Chapter 891 Luo Suhongtu, the International Three Khan System!
The dazzling light shone in front of the wide-open palace door, tinged with a thin layer of gold. From the front of the extremely wide palace, there were layers of stairs rising straight up, just like the legendary stairs leading to heaven.
Luo Su walked up the stairs and stood in front of the palace gate.
The emperor, the retired emperor, the empress, the princes of the royal family, the relatives of the emperor, the generals of the sixteen guards, the prime minister, the officials of various departments, the chiefs of foreign countries, and the rulers of various small countries, countless eyes all looked at Luo Su.
How to describe Luosu?
People who have seen Luo Su have never used words like beautiful or ugly, nor words like young or old. Just as when the moon is bright in the sky, all the stars will retreat. When the extremely rich and profound aura of Luo Su is displayed in front of thousands of people, when the charm of reading an ancient book comes out, everything else can only be details.
Beside him stood a young girl, not yet of marriageable age, with long, soft, jet-black hair, eyes like bright stars, skin like white porcelain, eyebrows like green mountains, and a slender figure like distant eyebrows. She seemed like a bud about to bloom, and there seemed to be a faint fragrance emanating from her.
Luo Junwei was the first child of Luo Xuanye and Li Xiuning. She was deeply loved by both of them and also loved by Li Shimin. In April of the first year of Zhenguan, she was named Princess Anle and her reputation spread throughout Chang'an.
She accompanied the old ancestor Luo Su and walked into the hall without wavering. Li Shimin personally walked down from the throne, came to Luo Su, and held Luo Su's arm, "Grandmaster, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Luo Su chuckled and said, "The glorious moment of the Heavenly Khan should be enjoyed by the emperor alone. This name is really nice. These foreign barbarians also understand what the beauty of the Chinese nation is. I see that many of them have Han faces. They should be Han armed forces that migrated to the Western Regions or fled to the northern frontier, and returned to the Central Plains through the foreign countries."
There were many Han armed forces in the northern border. When the Tang Dynasty conquered the Turks, it received a lot of help from the Han armed forces in terms of sowing discord, using spies, and supplying food and fodder.
These Han armed forces now came to the Tang Dynasty as foreign small countries. Their purpose was to maintain semi-independence, enter the traditional tribute system, and rely on the blessings and commercial benefits of the Tang Dynasty to survive. The Tang Dynasty's monarchs and ministers were well aware of this. This was normal and was equivalent to mercenaries.
Li Shimin smiled and said softly to Luo Junwei: "Weiwei, go to your mother."
After the ceremony, Luo Junwei went to Li Xiuning. Li Shimin and Luo Junwei walked hand in hand to the upper seat. At the upper seat in the hall were Li Yuan and Li Shimin, with Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun sitting on both sides of Li Yuan.
Luo Su had a separate seat, just like the Inspector of the Imperial Guards and the Minister of the Chancellery in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His rank was much lower than that of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, but he had great power, so he had a separate seat during court meetings, known as the "Three Solitary Seats."
The same is true for Luo Su now. His current status is a bit similar to that of a guest of the Tang Dynasty, but not really. He is a teacher of the Tang Dynasty.
The so-called Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents and Teachers.
As the saying goes, it is difficult to be both loyal and filial. One should serve the king with loyalty and serve the parents with filial piety. It is difficult to be both loyal and filial means that the status of the king and parents is the same.
Once a teacher, always a father. The status of a true teacher is no less than that of a parent.
Therefore, between the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the teacher of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor is naturally slightly higher, but the emperor must never treat the teacher with the attitude of treating guests and subjects.
When Luo Su sat down, the court officials of the Tang Dynasty, under the command of the ceremonial officer, saluted with their hands crossed and their foreheads supported, "Greetings to the Imperial Master, may the Imperial Master be safe and sound!"
Luo Su's national teacher was above the three teachers, and all the ministers greeted him. This was known to all the court officials. Seeing this, the foreign people also performed the chest-touching ceremony and bowed down, saying: "Foreign ministers, pay homage to the national teacher!"
