Chapter 390: The Year of Yuan Zhao
Even Qiao Yan's ability in civil administration had long been evident from her performance in suppressing the disaster and epidemic and in keeping a check on the barbarians. In the obvious momentum of her pointing the sword to the east, when the bright sunlight was shining on the tip of the phoenix head of the twelve-tassel crown and the long sword in her hand, the first thing everyone felt was the martial virtue of the new emperor who was so powerful that he could conquer the world.
In troubled times, we need such a backbone!
Over the past hundred years, the Han Dynasty had repeatedly spent national treasury resources on suppressing Qiang rebellions. The separatist forces in Yizhou, Jiaozhou and other places had long been left almost abandoned by the central government. The southern part of Yangzhou and Jingzhou was almost a place of exile. Youzhou did not see a turnaround until Liu Yu arrived. Even so, Xuantu, Liaodong and other places in the east of Youzhou were still beyond the reach of the Han Dynasty court.
However, these places had already expressed their submission to Qiao Yan before she ascended the throne, and were firmly controlled by the ministers and generals loyal to the monarch.
When she expressed her desire to conquer the world in such an inspiring tone, no one present felt that this was an unrealistic dream drawn up by Qiao Yan. They only felt that this was something that could really be realized within a few years!
How can it not be achieved?
The Nine Provinces controlled by Qiao Yan far exceeded what the Yecheng court could own, whether in terms of population, military strength, supplies or occupied territory.
While her will was able to be conveyed in a top-down manner, the small court in Yecheng was still controlled by Yuan Shao in a sluggish manner.
And her ascension to the throne at this moment would never cause a sudden and earth-shaking change in the Chang'an court.
From the first year of Jian'an to the years that should have been called the fifth year of Jian'an, Qiao Yan, as the Grand Marshal, was in charge of the government affairs and played a very important role in the construction of various systems and the selection of personnel.
She just took a step forward instead of completely destroying the order of the court.
The deaths of Wang Yun, Chunyu Jia and others were merely the scum in the court who were eliminated first.
Before the coronation ceremony was held, she had already issued an order that the positions of most officials in the court would not change due to this power transfer. At most, the vacant position of Si Tu left by Wang Yun would be handed over to Cheng Yu.
This meant that the Chang'an court's priority at the moment was no longer to balance the possible unrest among various parties, but to unanimously challenge the Yecheng court.
All these accumulated over the years were by no means useless efforts, but were the real steps to the new dynasty of Dayong. They were far more powerful than the platform she was standing on at the moment, causing people to look up to her.
This is their emperor!
The high-spiritedness of the 23-year-old young emperor and the calmness cultivated from years of military service and officialdom, at this moment, blended together in a way that made people feel convinced. A response of "unify the world" came from somewhere, and the sound that broke out in an instant once again became the main theme echoing in the suburbs of Chang'an.
“Although I know that after His Majesty ascends the throne, there will still be a gentle reshuffle in the court of Chang’an, but…” Yang Zan said to Zhao Qi who was standing beside him, “But perhaps this can only be regarded as an inevitability of the current situation. I actually don’t think there is anything unacceptable.”
"This is also the ability of His Majesty." Chen Ji and the two old friends gathered together and said after hearing this.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he was met with speechless looks from the other two.
What they said was that people who could not be promoted when Your Majesty was still the Grand Marshal could now be placed in the positions of Three Dukes and Nine Ministers based on their accumulated merits. Students from Leping Academy would probably have a higher chance of being promoted in Chang'an than those selected from Hongwenguan. There was no comparison between those who had families holding high positions in the court in Yecheng and the smart people who were all devoted to supporting Your Majesty.
Chen Ji didn't have to worry about such things, so his words really sounded like he was showing off.
Although Chen Ji's position as Grand Herald was directly responsible to the former emperor Liu Yu, both Chen Ji and Chen Qun, who was later recruited to Chang'an due to recommendation, were first arranged by Qiao Yan before taking up the post. Since Luoyang was urgently in need of manpower last year, Chen Qun followed there.
In a sense, the Yingchuan Chen family bears a strong mark of Qiao Yan and does not need to worry about their future.
