Chapter 21: Four Officials
The ministers of the royal capital all felt a little strange about Luo Su's summons. As for Luo Su's father, they were quite familiar with him.
When the previous Luo Hou assisted the emperor, some of them served under him while others served as ministers in the same palace.
When Luosu came to power, they happened to have begun to replace the next generation. It cannot be said that there was no contact between the two sides, but it can be said that there was not much.
…
As night fell, Luo Su's mansion was brightly lit, and all the royal officials who had assisted the emperor gathered here.
Because Luo Su had not arrived yet, everyone knelt down and whispered to each other.
"Why did Lord Luo suddenly summon us? He said he wanted to discuss something important."
"There are quite a lot of people here, all of them are from the wealthy and powerful families in the capital. It looks like this is a big deal."
"I have a bad feeling. This person is now second only to the Su King in power, and he wants to summon us in such a grand manner. I'm afraid this banquet will not go on well."
"Don't worry, there are so many families. Someone in the clan who worked under Lord Luo once said that this man has a tough style, but he is cautious in doing things and never rushes for success, so he can always succeed. Even if something happens today, he won't ask us to express our opinions on the spot."
"Lord Luo summoned us to discuss important matters. What does this mean? This means that he values us, or our clan. Isn't it an honor to be summoned by the chief of the Regent Council?"
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately agreed by everyone in the room, and the atmosphere became better. The patriarch of the Zhou family who said this, as well as the Shen family and the three Ying families, smiled at each other and began to observe each other's minds.
Luo Su finally arrived late. Seeing that everyone had already arrived, he said with an apologetic look on his face: "Gentlemen, I am really sorry. The Queen Mother summoned the regent to a meeting of the princes, and I am late."
Zhou Yun, the head of the Zhou clan, stood up and saluted, saying with a smile: "Lord Luo, you are the head of the Three Dukes, the chief of the Regent Council, and the chief of the Heavenly Official Office in charge of the Five Officials. This is such an important responsibility.
The destiny of the Zhou Dynasty depends on you. The lives and property of millions of people in all countries of the world depend on you. We are just some humble vessels living under your protection. How dare you give up the great affairs of the world and come to see us?"
Luo Su hurriedly asked everyone to sit down. Teams of maids removed the melons and replaced them with the food prepared for dukes and marquises. The heavy sound of the chimes rang out, and Luo Su then said, "What Duke Dong Zhou said just now is not right. You are not humble people, but the great sages that our ancestor King Su said.
I have been trusted by the three generations of kings, and now I am appointed as the chief of the Regency Council to govern the country. Today I summoned you all to report the great sages you have overlooked in the countryside to the emperor so that he can use them again."
This sentence directly confused the clan leaders who were unaware of the inside story. They were just being modest and were not really country folk. Why would these hereditary nobles need Luo Su to recommend them?
Just when everyone was puzzled, Luo Su suddenly said: "I believe you all know that some time ago, the Western Rong rebelled, and the Duke of Qi led a large army westward to quell the rebellion. Some news was sent back a few days ago, which made me very worried."
Fei Lai, the head of the Ying family, asked curiously, "Lord Luo, you have the talent to rule the world and manage the destiny of the Zhou Dynasty. Even the unruly Xiong Dun could retreat with just one word. What else in this world can worry you?"
Luo Su's words of retreating the army and forcing Xiong Dun to spit out what he had eaten shocked everyone greatly and was also one of the sources of his prestige and merit as semi-regant.
Otherwise, relying solely on the prestige of the previous ruler, even if it was just a fake regent whose divine legitimacy was far inferior to that of the Su Wang period, it would not be enough to take over the power so smoothly. Until now, the ministers of the royal capital still bow their heads and act according to his orders.
“Gentlemen, please don’t flatter me. Xiong Dun is the lord of heavenly soldiers and an invincible god in the world. I am just a mortal, how can I defeat him?
Xiong Dun retreated only because I came here to worship my ancestors and borrowed a ray of destiny from the King of Heaven. As a military leader who came down to earth, Xiong Dun naturally respected heaven and knew his destiny, so he retreated. It had nothing to do with me.
