Taiheiki

Chapter 191 Advantages and Disadvantages
In modern history textbooks, these feudal lords of the early Han Dynasty are often portrayed as opponents hindering unification. However, from another perspective, this dual system of commanderies and kingdoms in the early Han Dynasty also left many loopholes for the people to escape the oppression of power. As is well known, the Han Dynasty inherited the laws of the Qin Dynasty, which were known for their harshness and strictness. Even in the early Han Dynasty, the people had to bear extremely heavy labor and taxes. Any slight violation could result in exile, forced labor, corporal punishment, or even execution.

However, unlike the Qin Dynasty and many other unified regimes in later dynasties, the early Han Dynasty had two systems. If you broke the law in the counties ruled by the emperor, you could flee to the lands of the vassal kings. These vassal kings, having ruled these lands for generations, had long-term plans and would often reduce or exempt taxes and labor for the fugitives in order to attract talent and labor and strengthen their own power.

For example, Liu Bi, the King of Wu during the early Han Dynasty, exempted the people from poll tax and taxation because his kingdom was rich in copper and salt. He also lifted the ban on official mountains and seas, allowing the people to freely produce salt and mine. When Wu soldiers went to distant garrisons according to regulations, Liu Bi would also provide them with travel expenses. Liu Bi also frequently visited and rewarded talented people in his jurisdiction every year.

When officials from other commanderies and kingdoms wanted to apprehend fugitives, King Liu Bi of Wu always took them in instead of handing them over to other commanderies and kingdoms. Admittedly, King Liu Bi of Wu did this to win over the people, but objectively, the local people did also benefit.

The actions of the feudal lords inadvertently created a competitive relationship with the officials of neighboring prefectures and counties. If the officials of the imperial court and the prefectures and counties levied exorbitant taxes, the people under their rule would flee to the nearby feudal states, and the officials of the imperial court would be punished for the decrease in population. The power of the imperial court and the feudal lords would also ebb and flow, so they would be more restrained in their actions.

Therefore, in the early Han Dynasty, whether it was the imperial court's prefectures and counties or the vassal states, the ruling class exercised relatively restraint in exploiting the people under its rule, and the people thus benefited to some extent. Of course, under this dual system, the state did not have the capacity to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of horses to expand its territory like Emperor Wu of Han, but it also did not cause the once prosperous country to lose half its population and suffer as much as Emperor Wu of Han did in just two or three decades.

In fact, the scholar-officials of the Han Dynasty also noticed the deterioration of the state and the poverty of the people after Emperor Wu of Han. They proposed many solutions, such as the usurper Wang Mang, but all of them ultimately failed. The reason is simple: they could not think of, or dared not, to trace the root cause of the deterioration of the state to the growth of autocratic imperial power.

The relatively clean political environment and lighter burden on the people in the early Western Han Dynasty were not due to the higher moral standards of Empress Lü, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, Cao Can, Chen Ping, and Zhou Bo compared to Emperor Wu and his ministers, but rather because the autocratic imperial power had not yet grown strong enough to control everything. In the early Western Han Dynasty, even imperial power was relatively weak. The emperor, nobles, and vassal kings checked and balanced each other, remaining wary of one another. To avoid being defeated and eliminated by other forces, the various groups within the ruling class exercised considerable restraint.

As imperial power grew, especially after the Rebellion of the Seven States, the independent administrative and military powers of the vassal kings were stripped away. After the Han Empire completed its reunification, there was no longer any force within the ruling class that could check imperial power. The past restraint on one's own desires became unnecessary, and the annihilation of the people was only a matter of time.

Therefore, Wei Cong's proposed solution was simple: restore the dual political system of the early Han dynasty, where the emperor and the feudal lords were the central figures. Of course, there was no need to create a large number of feudal states east of Hangu Pass as was done in the early Han dynasty. Jiaozhou and the vast lands south of Jiaozhou had, in fact, reached the limit of imperial rule given the technological conditions at the time.

With the central government gradually weakening, the empire facing increasingly powerful nomadic tribes such as the Qiang, Xianbei, and Wuhuan in the north, and internal uprisings constantly breaking out, why not cede these lands, which would inevitably be lost sooner or later, to Wei Cong as a vassal? This would allow him to repel the invasion of the barbarians and become a powerful ally of the emperor (or Yuan Shao) at home. Wouldn't that be a very good solution?

