Taiheiki

Chapter 287 Year Number
"So, does this mean the Yuan family of Runan is going to be exterminated?" someone said. "This is a powerful family that has had members serving as one of the Three Dukes for four consecutive generations!"

"The Yuan family of Runan is nothing, can they compare to the Liang family of Anding?" someone scoffed. "If treason isn't punished by extermination, wouldn't that cause chaos?"

"That's true, at least several hundred heads will be rolling this time!"

"Several hundred? You underestimate that number. Just the number of Yuan's protégés and former subordinates alone is more than that."

"Watching his building rise and fall, we ordinary folks still live a more peaceful life!"

"Yes, brother! Come over to my place tonight, I'll kill a chicken, we'll have a few drinks, and enjoy every day to the fullest!"

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely go!"

Listening to the conversation around him, Shi Xie's feelings were extremely complicated. As an elite among the scholars of Jiaozhou, he was considered part of the Luoyang scholarly circle back then. If he hadn't sided with Wei Cong during the siege, he would most likely have been implicated this time, either imprisoned in the Sili Commandant's dungeon awaiting death or on the run, living in constant fear. At this moment, he felt both fortunate and somewhat terrified, feeling like a piece of duckweed on water, drifting with the current, completely unable to control his own life or death.

"Mr. Shi, Mr. Shi! Where have you gone? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Shi Xie, preoccupied with his own thoughts, was startled by the sudden call. Turning around, he saw Qin He, an attendant of Wei Cong. A thought struck him: "What do you want with me?"

"It wasn't me looking for you, it was the General who summoned you!" Qin He said with a wry smile, "Stop talking, come with me quickly, it would be terrible if we delayed the mission!"

"Alright, alright!" Shi Xie hurriedly followed Qin He towards the General's mansion. Along the way, he learned that the General had just returned from the palace and had been looking for him, but couldn't find him anywhere. At this point, Qin He said with a face full of envy, "Mr. Shi, the General sent people everywhere looking for you after returning from the palace; he must have something to ask you. You are truly learned; even someone as capable as the General has to consult you!"

A few months ago, if Shi Xie had known that Wei Cong wanted to consult him, he might have felt a little smug. But after witnessing the fall of Luoyang, the death of the emperor, and the destruction of top aristocratic families like the Yuan family of Runan, Shi Xie had come to deeply understand how terrifying Wei Cong was. The classical knowledge he had once been proud of was so weak and laughable in the face of Wei Cong's power and military might.

"How dare I accept the title of 'asking for advice'!" Shi Xie sighed. "I am just like you, a servant of the Great General. What am I to you?"

"How could that be!" Qin He laughed, "You are the General's military advisor!"

"Hehe!" Shi Xie chuckled dryly. He returned to the General's Mansion and entered the study: "This humble servant is late, please forgive me, General!"

"It's alright, it's not your day of duty today. Everyone has their own life!" Wei Cong said with a smile. "Mr. Shi, I invited you here today for something. I was in the palace just now when I heard the Empress Dowager mention that she wants to set a new era name. She asked me, the Minister of Works, the Grand Commandant, and I to think of one, and we'll discuss and decide on one tomorrow. I don't know much about this, so I'll have to trouble you!"

“Yes, we do need to set a new era name!” Shi Xie breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Just as Wei Cong had said, when the old emperor died and the new emperor ascended the throne, to signify the beginning of a new era, each dynasty would set a new era name (even the same emperor could change era names). Generally, these era names were chosen from ancient classics such as the *Shangshu* and *Lunyu*, each carrying various special meanings. They should have been set long ago, but due to a host of other matters following the new emperor's ascension, the matter was only recently remembered. Besides, it was already December, and the new year was just a few days away; the matter of setting an era name could no longer be delayed. (In fact, East Asian countries still retain the tradition of using era names. For example, in Japan, Heisei comes from the phrase “father's righteousness, mother's kindness, elder brother's friendship, younger brother's respect, son's filial piety, inner peace and outer success” in the *Shiji*; Reiwa comes from the phrase “in the early spring month, the air was gentle and the wind was mild” in the *Manyoshu*.)
"What kind of reign title does the General want?" Shi Xie asked.

"Hmm!" Wei Cong pondered for a moment: "In recent years, the Han Dynasty has been in turmoil both inside and outside the country. There are Xianbei, Qiang and Hu tribes on the outside, and E'zhai (a type of bandit) on the inside. People are displaced and the people are suffering. Everyone in the world misses the peaceful and prosperous times when Emperor Ming and Emperor Zhang were in power, and hopes that those times can be repeated. If only we could have a reign title like that!"

Shi Xie pondered for a moment: "I think it would be good to use Chong Guang!"