The Su Wang is in charge of the destiny of the Zhou Dynasty, which is of great importance. He should not be disturbed unless it is absolutely necessary. If Xiong Dun was not someone who could be stopped by mortals, I would not have disturbed the Su Wang. "
There are too many legends about King Su, and everyone is half-believing and half-doubting, so they can only suppress their fear in their hearts. Luo Su's eyes flashed a smile, and with a trace of worry on his face, he said: "Human affairs can only be solved by human beings, and this is what I am worried about.
The wilderness of the northwest is so vast, and chariots have always been the deciding factor in the outcome of wars.
The so-called chariots are nothing more than good horses and good cars. In the past, our Zhou Dynasty was able to cast bronze, so we were invincible in battle.
Now the Quanrong also had chariots, and they also captured tall horses from the far west. The western princes said that those tall horses were very strong and fat.
Our Zhou army's horses are inferior to the enemy in terms of impact, endurance, and weight. The Western Army was defeated because they did not have good horses."
This is a lie with open eyes. Is there any reason related to the horse?
Of course there is, no one dares to say there isn't.
But this was an era when cavalry had not yet become mainstream and horses did not play such a significant role.
The horse policy has not been elevated to the level of national policy, but any political goal requires a reason.
Horse is the reason Luo Su found.
As soon as Luo Su said this, everyone's eyes fell on the three Ying families.
Fei Lai, who had been secretly angry for a long time, immediately bowed his head and said: "Lord Luo, the affairs of the royal capital's horse administration have always been in the hands of the Ying family.
The ancestors of the Ying surname were just whip-holding people in Xiqi. They have the status they have today because of the benevolence and reward of the emperor. Now that Bang Zhou needs good horses, it is natural that the three families of the Ying surname have the responsibility to provide them.
The Ying family can provide good horses for the western princes, but..."
At this point, Fei Lai seemed to be hesitant to speak, so Luo Su quickly asked: "Mr. Fei has something to say, but it doesn't matter if you say it, is there anything I can do?"
Then Fei Lai said solemnly: "The royal capital is located between Yi and Luo, which is indeed a place favored by heaven for the prosperity of the royal cause, but in terms of horse breeding, it is far inferior to Haojing.
It is recorded in the classics of my clan that since migrating to Luoyi, the horses raised by my clan no longer have the appearance of celestial horses!
If I want to cultivate good horses comparable to those of the Quanrong in Luoyi, I would feel like a skilled cook is unable to cook without rice.
I beg Lord Luo to allow me to lead my people back to my ancestral land. If you can grant me a fief between Feng and Hao, I will be able to strengthen the horse administration, resist the Western Rong, serve as a barrier for the country, and strengthen our Zhou state. "
Luo Su was stunned on the spot, as if he was shocked by Fei Lai's sudden request. He stammered, "The princes in the capital asked for titles outside the capital, how could I refuse?"
After saying these two sentences, he finally came to his senses from the shock and said happily: "As the horse minister of Bang Zhou, he asked for a title outside the capital. Lord Fei is really a loyal minister of Bang Zhou!
King Su once said that loyal elders will inevitably have loyal descendants. Since Mr. Fei is such a man, I believe that his clan is full of such loyal people."
Fei Lai's face was full of pride, and he said loudly: "Lord Luo, the King of Su said that a gentleman should be modest, but the sons of the clan are really worthy of boasting. The King of Su once said that relatives should not be avoided when promoting people within the clan, so I will brag about myself today.
Not only the descendants of my Fei family, but also the three Ying clans, who are of the same blood, are all loyal and righteous people.
The young men in the tribe are all familiar with the classics written by the Su King, and are willing to dedicate themselves to the great cause of the Xia King to conquer the Yi people and transform the Yi people into Xia people. They have long been looking forward to being the pioneers of the king. "
The two patriarchs of the Xu and Jiang families both had proud expressions on their faces.
As for the others, they were already dumbfounded by Fei Lai's words. Why were the three Ying clans suddenly going to leave the town when talking about raising horses?
Anyone who leaves the capital is a loyal and righteous man?
Is Xia Junyimin the Mandate of Heaven?
