"I am the first to be willing to stop the war," Cao Cao said, seeing the expressions of the other lords.
“I’m willing too,” Zhang Sai quickly replied.
“I, the King of Chenliu, am also willing,” Emperor Xian said, and to everyone’s surprise, he referred to himself as the King of Chenliu.
So who will be the new emperor? Everyone's eyes naturally turned to Marquis Dingshan.
Wang Han asked the assembled lords, "Tell me your decision: will you cease hostilities?"
They looked at each other, but no one spoke up. Cao Cao, who had already pledged allegiance to Marquis Dingshan, and Zhang Sai, who was now under Wang Han's command, were still a puppet emperor despite Emperor Xian's self-proclaimed title of King of Chenliu, and they had no real territory. The warlords remained silent, turning their attention to Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, who were among the most powerful of them.
Wang Han also turned his gaze to Yuan Shao.
"Lord Marquis of Dingshan." Seeing Wang Han looking at him, Yuan Shao stood up and said, "I have no objection to stopping the war, but I have a question. Just now, His Majesty Emperor Xian called himself the King of Chenliu, so who is the emperor now?"
Seeing this, everyone looked expectantly at Wang Han, waiting for his answer. This might be their chance to strike at or even overthrow the Marquis of Dingshan, because no matter who became emperor, apart from the legitimate Emperor Xian of the Han dynasty, no one could win the hearts of the people; they would all be usurpers, and none of them would submit. (Emperor Xian was a puppet and couldn't control them.)
"It seems you are all very much looking forward to it." Wang Han said, looking at the expectant eyes of the feudal lords, "From now on, there will be no emperor. I have discussed with the King of Chenliu and we plan to return the world to the people and let them be the masters of the country. No official position will be hereditary or appointed by individuals. Even nobles cannot directly become officials and will still have to go through many tests."
"You really dare to say that." Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao was so angry that he wanted to curse. His family had held high office for four generations, and this was the biggest blow to him, but he gritted his teeth and held back. He asked, "Then how should the important matters of the world be resolved? We can't have all the people of the world sit together to discuss them, can we? Not to mention the court, even the entire city of Luoyang can't accommodate so many people."
"Of course, it's not about having all the people sit down together to discuss things, but about holding an election," Wang Han said with a smile. "Let the people elect the people they trust to represent them."
“I disagree,” Ma Teng objected. “Your prestige among the people is unmatched. In the end, you were the one who was elected. In the end, your claim of returning the world to the people is just your rhetoric. You want to become the ruler of the world.”
“There’s no need to worry about the problems you mentioned,” Wang Han said, shaking his head. “First, I will not participate in the people’s election. In other words, I am not among the people’s nominees, and I will personally make this clear to them. Second, it’s not a matter of just one person being nominated to make the decision. Instead, each state will nominate one person, and representatives from all the states will discuss the important matters of the nation together.”
Gongsun Zan said, "What if everyone holds their own opinion? Besides, the various cities and prefectures are hundreds or thousands of miles apart. We can't wait a month or two until everyone arrives before we can discuss things, can we?"
Wang Han said, "First, the representatives of each state will decide which state has the decision-making power to avoid indecision due to differing opinions. However, if half of the people object, the decision will be void. Second, not only will national affairs be discussed and decided by the representatives of each state, but each state will also elect its own representatives. Each state will have its own city representatives discussing matters together, and the representative who comes to Luoyang will be elected by the representatives of each state to be stationed in Luoyang."
Gongsun Zan continued, "What if the representatives of a state fight amongst themselves?"
"First, the people who are nominated have a term of five years. When the term expires, a new nomination must be held. Of course, if the people still nominate themselves, they can continue to be representatives. Second, the people have the right to oppose the nominated person at any time and nominate a capable person. If you cannot bring a good life to the people, the people can naturally remove you from office and replace you."
………………………………………………
On the other side, Liu Bei looked at Lü Bu sitting beside him, his palms and backs sweating nervously. He was filled with regret, regretting coming to Luoyang and regretting kicking someone when they were down. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were also constantly on guard against Lü Bu.
However, when Liu Bei heard Wang Han say that the people should elect representatives, he immediately felt fortunate. He was glad that he had come, as he had a high reputation and prestige among the people, which was an advantage for him.
……………………………………………………
"The monarchical system is established by our ancestors; this violates their precepts," Liu Biao was the first to stand up and object. By doing this, Wang Han had almost completely divided their power, truly returning the empire to the people.
“I disagree as well; we cannot break the ancestral rules,” Yuan Shao also said.
"I disagree as well."
I disagree.
…………
One by one, the feudal lords objected; apart from Cao Cao, Zhang Sai, and the King of Chenliu, no one agreed.
"I disagree too," even Liu Bei, who was sitting at the two tables on either side, objected. "If Wang Han does this, dividing power to the extreme, then what kind of lords are they?"
"Violating ancestral teachings? The Han Chinese people were originally a matrilineal tribal clan system, then a patrilineal tribal clan system, and then Emperor Fuxi established the imperial system. The throne was not hereditary but was abdicated to the capable. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and it was not until the fifth emperor, Yu the Great, that the hereditary imperial system was established." Wang Han retorted, "The systems left by our ancestors have been constantly changed, and now that women have a low status, does that also violate ancestral teachings? I think none of you would dare to say that. Change is for progress, for the nation to adapt to the new era and live a better life. Without change, there would be no present. The nation cannot not progress."
Upon hearing this, the feudal lords all fell silent. They could not refute Wang Han's words, but they would absolutely not allow any attempt to divide their power.
"Marquis Dingshan, this matter is of great importance. Let's discuss it another day. Let's talk about other things," Yuan Shao said. Unable to refute, he would delay and look for a solution. If anyone else had dared to make such a suggestion, he would have drawn his sword and killed that arrogant person long ago. Unfortunately, even all of them combined couldn't defeat Marquis Dingshan.
“Alright, I’ll give you some time to consider this matter, although some people feel there’s no need to consider it at all,” Wang Han said. “Now let’s discuss the second matter. Women’s status is low now, and some people even treat women as commodities, or even as dispensable tools, or as clothes that can be discarded at any time. But who in the world is not a child of their own mother? Filial piety also includes respecting one’s mother. They are also women, so I propose to raise the status of women and make their status the same as that of men.”
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