Li Shimin said in a loud and majestic voice: "The Imperial Master knows the weather, is good at observing yin and yang, can unite the four directions, and can distinguish ten thousand people. His talent is superior to that of the past and there is no one in the world who can match him. Today, all the countries come to congratulate me. I invite the Imperial Master to come and point out a path and draw a line for the Great Tang, for all the countries, for me, for the rulers of all the countries, for the people of the Great Tang, and for the people of all the countries, so that my Great Tang and all the countries will prosper forever."
Wow!
What Li Shimin said made almost everyone in the hall start whispering. His admiration for Luo Su was so high that no one had dared to imagine before.
Especially in such a diplomatic occasion that is crucial to the Tang Dynasty, the significance of handing this matter over to Luo Su is self-evident.
…
Diplomacy is of vital importance to the Central Plains.
A good diplomacy can ensure the survival of the empire and the resolution of border problems.
These small countries are nothing if taken individually, but as long as they are unified by a strong tribe, they will immediately become a prosperous country with a vast territory and a population of over one million.
This almost accounts for one-quarter or even one-third of the registered population in the Tang Dynasty.
Not only did they have a large population, they also had strong combat effectiveness. The Huns and Turks were able to resist the Central Plains with a population less than one-tenth of that of the Central Plains. There were naturally internal factors behind this, not just good luck.
The people of the grassland live near water and grass. They are good at archery and riding, and are more suitable as soldiers than the farmers in the inland areas of the Tang Dynasty who only know how to farm.
One Han man can defeat five barbarians. This refers to those who are from good families and have received professional training, not just any farmer pulled out from the fields.
Mixing elite Han troops with Hu people at the border was a common practice as early as the Han Dynasty. It was a common practice to maintain the empire's combat effectiveness.
…
In the Taiji Hall, except for Li Shimin and a few others, everyone knelt at the table. After the war dance of the Turkic Khan Jie Li ended, the palace maids replaced the wine cups with new ones for everyone.
Luo Junwei stood beside Luo Su again. Luo Su's voice was very clear, yet heavy, and everyone in the hall could hear it clearly.
"I am honored by King Su's grace to be here today to meet with you all."
There was endless emotion in Luo Su's voice.
He didn't know how long it had been since he had spoken here in front of so many countries like this.
At that time, those kneeling before him were all princes of Ji Jiang, but now, times have changed.
After generations of development, the Chinese now have a stronger foundation and can accomplish greater achievements.
The grace of King Mengsu, for Luo Su, this is not an empty talk, it is the true grace of King Mengsu that allows him to stand here.
Everyone in the hall could only feel as if the mountain was shaking and the water was surging. When Luo Su stood up, it was as if the light dimmed for an instant.
"Gentlemen, a person who is far away from his homeland is like an eagle without wings, but you have come all the way to Chang'an to meet the emperor of the Xia Dynasty. I believe it is because you have learned that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty has been favored by the heaven, has a lofty destiny, and has become the son of the supreme emperor.
You all came to Chang'an in the spirit of peace, unwilling to let the flames of war spread to your own land and cities, unwilling to let your own people fall into endless danger and loss without the right to survive.
You presented the title of Heavenly Khan to the emperor of the Xia Dynasty, hoping that he could bring lasting peace to the grasslands instead of the chaos and slaughter of the past countless years. It is human nature to avoid death and seek survival. How could the emperor not understand this? So the emperor accepted the title of Heavenly Khan and responded to your prayers! "
As soon as Luo Su finished speaking, everyone in the hall burst into thunderous applause.
"Long live the Khan!"
Seeking a new order and maintaining stability is exactly why most countries came to Chang'an.
The goal of these small countries is stability, not hegemony. If you fail to see this, you will not be able to properly handle relations with foreign countries.
Li Shimin was already a little impatient. When he thought about what Luo Su was going to say next, he felt extremely excited.