"Rejuvenate? Restore glory? Indeed, indeed!" Wei Cong nodded: "Then what is the origin of this reign title?"

"The Book of Documents states: 'The former rulers, King Wen and King Wu, proclaimed the glory of their ancestors!' The Records of the Grand Historian, in the chapter on the Hereditary House of Confucius, says: 'The former rulers, King Wen and King Wu, spread the virtues of their successive sages.' Ban Gu of this dynasty wrote: 'We proclaim the glory of our two ancestors and inherit the brilliance of our four lineages.' The sage virtues of our great Han dynasty's Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu illuminate the world. Today's emperor inherits the sage virtues of his ancestors and takes them as his own practice; hence the saying 'reclaiming glory'!"

"Well said, well said!" Hearing Shi Xie's explanation, Wei Cong stroked his beard and praised him repeatedly. Unlike the Tang and Song dynasties of the Middle Ages and the Ming and Qing dynasties of the Early Modern period, the Chinese people during the Han dynasty were simple and honest. Confucianism, which dominated the social ideology, contained a considerable amount of theological elements. The King Wen, King Wu, Duke of Zhou, Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Guangwu, Emperor Wenjing, and Emperor Mingzhang, repeatedly mentioned in the Five Classics, represented an idealized, prosperous era, considered close to the ideal state of the Three Dynasties. Choosing "Chongguang" as the reign title was to tell the people that this emperor would strive to return the country to the prosperous era of Emperors Wenjing and Mingzhang—a powerful appeal that is difficult for modern people to understand. Having lived in this era for many years, Wei Cong naturally understood the power contained in those two characters. He looked at Shi Xie, thinking to himself that while he had plenty of men skilled in archery and spearmanship, few like Shi Xie, who understood Confucianism and could help him manipulate ideology.

"You will come to the palace with me tomorrow!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Enter the palace?" Shi Xie was startled: "Me?"

“Yes, we need to decide on the reign title tomorrow, and I don’t have many people under my command who are well-versed in the Five Classics! I’ll have to trouble you!” Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Shi Xie lowered his head, secretly delighted. He knew what this meant, of course. Being able to participate in discussions on such a major national matter as the reign title was not something an ordinary person could do. It meant that he had entered Wei Cong's core circle of advisors. He never expected that he would turn misfortune into blessing and rise to the top in one step.

The following day, Wei Cong, escorted by his guards, entered the palace and arrived at a side hall of the imperial court. The Empress Dowager sat on the throne, along with Feng Kun and Zhang Huan, two of the Three Dukes, General Wei Cong, the Grand Master of the Imperial Library, and the Five Classics Scholars, all discussing the matter of the reign title. Feng Kun and Zhang Huan both offered their suggestions. Wei Cong coughed and said, “Empress Dowager, gentlemen, the Han Dynasty is currently beset by internal and external troubles. The treasury is empty, and the hearts of the people are in turmoil. It is truly a time of great turmoil. From top to bottom, everyone is dissatisfied with the current situation and yearns for the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, and Emperors Ming and Zhang. Therefore, I believe that the new year should use the reign title Chongguang to express to all the civil and military officials and the people of the land the court's intention to take action and restore the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, and Emperors Ming and Zhang!”

Feng Kun and Zhang Huan exchanged a glance. Although Wei Cong's assessment of the current state of affairs wasn't pleasant, it came from him, so no one dared to accuse him of exaggeration. Besides, anyone with a conscience would think that the Han Dynasty today could compare to the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, or Emperors Ming and Zhang.
“This reign title is good!” Zhang Huan was the first to express his opinion.

"This old minister also thinks Chongguang is good!" Feng Kun nodded.

With the Three Dukes and the Grand General having expressed their opinions, the others naturally wouldn't want to make a fool of themselves, and their gazes immediately turned to the Empress Dowager. Dou Miao smiled and said, "Grand General, this reign title is quite good. It's clear you put thought into it. Let's use this one!" "Yes, sir!" The clerk serving nearby quickly wrote it down, and thus the new emperor's reign title was decided, and the atmosphere in the hall relaxed considerably.

"Your Majesty, I have another matter to report!" Wei Cong said in a deep voice.

"General, please speak!"

"As far as I know, when the late emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, according to custom, the court was to grant a general amnesty and bestow upon all officials and commoners a rank of nobility. Is that true?"

“Indeed! This has been the custom throughout history. Does the General not think it’s good?” Dou Miao nodded. During the Han Dynasty, similar actions were taken when the emperor ascended the throne, got married, or had a crown prince. Of course, the titles bestowed at this time were still part of the twenty-rank military merit titles, but they no longer came with corresponding land, houses, and servants. They could only be used to atone for crimes. That is, everyone was given a redemption scroll. This was mainly because the Han Dynasty inherited the Qin law, which was very strict and rigorous. People could easily break the law if they were not careful. If there were no frequent collective redemption, social conflicts would become too acute.