"Mengde, what you say makes sense, but I'm afraid the court won't agree!" A smile appeared on Yuan Shao's handsome face.

"That depends on Benchu ​​and your uncles!" Wei Cong laughed. "Nothing in the world goes smoothly, let alone such a big matter. To put it bluntly, the emperor is still young, and the power is in the hands of the general and your uncle, so they can tolerate it. But if a few more years pass and the emperor gets older, I'm afraid the disaster of the Liang family will be repeated!"

Yuan Shao didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly. Anyone familiar with the history of the Han Dynasty would understand the relationship between the emperor and his maternal relatives. When the emperor was young, things could proceed peacefully, but as he grew older, he would demand to rule in his own right, and the relationship with the powerful maternal relatives would become a life-or-death struggle.

Either the emperor successfully assumes power and exterminates his maternal relatives, or the maternal relatives kill the young emperor and install a new, young ruler. However, if the maternal relatives fail to usurp the throne, their elimination by the adult emperor is inevitable. Although the Yuan family of Runan is not a maternal relative, as a powerful faction sharing control of the Secretariat with General Dou Wu, they are unlikely to escape collateral damage. If Wei Cong's scheme succeeds, the Yuan family of Runan will be safe.

“Xiangpu is the capital of Linyi, and there will be many affairs to attend to once we enter the city!” Yuan Shao laughed. “I won’t keep Governor Wei any longer!” He stood up, cupped his hands in farewell to Wei Cong, and said, “Farewell!”

"I dare not!" Wei Cong stood up and returned Yuan Shao's bow: "If I wish to achieve something in Jiaozhou, I cannot do without your uncle's help. Yuan Shao, please do not turn your back on me!"

At this point, the two couldn't help but smile at each other.

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"How much further?" Qu An asked the guide with suspicion.

The guide spoke for a while in a language that Qu An couldn't understand, and before exhausting Qu An's last bit of patience, he said, "There'll be some more time. We should arrive before dark!"

"We should be able to get there before dark?" Qu An glared angrily at the guide, who lowered his head timidly. Qu An snorted coldly, climbed onto the pile of rocks, and looked at the setting sun. A small river meandered into the distance, its surface shimmering like gold being forged. The distant mountains became more rugged; the dense forests were gone, replaced by alpine meadows, towering arrogantly and stretching north and west. On the distant horizon, the mountains resembled majestic shadows, one after another, until they blurred. Even from afar, they remained vast, lonely, and desolate.

Zooming in, he was surrounded entirely by trees. To the south and east, the forest stretched to the horizon, a vast, intricately intertwined thicket casting thousands upon thousands of dark green shadows. A mountain breeze stirred, and he heard the branches, far older than himself, groan and sigh. Hundreds of leaves danced in unison, and for a moment, the forest seemed to transform into a deep green ocean, surging and endless. His father actually wanted to cross these mountains, to bypass them and invade Han Chinese territory—he was utterly insane, and of course, he himself, obedient to orders, was no better. Venturing into this forest was no different from plunging into the sea; both would be drowned. He stood there for a long time, until the sun disappeared behind the jagged mountains and the shadows crept into the forest, before he finally gave up.

Qu An jumped off the rock and returned to the camp. The campfire was already lit. The stars were out overhead. Qu An heard people whispering and talking. He could hear his own name and his father's name. Whenever his gaze swept over them, they immediately fell silent. People lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with him. They were definitely hiding something from him! This was not a good sign.

Back by his campfire, Qu An sat down, stretched his legs (from a day's climb), and gently tapped them together with his fists. Gu Gu asked, "Would you like a cup of hot wine?"

"Hmm, give me a glass, it gets terribly cold up in the mountains at night! Add lemon juice to the drink, you know my taste!"

"Yes!" Gu Gu poured rice wine into the copper kettle, took out a lemon, cut it open, squeezed out the juice, and then placed the kettle on the fire. As Qu An's wet nurse, Gu Gu knew everything about Qu An—his tastes, habits, and hobbies. Since Qu An's mother died shortly after giving birth to him, Qu An was actually raised by his wet nurse. The two young men grew up together, sharing the same bed, the same blanket, and the same piece of bread, all of this continued until they were old enough to understand the difference in their social status. Even so, Gu Gu was still the only person Qu An could trust to turn his back on.

