Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 366: Rise of the Han Dynasty, Peach King

Hengzhou, Pingcheng.

All officials lined up at the north gate.

Soldiers wearing different armors held various ceremonial weapons, some holding axes and some holding yellow flags, and were distributed at various positions outside the north city gate.

There are requirements for their standing positions, they cannot just stand randomly. From the clothes they wear, to the objects in their hands, to their standing posture, there are many considerations in every aspect.

Wei Shou walked among these people, followed by more than ten officials, moving back and forth in their "formation".

Wei Shou calculated the positions of these people in his mind, and kept giving orders to the officials on his left and right, "After you see the lord later, the two ceremonial guards in front should move faster and make sure the staffs are facing His Majesty. The ones over there should always face north."

Various flags were flying in the wind, and there were many musicians standing in different positions, some even standing on a high platform.

Putting aside other things, just talking about this situation, there is really some mysterious and wonderful feeling.

All the officials stood in front of the formations, also in arranged positions.

Yang Xiuzhi stood at the front, watching Wei Shou busying himself in the distance, with some disdain in his eyes, and said to Cui Jishu beside him: "Don't look at Duke Wei as someone who doesn't do anything, but his ability to pretend that he can do things is really good."

Cui Jishu chuckled and said, "Duke Wei is not without talent. The current government system relies heavily on him. You can't say that."

"When the lord was not in Pingcheng, he was not seen all year round. Now that he is back, he is jumping up and down, wishing he could hang himself on the flag for the lord to see."

Yang Xiuzhi said disdainfully: "I must tell this matter to my lord."

Cui Jishu closed his eyes, shook his head helplessly, and was unwilling to continue talking.

Gao Yu, who was standing at the front, turned his head suddenly and asked seriously, "It is enough to complete your duties without any mistakes. What's wrong with wanting to show off your talents in front of the lord?"

Yang Xiu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your Excellency is right."

Several old ministers stopped talking.

On the other side, the voice never stopped.

"Mr. Cui, let me tell you, these flags are all very particular. The one with a spike represents triumph, and the one with a long feather represents the princes returning from the expedition. And their positions, have you noticed? They are using the three-division formation, which means that the left, center, and right armies are welcoming the king together. And those..."

Lu Qubing was happily explaining these contents to Cui Gang who was standing beside him.

Cui Gang wanted to explain several times that he knew all this.

But Lu Qubing didn't give him the chance to speak or interrupt.

"Did you see that?"

"All the ministers came out to greet Tao Zi with the etiquette of welcoming a king. What does this mean?"

"This shows that Taozi has become the popular choice and can be crowned king. Everyone recognizes him!"

"I heard that Taozi came back this time to be crowned king."

Cui Gang finally found an opportunity to interrupt, "Mr. Lu, you shouldn't address the master by his name in front of outsiders."

Lu Qubing smiled and stroked his chin, "If even I start to use honorifics for him, won't he really become a lonely man?"

"You are an old man who has followed him for a long time. Don't learn from these people. He still prefers you to call him brother instead of lord."

"Otherwise, why would he want to become a king? Wouldn't it be better to just become an emperor in one step? I just think it's troublesome, that's definitely the case."

"Are you hungry?"

"Look, I carry two lords with me. Would you like to try one?"

Cui Gang couldn't leave, nor could he stay. Lu Gong had been talking for nearly half an hour. He had never thought about his lord like this before. He just hoped that his lord would come soon so that he wouldn't have to suffer such torture! !
Perhaps Cui Gang's prayers had some effect, as a knight appeared on the road in the distance, galloping over and shouting that the lord had arrived.

Lu Qubing finally stopped talking.

All the ministers were ready.

When Liu Taozi led the army slowly appeared in the distance, the musicians hurriedly began to play music.

Of course, the music played is also very particular.

The music played was a piece of music to welcome the king, which directly promoted Liu Taozi to a higher rank. In fact, this was also the ministers' way of expressing their loyalty in their own way.

Liu Taozi looked at the situation in front of her, then looked at Zu Ting beside her.

"It seems that it is not easy to simplify it."

Zu Ting laughed out loud.