“That’s not it!” Wei Cong said in a deep voice, “It’s just that back then, the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Works, and I all led troops, and many of our subordinates made great contributions. I planned to reward them according to their merits. Among these were noble titles, but these titles corresponded to land and houses. In order to distinguish them from the original titles, I wanted to add another mark!”

"This—" Dou Miao was stunned. Before he could speak, Zhang Huan asked, "General, do you mean that the soldiers should be given land and houses according to their bestowed titles?"

“Not bad!” Wei Cong nodded.

"How is that possible!" Zhang Huan exclaimed anxiously. "The three of us have at least 150,000 soldiers under our command! If only one-tenth of them are granted titles, where in the world will we find so much land to reward them?"

"Yes!" Feng Kun said with a wry smile, "General, we can understand your concern for the soldiers, but we also need to consider whether you can actually do it. This is not the time of founding a new dynasty. Where in the world are there so many vacant fields? You just said that the imperial treasury is empty. Isn't this putting the imperial court in a difficult position?"

"Is there no vacant land in the world? I doubt it!" Wei Cong laughed. "As far as I know, there are several hundred miles of vacant land in the Emperor's hunting grounds outside Luoyang alone. Not to mention the assassination attempt by Yuan Shu this time, which involved dozens of aristocratic families that were exterminated. Their families owned quite a lot of land!"

"General, what are you saying?" Zhang Huan retorted angrily. "The hunting grounds are the Emperor's hunting grounds; how can a subject arbitrarily disturb them? As for the confiscated land, it's nothing compared to the titles of meritorious soldiers. Besides, if you give it to them this time, what about next time? There are too many places to wage war in the future!"

"You flatter me, Minister of War. The Emperor is benevolent; how could he begrudge giving up his own hunting grounds for his pleasure while being stingy with rewards for his soldiers?" Wei Cong laughed. "Besides, if you don't give them this time, how can you expect them to fight bravely next time? There are so many places where we'll need to wage war in the future!"

Wei Cong's identical rebuttal left Zhang Huan speechless. He snorted coldly and said to the Empress Dowager at the head of the table, "Empress Dowager, please make your judgment!"

"This—" Dou Miao frowned, looking troubled. If it were anyone else suggesting distributing the Emperor's Hunting Grounds to meritorious soldiers, she would have already rebuked them, and might even have punished them. But this time it was Wei Cong who spoke, and after all, there were tens of thousands of Wei Cong's troops outside Luoyang City. Even disregarding everything else, she had to consider the feelings of those tens of thousands of soldiers!

"I will give this matter some time to consider!"

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"General, General, wait!"

As Wei Cong stepped down the stairs, he heard the voice of a eunuch behind him. Wei Cong stopped and turned around, only to see a young eunuch bowing respectfully to him: "The Empress Dowager has decreed that you be invited to the rear hall for discussion!"

"Thank you for your trouble!" Wei Cong nodded.

Walking through two rows of long corridors, Wei Cong looked at the crimson pillars painted with cinnabar on either side. To be honest, although the palaces of the Han Dynasty looked very imposing from the outside, the quality of life was only so-so. A lot of manpower and resources were invested, but the comfort level was just average. In the end, it was all due to inadequate building and insulation technology. If he were to live here, the first thing he would do is to carry out a major renovation of the house.

"The Empress Dowager is inside!" The young eunuch's voice was soft and pleasant. Wei Cong nodded, entered the hall, and bowed to Dou Miao, who sat at the head of the table, saying, "This humble subject pays respects to the Empress Dowager!"

"General, no need for formalities!" Dou Miao smiled broadly, seemingly having forgotten all the matters discussed in the hall just now: "Sit down and let's talk! There are no outsiders present, so we are all of the same clan. There's no need for such formalities!"

"Thank you!" Wei Cong didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the brocade cushion. Dou Miao waved her hand, signaling the palace maid to bring wine and water: "Why did you say such things today? The Emperor's Hunting Grounds cannot be visited privately. This is something that people will talk about!"

Wei Cong laughed and said, "In the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, how many relatives of the empress have had a good ending? I'm doing this for you, for my own future!"

Dou Miao's face turned ugly: "What do you mean by this?"

“That’s exactly what I mean!” Wei Cong smiled. “Today, Zhang Huan and Feng Kun said that it’s not the time of founding the country, and there aren’t many fields to reward meritorious soldiers. But that’s not true. When I was in Jiaozhou, I rewarded soldiers with fields according to their ranks. It was precisely because of this that I was able to fight my way from Jiaozhou to Luoyang, winning every battle!”

(End of this chapter)