The two people who really need to worry about this are: one is Yang Zan, who had a personal relationship with Wang Yun and even knew that Wang Yun was hostile to Qiao Yan; the other is Zhao Qi, an old guy who has no outstanding descendants and is about to retire.
But when these two saw Yang Xiu and Ni Heng in the crowd, they suddenly felt that they were not the most troublesome ones.
Hongnong Yang family...
If Yang Xiu was the head of the Hongnong Yang family, there might not be too many problems, but at this time the dominant power of the Yang family was still in the hands of his father. Yang Biao happened to be one of the three highest officials in the Yecheng court, and Yang Xiu's mother was from the Runan Yuan family.
When Qiao Yan was still just the Grand Marshal, these problems were not considered a big deal because of his already complicated family connections.
But when she ascends the throne, these troubles will gradually surface.
But right now, it's probably not the right time.
Since today is the day I ascend the throne, I should continue to devote myself to the joy shared between the monarch and his subjects!
After the enthronement ceremony in the southern suburbs of Chang'an, which was an announcement to heaven, earth, and the people, the coronation celebration truly began.
Two consecutive years of drought and unrest did not affect the emperor's enthronement today. Everyone thought of the peace and happiness promised by the man who holds the power of the world, and temporarily threw themselves into the celebration.
In his early years, when Qiao Yan was still the governor of Bingzhou, he had to follow the Han custom and hold the Nuo ceremony to exorcise evil spirits during the New Year one year. However, there was the theory of man conquering nature first, and then the emperor took over. Even if Qiao Yan did not intend to cause too much damage to local customs, he still did not intend to create an atmosphere in this way.
When the people gathered under the high platform heard the loud sound of gongs and drums, they saw the dragon dancing team returning from the south and north towards Chang'an City, and the original silver armored team turned into a crimson wave.
When they passed through the Chang'an city gate again, the team guarding the gate had handed them a lucky bag.
A stone of corn and a handful of sesame in the lucky bag may not seem like much, but when everyone entering the city of Chang'an could get them in this way, they accumulated into a considerable amount.
This is a gift for viewing the coronation ceremony.
If seeing the emperor ascending the high platform was already exciting, then the condolences they received at this moment would undoubtedly give them more confidence.
But it’s not over yet.
"Hurry! Go to the north of the city!" someone shouted in the crowd, and the long line suddenly sped up its evacuation because of the sudden trend of flowing northward.
They walked through the streets of the city, seeing colorful lights that were set up here for some unknown reason, and then headed towards the north gate of Chang'an City, arriving at the banks of the Wei River north of Chang'an.
The management of the Wei River during the Jian'an period made the people of Chang'an less fearful of this great river. Perhaps what was more practical for them was that after crossing the Wei River Bridge, they could reach Chiyang on the opposite side, where the Chiyang Medical College, which could cure diseases, was located.
At this moment, their eyes were all looking at the boats floating on the river.
That was... something sent from the upper and lower reaches of the Wei River to Chang'an.
The stored grain in Hanzhong and Shuzhong had been sent to Meiwu and other places in Youfufeng seven or eight days ago and loaded onto ships. After the carrier pigeon message arrived in Liangzhou, the foreign goods brought from the northwest Silk Road also passed through the Jingshui River Valley and arrived in Guanzhong.
At this time, they were loaded on ships and sailed down the river towards Chang'an, forming a long column that was no less impressive than the cavalry and infantry teams.
More importantly, these abundant grain reserves are not only enough to fill the grain just distributed as ceremonial gifts, but are also enough to fill several more granaries in Chang'an.
Even though the weather this year is slightly milder than the previous two years but still tends to be dry, the people in Chang'an City no longer feel afraid.
The supplies transported from the lower reaches of the Wei River were those that were first transported to Luoyang from Bingzhou and Hedong and then transferred from Luoyang.
Among them were large quantities of cotton, fine seeds, strong liquor, and horses presented by the Xianbei and Xiongnu in the north. Although they were not as dazzling as jewels and ivory, they were also a dazzling sight.
By the way, besides horses, there are also elephants.
The elephants that had been raised in Luoyang since Jiaozhou surrendered had spent the winter in a warm valley specially used to accommodate them. When they were sent to Chang'an at this moment, they still had the energy to be used in battles, and they became a rare thing that the people of Chang'an suddenly saw.