Along the way, the lord had always told him to be king in a simple manner and not to have too many ceremonies and etiquette. He didn't care about these things, but he had just arrived and the ministers were welcoming him in such a grand manner. It seemed that it was really not easy to be simple.

Liu Taozi got off the horse and everyone bowed to him again and again.

Immediately, several ministers walked out of the crowd, walked quickly to Liu Taozi and reported the situation of the reception.

There are many etiquettes.

Those who took the initiative to come forward were Gao Yin, Lu Qubing, Cui Jishu and others.

Zu Ting stood aside, staring at Gao Yun.

In the entire temple, the only person he was worried about was Gao Yin.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that most of the people in the temple are old ministers of Qi.

These old Han ministers had long given up on the State of Qi. Probably they had given up when Yang Dadu was brutally murdered in the imperial palace.

From then on, no Han scholar-official ever submitted a memorial to advise the emperor again. The palace was filled with disputes among royal family members. Either they were royal family members, the emperor's male favorites, or his relatives by marriage. There was no real Han minister standing up to speak or do anything.

When someone like Zhao Yanshen became the leader of the Han literati, one can imagine what kind of mentality these ministers had.

It's good enough that they didn't applaud the fall of the Great Qi, but they still miss their homeland? Nonsense!

But Gao Xun is different.

This person is a true royal family member, the son of Gao Huan.

He is highly respected and is considered the most famous among the current royal family members.

Zu Ting wanted to know his attitude, whether he could stay or send him away.

If this guy showed even a little bit of grief and anger, Zu Ting would sacrifice his own official title and kill him. He had plenty of ways to kill him.

Gao Xun himself doesn't seem to have changed much, he is still the same as before.

When he saw Liu Taozi, a smile appeared on his face and he said the first sentence.

"My Lord, since the beginning of winter this year, no one has been frozen to death in Hengzhou."

Liu Taozi nodded gently, "Very good."

"What about the other states and counties?"

"Although the other states cannot do as well as Hengzhou, the number of deaths has decreased a lot compared to the past. The Youzhou government reported that 965 people died of freezing. Last year, the local government reported more than seven times that number, not counting the dead."

Spring brings growth, winter brings death.

This is not only reflected in the plants and trees, but also in the people of this era.

Even for dignitaries, winter is a fatal threshold. It is difficult for people of a certain age to survive it, not to mention the common people. Once winter comes, they die in large numbers, and the whole place is covered with white snow.

"Lord Gao has made great contributions to the country."

Liu Taozi praised.

Gao Yu hurriedly shook his head, "This is the work of many people. The plan was made by Wei Shou and others, the supervision was done by Cui Jishu and others, and the implementation was done by the governors and prefects. I just watched them do it."

"Everyone has contributed, but you are the first to do so."

Liu Taozi said this, and then went to meet the ministers.

Everyone came to pay their respects, complimenting Liu Taozi on his great victory and praising his great cause. Liu Taozi listened to them calmly, hastily ended this grand welcome, and led everyone into the city.

Gao Yin rode a horse and followed Liu Taozi.

"Gao Lingjun, what do you think about the proclamation?"

"I want to thank you, my lord, for giving dignity to Emperors Shenwu, Wenxiang and others and retaining their sacrifices and titles."

"I plan to make you the heir of Shenwu and make you the King of Qi. What do you think?"

Gao Yu immediately shook his head, "Not appropriate."

"Oh? Why is it inappropriate?"

"If the lord has already ascended the throne and become the emperor, then you can confer the title of King of Qi on me and let me keep the sacrifices and names of my father, elder brother and others. This is the lord's kindness, but now the lord has not yet ascended the throne and is only the king."

"If you rush to confer the title of King of Qi on me right now, the previous proclamation will fail." "The purpose of the proclamation is to let the world know that Duan Shao is not legitimate, but once I am made King of Qi, the effectiveness of the proclamation will be greatly weakened."

"In addition, the title of King of Qi belongs to the title of Prince. If the Lord wants to be promoted to King, he will also be a Prince. A country cannot have two masters, even in name only."

