Tiger Guards

Chapter 373 Three Provinces Gather
Ping Le Guan, near Xianyang Garden in the western suburbs of Luodu.

At the flat, open area where Emperor Ling once inspected the Western Garden Army, one can still see the ruins of the camps that remained from that time, as well as the old camp where Dong Zhuo stationed his army when he led it into Luoyang.

These camps, along with various palaces, manors, residences, and commoners' dwellings, have all been burned down; as far as the eye can see, there are ruins everywhere.

Only the villages near the military settlements and fields have been rebuilt and are barely habitable.

The various armies that came with Zhao Ji dispersed and set up camps, collecting building materials from the ruins and rebuilding many fortifications on the original sites.

After inspecting the Ping Le Guan camp, Zhao Ji led his cavalry to Luodu.

When passing by Baima Temple, it was no exception; it too had been burned to ruins by Lü Bu.

When Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu retreated, they looted the place, and they even tortured and stole from living people, which was the most efficient way to do so.

Later, when Sun Jian entered Luoyang, he also carried out some rescue excavations.

Later, when Zhu Jun entered Luoyang, Tao Qian organized various parties in Guandong to provide Zhu Jun with soldiers and military supplies, but the project failed because of the obstruction of various parties.

However, various armies still came to Luoyang, and later, when the emperor moved east, armies from all sides entered Luoyang.

This resulted in the search and retrieval of large ruins within and around Luodu City. Even so, the soldiers stationed in Shangluo still enthusiastically went to the ruins to collect building materials and make a little money along the way.

Unless a large-scale hidden treasure vault is discovered, Zhao Ji is too lazy to get involved.

Not paying military salaries is already excessive; to deduct such small amounts of money on top of that is simply unreasonable.

The original city gate of Luodu's West Gate was burned down, and the current city gate is newly installed without even paint.

Bi Chen, the Prefect of Henan, led the prefectural officials and the main officials of the three provinces who were stationed in Luodu to welcome Zhao Ji.

The person in the lead was Zhao Rui, the Director of the Secretariat, followed by five Attendants-in-Ordinary, including Liu Ai, and six Ministers.

Within the Ministry of Personnel, Liu Fu, a junior official in the Ministry of Personnel, stood at the very end of the provincial hierarchy. According to the system planned by Zhao Ji, the Ministry of Personnel should be headed by the Minister of Personnel, followed by the Left and Right Vice Ministers, and then the Six Ministries, or the Six Department Ministers.

The original three-tiered structure of the Ministry of Personnel was forcibly expanded to include the second-tier Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel and the fourth-tier Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, thus relegating the original third-tier Minister of Personnel to the fifth tier.

Within Luodu, there was also Gao Chong, an official under Zhao Yan, who was in charge of the Sili Xiaowei's office. He had more than 300 men under his command and was in charge of assassinating traitors. According to the system, he had the privilege of arresting traitors first and then interrogating them upon hearing rumors.

It was essentially equivalent to controlling the life and death of officials in the three provinces within Luoyang and the Henan prefecture. As long as they made the first move and arrested you, wouldn't they be able to find a crime to charge you with?
As for the minor officials like the Magistrate of Luoyang and the Commandant of Luoyang, they only had the power to manage civil affairs and maintain public order.

There weren't even a few decent people in Luodu City; they were purely for show.

When they came to greet Zhao Ji, they didn't even have the right to take the initiative to speak to him or introduce themselves.

Even though Zhao Ji traveled lightly, he still had more than 300 chariots and horses to accompany him. The four large banners he carried when attacking Guanzhong were increased to five battle banners, with an additional banner that read "Left Minister of the Ministry of Personnel".

After meeting everyone, Zhao Rui, Liu Ai, and Zhao Ji rode together in one carriage and began to enter the city.

Inside the city gate, on the streets, were the guards and servants under the command of Gao Chong, all of whom wore light two-piece armor, carried spears, halberds, swords, crossbows, or bows.

On the chariot, Zhao Ji looked at the barracks and government offices that were being built one after another in the city and asked, "How is the weather in Luodu lately?"

Liu Ai replied, "Grand Marshal, rainfall is scarce. Fortunately, during the winter, Lord Yuanming ordered his soldiers to build waterwheels, and now most fields can be irrigated by drawing water from the Luo and Yi rivers, and even those further away can be irrigated by waterwheels."

Zhao Rui quickly added, "If there is no rain, the overnight wheat can be harvested in another five or six days."