If he could really do it, he would be the most powerful king in history, ruling over a vast territory and tens of millions of people.
Luo Su's voice still echoed in the hall, and everyone could hear his clear voice clearly, "A snake cannot survive without a head, and a country cannot exist without a king.
There are always evil people in the world who want to destroy the hard-earned peace; there are always ambitious people who try to use evil schemes to achieve their ulterior motives; there are always people who are easily angered and are provoked.
There were always attacks and killings between the various tribes. Due to various reasons, they did not trust each other and were on guard against each other. As a result, countless wars could have been avoided, but they eventually broke out. The result was that both sides suffered losses and left exhausted. No one could escape.
The emperor must be deeply worried about this and is trying to change everything that happened in the past."
Li Shimin immediately responded with a deep and emotional voice: "Since I am the Khan of Heaven, I am the ruler of all the people on the grassland. It is my responsibility to protect my people and to bring peace to all nations. It is my duty to protect my people from harm. I really cannot bear to see my people die.
If the Imperial Master has any good ideas, please bring them forward. I am eager to receive them."
Luo Su laughed out loud and said, "Let me tell you a story. In the distant Zhou Dynasty, there was a country called Song.
Twenty hunters from the State of Song went into the mountains to hunt, but they fell into a pit and could not escape. They were short of food, so they killed each other for food. When they finally escaped, only the three strongest men were alive.
But in fact, the food was enough for ten people, or even enough for twenty people to survive if they could endure starvation, so the seventeen people who died died in vain.
A wise man from Qi learned about this and said with emotion: "When people are between life and death, they want to sacrifice others to keep themselves alive. In the eyes of the Song people, this is probably understandable, but if these Song people can make a covenant, establish a method of sharing food, and then everyone maintains it, this is something that can be avoided. Even if there is really not enough food, there can be a way to choose to let one person live and a few people die, instead of almost everyone dying. "
After Luo Su finished his story, those smart people already knew what Luo Su was going to do. As expected, Luo Su immediately said: "The various countries have given the title of Heavenly Khan to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and asked the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to manage your people thousands of miles away. This must be extremely difficult. In the end, it is up to you to manage your people."
After Luo Su's words were spoken, the officials of the Tang Dynasty showed no expression, while most of the chiefs smiled.
This is a natural law. No one really thinks that defeating the Dong Turks will make countries thousands of miles away voluntarily pay taxes and submit to the country, right?
It may be possible in fantasy, but it is absolutely impossible in reality.
In fact, just think about it, let alone thousands of miles away, even in the Central Plains, those landlords who are so close to the emperor have to find ways to hide their household registration, annex land, and evade taxes, let alone thousands of miles away.
Those places where the sky is high and the emperor is far away.
Don't be fooled by the fact that they are now gathered in Chang'an and submitting to the Tang Dynasty with great sincerity. This is just submission to Li Shimin and the current order. Once Li Shimin dies, they will immediately turn against the Tang Dynasty if it infringes on their interests again.
But can we just ignore this reality?
Of course not. There are different ways of managing nearby people and different ways of managing distant people. During the Ji Zhao period, this was called the Five-Rank System.
The area directly ruled by the emperor was called Dianfu, the countries established around the emperor were called Houfu, outside Houfu were Binfu, and outside of that were Yaofu and Huangfu, basically every 500 li was one fu.
The Dianfu had to pay tribute every day, the Houfu monthly, the Suifu quarterly, the Yaofu annually, and the Huangfu only once.
In the system of the Zhou emperor, it was sufficient for the barbarians to pay tribute once in their lifetime, and it was not considered a violation of etiquette.
The reason for this regulation was that transportation was too inconvenient at the time, and the wilderness was too dangerous, so it was impossible to pay tribute all the time.
A piece of knowledge that may be very counterintuitive is that although Luo and Qi were powerful, among the five levels of service, Luo and Qi were actually the fourth level of service to pay tribute because they were too far away from Haojing.