"My Lord, do not be anxious. Wait until you defeat Duan Shao and seize the world. If you still think my contribution is enough, then let me inherit my father's name. I will not refuse."

Zu Ting, who was walking behind, could not help but sigh: "This is truly the words of a loyal and virtuous minister!"

Everyone went back to the palace.

Liu Taozi sat in the upper seat and all the officials took their seats.

It was grand and orderly, and it finally looked like a formal imperial court.

It was a change from the original grand occasion of "heroes gathering together", with order from top to bottom and clear etiquette.

Everyone was familiar with this kind of scene, and each of them began to write a letter to report.

Zu Ting spoke first, announcing the process and results of the battle.

Starting from the recovery of Qingzhou and Guangzhou, all the way to defeating Huang Fachu and recovering Jinyang.
Zu Ting's articles were actually very good. He could write poems, essays, and more official reports.

As he read aloud, the words became even more majestic. Those who didn't know would have thought that Liu Taozi had gone there and destroyed a country and returned.

After praising the heroic feat of this expedition in a menacing manner, Zu Ting took out the next letter and immediately talked about the content that everyone was most concerned about.

Yes, it is a manifesto to attack the State of Qi.

The manifesto in Zu Ting's hand was certainly not the original one that was purely insulting.

Zu Ting first criticized Gao Zhan and Gao Wei, describing how terrible the country had become under their rule, how miserable the people were, and how miserable the wise men were.

He then stated that with Duan Shao killing Gao Wei, the State of Qi officially perished.

He used the word '执', not even '尸'.

Zu Ting said that after the demise of Qi, the world needed a heroic leader to lead the people to create a peaceful and prosperous world.

Zu Ting spoke very quickly, and mostly hit the key points.

The officials were somewhat surprised.

They knew that their lord was coming back to do something big this time, but they didn't expect that their lord would be so anxious.

Logically speaking, shouldn’t such a matter be discussed several times, with important domestic officials, before proceeding?

Zu Ting quickly explained the current situation of no one in command, which was really worrying.

but! !
Zu Ting changed the subject and the following content began to revolve around Liu Taozi.

Zu Ting first talked about Liu Taozi's talents.

The general was born as an official. Starting from Cheng'an, he made achievements along the way. He was recognized for his political achievements, military merits, and benevolence.

"The general was born as a clerk, and was promoted to a patrol officer because of his merits. Later, he established a peaceful and orderly government. No one picked up things on the road, and no one locked their doors at night. Thieves disappeared, and everyone praised him. He was recommended by the county magistrate and appointed an official. He was also appointed as the county magistrate in Liyang. He cleared out the big thieves in the county, stabilized people's livelihood, granted them arable land, and recovered the dead. His political achievements were the best."

"He served as a lieutenant in Boling, trained elite troops, drove out bandits, and defeated rebellion."

"He served as the garrison commander in Wuchuan, defeated the Xi people, defeated the Turks again, was appointed general, defeated Yang Zhong, and killed the Turkic Khan"

"Govern Heng and the New Moon, and make it prosperous. The wise will come to you, the villains will flee, the people will have a place to live, they will have clothes in winter and food in the daytime."

"Advance to the general of the guards, behead Yang Zhong, kill Hou Longen, and attack Chang'an."

"Advanced to the rank of general, captured Guangzhou, executed Wu Mingche, and defeated Huang Fachu."

As Zu Ting praised him, everyone was more and more astonished. This experience was indeed impressive! He really worked his way up from a minor official to a general in just seven or eight years!
After Zu Ting told the truth, he changed the subject again and started talking nonsense.

"It was very cold at the border before, and even the livestock couldn't survive the winter. But since the general took office at the border, the weather has warmed up! With the Great Wall as the boundary, outside the general's jurisdiction, it is still snowy and cold, but under the general's jurisdiction, the weather is good and the harvest is good."

This is the beginning of the story of the general's destiny.

However, this does not seem to be false, because everyone knows that this is a real strange thing that happened!!
After Liu Taozi came to power, the weather at the border began to warm up, and the Great Wall was used as the boundary. Tell me if this is destiny?

After that, Zu Ting talked about several supernatural events.

