Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 453 The Tang King Acts as Emperor

Ascending to the throne and declaring oneself king is easy, but establishing an official system and appointing civil and military officials is not. It took Zhang Yu two months of hard work to settle the affairs of the state. As the twelfth month approached, the ministers discussed the matter of declaring themselves king.

The date for his coronation as king was set for the Gengchen day of the twelfth month, an auspicious day suitable for offering sacrifices.

Half a month before Zhang Yu ascended the throne, Ying Shao formulated the rites for Zhang Yu and his ministers and arranged the procedures for the day of his coronation. The key point of contention among the scholars was whether or not to establish a reign title.

For example, Vice Minister Fu Gan argued that it was inappropriate to establish a reign title. He stated that although the Han dynasty had been usurped by Yuan Shu, it was still the legitimate dynasty. Now, Zhang Yu's successor as King of Tang was the King of Tang of the Great Han, therefore it was inappropriate to establish a reign title; instead, the Jianxing reign title should be continued. However, if one wished to calculate the duration of the Tang kingdom, a chronological system would suffice.

Fu Gan, a member of the Fu clan in the north, was emotionally inclined towards the Han dynasty, and therefore hoped that Zhang Yu would strictly adhere to the rites and laws. While some opposed this, others agreed.

Xin Ping argued that the need for an era name indicated that Yuan Shu had usurped the Han throne, and that the Emperor of Shouchun was not legitimate, thus contributing to the decline of the Han dynasty. An era name is a designation used by the emperor, but now that the Han emperor had been killed in Chen, there was no common ruler. Since there was no common ruler, using Jianxing as the era name would be contrary to propriety. Therefore, when the Tang emperor ascended the throne, it was appropriate to use an era name to mark the years.

The debate over the reign title began, and many civil officials participated, submitting memorials to Zhang Yu to express their opinions, some in favor and some against.

Although the reign title is a minor matter, the fact that people are arguing about it now makes Zhang Yu realize that there are many in the world who still cherish the Han dynasty. Zhang Yu is not angry about this, after all, it would take at least two generations for the people to accept the Tang dynasty.

In order to quell the dispute, Zhang Yu invited Cai Yong, who was over seventy years old, to come out of seclusion. As a great Confucian scholar, Cai Yong was questioned by many for his biased views, but his reputation was so widespread that his voice was undoubtedly powerful.

However, Cai Yong was mindful of his relationship with Zhang Yu, so he started by explaining the origin of reign titles. He said that the reign titles were first adopted by Emperor Wu of Han, and before that, emperors used the year as their reign title. Both emperors and kings could use the year as their reign title. Now, Zhang Yu was the King of Tang, and the country had no emperor. Therefore, there was no conflict in etiquette or law between Zhang Yu and the reign title he established.

With Cai Yong's endorsement, Zhang Yu took the opportunity to solicit reign titles from the public.

Since the world is still in turmoil, the emperor needs to establish his power through military force. Therefore, there was no dispute over the selection of reign titles, which naturally included the character "武" (military). In fact, this was also the case for the reign titles of the founding emperors of various dynasties, such as Jianwu of Liu Xiu, Hongwu of Zhu Yuanzhang, and Wude of Li Yuan.

After considering numerous reign titles suggested by various people, Zhang Yu ultimately chose "Shenwu" as his reign title. The name "Shenwu" reveals Zhang Yu's ambition to expand his territory and his desire to establish great military achievements.

The sunlight dispelled the morning chill, and tens of thousands of people gathered at the altar built north of Chang'an along the Wei River.

On the altar, drums and sheng were played, and musicians sang in unison.

To showcase Zhang Yu's martial prowess and create a grand spectacle, ten thousand soldiers are participating in the ceremony. Therefore, thousands of soldiers surround the altar, their infantry formations perfectly aligned, their banners blotting out the sky.

Along the steps leading to the altar, burly, armored warriors, heads held high and chests puffed out, wore expressions of pride and solemnity. They had already enjoyed the fruits of victory, and now that Zhang Yu had established his kingdom, how could they not be proud?
Dressed in formal attire and wearing a crown, Zhang Yu arrived at the foot of the altar steps at a leisurely pace, greeted by his ministers.

The moment Zhang Yu stepped onto the steps, the surrounding sounds suddenly became enthusiastic, with ceremonial songs soaring, music playing loudly, and bells and drums blaring, resounding all around the altar.

Slowly walking up to the high point of the altar, Zhang Yu, under Ying Shao's guidance, knelt on the prayer mat and bowed three times to the sky.

Ying Shao unfolded the memorial and read aloud: "It is said that punishing the guilty and saving the people is the way of a king's army. This has been evident throughout history. When the Yellow Emperor killed Chiyou, when King Tang of Yin conquered Ge Bo, and when King Wen attacked Chong Hou, the three sages raised armies not to enrich the world, but to save the people."