This situation did not change until the capital was completely moved to Luoyang, and the Zhou Dynasty redivided the country into five levels.
The five-rank mourning system was a compromise choice made by Ji Zhao between the ritual system and reality.
In Luo Su's view, the fundamental political principles in this world are completely the same.
The same principle applies to the Tang Dynasty today.
That day, Luo Su and Li Shimin placed the black pieces on the chessboard, with Chang'an and Luoyang as the center.
As for the white pieces, they are circles, and the only basis for dividing these circles is not simply the distance, but the time it takes for the imperial army to arrive, that is, the time it takes for the most elite imperial guards to enter the battlefield to quell the rebellion after a rebellion occurs.
Five circles were drawn based on the differences in land and water routes, namely within seven days, within half a month, within one month, within three months, and beyond three months.
Within three months, the circle almost included the entire Guanzhong, Shuzhong, Hexi, Henan, Hebei, Huainan, and Jiangnan. It can be said that all the traditional Central Plains areas are included in it.
And a march of three months was almost the limit of the imperial army's deployment.
It’s not that they can’t go further, but not to mention the three-month marching time, the rebels have already made all preparations. Even if they get there, the price they have to pay will only put the Central Empire into a deep financial burden.
It can be said that unless it is for a grand strategy, if such long-distance battles are continuously carried out, the Central Empire, which is based on agriculture, will collapse after just two or three battles.
In fact, after Luo Su told Li Shimin this theory, Li Shimin vaguely felt that if the Tang Dynasty really owned the Western Regions and the grasslands, the military system seemed not suitable for ruling such a vast territory.
After all, the government soldiers have to farm, and they work in rotation, staying in Chang'an for two months at most and one month at least, before they have to go home. If the government soldiers are transferred to the Western Regions for garrison, or to Mobei for garrison, even if they start from Chang'an, it will take at least half a year just on the road.
The round trip would take a year, and the soldiers had to provide their own food, as well as clothes, armor, and horse fodder. It was a heavy burden, and even Li Shimin, who was well versed in military affairs, felt his scalp tingling just thinking about it.
Besides, I have spent more than a year on garrison, and it is impossible to come back soon. I have to stay for at least a few years, otherwise all my time will be wasted on the road.
What should we do with the family’s land? There is no man in the family. In this era, won’t the family collapse?
So when Luo Su placed the fifth white piece on the edge of the chessboard, he said to Li Shimin: "This is the traditional wild land. The so-called wild land refers to the area where the empire will only consume power and it is difficult to gain anything. The grassland and the Western Regions are similar.
But they are also very different. The Western Regions are very important. Although they cannot bring anything directly to the empire, without them, the empire would be like losing a leg.
How did the Han Dynasty rule this country?
It was essentially self-government. At that time, 90% of the troops in the Western Regions were local people. Of course, these local people included the original people of the Western Regions and the Han people of the Western Regions. But no matter what their identity was, they only had the identity of people from the Western Regions. Even the princes guarded by the Liu family and the Wushuang Marquis guarded by my Luo family had been deeply Westernized.
Throughout the Han Dynasty, from Emperor Xuan of Han to the end of the Han Dynasty, the central court was unable to intervene in the Western Regions again.
It's not that we didn't try, it's that we failed.
However, the Western Regions did not cause much trouble to the central court, and perfectly played the role of a commercial transit station leading to the Far West.
So later on, simply the Western Regions Protectorate was set up, and in fact, all the people under it were local people from the Western Regions.
Of course, this was due to the fact that no powerful force rose up in the northern grasslands. When the Xianbei rose up, the Western Regions once again became embroiled in disputes between major powers. "
After learning about this, Li Shimin became more convinced of the suggestions put forward by Luo Su, and he even believed that Luo Su's method was the most suitable for the Tang Dynasty at present.
…
After a brief pause in the whispers in the hall, Luo Su continued, "The Song people do not understand the truth, but you all must understand it. A few years ago, the world was in constant war, and the people of the world were in trouble. When the Tang Dynasty unified the world, the world stopped fighting for several years and the world was stable.