There was a stone appearing, a fox calling, a nursery rhyme, and all the possible precedents were used.

At the end, Zu Ting talked about the results of his research.

To become a king, three conditions are required. The first is merit, which is the content of the first paragraph. The second is destiny, which is the content of the second paragraph. The last is bloodline.

At least before a beggar comes up, bloodline is still a necessary condition. If you can't find an ancestor who was an emperor, you have to at least find a reasonable one, even if it's your father.

Zu Ting spoke very seriously about his research, citing a large amount of historical materials and records to prove his words.

This is at least more reliable than Hou Jing's research. When Hou Jing was about to ascend the throne, others asked him about his origins, and he said he only knew his grandfather and father.
Everyone listened very carefully.

They did not doubt Zu Ting's research results. If there was anything wrong, it must be that the records were wrong, and the truth was just as Zu Ting said.

Zu Ting spoke for a long time and finally finished his proof.

He finally said: "It seems that the only one who can succeed Qi to govern the world is you, my lord."

Zu Ting cleared his throat, put down his things, walked quickly to Liu Taozi, and then knelt down.

"The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I ask you to ascend the throne, establish the Han Kingdom, pacify the people in the country, and rule the world."

All the ministers were stunned.

Ah? ? ?
Wei Shou stood up first. The old man ran to Zu Ting at an extremely fast speed and knelt down together with him.

"My lord, please put the country first! Put the world first! Enter the King of Han and help the world!!"

Wei Shou's lips were trembling and his eyes were full of tears, as if he would die here if Liu Taozi didn't agree.

Everyone then reacted, and many of them cursed Wei Shou as an old thief in their hearts, but they all stood up faster than each other, scrambling to be the first.

A moment later, a group of people knelt down in front of Liu Taozi.

This is how the first persuasion began.

Liu Taozi looked at everyone.

He nodded.

"it is good."

Wei Shou, who had been full of excitement just now, was now a little unable to hold back.

You are a little embarrassed to refuse. I usually refuse three times, and some people refuse more times. You just don't want to follow suit. At least give us some time to prepare. You agreed before we are ready. What should we do next?

Isn’t this a bit too hasty?
While everyone was confused, Zu Ting had already stood up.

"play music!!"

"The King of Han ascends the throne!!"

"From today on, Hebei will establish the Han Dynasty. All officials will immediately discuss the reign title and other matters concerning the founding of the country!!"

Wei Shou was in a daze. He knelt down loudly along with the other ministers. Before he could react, he became a minister of the Han Dynasty.

This big man ascended the throne faster than the Xianbei people!

None of the ministers were prepared, and this was exactly the effect Zu Ting wanted. After all, he was already prepared.

This title of Jinwang is different from Liu Taozi's original title of Junwang. This Wang is a prince, the king of a country, not the king of a county.

Although unlike the enthronement of an emperor, one does not have to consider rewards for ancestors, designate a new calendar, rituals, etc., but one still has to designate a new era name, new titles, new systems, new etiquette, etc.

Liu Taozi did not participate in these matters, but just sat in the upper seat and let Zu Ting express his ideas to the ministers.

The ministers also discovered that Zu Ting came prepared. It was obvious that he wanted to take advantage of the time when everyone was unprepared to impose all his private goods on the ministers and the new country.

Cui Jishu had no choice but to step forward and advise.

The ascension to the throne is too important a matter. I hope the King of Han can give his ministers three days to discuss the next major event.

Liu Taozi didn't object either, he always looked calm.

There was no excitement at all about founding a country. Instead, those original veterans were extremely excited at this moment. Their bodies turned red and they couldn't wait to raise their heads and shout.

They finally have their own power!!
Liu Taozi was just in a hurry to go home.

There is also a pseudo-Qi general to deal with at home.

ps: I went to Beijing today and came back late, so I didn’t have time to update. I’ll take a leave this time. I have good news. If nothing goes wrong, the book Northern Qi may be published as a physical book. I really hope it can be published. I don’t have a physical book in simplified Chinese yet. If it is really published, I will send some to all the wise men to express my gratitude and expectation! !
(End of this chapter)