Qu An took the cup and took a big gulp. He nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, expressing his approval. His hunting dog lay beside him, looking expectantly at the dinner on the grill.

“One cup is enough!” Qu An pushed the copper kettle aside, his voice low and tired: “Gu Gu, when I came over just now, I saw the soldiers whispering to each other, but when I got closer they stopped talking. What were they saying?”

“The soldiers are all worried about the battle between the King and the Han people!” Gu Gu sighed. “Some say the King’s army is short of food and has to retreat, only to be pursued by the Han people during the retreat; others say the King ordered his soldiers to attack the Han fortifications, resulting in many deaths, but they still haven’t broken through; still others say the Han fleet launched a surprise attack on Xiangpu City. I know these are all baseless rumors, but the soldiers are very worried. You know, if something happens to the King, we’re all finished!”

"Forget it, let's not talk about that anymore. I'm hungry, let's get something to eat!" Qu An sighed. He knew that Gu Gu was right. In the end, his father's side was the main battlefield, and his side was just a separate force to contain and disperse the Han people's strength. If his side was defeated, his side would collapse without a fight.

The pot lid was lifted, releasing the aroma of stew and the mournful melody of a reed flute. Qu An took the bowl, stirred it a couple of times with a spoon, and found radishes, dried vegetables, millet, and two pieces of cured meat that had been overcooked and were no longer recognizable. He took a sip and felt much warmer, then began to eat heartily.

The next morning at dawn, as he left, the wind grew even stronger. Qu An wrapped his coat tighter around himself, but still felt very cold. He couldn't help but recall a story he'd heard from an elder when he was a child—that in the northern mountains, winter snow fell like white feathers, beautiful yet deadly. When the snow covered the earth, the cold would envelop it, indiscriminately bestowing death upon everyone. Perhaps if he continued walking, he too would freeze to death? Qu An thought to himself.

Around noon, Qu An finally arrived at his destination, a secluded valley that was also the lair of the notorious bandit Zhu Da, who had been ravaging Jiuzhen and Rinan County for years.

Zhu Da wasn't tall, but he was short and stocky, with a short, thick neck that made it seem as if his head was practically attached to it. He sat by the campfire, eating half-cooked meat with a fork, grease and blood dripping from his fingers and into his rough, long beard. He wiped his hands with his clothes, stood up, opened his arms wide, and laughed, spitting as he spoke, "Welcome! This is quite a rare guest!"

"I have brought you a letter from my father!" Qu An handed over the letter, trying his best to avoid Zhu Da's embrace. Although in the eyes of the Han people, the Lin Yi people and mountain leaders like Zhu Da were barbarians, there were actually great differences among the barbarians. For example, in Qu An's eyes, he was a noble Kshatriya warrior, while those mountain people were at most a group of Shudra natives. Hugging this filthy guy in front of him was no different from jumping into a cesspool and rolling around.

"A letter?" Juda frowned, turned around and called out, "Hey you! Come here and read the letter. See what decree our esteemed king has for us!"

Qu An was unsure whether the other party was mocking him, but Zhu Da's men around him burst into laughter. These men, with their diverse skin colors, attire, and appearances, were probably the most ferocious and tyrannical villains in all of Jiaozhou. They laughed so hard that spittle flew everywhere, as if they had heard something hilarious. After some thought, Qu An decided it was best to wait and see how things unfolded.

The man who had read the letter leaned closer to Zhu Da and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhu Da couldn't help but chuckle. He returned to the fire, picked up another piece of roasted meat, and asked, "The letter said you're Qu Heng's son. Did you bring a gift?"

“They’ve brought them, they’re right behind us!” Qu An knew that in his father’s eyes, these guys were just a bunch of mad dogs. He often drove them like this, giving them weapons, food and other things, ordering them to attack Han people’s counties, to act recklessly, to burn, kill and plunder, to force Han people to give up their land, and then the Linyi people could take it over.

"Very good, bring it up!" Zhu Da revealed a greedy smile.

Qu An hesitated for a moment, feeling that something was wrong, but he finally nodded. He turned around and made a gesture. A few minutes later, Gu Gu drove more than ten donkeys over, each with two rattan boxes on its back.

(End of this chapter)