"We cannot wait for the wheat to be harvested; the war with the traitor Yuan Shu will inevitably be a protracted one."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Liu Ai: "The army has no shortage of carpenters, nor is it lacking in animal power. If we plant wheat, beans, millet, and sorghum now, will they be ready for harvest this year?"

Liu Ailue recalled, "The difficulty lies in irrigation. The climate in Guandong is similar to that in Luozhong. After the spring drought, there is also the matter of replanting summer wheat."

"Since it is feasible, I will soon order all troops to select sites for cultivation at their garrison locations; while the summer wheat is being harvested, summer wheat should also be planted."

Zhao Ji remained silent after speaking. This year's war was more troublesome than last year's, as he had lost Prince Chen as a reliable supply station in the Central Plains.

We also cannot expect Lü Bu to transport grain from Nanyang. During this period, the messengers Lü Bu sent always complained in their letters about the drought in Nanyang after the start of summer.

This year's drought in Nanyang is slightly better than last year's, at least the rainfall in spring was plentiful, and the rainwater accumulated in the mountains and fields, which also nourished the seedlings in spring.

Therefore, the water volume of the Yu River this year is still quite considerable, not so dry that one can walk across the river.

When the cavalry arrived at the Ministry of Personnel, Zhao Ji's guards had already taken over the defenses there.

Upon entering the province, Zhao Ji took his seat in the main hall, accompanied by Qin Yilu, Lü Bu's plenipotentiary envoy; five attendants from the Secretariat were also present.

As for Bi Chen, the governor of Henan, he was not qualified to participate in the central meeting of the three provinces and could only wait outside.

Zhao Rui, the deputy director of the Secretariat, was also present. With the three departments gathered together, many matters could be decided immediately here.

After everyone was seated, Zhao Ji looked at the five Attendants of the Secretariat and said, "Now that Yuan Shu has rebelled, the Left General should select another virtuous and capable person. Liu Xuande, the Governor of Xu Province, has remained steadfast and unyielding despite the weakness of Xu Province. He should be given a high title to strengthen his resolve."

The five members of the Secretariat sat in a row, with Liu Ai at the head, followed by Tai Chong, Zhong Ji, Xu Si, and Wang Kai. The five exchanged glances, and seeing that Qin Yilu, who was sitting alone on one side, did not object, Liu Ai immediately cupped his hands and said, "The Grand Marshal's suggestion is very appropriate, and I second it."

The other four attendants seconded the motion, but Zhong Ji looked displeased.

According to the Three Departments system, proposals should be submitted to the Secretariat for review and approval, and then to the Department of State Affairs for implementation.

Now, Zhao Ji is openly and brazenly having the Grand Marshal and the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel conduct proposals and votes in the Secretariat, which has seriously undermined the authority of the Secretariat. Previously, the Secretariat's deliberations were always conducted privately with the instructions of Zhao Ji or Lü Bu beforehand, and then the deliberations and votes were held collectively.

At least all proposals were put forward within the Secretariat by the various courtiers.

However, Tai Chong, Xu Si, Wang Kai, and others did not find anything unusual. Yuan Shu's rebellion was an abnormal event in itself; in such extraordinary times, it was reasonable for Zhao Ji or Lü Bu to make a direct proposal.

After the five Chamberlains of the Secretariat seconded the resolution, Guanqiu Xing, the Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat, wrote down the proposal following the resolution and handed it over to the Secretariat.

The Grand Secretary Zhao Rui signed the document and handed it over to a Grand Secretary scribe for copying. The scribe then gave the copy to Zhao Rui for his signature again before filing it. The original document was then sent to the Minister of War on the same day.

The six ministers were only responsible for execution and had no room for discussion.

Therefore, after the Minister and Vice Minister signed the document, they sent receipts to the Secretariat and the Chancellery, respectively. These receipts, along with the official seals and the implementation of rewards, would then be handed over to the Minister's assistants for execution.

There are two types of imperial edicts: one is issued to the whole country, and the other involves individuals who need to be personally proclaimed by a special person. In the latter case, the Secretariat selects an attendant to carry out the edict.

For important imperial edicts, the messenger would be from three departments, and the edict would be carried out by the Imperial Secretary, the Attendant, and the Yellow Gate Attendant from the Secretariat.

The more important the position, the higher the status of the commissioner from the three provinces.

If Liu Bei were to be appointed as Left General, this would be a significant title bestowed by the imperial court, and the three provinces should have jointly sent personnel to form a relatively luxurious procession to proclaim the imperial edict.