"Is that the thing written in the Leping Monthly that needs to be weighed by boat?" Yu Niang looked curiously at the strange creature that was swinging its trunk, wishing she could imitate the cavalry on the elephant's back and feel the view from that high place.
"Yes, that's something that is domesticated only in Jiaozhou, the southernmost country." The person next to her answered.
Many years ago, when Emperor Huan of Han was in power, people from the Roman Empire once landed from the south to congratulate the court. However, such a scene was not something that those of them in Chang'an could see. With the collapse of the Han Dynasty's order, it had become a glorious moment that could only be remembered.
But at this moment——
At the moment when all the contents in these ships except living things were loaded onto sailing vehicles and transported to Chang'an, although it was still a little bit not enough, it also made people vaguely feel the atmosphere of congratulations from all directions!
Perhaps one day, the words "harmony among all nations" will appear before them in a more shocking way!
But to some Chang'an citizens who were willing to join the army, this scene clearly had another meaning.
War horses and elephants that can participate in combat are the army's mounts.
Millions of tons of grain are what the army relies on for survival when going to war.
Now that Bingzhou's iron mines no longer need to be used to manufacture well-drilling hammers, they can produce sophisticated weapons in a more efficient manner.
And these sailing cars moving against the wind were clearly Qiao Yan's way of telling them in the most straightforward way that the speed of the march would determine the speed of the material transportation under her command, so there was really no need to worry about any problems they would face!
More importantly, do these barbarians mixed in with the crowd watching the ceremony, such as the Xianbei people from outside the Great Wall led by Budugen, dare to try to gain some undeserved benefits from Qiao Yan, or even the coveted land of China?
No, they would never dare!
They should even worry about whether they will be beaten as an example to scare the monkeys before Qiao Yan marches against Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.
Isn’t such a powerful army enough to give people strong confidence and attraction?
That's enough!
When they first came to the high platform south of Chang'an to watch the ceremony, and then came to the north of Chang'an to see such a scene, when they walked back to the suburbs, dusk finally spread over the horizon, and even because it was the transition from winter to spring, the sky soon became a little gloomy.
The people participating in this grand event finally realized that they had been out all day and should have been feeling tired.
But at this moment, above the sky with the outline of Chang'an City as the background, red lanterns began to float and flew high in the wind.
That was the Kongming lantern that had appeared in Xuzhou. After the principle of its launch had been clearly explained, it appeared in a way that was not magical but still shocking in number, lighting up the night sky.
Then, loud roars followed one after another. When everyone couldn't help but think of the sound of the Chang'an Palace gate being blown up and almost wanted to flee in all directions, colorful streams of light rose into the sky from the north gate of Chang'an and fell like gorgeous meteors.
At this moment, the night sky no longer looks like the night sky, but like a painting painted with colorful lights.
When they mustered up the courage to pass through the city gate, they saw that the colorful lights on both sides of the street had been lit up, turning Chang'an into a city that never sleeps.
And now there are some new things on Chang'an Xinlu.
In the middle of this cement road, which was originally used for the emperor's carriage to pass, there were tall paper tubes placed.
The fireworks that burst out from it were like sparkling bouquets of flowers, blooming in front of everyone in an unprecedented manner.
"What are you thinking about?" Yu Niang stared blankly at the scene in front of her. She was almost unable to take a step even when her companions pulled her closer to take a look.
She whispered back, "I wonder what kind of brushstrokes would be needed to depict this scene?"
This is not the colorfulness that can be created by colors, but something that cannot be described clearly.
It seemed like a brand new atmosphere, or like the hope that had been hidden in the bones and blood of Dayong since its establishment.
She looked far away in the direction of the palace gate, and saw Qiao Yan, dressed in the dark gold emperor's robe, disappearing behind the closing palace gate amidst the thousands of brilliant lights. He, along with the emperor's guards who had gathered back to their team, moved into the highest place in Chang'an City.
The next moment, another firework soared into the sky, exploding a red cloud.
Although the night was dark, at this moment, a message emerged in everyone's mind -
In the first year of Yuan Zhao, spring has completely arrived. ：,n,
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