“I have recently witnessed the end of the Han Dynasty. The emperor lived deep in the palace, the eunuch faction caused chaos in the court, officials were appointed through bribery, and criminals were pardoned through favoritism. The censors recommended relatives and impeached enemies, and the officials assigned poor people to high positions while favoring the rich. The court did not take this seriously. Instead, it added redundant officials, levied taxes, and forced hundreds of thousands of people to work. It even launched a western expedition against the Qiang and Hu tribes but could not stop the fighting.”

"This led the ignorant people to fall under the spell of the sorcery, failing to understand the absurdity of the verses, and blindly believing in the descent of the Yellow Heaven to earth, hoping that it would bring peace to the world and relieve their suffering. They gathered into a moth-and-ant-like moth, occupied Hebei, and spread to Ru and Ying. Once the sorcery was spread, the evil plot was carried out. They burned down cities and walls, slaughtered scholars and officials, and poisoned the lives of the people in countless ways."

"After the Han dynasty quelled the rebellion, He Jin caused chaos. Cao Cao replaced the crown prince and brought Dong Zhuo to the capital, causing chaos in the He Luo region. He deposed and installed emperors, and plundered and raped scholars and commoners, causing widespread resentment. The warlords of Guandong, under the pretext of punishing the rebels, raised large armies to attack him, all wanting to establish their own power. Internal strife and annexation began, and ultimately they could not save the world and bring peace to the people. As a result, the world collapsed."

"Yu was originally a commoner from the Daishuo region. He was initially listed as a filial and incorruptible official and gradually rose to the position of military commander. He saw through the seditious rumors and realized that he could not accomplish anything. He also realized that Dong Zhuo's rebellion would make it difficult for him to achieve merit. Therefore, he led his troops to Shangdang. With the help of the spirit of heaven and earth and the strength of his generals, he was able to take over Bingzhou in one battle and quell the chaos in the northern frontier. In a second battle, he pacified Guanzhong and quelled the bandits that other warlords had failed to subdue."

"The westward expedition to Longyou swept across a thousand miles, reclaiming the prefectures and territories occupied by the Qiang people. The Han family was captured, and Ma Teng surrendered. The Yuan family claimed the title and occupied Hebei. They then raised an army to punish them. The war broke out in Guandong, and the Yuan family suddenly died. The brother states were torn apart, and Zhao, Wei, and Bohai were all incorporated into the territory. Although they occupied the coast, their destruction was only a moment away."

"Now that the tyranny of the Yuan family has been abolished, the people of Hebei are living peacefully in their fields. Although the influence of virtue has not yet reached them, the government has been quite effective. Therefore, we now control a vast territory with tens of millions of Han and Hu people. The reason why they have submitted is due to the achievements of Yu."

"It is said that those who achieve great deeds must have virtuous governance; those with virtue will surely be granted titles. Now the Han dynasty is in decline, Chen and Yuan have committed evil, and the emperor has passed away. Therefore, I burn this edict to Heaven, requesting to succeed the Tang king, establish feudal lords, distribute the people among them, and protect the Chinese people..."

Soon, Ying Shao finished reading the nearly 1,000-word document in a long and eloquent manner, and then handed it to Zhang Yu.

Under Ying Shao's guidance, Zhang Yu threw his memorial into a blazing cauldron. As the flames consumed the memorial, it symbolized that Zhang Yu had submitted a petition to Heaven, and Heaven had granted his request to ascend to the throne of Tang.

During the Han Dynasty, the concepts of "Son of Heaven" and "Emperor" were different. For example, the Zhou Dynasty had the concept of "Son of Heaven," while the Qin Dynasty had the concept of "Emperor." The Son of Heaven was the common ruler of all under Heaven, the shared monarch of both the Han and non-Han peoples; the Emperor was the head of all the rulers and subjects, and his territory was limited to the actual territory he possessed.

Because the concepts of "Son of Heaven" and "Emperor" are different, each possessed three jade seals: the three seals of the Son of Heaven and the three seals of the Emperor, resulting in a total of six seals. The Son of Heaven's jade seal was used to exercise the power of bestowing titles upon vassal states and issuing edicts to vassal states; the Emperor's jade seal was used to bestow titles upon princes within the country and to exercise power over his subjects.

In short, the three imperial seals were used by vassal states, while the three imperial seals were used by the emperor himself. Since the emperor was the ruler of all under heaven, his position needed to be recognized by Heaven and possess uniqueness; hence, "there cannot be two suns in the sky, nor one ruler in the country." There were two ways to obtain the throne: external abdication and internal abdication. First, the founding emperor would offer sacrifices to Heaven, seeking its consent to be crowned emperor—this was external abdication. Second, the crown prince would inherit the throne from the previous emperor through patriarchal succession—this was internal abdication.

Liu Bang ascended to the throne through abdication; Liu Xiu, though a member of the Liu clan, also ascended to the throne through abdication.