What about those of us who are still in the capital? Are we considered disloyal to the king just because of a few words?
"good!"
Luo Su cheered excitedly, raised the wine cup in front of him high, and said loudly: "The Xia King conquered the people and changed the barbarians into Xia people, which is a great cause of the kingly way.
This is the greatest achievement my ancestor has made for the Chinese people.
Gentlemen, we should make known the noble character of the three dukes of the Ying clan!"
Zhou Yun and Shen You, who had been secretly in love for a long time, laughed in their hearts. Some people had not yet come to their senses and numbly raised their wine glasses, drinking them all in one gulp half-heartedly.
Luo Su still had an excited look on his face, and said with emotion: "With the relocation of the capital to Luoyi in recent years, the actions of the Xia monarch to exterminate the people have been quite unsatisfactory compared to the period of King Su.
The root cause is that nobles like us are resting on the merits of our ancestors, living a life of luxury and having long forgotten the hardships we experienced in the past.
I have always been heartbroken about this, but I never expected that today Mr. Fei, Mr. Xu and Mr. Jiang would be willing to return to their ancestral land and start a business with hard work. I am really happy.
I will report this to the Regent Queen Mother tomorrow, telling her of the righteous deeds of the three dukes of the Ying clan, and requesting that Duke Fei be granted the high title of marquis.
Duke Xu and Duke Jiang can also obtain the title of earl.
I will also act as a guarantor for you. In the Qinchuan area, I will grant you a hundred miles of land and give you countless wealth, slaves, weapons and armor.
When you lead your clan to migrate west in the future, don’t forget that there are people in Luoyi who have recommended you. I hope you will report the victory to me as soon as possible, and then I will definitely congratulate you on your behalf!”
By the time the three men with the Ying surname thanked Luo Su, everyone came to their senses. The three men with the Ying surname had discussed this with Luo Su.
Ma Zheng is just a cover, Luo Su’s real purpose is to force the princes in the capital to move out!
The Ying clan was in the royal capital, with a large population and little land. They believed that there was no future in staying in the royal capital, and there were indeed many people who wanted to be granted titles outside the royal capital. They had even communicated with each other privately.
At the same time, as the descendant of King Su, Luo Su was really dissatisfied with the stagnation of Xia Junyi people's progress in recent years, so he thought of them.
A large number of tribesmen who are not engaged in production but have received long-term military training have enough wealth to guarantee the needs of building a country. They also have the titles of ministers and officials within the capital and can be transferred to the ranks of earls, viziers and barons outside the capital.
What was a little strange to everyone was that seeing as how Luo Su had invited all of these people, he seemed to want to move most of the nobles in the capital to outside the capital.
There are so many people, it makes my scalp tingle just thinking about it.
If he is not careful, even with Luo Su's prestige, he will suffer an irreparable failure, which will even affect the major events of Bang Zhou. Given Luo Su's style, how could he do such a radical thing?
At this time, another person who had been arranged long ago came on stage. Shen You, the head of the Shen clan, asked Luo Su a question that everyone was concerned about: "Lord Luo, the Ying clan herds horses for the emperor. If they move west, what will happen to the horse farm in Luoyi?"
On the surface, this question is asking who will herd horses for the emperor after the Ying clan leaves, but in fact it is asking how to fill the power vacuum in the capital area.
This was the issue that everyone was most concerned about. It instantly aroused their attention and made them prick up their ears, wanting to hear what Luo Su had to say.
Our families have served the emperor for generations and are familiar with every aspect of the royal domain. If we are all transferred away, will the royal domain not be governed?
That's what they have in mind.
But Luo Su's goal was not to completely deprive them of their power. In this era when hereditary aristocracy was taken for granted, structural contradictions could not be resolved.
Each generation does its own thing.
What he wanted to do was to postpone the political disaster that would occur in the royal capital within a few decades, or even a hundred years. He wanted to restore the strength and scale of these clans in the royal capital to the state they had when they had just migrated to Luoyi.
These can not only solve the financial problems of the royal capital, but also solve the problem of the nobles gradually eroding the emperor's power.
