and earth have four directions and eight poles, and the emperor is in the center, commanding the four directions. However, the barbarians from all directions keep pouring in, which is unforgivable.
Qi, Yan, Bao and Hui are the strongest among the various states. The emperor wants to demonstrate the mandate of heaven in all directions and spread the etiquette and culture of Zhou, so I order you to conquer the Dongyi, Xirong, Beidi and Nanman.
The Son of Heaven bestows upon you his own scepter, which symbolizes war, and grants you the power to convene a meeting of the princes every March, and confer the title of 'obeying the king's orders' upon the four of you.
The first line of the letter to the princes at the meeting was "receiving the order from the king", adding a noble title, the same position as the Three Dukes.
With this appointment, you must send envoys to the emperor in January every year to offer captives and property to him. The emperor will reward you according to your merits. He will also send historians to the four countries to record your history and information about the alliance of princes.
"According to the king's order, they will be transferred every five years. If their merits are good enough, they can continue to be granted titles. If their merits are not good enough after several years, the emperor will take them back and transfer them to other princes."
Now everyone in the hall was getting restless. The four marquises had obtained the power to convene a meeting with other princes when conquering the barbarians, which meant that they were the masters of the four directions.
It is said that the most important affairs of a country are sacrifices and wars. It is also said that only names and tools cannot be lent to others.
The emperor's sudden transfer of part of the power of conquest and the power of title to the princes was really beyond everyone's expectations.
But in Ji Zhao's view, not to mention that the system of the Four Princes can effectively integrate the armies from all sides to attack the barbarians, the Four Princes will not be able to threaten the Zhou emperor within a hundred years. In a hundred years, the vassal states have risen and fallen, and the status of the Four Princes can also become a tool to provoke the princes. It really has more advantages than disadvantages.
Moreover, Luo State was, after all, one of the vassal states and the foundation of Ji Zhao's survival for hundreds of years. It was not always good for the emperor to be too powerful.
After the initial shock, the princes below the rank of earl began to think, if they did not attend the alliance meeting, would they be retaliated?
The Four Marquises were also thinking about the impact of this policy. Marquis Yan's fiefdom was in the far northeast, and Marquis Hui's fiefdom was in the south of the river, extremely far away from the capital city of Hao. There were not many fiefdoms around them, and most of them were countries of heterosexual men. They were almost fighting alone. If they could recruit some men to fight with them, it would be better than nothing.
The Quanrong in the west is powerful, and the emperor's six armies have always been fighting against them. The emperor has enfeoffed four marquisates with the surname Ji to the west of the royal capital, but no one is sure whether they can resist the Quanrong. If the battle is not going well and the emperor has to send troops, they will certainly be punished by the emperor. Among the four marquises, Bao Hou has the greatest pressure, and at least half of the burden of defending the royal capital in the future will fall on him.
The situation of the Duke of Qi was relatively good. The Dongyi had always been the main target of attack. Qi had been fighting since its founding, but the largest number of princes were enfeoffed in the east, almost half of them. If they could be unified, the influence of Qi would expand instantly.
But precisely because the east is important, several important princes are also here, such as the Song State, an old vassal of the Shang Dynasty. If the Duke of Song participates in the alliance, although he is ordered by the king to be of the same rank as the Three Dukes, the Lord of Song is one of the real Three Dukes and is very powerful. In addition, their status is already different, so can the Duke of Qi still sit in the main seat?
What's more, there is Luo State, one of the powerful states of the Ji clan today. It is also a big country in the east and is not too far away from Qi State. Although Ji Zhao did not go to the country, who can ignore it? The two countries are neighbors, so who would be willing to bow down?
Luoyi was also under construction. Even if Qi could suppress Song and Luo by relying on the king's orders, could it still defeat the emperor?
Although they all have their own ideas, the Four Marquises will naturally not give up the legitimate opportunity granted by the Emperor to unify the princes. The other marquises also want to obtain the title of "obeying the king's orders". As for the lower-ranking marquises, they have no right to speak at such a grand court meeting.
The four marquises bowed their heads in unison, took the scepters symbolizing conquest from the servants, and returned to the ranks.
“When I was on the Eastern Expedition, I saw that the wine vessels and ritual vessels of various countries were in chaos and disorder. When I conquered the Li Kingdom, a mere viscount actually used the Nine Cauldrons to offer sacrifices to the heavens.
In the old days, the ancient king Yu cast the Nine Cauldrons to suppress the Nine Provinces. The Nine Cauldrons received the Mandate of Heaven and were the ritual vessels of the king. The princes used the Nine Cauldrons, so what ritual vessels should the king use? The king is the one who accepts the destiny of Heaven, so he offers sacrifices to Heaven. Isn’t it that the princes’ usurpation is a glimpse of the divine vessels and an attempt to rebel? "
Ji Zhao's voice sounded relatively calm. In the era before the Zhou rituals appeared, this situation was very common, but Ji Zhao could not tolerate it.
The disorder of the ruling class will bring about instability in the rule, which is the biggest variable for him to complete the game. Only a stable political situation is most beneficial to him.
"In response to this situation, I compiled the Zhou Li, which everyone must read. It contains rules for everything from clothing, palaces, food, utensils, carriages, and musical instruments, from birth to death. When you return to the country, you must spread it among the people. If anyone breaks the rules again in the future, the emperor will give an order and the whole country will attack him in an instant, deprive him of his title and country, demote him to a commoner, and draw his body into pieces with five horses!"
Dismembered by five horses!
This kind of torture was not used on scholars and above, no wonder they were demoted to commoners.
Ji Zhao believed that this was a successful court meeting. The ruling group of Bang Zhou passed the national policy for the next few decades with extremely high efficiency, and the entire dynasty went down in history in the way he hoped.
The princes returned to their own fiefdoms with the people and wealth rewarded by the emperor.
The people within the royal capital left the crowded land and served in the vassal states. The best among them could even become vassals of the vassal states. Although they were not nobles or officials of the vassal states, they obtained a fief and were considered to have entered the stage of scholars.
Everyone in Bangzhou has a bright future.
Ji Zhao sat in the royal capital. As his luck points slowly increased, he taught Ji Yun how to be a king and silently watched the news from the princes in various places.
(End of this chapter)
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