This is why there cannot be two suns in the sky and two kings on earth.
The right and wrong, and the truth of the world all depend on the thoughts of the emperor.
If we apply this to all other places, is there any difference?
Now that all countries have nominated the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty as the Heavenly Khan, they are following the Heavenly Khan. It is said that the Western Regions call him the King of Kings. Therefore, obeying the orders of the Heavenly Khan is the right thing to do.
For example, if the Dong Turks bullied Xueyantuo, they would report it to the Heavenly Khan, who would decide whether it was right or wrong.
There was a commotion in the hall. Everyone had to obey the orders of the Heavenly Khan. Most importantly, the Heavenly Khan was to be the sole arbitrator of international affairs, the most supreme one. Not only the people of foreign countries, but even the officials of the Tang Dynasty looked at him with suspicion.
Luo Su's expression remained unchanged. "The Heavenly Khan receives the grace of the Emperor of Heaven and rules over all the people under the Heaven, and the rulers of various countries are the ones who shepherd the people for the Heavenly Khan.
All the foreign countries that came to Chang'an to pay tribute were divided into different ranks according to the amount of land, the number of tribes, talents, and blood ties. The one with the highest status received a gold seal with the words "Seal of the Scorching Sun Khan bestowed by the Heavenly Khan"; the next one received a silver seal with the words "Seal of the Bright Moon Khan bestowed by the Heavenly Khan"; and the lowest one received a bronze seal with the words "Seal of the Stars Khan bestowed by the Heavenly Khan".
The Khan of the Sun is equivalent to the Prince of the Tang Dynasty, the Khan of the Moon is equivalent to the Prince of the Tang Dynasty, and the Khan of the Stars is equivalent to the Duke of the State. "
Luo Su only mentioned the Khan, but not those below the Khan. This is because he is well aware of the principle of boiling a frog in warm water.
The Tang Dynasty has not yet completely intervened in the strength of these countries, and its military victories are not brilliant enough.
In fact, he prepared a full set of titles for the Hu people, completely separating the titles of the Hu people from those of the other Xia people.
This kind of estrangement is a good thing, as it can encourage the Hu people to join Zhuxia enthusiastically, just like those Hu people who were given surnames before. After getting the Zhuxia surnames, they really regarded themselves as Zhuxia.
The most crucial thing is the attitude of the Han people. Once the Hu people have a standard for entering Xia, as long as the standard is met, the Han people will also recognize this standard.
This is the lesson that Luo Su learned from ancient times. The boundary between the Xia and the barbarians was not very clear, resulting in the lack of an obvious boundary. It was very difficult for the Hu people to integrate into the country. Even if their thoughts were completely assimilated to Sinicization and their bloodline was no longer a big problem, they would still have concerns.
After traveling to the Far West, Luo Su investigated the issue of Rome granting citizenship to the barbarians. He believed that although Rome did a poor job in cultural identity, this clear identity was a viable measure. He combined the actual conditions of the various Chinese and created a more stringent standard that could continuously attract people from outside. Thus, we have the current version of "Transforming the Barbarians into Chinese 2.0".
As soon as Luo Su finished speaking, almost everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was not radical, nor did he have any intention of destroying their countries. As for enthroning the Khan, that was a natural thing.
But the real treat is yet to come. If that were all, it would just be an ordinary idea.
At that time, the feudal system, patriarchal system, Zhou rituals, military system, and the hierarchical society of the Zhou Dynasty were maintained by a set of mutually coordinated systems.
In particular, the coordination and mutual support between the feudal system and the patriarchal system were almost perfect in that era.
Luo Su's voice rose slightly, and it seemed as if there was the sound of metal and stone in it, "In the world centered on the Heavenly Khan, the Khans of various countries grant seals, and the Khans grant seals to the nobles in their countries. Those with seals are legitimate, and those without seals are rebels.