So Luo Su waved his hand and said with a smile: "What Lord Shen is worried about, I just thought about it and it actually doesn't exist.
After hundreds of years of reproduction, the Ying clan has become a huge force.
There are more than three branches among them. The fact that the descendants of the three clans went west to Qinchuan does not mean that the entire clan has to migrate. Even elderly people like Fei Gong can still stay in Luoyi.
I am the monarch of Luo State, and I am also feasting here with you gentlemen. Over the past few decades, I have stayed in Luo State only a few times.
Among the Zhou Dynasty, how many princes within the capital and outside the capital have the same origin?
Let's not talk about others, let's talk about Dong Zhou Gong Yun, who is also a descendant of King Su, and is of the same clan as me. It's just that he established a separate clan during the time of King Su.
Thinking back to the beginning of the country, when did the boundaries between the inner and outer parts of the capital become so clear? "
Zhou Yun covered her face and said, "Lord Luo is flattering me. The Luo family is the eldest of the Su Wang clan, and we have been offering incense to him year after year. I have changed my family name and established my own clan, and I have never offered even a single stick of incense to him. How dare I call myself a descendant of the Su Wang? You can just call me his offspring."
What Zhou Yun said was indeed correct. A small clan could only worship the ancestors of its own lineage.
In Ji Zhao's system, they are not even considered his descendants. Only the Luo family who have not yet split up are considered his descendants.
Luo Su's words dispelled a large part of the resistance among the crowd, especially since Lord Fei was directly conferred the title of marquis!
These are equivalent to the three highest officials of the emperor, while these senior ministers are only equivalent to the earls.
"Lord Luo, I can only bow my head to show my gratitude for what you said."
Shen You's expression was somewhat serious, and he slowly said: "Lord Luo, my Shen family is descended from the Jiang family. A hundred years ago, we were on par with your uncle's Lu family.
During the reign of King Wu, Taigong Wang made great contributions to the Zhou Dynasty. When King Su was regent, he followed the army in the eastern expedition.
Such great contributions to the Zhou Dynasty were beyond the reach of the Shen family. From then on, the Lu family was granted the title of Qi State, and the Shen family remained in the capital area.
Today, Qi is already a great Eastern country with 30,000 soldiers and has intermarried with the emperor for generations. How noble is that?
Let alone the princes with the surname Jiang, even if you count all the princes in Zhou Dynasty, no matter they are concubines or not, except for Xiong Dun, the Lord of War in Heaven, which other vassal state can have such military power?
I know that my brothers who once lived in hardship in Xiqi are now as prosperous as they are today because of the blessing of God of Zhou.
But Su Wang once said, "Heaven moves with vigor, and a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement."
I sometimes think, if Shen Shi had not stayed in the royal capital, and asked King Su to be sent to a remote garrison, he would have participated in the royal cause of King Xia and the Yi people.
The Shen family would certainly not be in the predicament it is in today, where even the sons of the family who are of marriageable age cannot take out the fiefdom to divide the family.
If the old ancestor knew about this, I would be ashamed to face him."
Shen You actually choked up and looked very sad, which seemed real and fake. Who could say that there was no sincerity in his words?
As soon as Shen You finished speaking, Zhou Yun's voice with a hint of tears came over, "Lord Luo, what Lord Shen just said touched my heart.
When Xiong Dun came north, he was fortunate to have the troops from outside the capital, including those from Luo Gong and Qi Gong, come to the rescue of the king. As a descendant of King Su, I have done nothing, which makes me feel ashamed.
If I can establish a state, I will not be helpless if the emperor is in danger again in the future.
I hope Lord Luo will grant my request for feudal status for the sake of our common clan."
…
Luo Su is one of the most outstanding historical figures in Chinese history. He solved the financial and political crises that gradually emerged in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and greatly eased the land annexation activities of the great nobles against the small nobles in the royal capital. He also restarted the stagnant feudal system and launched the second large-scale armed colonization operation of the Western Zhou Dynasty. He is one of the founders of China's great unification.
In fact, there was no such outstanding politician after the Western Zhou Dynasty until its sudden demise. - "Global History: Western Zhou Volume 2"
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(End of this chapter)
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