Now Zhang Yu, holding the title of king, performs the ritual of burning offerings to Heaven, thus falsely claiming that there is no legitimate emperor and no one to bestow titles upon him. Therefore, he righteously and earnestly requests Heaven to grant him a title.

According to etiquette, a feudal lord should only have one seal. However, in order to please Zhang Yu, Ying Shao simply had three imperial seals and one Tang king seal engraved on Zhang Yu, so that Zhang Yu could exercise the power of the emperor as a king.

The complexity of the ritual system left Zhang Yu speechless. Only a group of people who understood the ritual system would dare to confuse the emperor with the Tang king.

Previously, Zhang Yu, fearing it would violate etiquette, politely declined Ying Shao's request. However, Ying Shao argued that the former Zhou dynasty had a Son of Heaven but no Emperor, so why couldn't the current King of Tang exercise the powers of an Emperor?
After hearing Ying Shao's words, Zhang Yu went along with his wishes, since in the eyes of laymen, the Prince of Tang was neither an emperor nor the Son of Heaven. Ying Shao, taking advantage of this, was appointed by Zhang Yu as the Minister of the Imperial Clan, one of the Nine Ministers.

After receiving the four imperial seals, the ceremony of becoming king came to an end, followed by the imperial edict appointing officials.

Vice Minister Xin Ping stood on the lower steps, holding the imperial edict and reading out the list of those to be awarded.

Zhong Yao was appointed Chancellor, concurrently serving as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Privy Councilor. He was also enfeoffed as Marquis of Dingling with a fief of 1,300 households.

Du Ji was appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, in charge of the Privy Council, and enfeoffed as Marquis of Weixiang with a fief of eight hundred households.

He appointed Guo Tu as Secretary-General, entrusted him with matters of the Privy Council, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Liuxiang, with a fief of one thousand households.

Yu Yi was appointed as the Chief Accountant, concurrently serving as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yanling, with a fief of 1,400 households.

Lü Fan was appointed Commandant of the Capital Region and enfeoffed as Marquis of Xiyang, with a fief of 1,200 households.

……

Dong Zhao was appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and enfeoffed as Marquis of Duting, with a fief of four hundred households.

The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are discussed in a separate document. The Three Dukes are Liu He, Wang Hong, and Wei Duan, each with their own fief. Among them, Liu He's fief is ten thousand households, which is the most generous among the officials. The Nine Ministers are Feng Fang, Grand Herald; Zhang Ze, Minister of the Imperial Treasury; Ma Teng, Commander of the Imperial Guard; Wang Chen, Minister of Justice; Ying Shao, Minister of the Imperial Clan; Cai Yong, Minister of the Imperial Household; Zhang Lu, Minister of the Imperial Sacrifices; and Zhang Ji, Minister of the Imperial Stud.

……

Xun You was appointed as the Privy Councilor and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Lingxiang, with a fief of six hundred households.

He appointed Jia Xu as Attendant-in-Ordinary and Deputy Chief of the Privy Council, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Duxiang, with a fief of six hundred households.

……

Lü Bu was appointed Grand General, Governor of Yan Province, and Marquis of Wen, with a fief of ten thousand households.

He appointed Zhang Yang as General of the Vanguard and concurrently as Deputy Chief of the Privy Council, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Jinyang with a fief of 2,500 households.

Zhang Liao was appointed Right General and enfeoffed as Marquis of Mayi, with a fief of three thousand households.

He appointed Li Song as Left General, Governor of Yinzhou, and Marquis of Chaoge, with a fief of two thousand households.

Xu Huang was appointed General of the Rear and enfeoffed as Marquis of Nanzheng, with a fief of 2,500 households.

Man Chong was appointed General Who Guards the South, Governor of Haizhou, and Marquis of Changyi, with a fief of 1,950 households.

Zhang Yan was appointed General Who Guards the West, Governor of Qingzhou, and Marquis of Zhending, with a fief of three thousand households.

The positions of General Zhen Dong and General Zhen Xi are temporarily vacant. Shi Yi, Hao Zhao, Gao Shun, and Xu Chu will serve as the Four Expeditionary Generals, each granted the title of Marquis of Duxiang, with fiefs ranging from 800 to 1,300 households.

Xianyu Fu, Ke Bi, Zhao Yun, and Meng Ning were appointed as the Four Generals of Pacification; Cheng Pu, Zhang He, Yan Rou, and Zhang Xiu were appointed as the Four Generals of Peace. Gao Lan, Xu Shu, Ma Chao, Qu Yi, and Zhang Feng were each granted the title of general.

The generals mentioned above received different ranks based on their seniority and military achievements, ranging from several hundred to over a thousand households. For example, Zhang Feng, as a general under Zhang Yuzong, guarded Guanzhong for many years and, although only holding the title of miscellaneous general, received a fief of a thousand households. Others surrendered with large armies, such as Gao Lan, who surrendered with several thousand cavalry and received a fief of thirteen hundred households.

(End of this chapter)