Every three years, various countries would pay tribute to the Heavenly Khan in Chang'an. When the Heavenly Khan toured the four directions, all khans within a thousand miles would go and kneel down to pay homage.
Under the Khanate, peace and stability were the only goals.
Therefore, the countries were not allowed to start wars without authorization. Only those who held the scepter of the Heavenly Khan could start a war, and they had to report to the Heavenly Khan afterwards. In the system of the Heavenly Khan, under the Heavenly Khan, there were only four scorching sun khans, eight bright moon khans, and sixteen star khans.
These three levels of khans will be re-evaluated by the Heavenly Khan every three years. The loyalty, respect and contribution of the tribes to the Heavenly Khan will be important factors in determining these khan positions.
When disputes arise among the countries, Lieri Khan is qualified to offer opinions and suggestions when submitting letters to Tian Khan, but the final decision will be made by Tian Khan.
As long as one Bright Moon Khan nominates and more than half of the Star Khans submit a letter of credence, they can nominate the Sun Khan to depose. This is to prevent the powerful Sun Khan from bullying the weak tribes. "
hiss.
There were sounds of people gasping for air in the hall. The rule was simple and easy to understand. If it were a little more complicated, these Hu people would not understand it. But it was really useful. No matter whether it was a large tribe or a small tribe, they could all play a role in it.
The most important thing is that this rule shows that the Heavenly Khan truly manages the countries as an arbitrator rather than an invader.
After all, the ambitious people are only a minority, and most people just want to make money and enjoy life in peace. This rule protects small tribes, and these tribes will definitely unite around the Heavenly Khan.
“The existence of the Heavenly Khan is to bring peace to all nations, so anyone who dares to undermine this system should be punished most severely, and all nations should unite to fight against him and respond to the orders and call of the Heavenly Khan.
The armies of all countries must accept the command of the Heavenly Khan.
The Tang Empire will also do its utmost to safeguard the security, interests and independence of all countries.
The Tang Empire is like the branches of a big tree. The prosperity of the empire can protect other countries. So if there is a rebellion in the country, the Heavenly Khan can also mobilize the troops of various countries to come to the country to quell the rebellion.
In other words, the armies of various countries will unconditionally accept the call of the Heavenly Khan and offer their loyalty and everything."
After Luo Su finished speaking, there was silence in the hall. The next moment, the King of Shule prostrated himself on the ground and said loudly: "Under the Emperor, the Most High Khan, please accept my loyalty. I am willing to die for you!"
His kneeling seemed to turn on a switch, and almost instantly everyone knelt down.
"Long live the Khan!"
They didn't know what to say and just shouted in unison.
Done!
Li Shimin was excited!
————
Four years after Zhenguan, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty issued edicts to various tribes in the name of "Tian Khan", recruiting tribesmen, conscripting troops, appointing monarchs, and even interfering in major internal decisions.
Adding the title of "Heavenly Khan of the Entire Grassland" to the edict announcing major policies symbolizes that the title of Heavenly Khan under the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is by no means an honor or a false name, but an absolute natural sovereignty over the grassland.
Tian Khan, like the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, was a first-level monarch under the Xia emperors. The Xia emperors had undisputed right to rule the grasslands, and their titles were on par with those of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. They could be called the Hu and Xia double monarchs.
Four years after Zhenguan, a new imperial system rose like the sun. Unlike the traditional tribute system that had no actual binding force in the past, this was the prototype of a world alliance system. It was an international organization. The ultimate goal of the participating countries was to achieve a stable international order with the help of a stable central empire, and then to develop as much as possible in this stable and peaceful order.
The system built by the Han Dynasty wielding swords collapsed. On the ruins of the Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, wielding swords in one hand and holding a staff in the other, once again stood at the top of the East. A picture of an extremely glorious era was completely displayed in front of the entire Tang Dynasty. The one who painted the picture was the Tang Emperor Li Shimin and the other was the Tang Imperial Master Luo Su. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Tang Empire"
(End of this chapter)
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