In the current situation, we can only make an announcement first and produce a new gold seal for the Left General, and then implement it in person after the situation is resolved.

If Liu Bei can hold off Yuan Shu and hold out until the imperial army arrives at the Xuzhou battlefield... then after the war, Zhao Ji would not mind giving Liu Bei and Guan Yu the title of Marquis.

Based on Liu Bei's accumulated merits, he should be granted a title of nobility.

Officials within the Three Departments system have gradually become accustomed to this method of governance, and the longer this continues, the greater the probability that these individuals will become supporters of the Three Departments system.

Even if the power of the three ministers to participate in government affairs is completely excluded, this power will not disappear out of thin air; it will ultimately return to the three provinces.

Now that the three provinces have gathered, Zhao Ji can quickly implement anything that Qin Yilu, Lü Bu's envoy, does not object to.

Appointing Liu Bei as Left General was merely a trial run.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Ji addressed another unresolved issue, asking Qin Yilu, "What is the General's opinion on the succession of the Governor of Yangzhou?"

Qin Yilu glanced at Xu Si and Wang Kai and said, "There are discussions within the province about this matter. Some suggest that Hua Xin of Yuzhang should take over, some suggest that Liu Zihui of Zhongshan should take over, and some suggest that Zifang, the Chamberlain of the Palace, should take over. I wonder what the Grand Marshal thinks."

“Yangzhou was previously a vassal state, so we should support a new vassal state to appease the people and scholars of the land.”

Zhao Ji immediately rejected Hua Xin's suggestion, saying, "Liu Zihui fought alongside me against Yuan Shao at Changshan. Although he has a great reputation in Hebei, his achievements and experience are lacking. I wonder what you think, Zifang?"

Liu Ai cupped his hands and replied, "It is the duty of a subject to address the court's difficulties, and I dare not refuse."

"Well, if the General has no objections, then we will trouble Zifang to go to Yuzhang to take up his post in Yangzhou."

Zhao Ji then asked, "After Lord Zifang leaves office, is it possible that you will recommend a suitable candidate to succeed him as Attendant-in-Ordinary?"

Liu Ai replied, "With the court moving east, many loyal and virtuous officials have already died for their country, making it difficult to select a suitable candidate."

"If we narrow it down, are there any members of the imperial clan who are willing to take up the position?"

Zhao Ji then asked, "If the successor is a member of the imperial family, it will help increase the legitimacy and persuasiveness of the three provinces."

Liu Ai was in a dilemma upon hearing this. Zhao Ji's base was in Xizhou, where there were almost no royal families or nobles, so it was naturally difficult for a large Liu clan to emerge.

It would be extremely difficult to select a member of the imperial clan who was influenced and controlled by Zhao Ji from Xizhou.

After much thought, I really couldn't think of anyone who was of low birth, yet had a high reputation, and was also convenient to attach himself to Zhao Ji.

It's not that there aren't suitable people, it's just that the other person comes from a very high social class.

Seeing his hesitation, Zhao Ji said, "Speak freely."

"Yes, Liu Song, also known as Liu Ziqiao, is the son of Liu Gong, the former Grand Commandant and Marquis of Luxiang. He is renowned throughout the land and can be considered a successor."

After Liu Ai finished speaking, everyone looked up to observe Zhao Ji.

When the emperor moved east, Liu Song was also sent as an envoy to Hebei to pacify Yuan Shao.

His father, Liu Kuan, was a fifteenth-generation descendant of Emperor Gaozu. His family had lived in Hongnong for generations and had become a prominent family of officials.

Grand Commandant Liu Kuan's protégés and former officials were spread throughout the country, but after the Luoyang Coup, Liu Kuan's protégés and former officials failed to unite and were suppressed to the point of being powerless.

Zhao Ji pondered for a moment and then said, "Zifang is going to Yangzhou to support the southeastern corner of the country. His future is fraught with difficulties, and I believe his actions before his departure were appropriate. What do the gentlemen of the Secretariat think?"

Who dares to oppose Liu Kuan's son?
Zhao Ji's question was immediately echoed by everyone, and even the paperwork process was expedited.

Qin Yilu sat alone in a corner, and had no objection to the appointment.

Everyone agreed that Liu Ai should take over as governor of Yangzhou. If another member of the imperial clan were to be appointed as a court attendant, it would take up a spot previously held by Zhao Ji. He didn't even have the heart to speak up.

(End of this chapter)